7,367 research outputs found
Providing of the information security of the schoolchildrenâs thinking culture
In the article it is provided a modern state of the problem of the information security providing of a schoolchildâs personality, there are disclosed several supporting aspects as a guaranty of the remaining of the society spirituality and cultural intergenerational continuity. They bring a comparative analysis of the electronic mass media impact results on the process of thinking, forming of the young people value system of two dynamically developing countries â Kazakhstan and China
Feasibility Of OneâDedicatedâLane Bus Rapid Transit âLightâRail Systems And Their Expansion To TwoâDedicatedâLane Systems: A Focus On Geometric Configuration And Performance Planning, MTI Report 08-01
This report consists primarily of two parts, the first on feasibility and the next on space minimization. In the section on feasibility, we propose the concept of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) or lightârail system that effectively requires only one dedicated but reversible lane throughout the system to support two-way traffic in the median of a busy commute corridor with regular provision of leftâturn lanes. Based on key ideas proposed in that section, the section on space minimization first addresses how to implement a twoâdedicatedâlane BRT or lightârail system with minimum rightâofâway width and then proposes ways to expand a oneâdedicatedâlane system to two dedicated lanes. In a oneâdedicatedâlane system, traffic crossing is accommodated on the otherwise unused or underused median space resulting from provision of the leftâturn lanes. Although not necessary, some leftâturn lanes can be sacrificed for bus stops. Conceptual design options and geometric configuration sketches for the bus stop and crossing space are provided in the section on feasibility, which also discusses system performance in terms of travel speed, headway of operations, distance between two neighboring crossing spaces, and number of crossing spaces. To ensure practicality, we study implementation of such a system on an existing corridor. Such a system is also useful as an intermediate step toward a twoâdedicatedâlane system because of its potential for facilitating transitâoriented development. In typical existing or planned BRT or lightârail systems implemented with two dedicated traffic lanes, a space equivalent to four traffic lanes is dedicated for a bus stop. In the section on space minimization, we propose implementations requiring only three lanes at a bus stop, based on two key ideas proposed for a oneâdedicatedâlane system. That section also discusses ways to expand a oneâdedicatedâlane system to its corresponding twoâdedicatedâlane system
Effects of noise suppression and envelope dynamic range compression on the intelligibility of vocoded sentences for a tonal language
Vocoder simulation studies have suggested that the carrier signal type employed affects the intelligibility of vocoded speech. The present work further assessed how carrier signal type interacts with additional signal processing, namely, single-channel noise suppression and envelope dynamic range compression, in determining the intelligibility of vocoder simulations. In Experiment 1, Mandarin sentences that had been corrupted by speech spectrum-shaped noise (SSN) or two-talker babble (2TB) were processed by one of four single-channel noise-suppression algorithms before undergoing tone-vocoded (TV) or noise-vocoded (NV) processing. In Experiment 2, dynamic ranges of multiband envelope waveforms were compressed by scaling of the mean-removed envelope waveforms with a compression factor before undergoing TV or NV processing. TV Mandarin sentences yielded higher intelligibility scores with normal-hearing (NH) listeners than did noise-vocoded sentences. The intelligibility advantage of noise-suppressed vocoded speech depended on the masker type (SSN vs 2TB). NV speech was more negatively influenced by envelope dynamic range compression than was TV speech. These findings suggest that an interactional effect exists between the carrier signal type employed in the vocoding process and envelope distortion caused by signal processing
Constraints on large scalar multiplets from perturbative unitarity
We determine the constraints on the isospin and hypercharge of a scalar
electroweak multiplet from partial-wave unitarity of tree-level scattering
diagrams. The constraint from SU(2)_L interactions yields T <= 7/2 (i.e., n <=
8) for a complex scalar multiplet and T <= 4 (i.e., n <= 9) for a real scalar
multiplet, where n = 2T+1 is the number of isospin states in the multiplet.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure. v2: refs added, minor additions to text,
submitted to PR
A Cortical Region Consisting Entirely of Face-Selective Cells
Face perception is a skill crucial to primates. In both humans and macaque monkeys, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) reveals a system of cortical regions that show increased blood flow when the subject views images of faces, compared with images of objects. However, the stimulus selectivity of single neurons within these fMRI-identified regions has not been studied. We used fMRI to identify and target the largest face-selective region in two macaques for single-unit recording. Almost all (97%) of the visually responsive neurons in this region were strongly face selective, indicating that a dedicated cortical area exists to support face processing in the macaque
THR0921, a novel peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonist, reduces the severity of collagen-induced arthritis
THR0921 is a novel peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARÎł) agonist with potent anti-diabetic properties. Because of the proposed role of PPARÎł in inflammation, we investigated the potential of orally active THR0921 to inhibit the pathogenesis of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). CIA was induced in DBA/1J mice by the injection of bovine type II collagen in complete Freund's adjuvant on days 0 and 21. Mice were treated with THR0921 (50 mg/kg/day) starting on the day of the booster injection and throughout the remaining study period. Both clinical disease activity scores as well as histological scores of joint destruction were significantly reduced in mice treated with THR0921 compared to untreated mice. Proliferation of isolated spleen cells, as well as circulating levels of IgG antibody to type II collagen, was decreased by THR0921. Moreover, spleen cell production of IFN-Îł, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-1ÎČ in response to exposure to lipopolysaccharide or type II collagen was reduced by in vivo treatment with THR0921. Steady state mRNA levels of TNF-α, IL-1ÎČ, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 and receptor activator of nuclear factor ÎșB ligand (RANKL) in isolated joints were all decreased in mice treated with THR0921. Finally, THR0921 inhibited osteoclast differentiation of bone marrow-derived cells stimulated with macrophage colony-stimulating factor and RANKL. In conclusion, THR0921 attenuates collagen-induced arthritis in part by reducing the immune response. As such, PPARÎł may be an important therapeutic target for rheumatoid arthritis
Modern role for clopidogrel in management of atrial fibrillation and stroke reduction
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia. The prevalence of AF increases sharply in old age (prevalence approximately 10% among persons 80 years of age and older). The expected risk for ischemic stroke is increased five-fold by the presence of AF, primarily as a result of cardiogenic embolism. Multiple large-scale, randomized trials have been completed or are still underway to find optimal, efficacious, and relatively safe ways to reduce the risk of ischemic stroke and other systemic thromboembolic events related to AF. Antithrombotic strategies are accompanied by serious bleeding complications that threaten patients in need of medical stroke prevention. Treatment regimens for preventing thromboembolism in AF patients range from vitamin K antagonists such as warfarin or coumadins, antiplatelet drugs like aspirin or clopidogrel, to newly developed orally available antithrombotics like the direct thrombin inhibitor dabigatran, or the Factor Xa-inhibitor rivaroxaban. The available anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs have different advantages and disadvantages. This review attempts to delineate the specific role of clopidogrel in patients with AF and at risk of stroke, taking into consideration new and ongoing trials in this important field of medical practice
Anatomical Connections of the Functionally Defined âFace Patchesâ in the Macaque Monkey
The neural circuits underlying face recognition provide a model for understanding visual object representation, social cognition, and hierarchical information processing. A fundamental piece of information lacking to date is the detailed anatomical connections of the face patches. Here, we injected retrograde tracers into four different face patches (PL, ML, AL, AM) to characterize their anatomical connectivity. We found that the patches are strongly and specifically connected to each other, and individual patches receive inputs from extrastriate cortex, the medial temporal lobe, and three subcortical structures (the pulvinar, claustrum, and amygdala). Inputs from prefrontal cortex were surprisingly weak. Patches were densely interconnected to one another in both feedforward and feedback directions, inconsistent with a serial hierarchy. These results provide the first direct anatomical evidence that the face patches constitute a highly specialized system and suggest that subcortical regions may play a vital role in routing face-related information to subsequent processing stages
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