The canonical order and optimization problems

Using the partial order technique, we describe a subclass of objective functions taking their optimum at the greedy point of a given feasible polyhedron in R"

Surface design based upon a combined mesh

In this talk, we consider the problem of surface design based upon a mesh that may contain triangu-lar and quadrangular domains. Our goal is to investigate the cases when a combined mesh occurs more preferable for bivariate data interpolation than a pure triangulation

Tonotopic sensitivity to supra-threshold hearing deficits of the envelope following response evoked by broadband stimuli

Scalp-recorded electrophysiological Envelope Following Responses (EFRs) have recently gained popularity as an objective measure of supra-threshold hearing deficits (e.g., as caused by cochlear synaptopathy). To explore the frequency specificity of EFRs in diagnosing deficits, we recorded EFRs to sinusoidally amplitude-modulated (AM) white noise carriers with different bandwidths in two participant groups: young normal-hearing control group and a group self-reported hearing difficulties in noisy listening environments. Despite individual variability in EFR strength, the group-means revealed minor response differences in stimuli with different low-frequency content. The limited contribution of auditory frequency channels below 2 kHz to the EFR was confirmed through EFR simulations from a biophysically-inspired model of the human auditory periphery. Further investigation showed that the minor low-frequency contribution stems from the lack of AM coding in individual low-frequency channels, although the overall spike-rate increases for stimulation with wider carrier bands. In conclusion, despite the broadband cochlear excitation, the broadband EFR mostly reflects summed AM coding strength in frequency channels above 2 kHz. To increase the frequency sensitivity of the EFRs it is necessary to carefully investigate the bandwidth and modulation frequency of the stimulus

Intelligibility of filtered speech and its relation to electrophysiological markers of supra-threshold hearing deficits

The origins and perceptual consequences of supra-threshold hearing deficits are not well understood. Sensory and neural deficits are likely contributors, underlining the need for an objective measure which quantifies the neural contributors and complements audiometric measures of sensory loss. The envelope-following response (EFR) is sensitive to neural fiber loss in animal models and has been proposed as a marker. However, its diagnostic sensitivity in humans and relationship to speech intelligibility are still unclear. Here we argue that the relationship between electrophysiological measures of temporal coding ability and the performance in speech-in-noise tasks crucially depends on the underlying stimulus parameters. We discuss ways in which experimental protocols can be adjusted to improve the predictive relationship between electrophysiological measures of temporal coding fidelity and behavioral measures of speech intelligibility and test these predictions in a group of young normal-hearing, elderly normal-hearing and elderly hearing-impaired participants as groups reflecting different degrees of neural or sensory hearing deficits

Enhancing the sensitivity of the envelope-following response for cochlear synaptopathy screening in humans : the role of stimulus envelope

A

The Stephenson - Kapitsa pendulum: Area of the Attraction of the Upper Positions of the Balance

Here we consider the behavior of a pendulum with a vibrating axis of suspension which differs from the classical one by the presence of an additional degree of freedom: the pendulum contains some mass, fixed on a spring, which can be displaced with respect to the main mass in two mutually perpendicular directions. Experimental investigations have been performed to determine the stable equilibrium positions of the pendulum. The results of the experiment were in good agreement with those of the numerical solution of the complete equations of motions of the system. Both of them were in good agreement with the rough analytical solution, obtained before by I.I. Blekhman and L. Sperling. It has been confirmed that the presence of the inner degree of freedom of the additional mass in the “radial” direction results in an essential widening of the range of attraction of the upper vertical quasi-equilibrium position of the pendulum

Gauge-Invariant Approach to Meson Photoproduction Including the Final-State Interaction

A gauge-invariant formalism is presented for the practical treatment of photo- and electroproduction of pseudoscalar mesons off nucleons that allows an explicit incorporation of hadronic final-state interactions. The semi-phenomenological approach is based on a field theory developed by one of the authors. It generalizes an earlier approach by allowing for systematic improvement of approximations in a controlled manner. The practical feasibility is illustrated by applying the lowest-order result to the photoproduction of both neutral and charged pions.Comment: Plenary talk given at the N*2005 Workshop (Oct. 2005, Tallahassee, FL); to appear in the Proceedings (to be publ. by WorldScientific

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EU (SCHENGEN) ACQUES IN THE WESTERN BALKANS AND ABOLISHING THE BORDER CONTROLS BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA AND THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA

The European perspective of the Western Balkans, i.e. the joining of the countries of the region to the European Union, was promoted at the Summit of the European Council in Thessaloniki exactly 20 years ago. From then until today, the European perspective for this region is often emphasized by the EU institutions and the leaders of the member states of the Union, so that the end of the negotiations and the full membership in the EU actually seem more and more distant every day. Citizens of most countries from the Western Balkans perceive EU membership as a distant, uncertain future, which increasingly generates dissatisfaction, growth of Euroscepticism and doubts about the sincere intentions of all participants in the European integration processes. This slow, long frozen and often blocked accession process has been followed by various initiatives, by the EU and the countries of the Western Balkans as intermediate stages, until the Union implements its own reform and starts the enlargement process again in full capacity. The initiatives relate to improving economic cooperation, establishing a common market and achieving greater economic growth in the region, and as such the most prominent are the Berlin Process and the Open Balkans. One of the basic postulates embedded in the two initiatives, which are perceived as rivals, is the freedom of movement, that is, the enjoyment of the four basic freedoms on which the EU itself is built. The functioning of the EU single market required the abolition of all barriers and border controls themselves in support of the freedom of movement of goods, goods, capital and services which was supported by a special integration process known as Schengen integration. Freedom of movement is the focus of the authors of this paper, who through analysis and research of a part of the EU acquis will point out the possibility of its direct applicability as a basis for abolishing the internal borders of the Western Balkans, i.e. for a start between two countries Republic of North Macedonia and Republic of Serbia. These are countries in different stages of accession negotiations with the EU, but still with sufficiently harmonized national legislation with the Schengen acquis, without mutual disputes, with a relatively high degree of mutual trust that can quickly and efficiently significantly support the functioning of the common market by abolishing border controls so that later in the process all the countries of the Western Balkans are gradually included.   &nbsp