629 research outputs found
Examining audiovisual integration of visually presented letters and their auditory letter names using electroencephalography (EEG)
Audiovisual integration is an important process in human perception. However, it is
unclear whether auditory and visual stimuli are integrated during primary sensory processing, or following independent processing in their respective sensory cortices. This study examined 16 adult participantsâ responses to simultaneously presented congruent and incongruent visual letters and auditory letter names using electroencephalography (EEG). Auditorystimuliwerepresentedinanunattendedoddballparadigm,usingthe mismatch negativity (MMN) event-related potential (ERP) component as an indicator of primary auditory processing. Participants also identified whether or not visual letters were vowels using a key press. No difference was found in the MMN across congruent and incongruent triais. However, differences in the P300 âmponent were observed. Behavioural data revealed that only deviant task-irrelevant congruent auditory stimuli
facilitated responses, possibly due to an involuntary attention shift toward deviant stimuli. ERP data suggested that audio visual integration of letters occurs following primary sensory processing
Factors Influencing Internet Gamblersâ Use of Offshore Online Gambling Sites: Policy Implications
Gambling is a heavily regulated activity, but policies are difficult to enforce in the online context. While governments may attempt to restrict access to licensed providers only, consumers can access offshore sites, creating a potential risk of harm and reducing taxation. This article examines how consumers select Internet gambling sites, and the characteristics of those who use offshore as opposed to domestic sites. Pastâmonth Australian Internetâgamblers (Nâ=â1,001, 57.2 percent male) completed an online survey. Participants responded to questions about their online gambling, including use of offshore sites, reasons for site selection, awareness of regulations, preferences for regulated sites, and gamblingârelated problems. Offshore gamblers (52.7 percent) were a distinct demographic cohort, and were more highly involved in online gambling. Lack of awareness of gambling regulation did not sufficiently explain use of offshore gambling sites; rather, both groups had a relatively low concern for where a site was regulated, choosing sites instead based on ease of use, and cues that they were designed for gamblers in the advertised jurisdiction. Use of offshore gambling sites may be discouraged by focusing on the benefits of domestic sites and ensuring that these can provide a good consumer experience
A Bayesian technique for improving the sensitivity of the atmospheric neutrino L/E analysis
This paper outlines a method for improving the precision of atmospheric
neutrino oscillation measurements. One experimental signature for these
oscillations is an observed deficit in the rate of charged-current
interactions with an oscillatory dependence on , where
is the neutrino propagation distance, and is the neutrino
energy. For contained-vertex atmospheric neutrino interactions, the
resolution varies significantly from event to event. The
precision of the oscillation measurement can be improved by incorporating
information on resolution into the oscillation analysis. In
the analysis presented here, a Bayesian technique is used to estimate the
resolution of observed atmospheric neutrinos on an
event-by-event basis. By separating the events into bins of
resolution in the oscillation analysis, a significant improvement in
oscillation sensitivity can be achieved.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Nucl. Instrum. Methods A,
accompanies arXiv:1208.2915 [hep-ex
Characterising precipitate evolution in multi-component cast aluminium alloys using small-angle X-ray scattering
Aluminium alloys can be strengthened significantly by nano-scale precipitates that restrict dislocation movement. In this study, the evolution of inhomogenously distributed trialuminide precipitates in two multi component alloys was characterised by synchrotron small angle Xray scattering (SAXS). The appropriate selection of reference sample and data treatment required to successfully characterise a low volume fraction of precipitates in multi-component alloys via SAXS was investigated. The resulting SAXS study allowed the analysis of statistically significant numbers of precipitates (billions) as compared to electron microscopy (hundreds). Two cast aluminium alloys with different volume fractions of Al3ZrxV1-x precipitates were studied. Data analysis was conducted using direct evaluation methods on SAXS spectra and the results compared with those from transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Precipitates were found to attain a spherical structure with homogeneous chemical composition. Precipitate evolution was quantified, including size, size distribution, volume fraction and number density. The results provide evidence that these multi-component alloys have a short nucleation stage, with coarsening dominating precipitate size. The coarsening rate constant was calculated and compared to similar precipitate behaviour
Validation of screening questions and symptom coherence of night eating in the Swedish Twin Registry
Background Screening criteria have been used to estimate the prevalence of night eating syndrome (NES), but no validation studies have been conducted. Method We examined the validity of two screening questions for NES using a structured interview with adults enrolled in the Swedish Twin Study of Adults: Genes and Environment (STAGE) study. We also examined the coherence of the proposed diagnostic criteria for NES. A total of 416 participants (men = 179; women = 237) completed the interview and reported complete data for study inclusion. Results The following values were calculated for the screening items after confirmation by interview for men and women, respectively: Positive predictive value =.66 and.67, negative predictive value =.52 and.45, sensitivity =.62 and.63, and specificity =.56 and.50. As increasingly stringent diagnostic criteria were applied to the sample, prevalence of NES dropped. Nocturnal ingestions were more likely to co-occur with other NES symptoms than evening hyperphagia, which occurred frequently, but often in isolation; women were more likely to report a co-occurrence of symptoms than men, who were not likely to report distress related to NES symptoms. Conclusion In sum, almost two-thirds of participants were correctly identified as having NES (without considering distress or impairment) if they answered positively on the screening questions, and about half of the participants were correctly identified as not having NES when answering negatively on the screening questions. Although self-report questions are somewhat informative, a structured interview remains the gold standard for diagnosing NES
An Anglo-Saxon execution cemetery at Walkington Wold, Yorkshire
This paper presents a re-evaluation of a cemetery excavated over
30 years ago at Walkington Wold in east Yorkshire. The cemetery is
characterized by careless burial on diverse alignments, and by the fact that
most of the skeletons did not have associated crania. The cemetery has been
variously described as being the result of an early post-Roman massacre, as
providing evidence for a âCelticâ head cult or as an Anglo-Saxon execution
cemetery. In order to resolve the matter, radiocarbon dates were acquired and
a re-examination of the skeletal remains was undertaken. It was confirmed that
the cemetery was an Anglo-Saxon execution cemetery, the only known example
from northern England, and the site is set into its wider context in the paper
Doublet-Triplet Splitting and Fermion Masses with Extra Dimensions
The pseudo-Goldstone boson mechanism for the ``doublet-triplet splitting''
problem of the grand unified theory can be naturally implemented in the
scenario with extra dimensions and branes. The two SU(6) global symmetries of
the Higgs sector are located on two separate branes while the SU(6) gauge
symmetry is in the bulk. After including several vector-like fields in the
bulk, and allowing the most general interactions with their natural strength
(including the higher dimensional ones which may be generated by gravity) which
are consistent with the geometry, a realistic pattern of the Standard Model
fermion masses and mixings can be naturally obtained without any flavor
symmetry. Neutrino masses and mixings required for the solar and atmospheric
neutrino problems can also be accommodated. The geometry of extra dimensions
and branes provides another way to realize the absence of certain interactions
(as required in the pseudo-Goldstone boson mechanism) or the smallness of some
couplings (e.g., the Yukawa couplings between the fermions and the Higgs
bosons), in addition to the usual symmetry arguments.Comment: 16 pages, 4 figures, LaTeX, references and some clarifying remarks
added, to be published in Phys. Rev.
The differential effects of concurrent planning practice elements on reunification and adoption
Objective: The child welfare practice of concurrent planning attempts to shorten children\u27s stays in foster care. There is very little quantitative research on concurrent planning\u27s effects. This study examines the influence of concurrent planning practice elements (reunification prognosis, concurrent plan, full disclosure, and discussion of voluntary relinquishment) on reunification and adoption. Method: Using a sample of 885 children, an observational design, and statistical controls, children who received concurrent planning elements were compared to those who did not. Results: Findings show discussion of voluntary relinquishment to be positively associated with adoption and full disclosure to be negatively associated with reunification. Conclusions: Concurrent planning\u27s benefits may require more intensive services to be fully realized. Care should be taken to ensure activities achieve their intended effects
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