Switching to the rubber hand

Inducing the rubber hand illusion (RHI) requires that participants look at an imitation hand while it is stroked in synchrony with their occluded biological hand. Previous explanations of the RHI have emphasized multisensory integration, and excluded higher cognitive functions. We investigated the relationship between the RHI and higher cognitive functions by experimentally testing task switch (as measured by switch cost) and mind wandering (as measured by SART score); we also included a questionnaire for attentional control that comprises two subscales, attention-shift and attention-focus. To assess experience of RHI, the Botvinick and Cohen (1998) questionnaire was used and illusion onset time was recorded. Our results indicate that rapidity of onset reliably indicates illusion strength. Regression analysis revealed that participants evincing less switch cost and higher attention-shift scores had faster RHI onset times, and that those with higher attention-shift scores experienced the RHI more vividly. These results suggest that the multi-sensory hypothesis is not sufficient to explain the illusion: higher cognitive functions should be taken into account when explaining variation in the experience of ownership for the rubber hand

Comment on ``Effective Mass and g-Factor of Four Flux Quanta Composite Fermions"

In a recent Letter, Yeh et al.[Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 592 (1999)] have shown beautiful experimental results which indicate that the composite fermions with four flux quanta ($^4$CF) behave as fermions with mass and spin just like those with two flux quanta. They observed the collapse of the fractional quantum Hall gaps when the following condition is satisfied with some integer $j$, $g^*\mu_{\rm B}B_{\rm tot} = j \hbar \omega_{\rm c}^*$, where $g^*$ and $\omega_{\rm c}^*$ are the g-factor and the cyclotron frequency of the $^4$CF, respectively. However, in their picture the gap at the Fermi energy remains always finite even if the above condition is satisfied, thus the reason of the collapse was left as a mystery. In this comment it is shown that part of the mystery is resolved by considering the electron-hole symmetry properly.Comment: 2 pages, RevTeX. Minor chang

Analytical and experimental investigation of circulation control by means of a turbulent Coanda jet

An analytical and experimental investigation of circulation control on a circular cylinder by means of tangential blowing (Coanda effect) is presented. The analytical method developed has also been used to estimate the blowing coefficients required for achieving potential flow on airfoils with flaps. The analysis is presented for conditions for which the flow in the boundary layer ahead of the jet exit is turbulent. The turbulent boundary layer and the jet layer on the upper surface, and the turbulent boundary layer on the lower surface are computed by a multi-strip integral method. The region of integration is between the correponding transition and separation points on each surface. Longitudinal curvature effects, which give rise to a radial pressure gradient across the jet layer and to an additional adverse tangential pressure gradient just upstream of the separation point, are included in the jet layer analysis in an approximate manner. The longitudinal curvature effect is found to have a pronounced influence on the separation of the jet layer

Review and status of heat-transfer technology for internal passages of air-cooled turbine blades

Selected literature on heat-transfer and pressure losses for airflow through passages for several cooling methods generally applicable to gas turbine blades is reviewed. Some useful correlating equations are highlighted. The status of turbine-blade internal air-cooling technology for both nonrotating and rotating blades is discussed and the areas where further research is needed are indicated. The cooling methods considered include convection cooling in passages, impingement cooling at the leading edge and at the midchord, and convection cooling in passages, augmented by pin fins and the use of roughened internal walls

Analysis of data processing systems

Mathematical simulation models and software monitoring of multiprogramming computer syste

Memory and subjective workload assessment

Recent research suggested subjective introspection of workload is not based upon specific retrieval of information from long term memory, and only reflects the average workload that is imposed upon the human operator by a particular task. These findings are based upon global ratings of workload for the overall task, suggesting that subjective ratings are limited in ability to retrieve specific details of a task from long term memory. To clarify the limits memory imposes on subjective workload assessment, the difficulty of task segments was varied and the workload of specified segments was retrospectively rated. The ratings were retrospectively collected on the manipulations of three levels of segment difficulty. Subjects were assigned to one of two memory groups. In the Before group, subjects knew before performing a block of trials which segment to rate. In the After group, subjects did not know which segment to rate until after performing the block of trials. The subjective ratings, RTs (reaction times) and MTs (movement times) were compared within group, and between group differences. Performance measures and subjective evaluations of workload reflected the experimental manipulations. Subjects were sensitive to different difficulty levels, and recalled the average workload of task components. Cueing did not appear to help recall, and memory group differences possibly reflected variations in the groups of subjects, or an additional memory task

Vortex pinning by cylindrical defects in type-II superconductors: Numerical solutions to the Ginzburg-Landau equations

We numerically integrate the one-dimensional, cylindrically symmetric Ginzburg-Landau equations to calculate the spatial variation of the order parameter and supercurrents for a vortex trapped by a cylindrical defect. We use the resulting field distributions to estimate the pinning energy, and make use of the vortex/two-dimensional boson analogy to calculate the depinning temperature. The microscopic behavior oi the fields depends on the size, and the conductivity of the cylindrical defect appears to be important for the pinning

Simulating Tsunami Inundation and Soil Response in a Large Centrifuge.

Tsunamis are rare, extreme events and cause significant damage to coastal infrastructure, which is often exacerbated by soil instability surrounding the structures. Simulating tsunamis in a laboratory setting is important to further understand soil instability induced by tsunami inundation processes. Laboratory simulations are difficult because the scale of such processes is very large, hence dynamic similitude cannot be achieved for small-scale models in traditional water-wave-tank facilities. The ability to control the body force in a centrifuge environment considerably reduces the mismatch in dynamic similitude. We review dynamic similitudes under a centrifuge condition for a fluid domain and a soil domain. A novel centrifuge apparatus specifically designed for exploring the physics of a tsunami-like flow on a soil bed is used to perform experiments. The present 1:40 model represents the equivalent geometric scale of a prototype soil field of 9.6 m deep, 21 m long, and 14.6 m wide. A laboratory facility capable of creating such conditions under the normal gravitational condition does not exist. With the use of a centrifuge, we are now able to simulate and measure tsunami-like loading with sufficiently high water pressure and flow velocities. The pressures and flow velocities in the model are identical to those of the prototype yielding realistic conditions of flow-soil interaction

Using media to improve the informed consent process for youth undergoing pediatric endoscopy and their parents.

Background and study aims Youth undergoing pediatric endoscopic procedures and their parents demonstrate suboptimal comprehension of the informed consent (IC) process. We developed informational videos discussing key IC elements for pediatric endoscopy and evaluated their effects on youth and parental comprehension of the IC process. Patients and methods A randomized controlled trial of the video intervention was performed among youth undergoing endoscopy and their parents at an academic children's hospital. Randomization occurred at the time of enrollment using permutated blocks. Following the IC process with the proceduralist, subjects underwent structured interviews to assess IC comprehension. An Informed Consent Overall Score (ICOS: range 0 - 4) for comprehension was calculated. Results Seventy-seven pairs of children and their parents participated. Intervention recipients (N = 37 pairs) demonstrated higher ICOS scores as compared to control counterparts (mean (standard deviation): 3.6 (0.7) v. 2.9 (0.9), intervention v. control parents, P < 0.0001 and 2.7 (1.1) v. 1.7 (1.1), intervention v. control youth, P < 0.0001). Conclusions A media intervention addressing key elements of the IC process for pediatric endoscopy was effective in improving comprehension of IC for youth undergoing endoscopic procedures and their parents