Performance of three-photon PET imaging: Monte Carlo simulations

We have recently introduced the idea of making use of three-photon positron annihilations in positron emission tomography. In this paper the basic characteristics of the three-gamma imaging in PET are studied by means of Monte Carlo simulations and analytical computations. Two typical configurations of human and small animal scanners are considered. Three-photon imaging requires high energy resolution detectors. Parameters currently attainable by CdZnTe semiconductor detectors, the technology of choice for the future development of radiation imaging, are assumed. Spatial resolution is calculated as a function of detector energy resolution and size, position in the field of view, scanner size, and the energies of the three gamma annihilation photons. Possible ways to improve the spatial resolution obtained for nominal parameters: 1.5 cm and 3.2 mm FWHM for human and small animal scanners, respectively, are indicated. Counting rates of true and random three-photon events for typical human and small animal scanning configurations are assessed. A simple formula for minimum size of lesions detectable in the three-gamma based images is derived. Depending on the contrast and total number of registered counts, lesions of a few mm size for human and sub mm for small animal scanners can be detected

Primäre und sekundäre Wirkungen des längerzeitlichen Einsatzes von Herbiziden auf Struktur und Stoffhaushalt von Agro-Ökosystemen

Die Hercynia publiziert Originalbeiträge mit dem Schwerpunkt Ökologie (mit ihren vielseitigen Aspekten der Biodiversität), Botanik, Zoologie, Geologie und Geografie, den anwendungsorientierten Bereichen des Natur- und Umweltschutzes, sowie der Land- und Forstwirtschaft

Building Cognition-Aware Systems: A Mobile Toolkit for Extracting Time-of-Day Fluctuations of Cognitive Performance

People’s alertness fluctuates across the day: at some times we are highly focused while at others we feel unable to concentrate. So far, extracting fluctuation patterns has been time and cost-intensive. Using an in-the-wild approach with 12 participants, we evaluated three cognitive tasks regarding their adequacy as a mobile and economical assessment tool of diurnal changes in mental performance. Participants completed the five-minute test battery on their smartphones multiple times a day for a period of 1-2 weeks. Our results show that people’s circadian rhythm can be obtained under unregulated non-laboratory conditions. Along with this validation study, we release our test battery as an open source library for future work towards cognition-aware systems as well as a tool for psychological and medical research. We discuss ways of integrating the toolkit and possibilities for implicitly measuring performance variations in common applications. The ability to detect systematic patterns in alertness levels will allow cognition-aware systems to provide in-situ assistance in accordance with users’ current cognitive capabilities and limitations

Understanding Perception of Human Augmentation: A Mixed-Method Study

Technologies that help users overcome their limitations and integrate with the human body are often termed “human augmentations”. Such technologies are now available on the consumer market, potentially supporting people in their everyday activities. To date, there is no systematic understanding of the perception of human augmentations yet. To address this gap and build an understanding of how to design positive experiences with human augmentations, we conducted a mixed-method study of the perception of augmented humans (AHs). We conducted two scenario-based studies: interviews (n = 16) and an online study (n = 506) with participants from four countries. The scenarios include one out of three augmentation categories (sensory, motor, and cognitive) and specify if the augmented person has a disability or not. Overall, results show that the type of augmentation and disability impacted user attitudes towards AHs. We derive design dimensions for creating technological augmentations for a diverse and global audience

Stoffaustrag und Bodenbearbeitung

Der vorliegende Bericht stellt Ergebnisse des zweijährigen Projektes 'Veränderte Pflanzenschutzmittel- und Nährstoffausträge bei bodenschonender Bewirtschaftung - Risikoanalyse und -vorsorge' vor. Auf landwirtschaftlichen Flächen in der Lommatzscher Pflege wurden mit einer Beregnungsanlage Starkniederschläge (worst-case-Szenario) simuliert. Die Untersuchungen zu Wasser- und Agrochemikalientransport fanden auf Flächen statt, die konventionell mit Pflug, konservierend flach bearbeitet bzw. in Direktsaat bestellt wurden. Die Auswirkungen auf vertikale und horizontale Stofftransporte, insbesondere von Nitrat-Stickstoff und dem Totalherbizid Durano mit dem Wirkstoff Glyphosat wurden untersucht

Convergence of technologies as a basis for technological transitionon

It is shown that convergence of technologies plays a key role in the development of a new technological transition. The essence of technological convergence and processing of functions of the modern stage of its development is considered. The content of NBIC-convergence and NBICS-convergence is disclosed. It is revealed that information technologies are dominant in the structure of technological convergence. The identified positive and negative effects of the spread of convergent technologies. Special attention is paid to the problem of technology transfer

The Consistency of Crossmodal Synchrony Perception across the Visual, Auditory, and Tactile Senses

Machulla T-K, Di Luca M, Ernst MO. The Consistency of Crossmodal Synchrony Perception across the Visual, Auditory, and Tactile Senses. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. 2016;42(7):1026-1038