Computation of Interaural Time Difference in the Owl's Coincidence Detector Neurons

Both the mammalian and avian auditory systems localize sound sources by computing the interaural time difference (ITD) with submillisecond accuracy. The neural circuits for this computation in birds consist of axonal delay lines and coincidence detector neurons. Here, we report the first in vivo intracellular recordings from coincidence detectors in the nucleus laminaris of barn owls. Binaural tonal stimuli induced sustained depolarizations (DC) and oscillating potentials whose waveforms reflected the stimulus. The amplitude of this sound analog potential (SAP) varied with ITD, whereas DC potentials did not. The amplitude of the SAP was correlated with firing rate in a linear fashion. Spike shape, synaptic noise, the amplitude of SAP, and responsiveness to current pulses differed between cells at different frequencies, suggesting an optimization strategy for sensing sound signals in neurons tuned to different frequencies

Behavior of Transistor Switching in AC Chopper Circuit

In this paper, an AC chopper circuit, using a power transistor, is described which chops the AC voltage with a commercial frequency. The circuit is composed of a diode bridge and a power transistor in series with a load and capable of adjusting the switching frequency, fc, and the time ratio, T=ton/(ton+toff). The switching frequency and the time ratio of the AC chopper circuit depend on switching-times, that is, delay time, rise time, carrier storage time and fall time, especially in the high frequency. The upper limit of the switching frequency (about 150kHz) and the output characteristics of the circuit are investigated

The Health of Ethnic Media: Needs and Opportunities

The ethnic news media (ranging the gamut from newspapers to broadcast programs to online ventures) have experienced rapid growth in tandem with the changing nature of the nation's demographics, yet considerable anecdotal evidence shows that many of these outlets struggle with a variety of serious problems, ranging from poor journalistic standards to sheer survivability as businesses. The study was designed to provide an assessment of the sector's health and resiliency and to identify threats to success, primarilyfrom the perspective of its staff and leaders

Influence of Magnetic Saturation of Iron-Core on Performance of Thyristor Phase Control Circuit

The influence of magnetic saturation of iron-core on the performance of thyristor phase control circuit with series RLC elements is described. The circuit is analyzed by applying an approximate model of three straight lines to the flux Φ vs. current i curve of the iron-core reactor. And the influence on waveforms, r.m.s. values, power factor and response are discussed

A single-phase PWM controlled AC to DC converter based on control of unity displacement power factor

A modified pulse-width modulation (PWM) technique that improves the displacement power factor and the input power factor of a single-phase AC to DC converter is discussed. The modified converter is shown to have a high input power factor and allows the of DC voltage from zero to more than the maximum value of the source voltage. The displacement power factor is unity, and the input power factor is almost unity in the wide range of current command </p

A control strategy of three-phase PWM inverter with fluctuating input voltage

A digital control strategy for the three-phase PWM inverter is proposed for a sinusoidal output with a fluctuating input voltage. The pulse width is computed by sampling and predicting the fluctuating input voltage every time the pulse generates. Three predictive methods are proposed. The errors and the waveform distortion of the output voltage are analyzed and discussed, along with the proposed predictive methods. The validity of the control method was experimentally verified using a microprocessor-based control system </p

Long Memory in Song Learning by Zebra Finches

Young songbirds use memorized tutor songs as templates to shape their own songs. This process requires control of voice by auditory feedback. We prevented zebra finches from hearing their own vocalizations by exposure to loud noise after 35 d of age, before which they had been reared with song tutors from birth. When the noise stopped at 102-200 d of age, the birds sang unstable and noisy song syllables that did not resemble the tutor syllables. The similarity to the tutor syllables steadily increased until the time of song crystallization ∼30 d later. These findings show that the memory of tutor syllables survives auditory perturbations during the period when it is normally recalled and that zebra finches can use the memory well after the normal period of song development. The temporal order of syllables resembled the tutor model only in birds released from the noise before 80 d of age but not in older birds. Thus, different schedules and processes may govern the learning of syllable phonology and syntax

Current commands for high-efficiency torque control of DC shunt motor

The current commands for a high-efficiency torque control of a DC shunt motor are described. In the proposed control method, the effect of a magnetic saturation and an armature reaction are taken into account by representing the coefficients of an electromotive force and a torque as a function of the field current, the armature current and the revolving speed. The current commands at which the loss of the motor drive system becomes a minimum are calculated as an optimal problem. The proposed control technique of a motor is implemented on the microprocessor-based control system. The effect of the consideration of the magnetic saturation and the armature reaction on the produced torque and the minimisation of the loss are discussed analytically and experimentally </p