A Computational Role for Arousal in Optimal Inference

Making accurate predictions is one of the most critical functions of the brain. Whether made by a monkey deciding where to forage, a deer deciding which way to run, or a wall-street broker deciding how to invest, decisions are informed by expectations about possible future outcomes. These expectations are learned over time through experience and are rapidly adjusted when they fail to match observations. Here I propose and support the thesis that learning systems in the brain optimize the accuracy of predictions in a changing world, even though this necessitates becoming insensitive to incoming sensory information under some conditions. Furthermore I propose a biologically inspired model for achieving accurate predictions and suggest a novel role for the arousal system in optimally adjusting the influence of incoming sensory information. I support these theses with a series of experiments that utilize computational modeling, as well as behavioral and pupillometric measurements in humans

A Stimulus Timing Device for Capturing Fast Physiologic Events by Quick-Freezing

A timing device was designed that, in conjunction with an impact type of quick-freezing apparatus and an externally-triggerable stimulus generator, allows the application of an electrical stimulus to a muscle preparation at a selected time interval before quick-freezing and the measurement of the interval with submillisecond precision. This is needed for stopping fast physiological events in calcium release and excitation-contraction coupling and allows studying the morphological parameters (by freeze-fracture and freeze-substitution) and elemental distributions (by x-ray microanalysis) as a function of time after stimulation. The device should be adaptable for use with most equipment designed for quick-freezing electrically excitable tissue by impact on a cold solid surface

What Is Historic Integrity Worth to the General Public? Evidence from a Proposed Relocation of a West Virginia Agricultural Mill

While historians believe that preserving a historic building in its original location is important to maintain its historic integrity, the general publicÂ’s opinion is unknown. Survey data were gathered from local residents regarding a proposed relocation of a historic mill in rural West Virginia. Only a minority of the sample population supported preserving the mill at its original location. Willingness to pay for preservation was estimated at $8.45 for a one-time donation for the sample and$2.29 after adjusting for non-respondents using characteristics of the local population.contingent valuation, historic preservation, Tobit model, willingness to pay, Demand and Price Analysis, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Buried Ion-Exchanged Glass Wavelengths: Burial-Depth Dependence on Waveguide Width

A detailed theoretical and experimental study of the depth dependence of buried ion-exchanged waveguides on waveguide width is reported. Modeling, which includes the effect of nonhomogeneous time-dependent electric field distribution, agrees well with our experiments showing that burial depth increases linearly with waveguide width. These results may be used in the proper design of integrated optical circuits that need waveguides of different widths at different sections, such as arrayed waveguide gratings

The Quick-Freezing of Single Intact Skeletal Muscle Fibers at Known Time Intervals Following Electrical Stimulation

Single intact frog skeletal muscle fibers quick-frozen after known time intervals following electrical stimulation are examined electron microscopically in thin sections, after freeze-substitution, in freeze-fracture/etch preparations, and in cryosections prepared for x-ray microprobe analysis. Techniques are described to perform these operations on a single fiber. Notable morphological differences between conventionally fixed and cryopreserved muscle fibers, and between fibers quick- frozen at different post-stimulation intervals are demonstrated

IFRS Adoption and Its Integration into Accounting Education Curriculum in Nigerian Universities

This study basically investigates the association between corporate environmental visibility and the level of corporate social responsibility disclosures among listed firms in Nigeria. The attribute or proxy used as a measure for environmental visibility in this study is size and it is measured by the total asset of the selected firms. To achieve the objective of this study, a total of 30 selected listed firms in the Nigerian stock exchange market were used. Also, the study critically developed and utilized a disclosure index to measure the extent of corporate social responsibility disclosure made by companies in their corporate annual reports for the period 2006-2010. The simple regression analysis was used to test the research propositions in this study. The study observed that there is a significant association between the corporate environmental visibility and the level of corporate social responsibility disclosures among listed firms in Nigeria. This finding further revealed that environmentally visible firms disclose more environmental information in their annual reports in order to legitimate their operations and to avoid political costs derived from public scrutiny. Keywords: corporate disclosure, Environmental visibility, corporate social responsibility, Siz