Motion extrapolation into the blind spot: Research report

The flash-lag effect, in which a moving object is perceived ahead of a colocalized flash, has led to keen empirical and theoretical debates. To test the proposal that a predictive mechanism overcomes neural delays in vision by shifting objects spatially, we asked observers to judge the final position of a bar moving into the retinal blind spot. The bar was perceived to disappear in positions well inside the unstimulated area. Given that photoreceptors are absent in the blind spot, the perceived shift must be based on the history of the moving object. Such predictive overshoots are suppressed when a moving object disappears abruptly from the retina, triggering retinal transient signals. No such transient-driven suppression occurs when the object disappears by virtue of moving into the blind spot. The extrapolated position of the moving bar revealed in this manner provides converging support for visual prediction. © Copyright © 2008 Association for Psychological Science

The role of attention in motion extrapolation: Are moving objects 'corrected' or flashed objects attentionally delayed?

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Forward displacements of fading objects in motion: the role of transient signals in perceiving position

Visual motion causes mislocalisation phenomena in a variety of experimental paradigms. For many displays objects are perceived as displaced 'forward' in the direction of motion. However, in some cases involving the abrupt stopping or reversal of motion the forward displacements are not observed. We propose that the transient neural signals at the offset of a moving object play a crucial role in accurate localisation. In the present study, we eliminated the transient signals at motion offset by gradually reducing the luminance of the moving object. Our results show that the 'disappearance threshold' for a moving object is lower than the detection threshold for the same object without a motion history. In units of time this manipulation led to a forward displacement of the disappearance point by 175ms. We propose an explanation of our results in terms of two processes: Forward displacements are caused by internal models predicting positions of moving objects. The usually observed correct localisation of stopping positions, however, is based on transient inputs that retroactively attenuate errors that internal models might otherwise cause. Both processes are geared to reducing localisation errors for moving objects

Feasibility Study of Sustainable Energy Alternatives to Power Remote Communities in Northern Ontario

Remote communities in the North of Ontario survive in isolation as their distance to the southern industrial and electrical sector of the province limits their accessibility to the major southern grid. The lack of grid connection has led to antiquated methods of power generation, which pollute the environment and deplete the planet of its natural resources. One solution to these problems is the storage of electricity as hydrogen gas through electrolysis. This work determined the feasibility of introducing clean energy alternatives and provided a fuel blend option consisting of solar, wind, and hydrogen energy sources. To determine a fuel blend for Northern communities, an exergy analysis and an analysis of emissions of CO2 from the production of raw feed material in the construction of the energy systems is performed. When comparing the hydrogen fuel cell alone, exergy efficiency and emissions were more preferable than wind and solar. Although, when electrolysis and transportation emissions of the fuel cell were considered, the fuel cell became a less preferable alternative. The implementation of a fuel cell energy source would require the construction of a hydrogen generation infrastructure to allow for hydrogen production from the southern grid system and provide flexibility to the grid

The National Metallurgical Laboratory in the development of Mineral Beneficiation and Extractive Metallurgical Techniques

In the context of India's mineral resources, the author discusses researches on mineral beneficiation and deve-lopments in extractive metallurgical techniques, and outlines the role of the National Metallurgical Labo-ratory in this respect. General particulars are furnished of the work done on beneficiation of manganese, chromite, graphite, pyrites, etc., and of the extractive metall-urgical themes under development at the Laboratory, in-cluding pilot plant investigations on electrolytic mang-anese and manganese dioxide. A review of the Laboratory's programme of work during the second Plan, which includes the setting up of pilot plant projects on thermal bene-ficiation of low-grade manganese and chromite ores and the treatment of low-grade manganese, chrome and other ores by ore-dressing methods, is also given

Recent Trends in Iron and Steel Technology

During the last decade, world annual ingot steel produ-ction has increased by about 150 million tons as shown in Fig. 1. Nine-tenths of the total pig iron produced forms an intermediate product for conversion into steel. Such post-war expansion has been actuated by the rapid growth of light and heavy engineering industries, increased demands of consumer goods and the universal desire to obtain higher standards of living. One twentieth of the earth's crust consists of iron which should assure the supplies of this important metal as inexhaustible. This could be so if the production and processing techniques are under continuous transformation in relation to the nature of available resources

Some aspects of Pilot Plant Research and Development in Iron and Steel Industry

Students of ferrous metallurgy appear unanimous in their opinion that major revolutions are taking place in the technology of iron and steel production whilst the essence of basic reactions and fundamentals invol- ved remains unchanged. Apart from the physical enlar- gement of smelting units proper and scaling up of anci-llary equipment, some of the major advances currently under application relate to raw-materials processing & prepared burdens such as, sizing, classification,conce-ntrating, agglomeration, sintering etc. which have to-day become bywords to increased productivity and reduced operational costs. Similarly important techni- cal developments are taking place in iron blast furnace operations, stool-making technology, continuous casting technique and in related fields. Those industrial devel-opments are the products. of laboratory scale researches followed by comprehensive investigations on pilot plant scale trials. The importance of such pilot plant trials has been recognised the world over . In this short paper, some of these pilot plant scale investigations will be highlighted including some current technical develop- ments in the technology of iron and steel production in different steel producing countries of the world

Micro-Metallurgy of Alloy Steels

Whilst extensive literature exists on the effects on the properties of steels of alloying elements present in relatively large amounts , data are scanty and disp-ersed on the role of minute additions which exercise relatively far larger physical and metallurgical effects. The elements involved may be added in traces or present in residual amounts. It has been endeavoured to highlight the highly beneficial effects of minute additions in many respects, such as those of rare earths to cast plain carbon and boron- treated steels, to wrought steels, to highalloy stainless steels , etc. The subject is of recent development , but is of great importance in view of the immense resources in India of the rare earths group of minerals