Neural evidence for advantaged representation of first items in memory.

Visual areas activated during perception can retain specific information held in memory without the presence of physical stimuli via distributed activity patterns. Neuroimaging studies have shown that the delay-period representation of information in visual areas is modulated by factors such as memory load and task demands, raising the possibility of serial position as another potential modulator. Specifically, enhanced representation of first items during the post-encoding delay period may serve as a mechanism underlying the well-established but not well-understood primacy effect - the mnemonic advantage of first items.

Development and validation of an fMRI-informed EEG model of reward-related ventral striatum activation.

Reward processing is essential for our mental-health and well-being. In the current study, we developed and validated a scalable, fMRI-informed EEG model for monitoring reward processing related to activation in the ventral-striatum (VS), a significant node in the brain's reward system. To develop this EEG-based model of VS-related activation, we collected simultaneous EEG/fMRI data from 17 healthy individuals while listening to individually-tailored pleasurable music - a highly rewarding stimulus known to engage the VS.

Sensitivity of mRNA Translation.

Using the dynamic mean-field approximation of the totally asymmetric simple exclusion process (TASEP), we investigate the effect of small changes in the initiation, elongation, and termination rates along the mRNA strand on the steady-state protein translation rate. We show that the sensitivity of mRNA translation is equal to the sensitivity of the maximal eigenvalue of a symmetric, nonnegative, tridiagonal, and irreducible matrix. This leads to new analytical results as well as efficient numerical schemes that are applicable for large-scale models.

Maximizing protein translation rate in the non-homogeneous ribosome flow model: a convex optimization approach.

Translation is an important stage in gene expression. During this stage, macro-molecules called ribosomes travel along the mRNA strand linking amino acids together in a specific order to create a functioning protein. An important question, related to many biomedical disciplines, is how to maximize protein production.