55,885 research outputs found
An introduction to time-resolved decoding analysis for M/EEG
The human brain is constantly processing and integrating information in order
to make decisions and interact with the world, for tasks from recognizing a
familiar face to playing a game of tennis. These complex cognitive processes
require communication between large populations of neurons. The non-invasive
neuroimaging methods of electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography
(MEG) provide population measures of neural activity with millisecond precision
that allow us to study the temporal dynamics of cognitive processes. However,
multi-sensor M/EEG data is inherently high dimensional, making it difficult to
parse important signal from noise. Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) or
"decoding" methods offer vast potential for understanding high-dimensional
M/EEG neural data. MVPA can be used to distinguish between different conditions
and map the time courses of various neural processes, from basic sensory
processing to high-level cognitive processes. In this chapter, we discuss the
practical aspects of performing decoding analyses on M/EEG data as well as the
limitations of the method, and then we discuss some applications for
understanding representational dynamics in the human brain
Development of EHD Ion-Drag Micropump for Microscale Electronics Cooling Systems
In this investigation, the numerical simulation of electrohydrodynamic (EHD)
ion-drag micropumps with micropillar electrode geometries have been performed.
The effect of micropillar height and electrode spacing on the performance of
the micropumps was investigated. The performance of the EHD micropump improved
with increased applied voltage and decreased electrode spacing. The optimum
micropillar height for the micropump with electrode spacing of 40m and
channel height of 100m at 200V was 40m, where a maximum mass flow
rate of 0.18g/min was predicted. Compared to that of planar electrodes, the 3D
micropillar electrode geometry enhanced the overall performance of the EHD
micropumps.Comment: Submitted on behalf of TIMA Editions
(http://irevues.inist.fr/tima-editions
Children's suggestibility in relation to their understanding about sources of knowledge
In the experiments reported here, children chose either to maintain their initial belief about an object's identity or to accept the experimenter's contradicting suggestion. Both 3– to 4–year–olds and 4– to 5–year–olds were good at accepting the suggestion only when the experimenter was better informed than they were (implicit source monitoring). They were less accurate at recalling both their own and the experimenter's information access (explicit recall of experience), though they performed well above chance. Children were least accurate at reporting whether their final belief was based on what they were told or on what they experienced directly (explicit source monitoring). Contrasting results emerged when children decided between contradictory suggestions from two differentially informed adults: Three– to 4–year–olds were more accurate at reporting the knowledge source of the adult they believed than at deciding which suggestion was reliable. Decision making in this observation task may require reflective understanding akin to that required for explicit source judgments when the child participates in the task
Review of current interest and research in water hyacinth-based wastewater treatment
The status of activity in the user community for water hyacinth-based wastewater treatment was evaluated. The principal technique used was that of interviewing people who either (1) were known to be engaged in hyacinth research or development or (2) had made inquiry to NASA about hyacinth systems. About 40 non-research organizations and a similar number of research organizations were contacted. As a result of the interviews and a review of the relevant literature, it was concluded that hyacinth systems have the potential for providing a lower cost way for small cities to meet increasingly stringent effluent requirements. A limited amount of full-scale demonstration of hyacinth systems has been carried out during the past two years, but the yield of design data has been small. Several organizations are currently planning construction of experimental full-scale hyacinth-based wastewater treatment systems during 1977-1978
The re-emission spectrum of digital hardware subjected to EMI
The emission spectrum of digital hardware under the influence of external electromagnetic interference is shown to contain information about the interaction of the incident energy with the digital circuits in the system. The generation mechanism of the re-emission spectrum is reviewed, describing how nonlinear effects may be a precursor to the failure of the equipment under test. Measurements on a simple circuit are used to demonstrate how the characteristics of the re-emission spectrum may be correlated with changes to the digital waveform within the circuit. The technique is also applied to a piece of complex digital hardware where Similar, though more subtle, effects can be measured. It is shown that the re-emission spectrum can be used to detect the interaction of the interference with the digital devices at a level well below that which is able to cause static failures in the circuits. The utility of the technique as a diagnostic tool for immunity testing of digital hardware, by identifying which subsystems are being affected by external interference, is also demonstrated
The 2D analogue of the Reissner-Nordstrom solution
A two-dimensional (2D) dilaton gravity model, whose static solutions have the
same features of the Reissner-Nordstrom solutions, is obtained from the
dimensional reduction of a four-dimensional (4D) string effective action
invariant under S-duality transformations. The black hole solutions of the 2D
model and their relationship with those of the 4D theory are discussed.Comment: 5 pages, Plain-Tex, no figure
Polynomial Cointegration among Stationary Processes with Long Memory
n this paper we consider polynomial cointegrating relationships among
stationary processes with long range dependence. We express the regression
functions in terms of Hermite polynomials and we consider a form of spectral
regression around frequency zero. For these estimates, we establish consistency
by means of a more general result on continuously averaged estimates of the
spectral density matrix at frequency zeroComment: 25 pages, 7 figures. Submitted in August 200
Emission lines and optical continuum in low-luminosity radio galaxies
We present spectroscopic observations of a complete sub-sample of 13
low-luminosity radio galaxies selected from the 2Jy sample. The underlying
continuum in these sources is carefully modelled in order to make a much-needed
comparison between the emission line and continuum properties of FRIs with
those of other classes of radio sources. We find that 5 galaxies in the sample
show a measurable UV excess: 2 of the these sources are BL Lacs and in the
remaining 3 galaxies we argue that the most likely contributor to the UV excess
is a young stellar component. Excluding the BL Lacs, we therefore find that
\~30% of the sample show evidence for young stars, which is similar to the
results obtained for higher luminosity samples. We compare our results with
far-infrared measurements in order to investigate the far-infrared-starburst
link. The nature of the optical-radio correlations is investigated in light of
this new available data and, in contrast to previous studies, we find that the
FRI sources follow the correlations with a similar slope to that found for the
FRIIs. Finally, we compare the luminosity of the emission lines in the FRI and
BL Lac sources and find a significant difference in the [OIII] line
luminosities of the two groups. Our results are discussed in the context of the
unified schemes.Comment: 18 pages, 31 figures, MNRAS in press, (all enquiries to Clive
Tadhunter ([email protected])
Public Perceptions of the Midwest\u27s Pavements - Iowa - Executive Summary
This report summarizes Iowa results of a five year, Pooled Fund study involving the Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota DOTs designed to 1) assess the public\u27s perceptions of the departments’ pavement improvement strategies and 2) to develop customer-based thresholds of satisfaction with pavements on rural two lane highways in each state as related to the Departments’ physical indices, such as pavement ride and condition. The primary objective was to seek systematic customer input to improve the Departments’ pavement improvement policies by 1) determining how drivers perceive the departments’ pavements in terms of comfort and convenience but also in terms of other tradeoffs departments had not previously considered, 2) determining relationships between perceptions and measured pavement condition thresholds (including a general level of tolerance of winter ride conditions in two of the states), and 3) identifying important attributes and issues that may not have been considered in the past. Secondary objectives were 1) to provide a tool for systematic customer input in the future and 2) provide information which can help structure public information programs.
A University of Wisconsin-Extension survey lab conducted the surveys under the direction of a multi-disciplinary team from Marquette University. Approximately 4500 drivers in the three states participated in the three phases of the project. Researchers conducted six focus groups in each state, approximately 400 statewide telephone interviews in each state and 700-800 targeted telephone interviews in each state. Approximately 400 winter ride interviews were conducted in Wisconsin and Minnesota. A summary of the method for each survey is included.
In Phase I, focus groups were conducted with drivers to get an initial indication of what the driving public believes in regards to pavements and to frame issues for inclusion in the more representative state-wide surveys of drivers conducted in Phase II of the project. Phase II interviews gathered information about improvement policy trade-off issues and about preliminary thresholds of improvement in terms of physical pavement indices. In Phase III, a two step recruitment and post-drive interview procedure yielded thresholds of ride and condition index summarized for each state.
Results show that, in general, the driving public wants longer lasting pavements and are willing to pay for them. They want to minimize construction delay, improve entire sections of highway at one time but they dislike detours, and prefer construction under traffic even if it stretches out construction time. Satisfaction with pavements does not correlate directly to a high degree with physical pavement indices, but was found instead to be a complex, multi-faceted phenomenon. A psychological model (after Fishbein/Ajzen) was applied to explain satisfaction to a respectable degree (R2 of .7) for the social sciences. Results also indicate a high degree of trust in the three DOTs which is enhanced when the public is asked for input on specific highway segments.
Conclusions and recommendations include a three-step methodology for other state studies. Physical data thresholds based on both public satisfaction and the agreement to improve are presented for each state\u27s physical pavement indices (ride and condition). Recommendations for changes to the quality ranges of the physical indices where appropriate are also made
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