197 research outputs found
Ensemble coding of crowd speed using biological motion
The accurate perception of human crowds is integral to social understanding and interaction. Previous studies have shown that observers are sensitive to several crowd characteristics such as average facial expression, gender, identity, joint attention, and heading direction. In two experiments, we examined ensemble perception of crowd speed using standard point-light walkers (PLW). Participants were asked to estimate the average speed of a crowd consisting of 12 figures moving at different speeds. In Experiment 1, trials of intact PLWs alternated with trials of scrambled PLWs with a viewing duration of 3 seconds. We found that ensemble processing of crowd speed could rely on local motion alone, although a globally intact configuration enhanced performance. In Experiment 2, observers estimated the average speed of intact-PLW crowds that were displayed at reduced viewing durations across five blocks of trials (between 2500 ms and 500 ms). Estimation of fast crowds was precise and accurate regardless of viewing duration, and we estimated that three to four walkers could still be integrated at 500 ms. For slow crowds, we found a systematic deterioration in performance as viewing time reduced, and performance at 500 ms could not be distinguished from a single-walker response strategy. Overall, our results suggest that rapid and accurate ensemble perception of crowd speed is possible, although sensitive to the precise speed range examined
Does animating virtual characters affect later face identity processing?
Previous work from our group and others has demonstrated that learning a new face in the context of a dynamic head/body improves subsequent processing, relative to learning static snapshots (Knappmeyer, Thornton, & Bülthoff, 2003; Pilz, Thornton & Bülthoff, 2006). Here, we extend this work by asking whether computergenerated animations giving the impression of a live model (e.g., slight body sway, small changes in head posture, varied eye-contact) afford an advantage over a single static view of a virtual character. Participants were familiarized with two virtual characters using an incidental learning paradigm.peer-reviewe
Virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Clinical Isolates Is Associated With Sputum Pre-treatment Bacterial Load, Lineage, Survival in Macrophages, and Cytokine Response
It is uncertain whether differences in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) virulence defined in vitro influence clinical tuberculosis pathogenesis, transmission, and mortality. We primarily used a macrophage lysis model to characterize the virulence of Mtb isolates collected from 153 Vietnamese adults with pulmonary tuberculosis. The virulence phenotypes were then investigated for their relationship with sputum bacterial load, bacterial lineages, bacterial growth, and cytokine responses in macrophages. Over 6 days of infection, 34 isolates (22.2%) showed low virulence (< 5% macrophages lysed), 46 isolates (30.1%) showed high virulence (≥90% lysis of macrophages), and 73 isolates (47.7%) were of intermediate virulence (5–90% macrophages lysed). Highly virulent isolates were associated with an increased bacterial load in patients' sputum before anti-tuberculosis therapy (P = 0.02). Isolate-dependent virulence phenotype was consistent in both THP-1 and human monocyte-derived macrophages. High virulence isolates survived better and replicated in macrophages one hundred fold faster than those with low virulence. Macrophages infected with high virulence isolates produced lower concentrations of TNF-α and IL-6 (P = 0.002 and 0.0005, respectively), but higher concentration of IL-1β (P = 5.1 × 10−5) compared to those infected with low virulence isolates. High virulence was strongly associated with East Asian/Beijing lineage [P = 0.002, Odd ratio (OR) = 4.32, 95% confident intervals (CI) 1.68–11.13]. The association between virulence phenotypes, bacterial growth, and proinflammatory cytokines in macrophages suggest the suppression of certain proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6) but not IL-1β allows better intracellular survival of highly virulent Mtb. This could result in rapid macrophage lysis and higher bacterial load in sputum of patients infected with high virulence isolates, which may contribute to the pathogenesis and success of the Beijing lineage
B-fields and Dust in Interstellar Filaments Using Dust Polarization (BALLAD-POL). I. The Massive Filament G11.11–0.12 Observed by SOFIA/HAWC+
We report the first measurement of polarized thermal dust emission toward the entire infrared dark cloud G11.11−0.12 taken by the polarimeter SOFIA/HAWC+ at 214 μm. The obtained magnetic fields (B-fields) from the polarized emission of the early-stage and massive filament tend to be perpendicular to its spine. We produce a map of B-field strengths for the center region of the filament. The strengths vary in the range of 100–600 μG and are strongest along the filament's spine. The central region is sub-Alfvénic and mostly subcritical, meaning that B-fields dominate over turbulence and are strong enough to resist gravitational collapse. The alignment and properties of dust grains in the filament are studied using radiative torque (RAT) theory. We find the decrease of polarization degree P with emission intensity I, i.e., depolarization effect, of the form P∝ I−α ∼ 0.8–0.9, implying a significant loss of grain alignment in the filament's spine. The depolarization can be explained by the decrease in RAT alignment efficiency toward the denser regions with weaker radiation field, which cannot be explained by B-field tangling. We study the effect of the enhanced magnetic relaxation by embedded iron inclusions on RAT alignment and find that the high polarization fraction P ∼ 20%–30% in the outer layer of the filament is potential evidence for the magnetically enhanced RAT alignment mechanism. This is the first time this effect is evaluated in a filament. Based on the polarization fraction and RAT alignment theory, we also find evidence for grain growth in the filament
A Review of Women's Entrepreneurship in Vietnam Taking into Account Socio-Cultural Norms and the Institutional Ecosystem
High-pT pi^zero Production with Respect to the Reaction Plane in Au + Au Collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV
Measurements of the azimuthal anisotropy of high-\pT neutral pion neutral
pion production in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV by the PHENIX
experiment are presented. The data included in this paper were collected during
the 2004 RHIC running period and represent approximately an order of magnitude
increase in the number of analyzed events relative to previously published
results. Azimuthal angle distributions of pi^0s detected in the PHENIX
electromagnetic calorimeters are measured relative to the reaction plane
determined event-by-event using the forward and backward beam-beam counters.
Amplitudes of the second Fourier component (v_2) of the angular distributions
are presented as a function of pi^0 transverse momentum p_T for different bins
in collision centrality. Measured reaction plane dependent pi^0 yields are used
to determine the azimuthal dependence of the pi^0 suppression as a function of
p_T, R_AA (Delta phi,p_T). A jet-quenching motivated geometric analysis is
presented that attempts to simultaneously describe the centrality dependence
and reaction plane angle dependence of the pi^0 suppression in terms of the
path lengths of hypothetical parent partons in the medium. This set of results
allows for a detailed examination of the influence of geometry in the collision
region, and of the interplay between collective flow and jet-quenching effects
along the azimuthal axis.Comment: 344 authors, 35 pages text, RevTeX-4, 24 figures, 8 tables. Submitted
to Physical Review
Transverse-energy distributions at midrapidity in , Au, and AuAu collisions at --200~GeV and implications for particle-production models
Measurements of the midrapidity transverse energy distribution, d\Et/d\eta,
are presented for , Au, and AuAu collisions at
GeV and additionally for AuAu collisions at
and 130 GeV. The d\Et/d\eta distributions are first
compared with the number of nucleon participants , number of
binary collisions , and number of constituent-quark participants
calculated from a Glauber model based on the nuclear geometry. For
AuAu, \mean{d\Et/d\eta}/N_{\rm part} increases with , while
\mean{d\Et/d\eta}/N_{qp} is approximately constant for all three energies.
This indicates that the two component ansatz, , which has been used to represent
distributions, is simply a proxy for , and that the term
does not represent a hard-scattering component in distributions. The
distributions of AuAu and Au are then calculated from
the measured distribution using two models that both reproduce
the AuAu data. However, while the number-of-constituent-quark-participant
model agrees well with the Au data, the additive-quark model does not.Comment: 391 authors, 24 pages, 19 figures, and 15 Tables. Submitted to Phys.
Rev. C. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and
previous PHENIX publications are publicly available at
http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm
Transverse momentum and centrality dependence of dihadron correlations in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=200 GeV: Jet-quenching and the response of partonic matter
Azimuthal angle \Delta\phi correlations are presented for charged hadrons
from dijets for 0.4 < p_T < 10 GeV/c in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200
GeV. With increasing p_T, the away-side distribution evolves from a broad to a
concave shape, then to a convex shape. Comparisons to p+p data suggest that the
away-side can be divided into a partially suppressed "head" region centered at
Delta\phi ~ \pi, and an enhanced "shoulder" region centered at Delta\phi ~ \pi
+/- 1.1. The p_T spectrum for the "head" region softens toward central
collisions, consistent with the onset of jet quenching. The spectral slope for
the "shoulder" region is independent of centrality and trigger p_T, which
offers constraints on energy transport mechanisms and suggests that the
"shoulder" region contains the medium response to energetic jets.Comment: 420 authors from 58 institutions, 6 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to
Physical Review Letters. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in
figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly
available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm
Particle-species dependent modification of jet-induced correlations in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV
We report PHENIX measurements of the correlation of a trigger hadron at
intermediate transverse momentum (2.5<p_{T,trig}<4 GeV/c), with associated
mesons or baryons at lower p_{T,assoc}, in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200
GeV. The jet correlations for both baryons and mesons show similar shape
alterations as a function of centrality, characteristic of strong modification
of the away-side jet. The ratio of jet-associated baryons to mesons for this
jet increases with centrality and p_{T,assoc} and, in the most central
collisions, reaches a value similar to that for inclusive measurements. This
trend is incompatible with in-vacuum fragmentation, but could be due to
jet-like contributions from correlated soft partons which recombine upon
hadronization.Comment: 344 authors, 4 pages text, RevTeX, 4 figures. Submitted to Physical
Review Letters. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for
this and previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly available at
http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm
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