Continued effects of context reinstatement in recognition

The context reinstatement effect refers to the enhanced memory performance found when the context information paired with a target item at study is re-­‐presented at test. Here we investigated the consequences of the way context information is processed in such a setting that gives rise to its beneficial effect on item recognition memory. Specifically, we assessed whether reinstating context in a recognition test facilitates subsequent memory for this context beyond facilitation conferred by presentation of the same context with a different study item. Reinstating study context at test led to better accuracy in 2-­‐alternative forced choice recognition for target faces than did re-­‐pairing those faces with another context encountered during the study phase. The advantage for reinstated over re-­‐paired conditions occurred for both within (Experiment 1) and between subjects (Experiment 2) manipulations. Critically, in a subsequent recognition test for the contexts themselves, contexts serving previously in the reinstated condition were recognized better than contexts serving previously in the re-­‐paired context condition. This constitutes the first demonstration of continuous effects of context reinstatement for memory for context

Metamemory in a familiar place: the effects of environmental context on feeling of knowing

Feeling-of-knowing (FOK) judgments are judgments of future recognizability of currently inaccessible information. They are known to depend both on the access to partial information about a target of retrieval and on the familiarity of the cue that is used as a memory probe. In the present study we assessed whether FOK judgments could also be shaped by incidental environmental context in which these judgments are made. To this end, we investigated 2 phenomena previously documented in studies on recognition memory—a context familiarity effect and a context reinstatement effect—in the procedure used to investigate FOK judgments. In 2 experiments, we found that FOK judgments increase in the presence of a familiar environmental context. The results of both experiments further revealed still higher FOK judgments when made in the presence of environmental context matching the encoding context of both cue and its associated target. The effect of context familiarity on FOK judgment was paralleled by an effect on the latencies of an unsuccessful memory search, but the effect of context reinstatement was not. Importantly, the elevated feeling of knowing in reinstated and familiar contexts was not accompanied by an increase in the accuracy of those judgments. Together, these results demonstrate that metacognitive processes are shaped by the overall volume of memory information accessed at retrieval, independently of whether this memory information is related to a cue, a target, or a context in which remembering takes place

Investigation of superfast deposition of metal oxide and Diamond-Like Carbon thin films by nanosecond Ytterbium (Yb+) fiber laser

Metal oxide (MOx, M: titanium, magnesium) and Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) thin films were synthesized by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) at room temperature and low vacuum of 2 Pa for MOx and vacuum of 4 x 10(-3) Pa for DLC films. A fiber based Ytterbium (Yb+) laser operating in the nanosecond regime at a repetition rate of 20 kHz was used as an ablation source. Dense and smooth thin films with a thickness from 120 to 360 nm and an area of up to 10 cm(2) were deposited on glass and stainless steel substrates at high growth rates up to 2 nm/s for a laser intensity of 10-12 J/cm(2). The thin films synthesis was compared for two fiber laser modes of operation, at a repetition rate of 20 kHz and with an additional modulation at 1 kHz. The morphology, chemical composition and structure of the obtained thin films were evaluated using optical microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) and Raman spectroscopy. The morphology of the MOx thin films and the deposition rate strongly depend on the fiber laser mode of operation. Very smooth surfaces were obtained for the metal oxide thin films deposited at lower deposition rates in the modulation mode at 1 kHz. The effect of the substrate on the DLC film structure was studied. The films deposited on dielectric substrates were identified as typical tetrahedral (ta-C) DLC with high sp(3) content. DLC films on metal substrates were found typical a-C amorphous carbon films with mixing sp(2)/sp(3) bonds

Investigations of linear and nonlinear optical properties of transparent ZnO thin films grown by sol-gel method

Date du colloque&nbsp;: 06/2008</p

Structural and optical properties of as-grown and annealed Alq3 thin films

International audienc

Computed tomography in the evaluation of the anomalous origin of the coronary artery: coexistence with other congenital heart disease in an adult population

Background: The aim of the study is to assess the prevalence of anomalous origin of the coronary artery in cardiac computed tomography (CT) and to evaluate its coexistence with other congenital heart disease. Materials and methods: 7,115 patients, who underwent 64-slice or dual source cardiac CT in the years 2005–2011 were screened for the presence of anomalous origin of the coronary artery. Results: Anomalous origin of coronary artery was found in 62 (0.87%) patients (34 males, mean age 57.4 ± 15.1 years). Anomalous aortic and pulmonary origin of coronary artery concerned 59 (0.83%) and 3 (0.04%) cases, respectively. Concomitant heart defects were observed in 5 (0.07%) patients, all with anomalous aortic origin of coronary artery. Malformations included transposition of great arteries (4 patients) and single ventricle in (1 patient). Conclusions: The incidence of anomalous origin of a coronary artery in cardiac CT is similar to invasive coronary angiography. In an adult population the vast majority of those anomalies are isolated abnormalities without concomitant other congenital heart defects

Transparent amorphous zinc oxide thin films for NLO applications

This review focuses on the growth and optical properties of amorphous zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films. A high quality ZnO films fabricated by dip-coating (sol–gel) method were grown on quartz and glass substrates at temperature equal to 350 K. The amorphous nature of the films was verified by X-ray diffraction. Atomic Force Microscopy was used to evaluate the surface morphology of the films. The optical characteristics of amorphous thin films have been investigated in the spectral range 190–1100 nm. Measurement of the polarized optical properties was shows a high transmissivity (80–99%) and low absorptivity (&lt;5%) in the visible and near infrared regions at different angles of incidence. Linear optical properties were investigated by classic and Time-Resolved Photoluminescence (TRPL) measurements. Photoluminescence spectrum exhibits a strong ultraviolet emission while the visible emission is very weak. An innovative TRPL technique has enabled the measurement of the photoluminescence decay time as a function of temperature. TRPL measurements reveal a multiexponential decay behavior typical for amorphous thin films. Second and third harmonic generation measurements were performed by means of the rotational Maker fringe technique using Nd:YAG laser at 1064 nm in picosecond regime for investigations of the nonlinear optical properties. The obtained values of second and third order nonlinear susceptibilities were found to be high enough for the potential applications in the optical switching devices based on refractive index changes. Presented spectra confirm high structural and optical quality of the investigated zinc oxide thin films

Optical and structural characterization of thin films containing metallophthalocyanine chlorides

Abstract The structural and optical investigation of thin films containing aluminum and gallium phthalocyanine chlorides is presented. The films were fabricated by Physical Vapor Deposition technique onto quartz substrates and annealed after fabrication in an ambient atmosphere for 24 h at the temperature equal to 150 °C or 250 °C. The experimental results and theoretical calculation of the Third Harmonic Generation process are reported. The third order nonlinear optical properties are expected and can be more or less accurately predicted due to the assembly of the molecules and theoretical calculations of the frequency-dependent dipole polarizabilities, third hyperpolarizabilities, third order susceptibilities, frontier and second frontier molecular orbitals. These parameters were used to understand the relationship of optical properties with the molecular structures. We found that the annealing process causes formation of nanostructures and the value of the third order optical susceptibility makes these materials interesting for future nonlinear optical applications

Special Issue: Advanced Materials for Photonics, Sensing and Energy Conversion Applications

Issu du colloque International conference on advanced materials for photonics, sensing and energy conversion application, El Jadida, 05-07/12/2012</p