8,481 research outputs found
The experiential blink: Mapping the cost of working memory encoding onto conscious perception in the attentional blink.
The attentional blink (AB) represents a cognitive deficit in reporting the second of two targets (T2), when that second target appears 200-600Â msec after the first (T1). However, it is unclear how this paradigm impacts the subjective visibility (that is, the conscious perception) of T2, and whether the temporal profile of T2 report accuracy matches the temporal profile of subjective visibility. In order to compare report accuracy and subjective visibility, we asked participants to identify T1 and T2, and to rate the subjective visibility of T2 across two experiments. Event-related potentials were also measured. The results revealed different profiles for the report of T2 versus the subjective visibility of T2, particularly when T1 and T2 appeared within 200Â msec of one another. Specifically, T2 report accuracy was high but T2 visibility was low when the two targets appeared in close temporal succession, suggesting what we call the Experiential Blink is different from the classic AB. Electrophysiologically, at lag-1, the P3 component was modulated more by subjective visibility than by report accuracy. Collectively, the data indicate that the deficit in accurately reporting T2 is not the same as the deficit in subjectively experiencing T2. This suggests that traditional understandings of the AB may require adjustment and that, consistent with other findings, working memory (WM) encoding and conscious perception may not be synonymous
Deuterium site occupancy and phase boundaries in ZrNiDx (0.87<=x<=3.0)
ZrNiDx samples with compositions between x=0.87 and x=3.0 were investigated by 2H magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MAS-NMR), powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), neutron vibrational spectroscopy (NVS), and neutron powder diffraction (NPD). The rigid-lattice MAS-NMR spectrum for a ZrNiD0.88 sample in the triclinic beta phase shows a single phase with two well-resolved resonances at +11.5 and −1.7 ppm, indicating that two inequivalent D sites are occupied, as was observed previously in ZrNiD1.0. For ZrNiD0.88, the ratio of spectral intensities of the two lines is 1:0.76, indicating that the D site corresponding to the +11.5 ppm line has the lower site energy and is fully occupied. Similarly, the neutron vibrational spectra for ZrNiD0.88 clearly confirm that at least two sites are occupied. For ZrNiD1.0, XRD indicates that ~5% of the metal atoms are in the gamma phase, corresponding to an upper composition for the beta phase of x=0.90±0.04, consistent with the MAS-NMR and neutron vibrational spectra indicating that x=0.88 is single phase. The MAS-NMR and NVS of ZrNiD1.87 indicate a mixed-phase sample (beta+gamma) and clearly show that the two inequivalent sites observed at x=0.88 cannot be attributed to the sites normally occupied in the gamma phase. For ZrNiD2.75, NPD results indicate a gamma-phase boundary of x=2.86±0.03 at 300 K, increasing to 2.93±0.02 at 180 K and below, in general agreement with the phase boundary estimated from the NVS and MAS-NMR spectra of ZrNiD1.87. Rigid-lattice 2H MAS-NMR spectra of ZrNiD2.75 and ZrNiD2.99 show a ratio of spectral intensities of 1.8±0.1:1 and 2.1±0.1:1 (Zr3Ni:Zr3Ni2), respectively, indicating complete occupancy of the lower-energy Zr3Ni2 site, consistent with the NPD results. For each composition, the correlation time for deuterium hopping was determined at the temperature where resolved peaks in the MAS-NMR spectrum coalesce due to motion between inequivalent D sites. The measured correlation times are consistent with previously determined motional parameters for ZrNiHx
A Numerical Approach to Coulomb Gauge QCD
We calculate the ghost two-point function in Coulomb gauge QCD with a simple
model vacuum gluon wavefunction using Monte Carlo integration. This approach
extends the previous analytic studies of the ghost propagator with this ansatz,
where a ladder-rainbow expansion was unavoidable for calculating the path
integral over gluon field configurations. The new approach allows us to study
the possible critical behavior of the coupling constant, as well as the Coulomb
potential derived from the ghost dressing function. We demonstrate that IR
enhancement of the ghost correlator or Coulomb form factor fails to
quantitatively reproduce confinement using Gaussian vacuum wavefunctional
Parity Violation in Neutron Capture Reactions
In the last decade, the scattering of polarized neutrons on compound nucleus
resonances proved to be a powerful experimental technique for probing nuclear
parity violation. Longitudinal analyzing powers in neutron transmission
measurements on p-wave resonances in nuclei such as La and Th
were found to be as large as 10%. Here we examine the possibilities of carrying
out a parallel program to measure asymmetries in the ) reaction on
these same compound nuclear resonances. Symmetry-violating ) studies
can also show asymmetries as large as 10%, and have the advantage over
transmission experiments of allowing parity-odd asymmetries in several
different gamma-decay branches from the same resonance. Thus, studies of parity
violation in the reaction using high efficiency germanium
detectors at the Los Alamos Lujan facility, for example, could determine the
parity-odd nucleon-nucleon matrix elements in complex nuclei with high
accuracy. Additionally, simultaneous studies of the E1 and matrix
elements invol ved in these decays could be used to help constrain the
statistical theory of parity non-conservation in compound nuclei.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figur
An analytical study of resonant transport of Bose-Einstein condensates
We study the stationary nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation, or Gross-Pitaevskii
equation, for a one--dimensional finite square well potential. By neglecting
the mean--field interaction outside the potential well it is possible to
discuss the transport properties of the system analytically in terms of ingoing
and outgoing waves. Resonances and bound states are obtained analytically. The
transmitted flux shows a bistable behaviour. Novel crossing scenarios of
eigenstates similar to beak--to--beak structures are observed for a repulsive
mean-field interaction. It is proven that resonances transform to bound states
due to an attractive nonlinearity and vice versa for a repulsive nonlinearity,
and the critical nonlinearity for the transformation is calculated
analytically. The bound state wavefunctions of the system satisfy an
oscillation theorem as in the case of linear quantum mechanics. Furthermore,
the implications of the eigenstates on the dymamics of the system are
discussed.Comment: RevTeX4, 16 pages, 19 figure
Combination structural support and thermal protection system
A combination structural support and thermal protection system is provided. A cured preceramic polymer matrix reinforced with carbon fibers can be used alone or in a multiple component system
Quantitative estimates of relationships between geomagnetic activity and equatorial spread-F as determined by TID occurrence levels
Using a world-wide set of stations for 15 years, quantitative estimates of changes to equatorial spread-F (ESF) occurrence rates obtained from ionogram scalings, have been determined for a range of geomagnetic activity (GA) levels, as well as for four different levels of solar activity. Average occurrence rates were used as a reference. The percentage changes vary significantly depending on these subdivisions. For example for very high GA the inverse association is recorded by a change of -33% for R-z greater than or equal to 150, and -10% for R-z < 50. Using data for 9 years for the equatorial station, Huancayo, these measurements of ESF which indicate the presence of TIDs, have also been investigated by somewhat similar analyses. Additional parameters were used which involved the local times of GA, with the ESF being examined separately for occurrence pre-midnight (PM) and after-midnight (AM). Again the negative changes were most pronounced for high GA in R-z-max years (-21%). This result is for PM ESF for GA at a local time of 1700. There were increased ESF levels (+31%) for AM ESF in R-z-min years for high GA around 2300 LT. This additional knowledge of the influence of GA on ESF occurrence involving not only percentage changes, but these values for a range of parameter levels, may be useful if ever short-term forecasts are needed. There is some discussion on comparisons which can be made between ESF results obtained by coherent scatter from incoherent-scatter equipment and those obtained by ionosondes
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