562 research outputs found
The 'black box' problem in the study of participation
Research on citizen participation has been guided by two core issues: first, the observation of a widening repertory of modes of participation, and second, the argument that participation is not an undifferentiated phenomenon, but must be conceived as an inherently multidimensional reality. In this article, we argue that conventional participation research has focused too one-sidedly on quantitatively expanding the range of types of activities, while the complex dimensionality is not reflected in the measures used. We formulate a methodological critique by using the metaphor of the 'black box', which refers to the implicit and unquestioned assumption that distinct types of activities and associations represent homogeneous and consistent realities that do not warrant further analytical decomposition. Surveys of participation allocate individuals to different 'participation boxes' by means of a binary logic, leaving a void of what is actually happening inside the boxes. To conclude, we reflect upon the fundamental dilemmas the black box of participation raises for theory and research, and offer conceptual and methodological keys to unlock the participation box
R-boundedness, pseudodifferential operators, and maximal regularity for some classes of partial differential operators
It is shown that an elliptic scattering operator on a compact manifold
with boundary with coefficients in the bounded operators of a bundle of Banach
spaces of class (HT) and Pisier's property has maximal regularity
(up to a spectral shift), provided that the spectrum of the principal symbol of
on the scattering cotangent bundle of the manifold avoids the right
half-plane.
This is deduced directly from a Seeley theorem, i.e. the resolvent is
represented in terms of pseudodifferential operators with R-bounded symbols,
thus showing by an iteration argument the R-boundedness of
for .
To this end, elements of a symbolic and operator calculus of
pseudodifferential operators with R-bounded symbols are introduced. The
significance of this method for proving maximal regularity results for partial
differential operators is underscored by considering also a more elementary
situation of anisotropic elliptic operators on with operator valued
coefficients.Comment: 21 page
Coherent motion of stereocilia assures the concerted gating of hair-cell transduction channels
The hair cell's mechanoreceptive organelle, the hair bundle, is highly
sensitive because its transduction channels open over a very narrow range of
displacements. The synchronous gating of transduction channels also underlies
the active hair-bundle motility that amplifies and tunes responsiveness. The
extent to which the gating of independent transduction channels is coordinated
depends on how tightly individual stereocilia are constrained to move as a
unit. Using dual-beam interferometry in the bullfrog's sacculus, we found that
thermal movements of stereocilia located as far apart as a bundle's opposite
edges display high coherence and negligible phase lag. Because the mechanical
degrees of freedom of stereocilia are strongly constrained, a force applied
anywhere in the hair bundle deflects the structure as a unit. This feature
assures the concerted gating of transduction channels that maximizes the
sensitivity of mechanoelectrical transduction and enhances the hair bundle's
capacity to amplify its inputs.Comment: 24 pages, including 6 figures, published in 200
A Dendrite-Autonomous Mechanism for Direction Selectivity in Retinal Starburst Amacrine Cells
Detection of image motion direction begins in the retina, with starburst amacrine cells (SACs) playing a major role. SACs generate larger dendritic Ca2+ signals when motion is from their somata towards their dendritic tips than for motion in the opposite direction. To study the mechanisms underlying the computation of direction selectivity (DS) in SAC dendrites, electrical responses to expanding and contracting circular wave visual stimuli were measured via somatic whole-cell recordings and quantified using Fourier analysis. Fundamental and, especially, harmonic frequency components were larger for expanding stimuli. This DS persists in the presence of GABA and glycine receptor antagonists, suggesting that inhibitory network interactions are not essential. The presence of harmonics indicates nonlinearity, which, as the relationship between harmonic amplitudes and holding potential indicates, is likely due to the activation of voltage-gated channels. [Ca2+] changes in SAC dendrites evoked by voltage steps and monitored by two-photon microscopy suggest that the distal dendrite is tonically depolarized relative to the soma, due in part to resting currents mediated by tonic glutamatergic synaptic input, and that high-voltage–activated Ca2+ channels are active at rest. Supported by compartmental modeling, we conclude that dendritic DS in SACs can be computed by the dendrites themselves, relying on voltage-gated channels and a dendritic voltage gradient, which provides the spatial asymmetry necessary for direction discrimination
Fagaceae pollen from the early Conozoic of West Greenland:revisiting Engler`s and Chaney`s Arcto-Tertiary hypotheses
In this paper we document Fagaceae pollen from the Eocene of western Greenland. The pollen record suggests a remarkable diversity of the family in the early Cenozoic of Greenland. Extinct Fagaceae pollen types include Eotrigonobalanus, which extends at least back to the Paleocene, and two ancestral pollen types with affinities to the Eurasian Quercus Group Ilex and the western North American Quercus Group Protobalanus. In addition, modern lineages of Fagaceae are unambiguously represented by pollen of Fagus, Quercus Group Lobatae/Quercus, and three Castaneoideae pollen types. These findings corroborate earlier findings from Axel Heiberg Island that Fagaceae were a dominant element at high latitudes during the early Cenozoic. Comparison with coeval or older mid-latitude records of modern lineages of Fagaceae shows that modern lineages found in western Greenland and Axel Heiberg likely originated at lower latitudes. Further examples comprise (possibly) Acer, Aesculus, Alnus, Ulmus, and others. Thus, before fossils belonging to modern northern temperate lineages will have been recovered from older (early Eocene, Paleocene) strata from high latitudes, Engler’s hypothesis of an Arctic origin of the modern temperate woody flora of Eurasia, termed ‘Arcto-Tertiary Element’, and later modification by R. W. Chaney and H. D. Mai (‘Arcto-Tertiary Geoflora’) needs to be modified
ScanImage: Flexible software for operating laser scanning microscopes
BACKGROUND: Laser scanning microscopy is a powerful tool for analyzing the structure and function of biological specimens. Although numerous commercial laser scanning microscopes exist, some of the more interesting and challenging applications demand custom design. A major impediment to custom design is the difficulty of building custom data acquisition hardware and writing the complex software required to run the laser scanning microscope. RESULTS: We describe a simple, software-based approach to operating a laser scanning microscope without the need for custom data acquisition hardware. Data acquisition and control of laser scanning are achieved through standard data acquisition boards. The entire burden of signal integration and image processing is placed on the CPU of the computer. We quantitate the effectiveness of our data acquisition and signal conditioning algorithm under a variety of conditions. We implement our approach in an open source software package (ScanImage) and describe its functionality. CONCLUSIONS: We present ScanImage, software to run a flexible laser scanning microscope that allows easy custom design
Lessons learnt from the user journey of well-known digital games for the development of educational software
In addition to the actual core content of games, the user journey or user experience in digital games is
becoming more and more important. The menu structure should be as intuitive as possible. Features
that are important should be displayed to the player at the moment when the game engine assumes that
access is necessary. The player should then reach the content with one tap or click. This persuasive
design concept is called ‘nudging’ and is rooted in behavioural psychology. Therefore, in the design of
the game environment, the viewpoint of goal orientation plays a major role. Two perspectives exist here.
First, from the player's point of view: What is necessary to ensure a well-rounded game experience?
The second perspective is from the producer's point of view and revolves around what do they want the
player to accomplish next. Some of the top games have now also developed so-called "main menu
games", which are challenges around the actual game to keep the players content and give them
additional tasks that are as stimulating as possible. In this paper, the authors would like to demonstrate
the above-mentioned mechanics by analysing four smash hits, namely “FIFA”, “Clash of Clans”,
“Pokemon Go” and “League of Legends”, with the aim of gaining learnings for the development of digital
educational software. This new form of learning software should be user-centred and offer an
outstanding learning experience through optimal design and mechanics.peer-reviewe
Synthesis optimization of carbon-supported ZrO2 nanoparticles from different organometallic precursors
Abstract We report here the synthesis of carbon-supported ZrO2 nanoparticles from zirconium oxyphthalocyanine (ZrOPc) and acetylacetonate [Zr(acac)4]. Using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS), we could investigate the thermal decomposition behavior of the chosen precursors. According to those results, we chose the heat treatment temperatures (T HT) using partial oxidizing (PO) and reducing (RED) atmosphere. By X-ray diffraction we detected structure and size of the nanoparticles; the size was further confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. ZrO2 formation happens at lower temperature with Zr(acac)4 than with ZrOPc, due to the lower thermal stability and a higher oxygen amount in Zr(acac)4. Using ZrOPc at T HT ≥900 °C, PO conditions facilitate the crystallite growth and formation of distinct tetragonal ZrO2, while with Zr(acac)4 a distinct tetragonal ZrO2 phase is observed already at T HT ≥750 °C in both RED and PO conditions. Tuning of ZrO2 nanocrystallite size from 5 to 9 nm by varying the precursor loading is also demonstrated. The chemical state of zirconium was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, which confirms ZrO2 formation from different synthesis routes
- …