Previous attentional set can induce an attentional blink with task-irrelevant initial targets

Identification of a second target is often impaired by the requirement to process a prior target in a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP). This is termed the attentional blink. Even when the first target is task-irrelevant an attentional blink may occur providing this first target shares similar features with the second target (contingent capture). An RSVP experiment was undertaken to assess whether this first target can still cause an attentional blink when it did not require a response and did not share any features with the following target. The results revealed that such task-irrelevant targets can induce an attentional blink providing that they were task-relevant on a previous block of trials. This suggests that irrelevant focal stimuli can distract attention on the basis of a previous attentional set

Metal site doping in the narrow-gap semiconductor FeGa₃

The effects and feasibility of metal site doping of the tetragonal diamagnetic insulator FeGa₃ by Fe/Co, Fe/Mn and Co/Ni substitution were investigated by X-ray, electron probe microanalysis, electrical resistivity, specific heat and magnetic susceptibility measurements. Substitution of Fe by Co in FeGa₃ does not change its structure type and preserves the structure of the binary parent compound (FeGa₃), whereas the solubility of Mn in the FeGa₃ structure type is limited to 3 at.% and a finite solubility of Ni in CoGa₃ is not detected.Методами рентгенівського, мікрорентгеноспектрального аналізу, дослідження електроопору, питомої теплоємності і магнетної сприйнятливості вивчено можливість та вплив легування Fe/Co, Fe/Mn і Co/Ni у положеннях атомів металу в тетрагональній структурі діамагнетного ізолятора FeGa₃. Заміщення атомів Fe на Co у сполуці FeGa₃ не змінює її кристалічну структуру. Розчинність Mn у FeGa₃ не перевищує 3 at.%, а розчинність Ni у CoGa₃ не виявлено.Методами рентгеновского, микрорентгеноспектрального анализа, исследования электросопротивления, удельной теплоемкости и магнитной восприимчивости исследована возможность и влияние легирования Fe/Co, Fe/Mn и Co/Ni в положениях атомов металла в тетрагональной структуре диамагнитного изолятора FeGa₃. Замещение атомов Fe на Co в соединении FeGa₃ не изменяет ее кристаллическую структуру. Растворимость Mn в FeGa₃ не превышает 3 at.%, а растворимость Ni в CoGa₃ не выявлено

Highly integrated multi-material fibers for soft robotics

Soft robots are envisioned as the next generation of safe biomedical devices in minimally invasive procedures. Yet, the difficulty of processing soft materials currently limits the size, aspect-ratio, manufacturing throughput, as well as, the design complexity and hence capabilities of soft robots. Multi-material thermal drawing is introduced as a material and processing platform to create soft robotic fibers imparted with multiple actuations and sensing modalities. Several thermoplastic and elastomeric material options for the fibers are presented, which all exhibit the rheological processing attributes for thermal drawing but varying mechanical properties, resulting in adaptable actuation performance. Moreover, numerous different fiber designs with intricate internal architectures, outer diameters of 700 µm, aspect ratios of 103, and a fabrication at a scale of 10s of meters of length are demonstrated. A modular tendon-driven mechanism enables 3-dimensional (3D) motion, and embedded optical guides, electrical wires, and microfluidic channels give rise to multifunctionality. The fibers can perceive and autonomously adapt to their environments, as well as, probe electrical properties, and deliver fluids and mechanical tools to spatially distributed targets

A New Measurement of the Radiative Ke3 Branching Ratio and Photon Spectrum

We present a preliminary report on a new measurement of the radiative neutral Ke3 branching ratio and the first study of the photon spectrum in this decay. We find BR(Ke3g, E*_g>30 GeV, Th*_eg>20 deg)/BR(Ke3) = 0.911+-0.009(stat)+0.021-0.010(syst)%. Our measurement of the spectrum is consistent with inner bremsstrahlung only as the source of photons at the 2 sigma level.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, proceedings paper from Meson 2000, Cracow, Poland, May 200