Plasticity



= __Definition__: = The capacity of the brain to adapt to changes such as brain damage. Gen Psych, CH 2, pp. 57

= __Examples__: =

Intensive practice of a motor skill involving fine finger movements (For Example playing the guitar) may result in an increase in the number of neurons that are devoted to motor control of the fingers. The first time this occurs is when a baby is born. And also continues throughout the human life cycle.

= __Analogies__: = The presence of pressure gradient in transverse to the flow direction is known to be a reason for instability in some types of shear flows, like Taylor-Couette flow. In contrast to that, the reason for instability of shear flows without transverse pressure gradient is still not fully understood. This work attempts to clarify this mechanism by extending the Navier-Stokes equations “forcing” their instability in the case of simple shear flows. An assumption that mechanical behavior of Newton fluids includes also a plasticity-like mechanism resulting in an additional transverse pressure, allows such an extension. The study of the instability mechanism of shear flows is motivated not only by its great industrial significance, but also by its key role in the turbulence phenomenon.

= __Mnemonics__: = Plasticity-plastic-by heating plastic we can mold it to any shape pretty easily without any breakage.

=__In the News__:= [|Brain Plasticity: What Is It?] Plasticity, or neuroplasticity, describes how experiences reorganize neural pathways in the brain. media type="youtube" key="TSu9HGnlMV0" height="315" width="420"
 * [|New Period of Brain “Plasticity” Created With Transplanted Embryonic Cells]
 * [|Prozac Reorganizes Brain Plasticity]
 * [|Brain Plasticity]
 * [|Brain Plasticity]
 * [[image:fuzzyscience/3a75da5130993011ed3f648c950d6e8b.gif]]
 * [[image:fuzzyscience/UCSF--Brain-Plasticity.jpg]]

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