3,821 research outputs found
How many can you see at a glance? The role of attention in visual enumeration
There is considerable controversy as to how the brain extracts numerosity information
from a visual scene and as to how much attention is needed for this process. Traditionally, it has
been assumed that visual enumeration is subserved by two functionally distinct mechanisms:
the fast and accurate apprehension of 1 to about 4 items, a process termed "subitizing", and the
slow and error-prone enumeration of larger numerosities referred to as "counting". Further to
a functional dichotomy between these two mechanisms, an attentional dichotomy has been proposed.
Subitizing has been thought of as a pre-attentive and parallel process, whereas counting
is supposed to require serial attention.
In this work, the hypothesis of a parallel and pre-attentive subitizing mechanism was
tested. To this aim, the amount of attention that could be allocated to an enumeration task was
experimentally manipulated. In Experiment 1, attentional set was manipulated such that attention
could either be drawn to the relevant of two subsets to enumerate or had to be distributed
to both subsets. Furthermore, the relationship of enumeration to perceptual grouping and item
discrimination was explored. In Experiment 2, a dual-task approach was employed in which
the amount of attentional resources available to enumeration was systematically modulated by
imposing an additional task and by varying its attentional load. Experiment 3 investigated
the neural correlates of visual enumeration under attentional load using functional magnetic
resonance imaging (fMRI).
Results indicated that (1) enumeration, particularly subitizing, was clearly compromised
under conditions of distributed or reduced attention. (2) Both the enumeration of small
and large numerosities was a�ffected by such attentional manipulations. (3) Subitizing selectively
activated brain areas associated with stimulus-driven attention. (4) Enumeration is contingent
on other potentially attention-demanding visual processes such as perceptual grouping. The
evidence presented here seriously challenges the traditionally held claim of a parallel and preattentive
subitizing mechanism and suggests instead that small numerosity judgement requires
visual attention. This weakens the argument of an attentional as well as a functional dichotomy
and strengthens the idea that enumeration may be subserved by a single, continuous mechanism
Half-Life of O
We have measured the half-life of O, a superallowed decay isotope. The O was produced by the
C(He,n)O reaction using a carbon aerogel target. A
low-energy ion beam of O was mass separated and implanted in a thin
beryllium foil. The beta particles were counted with plastic scintillator
detectors. We find s. This result is
higher than an average value from six earlier experiments, but agrees more
closely with the most recent previous measurement.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure
Energy-efficiency improvements for optical access
This article discusses novel approaches to improve energy efficiency of different optical access technologies, including time division multiplexing passive optical network (TDM-PON), time and wavelength division multiplexing PON (TWDM-PON), point-to-point (PTP) access network, wavelength division multiplexing PON (WDM-PON), and orthogonal frequency division multiple access PON (OFDMA-PON). These approaches include cyclic sleep mode, energy-efficient bit interleaving protocol, power reduction at component level, or frequency band selection. Depending on the target optical access technology, one or a combination of different approaches can be applied
Water exchange at a hydrated platinum electrode is rare and collective
We use molecular dynamics simulations to study the exchange kinetics of water
molecules at a model metal electrode surface -- exchange between water
molecules in the bulk liquid and water molecules bound to the metal. This
process is a rare event, with a mean residence time of a bound water of about
40 ns for the model we consider. With analysis borrowed from the techniques of
rare-event sampling, we show how this exchange or desorption is controlled by
(1) reorganization of the hydrogen bond network within the adlayer of bound
water molecules, and by (2) interfacial density fluctuations of the bulk liquid
adjacent to the adlayer. We define collective coordinates that describe the
desorption mechanism. Spatial and temporal correlations associated with a
single event extend over nanometers and tens of picoseconds.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure
Redundancy Strategies for a High Splitting Optically Amplified Passive Optical Network
Copyright IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuse any copyrighted component of this work in other works must be obtained from the IEEE.High splitting, optically amplified, passive optical networks (SuperPONs) are investigated in terms of redundancy provision and protection mechanisms. Options for redundancy, including the important special case of dual homing, are detailed, and it is determined as to which of these options (duplication of the feeder and first distribution section, and N+1 protection of the optical amplifiers in the amplified splitter) would be required to be provided to all attached users to facilitate appropriate availability of the basic telephony service. The distributed amplified splitter dual homing solution is found to outperform the single amplified splitter solution in terms of its survivability. The protection mechanisms necessary to automatically switch to the redundant provision are discussed and it is seen that with the aid of suitable regular precautionary procedures protection switching can generally be provided rapidly (<50 ms). Finally, an availability, and cost versus availability, study confirms the aforementioned redundancy assessment for fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) implementations, but shows fiber-to-the-curb (FTTC) as needing additional redundancyPeer reviewe
Immediate or delayed breast reconstruction after mastectomy: what do women really want
Breast reconstruction, especially immediate reconstruction after mastectomy has increased over the last decades, at present being regularly offered in many centres worldwide. Despite obvious benefits and the evident oncological safety of primary breast reconstruction, the majority of women still receive a delayed procedure or even no reconstructive surgery. The objective of the present study was to determine the preference of women for breast reconstruction—immediate or delayed—and in the case of rejection of treatment to find out the reasons for this reluctance. In a prospective study a sample of 200 women—divided into two groups—were evaluated by an oral interview on the subject. The two-formed groups of participants consisted of randomly chosen women (n=100) and non-surgical nurses (n=100). The questionnaire surveyed personal data including marital status and educational level, as well as information about the preferred timing, the method of and the reasons for or against breast reconstruction. The evaluation of all data showed that 66% of the participants voted for additional surgery after mastectomy. Young age and high education level were significantly correlated (age r=0.56, P<0.01; education r=0.25, P<0.01) to the wish for reconstruction. The mean age of all participants was 39years (range 20-69), with a significant difference between the two groups (P<0.01), the group of nurses being younger (mean age 35, range 20-62) and the other women being older (mean age 43, range 20-69). Concerning the timing of reconstruction, 21% of women elected to have an immediate and 27% a delayed operation. Yet, 52% could not come to a decision as to whether they should prefer a primary or secondary procedure. For the surgical procedure—autologous versus non-autologous tissue—about 23% of the participants could not decide spontaneously, while 40% preferred autologous tissue, 14% implants and 23% would choose a combination of both. The main reason in favour of reconstruction was that it would enhance the physical appearance (96%), whereas an important reason for general rejection was the fear of additional surgical risk (19%). For primary reconstruction, a high percentage of women also were highly concerned that reconstruction could mask cancer recurrence (62%). Although the majority of women—unaffected with breast cancer—are interested in breast reconstruction, more than half of them cannot decide spontaneously about the timing and mode of surgery, including the medical women. The collected data emphasize the urgent necessity to systematically inform women and the whole population about the options of breast reconstruction. Equally important is for the involved surgeons to know the individual wishes and fears of women unexpectedly confronted with the diagnosis of breast cancer in order to provide comprehensive preoperative counselling with respect to cancer therapy including breast reconstructio
Nonlinear Dynamics of Capacitive Charging and Desalination by Porous Electrodes
The rapid and efficient exchange of ions between porous electrodes and
aqueous solutions is important in many applications, such as electrical energy
storage by super-capacitors, water desalination and purification by capacitive
deionization (or desalination), and capacitive extraction of renewable energy
from a salinity difference. Here, we present a unified mean-field theory for
capacitive charging and desalination by ideally polarizable porous electrodes
(without Faradaic reactions or specific adsorption of ions) in the limit of
thin double layers (compared to typical pore dimensions). We illustrate the
theory in the case of a dilute, symmetric, binary electrolyte using the
Gouy-Chapman-Stern (GCS) model of the double layer, for which simple formulae
are available for salt adsorption and capacitive charging of the diffuse part
of the double layer. We solve the full GCS mean-field theory numerically for
realistic parameters in capacitive deionization, and we derive reduced models
for two limiting regimes with different time scales: (i) In the
"super-capacitor regime" of small voltages and/or early times where the porous
electrode acts like a transmission line, governed by a linear diffusion
equation for the electrostatic potential, scaled to the RC time of a single
pore. (ii) In the "desalination regime" of large voltages and long times, the
porous electrode slowly adsorbs neutral salt, governed by coupled, nonlinear
diffusion equations for the pore-averaged potential and salt concentration
SK2 channels are required for function and long-term survival of efferent synapses on mammalian outer hair cells
Cochlear hair cells use SK2 currents to shape responses to cholinergic efferent feedback from the brain. Using SK2-/- mice, we demonstrate that, in addition to their previously defined role in modulating hair cell membrane potentials, SK2 channels are necessary for long-term survival of olivocochlear fibers and synapses. Loss of the SK2 gene also results in loss of electrically driven olivocochlear effects in vivo, and down regulation of ryanodine receptors involved in calcium-induced calcium release, the main inducer of nAChR evoked SK2 activity. Generation of double-null mice lacking both the α10 nAChR gene, loss of which results in hypertrophied olivocochlear terminals, and the SK2 gene, recapitulates the SK2-/- synaptic phenotype and gene expression, and also leads to down regulation of α9 nAChR gene expression. The data suggest a hierarchy of activity necessary to maintain early olivocochlear synapses at their targets, with SK2 serving an epistatic, upstream, role to the nAChRs.Fil: Murthy, Vidya. Tufts University; Estados UnidosFil: Maison, Stéphane F.. Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary; Estados Unidos. Harvard Medical School; Estados UnidosFil: Taranda, Julian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; Argentina. Tufts University; Estados UnidosFil: Haque, Nadeem. University of Notre Dame; Estados UnidosFil: Bond, Chris T.. Oregon Health Sciences University; Estados UnidosFil: Elgoyhen, Ana Belen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular "Dr. Héctor N. Torres"; ArgentinaFil: Adelman, John P.. Oregon Health Sciences University; Estados UnidosFil: Liberman, M. Charles. Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary; Estados Unidos. Harvard Medical School; Estados UnidosFil: Vetter, Douglas E.. Tufts University; Estados Unido
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