Aging and the rate of visual information processing

Multiple methods exist for measuring how age influences the rate of visual information processing. The most advanced methods model the processing dynamics in a task in order to estimate processing rates independently of other factors that might be influenced by age, such as overall performance level and the time at which processing onsets. However, such modeling techniques have produced mixed evidence for age effects. Using a time-accuracy function (TAF) analysis, Kliegl, Mayr, and Krampe (1994) showed clear evidence for age effects on processing rate. In contrast, using the diffusion model to examine the dynamics of decision processes, Ratcliff and colleagues (e.g., Ratcliff, Thapar, & McKoon, 2006) found no evidence for age effects on processing rate across a range of tasks. Examination of these studies suggests that the number of display stimuli might account for the different findings. In three experiments we measured the precision of younger and older adults' representations of target stimuli after different amounts of stimulus exposure. A TAF analysis found little evidence for age differences in processing rate when a single stimulus was presented (Experiment 1). However, adding three nontargets to the display resulted in age-related slowing of processing (Experiment 2). Similar slowing was observed when simply presenting two stimuli and using a post-cue to indicate the target (Experiment 3). Although there was some interference from distracting objects and from previous responses, these age-related effects on processing rate seem to reflect an age-related difficulty in processing multiple objects, particularly when encoding them into visual working memory

Tests for cream sediment

Commercial milk plants have employed the sediment test for milk for many years. In fact, the milk sediment test has its place on the milk score card. The amount of sediment is always determined in scoring milk. The test is extremely simple; it consists of passing 1 pint of milk through a sediment tester and catching the sediment present in the milk on a circular pad 1 inch in diameter. The application of a sediment test to cream, on the other hand, has been attempted only very recently. A test as simple as that for milk is impossible. The cream’s high fat content necessitates warming it to melt the fat so that the sample will filter easily; the variable acidity of cream for butter-making necessitates the use of a neutralizing agent, in many instances in order that the filter pad will not clog. Because of the high fat content of the cream it is imperative to use less than a pint in order to reduce the cost and eliminate the handling of a bulky sample after dilution

Calculation of energy levels and transition amplitudes for barium and radium

The radium atom is a promising system for studying parity and time invariance violating weak interactions. However, available experimental spectroscopic data for radium is insufficient for designing an optimal experimental setup. We calculate the energy levels and transition amplitudes for radium states of significant interest. Forty states corresponding to all possible configurations consisting of the $7s$, $7p$ and $6d$ single-electron states as well as the states of the $7s8s$, $7s8p$ and $7s7d$ configurations have been calculated. The energies of ten of these states corresponding to the $6d^2$, $7s8s$, $7p^2$, and $6d7p$ configurations are not known from experiment. Calculations for barium are used to control the accuracy.Comment: 12 pages, 4 table

Low-rate discharge of various electrochemical batteries for use with oceanographic instruments

The endurance of self-sustained oceanographic instruments is generally limited to battery energy. Tests were initiated to measure the capacities of several types of electrochemical batteries when discharged at temperatures and rates typical of oceanographic use. Battery systems represented are alkaline-manganese dioxide, mercuric-oxide, and lithium sulphur oxychloride. Results of tests completed so far are presented. A brief overview of those batteries best suited for use with self-sustained oceanographic instruments is included as an appendix.Funding was provided by the Office of Naval Research under contract Number N00014-76-C-0197, NR 083-400

Small-Signal Stability and SCR Enhancement of Offshore WPPs with Synchronous Condensers

Synchronous condensers (SCs) have been reported to improve the overall stability and short-circuit power of a power system. SCs are also being integrated into offshore wind power plants (WPPs) for the same reason. This paper, investigates the effect of synchronous condensers on an offshore wind power plant with grid-following (GFL) and grid-forming (GFM) converter controls. Primarily, the effect of synchronous condensers can be two-fold: (1) overall stability enhancement of the WPP by providing reactive power support, (2) contribution to the effective short circuit ratio (SCR) of the WPP by fault current support. Therefore, this paper focuses on studies concerning these effects on an aggregated model of a WPP connected to the grid. To that end, a state-space model of the test system is developed for small-signal stability assessment and the synchronous condenser's effect on its stability. In addition, a mathematical explanation of SCR enhancement with synchronous condenser is provided and is verified with time-domain electromagnetic transient simulations

The quantum brachistochrone problem for non-Hermitian Hamiltonians

Recently Bender, Brody, Jones and Meister found that in the quantum brachistochrone problem the passage time needed for the evolution of certain initial states into specified final states can be made arbitrarily small, when the time-evolution operator is taken to be non-Hermitian but PT-symmetric. Here we demonstrate that such phenomena can also be obtained for non-Hermitian Hamiltonians for which PT-symmetry is completely broken, i.e. dissipative systems. We observe that the effect of a tunable passage time can be achieved by projecting between orthogonal eigenstates by means of a time-evolution operator associated with a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. It is not essential that this Hamiltonian is PT-symmetric

Wavelength modulation spectroscopy of single quantum dots

We demonstrate that external cavity diode lasers with large mode-hop-free tuning ranges (up to 80 GHz) together with wavelength modulation spectroscopy can be used to study excitonic transitions in semiconductor nanostructures. Such transitions are characterized by homogeneous linewidths typically on the order of a few GHz. Wavelength modulation spectroscopy offers a high signal-to-noise method for the determination of resonance line shapes. We have used this technique to accurately measure dipole moments and dephasing rates of single semiconductor quantum dot eigenstates. These measurements are important for the use of quantum dots in semiconductor cavities and quantum logic gates, and for an improved understanding of the physics of exciton confinement. © 2002 American Institute of Physics.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/70029/2/APPLAB-80-11-1876-1.pd

Lunar elemental composition and ivestigations with D-CIXS x-ray mapping spectrometer on SMART-1

The D-CIXS Compact X-ray Spectrometer on ESA SMART-1 successfully launched in Sept 2003 can derive 45 km resolution images of the Moon with a spectral resolution of 185 eV, providing the first high-resolution global map of rock forming element abundances

Observations of Past Lunar Landing Sites by the D-CIXS X-Ray Spectrometer on SMART-1

D-CIXS initial observations show a first unambiguous remote sensing of calcium in the lunar regolith. Data obtained are broadly consistent with current understanding of mare and highland composition. Ground truth is provided by the returned Apollo and Luna sample sets

Identification of proteomic signatures associated with depression and psychotic depression in post-mortem brains from major depression patients

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide and results tragically in the loss of almost one million lives in Western societies every year. This is due to poor understanding of the disease pathophysiology and lack of empirical medical tests for accurate diagnosis or for guiding antidepressant treatment strategies. Here, we have used shotgun proteomics in the analysis of post-mortem dorsolateral prefrontal cortex brain tissue from 24 MDD patients and 12 matched controls. Brain proteomes were pre-fractionated by gel electrophoresis and further analyzed by shotgun data-independent label-free liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. This led to identification of distinct proteome fingerprints between MDD and control subjects. Some of these differences were validated by Western blot or selected reaction monitoring mass spectrometry. This included proteins associated with energy metabolism and synaptic function and we also found changes in the histidine triad nucleotide-binding protein 1 (HINT1), which has been implicated recently in regulation of mood and behavior. We also found differential proteome profiles in MDD with (n=11) and without (n=12) psychosis. Interestingly, the psychosis fingerprint showed a marked overlap to changes seen in the brain proteome of schizophrenia patients. These findings suggest that it may be possible to contribute to the disease understanding by distinguishing different subtypes of MDD based on distinct brain proteomic profiles