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Sample records for irrelevant dimension time

  1. Differential impact of relevant and irrelevant dimension primes on rule-based and information-integration category learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grimm, Lisa R; Maddox, W Todd

    2013-11-01

    Research has identified multiple category-learning systems with each being "tuned" for learning categories with different task demands and each governed by different neurobiological systems. Rule-based (RB) classification involves testing verbalizable rules for category membership while information-integration (II) classification requires the implicit learning of stimulus-response mappings. In the first study to directly test rule priming with RB and II category learning, we investigated the influence of the availability of information presented at the beginning of the task. Participants viewed lines that varied in length, orientation, and position on the screen, and were primed to focus on stimulus dimensions that were relevant or irrelevant to the correct classification rule. In Experiment 1, we used an RB category structure, and in Experiment 2, we used an II category structure. Accuracy and model-based analyses suggested that a focus on relevant dimensions improves RB task performance later in learning while a focus on an irrelevant dimension improves II task performance early in learning. © 2013.

  2. Stimulus-response correspondence effect as a function of temporal overlap between relevant and irrelevant information processing.

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    Wang, Dong-Yuan Debbie; Richard, F Dan; Ray, Brittany

    2016-01-01

    The stimulus-response correspondence (SRC) effect refers to advantages in performance when stimulus and response correspond in dimensions or features, even if the common features are irrelevant to the task. Previous research indicated that the SRC effect depends on the temporal course of stimulus information processing. The current study investigated how the temporal overlap between relevant and irrelevant stimulus processing influences the SRC effect. In this experiment, the irrelevant stimulus (a previously associated tone) preceded the relevant stimulus (a coloured rectangle). The irrelevant and relevant stimuli onset asynchrony was varied to manipulate the temporal overlap between the irrelevant and relevant stimuli processing. Results indicated that the SRC effect size varied as a quadratic function of the temporal overlap between the relevant stimulus and irrelevant stimulus. This finding extends previous experimental observations that the SRC effect size varies in an increasing or decreasing function with reaction time. The current study demonstrated a quadratic function between effect size and the temporal overlap.

  3. Task-irrelevant emotion facilitates face discrimination learning.

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    Lorenzino, Martina; Caudek, Corrado

    2015-03-01

    We understand poorly how the ability to discriminate faces from one another is shaped by visual experience. The purpose of the present study is to determine whether face discrimination learning can be facilitated by facial emotions. To answer this question, we used a task-irrelevant perceptual learning paradigm because it closely mimics the learning processes that, in daily life, occur without a conscious intention to learn and without an attentional focus on specific facial features. We measured face discrimination thresholds before and after training. During the training phase (4 days), participants performed a contrast discrimination task on face images. They were not informed that we introduced (task-irrelevant) subtle variations in the face images from trial to trial. For the Identity group, the task-irrelevant features were variations along a morphing continuum of facial identity. For the Emotion group, the task-irrelevant features were variations along an emotional expression morphing continuum. The Control group did not undergo contrast discrimination learning and only performed the pre-training and post-training tests, with the same temporal gap between them as the other two groups. Results indicate that face discrimination improved, but only for the Emotion group. Participants in the Emotion group, moreover, showed face discrimination improvements also for stimulus variations along the facial identity dimension, even if these (task-irrelevant) stimulus features had not been presented during training. The present results highlight the importance of emotions for face discrimination learning. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Original article Temperamental variation in learned irrelevance in humans

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    Aleksandra Gruszka

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Background Learned irrelevance (LIRR represents one of the mechanisms of attentional set-shifting and refers to the inability to attend to, or to learn about, any aspect of a stimulus previously experienced as irrelevant. Although it has been extensively studied in the context of clinical populations, not much is known about LIRR effects in relation to normal variation in individual differences. The present study was designed to assess how temperamental factors may modulate LIRR. Participants and procedures Sixty-eight healthy volunteers performed a visual discrimination learning task modelled after Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. To test the susceptibility to learned irrelevance, participants were expected to shift their attention either to a dimension that prior to the extra-dimensional shift was completely irrelevant, or to a dimension that was previously partly correlated with reinforcement. Temperamental traits were assessed using the Formal Characteristics of Behaviour-Temperament Inventory (Zawadzki & Strelau, 1997. Intelligence level was stratified according to Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices (Raven, Raven, & Court, 2003. Results Low level of Briskness and high level of Perseverance were related to enhanced susceptibility to LIRR. High levels of Activity and Emotional Reactivity were related to the poorer performance on the extra-dimensional set-shifting. No effects of other temperament characteristics or intelligence on LIRR were observed. Conclusions The results confirm a strong variation in LIRR related to individual differences in temperament, which appears to be unrelated to DA function. Our results highlight the importance of considering individual differences in studies on cognitive control.

  5. Active Learning with Irrelevant Examples

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    Wagstaff, Kiri; Mazzoni, Dominic

    2009-01-01

    An improved active learning method has been devised for training data classifiers. One example of a data classifier is the algorithm used by the United States Postal Service since the 1960s to recognize scans of handwritten digits for processing zip codes. Active learning algorithms enable rapid training with minimal investment of time on the part of human experts to provide training examples consisting of correctly classified (labeled) input data. They function by identifying which examples would be most profitable for a human expert to label. The goal is to maximize classifier accuracy while minimizing the number of examples the expert must label. Although there are several well-established methods for active learning, they may not operate well when irrelevant examples are present in the data set. That is, they may select an item for labeling that the expert simply cannot assign to any of the valid classes. In the context of classifying handwritten digits, the irrelevant items may include stray marks, smudges, and mis-scans. Querying the expert about these items results in wasted time or erroneous labels, if the expert is forced to assign the item to one of the valid classes. In contrast, the new algorithm provides a specific mechanism for avoiding querying the irrelevant items. This algorithm has two components: an active learner (which could be a conventional active learning algorithm) and a relevance classifier. The combination of these components yields a method, denoted Relevance Bias, that enables the active learner to avoid querying irrelevant data so as to increase its learning rate and efficiency when irrelevant items are present. The algorithm collects irrelevant data in a set of rejected examples, then trains the relevance classifier to distinguish between labeled (relevant) training examples and the rejected ones. The active learner combines its ranking of the items with the probability that they are relevant to yield a final decision about which item

  6. Development of response inhibition in the context of relevant versus irrelevant emotions

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    Margot A Schel

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available The present study examined the influence of relevant and irrelevant emotions on response inhibition from childhood to early adulthood. Ninety-four participants between 6 and 25 years of age performed two go/nogo tasks with emotional faces (neutral, happy, and fearful as stimuli. In one go/nogo task emotion formed a relevant dimension of the task and in the other go/nogo task emotion was irrelevant and participants had to respond to the color of the faces instead. A special feature of the latter task, in which emotion was irrelevant, was the inclusion of free choice trials, in which participants could freely decide between acting and inhibiting. Results showed a linear increase in response inhibition performance with increasing age both in relevant and irrelevant affective contexts. Relevant emotions had a pronounced influence on performance across age, whereas irrelevant emotions did not. Overall, participants made more false alarms on trials with fearful faces than happy faces, and happy faces were associated with better performance on go trials (higher percentage correct and faster RTs than fearful faces. The latter effect was stronger for young children in terms of accuracy. Finally, during the free choice trials participants did not base their decisions on affective context, confirming that irrelevant emotions do not have a strong impact on inhibition. Together, these findings suggest that across development relevant affective context has a larger influence on response inhibition than irrelevant affective context. When emotions are relevant, a context of positive emotions is associated with better performance compared to a context with negative emotions, especially in young children.

  7. Control processes through the suppression of the automatic response activation triggered by task-irrelevant information in the Simon-type tasks.

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    Kim, Sanga; Lee, Sang Ho; Cho, Yang Seok

    2015-11-01

    The congruency sequence effect, one of the indices of cognitive control, refers to a smaller congruency effect after an incongruent than congruent trial. Although the effect has been found across a variety of conflict tasks, there is not yet agreement on the underlying mechanism. The present study investigated the mechanism underlying cognitive control by using a cross-task paradigm. In Experiments 1, 2, and 3, participants performed a modified Simon task and a spatial Stroop task alternately in a trial-by-trial manner. The task-irrelevant dimension of the two tasks was perceptually and conceptually identical in Experiment 1, whereas it was perceptually different but conceptually identical in Experiment 2. The response sets for both tasks were different in Experiment 3. In Experiment 4, participants performed two Simon tasks with different task-relevant dimensions. In all experiments in which the task-irrelevant dimension and response mode were shared, significant congruency sequence effects were found between the two different congruencies, indicating that Simon-type conflicts were resolved by a control mechanism, which is specific to an abstract task-irrelevant stimulus spatial dimension. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Escaping the recent past: which stimulus dimensions influence proactive interference?

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    Craig, Kimberly S; Berman, Marc G; Jonides, John; Lustig, Cindy

    2013-07-01

    Proactive interference occurs when information from the past disrupts current processing and is a major source of confusion and errors in short-term memory (STM; Wickens, Born, & Allen, Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 2:440-445, 1963). The present investigation examines potential boundary conditions for interference, testing the hypothesis that potential competitors must be similar along task-relevant dimensions to influence proactive interference effects. We manipulated both the type of task being completed (Experiments 1, 2, and 3) and dimensions of similarity irrelevant to the current task (Experiments 4 and 5) to determine how the recent presentation of a probe item would affect the speed with which participants could reject that item. Experiments 1, 2, and 3 contrasted STM judgments, which require temporal information, with semantic and perceptual judgments, for which temporal information is irrelevant. In Experiments 4 and 5, task-irrelevant information (perceptual similarity) was manipulated within the recent probes task. We found that interference from past items affected STM task performance but did not affect performance in semantic or perceptual judgment tasks. Conversely, similarity along a nominally irrelevant perceptual dimension did not affect the magnitude of interference in STM tasks. Results are consistent with the view that items in STM are represented by noisy codes consisting of multiple dimensions and that interference occurs when items are similar to each other and, thus, compete along the dimensions relevant to target selection.

  9. Attentional Capture and Inhibition of Saccades after Irrelevant and Relevant Cues

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    Heinz-Werner Priess

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Attentional capture is usually stronger for task-relevant than irrelevant stimuli, whereas irrelevant stimuli can trigger equal or even stronger amounts of inhibition than relevant stimuli. Capture and inhibition, however, are typically assessed in separate trials, leaving it open whether or not inhibition of irrelevant stimuli is a consequence of preceding attentional capture by the same stimuli or whether inhibition is the only response to these stimuli. Here, we tested the relationship between capture and inhibition in a setup allowing for estimates of the capture and inhibition based on the very same trials. We recorded saccadic inhibition after relevant and irrelevant stimuli. At the same time, we recorded the N2pc, an event-related potential, reflecting initial capture of attention. We found attentional capture not only for, relevant but importantly also for irrelevant stimuli, although the N2pc was stronger for relevant than irrelevant stimuli. In addition, inhibition of saccades was the same for relevant and irrelevant stimuli. We conclude with a discussion of the mechanisms that are responsible for these effects.

  10. Neural correlate of filtering of irrelevant information from visual working memory.

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    Nasr, Shahin; Moeeny, Ali; Esteky, Hossein

    2008-09-26

    In a dynamic environment stimulus task relevancy could be altered through time and it is not always possible to dissociate relevant and irrelevant objects from the very first moment they come to our sight. In such conditions, subjects need to retain maximum possible information in their WM until it is clear which items should be eliminated from WM to free attention and memory resources. Here, we examined the neural basis of irrelevant information filtering from WM by recording human ERP during a visual change detection task in which the stimulus irrelevancy was revealed in a later stage of the task forcing the subjects to keep all of the information in WM until test object set was presented. Assessing subjects' behaviour we found that subjects' RT was highly correlated with the number of irrelevant objects and not the relevant one, pointing to the notion that filtering, and not selection, process was used to handle the distracting effect of irrelevant objects. In addition we found that frontal N150 and parietal N200 peak latencies increased systematically as the amount of irrelevancy load increased. Interestingly, the peak latency of parietal N200, and not frontal N150, better correlated with subjects' RT. The difference between frontal N150 and parietal N200 peak latencies varied with the amount of irrelevancy load suggesting that functional connectivity between modules underlying fronto-parietal potentials vary concomitant with the irrelevancy load. These findings suggest the existence of two neural modules, responsible for irrelevant objects elimination, whose activity latency and functional connectivity depend on the number of irrelevant object.

  11. Falling out of time: enhanced memory for scenes presented at behaviorally irrelevant points in time in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

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    Levy-Gigi, Einat; Kéri, Szabolcs

    2012-01-01

    Spontaneous encoding of the visual environment depends on the behavioral relevance of the task performed simultaneously. If participants identify target letters or auditory tones while viewing a series of briefly presented natural and urban scenes, they demonstrate effective scene recognition only when a target, but not a behaviorally irrelevant distractor, appears together with the scene. Here, we show that individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), who witnessed the red sludge disaster in Hungary, show the opposite pattern of performance: enhanced recognition of scenes presented together with distractors and deficient recognition of scenes presented with targets. The recognition of trauma-related and neutral scenes was not different in individuals with PTSD. We found a positive correlation between memory for scenes presented with auditory distractors and re-experiencing symptoms (memory intrusions and flashbacks). These results suggest that abnormal encoding of visual scenes at behaviorally irrelevant events might be associated with intrusive experiences by disrupting the flow of time.

  12. Falling out of time: enhanced memory for scenes presented at behaviorally irrelevant points in time in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD.

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    Einat Levy-Gigi

    Full Text Available Spontaneous encoding of the visual environment depends on the behavioral relevance of the task performed simultaneously. If participants identify target letters or auditory tones while viewing a series of briefly presented natural and urban scenes, they demonstrate effective scene recognition only when a target, but not a behaviorally irrelevant distractor, appears together with the scene. Here, we show that individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD, who witnessed the red sludge disaster in Hungary, show the opposite pattern of performance: enhanced recognition of scenes presented together with distractors and deficient recognition of scenes presented with targets. The recognition of trauma-related and neutral scenes was not different in individuals with PTSD. We found a positive correlation between memory for scenes presented with auditory distractors and re-experiencing symptoms (memory intrusions and flashbacks. These results suggest that abnormal encoding of visual scenes at behaviorally irrelevant events might be associated with intrusive experiences by disrupting the flow of time.

  13. Irrelevance Reasoning in Knowledge Based Systems

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    Levy, A. Y.

    1993-01-01

    This dissertation considers the problem of reasoning about irrelevance of knowledge in a principled and efficient manner. Specifically, it is concerned with two key problems: (1) developing algorithms for automatically deciding what parts of a knowledge base are irrelevant to a query and (2) the utility of relevance reasoning. The dissertation describes a novel tool, the query-tree, for reasoning about irrelevance. Based on the query-tree, we develop several algorithms for deciding what formulas are irrelevant to a query. Our general framework sheds new light on the problem of detecting independence of queries from updates. We present new results that significantly extend previous work in this area. The framework also provides a setting in which to investigate the connection between the notion of irrelevance and the creation of abstractions. We propose a new approach to research on reasoning with abstractions, in which we investigate the properties of an abstraction by considering the irrelevance claims on which it is based. We demonstrate the potential of the approach for the cases of abstraction of predicates and projection of predicate arguments. Finally, we describe an application of relevance reasoning to the domain of modeling physical devices.

  14. Neural correlate of filtering of irrelevant information from visual working memory.

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    Shahin Nasr

    Full Text Available In a dynamic environment stimulus task relevancy could be altered through time and it is not always possible to dissociate relevant and irrelevant objects from the very first moment they come to our sight. In such conditions, subjects need to retain maximum possible information in their WM until it is clear which items should be eliminated from WM to free attention and memory resources. Here, we examined the neural basis of irrelevant information filtering from WM by recording human ERP during a visual change detection task in which the stimulus irrelevancy was revealed in a later stage of the task forcing the subjects to keep all of the information in WM until test object set was presented. Assessing subjects' behaviour we found that subjects' RT was highly correlated with the number of irrelevant objects and not the relevant one, pointing to the notion that filtering, and not selection, process was used to handle the distracting effect of irrelevant objects. In addition we found that frontal N150 and parietal N200 peak latencies increased systematically as the amount of irrelevancy load increased. Interestingly, the peak latency of parietal N200, and not frontal N150, better correlated with subjects' RT. The difference between frontal N150 and parietal N200 peak latencies varied with the amount of irrelevancy load suggesting that functional connectivity between modules underlying fronto-parietal potentials vary concomitant with the irrelevancy load. These findings suggest the existence of two neural modules, responsible for irrelevant objects elimination, whose activity latency and functional connectivity depend on the number of irrelevant object.

  15. Extra dimensions in space and time

    CERN Document Server

    Bars, Itzhak

    2010-01-01

    Covers topics such as Einstein and the Fourth Dimension; Waves in a Fifth Dimension; and String Theory and Branes Experimental Tests of Extra Dimensions. This book offers a discussion on Two-Time Physics

  16. Coherence of the irrelevant-sound effect: individual profiles of short-term memory and susceptibility to task-irrelevant materials.

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    Elliott, Emily M; Cowan, Nelson

    2005-06-01

    We examined individual and developmental differences in the disruptive effects of irrelevant sounds on serial recall of printed lists. In Experiment 1, we examined adults (N = 205) receiving eight-item lists to be recalled. Although their susceptibility to disruption of recall by irrelevant sounds was only slightly related to memory span, regression analyses documented highly reliable individual differences in this susceptibility across speech and tone distractors, even with variance from span level removed. In Experiment 2, we examined adults (n = 64) and 8-year-old children (n = 63) receiving lists of a length equal to a predetermined span and one item shorter (span-1). We again found significant relationships between measures of span and susceptibility to irrelevant sounds, although in only two of the measures. We conclude that some of the cognitive processes helpful in performing a span task may not be beneficial in the presence of irrelevant sounds.

  17. Redundancy of einselected information in quantum Darwinism: The irrelevance of irrelevant environment bits

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    Zwolak, Michael; Zurek, Wojciech H.

    2017-03-01

    The objective, classical world emerges from the underlying quantum substrate via the proliferation of redundant copies of selected information into the environment, which acts as a communication channel, transmitting that information to observers. These copies are independently accessible, allowing many observers to reach consensus about the state of a quantum system via its imprints in the environment. Quantum Darwinism recognizes that the redundancy of information is thus central to the emergence of objective reality in the quantum world. However, in addition to the "quantum system of interest," there are many other systems "of no interest" in the Universe that can imprint information on the common environment. There is therefore a danger that the information of interest will be diluted with irrelevant bits, suppressing the redundancy responsible for objectivity. We show that mixing of the relevant (the "wheat") and irrelevant (the "chaff") bits of information makes little quantitative difference to the redundancy of the information of interest. Thus, we demonstrate that it does not matter whether one separates the wheat (relevant information) from the (irrelevant) chaff: The large redundancy of the relevant information survives dilution, providing evidence of the objective, effectively classical world.

  18. Vulnerability to the Irrelevant Sound Effect in Adult ADHD.

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    Pelletier, Marie-France; Hodgetts, Helen M; Lafleur, Martin F; Vincent, Annick; Tremblay, Sébastien

    2016-04-01

    An ecologically valid adaptation of the irrelevant sound effect paradigm was employed to examine the relative roles of short-term memory, selective attention, and sustained attention in ADHD. In all, 32 adults with ADHD and 32 control participants completed a serial recall task in silence or while ignoring irrelevant background sound. Serial recall performance in adults with ADHD was reduced relative to controls in both conditions. The degree of interference due to irrelevant sound was greater for adults with ADHD. Furthermore, a positive correlation was observed between task performance under conditions of irrelevant sound and the extent of attentional problems reported by patients on a clinical symptom scale. The results demonstrate that adults with ADHD exhibit impaired short-term memory and a low resistance to distraction; however, their capacity for sustained attention is preserved as the impact of irrelevant sound diminished over the course of the task. © The Author(s) 2013.

  19. Rational Choice and the Relevance of Irrelevant Alternatives

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Seidl, C.; Traub, S.

    1996-01-01

    This experimental study investigates the inuence of irrelevant or phantom al- ternatives on subjects' choices in sequential decision making. Using experimental data from 45 subjects, we found that irrelevant alternatives bear significant rele- vance for decision making. We observe that only 38% of

  20. Entirely irrelevant distractors can capture and captivate attention.

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    Forster, Sophie; Lavie, Nilli

    2011-12-01

    The question of whether a stimulus onset may capture attention when it is entirely irrelevant to the task and even in the absence of any attentional settings for abrupt onset or any dynamic changes has been highly controversial. In the present study, we designed a novel irrelevant capture task to address this question. Participants engaged in a continuous task making sequential forced choice (letter or digit) responses to each item in an alphanumeric matrix that remained on screen throughout many responses. This task therefore involved no attentional settings for onset or indeed any dynamic changes, yet the brief onset of an entirely irrelevant distractor (a cartoon picture) resulted in significant slowing of the two (Experiment 1) or three (Experiment 2) responses immediately following distractor appearance These findings provide a clear demonstration of attention being captured and captivated by a distractor that is entirely irrelevant to any attentional settings of the task.

  1. Removal of irrelevant information from working memory: sometimes fast, sometimes slow, and sometimes not at all.

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    Oberauer, Klaus

    2018-03-12

    To function properly, working memory must be rapidly updated. Updating requires the removal of information no longer relevant. I present six experiments designed to explore the boundary conditions and the time course of removal. A condition in which three out of six memory items can be removed was compared to two baseline conditions in which either three or six items were encoded and maintained in working memory. The time for removal was varied. In experiment 1, in the removal condition, a distinct subset of three words was cued to be irrelevant after encoding all six words. With longer removal time, response times in the removal condition approximated those in the set-size 3 baseline, but accuracies stayed at the set-size 6 level. In experiment 2, in which a random subset of three words was cued as irrelevant, there was no evidence for removal. Experiments 3 and 4 showed that when each item is cued as relevant or irrelevant after its encoding, irrelevant items can be removed rapidly and completely. Experiments 5 and 6 showed that complete removal was no longer possible when words had to be processed before being cued as irrelevant. The pattern of findings can be explained by distinguishing two forms of removal: deactivation removes working-memory contents from the set of competitors for retrieval; unbinding contents from their contexts removes them from working memory entirely, so that they also cease to compete for limited capacity. © 2018 New York Academy of Sciences.

  2. Similarities between the irrelevant sound effect and the suffix effect.

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    Hanley, J Richard; Bourgaize, Jake

    2018-03-29

    Although articulatory suppression abolishes the effect of irrelevant sound (ISE) on serial recall when sequences are presented visually, the effect persists with auditory presentation of list items. Two experiments were designed to test the claim that, when articulation is suppressed, the effect of irrelevant sound on the retention of auditory lists resembles a suffix effect. A suffix is a spoken word that immediately follows the final item in a list. Even though participants are told to ignore it, the suffix impairs serial recall of auditory lists. In Experiment 1, the irrelevant sound consisted of instrumental music. The music generated a significant ISE that was abolished by articulatory suppression. It therefore appears that, when articulation is suppressed, irrelevant sound must contain speech for it to have any effect on recall. This is consistent with what is known about the suffix effect. In Experiment 2, the effect of irrelevant sound under articulatory suppression was greater when the irrelevant sound was spoken by the same voice that presented the list items. This outcome is again consistent with the known characteristics of the suffix effect. It therefore appears that, when rehearsal is suppressed, irrelevant sound disrupts the acoustic-perceptual encoding of auditorily presented list items. There is no evidence that the persistence of the ISE under suppression is a result of interference to the representation of list items in a postcategorical phonological store.

  3. Maximum margin semi-supervised learning with irrelevant data.

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    Yang, Haiqin; Huang, Kaizhu; King, Irwin; Lyu, Michael R

    2015-10-01

    Semi-supervised learning (SSL) is a typical learning paradigms training a model from both labeled and unlabeled data. The traditional SSL models usually assume unlabeled data are relevant to the labeled data, i.e., following the same distributions of the targeted labeled data. In this paper, we address a different, yet formidable scenario in semi-supervised classification, where the unlabeled data may contain irrelevant data to the labeled data. To tackle this problem, we develop a maximum margin model, named tri-class support vector machine (3C-SVM), to utilize the available training data, while seeking a hyperplane for separating the targeted data well. Our 3C-SVM exhibits several characteristics and advantages. First, it does not need any prior knowledge and explicit assumption on the data relatedness. On the contrary, it can relieve the effect of irrelevant unlabeled data based on the logistic principle and maximum entropy principle. That is, 3C-SVM approaches an ideal classifier. This classifier relies heavily on labeled data and is confident on the relevant data lying far away from the decision hyperplane, while maximally ignoring the irrelevant data, which are hardly distinguished. Second, theoretical analysis is provided to prove that in what condition, the irrelevant data can help to seek the hyperplane. Third, 3C-SVM is a generalized model that unifies several popular maximum margin models, including standard SVMs, Semi-supervised SVMs (S(3)VMs), and SVMs learned from the universum (U-SVMs) as its special cases. More importantly, we deploy a concave-convex produce to solve the proposed 3C-SVM, transforming the original mixed integer programming, to a semi-definite programming relaxation, and finally to a sequence of quadratic programming subproblems, which yields the same worst case time complexity as that of S(3)VMs. Finally, we demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our proposed 3C-SVM through systematical experimental comparisons. Copyright

  4. Weight and see: Loading working memory improves incidental identification of irrelevant faces

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    David eCarmel

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Are task-irrelevant stimuli processed to a level enabling individual identification? This question is central both for perceptual processing models and for applied settings (e.g., eyewitness testimony. Lavie’s load theory proposes that working memory actively maintains attentional prioritization of relevant over irrelevant information. Loading working memory thus impairs attentional prioritization, leading to increased processing of task-irrelevant stimuli. Previous research has shown that increased working memory load leads to greater interference effects from response competing distractors. Here we test the novel prediction that increased processing of irrelevant stimuli under high working memory load should lead to a greater likelihood of incidental identification of entirely irrelevant stimuli. To test this, we asked participants to perform a word-categorization task while ignoring task-irrelevant images. The categorization task was performed during the retention interval of a working memory task with either low or high load (defined by memory set size. Following the final experimental trial, a surprise question assessed incidental identification of the irrelevant image. Loading working memory was found to improve identification of task-irrelevant faces, but not of building stimuli (shown in a separate experiment to be less distracting. These findings suggest that working memory plays a critical role in determining whether distracting stimuli will be subsequently identified.

  5. The necessity for a time local dimension in systems with time-varying attractors

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    Særmark, Knud H; Ashkenazy, Y; Levitan, J

    1997-01-01

    We show that a simple non-linear system for ordinary differential equations may possess a time-varying attractor dimension. This indicates that it is infeasible to characterize EEG and MEG time series with a single time global dimension. We suggest another measure for the description of non...

  6. Obligatory encoding of task-irrelevant features depletes working memory resources.

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    Marshall, Louise; Bays, Paul M

    2013-02-18

    Selective attention is often considered the "gateway" to visual working memory (VWM). However, the extent to which we can voluntarily control which of an object's features enter memory remains subject to debate. Recent research has converged on the concept of VWM as a limited commodity distributed between elements of a visual scene. Consequently, as memory load increases, the fidelity with which each visual feature is stored decreases. Here we used changes in recall precision to probe whether task-irrelevant features were encoded into VWM when individuals were asked to store specific feature dimensions. Recall precision for both color and orientation was significantly enhanced when task-irrelevant features were removed, but knowledge of which features would be probed provided no advantage over having to memorize both features of all items. Next, we assessed the effect an interpolated orientation-or color-matching task had on the resolution with which orientations in a memory array were stored. We found that the presence of orientation information in the second array disrupted memory of the first array. The cost to recall precision was identical whether the interfering features had to be remembered, attended to, or could be ignored. Therefore, it appears that storing, or merely attending to, one feature of an object is sufficient to promote automatic encoding of all its features, depleting VWM resources. However, the precision cost was abolished when the match task preceded the memory array. So, while encoding is automatic, maintenance is voluntary, allowing resources to be reallocated to store new visual information.

  7. Task-irrelevant auditory feedback facilitates motor performance in musicians

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    Virginia eConde

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available An efficient and fast auditory–motor network is a basic resource for trained musicians due to the importance of motor anticipation of sound production in musical performance. When playing an instrument, motor performance always goes along with the production of sounds and the integration between both modalities plays an essential role in the course of musical training. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of task-irrelevant auditory feedback during motor performance in musicians using a serial reaction time task (SRTT. Our hypothesis was that musicians, due to their extensive auditory–motor practice routine during musical training, have a superior performance and learning capabilities when receiving auditory feedback during SRTT relative to musicians performing the SRTT without any auditory feedback. Here we provide novel evidence that task-irrelevant auditory feedback is capable to reinforce SRTT performance but not learning, a finding that might provide further insight into auditory-motor integration in musicians on a behavioral level.

  8. Dimension reduction methods for microarray data: a review

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    Rabia Aziz

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Dimension reduction has become inevitable for pre-processing of high dimensional data. “Gene expression microarray data” is an instance of such high dimensional data. Gene expression microarray data displays the maximum number of genes (features simultaneously at a molecular level with a very small number of samples. The copious numbers of genes are usually provided to a learning algorithm for producing a complete characterization of the classification task. However, most of the times the majority of the genes are irrelevant or redundant to the learning task. It will deteriorate the learning accuracy and training speed as well as lead to the problem of overfitting. Thus, dimension reduction of microarray data is a crucial preprocessing step for prediction and classification of disease. Various feature selection and feature extraction techniques have been proposed in the literature to identify the genes, that have direct impact on the various machine learning algorithms for classification and eliminate the remaining ones. This paper describes the taxonomy of dimension reduction methods with their characteristics, evaluation criteria, advantages and disadvantages. It also presents a review of numerous dimension reduction approaches for microarray data, mainly those methods that have been proposed over the past few years.

  9. Positive and negative affect produce opposing task-irrelevant stimulus preexposure effects.

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    Lazar, Josef; Kaplan, Oren; Sternberg, Terri; Lubow, R E

    2012-06-01

    In three experiments, groups were exposed to either positive or negative affect video clips, after which they were presented with a series of task-irrelevant stimuli. In the subsequent test task, subjects were required to learn an association between the previously irrelevant stimulus and a consequence, and between a new stimulus and a consequence. Induced positive affect produced a latent inhibition effect (poorer evidence of learning with the previously irrelevant stimulus than with the novel stimulus). In opposition to this, induced negative affect resulted in better evidence of learning with a previously irrelevant stimulus than with a novel stimulus. In general, the opposing effects also were present in participants scoring high on self-report questionnaires of depression (Experiments 2 and 3). These unique findings were predicted and accounted for on the basis of two principles: (a) positive affect broadens the attentional field and negative affect contracts it; and (b) task-irrelevant stimuli are processed in two successive stages, the first encodes stimulus properties, and the second encodes stimulus relationships. The opposing influences of negative and positive mood on the processing of irrelevant stimuli have implications for the role of emotion in general theories of cognition, and possibly for resolving some of the inconsistent findings in research with schizophrenia patients.

  10. Time processing in dyscalculia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cappelletti, Marinella; Freeman, Elliot D; Butterworth, Brian L

    2011-01-01

    To test whether atypical number development may affect other types of quantity processing, we investigated temporal discrimination in adults with developmental dyscalculia (DD). This also allowed us to test whether number and time may be sub-served by a common quantity system or decision mechanisms: if they do, both should be impaired in dyscalculia, but if number and time are distinct they should dissociate. Participants judged which of two successively presented horizontal lines was longer in duration, the first line being preceded by either a small or a large number prime ("1" or "9") or by a neutral symbol ("#"), or in a third task participants decided which of two Arabic numbers (either "1," "5," "9") lasted longer. Results showed that (i) DD's temporal discriminability was normal as long as numbers were not part of the experimental design, even as task-irrelevant stimuli; however (ii) task-irrelevant numbers dramatically disrupted DD's temporal discriminability the more their salience increased, though the actual magnitude of the numbers had no effect; in contrast (iii) controls' time perception was robust to the presence of numbers but modulated by numerical quantity: therefore small number primes or numerical stimuli seemed to make durations appear shorter than veridical, but longer for larger numerical prime or numerical stimuli. This study is the first to show spared temporal discrimination - a dimension of continuous quantity - in a population with a congenital number impairment. Our data reinforce the idea of a partially shared quantity system across numerical and temporal dimensions, which supports both dissociations and interactions among dimensions; however, they suggest that impaired number in DD is unlikely to originate from systems initially dedicated to continuous quantity processing like time.

  11. Entirely irrelevant distractors can capture and captivate attention

    OpenAIRE

    Forster, Sophie; Lavie, Nilli

    2011-01-01

    The question of whether a stimulus onset may capture attention when it is entirely irrelevant to the task and even in the absence of any attentional settings for abrupt onset or any dynamic changes has been highly controversial. In the present study, we designed a novel irrelevant capture task to address this question. Participants engaged in a continuous task making sequential forced choice (letter or digit) responses to each item in an alphanumeric matrix that remained on screen throughout ...

  12. Effect of exposure time and image resolution on fractal dimension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    An, Byung Mo; Heo, Min Suk; Lee, Seung Pyo; Lee, Sam Sun; Choi, Soon Chul; Park, Tae Won; Kim, Jong Dae

    2002-01-01

    To evaluate the effect of exposure time and image resolution on fractal dimension calculations for determining the optimal range of these two variances. Thirty-one radiographs of the mandibular angle area of sixteen human dry mandibles were taken at different exposure times (0.01, 0.08, 0.16, 0.25, 0.40, 0.64, and 0.80 s). Each radiograph was digitized at 1200 dpi, 8 bit, 256 gray level using a film scanner. We selected an Region of Interest (ROI) that corresponded to the same region as in each radiograph, but the resolution of ROI was degraded to 1000, 800, 600, 500, 400, 300, 200, and 100 dpi. The fractal dimension was calculated by using the tile-counting method for each image, and the calculated values were then compared statistically. As the exposure time and the image resolution increased, the mean value of the fractal dimension decreased, except the case where exposure time was set at 0.01 seconds (alpha = 0.05). The exposure time and image resolution affected the fractal dimension by interaction (p<0.001). When the exposure time was set to either 0.64 seconds or 0.80 seconds, the resulting fractal dimensions were lower, irrespective of image resolution, than at shorter exposure times (alpha = 0.05). The optimal range for exposure time and resolution was determined to be 0.08-0.40 seconds and from 400-1000 dpi, respectively. Adequate exposure time and image resolution is essential for acquiring the fractal dimension using tile-counting method for evaluation of the mandible.

  13. Most probable dimension value and most flat interval methods for automatic estimation of dimension from time series

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Corana, A.; Bortolan, G.; Casaleggio, A.

    2004-01-01

    We present and compare two automatic methods for dimension estimation from time series. Both methods, based on conceptually different approaches, work on the derivative of the bi-logarithmic plot of the correlation integral versus the correlation length (log-log plot). The first method searches for the most probable dimension values (MPDV) and associates to each of them a possible scaling region. The second one searches for the most flat intervals (MFI) in the derivative of the log-log plot. The automatic procedures include the evaluation of the candidate scaling regions using two reliability indices. The data set used to test the methods consists of time series from known model attractors with and without the addition of noise, structured time series, and electrocardiographic signals from the MIT-BIH ECG database. Statistical analysis of results was carried out by means of paired t-test, and no statistically significant differences were found in the large majority of the trials. Consistent results are also obtained dealing with 'difficult' time series. In general for a more robust and reliable estimate, the use of both methods may represent a good solution when time series from complex systems are analyzed. Although we present results for the correlation dimension only, the procedures can also be used for the automatic estimation of generalized q-order dimensions and pointwise dimension. We think that the proposed methods, eliminating the need of operator intervention, allow a faster and more objective analysis, thus improving the usefulness of dimension analysis for the characterization of time series obtained from complex dynamical systems

  14. Preferential processing of task-irrelevant beloved-related information and task performance: Two event-related potential studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langeslag, Sandra J E; van Strien, Jan W

    2017-09-18

    People who are in love have better attention for beloved-related information, but report having trouble focusing on other tasks, such as (home)work. So, romantic love can both improve and hurt cognition. Emotional information is preferentially processed, which improves task performance when the information is task-relevant, but hurts task performance when it is task-irrelevant. Because beloved-related information is highly emotional, the effects of romantic love on cognition may resemble these effects of emotion on cognition. We examined whether beloved-related information is preferentially processed even when it is task-irrelevant and whether this hurts task performance. In two event-related potential studies, participants who had recently fallen in love performed a visuospatial short-term memory task. Task-irrelevant beloved, friend, and stranger faces were presented during maintenance (Study 1), or encoding (Study 2). The Early Posterior Negativity (EPN) reflecting early automatic attentional capturing and the Late Positive Potential (LPP) reflecting sustained motivated attention were largest for beloved pictures. Thus, beloved pictures are preferentially processed even when they are task-irrelevant. Task performance and reaction times did not differ between beloved, friend, and stranger conditions. Nevertheless, self-reported obsessive thinking about the beloved tended to correlate negatively with task performance, and positively with reaction times, across conditions. So, although task-irrelevant beloved-related information does not impact task performance, more obsessive thinking about the beloved might relate to poorer and slower overall task performance. More research is needed to clarify why people experience trouble focusing on beloved-unrelated tasks and how this negative effect of love on cognition could be reduced. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. From capture to inhibition: How does irrelevant information influence visual search? Evidence from a spatial cuing paradigm.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christine eMertes

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Even though information is spatially and temporally irrelevant, it can influence the processing of subsequent information. The present study used a spatial cuing paradigm to investigate the origins of this persisting influence by means of event-related potentials (ERPs of the EEG. An irrelevant color cue that was either contingent (color search or non-contingent (shape search on attentional sets was presented prior to a target array with different stimulus-onset asynchronies (SOA; 200, 400, 800 ms. Behavioral results indicated that color cues captured attention only when they shared target-defining properties. These same-location effects persisted over time but were pronounced when cue and target array were presented in close succession. N2pc showed that the color cue generally drew attention, but was strongest in the contingent condition. A subsequently emerging contralateral posterior positivity referred to the irrelevant cue (i.e. distractor positivity; Pd was unaffected by the attentional set and therefore interpreted as an inhibitory process required to enable a re-direction of the attentional focus. CDA was only observable in the contingent condition, indicating the transfer of spatial information into working memory and thus providing an explanation for the same-location effect for longer SOAs. Inhibition of this irrelevant information was reflected by a second contralateral positivity triggered through target presentation. The results suggest that distracting information is actively maintained when it resembles a sought-after object. However, two independent attentional processes are at work to compensate for attentional distraction: The timely inhibition of attentional capture and the active inhibition of mental representation of irrelevant information.

  16. From Capture to Inhibition: How does Irrelevant Information Influence Visual Search? Evidence from a Spatial Cuing Paradigm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mertes, Christine; Wascher, Edmund; Schneider, Daniel

    2016-01-01

    Even though information is spatially and temporally irrelevant, it can influence the processing of subsequent information. The present study used a spatial cuing paradigm to investigate the origins of this persisting influence by means of event-related potentials (ERPs) of the EEG. An irrelevant color cue that was either contingent (color search) or non-contingent (shape search) on attentional sets was presented prior to a target array with different stimulus-onset asynchronies (SOA; 200, 400, 800 ms). Behavioral results indicated that color cues captured attention only when they shared target-defining properties. These same-location effects persisted over time but were pronounced when cue and target array were presented in close succession. N2 posterior contralateral (N2pc) showed that the color cue generally drew attention, but was strongest in the contingent condition. A subsequently emerging contralateral posterior positivity referred to the irrelevant cue (i.e., distractor positivity, Pd) was unaffected by the attentional set and therefore interpreted as an inhibitory process required to enable a re-direction of the attentional focus. Contralateral delay activity (CDA) was only observable in the contingent condition, indicating the transfer of spatial information into working memory and thus providing an explanation for the same-location effect for longer SOAs. Inhibition of this irrelevant information was reflected by a second contralateral positivity triggered through target presentation. The results suggest that distracting information is actively maintained when it resembles a sought-after object. However, two independent attentional processes are at work to compensate for attentional distraction: the timely inhibition of attentional capture and the active inhibition of mental representation of irrelevant information.

  17. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depressed individuals improves suppression of irrelevant mental-sets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greenberg, Jonathan; Shapero, Benjamin G; Mischoulon, David; Lazar, Sara W

    2017-04-01

    An impaired ability to suppress currently irrelevant mental-sets is a key cognitive deficit in depression. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) was specifically designed to help depressed individuals avoid getting caught in such irrelevant mental-sets. In the current study, a group assigned to MBCT plus treatment-as-usual (n = 22) exhibited significantly lower depression scores and greater improvements in irrelevant mental-set suppression compared to a wait-list plus treatment-as-usual (n = 18) group. Improvements in mental-set-suppression were associated with improvements in depression scores. Results provide the first evidence that MBCT can improve suppression of irrelevant mental-sets and that such improvements are associated with depressive alleviation.

  18. Irrelevant Singletons in Pop-Out Search: Attentional Capture or Filtering Costs?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becker, Stefanie I.

    2007-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to investigate whether costs invoked by the presence of an irrelevant singleton distractor in a visual search task are due to attentional capture by the irrelevant singleton or spatially unrelated filtering costs. Measures of spatial effects were based on distance effects, compatibility effects, and differences…

  19. Time-varying and time-invariant dimensions of depression in children and adolescents: Implications for cross-informant agreement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cole, David A; Martin, Joan M; Jacquez, Farrah M; Tram, Jane M; Zelkowitz, Rachel; Nick, Elizabeth A; Rights, Jason D

    2017-07-01

    The longitudinal structure of depression in children and adolescents was examined by applying a Trait-State-Occasion structural equation model to 4 waves of self, teacher, peer, and parent reports in 2 age groups (9 to 13 and 13 to 16 years old). Analyses revealed that the depression latent variable consisted of 2 longitudinal factors: a time-invariant dimension that was completely stable over time and a time-varying dimension that was not perfectly stable over time. Different sources of information were differentially sensitive to these 2 dimensions. Among adolescents, self- and parent reports better reflected the time-invariant aspects. For children and adolescents, peer and teacher reports better reflected the time-varying aspects. Relatively high cross-informant agreement emerged for the time-invariant dimension in both children and adolescents. Cross-informant agreement for the time-varying dimension was high for adolescents but very low for children. Implications emerge for theoretical models of depression and for its measurement, especially when attempting to predict changes in depression in the context of longitudinal studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  20. Insensitivity of visual short-term memory to irrelevant visual information

    OpenAIRE

    Andrade, Jackie; Kemps, Eva; Werniers, Yves; May, Jon; Szmalec, Arnaud

    2002-01-01

    Several authors have hypothesised that visuo-spatial working memory is functionally analogous to verbal working memory. Irrelevant background speech impairs verbal short-term memory. We investigated whether irrelevant visual information has an analogous effect on visual short-term memory, using a dynamic visual noise (DVN) technique known to disrupt visual imagery (Quinn & McConnell, 1996a). Experiment 1 replicated the effect of DVN on pegword imagery. Experiments 2 and 3 showed no effect of ...

  1. Facilitation of responses by task-irrelevant complex deviant stimuli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schomaker, J; Meeter, M

    2014-05-01

    Novel stimuli reliably attract attention, suggesting that novelty may disrupt performance when it is task-irrelevant. However, under certain circumstances novel stimuli can also elicit a general alerting response having beneficial effects on performance. In a series of experiments we investigated whether different aspects of novelty--stimulus novelty, contextual novelty, surprise, deviance, and relative complexity--lead to distraction or facilitation. We used a version of the visual oddball paradigm in which participants responded to an occasional auditory target. Participants responded faster to this auditory target when it occurred during the presentation of novel visual stimuli than of standard stimuli, especially at SOAs of 0 and 200 ms (Experiment 1). Facilitation was absent for both infrequent simple deviants and frequent complex images (Experiment 2). However, repeated complex deviant images did facilitate responses to the auditory target at the 200 ms SOA (Experiment 3). These findings suggest that task-irrelevant deviant visual stimuli can facilitate responses to an unrelated auditory target in a short 0-200 millisecond time-window after presentation. This only occurs when the deviant stimuli are complex relative to standard stimuli. We link our findings to the novelty P3, which is generated under the same circumstances, and to the adaptive gain theory of the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system (Aston-Jones and Cohen, 2005), which may explain the timing of the effects. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Strings in arbitrary space-time dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fabbrichesi, M.E.; Leviant, V.M.

    1988-01-01

    A modified approach to the theory of a quantum string is proposed. A discussion of the gauge fixing of conformal symmetry by means of Kac-Moody algebrae is presented. Virasoro-like operators are introduced to cancel the conformal anomaly in any number of space-time dimensions. The possibility of massless states in the spectrum is pointed out. 18 refs

  3. Irrelevant speech does not interfere with serial recall in early blind listeners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kattner, Florian; Ellermeier, Wolfgang

    2014-01-01

    Phonological working memory is known be (a) inversely related to the duration of the items to be learned (word-length effect), and (b) impaired by the presence of irrelevant speech-like sounds (irrelevant-speech effect). As it is discussed controversially whether these memory disruptions are subject to attentional control, both effects were studied in sighted participants and in a sample of early blind individuals who are expected to be superior in selectively attending to auditory stimuli. Results show that, while performance depended on word length in both groups, irrelevant speech interfered with recall only in the sighted group, but not in blind participants. This suggests that blind listeners may be able to effectively prevent irrelevant sound from being encoded in the phonological store, presumably due to superior auditory processing. The occurrence of a word-length effect, however, implies that blind and sighted listeners are utilizing the same phonological rehearsal mechanism in order to maintain information in the phonological store.

  4. Effects of visual working memory on brain information processing of irrelevant auditory stimuli.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiagui Qu

    Full Text Available Selective attention has traditionally been viewed as a sensory processing modulator that promotes cognitive processing efficiency by favoring relevant stimuli while inhibiting irrelevant stimuli. However, the cross-modal processing of irrelevant information during working memory (WM has been rarely investigated. In this study, the modulation of irrelevant auditory information by the brain during a visual WM task was investigated. The N100 auditory evoked potential (N100-AEP following an auditory click was used to evaluate the selective attention to auditory stimulus during WM processing and at rest. N100-AEP amplitudes were found to be significantly affected in the left-prefrontal, mid-prefrontal, right-prefrontal, left-frontal, and mid-frontal regions while performing a high WM load task. In contrast, no significant differences were found between N100-AEP amplitudes in WM states and rest states under a low WM load task in all recorded brain regions. Furthermore, no differences were found between the time latencies of N100-AEP troughs in WM states and rest states while performing either the high or low WM load task. These findings suggested that the prefrontal cortex (PFC may integrate information from different sensory channels to protect perceptual integrity during cognitive processing.

  5. Effects of visual working memory on brain information processing of irrelevant auditory stimuli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qu, Jiagui; Rizak, Joshua D; Zhao, Lun; Li, Minghong; Ma, Yuanye

    2014-01-01

    Selective attention has traditionally been viewed as a sensory processing modulator that promotes cognitive processing efficiency by favoring relevant stimuli while inhibiting irrelevant stimuli. However, the cross-modal processing of irrelevant information during working memory (WM) has been rarely investigated. In this study, the modulation of irrelevant auditory information by the brain during a visual WM task was investigated. The N100 auditory evoked potential (N100-AEP) following an auditory click was used to evaluate the selective attention to auditory stimulus during WM processing and at rest. N100-AEP amplitudes were found to be significantly affected in the left-prefrontal, mid-prefrontal, right-prefrontal, left-frontal, and mid-frontal regions while performing a high WM load task. In contrast, no significant differences were found between N100-AEP amplitudes in WM states and rest states under a low WM load task in all recorded brain regions. Furthermore, no differences were found between the time latencies of N100-AEP troughs in WM states and rest states while performing either the high or low WM load task. These findings suggested that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) may integrate information from different sensory channels to protect perceptual integrity during cognitive processing.

  6. The irrelevant sound phenomenon revisited: what role for working memory capacity?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beaman, C Philip

    2004-09-01

    High-span individuals (as measured by the operation span [OSPAN] technique) are less likely than low-span individuals to notice their own names in an unattended auditory stream (A. R. A. Conway, N. Cowan, & M. F. Bunting, 2001). The possibility that OSPAN accounts for individual differences in auditory distraction on an immediate recall test was examined. There was no evidence that high-OSPAN participants were more resistant to the disruption caused by irrelevant speech in serial or in free recall. Low-OSPAN participants did, however, make more semantically related intrusion errors from the irrelevant sound stream in a free recall test (Experiment 4). Results suggest that OSPAN mediates semantic components of auditory distraction dissociable from other aspects of the irrelevant sound effect. ((c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved)

  7. Task-irrelevant novel sounds improve attentional performance in children with and without ADHD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jana eTegelbeckers

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Task-irrelevant salient stimuli involuntarily capture attention and can lead to distraction from an ongoing task, especially in children with ADHD. However, there has been tentative evidence that the presentation of novel sounds can have beneficial effects on cognitive performance. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the influence of novel sounds compared to no sound and a repeatedly presented standard sound on attentional performance in children and adolescents with and without ADHD. We therefore had 32 patients with ADHD and 32 typically developing children and adolescents (8 to 13 years executed a flanker task in which each trial was preceded either by a repeatedly presented standard sound (33%, an unrepeated novel sound (33% or no auditory stimulation (33%. Task-irrelevant novel sounds facilitated attentional performance similarly in children with and without ADHD, as indicated by reduced omission error rates, reaction times, and reaction time variability without compromising performance accuracy. By contrast, standard sounds, while also reducing omission error rates and reaction times, led to increased commission error rates. Therefore, the beneficial effect of novel sounds exceeds cueing of the target display by potentially increased alerting and/or enhanced behavioral control.

  8. Finite-Time Synchronization of Chaotic Systems with Different Dimension and Secure Communication

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shouquan Pang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Finite-time synchronization of chaotic systems with different dimension and secure communication is investigated. It is rigorously proven that global finite-time synchronization can be achieved between three-dimension Lorenz chaotic system and four-dimension Lorenz hyperchaotic system which have certain parameters or uncertain parameters. The electronic circuits of finite-time synchronization using Multisim 12 are designed to verify our conclusion. And the application to the secure communications is also analyzed and discussed.

  9. Assessment of disintegrant efficacy with fractal dimensions from real-time MRI.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quodbach, Julian; Moussavi, Amir; Tammer, Roland; Frahm, Jens; Kleinebudde, Peter

    2014-11-20

    An efficient disintegrant is capable of breaking up a tablet in the smallest possible particles in the shortest time. Until now, comparative data on the efficacy of different disintegrants is based on dissolution studies or the disintegration time. Extending these approaches, this study introduces a method, which defines the evolution of fractal dimensions of tablets as surrogate parameter for the available surface area. Fractal dimensions are a measure for the tortuosity of a line, in this case the upper surface of a disintegrating tablet. High-resolution real-time MRI was used to record videos of disintegrating tablets. The acquired video images were processed to depict the upper surface of the tablets and a box-counting algorithm was used to estimate the fractal dimensions. The influence of six different disintegrants, of different relative tablet density, and increasing disintegrant concentration was investigated to evaluate the performance of the novel method. Changing relative densities hardly affect the progression of fractal dimensions, whereas an increase in disintegrant concentration causes increasing fractal dimensions during disintegration, which are also reached quicker. Different disintegrants display only minor differences in the maximal fractal dimension, yet the kinetic in which the maximum is reached allows a differentiation and classification of disintegrants. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Serial recall of rhythms and verbal sequences: Impacts of concurrent tasks and irrelevant sound.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Debbora; Gathercole, Susan E

    2011-08-01

    Rhythmic grouping enhances verbal serial recall, yet very little is known about memory for rhythmic patterns. The aim of this study was to compare the cognitive processes supporting memory for rhythmic and verbal sequences using a range of concurrent tasks and irrelevant sounds. In Experiment 1, both concurrent articulation and paced finger tapping during presentation and during a retention interval impaired rhythm recall, while letter recall was only impaired by concurrent articulation. In Experiments 2 and 3, irrelevant sound consisted of irrelevant speech or tones, changing-state or steady-state sound, and syncopated or paced sound during presentation and during a retention interval. Irrelevant speech was more damaging to rhythm and letter recall than was irrelevant tone sound, but there was no effect of changing state on rhythm recall, while letter recall accuracy was disrupted by changing-state sound. Pacing of sound did not consistently affect either rhythm or letter recall. There are similarities in the way speech and rhythms are processed that appear to extend beyond reliance on temporal coding mechanisms involved in serial-order recall.

  11. Preserved suppression of salient irrelevant stimuli during visual search in Age-Associated Memory Impairment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura eLorenzo-López

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Previous studies have suggested that older adults with age-associated memory impairment (AAMI may show a significant decline in attentional resource capacity and inhibitory processes in addition to memory impairment. In the present paper, the potential attentional capture by task-irrelevant stimuli was examined in older adults with AAMI compared to healthy older adults using scalp-recorded event-related brain potentials (ERPs. ERPs were recorded during the execution of a visual search task, in which the participants had to detect the presence of a target stimulus that differed from distractors by orientation. To explore the automatic attentional capture phenomenon, an irrelevant distractor stimulus defined by a different feature (color was also presented without previous knowledge of the participants. A consistent N2pc, an electrophysiological indicator of attentional deployment, was present for target stimuli but not for task-irrelevant color stimuli, suggesting that these irrelevant distractors did not attract attention in AAMI older adults. Furthermore, the N2pc for targets was significantly delayed in AAMI patients compared to healthy older controls. Together, these findings suggest a specific impairment of the attentional selection process of relevant target stimuli in these individuals and indicate that the mechanism of top-down suppression of entirely task-irrelevant stimuli is preserved, at least when the target and the irrelevant stimuli are perceptually very different.

  12. Time processing in dyscalculia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    marinella eCappelletti

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available To test whether atypical number development may affect other types of quantity processing, we investigated temporal discrimination in adults with developmental dyscalculia (DD. This also allowed us to test whether (1 number and time may be sub-served by a common quantity system or decision mechanisms –in which case they may both be impaired, or (2 whether number and time are distinct –and therefore they may dissociate. Participants judged which of two successively presented horizontal lines was longer in duration, the first line being preceded by either a small or a large number prime (‘1’ or ‘9’ or by a neutral symbol (‘#’, or in third task decide which of two Arabic numbers (either ‘1’, ‘5’, ’9’ lasted longer. Results showed that (i DD’s temporal discriminability was normal as long as numbers were not part of the experimental design even as task-irrelevant stimuli; however (ii task-irrelevant numbers dramatically disrupted DD’s temporal discriminability, the more their salience increased, though the actual magnitude of the numbers had no effect; and in contrast (iii controls’ time perception was robust to the presence of numbers but modulated by numerical quantity such that small number primes or numerical stimuli made durations appear shorter than veridical and the opposite for larger numerical prime or numerical stimuli. This study is the first to investigate continuous quantity as time in a population with a congenital number impairment and to show that atypical development of numerical competence leaves continuous quantity processing spared. Our data support the idea of a partially shared quantity system across numerical and temporal dimensions, which allows dissociations and interactions among dimensions; furthermore, they suggest that impaired number in DD is unlikely to originate from systems initially dedicated to continuous quantity processing like time.

  13. Does high memory load kick task-irrelevant information out of visual working memory?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yin, Jun; Zhou, Jifan; Xu, Haokui; Liang, Junying; Gao, Zaifeng; Shen, Mowei

    2012-04-01

    The limited capacity of visual working memory (VWM) requires the existence of an efficient information selection mechanism. While it has been shown that under low VWM load, an irrelevant simple feature can be processed, its fate under high load (e.g., six objects) remains unclear. We explored this issue by probing the "irrelevant-change distracting effect," in which the change of a stored irrelevant feature affects performance. Simple colored shapes were used as stimuli, with color as the target. Using a whole-probe method (presenting six objects in both the memory and test arrays), in Experiment 1 we found that a change to one of the six shapes led to a significant distracting effect. Using a partial-probe method (presenting the probe either at the screen center or at a location selected from the memory array), in Experiment 2 we showed the distracting effect again. These results suggest that irrelevant simple features can be stored into VWM, regardless of memory load.

  14. Emotional prosody of task-irrelevant speech interferes with the retention of serial order.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kattner, Florian; Ellermeier, Wolfgang

    2018-04-09

    Task-irrelevant speech and other temporally changing sounds are known to interfere with the short-term memorization of ordered verbal materials, as compared to silence or stationary sounds. It has been argued that this disruption of short-term memory (STM) may be due to (a) interference of automatically encoded acoustical fluctuations with the process of serial rehearsal or (b) attentional capture by salient task-irrelevant information. To disentangle the contributions of these 2 processes, the authors investigated whether the disruption of serial recall is due to the semantic or acoustical properties of task-irrelevant speech (Experiment 1). They found that performance was affected by the prosody (emotional intonation), but not by the semantics (word meaning), of irrelevant speech, suggesting that the disruption of serial recall is due to interference of precategorically encoded changing-state sound (with higher fluctuation strength of emotionally intonated speech). The authors further demonstrated a functional distinction between this form of distraction and attentional capture by contrasting the effect of (a) speech prosody and (b) sudden prosody deviations on both serial and nonserial STM tasks (Experiment 2). Although serial recall was again sensitive to the emotional prosody of irrelevant speech, performance on a nonserial missing-item task was unaffected by the presence of neutral or emotionally intonated speech sounds. In contrast, sudden prosody changes tended to impair performance on both tasks, suggesting an independent effect of attentional capture. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  15. Observation of classroom social communication: do children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders spend their time differently than their typically developing peers?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olswang, Lesley B; Svensson, Liselotte; Astley, Susan

    2010-12-01

    In this research, the authors examined how social communication profiles during classroom activities differed between children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and typically developing pair-matched peers. Twelve pairs of children were observed in their classrooms 20 min a day for 4 days across 2 weeks. Coders documented classroom social communication by recording performance on handheld computers using the Social Communication Coding System (L. B. Olswang, L. Svensson, T. E. Coggins, J. Beilinson, & A. L. Donaldson, 2006). The Social Communication Coding System consists of 6 behavioral dimensions (prosocial/engaged, passive/disengaged, irrelevant, hostile/coercive, assertive, and adult seeking) that account for all verbal and nonverbal productions during a specified timeframe. The frequency of occurrence and duration of each dimension (as measured by proportion of time and average length of time spent performing each dimension) were recorded. Children with FASD had significantly more occurrences of passive/disengaged and irrelevant behavior, and the proportion and average length of time in these behaviors were larger and longer than those of their peers. Further, children with FASD had significantly more occurrences of prosocial/engaged behavior; however, the proportion and average length of time that they spent being prosocial were smaller and shorter than those of their peers. Implications Results suggest children with mild FASD performed differently than their peers in regard to classroom social communication, which was consistent with parent and teacher behavioral reports.

  16. Independence of irrelevant alternatives and revealed group preferences

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wakker, P.P.; Peters, H.J.M.; Ichiishi, A.N.; Neyman, A.; Tauman, Y.

    1990-01-01

    It is shown that a Pareto optimal and continuous single-valued choice function defined on the compact convex subsets of the positive orthant of the plane maximizes a real-valued function if and only if it satisfies the independence of irrelevant alternatives condition. Further, this real-valued

  17. The fate of task-irrelevant visual motion: perceptual load versus feature-based attention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taya, Shuichiro; Adams, Wendy J; Graf, Erich W; Lavie, Nilli

    2009-11-18

    We tested contrasting predictions derived from perceptual load theory and from recent feature-based selection accounts. Observers viewed moving, colored stimuli and performed low or high load tasks associated with one stimulus feature, either color or motion. The resultant motion aftereffect (MAE) was used to evaluate attentional allocation. We found that task-irrelevant visual features received less attention than co-localized task-relevant features of the same objects. Moreover, when color and motion features were co-localized yet perceived to belong to two distinct surfaces, feature-based selection was further increased at the expense of object-based co-selection. Load theory predicts that the MAE for task-irrelevant motion would be reduced with a higher load color task. However, this was not seen for co-localized features; perceptual load only modulated the MAE for task-irrelevant motion when this was spatially separated from the attended color location. Our results suggest that perceptual load effects are mediated by spatial selection and do not generalize to the feature domain. Feature-based selection operates to suppress processing of task-irrelevant, co-localized features, irrespective of perceptual load.

  18. Neural processes underlying the"same"-"different" judgment of two simultaneously presented objects--an EEG study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ruiling Zhang

    Full Text Available The present study investigated the neural processes underlying "same" and -"different" judgments for two simultaneously presented objects, that varied on one or both, of two dimensions: color and shape. Participants judged whether or not the two objects were "same" or "different" on either the color dimension (color task or the shape dimension (shape task. The unattended irrelevant dimension of the objects was either congruent (same-same; different-different or incongruent (same-different. ERP data showed a main effect of color congruency in the time window 190-260 ms post-stimulus presentation and a main effect of shape congruency in the time window 220-280 ms post-stimulus presentation in both color and shape tasks. The interaction between color and shape congruency in the ERP data occurred in a later time window than the two main effects, indicating that mismatches in task-relevant and task-irrelevant dimensions were processed automatically and independently before a response was selected. The fact that the interference of the task-irrelevant dimension occurred after mismatch detection, supports a confluence model of processing.

  19. Relevance of the Irrelevant : Using Task-Irrelevant Emotional Stimuli to Test the Load-Hypothesis through ERP’s

    OpenAIRE

    Andersson, Per

    2010-01-01

    The role of attention and perceptual resources were studied in a one-back task and a letter-search task, both using the same stimuli. In the letter task, pictures were used as task-irrelevant and distracting emotional stimuli. The emotional processing of the pictures was measured through the Late Positive Potential (LPP), an event-related potential (ERP) recorded with EEG. LPP activity was significantly greater to emotional than neutral stimuli during the one-back task; this shows that emotio...

  20. Assessment of disintegrant efficacy with fractal dimensions from real-time MRI.

    OpenAIRE

    Quodbach, J.; Moussavi, A.; Tammer, R.; Frahm, J.; Kleinebudde, P.

    2014-01-01

    An efficient disintegrant is capable of breaking up a tablet in the smallest possible particles in the shortest time. Until now, comparative data on the efficacy of different disintegrants is based on dissolution studies or the disintegration time. Extending these approaches, this study introduces a method, which defines the evolution of fractal dimensions of tablets as surrogate parameter for the available surface area. Fractal dimensions are a measure for the tortuosity of a line, in this c...

  1. Insensitivity of visual short-term memory to irrelevant visual information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrade, Jackie; Kemps, Eva; Werniers, Yves; May, Jon; Szmalec, Arnaud

    2002-07-01

    Several authors have hypothesized that visuo-spatial working memory is functionally analogous to verbal working memory. Irrelevant background speech impairs verbal short-term memory. We investigated whether irrelevant visual information has an analogous effect on visual short-term memory, using a dynamic visual noise (DVN) technique known to disrupt visual imagery (Quinn & McConnell, 1996b). Experiment I replicated the effect of DVN on pegword imagery. Experiments 2 and 3 showed no effect of DVN on recall of static matrix patterns, despite a significant effect of a concurrent spatial tapping task. Experiment 4 showed no effect of DVN on encoding or maintenance of arrays of matrix patterns, despite testing memory by a recognition procedure to encourage visual rather than spatial processing. Serial position curves showed a one-item recency effect typical of visual short-term memory. Experiment 5 showed no effect of DVN on short-term recognition of Chinese characters, despite effects of visual similarity and a concurrent colour memory task that confirmed visual processing of the characters. We conclude that irrelevant visual noise does not impair visual short-term memory. Visual working memory may not be functionally analogous to verbal working memory, and different cognitive processes may underlie visual short-term memory and visual imagery.

  2. Fermions in odd space-time dimensions: back to basics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anguiano Jesus de, Ma.; Bashir, A.

    2005-01-01

    It is a well-known feature of odd space-time dimensions d that there exist two inequivalent fundamental representations A and B of the Dirac gamma matrices. Moreover, the parity transformation swaps the fermion fields living in A and B. As a consequence, a parity-invariant Lagrangian can only be constructed by incorporating both the representation. Based upon these ideas and contrary to long-held belief, we show that in addition to a discrete exchange symmetry for the massless case, we can also define chiral symmetry provided the Lagrangian contains fields corresponding to both the inequivalent representations. We also study the transformation properties of the corresponding chiral currents under parity and charge-conjugation operations. We work explicitly in 2 + 1 dimensions and later show how some of these ideas generalize to an arbitrary number of odd dimensions. (author)

  3. Attentional capture by irrelevant transients leads to perceptual errors in a competitive change detection task

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel eSchneider

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Theories on visual change detection imply that attention is a necessary but not sufficient prerequisite for aware perception. Misguidance of attention due to salient irrelevant distractors can therefore lead to severe deficits in change detection. The present study investigates the mechanisms behind such perceptual errors and their relation to error processing on higher cognitive levels. Participants had to detect a luminance change that occasionally occurred simultaneously with an irrelevant orientation change in the opposite hemi-field (conflict condition. By analyzing event-related potentials in the EEG separately in those error prone conflict trials for correct and erroneous change detection, we demonstrate that only correct change detection was associated with the allocation of attention to the relevant luminance change. Erroneous change detection was associated with an initial capture of attention towards the irrelevant orientation change in the N1 time window and a lack of subsequent target selection processes (N2pc. Errors were additionally accompanied by an increase of the fronto-central N2 and a kind of error negativity (Ne or ERN, which, however, peaked prior to the response. These results suggest that a strong perceptual conflict by salient distractors can disrupt the further processing of relevant information and thus affect its aware perception. Yet, it does not impair higher cognitive processes for conflict and error detection, indicating that these processes are independent from awareness.

  4. Distinct Temporal Processing of Task-Irrelevant Emotional Facial Expressions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Jong, Peter J.; Koster, Ernst H. W.; Wessel, Ineke; Martens, Sander

    There is an ongoing debate concerning the extent to which emotional faces automatically attract attention. Using a single-target Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) methodology, it has been found that presentation of task-irrelevant positive or negative emotionally salient stimuli (e. g.,

  5. Fractal dimension algorithms and their application to time series associated with natural phenomena

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    La Torre, F Cervantes-De; González-Trejo, J I; Real-Ramírez, C A; Hoyos-Reyes, L F

    2013-01-01

    Chaotic invariants like the fractal dimensions are used to characterize non-linear time series. The fractal dimension is an important characteristic of systems, because it contains information about their geometrical structure at multiple scales. In this work, three algorithms are applied to non-linear time series: spectral analysis, rescaled range analysis and Higuchi's algorithm. The analyzed time series are associated with natural phenomena. The disturbance storm time (Dst) is a global indicator of the state of the Earth's geomagnetic activity. The time series used in this work show a self-similar behavior, which depends on the time scale of measurements. It is also observed that fractal dimensions, D, calculated with Higuchi's method may not be constant over-all time scales. This work shows that during 2001, D reaches its lowest values in March and November. The possibility that D recovers a change pattern arising from self-organized critical phenomena is also discussed

  6. Increased Early Processing of Task-Irrelevant Auditory Stimuli in Older Adults.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erich S Tusch

    Full Text Available The inhibitory deficit hypothesis of cognitive aging posits that older adults' inability to adequately suppress processing of irrelevant information is a major source of cognitive decline. Prior research has demonstrated that in response to task-irrelevant auditory stimuli there is an age-associated increase in the amplitude of the N1 wave, an ERP marker of early perceptual processing. Here, we tested predictions derived from the inhibitory deficit hypothesis that the age-related increase in N1 would be 1 observed under an auditory-ignore, but not auditory-attend condition, 2 attenuated in individuals with high executive capacity (EC, and 3 augmented by increasing cognitive load of the primary visual task. ERPs were measured in 114 well-matched young, middle-aged, young-old, and old-old adults, designated as having high or average EC based on neuropsychological testing. Under the auditory-ignore (visual-attend task, participants ignored auditory stimuli and responded to rare target letters under low and high load. Under the auditory-attend task, participants ignored visual stimuli and responded to rare target tones. Results confirmed an age-associated increase in N1 amplitude to auditory stimuli under the auditory-ignore but not auditory-attend task. Contrary to predictions, EC did not modulate the N1 response. The load effect was the opposite of expectation: the N1 to task-irrelevant auditory events was smaller under high load. Finally, older adults did not simply fail to suppress the N1 to auditory stimuli in the task-irrelevant modality; they generated a larger response than to identical stimuli in the task-relevant modality. In summary, several of the study's findings do not fit the inhibitory-deficit hypothesis of cognitive aging, which may need to be refined or supplemented by alternative accounts.

  7. Brain processing of task-relevant and task-irrelevant emotional words: an ERP study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    González-Villar, Alberto J; Triñanes, Yolanda; Zurrón, Montserrat; Carrillo-de-la-Peña, María T

    2014-09-01

    Although there is evidence for preferential perceptual processing of written emotional information, the effects of attentional manipulations and the time course of affective processing require further clarification. In this study, we attempted to investigate how the emotional content of words modulates cerebral functioning (event-related potentials, ERPs) and behavior (reaction times, RTs) when the content is task-irrelevant (emotional Stroop Task, EST) or task-relevant (emotional categorization task, ECT), in a sample of healthy middle-aged women. In the EST, the RTs were longer for emotional words than for neutral words, and in the ECT, they were longer for neutral and negative words than for positive words. A principal components analysis of the ERPs identified various temporospatial factors that were differentially modified by emotional content. P2 was the first emotion-sensitive component, with enhanced factor scores for negative nouns across tasks. The N2 and late positive complex had enhanced factor scores for emotional relative to neutral information only in the ECT. The results reinforce the idea that written emotional information has a preferential processing route, both when it is task-irrelevant (producing behavioral interference) and when it is task-relevant (facilitating the categorization). After early automatic processing of the emotional content, late ERPs become more emotionally modulated as the level of attention to the valence increases.

  8. Not all choices are created equal: Task-relevant choices enhance motor learning compared to task-irrelevant choices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carter, Michael J; Ste-Marie, Diane M

    2017-12-01

    Lewthwaite et al. (2015) reported that the learning benefits of exercising choice (i.e., their self-controlled condition) are not restricted to task-relevant features (e.g., feedback). They found that choosing one's golf ball color (Exp. 1) or choosing which of two tasks to perform at a later time plus which of two artworks to hang (Exp. 2) resulted in better retention than did being denied these same choices (i.e., yoked condition). The researchers concluded that the learning benefits derived from choice, whether irrelevant or relevant to the to-be-learned task, are predominantly motivational because choice is intrinsically rewarding and satisfies basic psychological needs. However, the absence of a group that made task-relevant choices and the lack of psychological measures significantly weakened their conclusions. Here, we investigated how task-relevant and task-irrelevant choices affect motor-skill learning. Participants practiced a spatiotemporal motor task in either a task-relevant group (choice over feedback schedule), a task-irrelevant group (choice over the color of an arm-wrap plus game selection), or a no-choice group. The results showed significantly greater learning in the task-relevant group than in both the task-irrelevant and no-choice groups, who did not differ significantly. Critically, these learning differences were not attributed to differences in perceptions of competence or autonomy, but instead to superior error-estimation abilities. These results challenge the perspective that motivational influences are the root cause of self-controlled learning advantages. Instead, the findings add to the growing evidence highlighting that the informational value gained from task-relevant choices makes a greater relative contribution to these advantages than motivational influences do.

  9. Cognitive conflict increases processing of negative, task-irrelevant stimuli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ligeza, Tomasz S; Wyczesany, Miroslaw

    2017-10-01

    The detection of cognitive conflict is thought to trigger adjustments in executive control. It has been recently shown that cognitive conflict increases processing of stimuli that are relevant to the ongoing task and that these modulations are exerted by the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). However, it is still unclear whether such control influences are unspecific and might also affect the processing of task-irrelevant stimuli. The aim of the study was to examine if cognitive conflict affects processing of neutral and negative, task-irrelevant pictures. Participants responded to congruent (non-conflict) or to incongruent (conflict-eliciting) trials of a modified flanker task. Each response was followed by a presentation of a neutral or negative picture. The late positive potential (LPP) in response to picture presentation was used to assess the level of picture processing after conflict vs non-conflict trials. Connectivity between the DLPFC and attentional and perceptual areas during picture presentation was analysed to check if the DLPFC might be a source of these modulations. ERP results showed an effect of cognitive conflict only on processing of negative pictures: LPP in response to negative pictures was increased after conflict trials, whereas LPP in response to neutral pictures remained unchanged. Cortical connectivity analysis showed that conflict trials intensified information flow from the DLPFC towards attentional and perceptual regions. Results suggest that cognitive conflict increases processing of task-irrelevant stimuli; however, they must display high biological salience. Increase in cognitive control exerted by the DLPFC over attentional and perceptual regions is a probable mechanism of the effect. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Form-preserving Transformations for the Time-dependent Schroedinger Equation in (n + 1) Dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schulze-Halberg, Axel

    2006-01-01

    We define a form-preserving transformation (also called point canonical transformation) for the time-dependent Schroedinger equation (TDSE) in (n+1) dimensions. The form-preserving transformation is shown to be invertible and to preserve L 2 -normalizability. We give a class of time-dependent TDSEs that can be mapped onto stationary Schroedinger equations by our form-preserving transformation. As an example, we generate a solvable, time-dependent potential of Coulombic ring-shaped type together with the corresponding exact solution of the TDSE in (3+1) dimensions. We further consider TDSEs with position-dependent (effective) masses and show that there is no form-preserving transformation between them and the conventional TDSEs, if the spatial dimension of the system is higher than one

  11. Synchronized brain activity during rehearsal and short-term memory disruption by irrelevant speech is affected by recall mode.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kopp, Franziska; Schröger, Erich; Lipka, Sigrid

    2006-08-01

    EEG coherence as a measure of synchronization of brain activity was used to investigate effects of irrelevant speech. In a delayed serial recall paradigm 21 healthy participants retained verbal items over a 10-s delay with and without interfering irrelevant speech. Recall after the delay was varied in two modes (spoken vs. written). Behavioral data showed the classic irrelevant speech effect and a superiority of written over spoken recall mode. Coherence, however, was more sensitive to processing characteristics and showed interactions between the irrelevant speech effect and recall mode during the rehearsal delay in theta (4-7.5 Hz), alpha (8-12 Hz), beta (13-20 Hz), and gamma (35-47 Hz) frequency bands. For gamma, a rehearsal-related decrease of the duration of high coherence due to presentation of irrelevant speech was found in a left-lateralized fronto-central and centro-temporal network only in spoken but not in written recall. In theta, coherence at predominantly fronto-parietal electrode combinations was indicative for memory demands and varied with individual working memory capacity assessed by digit span. Alpha coherence revealed similar results and patterns as theta coherence. In beta, a left-hemispheric network showed longer high synchronizations due to irrelevant speech only in written recall mode. EEG results suggest that mode of recall is critical for processing already during the retention period of a delayed serial recall task. Moreover, the finding that different networks are engaged with different recall modes shows that the disrupting effect of irrelevant speech is not a unitary mechanism.

  12. On the irrelevance of the leverage effect

    OpenAIRE

    Nippel, Peter

    2001-01-01

    Financial leverage increases the expected return on equity. We show that this leverage effect is not only irrelevant for shareholders' present wealth but also for the return on their investments. This result is straightforward if we do not only look at the return on equity but at the return on shareholders' total wealth. Any relevance leverage may have is definitely due to market imperfections. These may simply cause differences in market access for firms and individuals or lead to agency pro...

  13. Simulation of time-dependent Heisenberg models in one dimension

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Volosniev, A. G.; Hammer, H. -W.; Zinner, N. T.

    2016-01-01

    In this Letter, we provide a theoretical analysis of strongly interacting quantum systems confined by a time-dependent external potential in one spatial dimension. We show that such systems can be used to simulate spin chains described by Heisenberg Hamiltonians in which the exchange coupling...... constants can be manipulated by time-dependent driving of the shape of the external confinement. As illustrative examples, we consider a harmonic trapping potential with a variable frequency and an infinite square well potential with a time-dependent barrier in the middle....

  14. Attentional control during visual search: The effect of irrelevant singletons

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Theeuwes, J.; Burger, R.

    1998-01-01

    Four experiments investigated whether a highly salient color singleton can be ignored during serial search. Observers searched for a target letter among nontarget letters and were instructed to ignore an irrelevant, highly salient color singleton that was either compatible or incompatible with the

  15. Attention to irrelevant cues is related to positive symptoms in schizophrenia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morris, Richard; Griffiths, Oren; Le Pelley, Michael E; Weickert, Thomas W

    2013-05-01

    Many modern learning theories assume that the amount of attention to a cue depends on how well that cue predicted important events in the past. Schizophrenia is associated with deficits in attention and recent theories of psychosis have argued that positive symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations are related to a failure of selective attention. However, evidence demonstrating that attention to irrelevant cues is related to positive symptoms in schizophrenia is lacking. We used a novel method of measuring attention to nonpredictive (and thus irrelevant) cues in a causal learning test (Le Pelley ME, McLaren IP. Learned associability and associative change in human causal learning. Q J Exp Psychol B. 2003;56:68-79) to assess whether healthy adults and people with schizophrenia discriminate previously predictive and nonpredictive cues. In a series of experiments with independent samples, we demonstrated: (1) when people with schizophrenia who had severe positive symptoms successfully distinguished between predictive and nonpredictive cues during training, they failed to discriminate between predictive and nonpredictive cues relative to healthy adults during subsequent testing and (2) learning about nonpredictive cues was correlated with more severe positive symptoms scores in schizophrenia. These results suggest that positive symptoms of schizophrenia are related to increased attention to nonpredictive cues during causal learning. This deficit in selective attention results in learning irrelevant causal associations and may be the basis of positive symptoms in schizophrenia.

  16. Task-irrelevant memory load induces inattentional blindness without temporo-parietal suppression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsuyoshi, Daisuke; Ikeda, Takashi; Sawamoto, Nobukatsu; Kakigi, Ryusuke; Fukuyama, Hidenao; Osaka, Naoyuki

    2010-08-01

    We often fail to consciously detect an unexpected object when we are engaged in an attention-demanding task (inattentional blindness). The inattentional blindness which is induced by visual short-term memory (VSTM) load has been proposed to result from a suppression of temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) activity that involves stimulus-driven attention. However, the fact that, inversely proportional to TPJ activity, intraparietal sulcus (IPS) activity correlates with VSTM load renders questionable the account of inattentional blindness based only on TPJ activity. Here, we investigated whether the TPJ is solely responsible for inattentional blindness by decoupling IPS and TPJ responses to VSTM load and then using the same manipulation to test the behavioral inattentional blindness performance. Experiment 1 showed that TPJ activity was not suppressed by task-irrelevant load while the IPS responded to both task-relevant and task-irrelevant load. Although the TPJ account of inattentional blindness predicts that the degree of inattentional blindness should track TPJ activity, we found in Experiment 2 that inattentional blindness was induced not only by task-relevant load but also by task-irrelevant load, showing inconsistency between the extent of inattentional blindness and TPJ response. These findings suggest that inattentional blindness can be induced without suppression of TPJ activity and seem to offer the possibility that the IPS contributes to conscious perception. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Finite-time Lyapunov dimension and hidden attractor of the Rabinovich system

    OpenAIRE

    Kuznetsov, N. V.; Leonov, G. A.; Mokaev, T. N.; Prasad, A.; Shrimali, M. D.

    2015-01-01

    The Rabinovich system, describing the process of interaction between waves in plasma, is considered. It is shown that the Rabinovich system can exhibit a hidden attractor in the case of multistability as well as a classical self-excited attractor. The hidden attractor in this system can be localized by analytical/numerical methods based on the continuation and perpetual points. The concept of finite-time Lyapunov dimension is developed for numerical study of the dimension of attractors. A con...

  18. Arbitrary Dimension Convection-Diffusion Schemes for Space-Time Discretizations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bank, Randolph E. [Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States); Vassilevski, Panayot S. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Zikatanov, Ludmil T. [Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia (Bulgaria)

    2016-01-20

    This note proposes embedding a time dependent PDE into a convection-diffusion type PDE (in one space dimension higher) with singularity, for which two discretization schemes, the classical streamline-diffusion and the EAFE (edge average finite element) one, are investigated in terms of stability and error analysis. The EAFE scheme, in particular, is extended to be arbitrary order which is of interest on its own. Numerical results, in combined space-time domain demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach.

  19. Four fermion interaction near four dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zinn-Justin, J.

    1991-01-01

    It is known that field theories with attractive four-point fermion interactions can produce scalar bound states: Fermion mass generation by spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking associated with such fermion bound states provides an attractive mechanism for building models of composite Higgs bosons. The ratio of fermion and boson masses can then be predicted while it seems to be a free parameter in similar models where a boson field explicitly appears in the action. The main problem is that the corresponding models are renormalizable only in two dimensions, in contrast with models with explicit bosons. Many fermion models with four-point interaction are asymptotically free in two dimensions and then behave also like renormalizable models in higher dimensions, at least within the framework of some 1/N expansion. On the other hand mass ratio predictions also follow in the models with explicit bosons, when they have an IR fixed point, from the additional natural assumption that coupling constants have generic values at the cut-off scale. To the model with a four fermion interaction one can associate an effective model containing an additional scalar field, renormalizable in four dimensions, which has the same large distance, small momentum physics, at least to all orders in some 1/N expansion. Even the leading corrections corresponding to irrelevant or marginal operators are identical. This property is important in four dimensions where the IR fixed point coupling constants vanish: The correction amplitudes can be varied by changing the coupling constants in the renormalizable model and the cut-off function in the perturbatively non-renormalizable model. We shall consider here for definiteness only the Gross-Neveu model but it will be clear that the arguments are more general

  20. Processing irrelevant location information: practice and transfer effects in a Simon task.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dan B Welch

    Full Text Available How humans produce cognitively driven fine motor movements is a question of fundamental importance in how we interact with the world around us. For example, we are exposed to a constant stream of information and we must select the information that is most relevant by which to guide our actions. In the present study, we employed a well-known behavioral assay called the Simon task to better understand how humans are able to learn to filter out irrelevant information. We trained subjects for four days with a visual stimulus presented, alternately, in central and lateral locations. Subjects responded with one hand moving a joystick in either the left or right direction. They were instructed to ignore the irrelevant location information and respond based on color (e.g. red to the right and green to the left. On the fifth day, an additional testing session was conducted where the task changed and the subjects had to respond by shape (e.g. triangle to the right and rectangle to the left. They were instructed to ignore the color and location, and respond based solely on the task relevant shape. We found that the magnitude of the Simon effect decreases with training, however it returns in the first few trials after a break. Furthermore, task-defined associations between response direction and color did not significantly affect the Simon effect based on shape, and no significant associative learning from the specific stimulus-response features was found for the centrally located stimuli. We discuss how these results are consistent with a model involving route suppression/gating of the irrelevant location information. Much of the learning seems to be driven by subjects learning to suppress irrelevant location information, however, this seems to be an active inhibition process that requires a few trials of experience to engage.

  1. Are There Ways out of the Self-inflicted Irrelevance of the Qualitative Off-stream?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Norbert Groeben

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available The qualitative paradigm is relatively irrelevant in psychological research and teaching, which is not only due to the hegemony of the quantitative paradigm. This irrelevance also arises from the fragmentation within the qualitative research paradigm, which is a result of the principle of a close interdependence of research object and method; this fragmentation is evident in the lack of a systematic approach to the concept of method. The conviction to conduct a superior psychological approach leads to destructive competition both within the qualitative paradigm and in relation to the quantitative paradigm. Instead, I recommend the pursuit of approaches that attempt to integrate qualitative and quantitative research methods on the basis of the idea of ontological layers, clearly distinct from esoteric approaches. Above all, the development of sophisticated and complex methods of statistical analysis appears a promising way to overcome the self-inflicted irrelevance of the qualitative research paradigm. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0604347

  2. Irrelevant Auditory and Visual Events Induce a Visual Attentional Blink

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van der Burg, Erik; Nieuwenstein, Mark R.; Theeuwes, Jan; Olivers, Christian N. L.

    2013-01-01

    In the present study we investigated whether a task-irrelevant distractor can induce a visual attentional blink pattern. Participants were asked to detect only a visual target letter (A, B, or C) and to ignore the preceding auditory, visual, or audiovisual distractor. An attentional blink was

  3. A Proof-Irrelevant Model of Martin-Löf's Logical Framework

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fridlender, Daniel

    2003-01-01

    objects with different degree of relevance: those that denote proofs are irrelevant whereas those that denote types are not. In fact a whole hierarchy of relevance exists. Another difference is the higher level of detail in the formulation of the formal theory, such as the explicit manipulation...

  4. Open-plan office noise: The susceptibility and suitability of different cognitive tasks for work in the presence of irrelevant speech

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Helena Jahncke

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the present study was to test which tasks are suitable for work in open-plan offices according to how susceptible they are to disruption produced by the mere presence of irrelevant speech. The tasks were chosen to tap fundamental capacities of office work involving: search for relevant information, remembering material, counting, and generation of words. The hypothesis was that tasks requiring semantic processing should be impaired by irrelevant speech. To determine the magnitude of performance decrease, two sound conditions (quiet, irrelevant speech were compared. The results showed that tasks based on episodic short-term-memory and rehearsal of the presented material were more sensitive to disruption by irrelevant speech than tasks which did not require rehearsal or were based on long-term memory retrieval. The present study points to the inappropriateness of tasks, such as information search and remembering of material, for work environments within which irrelevant speech is ubiquitous.

  5. Rational over-imitation: Preschoolers consider material costs and copy causally irrelevant actions selectively.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keupp, Stefanie; Bancken, Christin; Schillmöller, Jelka; Rakoczy, Hannes; Behne, Tanya

    2016-02-01

    Children's strong tendency to over-imitate - i.e., to reproduce causally irrelevant actions - presents a well-documented, yet puzzling, phenomenon. On first sight this instrumentally inefficient behavior seems maladaptive and different accounts have been put forward to explain it. Causal accounts claim that children are misled by an adult's demonstration, mistake the superfluous actions as causally necessary, and therefore imitate them. Other accounts emphasize cognitive-motivational aspects underlying over-imitation, e.g. social motivations to affiliate with the model, or to adhere to normative conventions. Since all accounts predict the occurrence of over-imitation under typical conditions, different parameters and circumstances have to be considered to distinguish between them. Thus, we investigated children's over-imitation and their spontaneous verbal reactions to a puppet's behavior, in contexts in which a causally irrelevant action either led to the destruction of a valuable object belonging to the experimenter, or not. In addition, children saw the full action sequence being demonstrated either with an instrumental or a conventional focus. Causal accounts predict no flexibility across these contexts, because over-imitation is said to occur automatically. Normative accounts claim that different normative considerations affect children's behavior and action parsing, and therefore predict different response patterns across conditions. We found that over-imitation was less frequent in costly and instrumental conditions. Children criticized the puppet for omitting irrelevant actions more often in the non-costly condition, but criticized her more often for performing irrelevant actions in the costly condition, often expressing their moral concern. The results support the rational normative action interpretation account of over-imitation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Risk Sensitivity, Independence of Irrelevant Alternatives and Continuity of Bargaining Solutions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    M.B.M. de Koster (René); H.J.M. Peters (Hans); S.H. Tijs; P.P. Wakker (Peter)

    1983-01-01

    textabstractBargaining solutions are considered which have the following four properties: individual rationality, Pareto optimality, independence of equivalent utility representations, and independence of irrelevant alternatives. A main result of this paper is a simple proof of the fact that all

  7. Utilising symptom dimensions with diagnostic categories improves prediction of time to first remission in first-episode psychosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ajnakina, Olesya; Lally, John; Di Forti, Marta; Stilo, Simona A; Kolliakou, Anna; Gardner-Sood, Poonam; Dazzan, Paola; Pariante, Carmine; Reis Marques, Tiago; Mondelli, Valeria; MacCabe, James; Gaughran, Fiona; David, Anthony S; Stamate, Daniel; Murray, Robin M; Fisher, Helen L

    2018-03-01

    There has been much recent debate concerning the relative clinical utility of symptom dimensions versus conventional diagnostic categories in patients with psychosis. We investigated whether symptom dimensions rated at presentation for first-episode psychosis (FEP) better predicted time to first remission than categorical diagnosis over a four-year follow-up. The sample comprised 193 FEP patients aged 18-65years who presented to psychiatric services in South London, UK, between 2006 and 2010. Psychopathology was assessed at baseline with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and five symptom dimensions were derived using Wallwork/Fortgang's model; baseline diagnoses were grouped using DSM-IV codes. Time to start of first remission was ascertained from clinical records. The Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) was used to find the best fitting accelerated failure time model of dimensions, diagnoses and time to first remission. Sixty percent of patients remitted over the four years following first presentation to psychiatric services, and the average time to start of first remission was 18.3weeks (SD=26.0, median=8). The positive (BIC=166.26), excited (BIC=167.30) and disorganised/concrete (BIC=168.77) symptom dimensions, and a diagnosis of schizophrenia (BIC=166.91) predicted time to first remission. However, a combination of the DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia with all five symptom dimensions led to the best fitting model (BIC=164.35). Combining categorical diagnosis with symptom dimension scores in FEP patients improved the accuracy of predicting time to first remission. Thus our data suggest that the decision to consign symptom dimensions to an annexe in DSM-5 should be reconsidered at the earliest opportunity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Trigger Foods: The Influence of “Irrelevant†Alternatives in School Lunchrooms

    OpenAIRE

    Hanks, Andrew S.; Just, David R.; Wansink, Brian

    2012-01-01

    Rational choice theory commonly assumes that the presence of unselected choices cannot impact which among the remaining choices is selected–-often referred to as “independence of irrelevant alternatives.†We show that such seemingly irrelevant alternatives influence choice in a school lunch setting. In these lunchrooms, we provide evidence that the presence of specific side dishes-–trigger foods-–can strongly increase the sales of unhealthy à la carte options, even when the trigger foods a...

  9. Construct Relevant or Irrelevant? The Role of Linguistic Complexity in the Assessment of English Language Learners' Science Knowledge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avenia-Tapper, Brianna; Llosa, Lorena

    2015-01-01

    This article addresses the issue of language-related construct-irrelevant variance on content area tests from the perspective of systemic functional linguistics. We propose that the construct relevance of language used in content area assessments, and consequent claims of construct-irrelevant variance and bias, should be determined according to…

  10. Saving emissions trading from irrelevance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tindale, Stephen

    2013-01-01

    Uncontrolled climate change is the greatest risk that humanity faces. The main burden will fall on developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. But Europe and its residents will also be damaged in many ways, including extreme weather, heat waves, and the spread of tropical diseases. Climate change is a quintessentially global challenge. If pollution shifts from one part of the world to another - from Europe to China, for example - the global climate is no better off. The main EU climate policy, the Emissions Trading System, now stipulates such a low carbon price that it has become essentially irrelevant. The European Commission should propose a Europe-wide carbon price floor of euro 30 per tonne, high enough to influence investment decisions and encourage energy efficiency and low-carbon energy supply. The Commission should also propose border tax adjustments, with the revenue returned to the country of origin

  11. When Does Between-Sequence Phonological Similarity Promote Irrelevant Sound Disruption?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marsh, John E.; Vachon, Francois; Jones, Dylan M.

    2008-01-01

    Typically, the phonological similarity between to-be-recalled items and TBI auditory stimuli has no impact if recall in serial order is required. However, in the present study, the authors have shown that the free recall, but not serial recall, of lists of phonologically related to-be-remembered items was disrupted by an irrelevant sound stream…

  12. Nature of tracing dimension, imaginary order of freedom and our observed time passing at constant speed

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagao, S

    2009-01-01

    Nature of the time and requirements to work as a time dimension are investigated. A potential scenario of the development of the universe is conceptually investigated starting from energy as vibration in multiple dimensions. A model is proposed, in which the Big Bang is a phase transition of energy from vibration in 4-dimensional space to energy distribution in 3-D surface of a 4-D sphere. The Time which we observe passing at a constant speed is not such a reference frame which we unintentionally believe to be the time, but the radius dimension of the 4-D sphere. The feature of the Dark Matter and the mystery of the Dark Energy are naturally explained from the model.

  13. Nature of tracing dimension, imaginary order of freedom and our observed time passing at constant speed

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nagao, S, E-mail: snagao@lilac.plala.or.j [Business Development and Licensing Department, Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim Co., Ltd., ThinkPark Tower, 2-1-1, Osaki, Shinagawa, Tokyo 141-6017 (Japan)

    2009-06-01

    Nature of the time and requirements to work as a time dimension are investigated. A potential scenario of the development of the universe is conceptually investigated starting from energy as vibration in multiple dimensions. A model is proposed, in which the Big Bang is a phase transition of energy from vibration in 4-dimensional space to energy distribution in 3-D surface of a 4-D sphere. The Time which we observe passing at a constant speed is not such a reference frame which we unintentionally believe to be the time, but the radius dimension of the 4-D sphere. The feature of the Dark Matter and the mystery of the Dark Energy are naturally explained from the model.

  14. Numeracy moderates the influence of task-irrelevant affect on probability weighting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Traczyk, Jakub; Fulawka, Kamil

    2016-06-01

    Statistical numeracy, defined as the ability to understand and process statistical and probability information, plays a significant role in superior decision making. However, recent research has demonstrated that statistical numeracy goes beyond simple comprehension of numbers and mathematical operations. On the contrary to previous studies that were focused on emotions integral to risky prospects, we hypothesized that highly numerate individuals would exhibit more linear probability weighting because they would be less biased by incidental and decision-irrelevant affect. Participants were instructed to make a series of insurance decisions preceded by negative (i.e., fear-inducing) or neutral stimuli. We found that incidental negative affect increased the curvature of the probability weighting function (PWF). Interestingly, this effect was significant only for less numerate individuals, while probability weighting in more numerate people was not altered by decision-irrelevant affect. We propose two candidate mechanisms for the observed effect. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Estimating the level of dynamical noise in time series by using fractal dimensions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sase, Takumi, E-mail: sase@sat.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp [Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8505 (Japan); Ramírez, Jonatán Peña [CONACYT Research Fellow, Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education at Ensenada (CICESE), Carretera Ensenada-Tijuana No. 3918, Zona Playitas, C.P. 22860, Ensenada, Baja California (Mexico); Kitajo, Keiichi [BSI-Toyota Collaboration Center, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan); Aihara, Kazuyuki; Hirata, Yoshito [Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8505 (Japan); Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153-8505 (Japan)

    2016-03-11

    We present a method for estimating the dynamical noise level of a ‘short’ time series even if the dynamical system is unknown. The proposed method estimates the level of dynamical noise by calculating the fractal dimensions of the time series. Additionally, the method is applied to EEG data to demonstrate its possible effectiveness as an indicator of temporal changes in the level of dynamical noise. - Highlights: • A dynamical noise level estimator for time series is proposed. • The estimator does not need any information about the dynamics generating the time series. • The estimator is based on a novel definition of time series dimension (TSD). • It is demonstrated that there exists a monotonic relationship between the • TSD and the level of dynamical noise. • We apply the proposed method to human electroencephalographic data.

  16. Estimating the level of dynamical noise in time series by using fractal dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sase, Takumi; Ramírez, Jonatán Peña; Kitajo, Keiichi; Aihara, Kazuyuki; Hirata, Yoshito

    2016-01-01

    We present a method for estimating the dynamical noise level of a ‘short’ time series even if the dynamical system is unknown. The proposed method estimates the level of dynamical noise by calculating the fractal dimensions of the time series. Additionally, the method is applied to EEG data to demonstrate its possible effectiveness as an indicator of temporal changes in the level of dynamical noise. - Highlights: • A dynamical noise level estimator for time series is proposed. • The estimator does not need any information about the dynamics generating the time series. • The estimator is based on a novel definition of time series dimension (TSD). • It is demonstrated that there exists a monotonic relationship between the • TSD and the level of dynamical noise. • We apply the proposed method to human electroencephalographic data.

  17. Irrelevant sound disrupts speech production: exploring the relationship between short-term memory and experimentally induced slips of the tongue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saito, Satoru; Baddeley, Alan

    2004-10-01

    To explore the relationship between short-term memory and speech production, we developed a speech error induction technique. The technique, which was adapted from a Japanese word game, exposed participants to an auditory distractor word immediately before the utterance of a target word. In Experiment 1, the distractor words that were phonologically similar to the target word led to a greater number of errors in speaking the target than did the dissimilar distractor words. Furthermore, the speech error scores were significantly correlated with memory span scores. In Experiment 2, memory span scores were again correlated with the rate of the speech errors that were induced from the task-irrelevant speech sounds. Experiment 3 showed a strong irrelevant-sound effect in the serial recall of nonwords. The magnitude of the irrelevant-sound effects was not affected by phonological similarity between the to-be-remembered nonwords and the irrelevant-sound materials. Analysis of recall errors in Experiment 3 also suggested that there were no essential differences in recall error patterns between the dissimilar and similar irrelevant-sound conditions. We proposed two different underlying mechanisms in immediate memory, one operating via the phonological short-term memory store and the other via the processes underpinning speech production.

  18. Involuntary top-down control by search-irrelevant features: Visual working memory biases attention in an object-based manner.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foerster, Rebecca M; Schneider, Werner X

    2018-03-01

    Many everyday tasks involve successive visual-search episodes with changing targets. Converging evidence suggests that these targets are retained in visual working memory (VWM) and bias attention from there. It is unknown whether all or only search-relevant features of a VWM template bias attention during search. Bias signals might be configured exclusively to task-relevant features so that only search-relevant features bias attention. Alternatively, VWM might maintain objects in the form of bound features. Then, all template features will bias attention in an object-based manner, so that biasing effects are ranked by feature relevance. Here, we investigated whether search-irrelevant VWM template features bias attention. Participants had to saccade to a target opposite a distractor. A colored cue depicted the target prior to each search trial. The target was predefined only by its identity, while its color was irrelevant. When target and cue matched not only in identity (search-relevant) but also in color (search-irrelevant), saccades went more often and faster directly to the target than without any color match (Experiment 1). When introducing a cue-distractor color match (Experiment 2), direct target saccades were most likely when target and cue matched in the search-irrelevant color and least likely in case of a cue-distractor color match. When cue and target were never colored the same (Experiment 3), cue-colored distractors still captured the eyes more often than different-colored distractors despite color being search-irrelevant. As participants were informed about the misleading color, the result argues against a strategical and voluntary usage of color. Instead, search-irrelevant features biased attention obligatorily arguing for involuntary top-down control by object-based VWM templates. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Emotion and false memory: How goal-irrelevance can be relevant for what people remember.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Damme, Ilse; Kaplan, Robin L; Levine, Linda J; Loftus, Elizabeth F

    2017-02-01

    Elaborating on misleading information concerning emotional events can lead people to form false memories. The present experiment compared participants' susceptibility to false memories when they elaborated on information associated with positive versus negative emotion and pregoal versus postgoal emotion. Pregoal emotion reflects appraisals that goal attainment or failure is anticipated but has not yet occurred (e.g., hope and fear). Postgoal emotion reflects appraisals that goal attainment or failure has already occurred (e.g., happiness and devastation). Participants watched a slideshow depicting an interaction between a couple and were asked to empathise with the protagonist's feelings of hope (positive pregoal), happiness (positive postgoal), fear (negative pregoal), or devastation (negative postgoal); in control conditions, no emotion was mentioned. Participants were then asked to reflect on details of the interaction that had occurred (true) or had not occurred (false), and that were relevant or irrelevant to the protagonist's goal. Irrespective of emotional valence, participants in the pregoal conditions were more susceptible to false memories concerning goal-irrelevant details than were participants in the other conditions. These findings support the view that pregoal emotions narrow attention to information relevant to goal pursuit, increasing susceptibility to false memories for irrelevant information.

  20. Infrared behaviour of massless QED in space-time dimensions 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitra, Indrajit; Ratabole, Raghunath; Sharatchandra, H.S.

    2005-01-01

    We show that the logarithmic infrared divergences in electron self-energy and vertex function of massless QED in 2+1 dimensions can be removed at all orders of 1/N by an appropriate choice of a non-local gauge. Thus the infrared behaviour given by the leading order in 1/N is not modified by higher order corrections. Our analysis gives a computational scheme for the Amati-Testa model, resulting in a non-trivial conformal invariant field theory for all space-time dimensions 2< d<4

  1. Infrared behaviour of massless QED in space-time dimensions 2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mitra, Indrajit [The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, C.I.T. Campus, Taramani P.O., Chennai 600113 (India) and Theory Group, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF Bidhan-Nagar, Kolkata 700064 (India)]. E-mail: indra@theory.saha.ernet.in; Ratabole, Raghunath [The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, C.I.T. Campus, Taramani P.O., Chennai 600113 (India)]. E-mail: raghu@imsc.res.in; Sharatchandra, H.S. [The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, C.I.T. Campus, Taramani P.O., Chennai 600113 (India)]. E-mail: sharat@imsc.res.in

    2005-04-07

    We show that the logarithmic infrared divergences in electron self-energy and vertex function of massless QED in 2+1 dimensions can be removed at all orders of 1/N by an appropriate choice of a non-local gauge. Thus the infrared behaviour given by the leading order in 1/N is not modified by higher order corrections. Our analysis gives a computational scheme for the Amati-Testa model, resulting in a non-trivial conformal invariant field theory for all space-time dimensions 2

  2. Over-imitation is not automatic: context sensitivity in children's overimitation and action interpretation of causally irrelevant actions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keupp, Stefanie; Behne, Tanya; Zachow, Joanna; Kasbohm, Alina; Rakoczy, Hannes

    2015-02-01

    Recent research has documented the robust tendency of children to "over-imitate," that is, to copy causally irrelevant action elements in goal-directed action sequences. Different explanations for over-imitation have been proposed. Causal accounts claim that children mistakenly perceive such action elements as causally relevant and, therefore, imitate them. Affiliation accounts claim that children over-imitate to affiliate with the model. Normative accounts claim that children conceive of causally irrelevant actions as essential parts of an overarching conventional activity. These different accounts generally hold the same predictions regarding children's imitative response. However, it is possible to distinguish between them when one considers additional parameters. The normative account predicts wide-ranging flexibility with regard to action interpretation and the occurrence of over-imitation. First, it predicts spontaneous protest against norm violators who omit the causally irrelevant actions. Second, children should perform the causally irrelevant actions less frequently, and criticize others less frequently for omitting them, when the actions take place in a different context from the one of the initial demonstration. Such flexibility is not predicted by causal accounts and is predicted for only a limited range of contexts by affiliation accounts. Study 1 investigated children's own imitative response and found less over-imitation when children acted in a different context from when they acted in the same context as the initial demonstration. In Study 2, children criticized a puppet less frequently for omitting irrelevant actions when the puppet acted in a different context. The results support the notion that over-imitation is not an automatic and inflexible phenomenon. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Neural networks engaged in short-term memory rehearsal are disrupted by irrelevant speech in human subjects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kopp, Franziska; Schröger, Erich; Lipka, Sigrid

    2004-01-02

    Rehearsal mechanisms in human short-term memory are increasingly understood in the light of both behavioural and neuroanatomical findings. However, little is known about the cooperation of participating brain structures and how such cooperations are affected when memory performance is disrupted. In this paper we use EEG coherence as a measure of synchronization to investigate rehearsal processes and their disruption by irrelevant speech in a delayed serial recall paradigm. Fronto-central and fronto-parietal theta (4-7.5 Hz), beta (13-20 Hz), and gamma (35-47 Hz) synchronizations are shown to be involved in our short-term memory task. Moreover, the impairment in serial recall due to irrelevant speech was preceded by a reduction of gamma band coherence. Results suggest that the irrelevant speech effect has its neural basis in the disruption of left-lateralized fronto-central networks. This stresses the importance of gamma band activity for short-term memory operations.

  4. Individual differences in the influence of task-irrelevant Pavlovian cues on human behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garofalo, Sara; di Pellegrino, Giuseppe

    2015-01-01

    Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) refers to the process of a Pavlovian reward-paired cue acquiring incentive motivational proprieties that drive choices. It represents a crucial phenomenon for understanding cue-controlled behavior, and it has both adaptive and maladaptive implications (i.e., drug-taking). In animals, individual differences in the degree to which such cues bias performance have been identified in two types of individuals that exhibit distinct Conditioned Responses (CR) during Pavlovian conditioning: Sign-Trackers (ST) and Goal-Trackers (GT). Using an appetitive PIT procedure with a monetary reward, the present study investigated, for the first time, the extent to which such individual differences might affect the influence of reward-paired cues in humans. In a first task, participants learned an instrumental response leading to reward; then, in a second task, a visual Pavlovian cue was associated with the same reward; finally, in a third task, PIT was tested by measuring the preference for the reward-paired instrumental response when the task-irrelevant reward-paired cue was presented, in the absence of the reward itself. In ST individuals, but not in GT individuals, reward-related cues biased behavior, resulting in an increased likelihood to perform the instrumental response independently paired with the same reward when presented with the task-irrelevant reward-paired cue, even if the reward itself was no longer available (i.e., stronger PIT effect). This finding has important implications for developing individualized treatment for maladaptive behaviors, such as addiction.

  5. Individual differences in the influence of task-irrelevant Pavlovian cues on human behavior

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sara eGarofalo

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT refers to the process of a Pavlovian reward-paired cue acquiring incentive motivational proprieties that drive choices. It represents a crucial phenomenon for understanding cue-controlled behavior, and it has both adaptive and maladaptive implications (i.e., drug-taking. In animals, individual differences in the degree to which such cues bias performance have been identified in two types of individuals that exhibit distinct Conditioned Responses during Pavlovian conditioning: Sign-Trackers (ST and Goal-Trackers (GT. Using an appetitive PIT procedure with a monetary reward, the present study investigated, for the first time, the extent to which such individual differences might affect the influence of reward-paired cues in humans. In a first task, participants learned an instrumental response leading to reward; then, in a second task, a visual Pavlovian cue was associated with the same reward; finally, in a third task, PIT was tested by measuring the preference for the reward-paired instrumental response when the task-irrelevant reward-paired cue was presented, in the absence of the reward itself. In ST individuals, but not in GT individuals, reward-related cues biased behavior, resulting in an increased likelihood to perform the instrumental response independently paired with the same reward when presented with the task-irrelevant reward-paired cue, even if the reward itself was no longer available (i.e., stronger PIT effect. This finding has important implications for developing individualized treatment for maladaptive behaviors, such as addiction.

  6. Individual differences in the influence of task-irrelevant Pavlovian cues on human behavior

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garofalo, Sara; di Pellegrino, Giuseppe

    2015-01-01

    Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) refers to the process of a Pavlovian reward-paired cue acquiring incentive motivational proprieties that drive choices. It represents a crucial phenomenon for understanding cue-controlled behavior, and it has both adaptive and maladaptive implications (i.e., drug-taking). In animals, individual differences in the degree to which such cues bias performance have been identified in two types of individuals that exhibit distinct Conditioned Responses (CR) during Pavlovian conditioning: Sign-Trackers (ST) and Goal-Trackers (GT). Using an appetitive PIT procedure with a monetary reward, the present study investigated, for the first time, the extent to which such individual differences might affect the influence of reward-paired cues in humans. In a first task, participants learned an instrumental response leading to reward; then, in a second task, a visual Pavlovian cue was associated with the same reward; finally, in a third task, PIT was tested by measuring the preference for the reward-paired instrumental response when the task-irrelevant reward-paired cue was presented, in the absence of the reward itself. In ST individuals, but not in GT individuals, reward-related cues biased behavior, resulting in an increased likelihood to perform the instrumental response independently paired with the same reward when presented with the task-irrelevant reward-paired cue, even if the reward itself was no longer available (i.e., stronger PIT effect). This finding has important implications for developing individualized treatment for maladaptive behaviors, such as addiction. PMID:26157371

  7. Developmental trends in the interaction between auditory and linguistic processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jerger, S; Pirozzolo, F; Jerger, J; Elizondo, R; Desai, S; Wright, E; Reynosa, R

    1993-09-01

    The developmental course of multidimensional speech processing was examined in 80 children between 3 and 6 years of age and in 60 adults between 20 and 86 years of age. Processing interactions were assessed with a speeded classification task (Garner, 1974a), which required the subjects to attend selectively to the voice dimension while ignoring the linguistic dimension, and vice versa. The children and adults exhibited both similarities and differences in the patterns of processing dependencies. For all ages, performance for each dimension was slower in the presence of variation in the irrelevant dimension; irrelevant variation in the voice dimension disrupted performance more than irrelevant variation in the linguistic dimension. Trends in the degree of interference, on the other hand, showed significant differences between dimensions as a function of age. Whereas the degree of interference for the voice-dimension-relevant did not show significant age-related change, the degree of interference for the word-dimension-relevant declined significantly with age in a linear as well as a quadratic manner. A major age-related change in the relation between dimensions was that word processing, relative to voice-gender processing, required significantly more time in the children than in the adults. Overall, the developmental course characterizing multidimensional speech processing evidenced more pronounced change when the linguistic dimension, rather than the voice dimension, was relevant.

  8. A robust algorithm for optimisation and customisation of fractal dimensions of time series modified by nonlinearly scaling their time derivatives: mathematical theory and practical applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuss, Franz Konstantin

    2013-01-01

    Standard methods for computing the fractal dimensions of time series are usually tested with continuous nowhere differentiable functions, but not benchmarked with actual signals. Therefore they can produce opposite results in extreme signals. These methods also use different scaling methods, that is, different amplitude multipliers, which makes it difficult to compare fractal dimensions obtained from different methods. The purpose of this research was to develop an optimisation method that computes the fractal dimension of a normalised (dimensionless) and modified time series signal with a robust algorithm and a running average method, and that maximises the difference between two fractal dimensions, for example, a minimum and a maximum one. The signal is modified by transforming its amplitude by a multiplier, which has a non-linear effect on the signal's time derivative. The optimisation method identifies the optimal multiplier of the normalised amplitude for targeted decision making based on fractal dimensions. The optimisation method provides an additional filter effect and makes the fractal dimensions less noisy. The method is exemplified by, and explained with, different signals, such as human movement, EEG, and acoustic signals.

  9. Dimension reduction of frequency-based direct Granger causality measures on short time series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siggiridou, Elsa; Kimiskidis, Vasilios K; Kugiumtzis, Dimitris

    2017-09-01

    The mainstream in the estimation of effective brain connectivity relies on Granger causality measures in the frequency domain. If the measure is meant to capture direct causal effects accounting for the presence of other observed variables, as in multi-channel electroencephalograms (EEG), typically the fit of a vector autoregressive (VAR) model on the multivariate time series is required. For short time series of many variables, the estimation of VAR may not be stable requiring dimension reduction resulting in restricted or sparse VAR models. The restricted VAR obtained by the modified backward-in-time selection method (mBTS) is adapted to the generalized partial directed coherence (GPDC), termed restricted GPDC (RGPDC). Dimension reduction on other frequency based measures, such the direct directed transfer function (dDTF), is straightforward. First, a simulation study using linear stochastic multivariate systems is conducted and RGPDC is favorably compared to GPDC on short time series in terms of sensitivity and specificity. Then the two measures are tested for their ability to detect changes in brain connectivity during an epileptiform discharge (ED) from multi-channel scalp EEG. It is shown that RGPDC identifies better than GPDC the connectivity structure of the simulated systems, as well as changes in the brain connectivity, and is less dependent on the free parameter of VAR order. The proposed dimension reduction in frequency measures based on VAR constitutes an appropriate strategy to estimate reliably brain networks within short-time windows. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Inhibition in movement plan competition: reach trajectories curve away from remembered and task-irrelevant present but not from task-irrelevant past visual stimuli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moehler, Tobias; Fiehler, Katja

    2017-11-01

    The current study investigated the role of automatic encoding and maintenance of remembered, past, and present visual distractors for reach movement planning. The previous research on eye movements showed that saccades curve away from locations actively kept in working memory and also from task-irrelevant perceptually present visual distractors, but not from task-irrelevant past distractors. Curvature away has been associated with an inhibitory mechanism resolving the competition between multiple active movement plans. Here, we examined whether reach movements underlie a similar inhibitory mechanism and thus show systematic modulation of reach trajectories when the location of a previously presented distractor has to be (a) maintained in working memory or (b) ignored, or (c) when the distractor is perceptually present. Participants performed vertical reach movements on a computer monitor from a home to a target location. Distractors appeared laterally and near or far from the target (equidistant from central fixation). We found that reaches curved away from the distractors located close to the target when the distractor location had to be memorized and when it was perceptually present, but not when the past distractor had to be ignored. Our findings suggest that automatically encoding present distractors and actively maintaining the location of past distractors in working memory evoke a similar response competition resolved by inhibition, as has been previously shown for saccadic eye movements.

  11. A Robust Algorithm for Optimisation and Customisation of Fractal Dimensions of Time Series Modified by Nonlinearly Scaling Their Time Derivatives: Mathematical Theory and Practical Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Franz Konstantin Fuss

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Standard methods for computing the fractal dimensions of time series are usually tested with continuous nowhere differentiable functions, but not benchmarked with actual signals. Therefore they can produce opposite results in extreme signals. These methods also use different scaling methods, that is, different amplitude multipliers, which makes it difficult to compare fractal dimensions obtained from different methods. The purpose of this research was to develop an optimisation method that computes the fractal dimension of a normalised (dimensionless and modified time series signal with a robust algorithm and a running average method, and that maximises the difference between two fractal dimensions, for example, a minimum and a maximum one. The signal is modified by transforming its amplitude by a multiplier, which has a non-linear effect on the signal’s time derivative. The optimisation method identifies the optimal multiplier of the normalised amplitude for targeted decision making based on fractal dimensions. The optimisation method provides an additional filter effect and makes the fractal dimensions less noisy. The method is exemplified by, and explained with, different signals, such as human movement, EEG, and acoustic signals.

  12. The effects of meaningful irrelevant speech and road traffic noise on teachers' attention, episodic and semantic memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Enmarker, Ingela

    2004-11-01

    The aim of the present experiment was to examine the effects of meaningful irrelevant speech and road traffic noise on attention, episodic and semantic memory, and also to examine whether the noise effects were age-dependent. A total of 96 male and female teachers in the age range of 35-45 and 55-65 years were randomly assigned to a silent or the two noise conditions. Noise effects found in episodic memory were limited to a meaningful text, where cued recall contrary to expectations was equally impaired by the two types of noise. However, meaningful irrelevant speech also deteriorated recognition of the text, whereas road traffic noise caused no decrement. Retrieval from two word fluency tests in semantic memory showed strong effects of noise exposure, one affected by meaningful irrelevant speech and the other by road traffic noise. The results implied that both acoustic variation and the semantic interference could be of importance for noise impairments. The expected age-dependent noise effects did not show up.

  13. The Modal Dimension

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giluano Torrengo

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Space and time are two obvious candidates as dimensions of reality. Yet, are they the only two dimensions of reality? Famously, David Lewis maintained the doctrine of ―modal realism‖, the thesis that possible worlds exist and are entities as concrete as the actual world that we live in. In this paper, I will explore the idea that modality can be construed as a dimension along with space and time. However, although Lewis‘ modal realism is the main source of inspiration for this construal of modality, I will argue that something else is required for having a modal dimension.

  14. Conductance fluctuations in disordered superconductors with broken time-reversal symmetry near two dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ryu, S.; Furusaki, A.; Ludwig, A.W.W.; Mudry, C.

    2007-01-01

    We extend the analysis of the conductance fluctuations in disordered metals by Altshuler, Kravtsov, and Lerner (AKL) to disordered superconductors with broken time-reversal symmetry in d=(2+ε) dimensions (symmetry classes C and D of Altland and Zirnbauer). Using a perturbative renormalization group analysis of the corresponding non-linear sigma model (NLσM) we compute the anomalous scaling dimensions of the dominant scalar operators with 2s gradients to one-loop order. We show that, in analogy with the result of AKL for ordinary, metallic systems (Wigner-Dyson classes), an infinite number of high-gradient operators would become relevant (in the renormalization group sense) near two dimensions if contributions beyond one-loop order are ignored. We explore the possibility to compare, in symmetry class D, the ε=(2-d) expansion in d<2 with exact results in one dimension. The method we use to perform the one-loop renormalization analysis is valid for general symmetric spaces of Kaehler type, and suggests that this is a generic property of the perturbative treatment of NLσMs defined on Riemannian symmetric target spaces

  15. The nucleon electric dipole form factor from dimension-six time-reversal violation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Vries, J.; Mereghetti, E.; Timmermans, R. G. E.; van Kolck, U.

    2011-01-01

    We calculate the electric dipole form factor of the nucleon that arises as a low-energy manifestation of time-reversal violation in quark-gluon interactions of effective dimension 6: the quark electric and chromoelectric dipole moments, and the gluon chromoelectric dipole moment. We use the

  16. A discrete classical space-time could require 6 extra-dimensions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guillemant, Philippe; Medale, Marc; Abid, Cherifa

    2018-01-01

    We consider a discrete space-time in which conservation laws are computed in such a way that the density of information is kept bounded. We use a 2D billiard as a toy model to compute the uncertainty propagation in ball positions after every shock and the corresponding loss of phase information. Our main result is the computation of a critical time step above which billiard calculations are no longer deterministic, meaning that a multiverse of distinct billiard histories begins to appear, caused by the lack of information. Then, we highlight unexpected properties of this critical time step and the subsequent exponential evolution of the number of histories with time, to observe that after certain duration all billiard states could become possible final states, independent of initial conditions. We conclude that if our space-time is really a discrete one, one would need to introduce extra-dimensions in order to provide supplementary constraints that specify which history should be played.

  17. Simon and Garner effects with color and location: Evidence for two independent routes by which irrelevant location influences performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fitousi, Daniel

    2016-11-01

    Classic theories of attention assume that the processing of a target's featural dimension (e.g., color) is contingent on the processing of its spatial location. The present study challenges this maxim. Three experiments evaluated the dimensional independence of spatial location and color using a combined Simon (Simon & Rudell Journal of Applied Psychology: 51, 300-304, 1967) and Garner (Garner, 1974) design. The results showed that when the stimulus's spatial location was rendered more discriminable than its color (Experiment 1 and 2), both Simon and Garner effects were obtained, and location interfered with color judgments to a larger extent than color intruded on location. However, when baseline discriminabilities of location and color were matched (Experiment 3), no Garner interference was obtained from location to color, yet Simon effects still emerged, proving resilient to manipulations of discriminability. Further correlational and distributional analyses showed that Garner and Simon effects have dissociable effects. A triple-route model is proposed to account for the results, according to which irrelevant location can influence performance via two independent location routes/codes.

  18. Temporal and spatial predictability of an irrelevant event differently affect detection and memory of items in a visual sequence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Junji eOhyama

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available We examined how the temporal and spatial predictability of a task-irrelevant visual event affects the detection and memory of a visual item embedded in a continuously changing sequence. Participants observed 11 sequentially presented letters, during which a task-irrelevant visual event was either present or absent. Predictabilities of spatial location and temporal position of the event were controlled in 2 × 2 conditions. In the spatially predictable conditions, the event occurred at the same location within the stimulus sequence or at another location, while, in the spatially unpredictable conditions, it occurred at random locations. In the temporally predictable conditions, the event timing was fixed relative to the order of the letters, while in the temporally unpredictable condition, it could not be predicted from the letter order. Participants performed a working memory task and a target detection reaction time task. Memory accuracy was higher for a letter simultaneously presented at the same location as the event in the temporally unpredictable conditions, irrespective of the spatial predictability of the event. On the other hand, the detection reaction times were only faster for a letter simultaneously presented at the same location as the event when the event was both temporally and spatially predictable. Thus, to facilitate ongoing detection processes, an event must be predictable both in space and time, while memory processes are enhanced by temporally unpredictable (i.e., surprising events. Evidently, temporal predictability has differential effects on detection and memory of a visual item embedded in a sequence of images.

  19. The fourth dimension

    CERN Document Server

    Rucker, Rudy

    2014-01-01

    ""This is an invigorating book, a short but spirited slalom for the mind."" - Timothy Ferris, The New York Times Book Review ""Highly readable. One is reminded of the breadth and depth of Hofstadter's Gödel, Escher, Bach."" - Science""Anyone with even a minimal interest in mathematics and fantasy will find The Fourth Dimension informative and mind-dazzling... [Rucker] plunges into spaces above three with a zest and energy that is breathtaking."" - Martin Gardner ""Those who think the fourth dimension is nothing but time should be encouraged to read The Fourth Dimension, along with anyone else

  20. Evidence for habituation of the irrelevant-sound effect on serial recall.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Röer, Jan P; Bell, Raoul; Buchner, Axel

    2014-05-01

    Working memory theories make opposing predictions as to whether the disruptive effect of task-irrelevant sound on serial recall should be attenuated after repeated exposure to the auditory distractors. Although evidence of habituation has emerged after a passive listening phase, previous attempts to observe habituation to to-be ignored distractors on a trial-by-trial basis have proven to be fruitless. With the present study, we suggest that habituation to auditory distractors occurs, but has often been overlooked because past attempts to measure habituation in the irrelevant-sound paradigm were not sensitive enough. In a series of four experiments, the disruptive effects of to-be-ignored speech and music relative to a quiet control condition were markedly reduced after eight repetitions, regardless of whether trials were presented in blocks (Exp. 1) or in a random order (Exp. 2). The auditory distractor's playback direction (forward, backward) had no effect (Exp. 3). The same results were obtained when the auditory distractors were only presented in a retention interval after the presentation of the to-be-remembered items (Exp. 4). This pattern is only consistent with theoretical accounts that allow for attentional processes to interfere with the maintenance of information in working memory.

  1. Load-Dependent Increases in Delay-Period Alpha-Band Power Track the Gating of Task-Irrelevant Inputs to Working Memory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew J. Heinz

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Studies exploring the role of neural oscillations in cognition have revealed sustained increases in alpha-band power (ABP during the delay period of verbal and visual working memory (VWM tasks. There have been various proposals regarding the functional significance of such increases, including the inhibition of task-irrelevant cortical areas as well as the active retention of information in VWM. The present study examines the role of delay-period ABP in mediating the effects of interference arising from on-going visual processing during a concurrent VWM task. Specifically, we reasoned that, if set-size dependent increases in ABP represent the gating out of on-going task-irrelevant visual inputs, they should be predictive with respect to some modulation in visual evoked potentials resulting from a task-irrelevant delay period probe stimulus. In order to investigate this possibility, we recorded the electroencephalogram while subjects performed a change detection task requiring the retention of two or four novel shapes. On a portion of trials, a novel, task-irrelevant bilateral checkerboard probe was presented mid-way through the delay. Analyses focused on examining correlations between set-size dependent increases in ABP and changes in the magnitude of the P1, N1 and P3a components of the probe-evoked response and how such increases might be related to behavior. Results revealed that increased delay-period ABP was associated with changes in the amplitude of the N1 and P3a event-related potential (ERP components, and with load-dependent changes in capacity when the probe was presented during the delay. We conclude that load-dependent increases in ABP likely play a role in supporting short-term retention by gating task-irrelevant sensory inputs and suppressing potential sources of disruptive interference.

  2. Suppressing Irrelevant Information from Working Memory: Evidence for Domain-Specific Deficits in Poor Comprehenders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pimperton, Hannah; Nation, Kate

    2010-01-01

    Previous research has suggested that children with specific reading comprehension deficits (poor comprehenders) show an impaired ability to suppress irrelevant information from working memory, with this deficit detrimentally impacting on their working memory ability, and consequently limiting their reading comprehension performance. However, the…

  3. Size and shape of Brain may be such as to take advantage of two Dimensions of Time

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kriske, Richard

    2014-03-01

    This author had previously Theorized that there are two non-commuting Dimensions of time. One is Clock Time and the other is Information Time (which we generally refer to as Information, like Spin Up or Spin Down). When time does not commute with another Dimension of Time, one takes the Clock Time at one point in space and the Information time is not known; that is different than if one takes the Information time at that point and the Clock time is not known--This is not explicitly about time but rather space. An example of this non-commutation is that if one knows the Spin at one point and the Time at one point of space then simultaneosly, one knows the Spin at another point of Space and the Time there (It is the same time), it is a restatement of the EPR paradox. As a matter of fact two Dimensions of Time would prove the EPR paradox. It is obvious from that argument that if one needed to take advantage of Information, then a fairly large space needs to be used, a large amount of Energy needs to be Generated and a symmetry needs to be established in Space-like the lobes of a Brain in order to detect the fact that the Tclock and Tinfo are not Commuting. This Non-Commuting deposits a large amount of Information simultaneously in that space, and synchronizes the time there.

  4. Graphical method for determination of critical dimensions and neutron flux distribution in multi zone nuclear reactors; Graficka metoda za odredjivanje kriticnih dimenzija i raspodele fluksa kod multiregionalnih nuklearnih reaktora

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Radanovic, Lj; Bingulac, S; Lazarevic, B; Matausek, M [The Institute of Nuclear Sciences Boris Kidric, Vinca, Beograd (Yugoslavia)

    1964-07-01

    This paper describes the graphical method for calculating the neutron flux distribution by using normalized Riccati equations. It was shown that the solutions of adequately normalized Riccati equations could be used as standard curves for determining the critical dimensions and radial flux distribution in multi zone nuclear reactors. the methos is applicable irrelevant of the number and position of the region in the core.

  5. Time-varying spatial data integration and visualization: 4 Dimensions Environmental Observations Platform (4-DEOS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paciello, Rossana; Coviello, Irina; Filizzola, Carolina; Genzano, Nicola; Lisi, Mariano; Mazzeo, Giuseppe; Pergola, Nicola; Sileo, Giancanio; Tramutoli, Valerio

    2014-05-01

    In environmental studies the integration of heterogeneous and time-varying data, is a very common requirement for investigating and possibly visualize correlations among physical parameters underlying the dynamics of complex phenomena. Datasets used in such kind of applications has often different spatial and temporal resolutions. In some case superimposition of asynchronous layers is required. Traditionally the platforms used to perform spatio-temporal visual data analyses allow to overlay spatial data, managing the time using 'snapshot' data model, each stack of layers being labeled with different time. But this kind of architecture does not incorporate the temporal indexing neither the third spatial dimension which is usually given as an independent additional layer. Conversely, the full representation of a generic environmental parameter P(x,y,z,t) in the 4D space-time domain could allow to handle asynchronous datasets as well as less traditional data-products (e.g. vertical sections, punctual time-series, etc.) . In this paper we present the 4 Dimensions Environmental Observation Platform (4-DEOS), a system based on a web services architecture Client-Broker-Server. This platform is a new open source solution for both a timely access and an easy integration and visualization of heterogeneous (maps, vertical profiles or sections, punctual time series, etc.) asynchronous, geospatial products. The innovative aspect of the 4-DEOS system is that users can analyze data/products individually moving through time, having also the possibility to stop the display of some data/products and focus on other parameters for better studying their temporal evolution. This platform gives the opportunity to choose between two distinct display modes for time interval or for single instant. Users can choose to visualize data/products in two ways: i) showing each parameter in a dedicated window or ii) visualize all parameters overlapped in a single window. A sliding time bar, allows

  6. Stimulus-response correspondence in go-nogo and choice tasks: Are reactions altered by the presence of an irrelevant salient object?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lien, Mei-Ching; Pedersen, Logan; Proctor, Robert W

    2016-11-01

    In 2-choice tasks, responses are faster when stimulus location corresponds to response location, even when stimulus location is irrelevant. Dolk et al. (J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform 39:1248-1260, 2013a) found this stimulus-response correspondence effect with a single response location in a go-nogo task when an irrelevant Japanese waving cat was present. They argued that salient objects trigger spatial coding of the response relative to that object. We examined this claim using both behavioral and lateralized readiness potential (LRP) measures. In Experiment 1 participants determined the pitch of a left- or right-positioned tone, whereas in Experiment 2 they determined the color of a dot within a centrally located hand pointing left, right, or straight ahead. In both experiments, participants performed a go-nogo task with the right-index finger and a 2-choice task with both index fingers, with a left-positioned Japanese waving cat present or absent. For the go-nogo task, the cat induced a correspondence effect on response times (RT) to the tones (Experiment 1) but not the visual stimuli (Experiment 2). For the 2-choice task, a correspondence effect was evident in all conditions in both experiments. Cat's presence/absence did not significantly modulate the effect for right and left responses, although there was a trend toward increased RT and LRP for right responses in Experiment 1. The results imply that a salient, irrelevant object could provide a reference frame for response coding when attention is available to process it, as is likely in an auditory task (Experiment 1) but not a visual task (Experiment 2).

  7. Food words distract the hungry: Evidence of involuntary semantic processing of task-irrelevant but biologically-relevant unexpected auditory words.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parmentier, Fabrice B R; Pacheco-Unguetti, Antonia P; Valero, Sara

    2018-01-01

    Rare changes in a stream of otherwise repeated task-irrelevant sounds break through selective attention and disrupt performance in an unrelated visual task by triggering shifts of attention to and from the deviant sound (deviance distraction). Evidence indicates that the involuntary orientation of attention to unexpected sounds is followed by their semantic processing. However, past demonstrations relied on tasks in which the meaning of the deviant sounds overlapped with features of the primary task. Here we examine whether such processing is observed when no such overlap is present but sounds carry some relevance to the participants' biological need to eat when hungry. We report the results of an experiment in which hungry and satiated participants partook in a cross-modal oddball task in which they categorized visual digits (odd/even) while ignoring task-irrelevant sounds. On most trials the irrelevant sound was a sinewave tone (standard sound). On the remaining trials, deviant sounds consisted of spoken words related to food (food deviants) or control words (control deviants). Questionnaire data confirmed state (but not trait) differences between the two groups with respect to food craving, as well as a greater desire to eat the food corresponding to the food-related words in the hungry relative to the satiated participants. The results of the oddball task revealed that food deviants produced greater distraction (longer response times) than control deviants in hungry participants while the reverse effect was observed in satiated participants. This effect was observed in the first block of trials but disappeared thereafter, reflecting semantic saturation. Our results suggest that (1) the semantic content of deviant sounds is involuntarily processed even when sharing no feature with the primary task; and that (2) distraction by deviant sounds can be modulated by the participants' biological needs.

  8. The use of three orthogonal time-dimensions for concept reconciliation in physics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lewis, B.L.

    1981-01-01

    This paper uses logic and documented experimental results to show that there is overwhelming evidence to prove that time is multidimensional but that man can only perceive (measure) one of these dimensions. This paper attempts to demonstrate that man has enough experimental clues to permit him to develop a useful multidimensional time concept that will allow him to relate and explain observable physical phenomena. To demonstrate this, a multidimensional time concept is developed and used to explain and relate the following: the wave particle duality of nature, electromagnetic phenomena, intrinsic angular momentum, time dilation, Lorentz contraction and gravity. In the process, electrons are related to photons, protons to neutrinos and all four to tachyons. (Auth.)

  9. Attentional state modulates the effect of an irrelevant stimulus dimension on perception.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herrmann, Björn; Johnsrude, Ingrid S

    2018-01-01

    Covariations of acoustic features provide redundancy in rapidly changing soundscapes: Hearing one feature enables a listener to infer another if these 2 features normally covary. However, it is unknown whether situational demands affect the degree to which covariations influence perceptual inferences. We exploited a perceptual interdependency between modulation rate and frequency and examined, in 6 experiments, whether challenging situations would alter the degree to which people rely on frequency information to make decisions about modulation rate. Participants listened to amplitude-modulated (AM) sounds with modulation rates (∼5 Hz) either decreasing or increasing over time and identified the direction of the rate change. Participants were instructed to ignore carrier frequency, which either decreased or increased (∼1,300 Hz) over time. We observed that participants were more likely to perceive the modulation rate as slowing down when frequency decreased and as speeding up when frequency increased (AM-rate change illusion). The magnitude of the illusion increased when uninformative cues (compared with informative cues) prohibited regulation of attention to sounds, and under distraction introduced by a concurrent visual motion-tracking task. The evidence suggests that the attentional state affects how strongly people rely on featural covariations to make perceptual inferences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  10. Approach-avoidance of facial affect is moderated by the presence of an observer-irrelevant trigger

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Renard, S.B.; de Jong, P.J.; Pijnenborg, G.H.M.

    This study examined whether approach-avoidance related behaviour elicited by facial affect is moderated by the presence of an observer-irrelevant trigger that may influence the observer's attributions of the actor's emotion. Participants were shown happy, disgusted, and neutral facial expressions.

  11. Influence of water-soaking time on the acoustic emission characteristics and spatial fractal dimensions of coal under uniaxial compression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jia Zheqiang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The water-soaking time affects the physical and mechanical properties of coals, and the temporal and spatial evolution of acoustic emissions reflects the fracture damage process of rock. This study conducted uniaxial compression acoustic emissions tests of coal samples with different water-soaking times to investigate the influence of water-soaking time on the acoustic emissions characteristics and spatial fractal dimensions during the deformation and failure process of coals. The results demonstrate that the acoustic emissions characteristics decrease with increases in the water-soaking time. The acoustic emissions spatial fractal dimension changes from a single dimensionality reduction model to a fluctuation dimensionality reduction model, and the stress level of the initial descending point of the fractal dimension increases. With increases in the water-soaking time, the destruction of coal transitions from continuous intense failure throughout the process to a lower release of energy concentrated near the peak strength.

  12. Irrelevant sensory stimuli interfere with working memory storage: evidence from a computational model of prefrontal neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bancroft, Tyler D; Hockley, William E; Servos, Philip

    2013-03-01

    The encoding of irrelevant stimuli into the memory store has previously been suggested as a mechanism of interference in working memory (e.g., Lange & Oberauer, Memory, 13, 333-339, 2005; Nairne, Memory & Cognition, 18, 251-269, 1990). Recently, Bancroft and Servos (Experimental Brain Research, 208, 529-532, 2011) used a tactile working memory task to provide experimental evidence that irrelevant stimuli were, in fact, encoded into working memory. In the present study, we replicated Bancroft and Servos's experimental findings using a biologically based computational model of prefrontal neurons, providing a neurocomputational model of overwriting in working memory. Furthermore, our modeling results show that inhibition acts to protect the contents of working memory, and they suggest a need for further experimental research into the capacity of vibrotactile working memory.

  13. Rumination impairs the control of stimulus-induced retrieval of irrelevant information, but not attention, control, or response selection in general.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colzato, Lorenza S; Steenbergen, Laura; Hommel, Bernhard

    2018-01-23

    The aim of the study was to throw more light on the relationship between rumination and cognitive-control processes. Seventy-eight adults were assessed with respect to rumination tendencies by means of the LEIDS-r before performing a Stroop task, an event-file task assessing the automatic retrieval of irrelevant information, an attentional set-shifting task, and the Attentional Network Task, which provided scores for alerting, orienting, and executive control functioning. The size of the Stroop effect and irrelevant retrieval in the event-five task were positively correlated with the tendency to ruminate, while all other scores did not correlate with any rumination scale. Controlling for depressive tendencies eliminated the Stroop-related finding (an observation that may account for previous failures to replicate), but not the event-file finding. Taken altogether, our results suggest that rumination does not affect attention, executive control, or response selection in general, but rather selectively impairs the control of stimulus-induced retrieval of irrelevant information.

  14. Socially anxious individuals with low working memory capacity could not inhibit the goal-irrelevant information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moriya, Jun; Sugiura, Yoshinori

    2013-01-01

    Socially anxious individuals are interfered by distractors. Recent work has suggested that low working memory capacity and inappropriate temporary goal induce attention to distractors. We investigated the effects of working memory capacity and temporary goal on attention to distractors in social anxiety. Participants viewed a rapid serial visual presentation, in which participants reported the identity of a single target letter drawn in red. Distractors appeared before the target was presented. When the color of distractors was red (i.e., goal-relevant stimuli), low-capacity individuals were strongly interfered by the distractors compared to high-capacity individuals regardless of social anxiety. When the color of distractors was goal-irrelevant, low-capacity and high socially anxious individuals were strongly interfered by the distractors. These results suggest that socially anxious individuals with low working memory capacity could not inhibit the goal-irrelevant information and direct attention to distractors.

  15. Socially Anxious Individuals with Low Working Memory Capacity Could Not Inhibit the Goal-Irrelevant Information

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun eMoriya

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Socially anxious individuals are interfered by distractors. Recent work has suggested that low working memory capacity and inappropriate temporary goal induce attentional capture to distractors. We investigated the effects of working memory capacity and temporary goal on attentional capture to distractors in social anxiety. Participants viewed a rapid serial visual presentation, in which participants reported the identity of a single target letter drawn in red. Distractors appeared before the target was presented. When the color of distractors was red (i.e., goal-relevant stimuli, low-capacity individuals were strongly interfered by the distractors compared to high-capacity individuals regardless of social anxiety. When the color of distractors was goal-irrelevant, low-capacity and high socially anxious individuals were strongly interfered by the distractors. These results suggest that socially anxious individuals with low working memory capacity could not inhibit the goal-irrelevant information and direct attention to distractors.

  16. Effects of irrelevant speech and traffic noise on speech perception and cognitive performance in elementary school children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klatte, Maria; Meis, Markus; Sukowski, Helga; Schick, August

    2007-01-01

    The effects of background noise of moderate intensity on short-term storage and processing of verbal information were analyzed in 6 to 8 year old children. In line with adult studies on "irrelevant sound effect" (ISE), serial recall of visually presented digits was severely disrupted by background speech that the children did not understand. Train noises of equal Intensity however, had no effect. Similar results were demonstrated with tasks requiring storage and processing of heard information. Memory for nonwords, execution of oral instructions and categorizing speech sounds were significantly disrupted by irrelevant speech. The affected functions play a fundamental role in the acquisition of spoken and written language. Implications concerning current models of the ISE and the acoustic conditions in schools and kindergardens are discussed.

  17. Time-Homogeneous Parabolic Wick-Anderson Model in One Space Dimension: Regularity of Solution

    OpenAIRE

    Kim, Hyun-Jung; Lototsky, Sergey V

    2017-01-01

    Even though the heat equation with random potential is a well-studied object, the particular case of time-independent Gaussian white noise in one space dimension has yet to receive the attention it deserves. The paper investigates the stochastic heat equation with space-only Gaussian white noise on a bounded interval. The main result is that the space-time regularity of the solution is the same for additive noise and for multiplicative noise in the Wick-It\\^o-Skorokhod interpretation.

  18. fMRI correlates of object-based attentional facilitation versus suppression of irrelevant stimuli, dependent on global grouping and endogenous cueing.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elliot D Freeman

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Theories of object-based attention often make two assumptions: that attentional resources are facilitatory, and that they spread automatically within grouped objects. Consistent with this, ignored visual stimuli can be easier to process, or more distracting, when perceptually grouped with an attended target stimulus. But in past studies, the ignored stimuli often shared potentially relevant features or locations with the target. In this fMRI study, we measured the effects of attention and grouping on Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD responses in the human brain to entirely task-irrelevant events.Two checkerboards were displayed each in opposite hemifields, while participants responded to check-size changes in one pre-cued hemifield, which varied between blocks. Grouping (or segmentation between hemifields was manipulated between blocks, using common (versus distinct motion cues. Task-irrelevant transient events were introduced by randomly changing the colour of either checkerboard, attended or ignored, at unpredictable intervals. The above assumptions predict heightened BOLD signals for irrelevant events in attended versus ignored hemifields for ungrouped contexts, but less such attentional modulation under grouping, due to automatic spreading of facilitation across hemifields. We found the opposite pattern, in primary visual cortex. For ungrouped stimuli, BOLD signals associated with task-irrelevant changes were lower, not higher, in the attended versus ignored hemifield; furthermore, attentional modulation was not reduced but actually inverted under grouping, with higher signals for events in the attended versus ignored hemifield.

  19. Temporal dimension in cognitive models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Decortis, F.; Cacciabue, P.C.

    1988-01-01

    Increased attention has been given to the role of humans in nuclear power plant safety, but one aspect seldom considered is the temporal dimension of human reasoning. Time is recognized as crucial in human reasoning and has been the subject of empirical studies where cognitive mechanisms and strategies to face the temporal dimension have been studied. The present study shows why temporal reasoning is essential in Human Reliability Analysis and how it could be introduced in a human model. Accounting for the time dimension in human behaviour is discussed first, with reference to proven field studies. Then, theoretical modelling of the temporal dimension in human reasoning and its relevance in simulation of cognitive activities of plant operator is discussed. Finally a Time Experience Model is presented

  20. Object-based Encoding in Visual Working Memory: Evidence from Memory-driven Attentional Capture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Zaifeng; Yu, Shixian; Zhu, Chengfeng; Shui, Rende; Weng, Xuchu; Li, Peng; Shen, Mowei

    2016-03-09

    Visual working memory (VWM) adopts a specific manner of object-based encoding (OBE) to extract perceptual information: Whenever one feature-dimension is selected for entry into VWM, the others are also extracted. Currently most studies revealing OBE probed an 'irrelevant-change distracting effect', where changes of irrelevant-features dramatically affected the performance of the target feature. However, the existence of irrelevant-feature change may affect participants' processing manner, leading to a false-positive result. The current study conducted a strict examination of OBE in VWM, by probing whether irrelevant-features guided the deployment of attention in visual search. The participants memorized an object's colour yet ignored shape and concurrently performed a visual-search task. They searched for a target line among distractor lines, each embedded within a different object. One object in the search display could match the shape, colour, or both dimensions of the memory item, but this object never contained the target line. Relative to a neutral baseline, where there was no match between the memory and search displays, search time was significantly prolonged in all match conditions, regardless of whether the memory item was displayed for 100 or 1000 ms. These results suggest that task-irrelevant shape was extracted into VWM, supporting OBE in VWM.

  1. Z4-symmetric factorized S-matrix in two space-time dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zamolodchikov, A.B.

    1979-01-01

    The factorized S-matrix with internal symmetry Z 4 is constructed in two space-time dimensions. The two-particle amplitudes are obtained by means of solving the factorization, unitarity and analyticity equations. The solution of factorization equations can be expressed in terms of elliptic functions. The S-matrix cotains the resonance poles naturally. The simple formal relation between the general factorized S-matrices and the Baxter-type lattice transfer matrices is found. In the sense of this relation the Z 4 -symmetric S-matrix corresponds to the Baxter transfer matrix itself. (orig.)

  2. With task experience students learn to ignore the content, not just the location of irrelevant information

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rop, Gertjan; Verkoeijen, Peter P J L; van Gog, Tamara

    2017-01-01

    Presentation of irrelevant additional information hampers learning. However, using a word-learning task, recent research demonstrated that an initial negative effect of mismatching pictures on learning no longer occurred once learners gained task experience. It is unclear, however, whether learners

  3. Evolution Of The Concept Of Dimension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Journeau, Philippe F.

    2007-01-01

    Concepts of time elapsing 'in' a space measuring the real emerge over the centuries. But Kant refutes absolute time and defines it, with space, as forms reacting to Newtonian mechanics. Einstein and Minkowski open a 20th century where time is a dimension, a substratum of reality 'with' space rather than 'in' it. Kaluza-Klein and String theories then develop a trend of additional spatial dimensions while de Broglie and Bohm open the possiblity that form, to begin with wave, be a reality together 'with' a space-time particle. Other recent theories, such as spin networks, causal sets and twistor theory, even head to the idea of other 'systems of dimensions'. On the basis of such progresses and recent experiments the paper then considers a background independent fourfold time-form-action-space system of dimensions

  4. Oculomotor guidance and capture by irrelevant faces.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christel Devue

    Full Text Available Even though it is generally agreed that face stimuli constitute a special class of stimuli, which are treated preferentially by our visual system, it remains unclear whether faces can capture attention in a stimulus-driven manner. Moreover, there is a long-standing debate regarding the mechanism underlying the preferential bias of selecting faces. Some claim that faces constitute a set of special low-level features to which our visual system is tuned; others claim that the visual system is capable of extracting the meaning of faces very rapidly, driving attentional selection. Those debates continue because many studies contain methodological peculiarities and manipulations that prevent a definitive conclusion. Here, we present a new visual search task in which observers had to make a saccade to a uniquely colored circle while completely irrelevant objects were also present in the visual field. The results indicate that faces capture and guide the eyes more than other animated objects and that our visual system is not only tuned to the low-level features that make up a face but also to its meaning.

  5. Space-time supersymmetry of extended fermionic strings in 2 + 2 dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ketov, S.V.

    1993-04-01

    The N = 2 fermionic string theory is revisited in light of its recently proposed equivalence to the non-compact N = 4 fermionic string model. The issues of space-time Lorentz covariance and supersymmetry for the BRST quantized N = 2 strings living in uncompactified 2 + 2 dimensions are discussed. The equivalent local quantum supersymmetric field theory appears to be the most transparent way to represent the space-time symmetries of the extended fermionic strings and their interactions. Our considerations support the Siegel's ideas about the presence of SO(2,2) Lorentz symmetry as well as at least two self-dual space-time supersymmetries in the theory of the N = 2(4) fermionic strings, though we do not have a compelling reason to argue about the necessity of the maximal space-time supersymmetry. The world-sheet arguments about the absence of all string massive modes in the physical spectrum, and the vanishing of all string-loop amplitudes in the Polyakov approach, are given on the basis of general consistency of the theory. (orig.)

  6. The Effect of Task-Irrelevant Fearful-Face Distractor on Working Memory Processing in Mild Cognitive Impairment versus Healthy Controls: An Exploratory fMRI Study in Female Participants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amer M. Burhan

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available In mild cognitive impairment (MCI, a risk state for Alzheimer’s disease, patients have objective cognitive deficits with relatively preserved functioning. fMRI studies have identified anomalies during working memory (WM processing in individuals with MCI. The effect of task-irrelevant emotional face distractor on WM processing in MCI remains unclear. We aim to explore the impact of fearful-face task-irrelevant distractor on WM processing in MCI using fMRI. Hypothesis. Compared to healthy controls (HC, MCI patients will show significantly higher BOLD signal in a priori identified regions of interest (ROIs during a WM task with a task-irrelevant emotional face distractor. Methods. 9 right-handed female participants with MCI and 12 matched HC performed a WM task with standardized task-irrelevant fearful versus neutral face distractors randomized and counterbalanced across WM trials. MRI images were acquired during the WM task and BOLD signal was analyzed using statistical parametric mapping (SPM to identify signal patterns during the task response phase. Results. Task-irrelevant fearful-face distractor resulted in higher activation in the amygdala, anterior cingulate, and frontal areas, in MCI participants compared to HC. Conclusions. This exploratory study suggests altered WM processing as a result of fearful-face distractor in MCI.

  7. Darboux transformations for the time-dependent nonhomogeneous Burgers equation in (1+1) dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schulze-Halberg, Axel; Manuel Carballo Jimenez, Juan

    2009-01-01

    We extend the formalism of nth order Darboux transformations to the time-dependent nonhomogeneous Burgers equation (NBE) in (1+1) dimensions. Similar to the Schroedinger case, our Darboux transformation retains the form of the NBE, while changing the nonhomogeneous term. The transformed solution of the NBE and the corresponding transformed nonhomogeneity are given in closed form. Furthermore, properties of the transformation are discussed and an application is given.

  8. A crossmodal crossover: opposite effects of visual and auditory perceptual load on steady-state evoked potentials to irrelevant visual stimuli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacoby, Oscar; Hall, Sarah E; Mattingley, Jason B

    2012-07-16

    Mechanisms of attention are required to prioritise goal-relevant sensory events under conditions of stimulus competition. According to the perceptual load model of attention, the extent to which task-irrelevant inputs are processed is determined by the relative demands of discriminating the target: the more perceptually demanding the target task, the less unattended stimuli will be processed. Although much evidence supports the perceptual load model for competing stimuli within a single sensory modality, the effects of perceptual load in one modality on distractor processing in another is less clear. Here we used steady-state evoked potentials (SSEPs) to measure neural responses to irrelevant visual checkerboard stimuli while participants performed either a visual or auditory task that varied in perceptual load. Consistent with perceptual load theory, increasing visual task load suppressed SSEPs to the ignored visual checkerboards. In contrast, increasing auditory task load enhanced SSEPs to the ignored visual checkerboards. This enhanced neural response to irrelevant visual stimuli under auditory load suggests that exhausting capacity within one modality selectively compromises inhibitory processes required for filtering stimuli in another. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Task-irrelevant expectation violations in sequential manual actions: Evidence for a “check-after-surprise” mode of visual attention and eye-hand decoupling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rebecca Martina Foerster

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available When performing sequential manual actions (e.g., cooking, visual information is prioritized according to the task determining where and when to attend, look, and act. In well-practiced sequential actions, long-term memory (LTM-based expectations specify which action targets might be found where and when. We have previously demonstrated (Foerster and Schneider, 2015b that violations of such expectations that are task-relevant (e.g., target location change cause a regression from a memory-based mode of attentional selection to visual search. How might task-irrelevant expectation violations in such well-practiced sequential manual actions modify attentional selection? This question was investigated by a computerized version of the number-connection test. Participants clicked on nine spatially-distributed numbered target circles in ascending order while eye movements were recorded as proxy for covert attention. Target’s visual features and locations stayed constant for 65 prechange-trials, allowing practicing the manual action sequence. Consecutively, a task-irrelevant expectation violation occurred and stayed for 20 change-trials. Specifically, action target number 4 appeared in a different font. In 15 reversion-trials, number 4 returned to the original font. During the first task-irrelevant change trial, manual clicking was slower and eye scanpaths were larger and contained more fixations. The additional fixations were mainly checking fixations on the changed target while acting on later targets. Whereas the eyes repeatedly revisited the task-irrelevant change, cursor-paths remained completely unaffected. Effects lasted for 2-3 change trials and did not reappear during reversion. In conclusion, an unexpected task-irrelevant change on a task-defining feature of a well-practiced manual sequence leads to eye-hand decoupling and a check-after-surprise mode of attentional selection.

  10. Chassis organism from Corynebacterium glutamicum--a top-down approach to identify and delete irrelevant gene clusters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Unthan, Simon; Baumgart, Meike; Radek, Andreas; Herbst, Marius; Siebert, Daniel; Brühl, Natalie; Bartsch, Anna; Bott, Michael; Wiechert, Wolfgang; Marin, Kay; Hans, Stephan; Krämer, Reinhard; Seibold, Gerd; Frunzke, Julia; Kalinowski, Jörn; Rückert, Christian; Wendisch, Volker F; Noack, Stephan

    2015-02-01

    For synthetic biology applications, a robust structural basis is required, which can be constructed either from scratch or in a top-down approach starting from any existing organism. In this study, we initiated the top-down construction of a chassis organism from Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13032, aiming for the relevant gene set to maintain its fast growth on defined medium. We evaluated each native gene for its essentiality considering expression levels, phylogenetic conservation, and knockout data. Based on this classification, we determined 41 gene clusters ranging from 3.7 to 49.7 kbp as target sites for deletion. 36 deletions were successful and 10 genome-reduced strains showed impaired growth rates, indicating that genes were hit, which are relevant to maintain biological fitness at wild-type level. In contrast, 26 deleted clusters were found to include exclusively irrelevant genes for growth on defined medium. A combinatory deletion of all irrelevant gene clusters would, in a prophage-free strain, decrease the size of the native genome by about 722 kbp (22%) to 2561 kbp. Finally, five combinatory deletions of irrelevant gene clusters were investigated. The study introduces the novel concept of relevant genes and demonstrates general strategies to construct a chassis suitable for biotechnological application. © 2014 The Authors. Biotechnology Journal published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-NoDerivs Licence, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non- commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

  11. Principles of space-time-matter cosmology, particles and waves in five dimensions

    CERN Document Server

    Overduin, James

    2018-01-01

    This book is a summing up of the prospects for unification between relativity and particle physics based on the extension of Einstein's theory of General Relativity to five dimensions. This subject was first established by Paul Wesson in his previous best-seller, Space-Time-Matter, and discussed from a different perspective in Five-Dimensional Physics, both published by World Scientific in 1999 and 2006 respectively. This third book brings the field up to date and details many new developments and connections to particle theory and wave mechanics in particular. It was in largely finished form at the time of Paul Wesson's untimely death in 2015, and has been completed and expanded by his former student and longtime collaborator, James Overduin.

  12. Cubic scattering amplitudes for all massless representations of the Poincare group in any space-time dimension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fradkin, E.S.; Metsaev, R.R.

    1996-02-01

    Using the language of highest weight representations and the light cone formalism we construct a full list of cubic amplitudes of scattering for all bosonic massless representations of the Poincare group in any even space-time dimension. (author). 29 refs

  13. Algorithmic modeling of the irrelevant sound effect (ISE) by the hearing sensation fluctuation strength.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlittmeier, Sabine J; Weissgerber, Tobias; Kerber, Stefan; Fastl, Hugo; Hellbrück, Jürgen

    2012-01-01

    Background sounds, such as narration, music with prominent staccato passages, and office noise impair verbal short-term memory even when these sounds are irrelevant. This irrelevant sound effect (ISE) is evoked by so-called changing-state sounds that are characterized by a distinct temporal structure with varying successive auditory-perceptive tokens. However, because of the absence of an appropriate psychoacoustically based instrumental measure, the disturbing impact of a given speech or nonspeech sound could not be predicted until now, but necessitated behavioral testing. Our database for parametric modeling of the ISE included approximately 40 background sounds (e.g., speech, music, tone sequences, office noise, traffic noise) and corresponding performance data that was collected from 70 behavioral measurements of verbal short-term memory. The hearing sensation fluctuation strength was chosen to model the ISE and describes the percept of fluctuations when listening to slowly modulated sounds (f(mod) background sounds, the algorithm estimated behavioral performance data in 63 of 70 cases within the interquartile ranges. In particular, all real-world sounds were modeled adequately, whereas the algorithm overestimated the (non-)disturbance impact of synthetic steady-state sounds that were constituted by a repeated vowel or tone. Implications of the algorithm's strengths and prediction errors are discussed.

  14. Cross-section parameterization of the pebble bed modular reactor using the dimension-wise expansion model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zivanovic, Rastko; Bokov, Pavel M.

    2010-01-01

    This paper discusses the use of the dimension-wise expansion model for cross-section parameterization. The components of the model were approximated with tensor products of orthogonal polynomials. As we demonstrate, the model for a specific cross-section can be built in a systematic way directly from data without any a priori knowledge of its structure. The methodology is able to construct a finite basis of orthogonal polynomials that is required to approximate a cross-section with pre-specified accuracy. The methodology includes a global sensitivity analysis that indicates irrelevant state parameters which can be excluded from the model without compromising the accuracy of the approximation and without repetition of the fitting process. To fit the dimension-wise expansion model, Randomised Quasi-Monte-Carlo Integration and Sparse Grid Integration methods were used. To test the parameterization methods with different integrations embedded we have used the OECD PBMR 400 MW benchmark problem. It has been shown in this paper that the Sparse Grid Integration achieves pre-specified accuracy with a significantly (up to 1-2 orders of magnitude) smaller number of samples compared to Randomised Quasi-Monte-Carlo Integration.

  15. Enhanced discriminative fear learning of phobia-irrelevant stimuli in spider-fearful individuals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carina eMosig

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Avoidance is considered as a central hallmark of all anxiety disorders. The acquisition and expression of avoidance which leads to the maintenance and exacerbation of pathological fear is closely linked to Pavlovian and operant conditioning processes. Changes in conditionability might represent a key feature of all anxiety disorders but the exact nature of these alterations might vary across different disorders. To date, no information is available on specific changes in conditionability for disorder-irrelevant stimuli in specific phobia (SP. The first aim of this study was to investigate changes in fear acquisition and extinction in spider-fearful individuals as compared to non-fearful participants by using the de novo fear conditioning paradigm. Secondly, we aimed to determine whether differences in the magnitude of context-dependent fear retrieval exist between spider-fearful and non-fearful individuals. Our findings point to an enhanced fear discrimination in spider-fearful individuals as compared to non-fearful individuals at both the physiological and subjective level. The enhanced fear discrimination in spider-fearful individuals was neither mediated by increased state anxiety, depression, nor stress tension. Spider-fearful individuals displayed no changes in extinction learning and/or fear retrieval. Surprisingly, we found no evidence for context-dependent modulation of fear retrieval in either group. Here we provide first evidence that spider-fearful individuals show an enhanced discriminative fear learning of phobia-irrelevant (de novo stimuli. Our findings provide novel insights into the role of fear acquisition and expression for the development and maintenance of maladaptive responses in the course of SP.

  16. Generalized correlation dimension - a way to analyze short time changes in non-linear dynamics of thermal plasma

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Gruber, Jan

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 56, č. 2 (2011), s. 185-205 ISSN 0001-7043 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20570509 Keywords : correlation dimension * time-embeddings * chaos Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics

  17. Valuing Health Using Time Trade-Off and Discrete Choice Experiment Methods: Does Dimension Order Impact on Health State Values?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mulhern, Brendan; Shah, Koonal; Janssen, Mathieu F Bas; Longworth, Louise; Ibbotson, Rachel

    2016-01-01

    Health states defined by multiattribute instruments such as the EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire with five response levels (EQ-5D-5L) can be valued using time trade-off (TTO) or discrete choice experiment (DCE) methods. A key feature of the tasks is the order in which the health state dimensions are presented. Respondents may use various heuristics to complete the tasks, and therefore the order of the dimensions may impact on the importance assigned to particular states. To assess the impact of different EQ-5D-5L dimension orders on health state values. Preferences for EQ-5D-5L health states were elicited from a broadly representative sample of members of the UK general public. Respondents valued EQ-5D-5L health states using TTO and DCE methods across one of three dimension orderings via face-to-face computer-assisted personal interviews. Differences in mean values and the size of the health dimension coefficients across the arms were compared using difference testing and regression analyses. Descriptive analysis suggested some differences between the mean TTO health state values across the different dimension orderings, but these were not systematic. Regression analysis suggested that the magnitude of the dimension coefficients differs across the different dimension orderings (for both TTO and DCE), but there was no clear pattern. There is some evidence that the order in which the dimensions are presented impacts on the coefficients, which may impact on the health state values provided. The order of dimensions is a key consideration in the design of health state valuation studies. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  18. Altered visual-spatial attention to task-irrelevant information is associated with falls risk in older adults

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagamatsu, Lindsay S.; Munkacsy, Michelle; Liu-Ambrose, Teresa; Handy, Todd C.

    2014-01-01

    Executive cognitive functions play a critical role in falls risk – a pressing health care issue in seniors. In particular, intact attentional processing is integral for safe mobility and navigation. However, the specific contribution of impaired visual-spatial attention in falls remains unclear. In this study, we examined the association between visual-spatial attention to task-irrelevant stimuli and falls risk in community-dwelling older adults. Participants completed a visual target discrimination task at fixation while task-irrelevant probes were presented in both visual fields. We assessed attention to left and right peripheral probes using event-related potentials (ERPs). Falls risk was determined using the valid and reliable Physiological Profile Assessment (PPA). We found a significantly positive association between reduced attentional facilitation, as measured by the N1 ERP component, and falls risk. This relationship was specific to probes presented in the left visual field and measured at ipsilateral electrode sites. Our results suggest that fallers exhibit reduced attention to the left side of visual space and provide evidence that impaired right hemispheric function and/or structure may contribute to falls. PMID:24436970

  19. Time-dependent Schroedinger equations with effective mass in (2 + 1) dimensions: intertwining relations and Darboux operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cobian, Hector; Schulze-Halberg, Axel

    2011-01-01

    We construct Darboux transformations for time-dependent Schroedinger equations with position-dependent mass in (2 + 1) dimensions. Several examples illustrate our results, which complement and generalize former findings for the constant mass case in two spatial variables (Schulze-Halberg 2010 J. Math. Phys. 51 033521).

  20. El Naschie's ε (∞) space-time and scale relativity theory in the topological dimension D = 4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agop, M.; Murgulet, C.

    2007-01-01

    In the topological dimension D = 4 of the scale relativity theory, the self-structuring of a coherent quantum fluid implies the Golden mean renormalization group. Then, the transfinite set of El Naschie's ε (∞) space-time becomes the background of a new physics (the transfinite physics)

  1. What characterizes changing-state speech in affecting short-term memory? An EEG study on the irrelevant sound effect.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlittmeier, Sabine J; Weisz, Nathan; Bertrand, Olivier

    2011-12-01

    The irrelevant sound effect (ISE) describes reduced verbal short-term memory during irrelevant changing-state sounds which consist of different and distinct auditory tokens. Steady-state sounds lack such changing-state features and do not impair performance. An EEG experiment (N=16) explored the distinguishing neurophysiological aspects of detrimental changing-state speech (3-token sequence) compared to ineffective steady-state speech (1-token sequence) on serial recall performance. We analyzed evoked and induced activity related to the memory items as well as spectral activity during the retention phase. The main finding is that the behavioral sound effect was exclusively reflected by attenuated token-induced gamma activation most pronounced between 50-60 Hz and 50-100 ms post-stimulus onset. Changing-state speech seems to disrupt a behaviorally relevant ongoing process during target presentation (e.g., the serial binding of the items). Copyright © 2011 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

  2. Dimension from covariance matrices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carroll, T L; Byers, J M

    2017-02-01

    We describe a method to estimate embedding dimension from a time series. This method includes an estimate of the probability that the dimension estimate is valid. Such validity estimates are not common in algorithms for calculating the properties of dynamical systems. The algorithm described here compares the eigenvalues of covariance matrices created from an embedded signal to the eigenvalues for a covariance matrix of a Gaussian random process with the same dimension and number of points. A statistical test gives the probability that the eigenvalues for the embedded signal did not come from the Gaussian random process.

  3. Dimension Reduction Aided Hyperspectral Image Classification with a Small-sized Training Dataset: Experimental Comparisons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jinya Su

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Hyperspectral images (HSI provide rich information which may not be captured by other sensing technologies and therefore gradually find a wide range of applications. However, they also generate a large amount of irrelevant or redundant data for a specific task. This causes a number of issues including significantly increased computation time, complexity and scale of prediction models mapping the data to semantics (e.g., classification, and the need of a large amount of labelled data for training. Particularly, it is generally difficult and expensive for experts to acquire sufficient training samples in many applications. This paper addresses these issues by exploring a number of classical dimension reduction algorithms in machine learning communities for HSI classification. To reduce the size of training dataset, feature selection (e.g., mutual information, minimal redundancy maximal relevance and feature extraction (e.g., Principal Component Analysis (PCA, Kernel PCA are adopted to augment a baseline classification method, Support Vector Machine (SVM. The proposed algorithms are evaluated using a real HSI dataset. It is shown that PCA yields the most promising performance in reducing the number of features or spectral bands. It is observed that while significantly reducing the computational complexity, the proposed method can achieve better classification results over the classic SVM on a small training dataset, which makes it suitable for real-time applications or when only limited training data are available. Furthermore, it can also achieve performances similar to the classic SVM on large datasets but with much less computing time.

  4. The problem of latent attentional capture: Easy visual search conceals capture by task-irrelevant abrupt onsets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaspelin, Nicholas; Ruthruff, Eric; Lien, Mei-Ching

    2016-08-01

    Researchers are sharply divided regarding whether irrelevant abrupt onsets capture spatial attention. Numerous studies report that they do and a roughly equal number report that they do not. This puzzle has inspired numerous attempts at reconciliation, none gaining general acceptance. The authors propose that abrupt onsets routinely capture attention, but the size of observed capture effects depends critically on how long attention dwells on distractor items which, in turn, depends critically on search difficulty. In a series of spatial cuing experiments, the authors show that irrelevant abrupt onsets produce robust capture effects when visual search is difficult, but not when search is easy. Critically, this effect occurs even when search difficulty varies randomly across trials, preventing any strategic adjustments of the attentional set that could modulate probability of capture by the onset cue. The authors argue that easy visual search provides an insensitive test for stimulus-driven capture by abrupt onsets: even though onsets truly capture attention, the effects of capture can be latent. This observation helps to explain previous failures to find capture by onsets, nearly all of which used an easy visual search. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  5. Object-based encoding in visual working memory: a life span study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qiong; Shen, Mowei; Tang, Ning; Zhao, Guohua; Gao, Zaifeng

    2013-08-20

    Recent studies on development of visual working memory (VWM) predominantly focus on VWM capacity and spatial-based information filtering in VWM. Here we explored another new aspect of VWM development: object-based encoding (OBE), which refers to the fact that even if one feature dimension is required to be selected into VWM, the other irrelevant dimensions are also extracted. We explored the OBE in children, young adults, and old adults, by probing an "irrelevant-change distracting effect" in which a change of stored irrelevant feature dramatically affects the performance of task-relevant features in a change-detection task. Participants were required to remember two or four simple colored shapes, while color was used as the relevant dimension. We found that changes to irrelevant shapes led to a significant distracting effect across the three age groups in both load conditions; however, children showed a greater degree of OBE than did young and old adults. These results suggest that OBE exists in VWM over the life span (6-67 years), yet continues to develop along with VWM.

  6. Monetary reward modulates task-irrelevant perceptual learning for invisible stimuli.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pascucci, David; Mastropasqua, Tommaso; Turatto, Massimo

    2015-01-01

    Task Irrelevant Perceptual Learning (TIPL) shows that the brain's discriminative capacity can improve also for invisible and unattended visual stimuli. It has been hypothesized that this form of "unconscious" neural plasticity is mediated by an endogenous reward mechanism triggered by the correct task performance. Although this result has challenged the mandatory role of attention in perceptual learning, no direct evidence exists of the hypothesized link between target recognition, reward and TIPL. Here, we manipulated the reward value associated with a target to demonstrate the involvement of reinforcement mechanisms in sensory plasticity for invisible inputs. Participants were trained in a central task associated with either high or low monetary incentives, provided only at the end of the experiment, while subliminal stimuli were presented peripherally. Our results showed that high incentive-value targets induced a greater degree of perceptual improvement for the subliminal stimuli, supporting the role of reinforcement mechanisms in TIPL.

  7. Connection between Feynman integrals having different values of the space-time dimension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tarasov, O.V.

    1996-05-01

    A systematic algorithm for obtaining recurrence relations for dimensionally regularized Feynman integrals w.r.t. the space-time dimension d is proposed. The relation between d and d-2 dimensional integrals is given in terms of a differential operator for which an explicit formula can be obtained for each Feynman diagram. We show how the method works for one-, two- and three-loop integrals. The new recurrence relations w.r.t. d are complementary to the recurrence relations which derive from the method of integration by parts. We find that the problem of the irreducible numerators in Feynman integrals can be naturally solved in the framework of the proposed generalized recurrence relations. (orig.)

  8. Characterization of type, position and dimension of flaws by transit time locus curves of ultrasonic inspections - ALOK. Pt. 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grohs, B.; Barbian, O.A.; Kappes, W.; Paul, H.

    1981-01-01

    With automatic ultrasonic testing, flaws can be detected and described and thus characterized according to their type, position and dimensions. During scanning of a test object, the flaws are registered by many different pathways and many different acoustic irradiation directions. The transit time locus curve represents the distance between the relfecting points of a flaw and the source in dependence of the probe position; hence, information on flaw position and dimensions can be derived from this curve. If the sound velocity is known, the transit path can then be calculated from the transit time. This requires, above all, a constant sound velocity along the whole transit path. Various methods are presented for reconstructing the flaw border in the plane of incidence. (orig./RW) [de

  9. Task-Based Listening Assessment and the Influence of Construct-Irrelevant Variance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arshya Keyvanfar

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available Task-based listening tests such as IELTS require testees to listen to some information on a CD and simultaneously answer the related items. To answer such items, testees are expected to comprehend, analyze, compare and infer pieces of information while listening to the incoming audio material. The present research attempted to investigate whether the two major characteristics of question type and consecutive/simultaneous performance have any impact on the listening performance of Iranian EFL learners. Findings indicated that participants had a significantly better performance when they tackled the tasks consecutively, and performed even better in listening MC items rather than in listening task-based items. The researchers, thus, concluded that task-based listening tests such as IELTS listening module may be under the influence of construct-irrelevant variance.

  10. Effects of task-irrelevant grouping on visual selection in partial report

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lunau, Rasmus; Habekost, Thomas

    2017-01-01

    and the selection criterion was luminance. This effect was accompanied by impaired selectivity in unsorted-color trials. Overall, the results suggest that the benefit of task-irrelevant color grouping of targets is contingent on the processing locus of the selection criterion....... the color of the elements in these trials. In the sorted-color condition, the color of the display elements was arranged according to the selection criterion, and in the unsorted-color condition, colors were randomly assigned. The distractor cost was inferred by subtracting performance in partial......-report trials from performance in a control condition that had no distractors in the display. Across five experiments, we manipulated trial order, selection criterion, and exposure duration, and found that attentional selectivity was improved in sorted-color trials when the exposure duration was 200 ms...

  11. Floating of Black Holes in Dimension of Information

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gholibeigian, Hassan; Gholibeigian, Ghasem; Gholibeigian, Kazem

    2016-10-01

    In our vision, there is dimension of information in addition of space-time's dimensions as the fifth dimension of the universe. All of the space-time, mater, and dark mater/energy are always floating in this dimension and whispering to its communication as well as black holes. Communication of information (CI) is done with each fundamental particle (string) from fifth dimension via its four animated sub-particles (sub-strings) for transferring a package of complete information of its quantum state in a Planck time. Fundamental particle after process of information by its sub-particles goes to its next stage while carries the stored processed information. CI as the ``fundamental symmetry'' leads all processes of the black holes as well as other phenomena. Every point of space-time needs on time to its new package, because duration of each processing is a Planck time. So, stored soft super-translation hairs in terms of soft gravitons or photons on black hole's horizon, or stored information on a holographic plate at the future boundary of the horizon [Hawking et al.] can be only accessible for particles which are in those positions (horizon and its boundary), not for other locations of black hole for their fast processing. AmirKabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.

  12. From Finite Time to Finite Physical Dimensions Thermodynamics: The Carnot Engine and Onsager's Relations Revisited

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feidt, Michel; Costea, Monica

    2018-04-01

    Many works have been devoted to finite time thermodynamics since the Curzon and Ahlborn [1] contribution, which is generally considered as its origin. Nevertheless, previous works in this domain have been revealed [2], [3], and recently, results of the attempt to correlate Finite Time Thermodynamics with Linear Irreversible Thermodynamics according to Onsager's theory were reported [4]. The aim of the present paper is to extend and improve the approach relative to thermodynamic optimization of generic objective functions of a Carnot engine with linear response regime presented in [4]. The case study of the Carnot engine is revisited within the steady state hypothesis, when non-adiabaticity of the system is considered, and heat loss is accounted for by an overall heat leak between the engine heat reservoirs. The optimization is focused on the main objective functions connected to engineering conditions, namely maximum efficiency or power output, except the one relative to entropy that is more fundamental. Results given in reference [4] relative to the maximum power output and minimum entropy production as objective function are reconsidered and clarified, and the change from finite time to finite physical dimension was shown to be done by the heat flow rate at the source. Our modeling has led to new results of the Carnot engine optimization and proved that the primary interest for an engineer is mainly connected to what we called Finite Physical Dimensions Optimal Thermodynamics.

  13. Logical-rules and the classification of integral dimensions: Individual differences in the processing of arbitrary dimensions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anthea G. Blunden

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available A variety of converging operations demonstrate key differences between separable dimensions, which can be analyzed independently, and integral dimensions, which are processed in a non-analytic fashion. A recent investigation of response time distributions, applying a set of logical rule-based models, demonstrated that integral dimensions are pooled into a single coactive processing channel, in contrast to separable dimensions, which are processed in multiple, independent processing channels. This paper examines the claim that arbitrary dimensions created by factorially morphing four faces are processed in an integral manner (i.e., coactively. In two experiments, sixteen participants completed a categorization task in which either upright or inverted morph stimuli were classified in a speeded fashion. Analyses focused on contrasting different assumptions about the psychological representation of the stimuli, perceptual and decisional separability, and the processing architecture. We report consistent individual differences which demonstrate a mixture of some observers who demonstrate coactive processing with other observers who process the dimensions in a parallel self-terminating manner.

  14. Monetary reward modulates task-irrelevant perceptual learning for invisible stimuli.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Pascucci

    Full Text Available Task Irrelevant Perceptual Learning (TIPL shows that the brain's discriminative capacity can improve also for invisible and unattended visual stimuli. It has been hypothesized that this form of "unconscious" neural plasticity is mediated by an endogenous reward mechanism triggered by the correct task performance. Although this result has challenged the mandatory role of attention in perceptual learning, no direct evidence exists of the hypothesized link between target recognition, reward and TIPL. Here, we manipulated the reward value associated with a target to demonstrate the involvement of reinforcement mechanisms in sensory plasticity for invisible inputs. Participants were trained in a central task associated with either high or low monetary incentives, provided only at the end of the experiment, while subliminal stimuli were presented peripherally. Our results showed that high incentive-value targets induced a greater degree of perceptual improvement for the subliminal stimuli, supporting the role of reinforcement mechanisms in TIPL.

  15. Four Essential Dimensions of Workplace Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hopwood, Nick

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: This conceptual paper aims to argue that times, spaces, bodies and things constitute four essential dimensions of workplace learning. It examines how practices relate or hang together, taking Gherardi's texture of practices or connectedness in action as the foundation for making visible essential but often overlooked dimensions of…

  16. Scalar one-loop vertex integrals as meromorphic functions of space-time dimension d

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bluemlein, Johannes; Phan, Khiem Hong; Vietnam National Univ., Ho Chi Minh City; Riemann, Tord; Silesia Univ., Chorzow

    2017-11-01

    Representations are derived for the basic scalar one-loop vertex Feynman integrals as meromorphic functions of the space-time dimension d in terms of (generalized) hypergeometric functions 2 F 1 and F 1 . Values at asymptotic or exceptional kinematic points as well as expansions around the singular points at d=4+2n, n non-negative integers, may be derived from the representations easily. The Feynman integrals studied here may be used as building blocks for the calculation of one-loop and higher-loop scalar and tensor amplitudes. From the recursion relation presented, higher n-point functions may be obtained in a straightforward manner.

  17. Scalar one-loop vertex integrals as meromorphic functions of space-time dimension d

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bluemlein, Johannes [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany); Phan, Khiem Hong [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany); Vietnam National Univ., Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam). Univ. of Science; Riemann, Tord [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany); Silesia Univ., Chorzow (Poland). Inst. of Physics

    2017-11-15

    Representations are derived for the basic scalar one-loop vertex Feynman integrals as meromorphic functions of the space-time dimension d in terms of (generalized) hypergeometric functions {sub 2}F{sub 1} and F{sub 1}. Values at asymptotic or exceptional kinematic points as well as expansions around the singular points at d=4+2n, n non-negative integers, may be derived from the representations easily. The Feynman integrals studied here may be used as building blocks for the calculation of one-loop and higher-loop scalar and tensor amplitudes. From the recursion relation presented, higher n-point functions may be obtained in a straightforward manner.

  18. Retroactive effects of irrelevant speech on serial recall from short-term memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norris, Dennis; Baddeley, Alan D; Page, Michael P A

    2004-09-01

    The authors report 5 serial-recall experiments. In 4 of the 5 experiments, they show that irrelevant sound (IS) has a retroactive effect on material already in memory. In Experiment 1, IS presented during a filled retention interval had a reliable effect on list recall. Four further experiments, 3 of which used retroactive IS, showed that IS continued to-have an effect on recall following a long, filled retention interval. Articulatory suppression during visual input was found to abolish the long-lasting, retroactive effect of IS, supporting the idea that IS affects the phonological-loop component of short-term memory. IS also, therefore, seems to affect a longer term memory system with which the loop interacts. ((c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved)

  19. Utilization of Probabilistic Cues in the Presence of Irrelevant Information: A Comparison of Risky Choice in Children and Adults

    Science.gov (United States)

    Betsch, Tilmann; Lang, Anna

    2013-01-01

    We studied risky choices in preschoolers, elementary schoolers, and adults using an information board paradigm crossing two options with two cues that differ in their probability of making valid predictions (p = 0.50 vs. p = 0.83). We also varied the presence of normatively irrelevant information. Choice patterns indicate that preschoolers were…

  20. FONT DISCRIMINATIO USING FRACTAL DIMENSIONS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Mozaffari

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available One of the related problems of OCR systems is discrimination of fonts in machine printed document images. This task improves performance of general OCR systems. Proposed methods in this paper are based on various fractal dimensions for font discrimination. First, some predefined fractal dimensions were combined with directional methods to enhance font differentiation. Then, a novel fractal dimension was introduced in this paper for the first time. Our feature extraction methods which consider font recognition as texture identification are independent of document content. Experimental results on different pages written by several font types show that fractal geometry can overcome the complexities of font recognition problem.

  1. Art meets mathematics in the fourth dimension

    CERN Document Server

    Lipscomb, Stephen Leon

    2014-01-01

    To see objects that live in the fourth dimension we humans would need to add a fourth dimension to our three-dimensional vision. An example of such an object that lives in the fourth dimension is a hyper-sphere or “3-sphere”. The quest to imagine the elusive 3-sphere has deep historical roots: medieval poet Dante Alighieri, in his circa 1300 AD Divine Comedy, used a 3-sphere to convey his allegorical vision of the Christian afterlife. In 1917, Albert Einstein visualized the universe, at each instant in time, as a 3-sphere. He described his representation as “…the place where the reader’s imagination boggles. Nobody can imagine this thing.” Over time, however, our understanding of the concept of dimension evolved. By 2003, a researcher had successfully rendered into human vision the structure of a 4-web (think of an every increasingly-dense spider’s web). In this text Stephen Lipscomb takes his innovative dimension theory research a step further, using the 4-web to reveal a new partial image of a...

  2. Dimension Reduction of Multi-Spectral Satellite Image Time Series to Improve Deforestation Monitoring

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meng Lu

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, sequential tests for detecting structural changes in time series have been adapted for deforestation monitoring using satellite data. The input time series of such sequential tests is typically a vegetation index (e.g., NDVI, which uses two or three bands and ignores all other bands. Being limited to a vegetation index will not benefit from the richer spectral information provided by newly launched satellites and will bring two bottle-necks for deforestation monitoring. Firstly, it is hard to select a suitable vegetation index a priori. Secondly, a single vegetation index is typically affected by seasonal signals, noise and other natural dynamics, which decrease its power for deforestation detection. A novel multispectral time series change monitoring method that combines dimension reduction methods with a sequential hypothesis test is proposed to address these limitations. For each location, the proposed method automatically chooses a “suitable” index for deforestation monitoring. To demonstrate our approach, we implemented it in two study areas: a dry tropical forest in Bolivia (time series length: 444 with strong seasonality and a moist tropical forest in Brazil (time series length: 225 with almost no seasonality. Our method significantly improves accuracy in the presence of strong seasonality, in particular the temporal lag between disturbance and its detection.

  3. Massively Parallel Dimension Independent Adaptive Metropolis

    KAUST Repository

    Chen, Yuxin

    2015-05-14

    This work considers black-box Bayesian inference over high-dimensional parameter spaces. The well-known and widely respected adaptive Metropolis (AM) algorithm is extended herein to asymptotically scale uniformly with respect to the underlying parameter dimension, by respecting the variance, for Gaussian targets. The result- ing algorithm, referred to as the dimension-independent adaptive Metropolis (DIAM) algorithm, also shows improved performance with respect to adaptive Metropolis on non-Gaussian targets. This algorithm is further improved, and the possibility of probing high-dimensional targets is enabled, via GPU-accelerated numerical libraries and periodically synchronized concurrent chains (justified a posteriori). Asymptoti- cally in dimension, this massively parallel dimension-independent adaptive Metropolis (MPDIAM) GPU implementation exhibits a factor of four improvement versus the CPU-based Intel MKL version alone, which is itself already a factor of three improve- ment versus the serial version. The scaling to multiple CPUs and GPUs exhibits a form of strong scaling in terms of the time necessary to reach a certain convergence criterion, through a combination of longer time per sample batch (weak scaling) and yet fewer necessary samples to convergence. This is illustrated by e ciently sampling from several Gaussian and non-Gaussian targets for dimension d 1000.

  4. Object-based Encoding in Visual Working Memory: Evidence from Memory-driven Attentional Capture

    OpenAIRE

    Gao, Zaifeng; Yu, Shixian; Zhu, Chengfeng; Shui, Rende; Weng, Xuchu; Li, Peng; Shen, Mowei

    2016-01-01

    Visual working memory (VWM) adopts a specific manner of object-based encoding (OBE) to extract perceptual information: Whenever one feature-dimension is selected for entry into VWM, the others are also extracted. Currently most studies revealing OBE probed an ?irrelevant-change distracting effect?, where changes of irrelevant-features dramatically affected the performance of the target feature. However, the existence of irrelevant-feature change may affect participants? processing manner, lea...

  5. Supersymmetry, p-brane duality, and hidden spacetime dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bars, I.

    1996-01-01

    A global superalgebra with 32 supercharges and all possible central extensions is studied in order to extract some general properties of duality and hidden dimensions in a theory that treats p-branes democratically. The maximal number of dimensions is 12, with signature (10,2), containing one space and one time dimension that are hidden from the point of view of perturbative ten-dimensional string theory or its compactifications. When the theory is compactified on R d-1,1 circle-times T c+1,1 with d+c+2=12, there are isometry groups that relate to the hidden dimensions as well as to duality. Their combined intersecting classification schemes provide some properties of nonperturbative states and their couplings. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

  6. Compactified vacuum in ten dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wurmser, D.

    1987-01-01

    Since the 1920's, theories which unify gravity with the other fundamental forces have called for more than the four observed dimensions of space-time. According to such a theory, the vacuum consists of flat four-dimensional space-time described by the Minkowski metric M 4 and a compactified space B. The dimensions of B are small, and the space can only be observed at distance scales smaller than the present experimental limit. These theories have had serious difficulties. The equations of gravity severely restrict the possible choices for the space B. The allowed spaces are complicated and difficult to study. The vacuum is furthermore unstable in the sense that a small perturbation causes the compactified dimensions to expand indefinitely. There is an addition a semi-classical argument which implies that the compactified vacuum by annihilated by virtual black holes. It follows that a universe with compactified extra dimensions could not have survived to the present. These results were derived by applying the equations of general relativity to spaces of more than four dimensions. The form of these equations was assumed to be unchanged by an increase in the number of dimensions. The authors illustrate the effect of such terms by considering the example B = S 6 where S 6 is the six-dimensional sphere. Only when the extra terms are included is this choice of the compactified space allowed. He explore the effect of a small perturbation on such a vacuum. The ten-dimensional spherically symmetric potential is examined, and I determine conditions under which the formation of virtual black holes is forbidden. The examples M 4 x S 6 is still plagued by the semi-classical instability, but this result does not hold in general. The requirement that virtual black holes be forbidden provides a test for any theory which predicts a compactified vacuum

  7. Selective Attention to Perceptual Dimensions and Switching between Dimensions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meiran, Nachshon; Dimov, Eduard; Ganel, Tzvi

    2013-01-01

    In the present experiments, the question being addressed was whether switching attention between perceptual dimensions and selective attention to dimensions are processes that compete over a common resource? Attention to perceptual dimensions is usually studied by requiring participants to ignore a never-relevant dimension. Selection failure…

  8. Why do we live in 3+1 dimensions?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nielsen, H.B.; Rugh, S.E.

    1993-01-01

    Noticing that really the fermions of the Standard Model are best thought of a Weyl - rather than Dirac - particles (relative to fundamental scales located at some presumably very high energies) it becomes interesting that the experimental space-time dimension is singled out by the Weyl equation: It is observed that precisely in the experimentally true space-time dimensionality 4=3+1 the number of linearly independent matrices n 2 Weyl dimensionized as the matrices in the Weyl equation equals the dimension d. So just in this dimension (in fact, also in a trivial case d = 1) do the sigma-matrices of the Weyl-equation form a basis. It is also characteristic for this dimension that there is no degeneracy of helicity states of the Weyl spinor for all nonzero momenta. We would like to interpret these features to signal a special 'form stability' of the Weyl equation in the phenomenologically true dimension of space-time. In an attempt of making this stability to occur in an as large as possible basin of allowed modifications we discuss whether it is possible to define what we could possibly mean by 'stability of Natural laws'. (orig.)

  9. The "fourth dimension" of gene transcription.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Malley, Bert W

    2009-05-01

    The three dimensions of space provide our relationship to position on the earth, but the fourth dimension of time has an equally profound influence on our lives. Everything from light and sound to weather and biology operate on the principle of measurable temporal periodicity. Consequently, a wide variety of time clocks affect all aspects of our existence. The annual (and biannual) cycles of activity, metabolism, and mating, the monthly physiological clocks of women and men, and the 24-h diurnal rhythms of humans are prime examples. Should it be surprising to us that the fourth dimension also impinges upon gene expression and that the genome itself is regulated by the fastest running of all biological clocks? Recent evidence substantiates the existence of such a ubiquitin-dependent transcriptional clock that is based upon the activation and destruction of transcriptional coactivators.

  10. Notes on relevant, irrelevant, marginal and extremal double trace perturbations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Porrati, Massimo; Yu, Cedric C.Y. [Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics,Department of Physics, New York University,4 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003 (United States)

    2016-11-08

    Double trace deformations, that is products of two local operators, define perturbations of conformal field theories that can be studied exactly in the large-N limit. Even when the double trace deformation is irrelevant in the infrared, it is believed to flow to an ultraviolet fixed point. In this note we define the Källen-Lehmann representation of the two-point function of a local operator O in a theory perturbed by the square of such operator. We use such representation to discover potential pathologies at intermediate points in the flow that may prevent to reach the UV fixed point. We apply the method to an “extremal” deformation that naively would flow to a UV fixed point where the operator O would saturate the unitarity bound Δ=(d/2)−1. We find that the UV fixed point is not conformal and that the deformed two-point function propagates unphysical modes. We interpret the result as showing that the flow to the UV fixed point does not exist. This resolves a potential puzzle in the holographic interpretation of the deformation.

  11. Study on Fault Diagnosis of Rolling Bearing Based on Time-Frequency Generalized Dimension

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu Yuan

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The condition monitoring technology and fault diagnosis technology of mechanical equipment played an important role in the modern engineering. Rolling bearing is the most common component of mechanical equipment which sustains and transfers the load. Therefore, fault diagnosis of rolling bearings has great significance. Fractal theory provides an effective method to describe the complexity and irregularity of the vibration signals of rolling bearings. In this paper a novel multifractal fault diagnosis approach based on time-frequency domain signals was proposed. The method and numerical algorithm of Multi-fractal analysis in time-frequency domain were provided. According to grid type J and order parameter q in algorithm, the value range of J and the cut-off condition of q were optimized based on the effect on the dimension calculation. Simulation experiments demonstrated that the effective signal identification could be complete by multifractal method in time-frequency domain, which is related to the factors such as signal energy and distribution. And the further fault diagnosis experiments of bearings showed that the multifractal method in time-frequency domain can complete the fault diagnosis, such as the fault judgment and fault types. And the fault detection can be done in the early stage of fault. Therefore, the multifractal method in time-frequency domain used in fault diagnosis of bearing is a practicable method.

  12. Accelerated Dimension-Independent Adaptive Metropolis

    KAUST Repository

    Chen, Yuxin

    2016-10-27

    This work describes improvements by algorithmic and architectural means to black-box Bayesian inference over high-dimensional parameter spaces. The well-known adaptive Metropolis (AM) algorithm [H. Haario, E. Saksman, and J. Tamminen, Bernoulli, (2001), pp. 223--242] is extended herein to scale asymptotically uniformly with respect to the underlying parameter dimension for Gaussian targets, by respecting the variance of the target. The resulting algorithm, referred to as the dimension-independent adaptive Metropolis (DIAM) algorithm, also shows improved performance with respect to adaptive Metropolis on non-Gaussian targets. This algorithm is further improved, and the possibility of probing high-dimensional (with dimension $d \\\\geq 1000$) targets is enabled, via GPU-accelerated numerical libraries and periodically synchronized concurrent chains (justified a posteriori). Asymptotically in dimension, this GPU implementation exhibits a factor of four improvement versus a competitive CPU-based Intel MKL (math kernel library) parallel version alone. Strong scaling to concurrent chains is exhibited, through a combination of longer time per sample batch (weak scaling) with fewer necessary samples to convergence. The algorithm performance is illustrated on several Gaussian and non-Gaussian target examples, in which the dimension may be in excess of one thousand.

  13. Increase in data capacity utilising dimensions of wavelength, space, time, polarisation and multilevel modulation using a single laser

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Clausen, Anders; Hu, Hao; Ye, Feihong

    2015-01-01

    Increasing the capacity of optical networks while have the objective of lowering the total consumed energy per bit is challenging. By exploiting several dimensions, i.e. wavelength, space, time, polarisation and multilevel modulation simultaneously, a single laser can offer formidable capacity pe...... performance with potentially reduced energy consumption per bit. Up to 43 Tbit/s has been demonstrated....

  14. Extra dimensions round the corner?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abel, S.

    1999-01-01

    How many dimensions are we living in? This question is fundamental and yet, astonishingly, it remains unresolved. Of course, on the everyday level it appears that we are living in four dimensions three space plus one time dimension. But in recent months theoretical physicists have discovered that collisions between high-energy particles at accelerators may reveal the presence of extra space-time dimensions. On scales where we can measure the acceleration of falling objects due to gravity or study the orbital motion of planets or satellites, the gravitational force seems to be described by a 1/r 2 law. The most sensitive direct tests of the gravitational law are based on torsion-balance experiments that were first performed by Henry Cavendish in 1798. However, the smallest scales on which this type of experiment can be performed are roughly 1 mm (see J C Long, H W Chan and J C Price 1999 Nucl. Phys. B 539 23). At smaller distances, objects could be gravitating in five or more dimensions that are rolled up or ''compactified'' - an idea that is bread-and-butter to string theorists. Most string theorists however believe that the gravitational effects of compact extra dimensions are too small to be observed. Now Nima Arkani-Hamed from the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) in the US, Savas Dimopoulos at Stanford University and Gia Dvali, who is now at New York University, suggest differently (Phys. Lett. B 1998 429 263). They advanced earlier ideas from string theory in which the strong, weak and electromagnetic forces are confined to membranes, like dirt particles trapped in soap bubbles, while the gravitational force operates in the entire higher-dimensional volume. In their theory extra dimensions should have observable effects inside particle colliders such as the Tevatron accelerator at Fermilab in the US or at the future Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The effect will show up as an excess of events in which a single jet of particles is produced with no

  15. Extra dimensions: 3d and time in pdf documentation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Graf, N A [Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, Menlo Park, CA, 94025 (United States)], E-mail: Norman.Graf@slac.stanford.edu

    2008-07-15

    High energy physics is replete with multi-dimensional information which is often poorly represented by the two dimensions of presentation slides and print media. Past efforts to disseminate such information to a wider audience have failed for a number of reasons, including a lack of standards which are easy to implement and have broad support. Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) has in recent years become the de facto standard for secure, dependable electronic information exchange. It has done so by creating an open format, providing support for multiple platforms and being reliable and extensible. By providing support for the ECMA standard Universal 3D (U3D) file format in its free Adobe Reader software, Adobe has made it easy to distribute and interact with 3D content. By providing support for scripting and animation, temporal data can also be easily distributed to a wide audience. In this talk, we present examples of HEP applications which take advantage of this functionality. We demonstrate how 3D detector elements can be documented, using either CAD drawings or other sources such as GEANT visualizations as input. Using this technique, higher dimensional data, such as LEGO plots or time-dependent information can be included in PDF files. In principle, a complete event display, with full interactivity, can be incorporated into a PDF file. This would allow the end user not only to customize the view and representation of the data, but to access the underlying data itself.

  16. Extra dimensions: 3d and time in pdf documentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Graf, N A

    2008-01-01

    High energy physics is replete with multi-dimensional information which is often poorly represented by the two dimensions of presentation slides and print media. Past efforts to disseminate such information to a wider audience have failed for a number of reasons, including a lack of standards which are easy to implement and have broad support. Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) has in recent years become the de facto standard for secure, dependable electronic information exchange. It has done so by creating an open format, providing support for multiple platforms and being reliable and extensible. By providing support for the ECMA standard Universal 3D (U3D) file format in its free Adobe Reader software, Adobe has made it easy to distribute and interact with 3D content. By providing support for scripting and animation, temporal data can also be easily distributed to a wide audience. In this talk, we present examples of HEP applications which take advantage of this functionality. We demonstrate how 3D detector elements can be documented, using either CAD drawings or other sources such as GEANT visualizations as input. Using this technique, higher dimensional data, such as LEGO plots or time-dependent information can be included in PDF files. In principle, a complete event display, with full interactivity, can be incorporated into a PDF file. This would allow the end user not only to customize the view and representation of the data, but to access the underlying data itself

  17. Task-irrelevant distractors in the delay period interfere selectively with visual short-term memory for spatial locations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marini, Francesco; Scott, Jerry; Aron, Adam R; Ester, Edward F

    2017-07-01

    Visual short-term memory (VSTM) enables the representation of information in a readily accessible state. VSTM is typically conceptualized as a form of "active" storage that is resistant to interference or disruption, yet several recent studies have shown that under some circumstances task-irrelevant distractors may indeed disrupt performance. Here, we investigated how task-irrelevant visual distractors affected VSTM by asking whether distractors induce a general loss of remembered information or selectively interfere with memory representations. In a VSTM task, participants recalled the spatial location of a target visual stimulus after a delay in which distractors were presented on 75% of trials. Notably, the distractor's eccentricity always matched the eccentricity of the target, while in the critical conditions the distractor's angular position was shifted either clockwise or counterclockwise relative to the target. We then computed estimates of recall error for both eccentricity and polar angle. A general interference model would predict an effect of distractors on both polar angle and eccentricity errors, while a selective interference model would predict effects of distractors on angle but not on eccentricity errors. Results showed that for stimulus angle there was an increase in the magnitude and variability of recall errors. However, distractors had no effect on estimates of stimulus eccentricity. Our results suggest that distractors selectively interfere with VSTM for spatial locations.

  18. Combined use of correlation dimension and entropy as discriminating measures for time series analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harikrishnan, K. P.; Misra, R.; Ambika, G.

    2009-09-01

    We show that the combined use of correlation dimension (D2) and correlation entropy (K2) as discriminating measures can extract a more accurate information regarding the different types of noise present in a time series data. For this, we make use of an algorithmic approach for computing D2 and K2 proposed by us recently [Harikrishnan KP, Misra R, Ambika G, Kembhavi AK. Physica D 2006;215:137; Harikrishnan KP, Ambika G, Misra R. Mod Phys Lett B 2007;21:129; Harikrishnan KP, Misra R, Ambika G. Pramana - J Phys, in press], which is a modification of the standard Grassberger-Proccacia scheme. While the presence of white noise can be easily identified by computing D2 of data and surrogates, K2 is a better discriminating measure to detect colored noise in the data. Analysis of time series from a real world system involving both white and colored noise is presented as evidence. To our knowledge, this is the first time that such a combined analysis is undertaken on a real world data.

  19. Selective attention to task-irrelevant emotional distractors is unaffected by the perceptual load associated with a foreground task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hindi Attar, Catherine; Müller, Matthias M

    2012-01-01

    A number of studies have shown that emotionally arousing stimuli are preferentially processed in the human brain. Whether or not this preference persists under increased perceptual load associated with a task at hand remains an open question. Here we manipulated two possible determinants of the attentional selection process, perceptual load associated with a foreground task and the emotional valence of concurrently presented task-irrelevant distractors. As a direct measure of sustained attentional resource allocation in early visual cortex we used steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) elicited by distinct flicker frequencies of task and distractor stimuli. Subjects either performed a detection (low load) or discrimination (high load) task at a centrally presented symbol stream that flickered at 8.6 Hz while task-irrelevant neutral or unpleasant pictures from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) flickered at a frequency of 12 Hz in the background of the stream. As reflected in target detection rates and SSVEP amplitudes to both task and distractor stimuli, unpleasant relative to neutral background pictures more strongly withdrew processing resources from the foreground task. Importantly, this finding was unaffected by the factor 'load' which turned out to be a weak modulator of attentional processing in human visual cortex.

  20. Selective attention to task-irrelevant emotional distractors is unaffected by the perceptual load associated with a foreground task.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Catherine Hindi Attar

    Full Text Available A number of studies have shown that emotionally arousing stimuli are preferentially processed in the human brain. Whether or not this preference persists under increased perceptual load associated with a task at hand remains an open question. Here we manipulated two possible determinants of the attentional selection process, perceptual load associated with a foreground task and the emotional valence of concurrently presented task-irrelevant distractors. As a direct measure of sustained attentional resource allocation in early visual cortex we used steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs elicited by distinct flicker frequencies of task and distractor stimuli. Subjects either performed a detection (low load or discrimination (high load task at a centrally presented symbol stream that flickered at 8.6 Hz while task-irrelevant neutral or unpleasant pictures from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS flickered at a frequency of 12 Hz in the background of the stream. As reflected in target detection rates and SSVEP amplitudes to both task and distractor stimuli, unpleasant relative to neutral background pictures more strongly withdrew processing resources from the foreground task. Importantly, this finding was unaffected by the factor 'load' which turned out to be a weak modulator of attentional processing in human visual cortex.

  1. A multiple-dimension liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry data strategy for the rapid discovery and identification of unknown compounds from a Chinese herbal formula (Er-xian decoction).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Caihong; Zhang, Jinlan; Wu, Caisheng; Wang, Zhe

    2017-10-06

    It is very important to rapidly discover and identify the multiple components of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula. High performance liquid chromatography with high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-HRMS/MS) has been widely used to analyze TCM formula and contains multiple-dimension data including retention time (RT), high resolution mass (HRMS), multiple-stage mass spectrometric (MS n ), and isotope intensity distribution (IID) data. So it is very necessary to exploit a useful strategy to utilize multiple-dimension data to rapidly probe structural information and identify chemical compounds. In this study, a new strategy to initiatively use the multiple-dimension LC-MS data has been developed to discover and identify unknown compounds of TCM in many styles. The strategy guarantees the fast discovery of candidate structural information and provides efficient structure clues for identification. The strategy contains four steps in sequence: (1) to discover potential compounds and obtain sub-structure information by the mass spectral tree similarity filter (MTSF) technique, based on HRMS and MS n data; (2) to classify potential compounds into known chemical classes by discriminant analysis (DA) on the basis of RT and HRMS data; (3) to hit the candidate structural information of compounds by intersection sub-structure between MTSF and DA (M,D-INSS); (4) to annotate and confirm candidate structures by IID data. This strategy allowed for the high exclusion efficiency (greater than 41%) of irrelevant ions in er-xian decoction (EXD) while providing accurate structural information of 553 potential compounds and identifying 66 candidates, therefore accelerating and simplifying the discovery and identification of unknown compounds in TCM formula. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Patients with heart failure and their partners with chronic illness: interdependence in multiple dimensions of time

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nimmon L

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Laura Nimmon,1,2 Joanna Bates,1,3 Gil Kimel,4,5 Lorelei Lingard6 On behalf of the Heart Failure/Palliative Care Teamwork Research Group 1Centre for Health Education Scholarship, 2Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, 3Department of Family Practice, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 4Palliative Care Program, St Paul’s Hospital, 5Department of Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, 6Centre for Education Research and Innovation, Department of Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, Canada Background: Informal caregivers play a vital role in supporting patients with heart failure (HF. However, when both the HF patient and their long-term partner suffer from chronic illness, they may equally suffer from diminished quality of life and poor health outcomes. With the focus on this specific couple group as a dimension of the HF health care team, we explored this neglected component of supportive care. Materials and methods: From a large-scale Canadian multisite study, we analyzed the interview data of 13 HF patient–partner couples (26 participants. The sample consisted of patients with advanced HF and their long-term, live-in partners who also suffer from chronic illness. Results: The analysis highlighted the profound enmeshment of the couples. The couples’ interdependence was exemplified in the ways they synchronized their experience in shared dimensions of time and adapted their day-to-day routines to accommodate each other’s changing health status. Particularly significant was when both individuals were too ill to perform caregiving tasks, which resulted in the couples being in a highly fragile state. Conclusion: We conclude that the salience of this couple group’s oscillating health needs and their severe vulnerabilities need to be appreciated when designing and delivering HF team-based care. Keywords

  3. Origin of Everything and the 21 Dimensions of the Universe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loev, Mark

    2009-03-01

    The Dimensions of the Universe correspond with the Dimensions of the human body. The emotion that is a positive for every dimension is Love. The negative emotion that effects each dimension are listed. All seven negative emotions effect Peace, Love and Happiness. 21st Dimension: Happiness Groin & Heart 20th Dimension: Love Groin & Heart 19th Dimension: Peace Groin & heart 18th Dimension: Imagination Wave Eyes Anger 17th Dimension: Z Wave / Closed Birth 16th Dimension: Electromagnetic Wave Ears Anger 15th Dimension: Universal Wave Skin Worry 14th Dimension: Lover Wave Blood Hate 13th Dimension: Disposal Wave Buttocks Fear 12th Dimension: Builder Wave Hands Hate 11th Dimension: Energy Wave Arms Fear 10th Dimension: Time Wave Brain Pessimism 9th Dimension: Gravity Wave Legs Fear 8th Dimension: Sweet Wave Pancreas Fear 7th Dimension: File Wave Left Lung Fear 6th Dimension: Breathing Wave Right Lung Fear 5th Dimension: Digestive Wave Stomach Fear 4th Dimension: Swab Wave Liver Guilt 3rd Dimension: Space Wave Face Sadness 2nd Dimension: Line Wave Mouth Revenge 1st Dimension: Dot Wave Nose Sadness The seven deadly sins correspond: Anger Hate Sadness Fear Worry Pessimism Revenge Note: Guilt is fear

  4. On the UV Dimensions of Loop Quantum Gravity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michele Ronco

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Planck-scale dynamical dimensional reduction is attracting more and more interest in the quantum-gravity literature since it seems to be a model independent effect. However, different studies base their results on different concepts of space-time dimensionality. Most of them rely on the spectral dimension; others refer to the Hausdorff dimension; and, very recently, the thermal dimension has also been introduced. We here show that all these distinct definitions of dimension give the same outcome in the case of the effective regime of Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG. This is achieved by deriving a modified dispersion relation from the hypersurface-deformation algebra with quantum corrections. Moreover, we also observe that the number of UV dimensions can be used to constrain the ambiguities in the choice of these LQG-based modifications of the Dirac space-time algebra. In this regard, introducing the polymerization of connections, that is, K→sin⁡δK/δ, we find that the leading quantum correction gives dUV=2.5. This result may indicate that the running to the expected value of two dimensions is ongoing, but it has not been completed yet. Finding dUV at ultrashort distances would require going beyond the effective approach we here present.

  5. On the arithmetic of fractal dimension using hyperhelices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toledo-Suarez, Carlos D.

    2009-01-01

    A hyperhelix is a fractal curve generated by coiling a helix around a rect line, then another helix around the first one, a third around the second... an infinite number of times. A way to generate hyperhelices with any desired fractal dimension is presented, leading to the result that they have embedded an algebraic structure that allows making arithmetic with fractal dimensions and to the idea of an infinitesimal of fractal dimension

  6. LEGO Dimensions meets Doctor Who: Transbranding and New Dimensions of Transmedia Storytelling?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matt Hills

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This article explores how the ‘toys-to-life’ videogame LEGO Dimensions (WarnerBros. Interactive Entertainment/Traveller’s Tales/The LEGO Group, 2015 mashes upmany different franchise storyworlds and brands. Specifically, I focus on how DoctorWho (BBC, 1963—, the British TV science fiction series, is licensed and transmediallyengaged with in Dimensions. I consider how the transbranding of LEGO Dimensionsappears to co-opt children’s “transgressive play” (Nørgård and Toft-Nielsen, 2014by combining intellectual properties, but actually continues to operate according tologics of shared corporate ownership where many of the combined storyworlds areultimately owned by Time Warner (placing Dimensions in competition with Disney’sown ‘toys-to-life’ game. Considering what value might accrue to the brand of DoctorWho by participating in LEGO Dimensions, I identify this as a particular example of“What If?” transmedia (Mittell, 2015, arguing that LEGO Dimensions’ Doctor Whonevertheless fluctuates in terms of its brand (inauthenticity. The Starter Pack remainscloser to LEGO Games’/Traveller’s Tales’ established format, subordinating Who, whilstthe separate Level Pack engages more precisely with Doctor Who’s history, albeit stilldisplaying some notable divergences from the TV series (Booth, 2015. Although LEGODimensions challenges influential theories of transmedia storytelling (Jenkins, 2006;Aldred, 2014, its transbranding and child/adult targeting accord with established approachesto transmedia licensing (Santo 2015 and fan-consumer socialization (Kinder1991.

  7. A first course in topology continuity and dimension

    CERN Document Server

    McCleary, John

    2006-01-01

    How many dimensions does our universe require for a comprehensive physical description? In 1905, Poincar� argued philosophically about the necessity of the three familiar dimensions, while recent research is based on 11 dimensions or even 23 dimensions. The notion of dimension itself presented a basic problem to the pioneers of topology. Cantor asked if dimension was a topological feature of Euclidean space. To answer this question, some important topological ideas were introduced by Brouwer, giving shape to a subject whose development dominated the twentieth century. The basic notions in topology are varied and a comprehensive grounding in point-set topology, the definition and use of the fundamental group, and the beginnings of homology theory requires considerable time. The goal of this book is a focused introduction through these classical topics, aiming throughout at the classical result of the Invariance of Dimension. This text is based on the author's course given at Vassar College and is intended fo...

  8. Influence of dimension box differences and time differences during operations of red box for motorcycles at signalized intersection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mulyadi, Agah Muhammad

    2017-11-01

    Performance of signalized intersection has declined due to a large number of motorcycles. The number of motorcycles reached 98.2 million units and the composition of motorcycles has reached around 81.7% of the total composition of vehicles in Indonesia (AISI, 2017). To solve that problem, the red box for motorcycles are provided at the signalized intersection. Red box for the motorcycle at signalized intersections was developed from the concept of Advance Stop Line (ASL) for bicycles. The Red Box was developed to split the queue between motorcycles and other vehicles when waiting at red light. This paper aims to evaluate the influence of the red box dimension and red time operation differences. The survey was conducted as many as 30 cycles of traffic signals per day. The data were analyzed using software IBM SPSS Statistics 20 by using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) to obtain p-value (significant). The analysis shows that there are insignificant influences between the occupancy rates to the dimension of Red Box. Furthermore, that there is a significant difference that shows the dependency of only motorcycles in the Red Box Area towards red time operation.

  9. Supersymmetric gauged scale covariance in ten and lower dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishino, Hitoshi; Rajpoot, Subhash

    2004-01-01

    We present globally supersymmetric models of gauged scale covariance in ten, six, and four dimensions. This is an application of a recent similar gauging in three dimensions for a massive self-dual vector multiplet. In ten dimensions, we couple a single vector multiplet to another vector multiplet, where the latter gauges the scale covariance of the former. Due to scale covariance, the system does not have a Lagrangian formulation, but has only a set of field equations, like Type IIB supergravity in ten dimensions. As by-products, we construct similar models in six dimensions with N=(2,0) supersymmetry, and four dimensions with N=1 supersymmetry. We finally get a similar model with N=4 supersymmetry in four dimensions with consistent interactions that have never been known before. We expect a series of descendant theories in dimensions lower than ten by dimensional reductions. This result also indicates that similar mechanisms will work for other vector and scalar multiplets in space-time lower than ten dimensions

  10. Increasing Working Memory Load Reduces Processing of Cross-Modal Task-Irrelevant Stimuli Even after Controlling for Task Difficulty and Executive Capacity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simon, Sharon S; Tusch, Erich S; Holcomb, Phillip J; Daffner, Kirk R

    2016-01-01

    The classic account of the load theory (LT) of attention suggests that increasing cognitive load leads to greater processing of task-irrelevant stimuli due to competition for limited executive resource that reduces the ability to actively maintain current processing priorities. Studies testing this hypothesis have yielded widely divergent outcomes. The inconsistent results may, in part, be related to variability in executive capacity (EC) and task difficulty across subjects in different studies. Here, we used a cross-modal paradigm to investigate whether augmented working memory (WM) load leads to increased early distracter processing, and controlled for the potential confounders of EC and task difficulty. Twenty-three young subjects were engaged in a primary visual WM task, under high and low load conditions, while instructed to ignore irrelevant auditory stimuli. Demands of the high load condition were individually titrated to make task difficulty comparable across subjects with differing EC. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were used to measure neural activity in response to stimuli presented in both the task relevant modality (visual) and task-irrelevant modality (auditory). Behavioral results indicate that the load manipulation and titration procedure of the primary visual task were successful. ERPs demonstrated that in response to visual target stimuli, there was a load-related increase in the posterior slow wave, an index of sustained attention and effort. Importantly, under high load, there was a decrease of the auditory N1 in response to distracters, a marker of early auditory processing. These results suggest that increased WM load is associated with enhanced attentional engagement and protection from distraction in a cross-modal setting, even after controlling for task difficulty and EC. Our findings challenge the classic LT and offer support for alternative models.

  11. Increasing working memory load reduces processing of cross-modal task-irrelevant stimuli even after controlling for task difficulty and executive capacity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sharon Sanz Simon

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available The classic account of the Load Theory (LT of attention suggests that increasing cognitive load leads to greater processing of task-irrelevant stimuli due to competition for limited executive resource that reduces the ability to actively maintain current processing priorities. Studies testing this hypothesis have yielded widely divergent outcomes. The inconsistent results may, in part, be related to variability in executive capacity (EC and task difficulty across subjects in different studies. Here, we used a cross-modal paradigm to investigate whether augmented working memory (WM load leads to increased early distracter processing, and controlled for the potential confounders of EC and task difficulty. Twenty-three young subjects were engaged in a primary visual WM task, under high and low load conditions, while instructed to ignore irrelevant auditory stimuli. Demands of the high load condition were individually titrated to make task difficulty comparable across subjects with differing EC. Event-related potentials (ERPs were used to measure neural activity in response to stimuli presented in both the task relevant modality (visual and task-irrelevant modality (auditory. Behavioral results indicate that the load manipulation and titration procedure of the primary visual task were successful. ERPs demonstrated that in response to visual target stimuli, there was a load-related increase in the posterior slow wave, an index of sustained attention and effort. Importantly, under high load, there was a decrease of the auditory N1 in response to distracters, a marker of early auditory processing. These results suggest that increased WM load is associated with enhanced attentional engagement and protection from distraction in a cross-modal setting, even after controlling for task difficulty and EC. Our findings challenge the classic LT and offer support for alternative models.

  12. Control of methylxanthines in the competition horse: pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic studies on caffeine, theobromine and theophylline for the assessment of irrelevant concentrations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Machnik, Marc; Kaiser, Simone; Koppe, Sophie; Kietzmann, Manfred; Schenk, Ina; Düe, Michael; Thevis, Mario; Schänzer, Wilhelm; Toutain, Pierre-Louis

    2017-09-01

    Methylxanthines positives in competition samples have challenged doping control laboratories and racing jurisdictions since methylxanthines are naturally occurring prohibited substances and often constituents of feed. For theobromine, an international threshold (renamed in International Residue Limit, IRL) of 2 µg/mL in urine has been established. On the basis of the data presented herein, a threshold or rather an IRL for theobromine in plasma of 0.3 µg/mL was proposed and was thereupon approved by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA). Official recommendations for reporting caffeine and theophylline are still lacking. The aim of the study was to investigate IRLs for theobromine in blood and for caffeine and theophylline in blood and urine. Therefore, a set of six administrations were carried out including both single i.v. and single oral administrations of caffeine, theobromine and theophylline. Plasma and urine concentrations were determined using a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Applying the Toutain model approach an effective plasma concentration (EPC) of caffeine was estimated at 3.05 µg/mL, irrelevant concentrations in blood (IPC) and urine (IUC) approached 6 and 12 ng/mL, respectively. EPC of theobromine was calculated with 3.80 µg/mL, and irrelevant concentrations of theobromine were determined at 8 ng/mL in plasma and at 142 ng/mL in urine. Toutain modelling of the theophylline data produced an EPC, IPC, and IUC of 3.20 µg/mL, 6 ng/mL, and 75 ng/mL, respectively. The obtained irrelevant concentrations were used to postulate IRLs for theobromine in plasma and for caffeine and theophylline in plasma and urine. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  13. Working conditions, career time and education teacher health physical dimensions of the Espírito Santo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mariana Pozzatti

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Discusses working conditions, career time and health dimensions of 87 physical education teachers working in five municipalities of the Espirito Santo (Guarapari, Nova Venecia, Santa Teresa, Viana and Vitoria, participants of the survey from national research Teaching Work in basic education in Brazil. This is a quantitative and qualitative study of descriptive and interpretative character, which is based on the classification of cycles / phases / stages of teacher career Huberman (2007 and dialogues, especially with Santini (2004; 2005 and Almeida (2008. Concludes that the relationship between working conditions and career time, taken in isolation, does not determine the health and malaise of the teaching professional and that this process is complex, depending on a set of factors involving pedagogical issues, professional and personal.

  14. The effect of age on involuntary capture of attention by irrelevant sounds: a test of the frontal hypothesis of aging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrés, Pilar; Parmentier, Fabrice B R; Escera, Carles

    2006-01-01

    The aim of this study was to examine the effects of aging on the involuntary capture of attention by irrelevant sounds (distraction) and the use of these sounds as warning cues (alertness) in an oddball paradigm. We compared the performance of older and younger participants on a well-characterized auditory-visual distraction task. Based on the dissociations observed in aging between attentional processes sustained by the anterior and posterior attentional networks, our prediction was that distraction by irrelevant novel sounds would be stronger in older adults than in young adults while both groups would be equally able to use sound as an alert to prepare for upcoming stimuli. The results confirmed both predictions: there was a larger distraction effect in the older participants, but the alert effect was equivalent in both groups. These results give support to the frontal hypothesis of aging [Raz, N. (2000). Aging of the brain and its impact on cognitive performance: integration of structural and functional finding. In F.I.M. Craik & T.A. Salthouse (Eds.) Handbook of aging and cognition (pp. 1-90). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum; West, R. (1996). An application of prefrontal cortex function theory to cognitive aging. Psychological Bulletin, 120, 272-292].

  15. The capture of attention by entirely irrelevant pictures of calorie-dense foods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cunningham, Corbin A; Egeth, Howard E

    2018-04-01

    Inborn preference for palatable energy-dense food is thought to be an evolutionary adaptation. One way this preference manifests itself is through the control of visual attention. In the present study, we investigated how attentional capture is influenced by changes in naturally occurring goal-states, in this case desire for energy-dense foods (typically high fat and/or high sugar). We demonstrate that even when distractors are entirely irrelevant, participants were significantly more distracted by energy-dense foods compared with non-food objects and even low-energy foods. Additionally, we show the lability of these goal-states by having a separate set of participants consume a small amount of calorie-dense food prior to the task. The amount of distraction by the energy-dense food images in this case was significantly reduced and no different than distraction by images of low-energy foods and images of non-food objects. While naturally occurring goal-states can be difficult to ignore, they also are highly flexible.

  16. Patients with heart failure and their partners with chronic illness: interdependence in multiple dimensions of time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nimmon, Laura; Bates, Joanna; Kimel, Gil; Lingard, Lorelei

    2018-01-01

    Informal caregivers play a vital role in supporting patients with heart failure (HF). However, when both the HF patient and their long-term partner suffer from chronic illness, they may equally suffer from diminished quality of life and poor health outcomes. With the focus on this specific couple group as a dimension of the HF health care team, we explored this neglected component of supportive care. From a large-scale Canadian multisite study, we analyzed the interview data of 13 HF patient-partner couples (26 participants). The sample consisted of patients with advanced HF and their long-term, live-in partners who also suffer from chronic illness. The analysis highlighted the profound enmeshment of the couples. The couples' interdependence was exemplified in the ways they synchronized their experience in shared dimensions of time and adapted their day-to-day routines to accommodate each other's changing health status. Particularly significant was when both individuals were too ill to perform caregiving tasks, which resulted in the couples being in a highly fragile state. We conclude that the salience of this couple group's oscillating health needs and their severe vulnerabilities need to be appreciated when designing and delivering HF team-based care.

  17. Lack of conformity between Indian classroom furniture and student dimensions: proposed future seat/table dimensions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savanur, C S; Altekar, C R; De, A

    2007-10-01

    Children spend one-quarter of a day in school. Of this, 60-80% of time is spent in the classroom. Classroom features, such as workspace and personal space play an important role in children's growth and performance as this age marks the period of anatomical, physiological and psychological developments. Since the classroom is an influential part of a student's life the present study focused on classroom furniture in relation to students' workspace and personal space requirements and standards and was conducted in five schools at Mumbai, India. Dimensions of 104 items of furniture (chairs and desks) were measured as were 42 anthropometric dimensions of 225 students from grade six to grade nine (age: 10-14 years). Questionnaire responses of 292 students regarding the perceived adequacy of their classroom furniture were collected. Results indicated that the seat and desk heights (450 mm, 757 mm respectively) were higher than the comparable students' anthropometric dimensions and that of the recommendations of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) (340 + 3 mm, 380 + 3 mm seat-heights, 580 + 3 mm 640 + 3 mm desk-heights) as well as Time-Saver Standards (TSS) (381.0 mm seat-height and 660.4 mm desk-height). The depth of the seats and the desks (299 mm, 319 mm, respectively) were less than comparable students' anthropometric dimensions and the recommendations of BIS (IS 4837: 1990). Students reported discomfort in shoulder, wrist, knee and ankle regions. Based on the students' anthropometric data, proposed future designs with fixed table-heights and adjustable seat-heights along with footrests were identified.

  18. Fractal Dimension and Maximum Sunspot Number in Solar Cycle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R.-S. Kim

    2006-09-01

    Full Text Available The fractal dimension is a quantitative parameter describing the characteristics of irregular time series. In this study, we use this parameter to analyze the irregular aspects of solar activity and to predict the maximum sunspot number in the following solar cycle by examining time series of the sunspot number. For this, we considered the daily sunspot number since 1850 from SIDC (Solar Influences Data analysis Center and then estimated cycle variation of the fractal dimension by using Higuchi's method. We examined the relationship between this fractal dimension and the maximum monthly sunspot number in each solar cycle. As a result, we found that there is a strong inverse relationship between the fractal dimension and the maximum monthly sunspot number. By using this relation we predicted the maximum sunspot number in the solar cycle from the fractal dimension of the sunspot numbers during the solar activity increasing phase. The successful prediction is proven by a good correlation (r=0.89 between the observed and predicted maximum sunspot numbers in the solar cycles.

  19. Resistance irrelevant CYP417A2v2 was found degrading insecticide in Laodelphax striatellus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miah, Mohammad Asaduzzaman; Elzaki, Mohammed Esmail Abdalla; Han, Zhaojun

    2017-07-01

    Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYPs) usually overexpressed in resistant strain were found involved in oxidative detoxification of insecticides. In this study, an investigation was conducted to confirm if resistance irrelevant CYPs which were not overexpressed in resistant strain before, were capable of degrading insecticides. Three resistance irrelevant CYPs viz. CYP417A2v2, CYP425A1v2, and CYP4DJ1 from CYP4 family of Laodelphax striatellus were randomly selected for experiments. CYP417A2v2 and CYP425A1v2 were found expressed successfully in Sf9 cell line while CYP4DJ1 was not expressed successfully and out of two expressed CYPs, only CYP417A2v2 showed its efficient catalytic activity. For catalytic activity, three traditional model probe substrates and five insecticides were assayed. For the probe substrates screened, p -nitroanisole and ethoxycoumarin were preferentially metabolized by CYP417A2v2 (specific activity 3.76 ± 1.22 and 1.63 ± 0.37 nmol min -1  mg protein -1 , respectively) and they may be potential diagnostic probes for this enzyme. Among insecticides, only imidacloprid was efficiently degraded by CYP417A2v2. Incubation of imidacloprid with CYP417A2v2 of L. striatellus and subsequent HPLC, LC-MS, and MS/MS analysis revealed the formation of imidacloprid metabolites, that is, 4' or 5'hydroxy-imidacloprid by hydroxylation. This result implies the exemption of CYPs character that it is not always, all the CYPs degrading insecticides being selected and overexpressed in resistant strains and the degrading CYPs without mutations to upregulate could be candidates during insecticide resistance evolution. This characterization of individual insect CYPs in insecticide degradation can provide insight for better understand of insecticide resistance development.

  20. Search for Extra Dimensions With ATLAS at LHC

    CERN Document Server

    Benslama, Kamal

    2004-01-01

    Theories with extra space time dimensions aiming at resolving the hierarchy problem have recently been developed. These scenarios have provided exciting new grounds for experimental probes. A review of the studies done by the ATLAS collaboration on the sensitivity of the detector to various extra dimension models is reported in this document

  1. City Brand Personality—Relations with Dimensions and Dimensions Inter-Relations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oana Țugulea

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available City brand strategies play an important part in building strong identities for cities and also for effective promotional campaigns. The purpose of this research is to analyze in more depth the dimensions of the City Brand Personality of Iași, as identified in previous research. The objectives of the present study are to: (1 understand the impact of each dimension upon the entire construct; (2 identify the possible connections between the perception of the city brand personality and the perceptions on particular city features; (3 identify the possible inter-connections between the resulting dimensions. An Independent Samples t test, Discriminant analysis, and Correlations and Regressions analysis were conducted. The dimension Peacefulness/Sincerity has the highest positive impact, while the dimension Malignacy has the lowest negative impact. Respondents who consider the city to be relatively young rate the personality features better for the dimensions of Peacefulness/Sincerity and Competence. Competence and Peacefulness/Sincerity are strongly related. Improving the perception of features composing the Competence dimension leads to an improvement of the entire City Brand Personality. Future research could specifically identify the types of sustainable activities that could be associated with the desired personality traits.

  2. Dimension of chaotic attractors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Farmer, J.D.; Ott, E.; Yorke, J.A.

    1982-09-01

    Dimension is perhaps the most basic property of an attractor. In this paper we discuss a variety of different definitions of dimension, compute their values for a typical example, and review previous work on the dimension of chaotic attractors. The relevant definitions of dimension are of two general types, those that depend only on metric properties, and those that depend on probabilistic properties (that is, they depend on the frequency with which a typical trajectory visits different regions of the attractor). Both our example and the previous work that we review support the conclusion that all of the probabilistic dimensions take on the same value, which we call the dimension of the natural measure, and all of the metric dimensions take on a common value, which we call the fractal dimension. Furthermore, the dimension of the natural measure is typically equal to the Lyapunov dimension, which is defined in terms of Lyapunov numbers, and thus is usually far easier to calculate than any other definition. Because it is computable and more physically relevant, we feel that the dimension of the natural measure is more important than the fractal dimension.

  3. Higuchi dimension of digital images.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Helmut Ahammer

    Full Text Available There exist several methods for calculating the fractal dimension of objects represented as 2D digital images. For example, Box counting, Minkowski dilation or Fourier analysis can be employed. However, there appear to be some limitations. It is not possible to calculate only the fractal dimension of an irregular region of interest in an image or to perform the calculations in a particular direction along a line on an arbitrary angle through the image. The calculations must be made for the whole image. In this paper, a new method to overcome these limitations is proposed. 2D images are appropriately prepared in order to apply 1D signal analyses, originally developed to investigate nonlinear time series. The Higuchi dimension of these 1D signals is calculated using Higuchi's algorithm, and it is shown that both regions of interests and directional dependencies can be evaluated independently of the whole picture. A thorough validation of the proposed technique and a comparison of the new method to the Fourier dimension, a common two dimensional method for digital images, are given. The main result is that Higuchi's algorithm allows a direction dependent as well as direction independent analysis. Actual values for the fractal dimensions are reliable and an effective treatment of regions of interests is possible. Moreover, the proposed method is not restricted to Higuchi's algorithm, as any 1D method of analysis, can be applied.

  4. Variability of fractal dimension of solar radio flux

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhatt, Hitaishi; Sharma, Som Kumar; Trivedi, Rupal; Vats, Hari Om

    2018-04-01

    In the present communication, the variation of the fractal dimension of solar radio flux is reported. Solar radio flux observations on a day to day basis at 410, 1415, 2695, 4995, and 8800 MHz are used in this study. The data were recorded at Learmonth Solar Observatory, Australia from 1988 to 2009 covering an epoch of two solar activity cycles (22 yr). The fractal dimension is calculated for the listed frequencies for this period. The fractal dimension, being a measure of randomness, represents variability of solar radio flux at shorter time-scales. The contour plot of fractal dimension on a grid of years versus radio frequency suggests high correlation with solar activity. Fractal dimension increases with increasing frequency suggests randomness increases towards the inner corona. This study also shows that the low frequency is more affected by solar activity (at low frequency fractal dimension difference between solar maximum and solar minimum is 0.42) whereas, the higher frequency is less affected by solar activity (here fractal dimension difference between solar maximum and solar minimum is 0.07). A good positive correlation is found between fractal dimension averaged over all frequencies and yearly averaged sunspot number (Pearson's coefficient is 0.87).

  5. Capture by colour: evidence for dimension-specific singleton capture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Anthony M; Becker, Stefanie I; Remington, Roger W

    2015-10-01

    Previous work on attentional capture has shown the attentional system to be quite flexible in the stimulus properties it can be set to respond to. Several different attentional "modes" have been identified. Feature search mode allows attention to be set for specific features of a target (e.g., red). Singleton detection mode sets attention to respond to any discrepant item ("singleton") in the display. Relational search sets attention for the relative properties of the target in relation to the distractors (e.g., redder, larger). Recently, a new attentional mode was proposed that sets attention to respond to any singleton within a particular feature dimension (e.g., colour; Folk & Anderson, 2010). We tested this proposal against the predictions of previously established attentional modes. In a spatial cueing paradigm, participants searched for a colour target that was randomly either red or green. The nature of the attentional control setting was probed by presenting an irrelevant singleton cue prior to the target display and assessing whether it attracted attention. In all experiments, the cues were red, green, blue, or a white stimulus rapidly rotated (motion cue). The results of three experiments support the existence of a "colour singleton set," finding that all colour cues captured attention strongly, while motion cues captured attention only weakly or not at all. Notably, we also found that capture by motion cues in search for colour targets was moderated by their frequency; rare motion cues captured attention (weakly), while frequent motion cues did not.

  6. Mass generation and related issues from exotic higher dimensions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Colatto, Luiz Paulo [Centro Federal de Educacao Tecnologica Celso Suckow da Fonseca (CEFET), Petropolis, RJ (Brazil); Andrade, Marco Antonio de [Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Resende, RJ (Brazil); Assis, Leonardo Paulo Guimaraes de; Helayel-Neto, Jose Abdalla [Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas(LAFEX/CBPF), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao de Fisica Experimental de Altas Energias; Matheus-Valle, Jose Luiz [Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (UFJF), MG (Brazil); Rojas, Moises [Universidade Federal de Lavras, MG (Brazil)

    2011-07-01

    Full text: he main purpose of this work is to show that massless Dirac equation formulated for non-interacting Majorana-Weyl spinors in higher dimensions, particularly in D = 1 + 9 and D = 5 + 5, may yield to an interpretation of massive Majorana and Dirac spinors in D = 1 + 3 dimensions. The particular case of a dimensional reduction from D = 4 + 4 to D = 1 + 3 has already been fairly-well discussed in the literature. By adopting suitable representations of the Dirac matrices in higher dimensions, we pursue the investigation of which higher dimensional space-times and which metric signatures concerning massless Dirac equations in highermay induce massive spinors in D = 1+3 dimensions. The mixing of the chiral fermions in higher dimensions may induce a mechanism such that four massive Majorana fermions may show up and, at an appropriate limit an almost zero and a huge mass show up with corresponding left-handed and right-handed eigenstates. This mechanism could reassess a peculiar connection with the See-Saw scheme associated to neutrino with Majorana-type masses. The masses of the particle are fixed by the dimensional reduction scheme, which the decoupled dimensions contribute coordinates and depend on the mass invariants in lower dimensions. This proposal should allow us to understand the generation of hierarchies for the fermionic masses in D = 1 + 3, or in lower dimensions in general, starting from the constraints between the energy and the momentum in (n; n) dimensions. For the initial D = 5 + 5 Majorana-Weyl spinors framework using the Weyl representation to the Dirac matrices we observe an intriguing decomposition of space-time that result in two equivalent D = 1 + 4 massive spinors which mass term, in D = 1 + 3 included, is originated from the remained component and that could induce a Brane-World mechanism. (author)

  7. Stroop Interference in a Delayed Match-to-Sample Task: Evidence for Semantic Competition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bradley R. Sturz

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Discussions of the source of the Stroop interference effect continue to pervade the literature. Semantic competition posits that interference results from competing semantic activation of word and color dimensions of the stimulus prior to response selection. Response competition posits that interference results from competing responses for articulating the word dimension versus the color dimension at the time of response selection. We embedded Stroop stimuli into a delayed match-to-sample task in an attempt to test semantic and response competition accounts of the interference effect. Participants viewed a sample color word in black or colored fonts that were congruent or incongruent with respect to the color word itself. After a 5s delay, participants were presented with two targets (i.e., a match and a foil and were instructed to select the correct match. We probed each dimension independently during target presentations via color targets (i.e., two colors or word targets (i.e., two words and manipulated whether the semantic content of the foil was related to the semantic content of the irrelevant sample dimension (e.g., word sample red in blue font with the word red as the match and the word blue as the foil. We provide evidence for Stroop interference such that response times increased for incongruent trials even in the presence of a response option with semantic content unrelated to the semantic content of the irrelevant sample dimension. Accuracy also deteriorated during the related foil trials. A follow-up experiment with a 10s delay between sample and targets replicated the results. Results appear to provide converging evidence for Stroop interference in a delayed match-to-sample task in a manner that is consistent with an explanation based upon semantic competition and inconsistent with an explanation based upon response competition.

  8. Decoupling in an expanding universe boundary RG-flow affects initial conditions for inflation

    CERN Document Server

    Schalm, K; Van der Schaar, J P; Schalm, Koenraad; Shiu, Gary; Schaar, Jan Pieter van der

    2004-01-01

    We study decoupling in FRW spacetimes, emphasizing a Lagrangian description throughout. To account for the vacuum choice ambiguity in cosmological settings, we introduce an arbitrary boundary action representing the initial conditions. RG flow in these spacetimes naturally affects the boundary interactions. As a consequence the boundary conditions are sensitive to high-energy physics through irrelevant terms in the boundary action. Using scalar field theory as an example, we derive the leading dimension four irrelevant boundary operators. We discuss how the known vacuum choices, e.g. the Bunch-Davies vacuum, appear in the Lagrangian description and square with decoupling. For all choices of boundary conditions encoded by relevant boundary operators, of which the known ones are a subset, backreaction is under control. All, moreover, will generically feel the influence of high-energy physics through irrelevant (dimension four) boundary corrections. Having established a coherent effective field theory framework ...

  9. Is there proof that backreaction of inhomogeneities is irrelevant in cosmology?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buchert, T; Ostrowski, J J; Roukema, B F; Carfora, M; Ellis, G F R; Kolb, E W; MacCallum, M A H; Räsänen, S; Andersson, L; Coley, A A; Wiltshire, D L

    2015-01-01

    No. In a number of papers, Green and Wald argue that the standard FLRW model approximates our Universe extremely well on all scales, except close to strong-field astrophysical objects. In particular, they argue that the effect of inhomogeneities on average properties of the Universe (backreaction) is irrelevant. We show that this latter claim is not valid. Specifically, we demonstrate, referring to their recent review paper, that (i) their two-dimensional example used to illustrate the fitting problem differs from the actual problem in important respects, and it assumes what is to be proven; (ii) the proof of the trace-free property of backreaction is unphysical and the theorem about it fails to be a mathematically general statement; (iii) the scheme that underlies the trace-free theorem does not involve averaging and therefore does not capture crucial non-local effects; (iv) their arguments are to a large extent coordinate-dependent, and (v) many of their criticisms of backreaction frameworks do not apply to the published definitions of these frameworks. It is therefore incorrect to infer that Green and Wald have proven a general result that addresses the essential physical questions of backreaction in cosmology. (paper)

  10. Tensionless branes and the null string critical dimension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bozhilov, P.

    1998-01-01

    BRST quantization is carried out for a model of p-branes with second class constraints. After extension of the phase space the constraint algebra coincides with the one of null string when p=1. It is shown that in this case one can or cannot obtain critical dimension for the null string, depending on the choice of the operator ordering and corresponding vacuum states. When p>1, operator orderings leading to critical dimension in the p=1 case are not allowed. Admissible orderings give no restrictions on the dimension of the embedding space-time. Finally, a generalization to supersymmetric null branes is proposed

  11. Methodology of nuclear reactor monitoring and diagnostics using information dimension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzudo, Tomoaki; Hayashi, Koji; Shinohara, Yoshikuni

    1993-01-01

    Reactor noise analysis method based on information dimension is applied to the monitoring and diagnosing of power oscillation. The method focuses on the utilization of the slope of the correlation integral (SOCI) which determines the information dimension of attractors. For practical application, the information dimension is expected to be the same as the fractal dimension of attractors; it can be used to classify different asymptotic regimes of nonlinear dynamical systems. We examined a real power oscillation using SOCI and the results implied that the oscillation was just a noisy limit cycle, although it is not possible to assert that there is no chaotic character in the oscillation because large oscillatory time-series data sets are not available. In addition, the application of SOCI to the real-time monitoring of power oscillation is proposed and examined. (author)

  12. Closed contour fractal dimension estimation by the Fourier transform

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Florindo, J.B.; Bruno, O.M.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → A novel fractal dimension concept, based on Fourier spectrum, is proposed. → Computationally simple. Computational time smaller than conventional fractal methods. → Results are closer to Hausdorff-Besicovitch than conventional methods. → The method is more accurate and robustness to geometric operations and noise addition. - Abstract: This work proposes a novel technique for the numerical calculus of the fractal dimension of fractal objects which can be represented as a closed contour. The proposed method maps the fractal contour onto a complex signal and calculates its fractal dimension using the Fourier transform. The Fourier power spectrum is obtained and an exponential relation is verified between the power and the frequency. From the parameter (exponent) of the relation, is obtained the fractal dimension. The method is compared to other classical fractal dimension estimation methods in the literature, e.g., Bouligand-Minkowski, box-counting and classical Fourier. The comparison is achieved by the calculus of the fractal dimension of fractal contours whose dimensions are well-known analytically. The results showed the high precision and robustness of the proposed technique.

  13. Reconceptualizing perceptual load as a rate problem: The role of time in the allocation of selective attention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Zhi; Xin, Keyun; Li, Wei; Li, Yanzhe

    2018-04-30

    In the literature about allocation of selective attention, a widely studied question is when will attention be allocated to information that is clearly irrelevant to the task at hand. The present study, by using convergent evidence, demonstrated that there is a trade-off between quantity of information present in a display and the time allowed to process it. Specifically, whether or not there is interference from irrelevant distractors depends not only on the amount of information present, but also on the amount of time allowed to process that information. When processing time is calibrated to the amount of information present, irrelevant distractors can be selectively ignored successfully. These results suggest that the perceptual load in the load theory of selective attention (i.e., Lavie, 2005) should be thought about as a dynamic rate problem rather than a static capacity limitation. The authors thus propose that rather than conceiving of perceptual load as a quantity of information, they should consider it as a quantity of information per unit of time. In other words, it is the relationship between the quantity of information in the task and the time for processing the information that determines the allocation of selective attention. Thus, the present findings extended load theory, allowing it to explain findings that were previously considered as counter evidence of load theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  14. Philosophy in contemporary time: Relevance vs. Public perception ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    What is the relevance of philosophy in this contemporary time? Philosophy is viewed by many people as an irrelevant discipline- one of no social and/or practical significance. It is sometimes seen also as an abstract and drab enterprise fit only for the intellectuals. Overtime also, philosophy has come to be perceived as ...

  15. supersymmetry breaking with extra dimensions

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    large number of parameters, there is no explanation for the origin and the stability of two different mass .... Theories formulated in more than four space-time dimensions have been discussed for several decades, starting from the historical papers by Kaluza and Klein on. 500 .... For the consistency of the orbifold construction,.

  16. Dimensions of Creative Evaluation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Bo; Ball, Linden J.

    2016-01-01

    We examined evaluative reasoning taking place during expert ‘design critiques’. We focused on key dimensions of creative evaluation (originality, functionality and aesthetics) and ways in which these dimensions impact reasoning strategies and suggestions offered by experts for how the student could...... continue. Each dimension was associated with a specific underpinning ‘logic’ determining how these dimensions were evaluated in practice. Our analysis clarified how these dimensions triggered reasoning strategies such as running mental simulations or making design suggestions, ranging from ‘go...

  17. Long-wavelength fluctuations and the glass transition in two dimensions and three dimensions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vivek, Skanda; Kelleher, Colm P; Chaikin, Paul M; Weeks, Eric R

    2017-02-21

    Phase transitions significantly differ between 2D and 3D systems, but the influence of dimensionality on the glass transition is unresolved. We use microscopy to study colloidal systems as they approach their glass transitions at high concentrations and find differences between two dimensions and three dimensions. We find that, in two dimensions, particles can undergo large displacements without changing their position relative to their neighbors, in contrast with three dimensions. This is related to Mermin-Wagner long-wavelength fluctuations that influence phase transitions in two dimensions. However, when measuring particle motion only relative to their neighbors, two dimensions and three dimensions have similar behavior as the glass transition is approached, showing that the long-wavelength fluctuations do not cause a fundamental distinction between 2D and 3D glass transitions.

  18. Interactive Dimensioning of Parametric Models

    KAUST Repository

    Kelly, T.

    2015-06-22

    We propose a solution for the dimensioning of parametric and procedural models. Dimensioning has long been a staple of technical drawings, and we present the first solution for interactive dimensioning: A dimension line positioning system that adapts to the view direction, given behavioral properties. After proposing a set of design principles for interactive dimensioning, we describe our solution consisting of the following major components. First, we describe how an author can specify the desired interactive behavior of a dimension line. Second, we propose a novel algorithm to place dimension lines at interactive speeds. Third, we introduce multiple extensions, including chained dimension lines, controls for different parameter types (e.g. discrete choices, angles), and the use of dimension lines for interactive editing. Our results show the use of dimension lines in an interactive parametric modeling environment for architectural, botanical, and mechanical models.

  19. Cosmological and theoretical aspects of higher dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fairbairn, M.

    2001-01-01

    This thesis deals with various aspects of higher dimensional particle physics theories. First we consider varying constant models where the size of the extra dimensions changes over time. In particular we focus on the effect of a time varying strong coupling constant and its implications for carbon burning in supernovae and the stability of the deuteron. Next we look at cosmological constraints on the size of large extra dimensions which come from the necessity to avoid the over-production of massive Kaluza-Klein modes which might instigate an early matter domination and decrease the age of the universe unacceptably. Finally we consider the possibility of embedding the 2nd Randall-Sundrum model within a supersymmetric theory inspired by M-theory. (author)

  20. E-Government Dimension

    OpenAIRE

    Rosiyadi, Didi; Suryana, Nana; Cahyana, Ade; Nuryani, Nuryani

    2007-01-01

    Makalah ini mengemukakan E-Government Dimension yang merupakan salah satu hasil TahapanPengumpulan Data, dimana tahapan ini adalah bagian dari penelitian kompetitif di Lembaga Ilmu PengetahuanIndonesia 2007 yang sekarang sedang dilakukan. Data E-Government Dimension ini didapatkan dari berbagaisumber yang meliputi E-Government beberapa Negara di dunia, E-Government yang dibangun oleh beberapapenyedia aplikasi E-Government. E-Government Dimension terdiri dari tiga dimensi yaitu DemocraticDimen...

  1. From dispersion relations to spectral dimension - and back again

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sotiriou, Thomas P.; Visser, Matt; Weinfurtner, Silke

    2011-01-01

    The so-called spectral dimension is a scale-dependent number associated with both geometries and field theories that has recently attracted much attention, driven largely, though not exclusively, by investigations of causal dynamical triangulations and Horava gravity as possible candidates for quantum gravity. We advocate the use of the spectral dimension as a probe for the kinematics of these (and other) systems in the region where spacetime curvature is small, and the manifold is flat to a good approximation. In particular, we show how to assign a spectral dimension (as a function of so-called diffusion time) to any arbitrarily specified dispersion relation. We also analyze the fundamental properties of spectral dimension using extensions of the usual Seeley-DeWitt and Feynman expansions and by using saddle point techniques. The spectral dimension turns out to be a useful, robust, and powerful probe, not only of geometry, but also of kinematics.

  2. Spatially parallel processing of within-dimension conjunctions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Linnell, K J; Humphreys, G W

    2001-01-01

    Within-dimension conjunction search for red-green targets amongst red-blue, and blue-green, nontargets is extremely inefficient (Wolfe et al, 1990 Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance 16 879-892). We tested whether pairs of red-green conjunction targets can nevertheless be processed spatially in parallel. Participants made speeded detection responses whenever a red-green target was present. Across trials where a second identical target was present, the distribution of detection times was compatible with the assumption that targets were processed in parallel (Miller, 1982 Cognitive Psychology 14 247-279). We show that this was not an artifact of response-competition or feature-based processing. We suggest that within-dimension conjunctions can be processed spatially in parallel. Visual search for such items may be inefficient owing to within-dimension grouping between items.

  3. Study on coupling of three-dimension space time neutron kinetics model and RELAP5 and improvement of RELAP5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gui Xuewen; Cai Qi; Luo Bangqi

    2007-01-01

    A two-group three-dimension space-time neutron kinetics model is applied to the RELAP5 code, which replaces the point reactor kinetics model. A visual operation interface is designed to convenience interactive operation between operator and computer. The calculation results and practical applications indicate that the functions and precision of improved RELAP5 are enhanced and can be easily used. The improved RELAP5 has a good application perspective in nuclear power plant simulation. (authors)

  4. Registered Replication Report: Testing Disruptive Effects of Irrelevant Speech on Visual-Spatial Working Memory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tatiana Kvetnaya

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available A Partial Replication of “Functional Equivalence of Verbal and Spatial Information in Serial Short-Term Memory (Jones, Farrand, Stuart, & Morris, 1995; Experiment 4” The irrelevant speech effect (ISE—the phenomenon that background speech impairs serial recall of visually presented material—has been widely used for examining the structure of short-term memory. In Experiment 4, Jones, Farrand, Stuart, and Morris (1995 employed the ISE to demonstrate that impairment of performance is determined by the changing-state characteristics of the material, rather than its modality of origin. The present study directly replicated the spatial condition of Experiment 4 with 'N' = 40 German participants. In contrast to the original findings, no main effect of sound type was observed, 'F'(2, 78 = 0.81, 'p' = .450, η2'p' = .02. The absence of an ISE in the spatial domain does not support the changing state hypothesis.

  5. Nonlinear self-duality in even dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aschieri, Paolo; Brace, Daniel; Morariu, Bogdan; Zumino, Bruno

    2000-01-01

    We show that the Born-Infeld theory with n complex abelian gauge fields written in an auxiliary field formulation has a U(n, n) duality group. We conjecture the form of the Lagrangian obtained by eliminating the auxiliary fields and then introduce a new reality structure leading to a Born-Infeld theory with n real gauge fields and an Sp(2n, IR) duality symmetry. The real and complex constructions are extended to arbitrary even dimensions. The maximal noncompact duality group is U(n, n) for complex fields. For real fields the duality group is Sp(2n, IR) if half of the dimension of space-time is even and O(n, n) if it is odd. We also discuss duality under the maximal compact subgroup, which is the self-duality group of the theory obtained by fixing the expectation value of a scalar field. Supersymmetric versions of self-dual theories in four dimensions are also discussed

  6. GOOD GOVERNANCE: NORMATIVE VS. DESCRIPTIVE DIMENSION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ciprian IFTIMOAEI

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available The concept of “good governance” was used for the first time in the 1989 World Bank Report – Sub-Saharan Africa: From Crisis to Sustainable Growth. A Long-Term Perspective Study – and has already made history in international studies, especially after the breakdown of the communist regimes. The governance has to do with authority, decision-making and accountability.The good governance is defined as the capacity of the government to manage a nation’s affaires, to provide economic development, welfare for citizens, and social protection for the poor. In this article,the concept of good governance is analysed according to two main dimensions: the normative dimension which comprises principles, values and norms that are guiding the international community and the governments in the management of policymaking process;the descriptive dimension which refers to the practical aspects of implementing the good governance’s standards as policies, programmes and structural reforms with the aim of solving or ameliorating the problems of developing countries.

  7. More dimensions: Less entropy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kolb, E.W.; Lindley, D.; Seckel, D.

    1984-01-01

    For a cosmological model with d noncompact and D compact spatial dimensions and symmetry R 1 x S/sup d/ x S/sup D/, we calculate the entropy produced in d dimensions due to the compactification of D dimensions and show it too small to be of cosmological interest. Although insufficient entropy is produced in the model we study, the contraction of extra dimensions does lead to entropy production. We discuss modifications of our assumptions, including changing our condition for decoupling of the extra dimensions, which may lead to a large entropy production and change our conclusions

  8. Evaluation of dimension effects on a capillary-attached gas sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bahraminejad, Behzad; Basri, Shahnor; Isa, Maryam; Hambli, Zarida

    2010-01-01

    The analysis and useful gas sensing properties of a capillary-attached gas sensor (CGS) have been recently investigated. The aim of the present work was the assessment of dimension effects on the CGS sensing properties both diameterwise and lengthwise. CGS samples in different dimensions were fabricated and tested by exposure to different target gases in different concentration ranges. Dimension effects on CGS properties such as selectivity, sensitivity, rise time and input range were investigated. It was observed that the CGS with smaller diameter and longer lengths generated more selective information. However, decreasing sensitivity and increasing minimum input range were some disadvantages of smaller diameters. Longer length also made longer rise time and slower sensor. Finally, the optimum ranges for the CGS in length and diameter were suggested

  9. Dimensions of Personality Pathology in Adolescence: Longitudinal Associations With Big Five Personality Dimensions Across Childhood and Adolescence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van den Akker, Alithe L; Prinzie, Peter; Overbeek, Geertjan

    2016-04-01

    To investigate validity of the dimensions that underlie pathological personality in adolescence, we delineated the hierarchical structure of the Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology-Short Form-Adolescent version (DAPP-SF-A; Tromp & Koot, 2008) and examined longitudinal associations with Big Five personality dimensions assessed four times from middle childhood to late adolescence. A total of 426 adolescents provided self-reports on the DAPP-SF-A (age M = 18.6, SD = 1.17; 53% female). Mothers provided information on their child's personality eleven, eight, five, and three years earlier. Previous findings on the hierarchical structure of the DAPP-BQ replicated up to the four-component solution (emotional dysregulation, dissocial behavior, inhibition, and compulsivity). In the solution, a thought disturbance component emerged. Interestingly, the five-component solution already showed most differentiated associations with childhood personality in middle childhood. Childhood personality dimensions predicted four out of five adolescent pathological personality traits, indicating continuity of normal and abnormal personality across childhood and adolescence.

  10. A Relational Encoding of a Conceptual Model with Multiple Temporal Dimensions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gubiani, Donatella; Montanari, Angelo

    The theoretical interest and the practical relevance of a systematic treatment of multiple temporal dimensions is widely recognized in the database and information system communities. Nevertheless, most relational databases have no temporal support at all. A few of them provide a limited support, in terms of temporal data types and predicates, constructors, and functions for the management of time values (borrowed from the SQL standard). One (resp., two) temporal dimensions are supported by historical and transaction-time (resp., bitemporal) databases only. In this paper, we provide a relational encoding of a conceptual model featuring four temporal dimensions, namely, the classical valid and transaction times, plus the event and availability times. We focus our attention on the distinctive technical features of the proposed temporal extension of the relation model. In the last part of the paper, we briefly show how to implement it in a standard DBMS.

  11. Irrelevant stimulus processing in ADHD: catecholamine dynamics and attentional networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco eAboitiz

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available A cardinal symptom of Attenion Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD is a general distractibility where children and adults shift their attentional focus to stimuli that are irrelevant to the ongoing behavior. This has been attributed to a deficit in dopaminergic signaling in cortico-striatal networks that regulate goal-directed behavior. Furthermore, recent imaging evidence points to an impairment of large scale, antagonistic brain networks that normally contribute to attentional engagement and disengagement, such as the task-positive networks and the Default Mode Network (DMN. Related networks are the ventral attentional network (VAN involved in attentional shifting, and the salience network (SN related to task expectancy. Here we discuss the tonic-phasic dynamics of catecholaminergic signaling in the brain, and attempt to provide a link between this and the activities of the large-scale cortical networks that regulate behavior. More specifically, we propose that a disbalance of tonic catecholamine levels during task performance produce an emphasis of phasic signaling and increased excitability of the VAN, yielding distractibility symptoms. Likewise, immaturity of the SN may relate to abnormal tonic signaling and an incapacity to build up a proper executive system during task performance. We discuss different lines of evidence including pharmacology, brain imaging and electrophysiology, that are consistent with our proposal. Finally, restoring the pharmacodynamics of catecholaminergic signaling seems crucial to alleviate ADHD symptoms; however, the possibility is open to explore cognitive rehabilitation strategies to top-down modulate network dynamics compensating the pharmacological deficits.

  12. DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS OF TEAMS

    OpenAIRE

    Goparaju Purna SUDHAKAR

    2013-01-01

    Popularity of teams is growing in 21st Century. Organizations are getting their work done through different types of teams. Teams have proved that the collective performance is more than the sum of the individual performances. Thus, the teams have got different dimensions such as quantitative dimensions and qualitative dimensions. The Quantitative dimensions of teams such as team performance, team productivity, team innovation, team effectiveness, team efficiency, team decision making and tea...

  13. Correlation dimension of financial market

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nie, Chun-Xiao

    2017-05-01

    In this paper, correlation dimension is applied to financial data analysis. We calculate the correlation dimensions of some real market data and find that the dimensions are significantly smaller than those of the simulation data based on geometric Brownian motion. Based on the analysis of the Chinese and US stock market data, the main results are as follows. First, by calculating three data sets for the Chinese and US market, we find that large market volatility leads to a significant decrease in the dimensions. Second, based on 5-min stock price data, we find that the Chinese market dimension is significantly larger than the US market; this shows a significant difference between the two markets for high frequency data. Third, we randomly extract stocks from a stock set and calculate the correlation dimensions, and find that the average value of these dimensions is close to the dimension of the original set. In addition, we analyse the intuitional meaning of the relevant dimensions used in this paper, which are directly related to the average degree of the financial threshold network. The dimension measures the speed of the average degree that varies with the threshold value. A smaller dimension means that the rate of change is slower.

  14. Universal instability of hairy black holes in Lovelock-Galileon theories in D dimensions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takahashi, Kazufumi; Suyama, Teruaki; Kobayashi, Tsutomu

    2016-03-01

    We analyze spherically symmetric black hole solutions with time-dependent scalar hair in a class of Lovelock-Galileon theories, which are the scalar-tensor theories with second-order field equations in arbitrary dimensions. We first show that known black hole solutions in five dimensions are always plagued by the ghost/gradient instability in the vicinity of the horizon. We then generalize such black hole solutions to higher dimensions and show that the same instability found in five dimensions appears universally in any number of dimensions.

  15. On Time in Just War Theory:From Chronos to Kairos

    OpenAIRE

    Thaler, Mathias

    2014-01-01

    This article examines the role of time in Just War theory. It maintains that contemporary Just War theory’s legalist focus on rules and principles, rather than judgment and interpretation, makes a serious engagement with timing appear quite irrelevant. To deal with this shortcoming, the article clarifies the dual nature of political time as both chronos and kairos, and argues that a cogent account of the justice of warfare needs to incorporate the two faces of political time. In addition, the...

  16. Deconstructing dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cohen, A.G.

    2003-01-01

    Extra-dimensional physics is realized as the low-energy limit of lower-dimensional gauge theories. This 'deconstruction' of dimensions provides a UV completion of higher-dimensional theories, and has been used to investigate the physics of extra-dimensions. This technique has also led to a variety of interesting phenomenological applications, especially a new class of models of electroweak superconductivity, called the 'little Higgs'. (author)

  17. Dimension of linear models

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Høskuldsson, Agnar

    1996-01-01

    Determination of the proper dimension of a given linear model is one of the most important tasks in the applied modeling work. We consider here eight criteria that can be used to determine the dimension of the model, or equivalently, the number of components to use in the model. Four of these cri......Determination of the proper dimension of a given linear model is one of the most important tasks in the applied modeling work. We consider here eight criteria that can be used to determine the dimension of the model, or equivalently, the number of components to use in the model. Four...... the basic problems in determining the dimension of linear models. Then each of the eight measures are treated. The results are illustrated by examples....

  18. Krull dimension in modal logic

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bezhanishvili, G.; Bezhanishvili, N.; Lucero-Bryan, J.; van Mill, J.

    2017-01-01

    We develop the theory of Krull dimension for S4-algebras and Heyting algebras. This leads to the concept of modal Krull dimension for topological spaces. We compare modal Krull dimension to other well-known dimension functions, and show that it can detect differences between topological spaces that

  19. Relationship between Entropy and Dimension of Financial Correlation-Based Network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chun-xiao Nie

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available We analyze the dimension of a financial correlation-based network and apply our analysis to characterize the complexity of the network. First, we generalize the volume-based dimension and find that it is well defined by the correlation-based network. Second, we establish the relationship between the Rényi index and the volume-based dimension. Third, we analyze the meaning of the dimensions sequence, which characterizes the level of departure from the comparison benchmark based on the randomized time series. Finally, we use real stock market data from three countries for empirical analysis. In some cases, our proposed analysis method can more accurately capture the structural differences of networks than the power law index commonly used in previous studies.

  20. Why Do Irrelevant Alternatives Matter? An fMRI-TMS Study of Context-Dependent Preferences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, Hui-Kuan; Sjöström, Tomas; Lee, Hsin-Ju; Lu, Yi-Ta; Tsuo, Fu-Yun; Chen, Tzai-Shuen; Chang, Chi-Fu; Juan, Chi-Hung; Kuo, Wen-Jui; Huang, Chen-Ying

    2017-11-29

    Both humans and animals are known to exhibit a violation of rationality known as "decoy effect": introducing an irrelevant option (a decoy) can influence choices among other (relevant) options. Exactly how and why decoys trigger this effect is not known. It may be an example of fast heuristic decision-making, which is adaptive in natural environments, but may lead to biased choices in certain markets or experiments. We used fMRI and transcranial magnetic stimulation to investigate the neural underpinning of the decoy effect of both sexes. The left ventral striatum was more active when the chosen option dominated the decoy. This is consistent with the hypothesis that the presence of a decoy option influences the valuation of other options, making valuation context-dependent even when choices appear fully rational. Consistent with the idea that control is recruited to prevent heuristics from producing biased choices, the right inferior frontal gyrus, often implicated in inhibiting prepotent responses, connected more strongly with the striatum when subjects successfully overrode the decoy effect and made unbiased choices. This is further supported by our transcranial magnetic stimulation experiment: subjects whose right inferior frontal gyrus was temporarily disrupted made biased choices more often than a control group. Our results suggest that the neural basis of the decoy effect could be the context-dependent activation of the valuation area. But the differential connectivity from the frontal area may indicate how deliberate control monitors and corrects errors and biases in decision-making. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Standard theories of rational decision-making assume context-independent valuations of available options. Motivated by the importance of this basic assumption, we used fMRI to study how the human brain assigns values to available options. We found activity in the valuation area to be consistent with the hypothesis that values depend on irrelevant aspects

  1. Time course and dimensions of postural control changes following neuromuscular training in youth field hockey athletes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zech, Astrid; Klahn, Philipp; Hoeft, Jon; zu Eulenburg, Christine; Steib, Simon

    2014-02-01

    Injury prevention effects of neuromuscular training have been partly attributed to postural control adaptations. Uncertainty exists regarding the magnitude of these adaptations and on how they can be adequately monitored. The objective was to determine the time course of neuromuscular training effects on functional, dynamic and static balance measures. Thirty youth (14.9 ± 3 years) field hockey athletes were randomised to an intervention or control group. The intervention included a 20-min neuromuscular warm-up program performed twice weekly for 10 weeks. Balance assessments were performed at baseline, week three, week six and post-intervention. They included the star excursion balance test (SEBT), balance error scoring system (BESS), jump-landing time to stabilization (TTS) and center of pressure (COP) sway velocity during single-leg standing. No baseline differences were found between groups in demographic data and balance measures. Adherence was at 86%. All balance measures except the medial-lateral TTS improved significantly over time (p controls (31.8 ± 22.1%). There were no significant group by time interactions in the SEBT, TTS and COP sway velocity. Neuromuscular training was effective in improving postural control in youth team athletes. However, this effect was not reflected in all balance measures suggesting that the neuromuscular training did not influence all dimensions of postural control. Further studies are needed to confirm the potential of specific warm-up programs to improve postural control.

  2. Path integrals and pseudoclassical description for spinning particles in arbitrary dimensions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gitman, D.M. [Sao Paulo Univ. (Brazil). Inst. de Fisica

    1997-03-17

    The propagator of a spinning particle in an external Abelian field and in arbitrary dimensions is presented by means of a path integral. The problem has distinct solutions in even and odd dimensions. In even dimensions the representation is just a generalization of the one in four dimensions (which is already known). In this case the gauge invariant part of the effective action in the path integral has the form of the standard (Berezin-Marinov) pseudoclassical action. In odd dimensions the solution is presented for the first time and, in particular, it turns out that the gauge invariant part of the effective action differs from the standard one. We propose this new action as a candidate to describe spinning particles in odd dimensions. Studying the Hamiltonization of the pseudoclassical theory with the new action we show that the operator quantization leads to an adequate minimal quantum theory of spinning particles in odd dimensions. Finally the consideration is generalized for the case of a particle with an anomalous magnetic moment. (orig.).

  3. User Experience Dimensions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lykke, Marianne; Jantzen, Christian

    2016-01-01

    The present study develops a set of 10 dimensions based on a systematic understanding of the concept of experience as a holistic psychological. Seven of these are derived from a psychological conception of what experiencing and experiences are. Three supplementary dimensions spring from the obser...

  4. Is focusing on the triad in suspected child abuse cases really irrelevant and of no practical use?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lynøe, Niels; Eriksson, Anders

    2018-06-11

    Since its publication in 2016, the report by the Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services on the diagnostic accuracy of the triad for determining traumatic shaking (1) has been criticised, mainly by paediatricians. One repeated criticism has been that the report focused on the triad of symptoms, namely subdural haematoma, retinal haemorrhages and encephalopathy, in cases without signs of impact. This focus has been described by some critics as one that has been created by lawyers to use in court cases and the triad itself has been dismissed as irrelevant and of no practical or clinical use (2-3) This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  5. High dimensions - a new approach to fermionic lattice models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vollhardt, D.

    1991-01-01

    The limit of high spatial dimensions d, which is well-established in the theory of classical and localized spin models, is shown to be a fruitful approach also to itinerant fermion systems, such as the Hubbard model and the periodic Anderson model. Many investigations which are probability difficult in finite dimensions, become tractable in d=∞. At the same time essential features of systems in d=3 and even lower dimensions are very well described by the results obtained in d=∞. A wide range of applications of this new concept (e.g., in perturbation theory, Fermi liquid theory, variational approaches, exact results, etc.) is discussed and the state-of-the-art is reviewed. (orig.)

  6. Attention, spatial integration, and the tail of response time distributions in Stroop task performance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Roelofs, A.P.A.

    2012-01-01

    A few studies have examined selective attention in Stroop task performance through ex-Gaussian analyses of response time (RT) distributions. It has remained unclear whether the tail of the RT distribution in vocal responding reflects spatial integration of relevant and irrelevant attributes, as

  7. Relaxing to Three Dimensions

    CERN Document Server

    CERN. Geneva

    2006-01-01

    Extra dimensions of space might be present in our universe. If so, we want to know 'How do dimensions hide?' and 'Why are three dimensions special?' I'll give potential answers to both these questions in the context of localized gravity. Organiser(s): L. Alvarez-Gaume / PH-THNote: * Tea & coffee will be served at 16:00. Talk is broadcasted in Council Chamber

  8. Socio-emotionally Significant Experience and Children’s Processing of Irrelevant Auditory Stimuli

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schermerhorn, Alice C.; Bates, John E.; Puce, Aina; Molfese, Dennis L.

    2017-01-01

    Theory and research indicate considerable influence of socio-emotionally significant experiences on children’s functioning and adaptation. In the current study, we examined neurophysiological correlates of children’s allocation of information processing resources to socio-emotionally significant events, specifically, simulated marital interactions. We presented 9- to 11-year-old children (n = 24; 11 females) with 15 videos of interactions between two actors posing as a married couple. Task-irrelevant brief auditory probes were presented during the videos, and event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited to the auditory probes were measured. As hypothesized, exposure to higher levels of interparental conflict was associated with smaller P1, P2, and N2 ERPs to the probes. This finding is consistent with the idea that children who had been exposed to more interparental conflict attended more to the videos and diverted fewer cognitive resources to processing the probes, thereby producing smaller ERPs to the probes. In addition, smaller N2s were associated with more child behavior problems, suggesting that allocating fewer processing resources to the probes was associated with more problem behavior. Results are discussed in terms of implications of socio-emotionally significant experiences for children’s processing of interpersonal interactions. PMID:27993611

  9. Influence on Simon and SNARC Effects of a Nonspatial Stimulus-Response Mapping: Between-Task Logical Recoding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Treccani, Barbara; Milanese, Nadia; Umilta, Carlo

    2010-01-01

    In 4 experiments, we intermixed trials in which the stimulus color was relevant with trials where participants had to judge the stimulus shape or parity and found that the logical-recoding rule (Hedge & Marsh, 1975) applied to the relevant dimension in a task can generalize to the irrelevant dimension of the other task. The mapping…

  10. Approximate k-NN delta test minimization method using genetic algorithms: Application to time series

    CERN Document Server

    Mateo, F; Gadea, Rafael; Sovilj, Dusan

    2010-01-01

    In many real world problems, the existence of irrelevant input variables (features) hinders the predictive quality of the models used to estimate the output variables. In particular, time series prediction often involves building large regressors of artificial variables that can contain irrelevant or misleading information. Many techniques have arisen to confront the problem of accurate variable selection, including both local and global search strategies. This paper presents a method based on genetic algorithms that intends to find a global optimum set of input variables that minimize the Delta Test criterion. The execution speed has been enhanced by substituting the exact nearest neighbor computation by its approximate version. The problems of scaling and projection of variables have been addressed. The developed method works in conjunction with MATLAB's Genetic Algorithm and Direct Search Toolbox. The goodness of the proposed methodology has been evaluated on several popular time series examples, and also ...

  11. Dimension and extensions

    CERN Document Server

    Aarts, JM

    1993-01-01

    Two types of seemingly unrelated extension problems are discussed in this book. Their common focus is a long-standing problem of Johannes de Groot, the main conjecture of which was recently resolved. As is true of many important conjectures, a wide range of mathematical investigations had developed, which have been grouped into the two extension problems. The first concerns the extending of spaces, the second concerns extending the theory of dimension by replacing the empty space with other spaces. The problem of de Groot concerned compactifications of spaces by means of an adjunction of a set of minimal dimension. This minimal dimension was called the compactness deficiency of a space. Early success in 1942 lead de Groot to invent a generalization of the dimension function, called the compactness degree of a space, with the hope that this function would internally characterize the compactness deficiency which is a topological invariant of a space that is externally defined by means of compact extensions of a...

  12. Quantum gravity in more than four dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vaz, C.

    1987-01-01

    Ever since its inception, Einstein's general relativity has been considered a most remarkable theory. It is generally believed today, that the classical theory is well understood. Nevertheless, in the pursuit of a deeper understanding of physics in terms of a grand unification of forces, one would like to quantize the theory, thus bringing it under the known forces of nature. The author will address the possibility that space-time is of dimension greater that four. In the pursuit of Einstein's dream of a unification of physical interactions, many interesting ideas have been developed. Beginning with Weyl and Kaluza, we have progressed to strings and superstrings. The thing that is common to all these theories is the requirement of a space-time of more than four dimensions. While Kaluza's theory implicitly assumes that Einstein's gravity is classically correct in any number of dimensions, superstring phenomenology may suggest otherwise. Generalizations to Einstein's gravity are indicated, and the gravitational Casimir energy is explicitly approximate on a background configuration M 4 x S 6 , on a ten dimensional space-time. Weyl invariance is particularly interesting to the quantum gravitationalist. One finds that energy momentum tensor of the Weyl invariant quantum field picks up an anomalous trace, which is related to particle production by the curved background. He therefore computes the conformal anomaly for a conformally coupled scalar field and considers some of its consequences. He then suggest that the conformal anomaly, when combined with the perfect fluid hypothesis, can be used to determine the complete energy momentum tensor of the quantum field in certain backgrounds

  13. Dimensioning of the rolling railway equipment; Dimensionnement du materiel roulant ferroviaire

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chapas, P.; Petit, J.M. [ALSTOM Transport, 93 - Saint Ouen (France)

    2005-01-01

    This article analyzes the specificities of the rolling railway equipment in terms of exploitation. The suitable solutions must satisfy different constraints (load, trip, time, cost..). These theoretical aspects are illustrated with a practical example of dimensioning of a locomotive. Finally, a brief overview of the most recent existing equipments worldwide is given: 1 - traction program and different types of exploitation: load drawn, trip-type, timing, different kinds of exploitation; 2 - dimensioning criteria and motive architecture: constraints, number and distribution of driving axles, power and strain-speed characteristic, efficiency and losses, autonomy, auxiliary equipments; 3 - braking dimensioning: strains involved and braking types, electrical braking, electro-pneumatic braking; 4 - adaptation to the type of exploitation: locomotive for long-distance trips, high-speed trains, inter-urban trains, subway and tramway; 5 - conclusion. (J.S.)

  14. Maintenance Procedures for North American Visually-graded Dimension Lumber Design Values

    Science.gov (United States)

    David Kretschmann; Don DeVisser; Kevin Cheung; Bob Browder; Al Rozek

    2014-01-01

    ASTM International D1990 Standard Practice for Establishing Allowable Properties for Visually-Graded Dimension Lumber from In-Grade Tests of Full-Size Specimens, that governs the development of design values for dimension lumber in North America, was first adopted in 1991with recognition that the resource and manufacturing of lumber could change over time impacting...

  15. Physical Activity Dimensions Associated with Impaired Glucose Metabolism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Amadid, Hanan; Johansen, Nanna B.; Bjerregaard, Anne-Louise

    2017-01-01

    Purpose Physical activity (PA) is important in the prevention of Type 2 diabetes, yet little is known about the role of specific dimensions of PA, including sedentary time in subgroups at risk for impaired glucose metabolism (IGM). We applied a data-driven decision tool to identify dimensions of PA...... identified subgroups in which different activity dimensions were associated with IGM. Methodology and results from this study may suggest a preliminary step toward the goal of tailoring and targeting PA interventions aimed at Type 2 diabetes prevention....... associated with IGM across age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) groups. Methods This cross-sectional study included 1501 individuals (mean (SD) age, 65.6 (6.8) yr) at high risk for Type 2 diabetes from the ADDITION-PRO study. PA was measured by an individually calibrated combined accelerometer and heart rate...

  16. Intention to stay and nurses' satisfaction dimensions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaghloul, Ashraf A; Al-Hussaini, Mashael F; Al-Bassam, Nora K

    2008-08-01

    The study was conducted to identify the satisfaction dimensions in relation to anticipated nurse turnover in an academic medical institution using an ordinal regression model. A cross-sectional descriptive study was designed to describe nurse job satisfaction in relation to their intention to stay at King Faisal University's Hospital, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. All nurses available at the time of the study were included (499 nurses in different departments). The response rate was 55.3% (276 questionnaires suitable for analysis). A self-administered questionnaire with 26 items was developed for this study with a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 = highly dissatisfied to 5 = highly satisfied). Nurses were least satisfied with the hospital's benefits (1.2 ± 0.4), hospital policies (1.4 ± 0.5), bonuses (1.1 ± 0.3), fairness of the performance appraisal system (1.5 ± 0.5) paid time off (1.5 ± 0.5), and recognition of achievements (1.5 ± 0.5). The mean general job satisfaction score was 2.2 ± 0.4. Ordinal regression analysis revealed leadership styles and challenging opportunities as predictive dimensions for the intention to stay. There are nurse job satisfaction dimensions other than salary and incentive that may be anticipated with the intention to stay in the health facility. Namely, leadership styles in the health organization and challenging opportunities at work.

  17. Dimension measuring method for channel box

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jo, Hiroto.

    1995-01-01

    The device of the present invention concerns detection of a channel box for spent fuel assemblies of a BWR type reactor, which measures a cross sectional shape and dimension of the channel box to check deformation amount such as expansion. That is, a customary fuel exchanger and a dimension measuring device are used. The lower end of the channel box is measured by a distance sensor of the dimension measuring device when it is aligned with a position of the distance sensor. The channel box is lowered at the same time while detecting axial position data of the fuel exchanger. The position of the channel box in an axial direction is detected based on axial position data of the fuel exchanger. The lower end of the channel box can accurately be recognized by the detection of both of them. Subsequent deformation measurement for the channel box at accurate axial positions is enabled. In addition, since the axial position data of the fuel exchanger per se are detected, an axial profile of the channel box can be measured even if a lifting speed of the channel box is varied on every region. (I.S.)

  18. Memory effect for particle scattering in odd spacetime dimensions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Satishchandran, Gautam; Wald, Robert M.

    2018-01-01

    We investigate the gravitational memory effect for linearized perturbations off of Minkowski space in odd spacetime dimensions d by examining the effects of gravitational radiation from classical point particle scattering. We also investigate analogous memory effects for electromagnetic and scalar radiation. We find that there is no gravitational memory effect in all odd dimensions. For scalar and electromagnetic fields, there is no memory effect for d ≥7 ; for d =3 there is an infinite momentum memory effect, whereas for d =5 there is no momentum memory effect but the displacement of a test particle will grow unboundedly with time. Our results are further elucidated by analyzing the memory effect for any slowly moving source of compact spatial support in odd dimensions.

  19. Multiplying dimensions

    CERN Multimedia

    2013-01-01

    A few weeks ago, I had a vague notion of what TED was, and how it worked, but now I’m a confirmed fan. It was my privilege to host CERN’s first TEDx event last Friday, and I can honestly say that I can’t remember a time when I was exposed to so much brilliance in such a short time.   TEDxCERN was designed to give a platform to science. That’s why we called it Multiplying Dimensions – a nod towards the work we do here, while pointing to the broader importance of science in society. We had talks ranging from the most subtle pondering on the nature of consciousness to an eighteen year old researcher urging us to be patient, and to learn from our mistakes. We had musical interludes that included encounters between the choirs of local schools and will.i.am, between an Israeli pianist and an Iranian percussionist, and between Grand Opera and high humour. And although I opened the event by announcing it as a day off from physics, we had a quite brill...

  20. Scalar field cosmology in three-dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliveira Neto, G.

    2001-01-01

    We study an analytical solution to the Einstein's equations in 2 + 1-dimensions. The space-time is dynamical and has a line symmetry. The matter content is a minimally coupled, massless, scalar field. Depending on the value of certain parameters, this solution represents three distinct space-times. The first one is at space-time. Then, we have a big bang model with a negative curvature scalar and a real scalar field. The last case is a big bang model with event horizons where the curvature scalar vanishes and the scalar field changes from real to purely imaginary. (author)

  1. Inflation as a probe of trans-Planckian physics: a brief review and progress report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shiu, Gary

    2005-01-01

    We provide a prescription for parametrizing the vacuum choice ambiguity in cosmological settings. We introduce an arbitrary boundary action representing the initial conditions. A Lagrangian description is moreover the natural setting to study decoupling of high-energy physics. RG flow affects the boundary interactions. As a consequence the boundary conditions are sensitive to high-energy physics through irrelevant terms in the boundary action. Using scalar field theory as an example, we derive the leading dimension four irrelevant boundary operators. We discuss flow the known vacuum choices, e.g. the Bunch-Davies vacuum, appear in the Lagrangian description and square with decoupling. For all choices of boundary conditions encoded by relevant boundary operators, of which the known ones are a subset, backreaction is under control. All, moreover, will generically feel the influence of high-energy physics through irrelevant (dimension four) boundary corrections. Having established a coherent effective field theory framework including the vacuum choice ambiguity, we derive an explicit expression for the flower spectrum of inflationary density perturbations including the leading high energy corrections. In accordance with the dimensionality of the leading irrelevant operators, the effect of high energy physics is linearly proportional to the Hubble radius H and the scale of new physics l = 1/M. Effects of such strength are potentially observable in future measurements of the cosmic micflowave background

  2. [Unconnected, possibly irrelevant for the nursing profession, but mandatory readings not to lose the focus in 2015, and beyond].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tognoni, Gianni

    2015-01-01

    Unconnected, possibly irrelevant for the nursing profession, but mandatory readings not to lose the focus in 2015, and beyond. The recent, and chronologically concomitant publication of two reports - on the specific and dramatic violence against women in war situations; on the experience and results of resilience of cultural, health, academic palestinian institutions under Israeli State repression - has suggested their joint, very synthetic presentation, which explains the somehow henigmatic formulation of the title, and provides the opportunity for possibly relevant comments for the nursing profession and research. Two main points are underlined: a) beyond their clear heterogeneity, in terms of content and format, the two publications have a common, reciprocally complementary objective and message: the importance, and the concrete rarity, of visibility for scenarios which are most of the time left to the fragmentation of the chronicle, though they touch the roots of the interests of those who are working in fields which are close to the rights to life and dignity. b) The specific relevance of becoming aware of strategies contrasting massive violations of fundamental rights could and should be tested by the nursing profession with cultural and field projects targeted to the populations who in many scenarios of care and life are threatened by the violence of marginalization.

  3. Regularity dimension of sequences and its application to phylogenetic tree reconstruction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pham, Tuan D.

    2012-01-01

    The concept of dimension is a central development of chaos theory for studying nonlinear dynamical systems. Different types of dimensions have been derived to interpret different geometrical or physical observations. Approximate entropy and its modified methods have been introduced for studying regularity and complexity of time-series data in physiology and biology. Here, the concept of power laws and entropy measure are adopted to develop the regularity dimension of sequences to model a mathematical relationship between the frequency with which information about signal regularity changes in various scales. The proposed regularity dimension is applied to reconstruct phylogenetic trees using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences for the family Hominidae, which can be validated according to the hypothesized evolutionary relationships between organisms.

  4. Delayed discrimination of spatial frequency for gratings of different orientation: behavioral and fMRI evidence for low-level perceptual memory stores in early visual cortex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baumann, Oliver; Endestad, Tor; Magnussen, Svein; Greenlee, Mark W

    2008-07-01

    The concept of perceptual memory refers to the neural and cognitive processes underlying the storage of specific stimulus features such as spatial frequency, orientation, shape, contrast, and color. Psychophysical studies of perceptual memory indicate that observers can retain visual information about the spatial frequency of Gabor patterns independent of the orientation with which they are presented. Compared to discrimination of gratings with the same orientation, reaction times to orthogonally oriented gratings, however, increase suggesting additional processing. Using event-related fMRI we examined the pattern of neural activation evoked when subjects discriminated the spatial frequency of Gabors presented with the same or orthogonal orientation. Blood-oxygen level dependent BOLD fMRI revealed significantly elevated bilateral activity in visual areas (V1, V2) when the gratings to be compared had an orthogonal orientation, compared to when they had the same orientation. These findings suggest that a change in an irrelevant stimulus dimension requires additional processing in primary and secondary visual areas. The finding that the task-irrelevant stimulus property (orientation) had no significant effect on the prefrontal and intraparietal cortex supports a model of working memory in which discrimination and retention of basic stimulus dimensions is based on low-level perceptual memory stores that are located at an early stage in the visual process. Our findings suggest that accessing different stores requires time and has higher metabolic costs.

  5. 1. Dimensions of sustainable development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Repetto, R.

    1992-01-01

    This chapter discusses the following topics: the concept of sustainable development; envisioning sustainable development (economic dimensions, human dimensions, environmental dimensions, technological dimensions); policy implications (economic policies, people-oriented policies, environmental policies, creating sustainable systems); and global issues (effect of war on development and the environment and the debt burden). This chapter also introduces the case studies by discussing the levels of economic development and comparing key trends (economic growth, human development, population growth, and energy use)

  6. Perceptual dimensions differentiate emotions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cavanaugh, Lisa A; MacInnis, Deborah J; Weiss, Allen M

    2015-08-26

    Individuals often describe objects in their world in terms of perceptual dimensions that span a variety of modalities; the visual (e.g., brightness: dark-bright), the auditory (e.g., loudness: quiet-loud), the gustatory (e.g., taste: sour-sweet), the tactile (e.g., hardness: soft vs. hard) and the kinaesthetic (e.g., speed: slow-fast). We ask whether individuals use perceptual dimensions to differentiate emotions from one another. Participants in two studies (one where respondents reported on abstract emotion concepts and a second where they reported on specific emotion episodes) rated the extent to which features anchoring 29 perceptual dimensions (e.g., temperature, texture and taste) are associated with 8 emotions (anger, fear, sadness, guilt, contentment, gratitude, pride and excitement). Results revealed that in both studies perceptual dimensions differentiate positive from negative emotions and high arousal from low arousal emotions. They also differentiate among emotions that are similar in arousal and valence (e.g., high arousal negative emotions such as anger and fear). Specific features that anchor particular perceptual dimensions (e.g., hot vs. cold) are also differentially associated with emotions.

  7. When does fading enhance perceptual category learning?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pashler, Harold; Mozer, Michael C

    2013-07-01

    Training that uses exaggerated versions of a stimulus discrimination (fading) has sometimes been found to enhance category learning, mostly in studies involving animals and impaired populations. However, little is known about whether and when fading facilitates learning for typical individuals. This issue was explored in 7 experiments. In Experiments 1 and 2, observers discriminated stimuli based on a single sensory continuum (time duration and line length, respectively). Adaptive fading dramatically improved performance in training (unsurprisingly) but did not enhance learning as assessed in a final test. The same was true for nonadaptive linear fading (Experiment 3). However, when variation in length (predicting category membership) was embedded among other (category-irrelevant) variation, fading dramatically enhanced not only performance in training but also learning as assessed in a final test (Experiments 4 and 5). Fading also helped learners to acquire a color saturation discrimination amid category-irrelevant variation in hue and brightness, although this learning proved transitory after feedback was withdrawn (Experiment 7). Theoretical implications are discussed, and we argue that fading should have practical utility in naturalistic category learning tasks, which involve extremely high dimensional stimuli and many irrelevant dimensions. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

  8. Thermal dimension of quantum spacetime

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Amelino-Camelia, Giovanni, E-mail: amelino@roma1.infn.it [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università “La Sapienza” and Sez. Roma1 INFN, P.le A. Moro 2, 00185 Roma (Italy); Brighenti, Francesco [Theoretical Physics, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London, SW7 2BZ (United Kingdom); Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia dell' Università di Bologna and Sez. Bologna INFN, Via Irnerio 46, 40126 Bologna (Italy); Gubitosi, Giulia [Theoretical Physics, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College, London, SW7 2BZ (United Kingdom); Santos, Grasiele [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università “La Sapienza” and Sez. Roma1 INFN, P.le A. Moro 2, 00185 Roma (Italy)

    2017-04-10

    Recent results suggest that a crucial crossroad for quantum gravity is the characterization of the effective dimension of spacetime at short distances, where quantum properties of spacetime become significant. This is relevant in particular for various scenarios of “dynamical dimensional reduction” which have been discussed in the literature. We are here concerned with the fact that the related research effort has been based mostly on analyses of the “spectral dimension”, which involves an unphysical Euclideanization of spacetime and is highly sensitive to the off-shell properties of a theory. As here shown, different formulations of the same physical theory can have wildly different spectral dimension. We propose that dynamical dimensional reduction should be described in terms of the “thermal dimension” which we here introduce, a notion that only depends on the physical content of the theory. We analyze a few models with dynamical reduction both of the spectral dimension and of our thermal dimension, finding in particular some cases where thermal and spectral dimension agree, but also some cases where the spectral dimension has puzzling properties while the thermal dimension gives a different and meaningful picture.

  9. Can geodesics in extra dimensions solve the cosmological horizon problem?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Daniel J. H.; Freese, Katherine

    2000-01-01

    We demonstrate a non-inflationary solution to the cosmological horizon problem in scenarios in which our observable universe is confined to three spatial dimensions (a three-brane) embedded in a higher dimensional space. A signal traveling along an extra-dimensional null geodesic may leave our three-brane, travel into the extra dimensions, and subsequently return to a different place on our three-brane in a shorter time than the time a signal confined to our three-brane would take. Hence, these geodesics may connect distant points which would otherwise be ''outside'' the four dimensional horizon (points not in causal contact with one another). (c) 2000 The American Physical Society

  10. Constructive Dimension and Turing Degrees

    OpenAIRE

    Bienvenu, Laurent; Doty, David; Stephan, Frank

    2007-01-01

    This paper examines the constructive Hausdorff and packing dimensions of Turing degrees. The main result is that every infinite sequence S with constructive Hausdorff dimension dim_H(S) and constructive packing dimension dim_P(S) is Turing equivalent to a sequence R with dim_H(R) 0. Furthermore, if dim_P(S) > 0, then dim_P(R) >= 1 - epsilon. The reduction thus serves as a *randomness extractor* that increases the algorithmic randomness of S, as measured by constructive dimension. A number of...

  11. Distance Learning in Einstein’s Fourth Dimension

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robin Throne

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available This article blends the concepts of space-time from theoretical physics and Einstein’s Relativity Theory to discuss the spatio-temporal nature of distance education. By comparing and contrasting speed-of-light space travel with the speed of computer processing, the leap is made to consider the fourth dimension and its phenomena for the Web traveler. Learning events are compared with events in time to depict the theory presented.

  12. Correlation dimension and phase space contraction via extreme value theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faranda, Davide; Vaienti, Sandro

    2018-04-01

    We show how to obtain theoretical and numerical estimates of correlation dimension and phase space contraction by using the extreme value theory. The maxima of suitable observables sampled along the trajectory of a chaotic dynamical system converge asymptotically to classical extreme value laws where: (i) the inverse of the scale parameter gives the correlation dimension and (ii) the extremal index is associated with the rate of phase space contraction for backward iteration, which in dimension 1 and 2, is closely related to the positive Lyapunov exponent and in higher dimensions is related to the metric entropy. We call it the Dynamical Extremal Index. Numerical estimates are straightforward to obtain as they imply just a simple fit to a univariate distribution. Numerical tests range from low dimensional maps, to generalized Henon maps and climate data. The estimates of the indicators are particularly robust even with relatively short time series.

  13. Preimage entropy dimension of topological dynamical systems

    OpenAIRE

    Liu, Lei; Zhou, Xiaomin; Zhou, Xiaoyao

    2014-01-01

    We propose a new definition of preimage entropy dimension for continuous maps on compact metric spaces, investigate fundamental properties of the preimage entropy dimension, and compare the preimage entropy dimension with the topological entropy dimension. The defined preimage entropy dimension holds various basic properties of topological entropy dimension, for example, the preimage entropy dimension of a subsystem is bounded by that of the original system and topologically conjugated system...

  14. Automated Dimension Determination for NMF-based Incremental Collaborative Filtering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiwei Wang

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF based collaborative filtering t e chniques h a ve a c hieved great success in product recommendations. It is well known that in NMF, the dimensions of the factor matrices have to be determined in advance. Moreover, data is growing fast; thus in some cases, the dimensions need to be changed to reduce the approximation error. The recommender systems should be capable of updating new data in a timely manner without sacrificing the prediction accuracy. In this paper, we propose an NMF based data update approach with automated dimension determination for collaborative filtering purposes. The approach can determine the dimensions of the factor matrices and update them automatically. It exploits the nearest neighborhood based clustering algorithm to cluster users and items according to their auxiliary information, and uses the clusters as the constraints in NMF. The dimensions of the factor matrices are associated with the cluster quantities. When new data becomes available, the incremental clustering algorithm determines whether to increase the number of clusters or merge the existing clusters. Experiments on three different datasets (MovieLens, Sushi, and LibimSeTi were conducted to examine the proposed approach. The results show that our approach can update the data quickly and provide encouraging prediction accuracy.

  15. The Estimation of Short Time Intervals as a Function of Age and Metronome Pacing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kline, Donald W.; And Others

    1980-01-01

    The time judgments of the older participants were significantly and systematically determined by a metronome rate. Results are consistent with the notion of increased field-dependence among older persons and suggest that their greater social conformity and their inability to ignore irrelevant stimuli might also be explicable. (Author)

  16. VC-dimension of univariate decision trees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yildiz, Olcay Taner

    2015-02-01

    In this paper, we give and prove the lower bounds of the Vapnik-Chervonenkis (VC)-dimension of the univariate decision tree hypothesis class. The VC-dimension of the univariate decision tree depends on the VC-dimension values of its subtrees and the number of inputs. Via a search algorithm that calculates the VC-dimension of univariate decision trees exhaustively, we show that our VC-dimension bounds are tight for simple trees. To verify that the VC-dimension bounds are useful, we also use them to get VC-generalization bounds for complexity control using structural risk minimization in decision trees, i.e., pruning. Our simulation results show that structural risk minimization pruning using the VC-dimension bounds finds trees that are more accurate as those pruned using cross validation.

  17. Optimized two dimension SN transport (Bistro)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Palmiotti, G.; Rieunier, J.M.; Gho, C.

    1987-01-01

    A S N two dimension transport module has been developed for the French fast reactor code system CCRR. The aim in the development has been the optimization of algorithms in order to obtain the best performance in terms of computational time. A particular form of diffusion synthetic acceleration has been adopted and a particular effort has been devoted in solving efficiently the associated diffusion equation. The improvements in the algorithms along with the use of an efficient programming language leads to a significant gain in computational time with respect to DOT code

  18. Enhanced spectral resolution by high-dimensional NMR using the filter diagonalization method and "hidden" dimensions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meng, Xi; Nguyen, Bao D; Ridge, Clark; Shaka, A J

    2009-01-01

    High-dimensional (HD) NMR spectra have poorer digital resolution than low-dimensional (LD) spectra, for a fixed amount of experiment time. This has led to "reduced-dimensionality" strategies, in which several LD projections of the HD NMR spectrum are acquired, each with higher digital resolution; an approximate HD spectrum is then inferred by some means. We propose a strategy that moves in the opposite direction, by adding more time dimensions to increase the information content of the data set, even if only a very sparse time grid is used in each dimension. The full HD time-domain data can be analyzed by the filter diagonalization method (FDM), yielding very narrow resonances along all of the frequency axes, even those with sparse sampling. Integrating over the added dimensions of HD FDM NMR spectra reconstitutes LD spectra with enhanced resolution, often more quickly than direct acquisition of the LD spectrum with a larger number of grid points in each of the fewer dimensions. If the extra-dimensions do not appear in the final spectrum, and are used solely to boost information content, we propose the moniker hidden-dimension NMR. This work shows that HD peaks have unmistakable frequency signatures that can be detected as single HD objects by an appropriate algorithm, even though their patterns would be tricky for a human operator to visualize or recognize, and even if digital resolution in an HD FT spectrum is very coarse compared with natural line widths.

  19. An introduction to extra dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perez-Lorenzana, Abdel

    2005-01-01

    Models that involve extra dimensions have introduced completely new ways of looking up on old problems in theoretical physics. The aim of the present notes is to provide a brief introduction to the many uses that extra dimensions have found over the last few years, mainly following an effective field theory point of view. Most parts of the discussion are devoted to models with flat extra dimensions, covering both theoretical and phenomenological aspects. We also discuss some of the new ideas for model building where extra dimensions may play a role, including symmetry breaking by diverse new and old mechanisms. Some interesting applications of these ideas are discussed over the notes, including models for neutrino masses and proton stability. The last part of this review addresses some aspects of warped extra dimensions, and graviton localization

  20. Faster decline of pitch memory over time in congenital amusia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williamson, Victoria J; McDonald, Claire; Deutsch, Diana; Griffiths, Timothy D; Stewart, Lauren

    2010-04-26

    Congenital amusia (amusia, hereafter) is a developmental disorder that impacts negatively on the perception of music. Psychophysical testing suggests that individuals with amusia have above average thresholds for detection of pitch change and pitch direction discrimination; however, a low-level auditory perceptual problem cannot completely explain the disorder, since discrimination of melodies is also impaired when the constituent intervals are suprathreshold for perception. The aim of the present study was to test pitch memory as a function of (a) time and (b) tonal interference, in order to determine whether pitch traces are inherently weaker in amusic individuals. Memory for the pitch of single tones was compared using two versions of a paradigm developed by Deutsch (1970a). In both tasks, participants compared the pitch of a standard (S) versus a comparison (C) tone. In the time task, the S and C tones were presented, separated in time by 0, 1, 5, 10, and 15 s (blocked presentation). In the interference task, the S and C tones were presented with a fixed time interval (5 s) but with a variable number of irrelevant tones in between 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 tones (blocked presentation). In the time task, control performance remained high for all time intervals, but amusics showed a performance decrement over time. In the interference task, controls and amusics showed a similar performance decrement with increasing number of irrelevant tones. Overall, the results suggest that the pitch representations of amusic individuals are less stable and more prone to decay than those of matched non-amusic individuals.

  1. Simulation of reaction–diffusion processes in three dimensions using CUDA

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Molnár Jr., Ferenc; Izsak, F.; Mészáros, Róbert; Lagzi, István

    2011-01-01

    Numerical solution of reaction–diffusion equations in three dimensions is one of the most challenging applied mathematical problems. Since these simulations are very time consuming, any ideas and strategies aiming at the reduction of CPU time are important topics of research. A general and robust

  2. Sensing Athletes: Sensory Dimensions of Recreational Endurance Sports

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefan Groth

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Sport has become increasingly popular with recreational athletes over the last couple of decades. This has only gained minimal attention so far from scholars interested in the relations between recreational sports and everyday culture. With this paper, we seek to contribute to this field by scrutinising the sensory dimensions of recreational sport. Rather than probing into or highlighting isolated senses, we look at sensory dimensions understood as a combination of different, non-separable sensory experiences featured in recreational endurance sports. We are interested in how senses play a role for recreational endurance athletes in running, triathlon and cycling both in training and competition. We start by examining how cultural and social dimensions are inextricably linked to doing sports. Secondly, we show how different configurations of the senses and their communicative mediation are contingent on sport disciplines, specific settings, technology, development and change as sensory careers over time. Thirdly, we discuss the kinaesthetic dimensions of doing sports in relation to the senses and the role of atmospheres. We conclude by arguing that highlighting specific senses by athletes is a cultural practice that calls for a holistic analysis of senses in sport, and outline some methodological implications for research on the senses.

  3. Jones index, secret sharing and total quantum dimension

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fiedler, Leander; Naaijkens, Pieter; Osborne, Tobias J.

    2017-02-01

    We study the total quantum dimension in the thermodynamic limit of topologically ordered systems. In particular, using the anyons (or superselection sectors) of such models, we define a secret sharing scheme, storing information invisible to a malicious party, and argue that the total quantum dimension quantifies how well we can perform this task. We then argue that this can be made mathematically rigorous using the index theory of subfactors, originally due to Jones and later extended by Kosaki and Longo. This theory provides us with a ‘relative entropy’ of two von Neumann algebras and a quantum channel, and we argue how these can be used to quantify how much classical information two parties can hide form an adversary. We also review the total quantum dimension in finite systems, in particular how it relates to topological entanglement entropy. It is known that the latter also has an interpretation in terms of secret sharing schemes, although this is shown by completely different methods from ours. Our work provides a different and independent take on this, which at the same time is completely mathematically rigorous. This complementary point of view might be beneficial, for example, when studying the stability of the total quantum dimension when the system is perturbed.

  4. Nonlinear dynamics and rheology of active fluids: simulations in two dimensions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fielding, S M; Marenduzzo, D; Cates, M E

    2011-04-01

    We report simulations of a continuum model for (apolar, flow aligning) active fluids in two dimensions. Both free and anchored boundary conditions are considered, at parallel confining walls that are either static or moving at fixed relative velocity. We focus on extensile materials and find that steady shear bands, previously shown to arise ubiquitously in one dimension for the active nematic phase at small (or indeed zero) shear rate, are generally replaced in two dimensions by more complex flow patterns that can be stationary, oscillatory, or apparently chaotic. The consequences of these flow patterns for time-averaged steady-state rheology are examined. ©2011 American Physical Society

  5. Statistics and dimension of chaos in differential delay systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dorizzi, B.; Grammaticos, B.; Le Berre, M.; Pomeau, Y.; Ressayre, E.; Tallet, A.

    1987-01-01

    The chaotic solution of dissipative scalar-delay-differential equations with a nonlinear feedback periodic with respect to its argument is shown to behave as a Gaussian-Markovian process in a large time scale. The short time scale is shown to be defined by the correlation time of the delayed feedback. The dimension of the chaotic attractor is shown to be approximately equal to the number of short times that are contained inside the delay.

  6. Statistics and dimension of chaos in differential delay systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dorizzi, B.; Grammaticos, B.; Le Berre, M.; Pomeau, Y.; Ressayre, E.; Tallet, A.

    1987-01-01

    The chaotic solution of dissipative scalar-delay-differential equations with a nonlinear feedback periodic with respect to its argument is shown to behave as a Gaussian-Markovian process in a large time scale. The short time scale is shown to be defined by the correlation time of the delayed feedback. The dimension of the chaotic attractor is shown to be approximately equal to the number of short times that are contained inside the delay

  7. Algebraically special perturbations of the Schwarzschild solution in higher dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dias, Óscar J C; Reall, Harvey S

    2013-01-01

    We study algebraically special perturbations of a generalized Schwarzschild solution in any number of dimensions. There are two motivations. First, to learn whether there exist interesting higher-dimensional algebraically special solutions beyond the known ones. Second, algebraically special perturbations present an obstruction to the unique reconstruction of general metric perturbations from gauge-invariant variables analogous to the Teukolsky scalars and it is desirable to know the extent of this non-uniqueness. In four dimensions, our results generalize those of Couch and Newman, who found infinite families of time-dependent algebraically special perturbations. In higher dimensions, we find that the only regular algebraically special perturbations are those corresponding to deformations within the Myers–Perry family. Our results are relevant for several inequivalent definitions of ‘algebraically special’. (paper)

  8. A New Block Processing Algorithm of LLL for Fast High-dimension Ambiguity Resolution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LIU Wanke

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Due to high dimension and precision for the ambiguity vector under GNSS observations of multi-frequency and multi-system, a major problem to limit computational efficiency of ambiguity resolution is the longer reduction time when using conventional LLL algorithm. To address this problem, it is proposed a new block processing algorithm of LLL by analyzing the relationship between the reduction time and the dimensions and precision of ambiguity. The new algorithm reduces the reduction time to improve computational efficiency of ambiguity resolution, which is based on block processing ambiguity variance-covariance matrix that decreased the dimensions of single reduction matrix. It is validated that the new algorithm with two groups of measured data. The results show that the computing efficiency of the new algorithm increased by 65.2% and 60.2% respectively compared with that of LLL algorithm when choosing a reasonable number of blocks.

  9. Signatures of extra dimensions in gravitational waves

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Andriot, David; Gómez, Gustavo Lucena, E-mail: andriotphysics@gmail.com, E-mail: glucenag@aei.mpg.de [Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik, Albert-Einstein-Institut, Am Mühlenberg 1, 14467 Potsdam-Golm (Germany)

    2017-06-01

    Considering gravitational waves propagating on the most general 4+ N -dimensional space-time, we investigate the effects due to the N extra dimensions on the four-dimensional waves. All wave equations are derived in general and discussed. On Minkowski{sub 4} times an arbitrary Ricci-flat compact manifold, we find: a massless wave with an additional polarization, the breathing mode, and extra waves with high frequencies fixed by Kaluza-Klein masses. We discuss whether these two effects could be observed.

  10. Fractal dimension and vessel complexity in patients with cerebral arteriovenous malformations.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gernot Reishofer

    Full Text Available The fractal dimension (FD can be used as a measure for morphological complexity in biological systems. The aim of this study was to test the usefulness of this quantitative parameter in the context of cerebral vascular complexity. Fractal analysis was applied on ten patients with cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVM and ten healthy controls. Maximum intensity projections from Time-of-Flight MRI scans were analyzed using different measurements of FD, the Box-counting dimension, the Minkowski dimension and generalized dimensions evaluated by means of multifractal analysis. The physiological significance of this parameter was investigated by comparing values of FD first, with the maximum slope of contrast media transit obtained from dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI data and second, with the nidus size obtained from X-ray angiography data. We found that for all methods, the Box-counting dimension, the Minkowski dimension and the generalized dimensions FD was significantly higher in the hemisphere with AVM compared to the hemisphere without AVM indicating that FD is a sensitive parameter to capture vascular complexity. Furthermore we found a high correlation between FD and the maximum slope of contrast media transit and between FD and the size of the central nidus pointing out the physiological relevance of FD. The proposed method may therefore serve as an additional objective parameter, which can be assessed automatically and might assist in the complex workup of AVMs.

  11. Cephalometric changes in growing patients with increased vertical dimension treated with cervical headgear.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sambataro, Sergio; Fastuca, Rosamaria; Oppermann, Nelson J; Lorusso, Paola; Baccetti, Tiziano; Franchi, Lorenzo; Caprioglio, Alberto

    2017-07-01

    The aim of the present study was to investigate the cephalometric changes in patients with increased vertical dimension after treatment with cervical headgear compared to controls. The sample of the present retrospective study consisted of 20 Class II patients (10 males, 10 females; mean age 8.54 ± 1.15 years) with increased vertical dimension treated with cervical headgear (treatment group) and 21 Class II patients (11 males, 10 females; mean age 8.41 ± 1.15 years) with increased vertical dimension who underwent no treatment (control group). Cephalograms were available for each subject at baseline (T1) and after treatment/observation time (T2) for both groups and cephalometric analysis allowed for evaluation of changes between time points and between groups. Regarding facial axis, N-ANS/ANS-Me, and overbite, there were no negatively significant changes in the treated group showing no significant worsening in the vertical dimension. Regarding facial angle, there was a significant increase in the treated group between the time points and when compared to the control group, showing counterclockwise rotation of the mandible in the treated group. The vertical dimension was not significantly altered after cervical headgear treatment although the anterior facial height was higher at the beginning of treatment. There was significant counterclockwise rotation of the mandible, and clockwise rotation and distal displacement of the maxilla after treatment.

  12. Finite-time generalized function matrix projective lag synchronization of coupled dynamical networks with different dimensions via the double power function nonlinear feedback control method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dai, Hao; Si, Gangquan; Jia, Lixin; Zhang, Yanbin

    2014-01-01

    This paper investigates the problem of finite-time generalized function matrix projective lag synchronization between two different coupled dynamical networks with different dimensions of network nodes. The double power function nonlinear feedback control method is proposed in this paper to guarantee that the state trajectories of the response network converge to the state trajectories of the drive network according to a function matrix in a given finite time. Furthermore, in comparison with the traditional nonlinear feedback control method, the new method improves the synchronization efficiency, and shortens the finite synchronization time. Numerical simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of this method. (papers)

  13. Gravity in two-time physics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bars, Itzhak

    2008-01-01

    The field theoretic action for gravitational interactions in d+2 dimensions is constructed in the formalism of two-time (2T) physics. General relativity in d dimensions emerges as a shadow of this theory with one less time and one less space dimensions. The gravitational constant turns out to be a shadow of a dilaton field in d+2 dimensions that appears as a constant to observers stuck in d dimensions. If elementary scalar fields play a role in the fundamental theory (such as Higgs fields in the standard model coupled to gravity), then their shadows in d dimensions must necessarily be conformal scalars. This has the physical consequence that the gravitational constant changes at each phase transition (inflation, grand unification, electroweak, etc.), implying interesting new scenarios in cosmological applications. The fundamental action for pure gravity, which includes the spacetime metric G MN (X), the dilaton Ω(X), and an additional auxiliary scalar field W(X), all in d+2 dimensions with two times, has a mix of gauge symmetries to produce appropriate constraints that remove all ghosts or redundant degrees of freedom. The action produces on-shell classical field equations of motion in d+2 dimensions, with enough constraints for the theory to be in agreement with classical general relativity in d dimensions. Therefore this action describes the correct classical gravitational physics directly in d+2 dimensions. Taken together with previous similar work on the standard model of particles and forces, the present paper shows that 2T physics is a general consistent framework for a physical theory. Furthermore, the 2T-physics approach reveals more physical information for observers stuck in the shadow in d dimensions in the form of hidden symmetries and dualities, that are largely concealed in the usual one-time formulation of physics

  14. Spectral dimension of quantum geometries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Calcagni, Gianluca; Oriti, Daniele; Thürigen, Johannes

    2014-01-01

    The spectral dimension is an indicator of geometry and topology of spacetime and a tool to compare the description of quantum geometry in various approaches to quantum gravity. This is possible because it can be defined not only on smooth geometries but also on discrete (e.g., simplicial) ones. In this paper, we consider the spectral dimension of quantum states of spatial geometry defined on combinatorial complexes endowed with additional algebraic data: the kinematical quantum states of loop quantum gravity (LQG). Preliminarily, the effects of topology and discreteness of classical discrete geometries are studied in a systematic manner. We look for states reproducing the spectral dimension of a classical space in the appropriate regime. We also test the hypothesis that in LQG, as in other approaches, there is a scale dependence of the spectral dimension, which runs from the topological dimension at large scales to a smaller one at short distances. While our results do not give any strong support to this hypothesis, we can however pinpoint when the topological dimension is reproduced by LQG quantum states. Overall, by exploring the interplay of combinatorial, topological and geometrical effects, and by considering various kinds of quantum states such as coherent states and their superpositions, we find that the spectral dimension of discrete quantum geometries is more sensitive to the underlying combinatorial structures than to the details of the additional data associated with them. (paper)

  15. Dimensions of Adolescent Employment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mael, Fred A.; Morath, Ray A.; McLellan, Jeffrey A.

    1997-01-01

    Examines positive and negative correlates of adolescent work as a function of work dimensions. Results indicate that concurrent costs and benefits of adolescent employment may depend on dimensions of work as well as adolescent characteristics. Adolescent employment was generally related to subsequent work motivation and nonacademic performance.…

  16. Hydrophobicity classification of polymeric materials based on fractal dimension

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Thomazini

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available This study proposes a new method to obtain hydrophobicity classification (HC in high voltage polymer insulators. In the method mentioned, the HC was analyzed by fractal dimension (fd and its processing time was evaluated having as a goal the application in mobile devices. Texture images were created from spraying solutions produced of mixtures of isopropyl alcohol and distilled water in proportions, which ranged from 0 to 100% volume of alcohol (%AIA. Based on these solutions, the contact angles of the drops were measured and the textures were used as patterns for fractal dimension calculations.

  17. Enhanced spectral resolution by high-dimensional NMR using the filter diagonalization method and “hidden” dimensions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meng, Xi; Nguyen, Bao D.; Ridge, Clark; Shaka, A. J.

    2009-01-01

    High-dimensional (HD) NMR spectra have poorer digital resolution than low-dimensional (LD) spectra, for a fixed amount of experiment time. This has led to “reduced-dimensionality” strategies, in which several LD projections of the HD NMR spectrum are acquired, each with higher digital resolution; an approximate HD spectrum is then inferred by some means. We propose a strategy that moves in the opposite direction, by adding more time dimensions to increase the information content of the data set, even if only a very sparse time grid is used in each dimension. The full HD time-domain data can be analyzed by the Filter Diagonalization Method (FDM), yielding very narrow resonances along all of the frequency axes, even those with sparse sampling. Integrating over the added dimensions of HD FDM NMR spectra reconstitutes LD spectra with enhanced resolution, often more quickly than direct acquisition of the LD spectrum with a larger number of grid points in each of the fewer dimensions. If the extra dimensions do not appear in the final spectrum, and are used solely to boost information content, we propose the moniker hidden-dimension NMR. This work shows that HD peaks have unmistakable frequency signatures that can be detected as single HD objects by an appropriate algorithm, even though their patterns would be tricky for a human operator to visualize or recognize, and even if digital resolution in an HD FT spectrum is very coarse compared with natural line widths. PMID:18926747

  18. Extra dimensions: 3D and time in PDF documentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Graf, N A

    2011-01-01

    Experimental science is replete with multi-dimensional information which is often poorly represented by the two dimensions of presentation slides and print media. Past efforts to disseminate such information to a wider audience have failed for a number of reasons, including a lack of standards which are easy to implement and have broad support. Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) has in recent years become the de facto standard for secure, dependable electronic information exchange. It has done so by creating an open format, providing support for multiple platforms and being reliable and extensible. By providing support for the ECMA standard Universal 3D (U3D) file format in its free Adobe Reader software, Adobe has made it easy to distribute and interact with 3D content. By providing support for scripting and animation, temporal data can also be easily distributed to a wide, non-technical audience. We discuss how the field of radiation imaging could benefit from incorporating full 3D information about not only the detectors, but also the results of the experimental analyses, in its electronic publications. In this article, we present examples drawn from high-energy physics, mathematics and molecular biology which take advantage of this functionality. We demonstrate how 3D detector elements can be documented, using either CAD drawings or other sources such as GEANT visualizations as input.

  19. Relationship between tooth dimensions and malocclusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farooq, J.; Ahmed, I.; Erum, G.

    2014-01-01

    Objective: To observe the difference in dimension of teeth among adult females with and without malocclusion. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at Dr. Ishrat-ul-Ebad Khan Institute of Oral Health Sciences, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, from April 2011 to April 2013, and used non-probability consecutive sampling. Mesiodistal and buccolingual crown dimensions were measured on study casts by using digital sliding caliper in 2 groups of females. Group1 had 150 subjects with normal occlusion, while Group 2 had 234 with malocclusion. Independent t test was conducted to evaluate the difference between the dimensions of teeth of the two groups. Statistical analysis was done on SPSS version 16, and p value was considered significant at 0.05. Results: Overall, the difference between the groups showed a greater tooth dimension in the malocclusion group of population compared to the normal group, and the most significant difference was observed in the mesiodistal dimension of maxillary 2nd premolar, which was 0.9+-0.6801mm greater in dimension in the malocclusion group compared to the normal group. The least difference was observed in the buccolingual dimension of the mandibular central incisor where the malocclusion group had only 0.08+-0.5247mm larger mandibular central incisors in the buccolingual dimension compared to the normal group. Conclusion: Mesiodistal and buccolingual crown dimensions were characteristically larger in the malocclusion group. (author)

  20. Extra dimensions and color confinement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pleitez, V

    1995-04-01

    An extension of the ordinary four dimensional Minkowski space by introducing additional dimensions which have their own Lorentz transformation is considered. Particles can transform in a different way under each Lorentz group. It is shown that only quark interactions are slightly modified and that color confinement automatic since these degrees of freedom run only in the extra dimensions. No compactification of the extra dimensions is needed. (author). 4 refs.

  1. [Penile dimensions in type 2 diabetes].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belousov, I I; Kogan, M I; Ibishev, H S; Vorobyev, S V; Khripun, I A; Gusova, Z R

    2015-12-01

    The current literature provides a wide range of publications on the anthropometry of the penis specifying the relationship between penile dimensions and sex hormones, weight, height and erectile function. But most of the studies involved healthy volunteers or young patients with erectile dysfunction. Our study was conducted in patients with type 2 diabetes. Penile measurements obtained in the present study were compared those of the average Russian man. The patients were divided into groups with preserved and impaired erectile function. Erectile function was also studied relative to the variability of penile dimensions. The effect of DM duration on erectile function was defined. Comparative analysis revealed the relationship between penile anatomical dimensions and erectile function. We studied the effect of type 2 diabetes on the anatomical dimensions and elasticity of the penis, established the relationship between penile dimensions and elasticity of the penis. The correlation between the severity of erectile dysfunction and serum testosterone levels on one side, and penile dimensions on the other was found. The effect of penile dimensions on erectile function in DM patients was also examined. Determining penile dimensions and their variability due to various pathological conditions or processes, may eventually lead to better result of ED management.

  2. Particle Phenomenology of Compact Extra Dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Melbeus, Henrik

    2012-01-01

    This thesis is an investigation of the subject of extra dimensions in particle physics. In recent years, there has been a large interest in this subject. In particular, a number of models have been suggested that provide solutions to some of the problem with the current Standard Model of particle physics. These models typically give rise to experimental signatures around the TeV energy scale, which means that they could be tested in the next generation of high-energy experiments, such as the LHC. Among the most important of these models are the universal extra dimensions model, the large extra dimensions model by Arkani-Hamed, Dimopolous, and Dvali, and models where right-handed neutrinos propagate in the extra dimensions. In the thesis, we study phenomenological aspects of these models, or simple modifications of them. In particular, we focus on Kaluza-Klein dark matter in universal extra dimensions models, different aspects of neutrino physics in higher dimensions, and collider phenomenology of extra dimensions. In addition, we consider consequences of the enhanced renormalization group running of physical parameters in higher-dimensional models

  3. Space: The Hunt for Hidden Dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hewett, JoAnne

    2006-01-01

    Extra dimensions of space may be present in our universe. Their discovery would dramatically change our view of the cosmos and would prompt many questions. How do they hide? What is their shape? How many are there? How big are they? Do particles and forces feel their presence? This lecture will explain the concept of dimensions and show that current theoretical models predict the existence of extra spatial dimensions which could be in the discovery reach of present and near-term experiments. The manner by which these additional dimensions reveal their existence will be described. Searches for modifications of the gravitational force, astrophysical effects, and collider signatures already constrain the size of extra dimensions and will be summarized. Once new dimensions are discovered, the technology by which the above questions can be answered will be discussed.

  4. Topological magnetoelectric pump in three dimensions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukui, Takahiro; Fujiwara, Takanori

    2017-11-01

    We study the topological pump for a lattice fermion model mainly in three spatial dimensions. We first calculate the U(1) current density for the Dirac model defined in continuous space-time to review the known results as well as to introduce some technical details convenient for the calculations of the lattice model. We next investigate the U(1) current density for a lattice fermion model, a variant of the Wilson-Dirac model. The model we introduce is defined on a lattice in space but in continuous time, which is suited for the study of the topological pump. For such a model, we derive the conserved U(1) current density and calculate it directly for the (1 +1 )-dimensional system as well as (3 +1 )-dimensional system in the limit of the small lattice constant. We find that the current includes a nontrivial lattice effect characterized by the Chern number, and therefore the pumped particle number is quantized by the topological reason. Finally, we study the topological temporal pump in 3 +1 dimensions by numerical calculations. We discuss the relationship between the second Chern number and the first Chern number, the bulk-edge correspondence, and the generalized Streda formula which enables us to compute the second Chern number using the spectral asymmetry.

  5. Distinguishing dimensions of pro-environmental behaviour

    OpenAIRE

    Lynn, Peter

    2014-01-01

    This study empirically identifies dimensions of behaviour that are distinct in terms of the extent to which people act pro-environmentally. Three dimensions are identified, relating to at-home, transport-related and purchasing behaviour. The correlation between behaviour in each dimension is explored and the characteristics and attitudes associated with the extent to which behaviour is pro-environmental in each dimension are compared. The correlates of pro-environmental behaviour are found to...

  6. Treatment timing for an orthopedic approach to patients with increased vertical dimension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baccetti, Tiziano; Franchi, Lorenzo; Schulz, Scott O; McNamara, James A

    2008-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the role of treatment timing on the effectiveness of vertical-pull chincup (V-PCC) therapy in conjunction with a bonded rapid maxillary expander (RME) in growing subjects with mild-to-severe hyperdivergent facial patterns. The records of 39 subjects treated with a bonded RME combined with a V-PCC were compared with 29 untreated subjects with similar vertical skeletal disharmonies. Lateral cephalograms were analyzed before (T1) and after treatment or observation (T2). Both the treated and the untreated samples were divided into prepubertal and pubertal groups on the basis of cervical vertebral maturation (prepubertal treated group, 21 subjects; pubertal treated group, 18 subjects; prepubertal control group, 15 subjects; pubertal control group, 14 subjects). Mean change differences from T2 to T1 were compared in the 2 prepubertal and the 2 pubertal groups with independent-sample t tests. No statistically significant differences between the 2 prepubertal groups were found for any cephalometric skeletal measures from T1 to T2. When compared with the untreated pubertal sample, the group treated with the RME and V-PCC at puberty showed a statistically significant reduction in the inclination of the mandibular plane to the Frankfort horizontal (-2.2 mm), a statistically significant reduction in the inclination of the condylar axis to the mandibular plane (-2.2 degrees), and statistically significant supplementary growth of the mandibular ramus (1.7 mm). Treatment of increased vertical dimension with the RME and V-PCC protocol appears to produce better results during the pubertal growth spurt than before puberty, although the absolute amount of correction in the vertical skeletal parameters is limited.

  7. Holistic processing of impossible objects: evidence from Garner's speeded-classification task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freud, Erez; Avidan, Galia; Ganel, Tzvi

    2013-12-18

    Holistic processing, the decoding of the global structure of a stimulus while the local parts are not explicitly represented, is a basic characteristic of object perception. The current study was aimed to test whether such a representation could be created even for objects that violate fundamental principles of spatial organization, namely impossible objects. Previous studies argued that these objects cannot be represented holistically in long-term memory because they lack coherent 3D structure. Here, we utilized Garner's speeded classification task to test whether the perception of possible and impossible objects is mediated by similar holistic processing mechanisms. To this end, participants were asked to make speeded classifications of one object dimension while an irrelevant dimension was kept constant (baseline condition) or when this dimension varied (filtering condition). It is well accepted that ignoring the irrelevant dimension is impossible when holistic perception is mandatory, thus the extent of Garner interference in performance between the baseline and filtering conditions serves as an index of holistic processing. Critically, in Experiment 1, similar levels of Garner interference were found for possible and impossible objects implying holistic perception of both object types. Experiment 2 extended these results and demonstrated that even when depth information was explicitly processed, participants were still unable to process one dimension (width/depth) while ignoring the irrelevant dimension (depth/width, respectively). The results of Experiment 3 replicated the basic pattern found in Experiments 1 and 2 using a novel set of object exemplars. In Experiment 4, we used possible and impossible versions of the Penrose triangles in which information about impossibility is embedded in the internal elements of the objects which participant were explicitly asked to judge. As in Experiments 1-3, similar Garner interference was found for possible and

  8. A levitation force and magnetic field distribution measurement system in three dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, W.M.; Chao, X.X.; Shu, Z.B.; Zhu, S.H.; Wu, X.L.; Bian, X.B.; Liu, P.

    2006-01-01

    A levitation force and magnetic field distribution measurement system in three dimension has been designed and constructed, which can be used for the levitation force measurement between a superconductor and a magnet, or magnet to magnet in three dimensions; and for the measurement of magnetic field distribution in three dimensions according to your need in space. It can also give out the dynamical changing result of magnetic field density with time during levitation force measurement. If we change the sensor of the detector of the measurement system, it also can be used for other kinds of measurement of physical properties. It is a good device for the measurement of magnetic properties of materials. In addition the device can also be used to work at carving in three dimensions

  9. Assessing the match between female primary students’ anthropometric dimensions and furniture dimensions in Hamadan schools in 2013

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Heidarimoghadam

    2015-04-01

    Conclusion: Despite differences in the body dimensions of primary school students, there is no regularity in using of school furniture. Overall, the dimensions of existing benches and desks are not matched with the anthropometric dimensions of students.

  10. Active materials by four-dimension printing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ge, Qi; Qi, H. Jerry; Dunn, Martin L.

    2013-09-01

    We advance a paradigm of printed active composite materials realized by directly printing glassy shape memory polymer fibers in an elastomeric matrix. We imbue the active composites with intelligence via a programmed lamina and laminate architecture and a subsequent thermomechanical training process. The initial configuration is created by three-dimension (3D) printing, and then the programmed action of the shape memory fibers creates time dependence of the configuration—the four-dimension (4D) aspect. We design and print laminates in thin plate form that can be thermomechanically programmed to assume complex three-dimensional configurations including bent, coiled, and twisted strips, folded shapes, and complex contoured shapes with nonuniform, spatially varying curvature. The original flat plate shape can be recovered by heating the material again. We also show how the printed active composites can be directly integrated with other printed functionalities to create devices; here we demonstrate this by creating a structure that can assemble itself.

  11. Blocking of irrelevant memories by posterior alpha activity boosts memory encoding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Hyojin; Lee, Dong Soo; Kang, Eunjoo; Kang, Hyejin; Hahm, Jarang; Kim, June Sic; Chung, Chun Kee; Jensen, Ole

    2014-08-01

    In our daily lives, we are confronted with a large amount of information. Because only a small fraction can be encoded in long-term memory, the brain must rely on powerful mechanisms to filter out irrelevant information. To understand the neuronal mechanisms underlying the gating of information into long-term memory, we employed a paradigm where the encoding was directed by a "Remember" or a "No-Remember" cue. We found that posterior alpha activity increased prior to the "No-Remember" stimuli, whereas it decreased prior to the "Remember" stimuli. The sources were localized in the parietal cortex included in the dorsal attention network. Subjects with a larger cue-modulation of the alpha activity had better memory for the to-be-remembered items. Interestingly, alpha activity reflecting successful inhibition following the "No-Remember" cue was observed in the frontal midline structures suggesting preparatory inhibition was mediated by anterior parts of the dorsal attention network. During the presentation of the memory items, there was more gamma activity for the "Remember" compared to the "No-Remember" items in the same regions. Importantly, the anticipatory alpha power during cue predicted the gamma power during item. Our findings suggest that top-down controlled alpha activity reflects attentional inhibition of sensory processing in the dorsal attention network, which then finally gates information to long-term memory. This gating is achieved by inhibiting the processing of visual information reflected by neuronal synchronization in the gamma band. In conclusion, the functional architecture revealed by region-specific changes in the alpha activity reflects attentional modulation which has consequences for long-term memory encoding. Copyright © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  12. Black holes with gravitational hair in higher dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anabalon, Andres; Canfora, Fabrizio; Giacomini, Alex; Oliva, Julio

    2011-01-01

    A new class of vacuum black holes for the most general gravity theory leading to second order field equations in the metric in even dimensions is presented. These space-times are locally anti-de Sitter in the asymptotic region, and are characterized by a continuous parameter that does not enter in the conserve charges, nor it can be reabsorbed by a coordinate transformation: it is therefore a purely gravitational hair. The black holes are constructed as a warped product of a two-dimensional space-time, which resembles the r-t plane of the Banados-Teitelboim-Zanelli black hole, times a warp factor multiplying the metric of a D-2-dimensional Euclidean base manifold, which is restricted by a scalar equation. It is shown that all the Noether charges vanish. Furthermore, this is consistent with the Euclidean action approach: even though the black hole has a finite temperature, both the entropy and the mass vanish. Interesting examples of base manifolds are given in eight dimensions which are products of Thurston geometries, giving then a nontrivial topology to the black hole horizon. The possibility of introducing a torsional hair for these solutions is also discussed.

  13. Inhibition of irrelevant information is not necessary to performance of expert chess players.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Postal, Virginie

    2012-08-01

    Some studies on expertise have demonstrated that the difference between novices and experts can be partly due to a lack of knowledge about which information is relevant for a given situation. This lack of knowledge seems to be associated with the selection of correct information and with inhibitory processes. However, while the efficiency of inhibitory processes can lead to better performance in the normal population, it seems that experts in chess do not base their performance on this process but rather on an automatic and parallel encoding of information. Two experiments investigated the processes involved in a check detection task. The congruence of the information was manipulated in a Stroop situation similar to Reingold, Charness, Scheltetus, & Stampe (2001). The results showed that the experts did not benefit from cuing with a congruent cue and that they did not show any interference effect by the incongruent cue, contrary to less skilled chess players who benefited from cuing (Exp. 1). An attentional priming procedure confirmed the automatic encoding of chess relations in the more skilled chess players by showing no advantage from the prime in this group (Exp. 2). Taken together, the results indicate that the processing was serial for the less skilled chess players and that it was automatic and parallel for the more expert chess players. The inhibition of irrelevant information does not seem necessary to process information rapidly and efficiently.

  14. Divergence, spacetime dimension and fractal structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamura, Hiroshi

    2000-01-01

    With a Cantor spacetime in mind, we assume the dimension of spacetime to be slightly smaller than four. Within the framework of QED, this dimension can be determined by calculating Feynman diagrams. We infer that the dimension of spacetime may be influenced by holes in space. (author)

  15. Bell inequalities and waiting times

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Poeltl, Christina; Governale, Michele [School of Chemical and Physical Sciences and MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington 6140 (New Zealand)

    2015-07-01

    We propose a Bell test based on waiting time distributions for spin entangled electron pairs, which are generated and split in mesoscopic Coulomb blockade structures, denoted as entanglers. These systems have the advantage that quantum point contacts enable a time resolved observation of the electrons occupying the system, which gives access to quantities such as full counting statistics and waiting time distributions. We use the partial waiting times to define a CHSH-Bell test, which is a purely electronic analogue of the test used in quantum optics. After the introduction of the Bell inequality we discuss the findings on the two examples of a double quantum dot and a triple quantum dot. This Bell test allows the exclusion of irrelevant tunnel processes from the statistics normally used for the Bell correlations. This can improve the parameter range for which a violation of the Bell inequality can be measured significantly.

  16. Mental Schemas Hamper Memory Storage of Goal-Irrelevant Information.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sweegers, C C G; Coleman, G A; van Poppel, E A M; Cox, R; Talamini, L M

    2015-01-01

    . An important determinant in this matter is likely related to momentary goals, such that mental schemas facilitate memory processing of goal-relevant input, but suppress processing of goal-irrelevant information. - Schema-congruent information suffers from shallow encoding.- Schema congruency induces poor item and context memory.- The parietal old/new effect is less pronounced for schema-congruent items.- Schemas exert different influences on memory formation depending on current goals.

  17. Dimensions des stabulations 2018

    OpenAIRE

    Früh, Barbara; Maurer, Veronika; Schneider, Claudia; Schürmann, Stefan; Spengler Neff, Anet; Werne, Steffen

    2018-01-01

    Les «Dimensions des stabulations» contiennent toutes les dimensions pour les stabulations et les parcours pour la production animale en agriculture biologique. Cette liste sert d’instrument de planification pour les éleveurs, d’outil de travail pour la vulgarisation et d’ouvrage de référence pour le contrôle bio.

  18. Renormalization Group Evolution of the Standard Model Dimension Six Operators III: Gauge Coupling Dependence and Phenomenology

    CERN Document Server

    Alonso, Rodrigo; Manohar, Aneesh V; Trott, Michael

    2014-01-01

    We calculate the gauge terms of the one-loop anomalous dimension matrix for the dimension-six operators of the Standard Model effective field theory (SM EFT). Combining these results with our previous results for the $\\lambda$ and Yukawa coupling terms completes the calculation of the one-loop anomalous dimension matrix for the dimension-six operators. There are 1350 $CP$-even and $1149$ $CP$-odd parameters in the dimension-six Lagrangian for 3 generations, and our results give the entire $2499 \\times 2499$ anomalous dimension matrix. We discuss how the renormalization of the dimension-six operators, and the additional renormalization of the dimension $d \\le 4$ terms of the SM Lagrangian due to dimension-six operators, lays the groundwork for future precision studies of the SM EFT aimed at constraining the effects of new physics through precision measurements at the electroweak scale. As some sample applications, we discuss some aspects of the full RGE improved result for essential processes such as $gg \\to h...

  19. New universality class in three dimensions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Codello, A.; Safari, M.; Vacca, G. P.

    2017-01-01

    We study the Blume-Capel universality class in d=103-ϵ dimensions. The renormalization group flow is extracted by looking at poles in fractional dimension of three loop diagrams using MS. The theory is the only nontrivial universality class which admits an expansion to three dimensions with ϵ=13<...

  20. Exactly soluble local bosonic cocycle models, statistical transmutation, and simplest time-reversal symmetric topological orders in 3+1 dimensions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Xiao-Gang

    2017-05-01

    We propose a generic construction of exactly soluble local bosonic models that realize various topological orders with gappable boundaries. In particular, we construct an exactly soluble bosonic model that realizes a (3+1)-dimensional [(3+1)D] Z2-gauge theory with emergent fermionic Kramers doublet. We show that the emergence of such a fermion will cause the nucleation of certain topological excitations in space-time without pin+ structure. The exactly soluble model also leads to a statistical transmutation in (3+1)D. In addition, we construct exactly soluble bosonic models that realize 2 types of time-reversal symmetry-enriched Z2 topological orders in 2+1 dimensions, and 20 types of simplest time-reversal symmetry-enriched topological (SET) orders which have only one nontrivial pointlike and stringlike topological excitation. Many physical properties of those topological states are calculated using the exactly soluble models. We find that some time-reversal SET orders have pointlike excitations that carry Kramers doublet, a fractionalized time-reversal symmetry. We also find that some Z2 SET orders have stringlike excitations that carry anomalous (nononsite) Z2 symmetry, which can be viewed as a fractionalization of Z2 symmetry on strings. Our construction is based on cochains and cocycles in algebraic topology, which is very versatile. In principle, it can also realize emergent topological field theory beyond the twisted gauge theory.

  1. Deformed Spacetime Geometrizing Interactions in Four and Five Dimensions

    CERN Document Server

    Cardone, Fabio

    2007-01-01

    This volume provides a detailed discussion of the mathematical aspects and the physical applications of a new geometrical structure of space-time, based on a generalization ("deformation") of the usual Minkowski space, as supposed to be endowed with a metric whose coefficients depend on the energy. Such a formalism (Deformed Special Relativity, DSR) allows one to account for breakdown of local Lorentz invariance in the usual, special-relativistic meaning (however, Lorentz invariance is recovered in a generalized sense) to provide an effective geometrical description of the four fundamental interactions (electromagnetic, weak, strong and gravitational) Moreover, the four-dimensional energy-dependent space-time is just a manifestation of a larger, five-dimensional space in which energy plays the role of a fifth (non-compactified) dimension. This new five-dimensional scheme (Deformed Relativity in Five Dimensions, DR5) represents a true generalization of the usual Kaluza-Klein (KK) formalism. The mathematical pr...

  2. Stress tensor for GYM in 4p dimensions and viability of GYM-Higgs in four dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    O'Brien, G.M.; Tchrakian, D.H.

    1985-01-01

    We present the stress tensor for GYM systems in 4p dimensions and give a method to compute this tensor density for a GYM-Higgs system in four dimensions. This computation is made explicitly for the first such system and its viability in four Euclidean dimensions is checked. The possibility of extracting phenomenological models from this system is analysed briefly. (Author)

  3. New dimensions new hopes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarkar, Utpal

    2001-05-01

    We live in a four dimensional world. But the idea of unification of fundamental interactions lead us to higher dimensional theories. Recently a new theory with extra dimensions has emerged where only gravity propagates in the extra dimension and all other interactions are confined to only four dimensions. This theory gives us many new hopes. In earlier theories unification of strong, weak and the electromagnetic forces was possible at around 10 16 GeV in a grand unified theory (GUT) and it could get unified with gravity at around the Planck scale of 10 19 GeV. With this new idea it is possible to bring down all unification scales within the reach of the new generation accelerators, i.e., around 10 4 GeV. (author)

  4. Dimension of linear models

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Høskuldsson, Agnar

    1996-01-01

    Determination of the proper dimension of a given linear model is one of the most important tasks in the applied modeling work. We consider here eight criteria that can be used to determine the dimension of the model, or equivalently, the number of components to use in the model. Four...... the basic problems in determining the dimension of linear models. Then each of the eight measures are treated. The results are illustrated by examples....... of these criteria are widely used ones, while the remaining four are ones derived from the H-principle of mathematical modeling. Many examples from practice show that the criteria derived from the H-principle function better than the known and popular criteria for the number of components. We shall briefly review...

  5. CREDIBILITY OF WEBSITES THROUGH FACETS AND DIMENSIONS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oana ȚUGULEA

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to investigate important aspects to concern on when building a commercial presentation website, in order to increase the credibility of the certain categories of a presentation website. Factor analysis was used in order to identify the dimensions of each category. The categories and resulted dimensions discussed were: “image” – with the following dimensions: Projected image, Specialist, Advert and Coherence, “relationship” – with the following dimensions: Bi-directional communication and Contact information, “product presentation” – with the following dimensions: In-depth description and Variety and “site functionality” – with the following dimensions: Usefulness, Official relationship, Complete communication, Exterior communication, Information format and References.

  6. Inflation from periodic extra dimensions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Higaki, Tetsutaro [Department of Physics, Keio University, Kanagawa 223-8522 (Japan); Tatsuta, Yoshiyuki, E-mail: thigaki@rk.phys.keio.ac.jp, E-mail: y_tatsuta@akane.waseda.jp [Department of Physics, Waseda University, Tokyo 169-8555 (Japan)

    2017-07-01

    We discuss a realization of a small field inflation based on string inspired supergravities. In theories accompanying extra dimensions, compactification of them with small radii is required for realistic situations. Since the extra dimension can have a periodicity, there will appear (quasi-)periodic functions under transformations of moduli of the extra dimensions in low energy scales. Such a periodic property can lead to a UV completion of so-called multi-natural inflation model where inflaton potential consists of a sum of multiple sinusoidal functions with a decay constant smaller than the Planck scale. As an illustration, we construct a SUSY breaking model, and then show that such an inflaton potential can be generated by a sum of world sheet instantons in intersecting brane models on extra dimensions containing orbifold. We show also predictions of cosmic observables by numerical analyzes.

  7. Artificial magnetic-field quenches in synthetic dimensions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yılmaz, F.; Oktel, M. Ö.

    2018-02-01

    Recent cold atom experiments have realized models where each hyperfine state at an optical lattice site can be regarded as a separate site in a synthetic dimension. In such synthetic ribbon configurations, manipulation of the transitions between the hyperfine levels provide direct control of the hopping in the synthetic dimension. This effect was used to simulate a magnetic field through the ribbon. Precise control over the hopping matrix elements in the synthetic dimension makes it possible to change this artificial magnetic field much faster than the time scales associated with atomic motion in the lattice. In this paper, we consider such a magnetic-flux quench scenario in synthetic dimensions. Sudden changes have not been considered for real magnetic fields as such changes in a conducting system would result in large induced currents. Hence we first study the difference between a time varying real magnetic field and an artificial magnetic field using a minimal six-site model. This minimal model clearly shows the connection between gauge dependence and the lack of on-site induced scalar potential terms. We then investigate the dynamics of a wave packet in an infinite two- or three-leg ladder following a flux quench and find that the gauge choice has a dramatic effect on the packet dynamics. Specifically, a wave packet splits into a number of smaller packets moving with different velocities. Both the weights and the number of packets depend on the implemented gauge. If an initial packet, prepared under zero flux in an n -leg ladder, is quenched to Hamiltonian with a vector potential parallel to the ladder, it splits into at most n smaller wave packets. The same initial wave packet splits into up to n2 packets if the vector potential is implemented to be along the rungs. Even a trivial difference in the gauge choice such as the addition of a constant to the vector potential produces observable effects. We also calculate the packet weights for arbitrary initial and

  8. Gender Dimensions Framework Application

    OpenAIRE

    Rubin, D.

    2011-01-01

    This is a presentation of the The Gender Dimensions Framework (GDF). The GDF was developed to provide guidance to USAID staff and partner organizations for working with USAID projects looking at promoting equitable opportunities in agricultural value chains. The GDF contemplates four dimensions: access to and control over key productive assets (tangible and intangible); beliefs and perceptions; practices and participation, and legal frameworks. CCRA-7 (Gendered Knowledge)

  9. Supersymmetry breaking with extra dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zwirner, Fabio

    2004-01-01

    This talk reviews some aspects of supersymmetry breaking in the presence of extra dimensions. The first part is a general introduction, recalling the motivations for supersymmetry and extra dimensions, as well as some unsolved problems of four-dimensional models of supersymmetry breaking. The central part is a more focused introduction to a mechanism for (super)symmetry breaking, proposed first by Scherk and Schwarz, where extra dimensions play a crucial role. The last part is devoted to the description of some recent results and of some open problems. (author)

  10. Two theorems on flat space-time gravitational theories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Castagnino, M.; Chimento, L.

    1980-01-01

    The first theorem states that all flat space-time gravitational theories must have a Lagrangian with a first term that is an homogeneous (degree-1) function of the 4-velocity usup(i), plus a functional of nsub(ij)usup(i)usup(j). The second theorem states that all gravitational theories that satisfy the strong equivalence principle have a Lagrangian with a first term gsub(ij)(x)usup(i)usup(j) plus an irrelevant term. In both cases the theories must issue from a unique variational principle. Therefore, under this condition it is impossible to find a flat space-time theory that satisfies the strong equivalence principle. (author)

  11. Compacted dimensions and singular plasmonic surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pendry, J. B.; Huidobro, Paloma Arroyo; Luo, Yu; Galiffi, Emanuele

    2017-11-01

    In advanced field theories, there can be more than four dimensions to space, the excess dimensions described as compacted and unobservable on everyday length scales. We report a simple model, unconnected to field theory, for a compacted dimension realized in a metallic metasurface periodically structured in the form of a grating comprising a series of singularities. An extra dimension of the grating is hidden, and the surface plasmon excitations, though localized at the surface, are characterized by three wave vectors rather than the two of typical two-dimensional metal grating. We propose an experimental realization in a doped graphene layer.

  12. Cross-sectional associations between the five factor personality traits and leisure-time sitting-time

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ebstrup, Jeanette Frost; Aadahl, Mette; Eplov, Lene Falgaard

    2013-01-01

    Leisure-time sitting-time (LTST) is seen as a possible independent risk-factor for physical and mental health, but research on psychological determinants is sparse. Associations between sitting-time and the personality dimensions of neuroticism, extroversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscien......Leisure-time sitting-time (LTST) is seen as a possible independent risk-factor for physical and mental health, but research on psychological determinants is sparse. Associations between sitting-time and the personality dimensions of neuroticism, extroversion, openness, agreeableness...

  13. Pellet dimension checker

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marmo, A.R.

    1980-01-01

    A pellet dimension checker was developed for use in making nuclear-fuel pellets. This checker eliminates operator handling of the pellet but permits remote-monitoring of the operation, and is thus suitable for mass production of green fuel pellets particularly in reprocessing plants handling irradiated uranium or plutonium. It comprises a rotatable arm for transferring a pellet from a conveyor to several dimensional measuring stations and back to the conveyor if the dimensions of the pellet are within predetermined limits. If the pellet is not within the limits, the arm removes the pellet from the process stream. (DN)

  14. Fractal dimension of turbulent black holes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Westernacher-Schneider, John Ryan

    2017-11-01

    We present measurements of the fractal dimension of a turbulent asymptotically anti-de Sitter black brane reconstructed from simulated boundary fluid data at the perfect fluid order using the fluid-gravity duality. We argue that the boundary fluid energy spectrum scaling as E (k )˜k-2 is a more natural setting for the fluid-gravity duality than the Kraichnan-Kolmogorov scaling of E (k )˜k-5 /3, but we obtain fractal dimensions D for spatial sections of the horizon H ∩Σ in both cases: D =2.584 (1 ) and D =2.645 (4 ), respectively. These results are consistent with the upper bound of D =3 , thereby resolving the tension with the recent claim in Adams et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 151602 (2014), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.151602] that D =3 +1 /3 . We offer a critical examination of the calculation which led to their result, and show that their proposed definition of the fractal dimension performs poorly as a fractal dimension estimator on one-dimensional curves with known fractal dimension. Finally, we describe how to define and in principle calculate the fractal dimension of spatial sections of the horizon H ∩Σ in a covariant manner, and we speculate on assigning a "bootstrapped" value of fractal dimension to the entire horizon H when it is in a statistically quasisteady turbulent state.

  15. Contemporary permanent tooth dimensions, with comparisons to G.V. Black's data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Edward F; Burris, Benjamin G

    2003-01-01

    The tooth dimensions most commonly cited in the dental literature are those published by the famous restorative dentist G. V. Black late in the 19th century. We report here on the crown dimensions of a large series of contemporary North American Whites and show that Black's values differ significantly from modern values, but not in any consistent or predictable fashion. Black supplied no information about the nature of his sample. We suggest that it may be time to replace Black's data with modern tooth size standards.

  16. Exact optical solitons in (n + 1)-dimensions with anti-cubic nonlinearity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Younis, Muhammad; Shahid, Iram; Anbreen, Sumaira; Rizvi, Syed Tahir Raza

    2018-02-01

    The paper studies the propagation of optical solitons in (n + 1)-dimensions under anti-cubic law of nonlinearity. The bright, dark and singular optical solitons are extracted using the extended trial equation method. The constraint conditions, for the existence of these solitons, are also listed. Additionally, a couple of other solutions known as singular periodic and Jacobi elliptic solutions, fall out as a by-product of this scheme. The obtained results are new and reported first time in (n + 1)-dimensions with anti-cubic law of nonlinearity.

  17. Space-Time Crystal and Space-Time Group.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Shenglong; Wu, Congjun

    2018-03-02

    Crystal structures and the Bloch theorem play a fundamental role in condensed matter physics. We extend the static crystal to the dynamic "space-time" crystal characterized by the general intertwined space-time periodicities in D+1 dimensions, which include both the static crystal and the Floquet crystal as special cases. A new group structure dubbed a "space-time" group is constructed to describe the discrete symmetries of a space-time crystal. Compared to space and magnetic groups, the space-time group is augmented by "time-screw" rotations and "time-glide" reflections involving fractional translations along the time direction. A complete classification of the 13 space-time groups in one-plus-one dimensions (1+1D) is performed. The Kramers-type degeneracy can arise from the glide time-reversal symmetry without the half-integer spinor structure, which constrains the winding number patterns of spectral dispersions. In 2+1D, nonsymmorphic space-time symmetries enforce spectral degeneracies, leading to protected Floquet semimetal states. We provide a general framework for further studying topological properties of the (D+1)-dimensional space-time crystal.

  18. Physics with large extra dimensions

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    can then be accounted by the existence of large internal dimensions, in the sub- ... strongly coupled heterotic theory with one large dimension is described by a weakly ..... one additional U(1) factor corresponding to an extra 'U(1)' D-brane is ...

  19. Conceptual Model of Quantities, Units, Dimensions, and Values

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rouquette, Nicolas F.; DeKoenig, Hans-Peter; Burkhart, Roger; Espinoza, Huascar

    2011-01-01

    JPL collaborated with experts from industry and other organizations to develop a conceptual model of quantities, units, dimensions, and values based on the current work of the ISO 80000 committee revising the International System of Units & Quantities based on the International Vocabulary of Metrology (VIM). By providing support for ISO 80000 in SysML via the International Vocabulary of Metrology (VIM), this conceptual model provides, for the first time, a standard-based approach for addressing issues of unit coherence and dimensional analysis into the practice of systems engineering with SysML-based tools. This conceptual model provides support for two kinds of analyses specified in the International Vocabulary of Metrology (VIM): coherence of units as well as of systems of units, and dimension analysis of systems of quantities. To provide a solid and stable foundation, the model for defining quantities, units, dimensions, and values in SysML is explicitly based on the concepts defined in VIM. At the same time, the model library is designed in such a way that extensions to the ISQ (International System of Quantities) and SI Units (Systeme International d Unites) can be represented, as well as any alternative systems of quantities and units. The model library can be used to support SysML user models in various ways. A simple approach is to define and document libraries of reusable systems of units and quantities for reuse across multiple projects, and to link units and quantity kinds from these libraries to Unit and QuantityKind stereotypes defined in SysML user models.

  20. A variational principle for the Hausdorff dimension of fractal sets

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, Lars; Cutler, Colleen D.

    1994-01-01

    Matematik, fraktal (fractal), Hausdorff dimension, Renyi dimension, pakke dimension (packing dimension)......Matematik, fraktal (fractal), Hausdorff dimension, Renyi dimension, pakke dimension (packing dimension)...

  1. A new test of attention in listening (TAIL) predicts auditory performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yu-Xuan; Barry, Johanna G; Moore, David R; Amitay, Sygal

    2012-01-01

    Attention modulates auditory perception, but there are currently no simple tests that specifically quantify this modulation. To fill the gap, we developed a new, easy-to-use test of attention in listening (TAIL) based on reaction time. On each trial, two clearly audible tones were presented sequentially, either at the same or different ears. The frequency of the tones was also either the same or different (by at least two critical bands). When the task required same/different frequency judgments, presentation at the same ear significantly speeded responses and reduced errors. A same/different ear (location) judgment was likewise facilitated by keeping tone frequency constant. Perception was thus influenced by involuntary orienting of attention along the task-irrelevant dimension. When information in the two stimulus dimensions were congruent (same-frequency same-ear, or different-frequency different-ear), response was faster and more accurate than when they were incongruent (same-frequency different-ear, or different-frequency same-ear), suggesting the involvement of executive control to resolve conflicts. In total, the TAIL yielded five independent outcome measures: (1) baseline reaction time, indicating information processing efficiency, (2) involuntary orienting of attention to frequency and (3) location, and (4) conflict resolution for frequency and (5) location. Processing efficiency and conflict resolution accounted for up to 45% of individual variances in the low- and high-threshold variants of three psychoacoustic tasks assessing temporal and spectral processing. Involuntary orientation of attention to the irrelevant dimension did not correlate with perceptual performance on these tasks. Given that TAIL measures are unlikely to be limited by perceptual sensitivity, we suggest that the correlations reflect modulation of perceptual performance by attention. The TAIL thus has the power to identify and separate contributions of different components of attention

  2. New black holes in five dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lue, H.; Mei Jianwei; Pope, C.N.

    2009-01-01

    We construct new stationary Ricci-flat metrics of cohomogeneity 2 in five dimensions, which generalise the Myers-Perry rotating black hole metrics by adding a further non-trivial parameter. We obtain them via a construction that is analogous to the construction by Plebanski and Demianski in four dimensions of the most general type D metrics. Limiting cases of the new metrics contain not only the general Myers-Perry black hole with independent angular momenta, but also the single rotation black ring of Emparan and Reall. In another limit, we obtain new static metrics that describe black holes whose horizons are distorted lens spaces L(n;m)=S 3 /Γ(n;m), where m≥n+2≥3. They are asymptotic to Minkowski spacetime factored by Γ(m;n). In the general stationary case, by contrast, the new metrics describe spacetimes with a horizon and with a periodicity condition on the time coordinate; these examples can be thought of as five-dimensional analogues of the four-dimensional Taub-NUT metrics

  3. Saliency of social comparison dimensions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kuyper, H.

    2007-01-01

    The present article discusses a theory of the saliency of social comparison dimensions and presents the results of an experiment about the effects of two different experimental situations on the saliency of exterior, task-related and socio-emotional dimensions. Saliency was operationalized with a

  4. Determination of the fundamental scale of gravity and the number of space-time dimensions from high energetic particle interactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruppert, J.; Rahmede, C.; Bleicher, M.

    2005-01-01

    Within the ADD-model, we elaborate an idea by Vacavant and Hinchliffe [J. Phys. G 27 (2001) 1839] and show quantitatively how to determine the fundamental scale of TeV-gravity and the number of compactified extra dimensions from data at LHC. We demonstrate that the ADD-model leads to strong correlations between the missing E T in gravitons at different center of mass energies. This correlation puts strong constraints on this model for extra dimensions, if probed at s=5.5 TeV and s=14 TeV at LHC

  5. Criterion learning in rule-based categorization: simulation of neural mechanism and new data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helie, Sebastien; Ell, Shawn W; Filoteo, J Vincent; Maddox, W Todd

    2015-04-01

    In perceptual categorization, rule selection consists of selecting one or several stimulus-dimensions to be used to categorize the stimuli (e.g., categorize lines according to their length). Once a rule has been selected, criterion learning consists of defining how stimuli will be grouped using the selected dimension(s) (e.g., if the selected rule is line length, define 'long' and 'short'). Very little is known about the neuroscience of criterion learning, and most existing computational models do not provide a biological mechanism for this process. In this article, we introduce a new model of rule learning called Heterosynaptic Inhibitory Criterion Learning (HICL). HICL includes a biologically-based explanation of criterion learning, and we use new category-learning data to test key aspects of the model. In HICL, rule selective cells in prefrontal cortex modulate stimulus-response associations using pre-synaptic inhibition. Criterion learning is implemented by a new type of heterosynaptic error-driven Hebbian learning at inhibitory synapses that uses feedback to drive cell activation above/below thresholds representing ionic gating mechanisms. The model is used to account for new human categorization data from two experiments showing that: (1) changing rule criterion on a given dimension is easier if irrelevant dimensions are also changing (Experiment 1), and (2) showing that changing the relevant rule dimension and learning a new criterion is more difficult, but also facilitated by a change in the irrelevant dimension (Experiment 2). We conclude with a discussion of some of HICL's implications for future research on rule learning. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Discrimination learning and attentional set formation in a mouse model of Fragile X.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Casten, Kimberly S; Gray, Annette C; Burwell, Rebecca D

    2011-06-01

    Fragile X Syndrome is the most prevalent genetic cause of mental retardation. Selective deficits in executive function, including inhibitory control and attention, are core features of the disorder. In humans, Fragile X results from a trinucleotide repeat in the Fmr1 gene that renders it functionally silent and has been modeled in mice by targeted deletion of the Fmr1 gene. Fmr1 knockout (KO) mice recapitulate many features of Fragile X syndrome, but evidence for deficits in executive function is inconsistent. To address this issue, we trained wild-type and Fmr1 KO mice on an experimental paradigm that assesses attentional set-shifting. Mice learned to discriminate between stimuli differing in two of three perceptual dimensions. Successful discrimination required attending only to the relevant dimension, while ignoring irrelevant dimensions. Mice were trained on three discriminations in the same perceptual dimension, each followed by a reversal. This procedure normally results in the formation of an attentional set to the relevant dimension. Mice were then required to shift attention and discriminate based on a previously irrelevant perceptual dimension. Wild-type mice exhibited the increase in trials to criterion expected when shifting attention from one perceptual dimension to another. In contrast, the Fmr1 KO group failed to show the expected increase, suggesting impairment in forming an attentional set. Fmr1 KO mice also exhibited a general impairment in learning discriminations and reversals. This is the first demonstration that Fmr1 KO mice show a deficit in attentional set formation.

  7. Anomalous Dimensions of Conformal Baryons

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pica, Claudio; Sannino, Francesco

    2016-01-01

    We determine the anomalous dimensions of baryon operators for the three color theory as function of the number of massless flavours within the conformal window to the maximum known order in perturbation theory. We show that the anomalous dimension of the baryon is controllably small, within...

  8. Conformal dimension theory and application

    CERN Document Server

    Mackay, John M

    2010-01-01

    Conformal dimension measures the extent to which the Hausdorff dimension of a metric space can be lowered by quasisymmetric deformations. Introduced by Pansu in 1989, this concept has proved extremely fruitful in a diverse range of areas, including geometric function theory, conformal dynamics, and geometric group theory. This survey leads the reader from the definitions and basic theory through to active research applications in geometric function theory, Gromov hyperbolic geometry, and the dynamics of rational maps, amongst other areas. It reviews the theory of dimension in metric spaces and of deformations of metric spaces. It summarizes the basic tools for estimating conformal dimension and illustrates their application to concrete problems of independent interest. Numerous examples and proofs are provided. Working from basic definitions through to current research areas, this book can be used as a guide for graduate students interested in this field, or as a helpful survey for experts. Background needed ...

  9. The search for extra dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abel, Steven; March-Russell, John

    2000-01-01

    The possibility of extra dimensions, beyond the three dimensions of space of our everyday experience, sometimes crops up as a convenient, if rather vague, plot in science fiction. In science, however, the idea of extra dimensions has a rich history, dating back at least as far as the 1920s. Recently there has been a remarkable renaissance in this area due to the work of a number of theoretical physicists. It now seems possible that we, the Earth and, indeed, the entire visible universe are stuck on a membrane in a higher-dimensional space, like dust particles that are trapped on a soap bubble. In this article the authors look at the major issues behind this new development. Why, for example, don't we see these extra dimensions? If they exist, how can we detect them? And perhaps the trickiest question of all: how did this fanciful idea come to be considered in the first place? (U.K.)

  10. 1/ r potential in higher dimensions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakraborty, Sumanta; Dadhich, Naresh

    2018-01-01

    In Einstein gravity, gravitational potential goes as 1/r^{d-3} in d non-compactified spacetime dimensions, which assumes the familiar 1 / r form in four dimensions. On the other hand, it goes as 1/r^{α }, with α =(d-2m-1)/m, in pure Lovelock gravity involving only one mth order term of the Lovelock polynomial in the gravitational action. The latter offers a novel possibility of having 1 / r potential for the non-compactified dimension spectrum given by d=3m+1. Thus it turns out that in the two prototype gravitational settings of isolated objects, like black holes and the universe as a whole - cosmological models, the Einstein gravity in four and mth order pure Lovelock gravity in 3m+1 dimensions behave in a similar fashion as far as gravitational interactions are considered. However propagation of gravitational waves (or the number of degrees of freedom) does indeed serve as a discriminator because it has two polarizations only in four dimensions.

  11. Time and interference: Effects on working memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Botto, Marta; Palladino, Paola

    2016-05-01

    This study tested predictions from the time-based resource-sharing (TBRS) model with a classical verbal working memory (WM) task, where target and non-target information interfere strongly with each other. Different predictions can be formulated according to the dominant perspectives (TBRS and interference hypothesis) on the role of inhibitory control in WM task performance. Here, we aimed to trace the activation of irrelevant information, examining priming effects in a lexical decision task immediately following WM recall. Results indicate the roles of both time and interference constraints in determining task performance. In particular, the role of time available seemed crucial at the highest WM loads (i.e., 3 and 4 memoranda). These were also associated with a higher activation of no-longer-relevant information but, in this case, independently from time available for processing. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

  12. Communication and control tools, systems, and new dimensions

    CERN Document Server

    MacDougall, Robert; Cummings, Kevin

    2015-01-01

    Communication and Control: Tools, Systems, and New Dimensions advocates a systems view of human communication in a time of intelligent, learning machines. This edited collection sheds new light on things as mundane yet still profoundly consequential (and seemingly "low-tech") today as push buttons, pagers and telemarketing systems. Contributors also investigate aspects of "remote control" related to education, organizational design, artificial intelligence, cyberwarfa

  13. The Hidden Dimensions of Art.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klein, Bruce

    1982-01-01

    Describes an art program for preschool children that includes four social dimensions of art in order to heighten aesthetic perception, improve artistic creativity, and nurture self-esteem. The social dimensions are children having power, children acting on norms legitimate in their own eyes, children functioning "nonestrangedly," and children…

  14. Value dimensions of corporate culture of state-owned enterprise employees

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Požega Željko

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines value dimensions of the organizational culture of employees in Hrvatska elektroprivreda d.d., a joint stock company wholly owned by the government of the Republic of Croatia, with the aim of identifying the corporate culture and value differences within the company in relation to employee gender, age and type of workplace. Hofstede’s research on organizational culture value dimensions forms the theoretical framework of this paper. Descriptive statistical methods, i.e., frequencies, comparison of means and ranking were used in the analysis. The results show a difference in values between older and younger employees, as well as between employees working in an office and those working in the field which leads to the conclusion that in this company there are different sub-cultural elements within a single corporate culture. Moreover, the results show that value dimensions of employees in Hrvatska elektroprivreda d.d. are somewhat different from earlier findings of Hofstede’s research into value dimensions of employees in the Republic of Croatia in that the power distance is lower; uncertainty avoidance remains relatively high; individualism of employees has risen considerably, the culture is still impregnated with feminine values and there is a high degree of long-term orientation of employees. The analysis of respondents’ answers indicates that personal time and family time are highly valued. In addition, physical working conditions, good working relations with immediate supervisors and good cooperation with colleagues were also rated high on the scale of importance. It was also found that the most important work objective was job security, and that personal steadiness, stability and persistence were most valued personal traits.

  15. Is overall similarity classification less effortful than single-dimension classification?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wills, Andy J; Milton, Fraser; Longmore, Christopher A; Hester, Sarah; Robinson, Jo

    2013-01-01

    It is sometimes argued that the implementation of an overall similarity classification is less effortful than the implementation of a single-dimension classification. In the current article, we argue that the evidence securely in support of this view is limited, and report additional evidence in support of the opposite proposition--overall similarity classification is more effortful than single-dimension classification. Using a match-to-standards procedure, Experiments 1A, 1B and 2 demonstrate that concurrent load reduces the prevalence of overall similarity classification, and that this effect is robust to changes in the concurrent load task employed, the level of time pressure experienced, and the short-term memory requirements of the classification task. Experiment 3 demonstrates that participants who produced overall similarity classifications from the outset have larger working memory capacities than those who produced single-dimension classifications initially, and Experiment 4 demonstrates that instructions to respond meticulously increase the prevalence of overall similarity classification.

  16. Mixed quantization dimensions of self-similar measures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dai Meifeng; Wang Xiaoli; Chen Dandan

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► We define the mixed quantization dimension of finitely many measures. ► Formula of mixed quantization dimensions of self-similar measures is given. ► Illustrate the behavior of mixed quantization dimension as a function of order. - Abstract: Classical multifractal analysis studies the local scaling behaviors of a single measure. However recently mixed multifractal has generated interest. The purpose of this paper is some results about the mixed quantization dimensions of self-similar measures.

  17. Spectral dimension in causal set quantum gravity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eichhorn, Astrid; Mizera, Sebastian

    2014-01-01

    We evaluate the spectral dimension in causal set quantum gravity by simulating random walks on causal sets. In contrast to other approaches to quantum gravity, we find an increasing spectral dimension at small scales. This observation can be connected to the nonlocality of causal set theory that is deeply rooted in its fundamentally Lorentzian nature. Based on its large-scale behaviour, we conjecture that the spectral dimension can serve as a tool to distinguish causal sets that approximate manifolds from those that do not. As a new tool to probe quantum spacetime in different quantum gravity approaches, we introduce a novel dimensional estimator, the causal spectral dimension, based on the meeting probability of two random walkers, which respect the causal structure of the quantum spacetime. We discuss a causal-set example, where the spectral dimension and the causal spectral dimension differ, due to the existence of a preferred foliation. (paper)

  18. Collapse of large extra dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geddes, James

    2002-01-01

    In models of spacetime that are the product of a four-dimensional spacetime with an 'extra' dimension, there is the possibility that the extra dimension will collapse to zero size, forming a singularity. We ask whether this collapse is likely to destroy the spacetime. We argue, by an appeal to the four-dimensional cosmic censorship conjecture, that--at least in the case when the extra dimension is homogeneous--such a collapse will lead to a singularity hidden within a black string. We also construct explicit initial data for a spacetime in which such a collapse is guaranteed to occur and show how the formation of a naked singularity is likely avoided

  19. Escaping in extra dimensions

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva. Audiovisual Unit

    2002-01-01

    Recent progress in the formulation of fundamental theories for a Universe with more than 4 dimensions will be reviewed. Particular emphasis will be given to theories predicting the existence of extra dimensions at distance scales within the reach of current or forthcoming experiments. The phenomenological implications of these theories, ranging from detectable deviations from Newton's law at sub-millimeter scales, to phenomena of cosmological and astrophysical interest, as well as to high-energy laboratory experiments, will be discussed.

  20. Musical Entrainment Subsumes Bodily Gestures – Its Definition Needs a Spatiotemporal Dimension

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marc Leman

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available In his paper “What is entrainment? Definition and applications in musical research” (this issue, M. Clayton offers a definition of entrainment that is based on a timing dimension (relative phase relationships. However, this definition may be too limited when applied to musical entrainment. Based on the idea that human engagement with music is embodied and that gestures may condition entrainment, I suggest that the definition of entrainment be broadened so as to include a spatiotemporal dimension.

  1. Studying the human dimensions of global climate change

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berk, R.A.

    1991-01-01

    With recent scientific interest in climate change has come a need to address substantive issues over very long periods of time and over virtually the entire globe. There is also a growing recognition not only of the links between physical and biological systems but also of the key roles played by human activities and institutions in interaction with the physical and biological world. Hence, the study of climate change presents a host of important questions to social scientists, for which they are not fully prepared. The problems inherent in studying the human dimensions of global climate change do not occur in a scientific vacuum. Rather, they are in part created by, and in part reflect, important gaps in scientific understanding of the physical and biological dimensions. To set the stage, therefore, the general nature of these gaps needs to be briefly reviewed

  2. Green synthesis of dimension-controlled silver nanoparticle–graphene oxide with in situ ultrasonication

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hui, K.S.; Hui, K.N.; Dinh, D.A.; Tsang, C.H.; Cho, Y.R.; Zhou, Wei; Hong, Xiaoting; Chun, Ho-Hwan

    2014-01-01

    Graphical abstract: -- Abstract: A green chemical approach to control the dimensions of Ag nanoparticle-decorated graphene oxide (AgNP–GO) composites was proposed by in situ ultrasonication of a mixture of AgNO 3 and GO solution with the assistance of vitamin C acting as an environmentally friendly reducing agent at room temperature. The AgNP–GO composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectra and ultraviolet–visible absorption spectra. The results demonstrated that Ag nanoparticles with an average diameter of ∼15 nm were uniformly dispersed on the surface of GO nanosheets by in situ ultrasonication of 1 min with vitamin C. Increasing the ultrasonication times resulted in Ag nanoparticles with tunable dimensions ranging from 15 to 55 nm being formed on the surface of GO nanosheets. The amount of silver nitrate and the ultrasonication time play a key role in the control of the dimension of Ag nanoparticles on GO, and a formation mechanism of the as-prepared AgNP–GO composites is proposed. This study provides a guide to controlling the dimensions of AgNP–GO composites, which may hold promise as advanced materials for various analytical applications such as catalysis, sensors and microchips

  3. Intelligence, Inspection Time, and Decision Time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bates, Timothy C.; Eysenck, Hans J.

    1993-01-01

    Relationships among Multidimensional Aptitude Battery scores, inspection time, choice reaction time, and the odd-man procedure were investigated for 63 female and 25 male adults. No significant relationships were found for these mental speed measures and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised dimensions of extraversion, neuroticism, and…

  4. Output Pressure and Pulse-Echo Characteristics of CMUTs as Function of Plate Dimensions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Diederichsen, Søren Elmin; Hansen, Jesper Mark Fly; Engholm, Mathias

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents an experimental study of the acoustic performance of Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (CMUTs) as function of plate dimensions. The objective is to increase the output pressure without decreasingthe pulse-echo signal. The CMUTs are fabricated with a LOCOS process......-to-peak output pressure and pulse-echo signal is obtained for the 9.3μm plate, which still has a moderate pulseecho bandwidth of 60%. The 9.3μm plate results in a 1.9 times higher peak-to-peak output pressure and a 3.6 times higherpulse-echo signal compared to the 2μm plate. By adjusting the plate dimensions...

  5. Geometry, relativity and the fourth dimension

    CERN Document Server

    Rucker, Rudolf

    1977-01-01

    This is a highly readable, popular exposition of the fourth dimension and the structure of the universe. A remarkable pictorial discussion of the curved space-time we call home, it achieves even greater impact through the use of 141 excellent illustrations. This is the first sustained visual account of many important topics in relativity theory that up till now have only been treated separately.Finding a perfect analogy in the situation of the geometrical characters in Flatland, Professor Rucker continues the adventures of the two-dimensional world visited by a three-dimensional being to expl

  6. Cosmology in theories with extra dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kolb, E.W.

    1985-01-01

    Some possible cosmological effects of the existence of extra compact dimensions are discussed. Particular attention is given to the possibility that extra dimensions might naturally lead to an inflationary Universe scenario

  7. Virtual reality and the unfolding of higher dimensions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aguilera, Julieta C.

    2006-02-01

    As virtual/augmented reality evolves, the need for spaces that are responsive to structures independent from three dimensional spatial constraints, become apparent. The visual medium of computer graphics may also challenge these self imposed constraints. If one can get used to how projections affect 3D objects in two dimensions, it may also be possible to compose a situation in which to get used to the variations that occur while moving through higher dimensions. The presented application is an enveloping landscape of concave and convex forms, which are determined by the orientation and displacement of the user in relation to a grid made of tesseracts (cubes in four dimensions). The interface accepts input from tridimensional and four-dimensional transformations, and smoothly displays such interactions in real-time. The motion of the user becomes the graphic element whereas the higher dimensional grid references to his/her position relative to it. The user learns how motion inputs affect the grid, recognizing a correlation between the input and the transformations. Mapping information to complex grids in virtual reality is valuable for engineers, artists and users in general because navigation can be internalized like a dance pattern, and further engage us to maneuver space in order to know and experience.

  8. [Eye development in children. Part I. Eyeball dimensions].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lachowicz, Ewelina; Czepita, Damian

    2010-01-01

    The aim of an article is to introduce and elaborate on the available literature concerning eyeball development. The information content in the article comes from studies performed on groups of children of different ages. In some analysis study groups were chosen depending on sex. Axial length of the eye, depth of anterior chamber, lens's thickness and vitreous's dimension was defined. Intensive changes of eyeball dimensions progress with age. A period of fast and slow growth of the eye can be discerned. Axial length of the eye, depth of anterior chamber, lens's thickness and vitreous's dimension increase over time. Growth of the axial length is mainly caused by increasing axial length of vitreous cavity. The increase in depth of the anterior chamber plays a lesser role. Girls tend to have shorter eyes compared with boys. Both age and male gender are associated with deeper anterior chambers and larger vitreous cavity. Lens thickness decreases with the growth of the eyeball. However gender does not play a role. Based on current literature, it is difficult exactly indicate what are the standards of eyeball growth in children and youths. To establish these parameters, further studies on the another examination in representative group of children and teenagers are necessary.

  9. Thoughts on Chemistry and Scientific Truth in Post-Factual Times.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schreiner, Peter R

    2018-04-19

    "… The value and meaning of scientific truth has not been overcome by postmodernism or post-factual tendencies. Just because politics is mostly a representation of opinions, this does not imply that truth has become irrelevant. Quite the opposite, the value of truth is growing in turbulent times and for scientists it constitutes the currency of credibility and accountability …" Read more in the Guest Editorial by Peter R. Schreiner. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. 1/r potential in higher dimensions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chakraborty, Sumanta [Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Department of Theoretical Physics, Kolkata (India); IUCAA, Pune (India); Dadhich, Naresh [IUCAA, Pune (India); Center for Theoretical Physics, New Delhi (India)

    2018-01-15

    In Einstein gravity, gravitational potential goes as 1/r{sup d-3} in d non-compactified spacetime dimensions, which assumes the familiar 1/r form in four dimensions. On the other hand, it goes as 1/r{sup α}, with α = (d - 2m - 1)/m, in pure Lovelock gravity involving only one mth order term of the Lovelock polynomial in the gravitational action. The latter offers a novel possibility of having 1/r potential for the non-compactified dimension spectrum given by d = 3m + 1. Thus it turns out that in the two prototype gravitational settings of isolated objects, like black holes and the universe as a whole - cosmological models, the Einstein gravity in four and mth order pure Lovelock gravity in 3m + 1 dimensions behave in a similar fashion as far as gravitational interactions are considered. However propagation of gravitational waves (or the number of degrees of freedom) does indeed serve as a discriminator because it has two polarizations only in four dimensions. (orig.)

  11. Complex numbers in n dimensions

    CERN Document Server

    Olariu, Silviu

    2002-01-01

    Two distinct systems of hypercomplex numbers in n dimensions are introduced in this book, for which the multiplication is associative and commutative, and which are rich enough in properties such that exponential and trigonometric forms exist and the concepts of analytic n-complex function, contour integration and residue can be defined. The first type of hypercomplex numbers, called polar hypercomplex numbers, is characterized by the presence in an even number of dimensions greater or equal to 4 of two polar axes, and by the presence in an odd number of dimensions of one polar axis. The other type of hypercomplex numbers exists as a distinct entity only when the number of dimensions n of the space is even, and since the position of a point is specified with the aid of n/2-1 planar angles, these numbers have been called planar hypercomplex numbers. The development of the concept of analytic functions of hypercomplex variables was rendered possible by the existence of an exponential form of the n-complex numbe...

  12. Deposition and growth of domains in one dimension

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodgers, G. J.; Tavassoli, Z.

    1998-09-01

    A model of deposition and growth in one dimension is studied in which finite sized domains are deposited by the random sequential adsorption process. The domains then grow with a time dependent growth rate. When the initial deposited domains are monomers and dimers the coverage is found exactly for a number of different growth rates. A continuum version of this model is also considered.

  13. Unity of elementary particles and forces in higher dimensions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gogoladze, Ilia; Mimura, Yukihiro; Nandi, S

    2003-10-03

    The idea of unifying all the gauge and Yukawa forces as well as the gauge, Higgs, and fermionic matter particles naturally leads us to a simple gauge symmetry in higher dimensions with supersymmetry. We present a model in which, for the first time, such a unification is achieved in the framework of quantum field theory.

  14. Are objects the same as groups? ERP correlates of spatial attentional guidance by irrelevant feature similarity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasai, Tetsuko; Moriya, Hiroki; Hirano, Shingo

    2011-07-05

    It has been proposed that the most fundamental units of attentional selection are "objects" that are grouped according to Gestalt factors such as similarity or connectedness. Previous studies using event-related potentials (ERPs) have shown that object-based attention is associated with modulations of the visual-evoked N1 component, which reflects an early cortical mechanism that is shared with spatial attention. However, these studies only examined the case of perceptually continuous objects. The present study examined the case of separate objects that are grouped according to feature similarity (color, shape) by indexing lateralized potentials at posterior sites in a sustained-attention task that involved bilateral stimulus arrays. A behavioral object effect was found only for task-relevant shape similarity. Electrophysiological results indicated that attention was guided to the task-irrelevant side of the visual field due to achromatic-color similarity in N1 (155-205 ms post-stimulus) and early N2 (210-260 ms) and due to shape similarity in early N2 and late N2 (280-400 ms) latency ranges. These results are discussed in terms of selection mechanisms and object/group representations. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Checking the transverse Ward-Takahashi relation at one-loop order in four dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pennington, M R; Williams, R

    2006-01-01

    Some time ago Takahashi derived the so-called transverse relations relating Green's functions of different orders to complement the well-known Ward-Green-Takahashi identities of gauge theories by considering wedge rather than inner products. These transverse relations have the potential to determine the full fermion-boson vertex in terms of the renormalization functions of the fermion propagator. He and Yu have given an indicative proof at one-loop level in four dimensions. However, their construct involves the fourth-rank Levi-Civita tensor defined only unambiguously in four dimensions exactly where the loop integrals diverge. Consequently, here we explicitly check the proposed transverse Ward-Takahashi relation holds at one-loop order in d-dimensions, with d = 4 + ε

  16. Decomposition by tree dimension in Horn clause verification

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kafle, Bishoksan; Gallagher, John Patrick; Ganty, Pierre

    2015-01-01

    In this paper we investigate the use of the concept of tree dimension in Horn clause analysis and verification. The dimension of a tree is a measure of its non-linearity - for example a list of any length has dimension zero while a complete binary tree has dimension equal to its height. We apply ...

  17. Lovelock inflation and the number of large dimensions

    CERN Document Server

    Ferrer, Francesc

    2007-01-01

    We discuss an inflationary scenario based on Lovelock terms. These higher order curvature terms can lead to inflation when there are more than three spatial dimensions. Inflation will end if the extra dimensions are stabilised, so that at most three dimensions are free to expand. This relates graceful exit to the number of large dimensions.

  18. Lattice gas simulations of dynamical geometry in two dimensions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klales, Anna; Cianci, Donato; Needell, Zachary; Meyer, David A; Love, Peter J

    2010-10-01

    We present a hydrodynamic lattice gas model for two-dimensional flows on curved surfaces with dynamical geometry. This model is an extension to two dimensions of the dynamical geometry lattice gas model previously studied in one dimension. We expand upon a variation of the two-dimensional flat space Frisch-Hasslacher-Pomeau (FHP) model created by Frisch [Phys. Rev. Lett. 56, 1505 (1986)] and independently by Wolfram, and modified by Boghosian [Philos. Trans. R. Soc. London, Ser. A 360, 333 (2002)]. We define a hydrodynamic lattice gas model on an arbitrary triangulation whose flat space limit is the FHP model. Rules that change the geometry are constructed using the Pachner moves, which alter the triangulation but not the topology. We present results on the growth of the number of triangles as a function of time. Simulations show that the number of triangles grows with time as t(1/3), in agreement with a mean-field prediction. We also present preliminary results on the distribution of curvature for a typical triangulation in these simulations.

  19. Effects of Familiarity on the Perceptual Integrality of the Identity and Expression of Faces: The Parallel-Route Hypothesis Revisited

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganel, Tzvi; Goshen-Gottstein, Yonatan

    2004-01-01

    The effects of familiarity on selective attention for the identity and expression of faces were tested using Garner's speeded-classification task. In 2 experiments, participants classified expression (or identity) of familiar and unfamiliar faces while the irrelevant dimension of identity (or expression) was either held constant (baseline…

  20. Massively Parallel Dimension Independent Adaptive Metropolis

    KAUST Repository

    Chen, Yuxin

    2015-01-01

    parameter dimension, by respecting the variance, for Gaussian targets. The result- ing algorithm, referred to as the dimension-independent adaptive Metropolis (DIAM) algorithm, also shows improved performance with respect to adaptive Metropolis on non

  1. Context dimensions of nursery school seen through the eyes of trainee preschool teachers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lazić Svetlana T.

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available By shifting the focus of research from the child to the study of educational practice in the context of a specific setting, time, people and their relationships, significant observations have been made regarding the importance of these dimensions, their possible changes, and their influence on children's development. Young children live in the moment, and the experiences they are exposed to within contextual dimensions affect their understanding and experience of the world, which highlights the need to assess the extent to which the students of the Higher Professional School for the Education of Preschool Teachers in Novi Sad have been sensitized to recognize and assess the importance of each dimension of context. The data were collected in the academic year 2015-16 through systematic observation during students' practical training as part of a course from the elective nursery school module. The students' reports show that they understood the theoretical framework which they referred to in their assessment of contextual dimensions. In the study, particular attention was devoted to students' understanding of their role in the construction, verification and improvement of each dimension. Students do not feel sufficiently prepared for such activities and believe that they need practical experience. Since this is one of the ways in which they acquire practical experience in the course of their undergraduate studies, we recommend that compulsory and elective courses provide students with additional exposure to observations on the importance of space, time and interaction, that students be supported in developing a creative approach and in understanding their personal contribution to the introduction of changes.

  2. Relationship of Inglehart's and Schwartz's value dimensions revisited.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dobewall, Henrik; Strack, Micha

    2014-08-01

    This study examines the relationship between Inglehart's and Schwartz's value dimensions-both at the individual and the country levels. By rotating one set of items towards the other, we show that these value dimensions have more in common than previously reported. The ranking of countries (N = 47) based on Schwartz's Embeddedness--Autonomy and the Survival--Self-Expression dimensions reached a maximum of similarity, r = .82, after rotating Inglehart's factor scores 27 degrees clockwise. The correlation between the other pair of dimensions (Schwartz's Hierarchy-Mastery--Egalitarianism-Harmony and Inglehart's Traditional--Secular-Rational values) was near zero before and after rotation. At the individual level (N = 46,444), positive correlations were found for Schwartz's Conservation--Openness dimension with both of Inglehart's dimensions (Survival--Self-Expression and Traditional--Secular-Rational values). The highest correlation with this Schwartz dimension was obtained at the Secular-Rational/Self-Expression diagonal, r = .24, after rotating the factor scores 45 degrees clockwise. We conclude that Schwartz's and Inglehart's originally proposed two-dimensional value structures share one dimension at the country level and some commonality at the individual level, whereas the respective other pair of dimensions seem to be more or less unrelated. © 2013 International Union of Psychological Science.

  3. The existential dimension in general practice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Assing Hvidt, Elisabeth; Søndergaard, Jens; Ammentorp, Jette

    2016-01-01

    Objective: The objective of this study is to identify points of agreement and disagreements among general practitioners (GPs) in Denmark concerning how the existential dimension is understood, and when and how it is integrated in the GP–patient encounter. Design: A qualitative methodology with semi......-structured focus group interviews was employed. Setting: General practice setting in Denmark. Subjects: Thirty-one GPs from two Danish regions between 38 and 68 years of age participated in seven focus group interviews. Results: Although understood to involve broad life conditions such as present and future being...... points Although integration of the existential dimension is recommended for patient care in general practice, little is known about GPs’ understanding and integration of this dimension in the GP–patient encounter. The existential dimension is understood to involve broad and universal life conditions...

  4. The existential dimension in general practice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Assing Hvidt, Elisabeth; Søndergård, Jens; Ammentorp, Jette

    2016-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to identify points of agreement and disagreements among general practitioners (GPs) in Denmark concerning how the existential dimension is understood, and when and how it is integrated in the GP-patient encounter. DESIGN: A qualitative methodology with semi......-structured focus group interviews was employed. SETTING: General practice setting in Denmark. SUBJECTS: Thirty-one GPs from two Danish regions between 38 and 68 years of age participated in seven focus group interviews. RESULTS: Although understood to involve broad life conditions such as present and future being...... POINTS: Although integration of the existential dimension is recommended for patient care in general practice, little is known about GPs’ understanding and integration of this dimension in the GP-patient encounter. The existential dimension is understood to involve broad and universal life conditions...

  5. Deformations of superconformal theories

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Córdova, Clay [School of Natural Sciences, Institute for Advanced Study,1 Einstein Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540 (United States); Dumitrescu, Thomas T. [Department of Physics, Harvard University,17 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Intriligator, Kenneth [Department of Physics, University of California,9500 Gilman Drive, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093 (United States)

    2016-11-22

    We classify possible supersymmetry-preserving relevant, marginal, and irrelevant deformations of unitary superconformal theories in d≥3 dimensions. Our method only relies on symmetries and unitarity. Hence, the results are model independent and do not require a Lagrangian description. Two unifying themes emerge: first, many theories admit deformations that reside in multiplets together with conserved currents. Such deformations can lead to modifications of the supersymmetry algebra by central and non-central charges. Second, many theories with a sufficient amount of supersymmetry do not admit relevant or marginal deformations, and some admit neither. The classification is complicated by the fact that short superconformal multiplets display a rich variety of sporadic phenomena, including supersymmetric deformations that reside in the middle of a multiplet. We illustrate our results with examples in diverse dimensions. In particular, we explain how the classification of irrelevant supersymmetric deformations can be used to derive known and new constraints on moduli-space effective actions.

  6. Arctic sea ice melt pond fractal dimension - explained

    Science.gov (United States)

    Popovic, Predrag

    As Arctic sea ice starts to melt in the summer, pools of melt water quickly form on its surface, significantly changing its albedo, and impacting its subsequent evolution. These melt ponds often form complex geometric shapes. One characteristic of their shape, the fractal dimension of the pond boundaries, D, when plotted as a function of pond size, has been shown to transition between the two fundamental limits of D = 1 and D = 2 at some critical pond size. Here, we provide an explanation for this behavior. First, using aerial photographs, we show how this fractal transition curve changes with time, and show that there is a qualitative difference in the pond shape as ice transitions from impermeable to permeable. Namely, while ice is impermeable, maximum fractal dimension is less than 2, whereas after it becomes permeable, maximum fractal dimension becomes very close to 2. We then show how the fractal dimension of a collection of overlapping circles placed randomly on a plane also transitions from D = 1 to D = 2 at a size equal to the average size of a single circle. We, therefore, conclude that this transition is a simple geometric consequence of regular shapes connecting. The one physical parameter that can be extracted from the fractal transition curve is the length scale at which transition occurs. We provide a possible explanation for this length scale by noting that the flexural wavelength of the ice poses a fundamental limit on the size of melt ponds on permeable ice. If this is true, melt ponds could be used as a proxy for ice thickness.

  7. The cosmological ‘constant’ and quantization in five dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wesson, Paul S.

    2011-01-01

    Campbell's theorem ensures that all vacuum space-times in general relativity can be embedded in five dimensions, with the 4D scalar curvature expressed as an effective cosmological ‘constant’ Λ which depends on the extra coordinate. This Λ-landscape can be used to give insight to certain physical phenomena, such as the big bang and quantized particles.

  8. Bianchi identities in higher dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pravda, V; Pravdova, A; Coley, A; Milson, R

    2004-01-01

    A higher dimensional frame formalism is developed in order to study implications of the Bianchi identities for the Weyl tensor in vacuum spacetimes of the algebraic types III and N in arbitrary dimension n. It follows that the principal null congruence is geodesic and expands isotropically in two dimensions and does not expand in n - 4 spacelike dimensions or does not expand at all. It is shown that the existence of such principal geodesic null congruence in vacuum (together with an additional condition on twist) implies an algebraically special spacetime. We also use the Myers-Perry metric as an explicit example of a vacuum type D spacetime to show that principal geodesic null congruences in vacuum type D spacetimes do not share this property

  9. The Existential Dimension of Right

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hartz, Emily

    2017-01-01

    for discussing the existential dimension of right by bringing central parts of Fichte’s and Arendt’s work into dialogue. By facilitating this – admittedly unusual – dialogue between Fichte and Arendt the author explicates how, for both Fichte and Arendt, the concept of right can only be adequately understood......The following article paves out the theoretical ground for a phenomenological discussion of the existential dimension of right. This refers to a dimension of right that is not captured in standard treatments of right, namely the question of whether – or how the concept of rights relates...... as referring to the existential condition of plurality and uses this insight to draw up a theoretical ground for further phenomenological analysis of right....

  10. Correlated Electrons in Reduced Dimensions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bonesteel, Nicholas E [Florida State Univ., Tallahassee, FL (United States)

    2015-01-31

    This report summarizes the work accomplished under the support of US DOE grant # DE-FG02-97ER45639, "Correlated Electrons in Reduced Dimensions." The underlying hypothesis of the research supported by this grant has been that studying the unique behavior of correlated electrons in reduced dimensions can lead to new ways of understanding how matter can order and how it can potentially be used. The systems under study have included i) fractional quantum Hall matter, which is realized when electrons are confined to two-dimensions and placed in a strong magnetic field at low temperature, ii) one-dimensional chains of spins and exotic quasiparticle excitations of topologically ordered matter, and iii) electrons confined in effectively ``zero-dimensional" semiconductor quantum dots.

  11. Antisocial behavior: Dimension or category(ies?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Biro Mikloš

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Classificatory systems (DSM-IV, ICD-10 use different criteria for defining a rather common antisocial disorder, traditionally referred as psychopathy. Most empirical studies of this phenomenon use Cleckley's operational definition that was applied and amended in Hare's revised Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R. In modern literature, the fact that there is less than a perfect correspondence between classificatory systems and Hare's PCL-R is often cited as an indication that antisocial behavior is not confined to a distinct category of people but is rather a continuous personality dimension. In order to further elucidate the nosology of antisocial behaviors, a Psychopathy Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ based on Cleckley - Hare's criteria and consisting of 40 binary items was administered to 339 men (135 prisoners and 204 members of the general population. Four distinct clusters of respondents were identified by means of hierarchical cluster analysis: Psychopathic type (characterized by high positive scores on dimension of Unemotionality; Antisocial type (characterized by high positive scores on Social deviance dimension; Adapted type (characterized by negative scores on all dimensions; and Hyper-controlled type (characterized by extremely negative scores on dimension Social deviance accompanied with positive scores on Unemotionality dimension. Additional comparison with MMPI profiles which classified prison sample in two groups ("Psychopathic profiles" and "Non- Psychopathic profiles" shows that there is no expected compatibility between MMPI and PAQ. We conclude that Antisocial type can be treated as a distinct category, while Psychopathic type displays characteristics of dimensional distribution.

  12. Packing in Two and Three Dimensions

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Martins, Gustavo H

    2003-01-01

    ...), the Multidimensional Knapsack Problem (MD-KP), and the Multidimensional Bin Packing Problem (MD-BPP). In these problems, there is a set of items, with rectangular dimensions, and a set of large containers, or bins, also with rectangular dimensions...

  13. Linear correlation between fractal dimension of surface EMG signal from Rectus Femoris and height of vertical jump

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ancillao, Andrea; Galli, Manuela; Rigoldi, Chiara; Albertini, Giorgio

    2014-01-01

    Fractal dimension was demonstrated to be able to characterize the complexity of biological signals. The EMG time series are well known to have a complex behavior and some other studies already tried to characterize these signals by their fractal dimension. This paper is aimed at studying the correlation between the fractal dimension of surface EMG signal recorded over Rectus Femoris muscles during a vertical jump and the height reached in that jump. Healthy subjects performed vertical jumps at different heights. Surface EMG from Rectus Femoris was recorded and the height of each jump was measured by an optoelectronic motion capture system. Fractal dimension of sEMG was computed and the correlation between fractal dimension and eight of the jump was studied. Linear regression analysis showed a very high correlation coefficient between the fractal dimension and the height of the jump for all the subjects. The results of this study show that the fractal dimension is able to characterize the EMG signal and it can be related to the performance of the jump. Fractal dimension is therefore an useful tool for EMG interpretation

  14. Predicting beauty: fractal dimension and visual complexity in art.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forsythe, A; Nadal, M; Sheehy, N; Cela-Conde, C J; Sawey, M

    2011-02-01

    Visual complexity has been known to be a significant predictor of preference for artistic works for some time. The first study reported here examines the extent to which perceived visual complexity in art can be successfully predicted using automated measures of complexity. Contrary to previous findings the most successful predictor of visual complexity was Gif compression. The second study examined the extent to which fractal dimension could account for judgments of perceived beauty. The fractal dimension measure accounts for more of the variance in judgments of perceived beauty in visual art than measures of visual complexity alone, particularly for abstract and natural images. Results also suggest that when colour is removed from an artistic image observers are unable to make meaningful judgments as to its beauty. ©2010 The British Psychological Society.

  15. A new information dimension of complex networks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wei, Daijun [School of Computer and Information Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China); School of Science, Hubei University for Nationalities, Enshi 445000 (China); Wei, Bo [School of Computer and Information Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China); Hu, Yong [Institute of Business Intelligence and Knowledge Discovery, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Zhang, Haixin [School of Computer and Information Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China); Deng, Yong, E-mail: ydeng@swu.edu.cn [School of Computer and Information Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China); School of Engineering, Vanderbilt University, TN 37235 (United States)

    2014-03-01

    Highlights: •The proposed measure is more practical than the classical information dimension. •The difference of information for box in the box-covering algorithm is considered. •Results indicate the measure can capture the fractal property of complex networks. -- Abstract: The fractal and self-similarity properties are revealed in many complex networks. The classical information dimension is an important method to study fractal and self-similarity properties of planar networks. However, it is not practical for real complex networks. In this Letter, a new information dimension of complex networks is proposed. The nodes number in each box is considered by using the box-covering algorithm of complex networks. The proposed method is applied to calculate the fractal dimensions of some real networks. Our results show that the proposed method is efficient when dealing with the fractal dimension problem of complex networks.

  16. A new information dimension of complex networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wei, Daijun; Wei, Bo; Hu, Yong; Zhang, Haixin; Deng, Yong

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: •The proposed measure is more practical than the classical information dimension. •The difference of information for box in the box-covering algorithm is considered. •Results indicate the measure can capture the fractal property of complex networks. -- Abstract: The fractal and self-similarity properties are revealed in many complex networks. The classical information dimension is an important method to study fractal and self-similarity properties of planar networks. However, it is not practical for real complex networks. In this Letter, a new information dimension of complex networks is proposed. The nodes number in each box is considered by using the box-covering algorithm of complex networks. The proposed method is applied to calculate the fractal dimensions of some real networks. Our results show that the proposed method is efficient when dealing with the fractal dimension problem of complex networks.

  17. Measuring the relative importance of strategic thinking dimensions in relation to counterproductive behavior

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Afsaneh Zamani Moghaddam

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to explore the relative importance of strategic thinking dimensions in prediction of counter-productive behavior. The research method is based on a descriptive- Survey research. After collecting the questionnaires from 73 top managers and 110 staffs, the correlations between strategic thinking dimensions and counterproductive behavior were calculated. The relative importance method was used to calculate the relative weight of each dimension of strategic thinking in prediction of counterproductive behaviors. The results show that the strategic thinking of top managers is associated with their counterproductive behavior (correlation coefficient -0.38. Furthermore, The results of the Relative Importance Method indicate that the relative importance of each dimension of strategic thinking in prediction of counterproductive behavior is not the same. System perspective with 31.1% has the highest importance and hypothesis driven with 11.7% has the lowest weight. Intent focus, thinking in time and intelligent opportunism predict 14.1%, 13.3%, and 29.8% of counter-productive changes, respectively.

  18. Dimensions of Teacher Burnout: Relations with Potential Stressors at School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skaalvik, Einar M.; Skaalvik, Sidsel

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to analyze how four potential stressors in the school environment (discipline problems, time pressure, low student motivation, and value dissonance) were related to dimensions of teacher burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment). Participants were 1145 teachers from grade 1…

  19. Social dimensions of nuclear waste disposal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grunwald, Armin [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe (Germany). Inst. for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis

    2015-07-01

    Nuclear waste disposal is a two-faceted challenge: a scientific and technological endeavour, on the one hand, and confronted with social dimensions, on the other. In this paper I will sketch the respective social dimensions and will give a plea for interdisciplinary research approaches. Relevant social dimensions of nuclear waste disposal are concerning safety standards, the disposal 'philosophy', the process of determining the disposal site, and the operation of a waste disposal facility. Overall, cross-cutting issues of justice, responsibility, and fairness are of major importance in all of these fields.

  20. Social dimensions of nuclear waste disposal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grunwald, Armin

    2015-01-01

    Nuclear waste disposal is a two-faceted challenge: a scientific and technological endeavour, on the one hand, and confronted with social dimensions, on the other. In this paper I will sketch the respective social dimensions and will give a plea for interdisciplinary research approaches. Relevant social dimensions of nuclear waste disposal are concerning safety standards, the disposal 'philosophy', the process of determining the disposal site, and the operation of a waste disposal facility. Overall, cross-cutting issues of justice, responsibility, and fairness are of major importance in all of these fields.

  1. Modern dimensioning criteria for pressure vessels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roche, Roland.

    1975-01-01

    Some ideas on modern dimensioning criteria are given and their advantages with regard to both safety and economy are shown. In general these criteria result from considerations on possible damage to the apparatus in service and the modes of breakdown liable to follow. They are general enough to allow for a variety of dimensioning methods both experimental and theoretical, with special reference to modern computerized digital analysis techniques. As a practical example however some notions are given on the simplest means of computing dimensions in accordance with these criteria [fr

  2. Strategic thinking in turbulent times

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bratianu Constantin

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to present a structural analysis of strategic thinking spectrum in turbulent times. Business excellence cannot be achieved without a well-defined strategic thinking spectrum able to elaborate and implement strategies in a fast changeable and unpredictable business environment. Strategic thinking means to think for a desirable future which can be ahead 4-5 years of the present time and to make decisions to the best of our knowledge for that unknown business environment. Thus, the research question is: How can we conceive the spectrum of strategic thinking such that we shall be able to deal with a complex and unknown future in achieving a competitive advantage? The methodology used to answer this question is based on metaphorical thinking, and multidimensional analysis. I shall consider four main dimensions: time, complexity, uncertainty, and novelty. On each of these dimensions I shall analyze the known thinking models and their attributes with respect to request formulated in the research question. Then, I shall choose those thinking models that correspond to the future characteristics and integrate them in a continuous spectrum. On each dimension I shall consider three basic thinking models. On the time dimension they are: inertial, dynamic and entropic thinking. On the complexity dimension they are: linear, nonlinear and systemic thinking. On the uncertainty dimension they are: deterministic, probabilistic and chaotic thinking. Finally, on the novelty dimension we have: template, intelligent and creative thinking. Considering all requirements for the unknown future, we conclude that strategic thinking spectrum should contain: entropic, nonlinear and systemic, probabilistic and chaotic, intelligent and creative thinking models. Such a spectrum increases the capacity of our understanding and as a consequence it enhances the capability of making adequate decisions in conditions of complexity and uncertainty.

  3. Effective dimension in flocking mechanisms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baglietto, Gabriel; Albano, Ezequiel V.

    2011-01-01

    Even in its minimal representation (Vicsek Model, VM [T. Vicsek, A. Czirok, E. Ben-Jacob, I. Cohen and O. Shochet. Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 1226 (1995).]), the widespread phenomenon of flocking raises intriguing questions to the statistical physicists. While the VM is very close to the better understood XY Model because they share many symmetry properties, a major difference arises by the fact that the former can sustain long-range order in two dimensions, while the latter can not. Aiming to contribute to the understanding of this feature, by means of extensive numerical simulations of the VM, we study the network structure of clusters showing that they can also sustain purely orientational, mean-field-like, long-range order. We identify the reason of this capability with the key concept of ''effective dimension.'' In fact, by analyzing the behavior of the average path length and the mean degree, we show that this dimension is very close to four, which coincides with the upper critical dimension of the XY Model, where orientational order is also of a mean-field nature. We expect that this methodology could be generalized to other types of dynamical systems.

  4. Questions of time and affect: a person's affectivity profile, time perspective, and well-being.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, Danilo; Sailer, Uta; Nima, Ali Al; Archer, Trevor

    2016-01-01

    Background. A "balanced" time perspective has been suggested to have a positive influence on well-being: a sentimental and positive view of the past (high Past Positive), a less pessimistic attitude toward the past (low Past Negative), the desire of experiencing pleasure with slight concern for future consequences (high Present Hedonistic), a less fatalistic and hopeless view of the future (low Present Fatalistic), and the ability to find reward in achieving specific long-term goals (high Future). We used the affective profiles model (i.e., combinations of individuals' experience of high/low positive/negative affectivity) to investigate differences between individuals in time perspective dimensions and to investigate if the influence of time perspective dimensions on well-being was moderated by the individual's type of profile. Method. Participants (N = 720) answered to the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule, the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory and two measures of well-being: the Temporal Satisfaction with Life Scale and Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-Being-short version. A Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was conducted to identify differences in time perspective dimensions and well-being among individuals with distinct affective profiles. Four structural equation models (SEM) were used to investigate which time perspective dimensions predicted well-being for individuals in each profile. Results. Comparisons between individuals at the extreme of the affective profiles model suggested that individuals with a self-fulfilling profile (high positive/low negative affect) were characterized by a "balanced" time perspective and higher well-being compared to individuals with a self-destructive profile (low positive/high negative affect). However, a different pattern emerged when individuals who differed in one affect dimension but matched in the other were compared to each other. For instance, decreases in the past negative time perspective

  5. Time to get healthy: associations of time perspective with perceived health status and health behaviors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Griva, Fay; Tseferidi, Sofia-Ioanna; Anagnostopoulos, Fotios

    2015-01-01

    The present study examined the associations of time perspective (TP) with health behaviors including smoking, exercise, and body mass index (BMI), and perceptions of health status after controlling for sociodemographic factors. Participants (N = 413) completed a web-based questionnaire that included a short version of the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory, and reported their weight, height, smoking, and exercise frequency. Future TP was associated with more physical exercise, whereas past-negative and present-fatalistic dimensions were associated with higher BMI. Smoking was not associated with any of the TP dimensions. Additionally, all of the dimensions of TP were found to be associated with conceptually relevant perceptions of health status. Research on TP predominantly focuses on the future and the present orientation, but the findings of the present study suggest that all dimensions of TP should be used in health-related research. Also, issues regarding the role of the present-hedonistic dimension are discussed and directions for future research are proposed.

  6. Fermion current algebras and Schwinger terms in (3+1)-dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Langmann, E.

    1994-01-01

    We discuss the restricted linear group in infinite dimensions modeled by the Schatten class of rank 2p=4 which contains the (3+1)-dimensional analogs of the loop groups and is closely related to Yang-Mills theory with fermions in (3+1)-dimensions. We give an alternative to the construction of the ''highest weight'' representation of this group found by Mickelsson and Rajeev. Our approach is close to quantum field theory, with the elements of this group regarded as Bogoliubov transformations for fermions in an external Yang-Mills field. Though these cannot be unitarily implemented in the physically relevant representation of the fermion field algebra, we argue that they can be implemented by sesquilinear forms, and that there is a (regularized) product of forms providing an appropriate group structure. On the Lie algebra level, this gives an explicit, non-perturbative construction of fermion current algebras in (3+1) space-time dimensions which explicitly shows that the ''wave function renormalization'' required for a consistent definition of the currents and their Lie bracket naturally leads to the Schwinger term identical with the Mickelsson-Rajeev cocycle. Though the explicit form of the Schwinger term is given only for the case p=2, our arguments apply also to the restricted linear groups modeled by Schatten classes of rank 2p=6, 8, .. corresponding to current algebras in (d+1)-dimensions, d=5, 7, .. (orig.)

  7. Dimensions of sensation assessed in urinary urgency: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das, Rebekah; Buckley, Jonathan; Williams, Marie

    2013-10-01

    specific questionnaires, 3) ordinal scales, 4) visual analog scales, 5) event records or 6) body maps. These 216 instruments contained a total of 309 urgency specific items. Of the instruments 51% did not define a dimension of sensation and 26% did not define the metric used. From the remaining instruments 8 dimensions of sensation and 5 types of metrics were identified. From most common to least common, the sensory dimensions assessed were behavioral response, intensity, suddenness, bother, affective response, unpleasantness, quality (descriptors) and problems associated with sensation. Metrics were magnitude, frequency, presence, time frame or location. The most common sensory dimension/metric combinations were frequency of a behavioral response (14% of items) and magnitude of bother caused by the sensation (8% of items). The hypothesis that urinary urgency is multidimensional is supported by the range of dimensions assessed with available instruments. To clarify the nature of urinary urgency compared with the normal desire to void, prospective studies are required to determine whether sensory dimensions are distinct, and which may delineate between normal and pathological sensation. Copyright © 2013 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Renormalisation group approach to the ideal Bose gas in d dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, K.K.

    1981-01-01

    Critical behaviour of a d-dimensional ideal Bose gas is investigated from the point of view of the renormalisation-group approach. Rescaling of quantum-field amplitudes is avoided by introducing a scaling variable inversely proportional to the thermal momentum of the particles. The scaling properties of various thermodynamic quantities are seen to emerge as a consequence of the irrelevant nature of this variable. Critical behaviour is discussed at fixed particle density as well as at fixed pressure. Connection between susceptibility and correlation function of the order-parameter for a quantum system is elucidated. (author)

  9. Chromatic Dimensions Earthy, Watery, Airy, and Fiery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albertazzi, Liliana; Koenderink, Jan J; van Doorn, Andrea

    2015-01-01

    In our study, for a small number of antonyms, we investigate whether they are cross-modally or ideaesthetically related to the space of colors. We analyze the affinities of seven antonyms (cold-hot, dull-radiant, dead-vivid, soft-hard, transparent-chalky, dry-wet, and acid-treacly) and their intermediate connotations (cool-warm, matt-shiny, numb-lively, mellow-firm, semi-transparent-opaque, semi-dry-moist, and sour-sweet) as a function of color. We find that some antonyms relate to chromatic dimensions, others to achromatic ones. The cold-hot antonym proves to be the most salient dimension. The dry-wet dimension coincides with the cold-hot dimension, with dry corresponding to hot and wet to cold. The acid-treacly dimension proves to be transversal to the cold-hot dimension; hence, the pairs mutually span the chromatic domain. The cold-hot and acid-treacly antonyms perhaps recall Hering's opponent color system. The dull-radiant, transparent-chalky, and dead-vivid pairs depend little upon chromaticity. Of all seven antonyms, only the soft-hard one turns out to be independent of the chromatic structure. © The Author(s) 2015.

  10. Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique and Fractal Dimension for Identifying Multiple Sclerosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yu-Dong; Zhang, Yin; Phillips, Preetha; Dong, Zhengchao; Wang, Shuihua

    Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a severe brain disease. Early detection can provide timely treatment. Fractal dimension can provide statistical index of pattern changes with scale at a given brain image. In this study, our team used susceptibility weighted imaging technique to obtain 676 MS slices and 880 healthy slices. We used synthetic minority oversampling technique to process the unbalanced dataset. Then, we used Canny edge detector to extract distinguishing edges. The Minkowski-Bouligand dimension was a fractal dimension estimation method and used to extract features from edges. Single hidden layer neural network was used as the classifier. Finally, we proposed a three-segment representation biogeography-based optimization to train the classifier. Our method achieved a sensitivity of 97.78±1.29%, a specificity of 97.82±1.60% and an accuracy of 97.80±1.40%. The proposed method is superior to seven state-of-the-art methods in terms of sensitivity and accuracy.

  11. The life cycle dimension of time transfers in Europe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marina Zannella

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Reallocation of economic resources between generations and genders has important consequences for economic growth and inequality. Unpaid work is a relevant component of intergenerational transfers, but is invisible to traditional accounts. Time use data can complement accounts of monetary transfers. Objective: The main goal of this article is to provide estimates of life cycle profiles of consumption and production of unpaid activities. These profiles can be used to evaluate transfers of time by age and sex. Methods: We use data from the Multinational Time Use Study (MTUS to estimate profiles of time allocated to unpaid productive activities, by age, sex and household structure, for selected European countries. The unpaid working time is then distributed, with a statistical model, to those age groups that benefit from it, in order to estimate age-specific consumption profiles of time. Results: We observe large transfers of time from females to males, and from adults to children. Life course trajectories are qualitatively similar across countries, but with significant variations in levels. Differences in profiles by household structure may be associated with incentives or disincentives for particular fertility choices in different social and institutional settings. Conclusions: This article quantifies household production and non-market transfers. It offers insight into the underestimation of the economic contribution of women. Comments: This article provides some descriptive findings that could be incorporated with other research pursued by scholars in the National Transfer Accounts (NTA project to monetize the value of time and include it in standard transfer accounts.

  12. Dimensions of Openness

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dalsgaard, Christian; Thestrup, Klaus

    2015-01-01

    The objective of the paper is to present a pedagogical approach to openness. The paper develops a framework for understanding the pedagogical opportunities of openness in education. Based on the pragmatism of John Dewey and sociocultural learning theory, the paper defines openness in education...... as a matter of engaging educational activities in sociocultural practices of a surrounding society. Openness is not only a matter of opening up the existing, but of developing new educational practices that interact with society. The paper outlines three pedagogical dimensions of openness: transparency...... practices. Openness as joint engagement in the world aims at establishing interdependent collaborative relationships between educational institutions and external practices. To achieve these dimensions of openness, educational activities need to change and move beyond the course as the main format...

  13. Symptom dimensions and subgroups in childhood-onset schizophrenia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Craddock, Kirsten E S; Zhou, Xueping; Liu, Siyuan; Gochman, Peter; Dickinson, Dwight; Rapoport, Judith L

    2017-11-13

    This study investigated symptom dimensions and subgroups in the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS) cohort and their similarities to adult-onset schizophrenia (AOS) literature. Scores from the Scales for the Assessment of Positive and Negative Symptoms (SAPS & SANS) from 125 COS patients were assessed for fit with previously established symptom dimensions from AOS literature using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). K-means cluster analysis of each individual's scores on the best fitting set of dimensions was used to form patient clusters, which were then compared using demographic and clinical data. CFA showed the SAPS & SANS data was well suited to a 2-dimension solution, including positive and negative dimensions, out of five well established models. Cluster analysis identified three patient groups characterized by different dimension scores: (1) low scores on both dimensions, (2) high negative, low positive scores, and (3) high scores on both dimensions. These groups had different Full scale IQ, Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) scores, ages of onset, and prevalence of some co-morbid behavior disorders (all psymptom-based subgroups within the NIMH COS cohort using an established AOS symptom structure. These findings confirm the heterogeneity of COS and were generally consistent with AOS literature. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  14. Retro-dimension-cue benefit in visual working memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Chaoxiong; Hu, Zhonghua; Ristaniemi, Tapani; Gendron, Maria; Liu, Qiang

    2016-10-24

    In visual working memory (VWM) tasks, participants' performance can be improved by a retro-object-cue. However, previous studies have not investigated whether participants' performance can also be improved by a retro-dimension-cue. Three experiments investigated this issue. We used a recall task with a retro-dimension-cue in all experiments. In Experiment 1, we found benefits from retro-dimension-cues compared to neutral cues. This retro-dimension-cue benefit is reflected in an increased probability of reporting the target, but not in the probability of reporting the non-target, as well as increased precision with which this item is remembered. Experiment 2 replicated the retro-dimension-cue benefit and showed that the length of the blank interval after the cue disappeared did not influence recall performance. Experiment 3 replicated the results of Experiment 2 with a lower memory load. Our studies provide evidence that there is a robust retro-dimension-cue benefit in VWM. Participants can use internal attention to flexibly allocate cognitive resources to a particular dimension of memory representations. The results also support the feature-based storing hypothesis.

  15. Flipped SU(6) from ten dimensions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Panagiotakopoulos, C. (Bartol Research Inst., Univ. of Delaware, Newark, DE (US))

    1990-06-20

    The authors study the compactification of the heterotic supersting on the only known three generation Calabi-Yau space with flux breakings leading to SU(6) {times} U(1) as the gauge group in four dimensions. We compute the massless spectrum and identify the discrete symmetries of the internal space that survive flux breaking. The possible four-dimensional models are classified according to their honest discrete symmetries. The allowed breaking chains of SU(6) {times} U(1) are listed. Model building with SU(6) {times} U(1) is discussed in general and a concrete realistic model is constructed which does not suffer from the gauge hierarchy problem, fast proton decay or any other obvious phenomenological disaster. A distinct experimental signature of this class of models is the presence in the low energy spectrum of vector-like quarks and antiquarks, outside the three known families, with masses of the order of the supersymmetry breaking scale.

  16. Dimension dependence of clustering dynamics in models of ballistic aggregation and freely cooling granular gas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paul, Subhajit; Das, Subir K.

    2018-03-01

    Via event-driven molecular dynamics simulations we study kinetics of clustering in assemblies of inelastic particles in various space dimensions. We consider two models, viz., the ballistic aggregation model (BAM) and the freely cooling granular gas model (GGM), for each of which we quantify the time dependence of kinetic energy and average mass of clusters (that form due to inelastic collisions). These quantities, for both the models, exhibit power-law behavior, at least in the long time limit. For the BAM, corresponding exponents exhibit strong dimension dependence and follow a hyperscaling relation. In addition, in the high packing fraction limit the behavior of these quantities become consistent with a scaling theory that predicts an inverse relation between energy and mass. On the other hand, in the case of the GGM we do not find any evidence for such a picture. In this case, even though the energy decay, irrespective of packing fraction, matches quantitatively with that for the high packing fraction picture of the BAM, it is inversely proportional to the growth of mass only in one dimension, and the growth appears to be rather insensitive to the choice of the dimension, unlike the BAM.

  17. On the dimension of Archimedean solids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomáš Madaras

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available We study the dimension of graphs of the Archimedean solids. For most of these graphs we find the exact value of their dimension by finding unit-distance embeddings in the euclidean plane or by proving that such an embedding is not possible.

  18. A unified theory in higher dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kapetanakis, D.; Zoupanos, G.

    1990-01-01

    We present a grand unified model defined in ten dimensions and based on the group SO(13). The model is dimensionally reduced over the non-simply-connected space [Su(3)/U(1)xU(1)]/Z 2 giving in four dimensions the standard model. (orig.)

  19. Fractal dimension of cantori

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, W.; Bak, P.

    1986-01-01

    At a critical point the golden-mean Kolmogorov-Arnol'd-Moser trajectory of Chirikov's standard map breaks up into a fractal orbit called a cantorus. The transition describes a pinning of the incommensurate phase of the Frenkel-Kontorowa model. We find that the fractal dimension of the cantorus is D = 0 and that the transition from the Kolmogorov-Arnol'd-Moser trajectory with dimension D = 1 to the cantorus is governed by an exponent ν = 0.98. . . and a universal scaling function. It is argued that the exponent is equal to that of the Lyapunov exponent

  20. Interaction between Gender and Skill on Competitive State Anxiety Using the Time-to-Event Paradigm: What Roles Do Intensity, Direction, and Frequency Dimensions Play?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John E. Hagan

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Background and purpose: The functional understanding and examination of competitive anxiety responses as temporal events that unfold as time-to-competition moves closer has emerged as a topical research area within the domains of sport psychology. However, little is known from an inclusive and interaction oriented perspective. Using the multidimensional anxiety theory as a framework, the present study examined the temporal patterning of competitive anxiety, focusing on the dimensions of intensity, direction, and frequency of intrusions in athletes across gender and skill level.Methods: Elite and semi-elite table tennis athletes from the Ghanaian league (N = 90 completed a modified version of Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2 with the inclusion of the directional and frequency of intrusion scales at three temporal phases (7 days, 2 days, and 1 h prior to a competitive fixture.Results: Multivariate Analyses of Variance repeated measures with follow-up analyses revealed significant interactions for between-subjects factors on all anxiety dimensions (intensity, direction, and frequency. Notably, elite (international female athletes were less cognitively anxious, showed more facilitative interpretation toward somatic anxiety symptoms and experienced less frequency of somatic anxiety symptoms than their male counterparts. However, both elite groups displayed appreciable level of self-confidence. For time-to-event effects, both cognitive and somatic anxiety intensity fluctuated whereas self-confidence showed a steady rise as competition neared. Somatic anxiety debilitative interpretation slightly improved 1 h before competition whereas cognitive anxiety frequencies also increased progressively during the entire preparatory phase.Conclusion: Findings suggest a more dynamic image of elite athletes’ pre-competitive anxiety responses than suggested by former studies, potentially influenced by cultural differences. The use of psychological

  1. Gravity in one dimension - Persistence of correlation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, B.N.; Reidl, C.J. Jr.

    1990-01-01

    Central questions are concerning the thermalization time-scale in a one-dimensional, self-gravitating system are addressed in the present consideration of the persistent correlation between the positions and velocities of the mass-sheets. An algorithm developed for testing thermalization in the one-dimensional gravitating system was applied to the logistic map as a control; the parameter value associated with global chaos yields complete agreement with theoretical prediction. The implications of these results for gravitational interaction in higher dimension should be considered. 26 refs

  2. Einstein-Cartan-Dirac theory in (1+2)-dimensions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dereli, Tekin [Koc University, Department of Physics, Istanbul (Turkey); Oezdemir, Nese [Istanbul Technical University, Department of Physics Engineering, Istanbul (Turkey); Sert, Oezcan [Pamukkale University, Department of Physics, Denizli (Turkey)

    2013-01-15

    Einstein-Cartan theory is formulated in (1+2) dimensions using the algebra of exterior differential forms. A Dirac spinor is coupled to gravity and the field equations are obtained by a variational principle. The space-time torsion is found to be given algebraically in terms of a quadratic spinor condensate field. Circularly symmetric, exact solutions that collapse to AdS{sub 3} geometry in the absence of the Dirac condensate are found. (orig.)

  3. Bar dimensions and bar shapes in estuaries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leuven, Jasper; Kleinhans, Maarten; Weisscher, Steven; van der Vegt, Maarten

    2016-04-01

    Estuaries cause fascinating patterns of dynamic channels and shoals. Intertidal sandbars are valuable habitats, whilst channels provide access to harbors. We still lack a full explanation and classification scheme for the shapes and dimensions of bar patterns in natural estuaries, in contrast with bars in rivers. Analytical physics-based models suggest that bar length in estuaries increases with flow velocity, tidal excursion length or estuary width, depending on which model. However, these hypotheses were never validated for lack of data and experiments. We present a large dataset and determine the controls on bar shape and dimensions in estuaries, spanning bar lengths from centimeters (experiments) to 10s of kilometers length. First, we visually identified and classified 190 bars, measured their dimensions (width, length, height) and local braiding index. Data on estuarine geometry and tidal characteristics were obtained from governmental databases and literature on case studies. We found that many complex bars can be seen as simple elongated bars partly cut by mutually evasive ebb- and flood-dominated channels. Data analysis shows that bar dimensions scale with estuary dimensions, in particular estuary width. Breaking up the complex bars in simple bars greatly reduced scatter. Analytical bar theory overpredicts bar dimensions by an order of magnitude in case of small estuarine systems. Likewise, braiding index depends on local width-to-depth ratio, as was previously found for river systems. Our results suggest that estuary dimensions determine the order of magnitude of bar dimensions, while tidal characteristics modify this. We will continue to model bars numerically and experimentally. Our dataset on tidal bars enables future studies on the sedimentary architecture of geologically complex tidal deposits and enables studying effects of man-induced perturbations such as dredging and dumping on bar and channel patterns and habitats.

  4. Retro-dimension-cue benefit in visual working memory

    OpenAIRE

    Ye, Chaoxiong; Hu, Zhonghua; Ristaniemi, Tapani; Gendron, Maria; Liu, Qiang

    2016-01-01

    In visual working memory (VWM) tasks, participants? performance can be improved by a retro-object-cue. However, previous studies have not investigated whether participants? performance can also be improved by a retro-dimension-cue. Three experiments investigated this issue. We used a recall task with a retro-dimension-cue in all experiments. In Experiment 1, we found benefits from retro-dimension-cues compared to neutral cues. This retro-dimension-cue benefit is reflected in an increased prob...

  5. Nursing Scholars, Writing Dimensions, and Productivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Megel, Mary Erickson

    1987-01-01

    A study to describe cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions associated with writing among doctorally prepared nurses and to determine relationships between writing dimensions and journal article publication is discussed. Multiple regression analysis showed that five variables accounted for 18 percent of the variance in research article…

  6. A unified theory in higher dimensions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kapetanakis, D. (National Research Centre for the Physical Sciences Democritos, Athens (Greece)); Zoupanos, G. (European Organization for Nuclear Research, Geneva (Switzerland))

    1990-10-11

    We present a grand unified model defined in ten dimensions and based on the group SO(13). The model is dimensionally reduced over the non-simply-connected space (Su(3)/U(1)xU(1))/Z{sub 2} giving in four dimensions the standard model. (orig.).

  7. Quality Dimensions of Internet Search Engines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, M.; Wang, H.; Goh, T. N.

    1998-01-01

    Reviews commonly used search engines (AltaVista, Excite, infoseek, Lycos, HotBot, WebCrawler), focusing on existing comparative studies; considers quality dimensions from the customer's point of view based on a SERVQUAL framework; and groups these quality expectations in five dimensions: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and…

  8. Fractal dimension at the phase transition of inhomogeneous cellular automata

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    da Silva, L.R.

    1988-01-01

    For random binary mixtures of cellular automata in the square lattice, calculations are made of the fractal dimensions associated with the damage spreading and the propagation time of damage at the transition to chaos. Two rules are mixed and universalities of these quantities are sought with respect to change of the rules

  9. Flatland a romance of many dimensions

    CERN Document Server

    Abbott, Edwin Abbott

    2015-01-01

    In 1884, Edwin Abbott Abbott wrote a mathematical adventure set in a two-dimensional plane world, populated by a hierarchical society of regular geometrical figures-who think and speak and have all too human emotions. Since then Flatland has fascinated generations of readers, becoming a perennial science-fiction favorite. By imagining the contact of beings from different dimensions, the author fully exploited the power of the analogy between the limitations of humans and those of his two-dimensional characters. A first-rate fictional guide to the concept of multiple dimensions of space, the book will also appeal to those who are interested in computer graphics. This field, which literally makes higher dimensions seeable, has aroused a new interest in visualization. We can now manipulate objects in four dimensions and observe their three-dimensional slices tumbling on the computer screen. But how do we interpret these images? In his introduction, Thomas Banchoff points out that there is no better way to begin ...

  10. Categorization difficulty modulates the mediated route for response selection in task switching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneider, Darryl W

    2017-12-22

    Conflict during response selection in task switching is indicated by the response congruency effect: worse performance for incongruent targets (requiring different responses across tasks) than for congruent targets (requiring the same response). The effect can be explained by dual-task processing in a mediated route for response selection, whereby targets are categorized with respect to both tasks. In the present study, the author tested predictions for the modulation of response congruency effects by categorization difficulty derived from a relative-speed-of-processing hypothesis. Categorization difficulty was manipulated for the relevant and irrelevant task dimensions in a novel spatial task-switching paradigm that involved judging the locations of target dots in a grid, without repetition of dot configurations. Response congruency effects were observed and they varied systematically with categorization difficulty (e.g., being larger when irrelevant categorization was easy than when it was hard). These results are consistent with the relative-speed-of-processing hypothesis and suggest that task-switching models that implement variations of the mediated route for response selection need to address the time course of categorization.

  11. Questions of time and affect: a person’s affectivity profile, time perspective, and well-being

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sailer, Uta; Nima, Ali Al; Archer, Trevor

    2016-01-01

    Background. A “balanced” time perspective has been suggested to have a positive influence on well-being: a sentimental and positive view of the past (high Past Positive), a less pessimistic attitude toward the past (low Past Negative), the desire of experiencing pleasure with slight concern for future consequences (high Present Hedonistic), a less fatalistic and hopeless view of the future (low Present Fatalistic), and the ability to find reward in achieving specific long-term goals (high Future). We used the affective profiles model (i.e., combinations of individuals’ experience of high/low positive/negative affectivity) to investigate differences between individuals in time perspective dimensions and to investigate if the influence of time perspective dimensions on well-being was moderated by the individual’s type of profile. Method. Participants (N = 720) answered to the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule, the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory and two measures of well-being: the Temporal Satisfaction with Life Scale and Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-Being-short version. A Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was conducted to identify differences in time perspective dimensions and well-being among individuals with distinct affective profiles. Four structural equation models (SEM) were used to investigate which time perspective dimensions predicted well-being for individuals in each profile. Results. Comparisons between individuals at the extreme of the affective profiles model suggested that individuals with a self-fulfilling profile (high positive/low negative affect) were characterized by a “balanced” time perspective and higher well-being compared to individuals with a self-destructive profile (low positive/high negative affect). However, a different pattern emerged when individuals who differed in one affect dimension but matched in the other were compared to each other. For instance, decreases in the past negative time

  12. Questions of time and affect: a person’s affectivity profile, time perspective, and well-being

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Danilo Garcia

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Background. A “balanced” time perspective has been suggested to have a positive influence on well-being: a sentimental and positive view of the past (high Past Positive, a less pessimistic attitude toward the past (low Past Negative, the desire of experiencing pleasure with slight concern for future consequences (high Present Hedonistic, a less fatalistic and hopeless view of the future (low Present Fatalistic, and the ability to find reward in achieving specific long-term goals (high Future. We used the affective profiles model (i.e., combinations of individuals’ experience of high/low positive/negative affectivity to investigate differences between individuals in time perspective dimensions and to investigate if the influence of time perspective dimensions on well-being was moderated by the individual’s type of profile. Method. Participants (N = 720 answered to the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule, the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory and two measures of well-being: the Temporal Satisfaction with Life Scale and Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-Being-short version. A Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA was conducted to identify differences in time perspective dimensions and well-being among individuals with distinct affective profiles. Four structural equation models (SEM were used to investigate which time perspective dimensions predicted well-being for individuals in each profile. Results. Comparisons between individuals at the extreme of the affective profiles model suggested that individuals with a self-fulfilling profile (high positive/low negative affect were characterized by a “balanced” time perspective and higher well-being compared to individuals with a self-destructive profile (low positive/high negative affect. However, a different pattern emerged when individuals who differed in one affect dimension but matched in the other were compared to each other. For instance, decreases in the past negative

  13. Experiential Dimensions of TV-Advertising

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Lars Pynt; Jensen, Jan Møller

    Based on concepts from cognitive film psychology and narrative transportation theory a model of the experiential dimensions of TV–advertising is proposed. With structural equation modeling, it is shown how the ad’s experiential potential relates to Ad-Liking. Findings indicate that Ad-Liking is h......Based on concepts from cognitive film psychology and narrative transportation theory a model of the experiential dimensions of TV–advertising is proposed. With structural equation modeling, it is shown how the ad’s experiential potential relates to Ad-Liking. Findings indicate that Ad......-Liking is highly related to narrative advertising executions, but that the potential appeal of this advertising experience is supported by the ‘gripping’ qualities of a lyrical dimension. It is suggested that the conceptual framework could be developed for pragmatic comparison of TV-spots in tracking or testing....

  14. Physics with large extra dimensions

    CERN Document Server

    Antoniadis, Ignatios

    2004-01-01

    The recent understanding of string theory opens the possibility that the string scale can be as low as a few TeV. The apparent weakness of gravitational interactions can then be accounted by the existence of large internal dimensions, in the submillimeter region. Furthermore, our world must be confined to live on a brane transverse to these large dimensions, with which it interacts only gravitationally. In my lecture, I describe briefly this scenario which gives a new theoretical framework for solving the gauge hierarchy problem and the unification of all interactions. I also discuss its main properties and implications for observations at both future particle colliders, and in non-accelerator gravity experiments. Such effects are for instance the production of Kaluza-Klein resonances, graviton emission in the bulk of extra dimensions, and a radical change of gravitational forces in the submillimeter range.

  15. SU-D-BRA-04: Fractal Dimension Analysis of Edge-Detected Rectal Cancer CTs for Outcome Prediction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhong, H; Wang, J; Hu, W; Shen, L; Wan, J; Zhou, Z; Zhang, Z

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: To extract the fractal dimension features from edge-detected rectal cancer CTs, and to examine the predictability of fractal dimensions to outcomes of primary rectal cancer patients. Methods: Ninety-seven rectal cancer patients treated with neo-adjuvant chemoradiation were enrolled in this study. CT images were obtained before chemoradiotherapy. The primary lesions of the rectal cancer were delineated by experienced radiation oncologists. These images were extracted and filtered by six different Laplacian of Gaussian (LoG) filters with different filter values (0.5–3.0: from fine to coarse) to achieve primary lesions in different anatomical scales. Edges of the original images were found at zero-crossings of the filtered images. Three different fractal dimensions (box-counting dimension, Minkowski dimension, mass dimension) were calculated upon the image slice with the largest cross-section of the primary lesion. The significance of these fractal dimensions in survival, recurrence and metastasis were examined by Student’s t-test. Results: For a follow-up time of two years, 18 of 97 patients had experienced recurrence, 24 had metastasis, and 18 were dead. Minkowski dimensions under large filter values (2.0, 2.5, 3.0) were significantly larger (p=0.014, 0.006, 0.015) in patients with recurrence than those without. For metastasis, only box-counting dimensions under a single filter value (2.5) showed differences (p=0.016) between patients with and without. For overall survival, box-counting dimensions (filter values = 0.5, 1.0, 1.5), Minkowski dimensions (filter values = 0.5, 1.5, 2.0, 2,5) and mass dimensions (filter values = 1.5, 2.0) were all significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: It is feasible to extract shape information by edge detection and fractal dimensions analysis in neo-adjuvant rectal cancer patients. This information can be used to prognosis prediction

  16. Socio-cultural dimensions to sharpen designer's cultural eyeglasses

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Boeijen, A.G.C.

    2013-01-01

    This paper answers the question, how the dimensions that have been developed by anthropologists to typify cultures, can support designers in user-centred design processes. An analysis and evaluation of the use of cultural dimensions in design projects was performed. Although many of the dimensions

  17. Tree dimension in verification of constrained Horn clauses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kafle, Bishoksan; Gallagher, John Patrick; Ganty, Pierre

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, we show how the notion of tree dimension can be used in the verification of constrained Horn clauses (CHCs). The dimension of a tree is a numerical measure of its branching complexity and the concept here applies to Horn clause derivation trees. Derivation trees of dimension zero c...... algorithms using these constructions to decompose a CHC verification problem. One variation of this decomposition considers derivations of successively increasing dimension. The paper includes descriptions of implementations and experimental results....

  18. Satisfaction with family planning services - interpersonal and organisational dimensions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.S. Westaway

    1998-09-01

    Full Text Available In South Africa, client satisfaction with the quality of health care has received minimal attention; probably due to the lack of locally developed and tested measures. Therefore, we developed and tested a 20-item attitude scale to determine satisfaction with Family Planning (FP services. The objectives of this study were to: ascertain reliability of the scale and confirm, through factor analysis, that satisfaction with the FP service was based on interpersonal and organisational dimensions. The sample comprised 199 black adult interviewees (158 women and 41 men, who had previously used or were currently using contraception, from an informal settlement in Gauteng, South Africa. Three items were removed from the scale due to unacceptable communality estimates. The reliability coefficient of 0.76 for the 17-item scale was satisfactory. The principal components analysis, with orthogonal and oblique rotations, extracted two factors; accounting for 51.8% of the variance. The highest loadings on Factor I involved an interpersonal dimension (friendly, encouraging, competent, informative and communicative. Factor II tended to focus on the organisational elements of the system, such as different methods, choice of methods, service availability and length of waiting time. It was concluded that this scale was a reliable, easily administered and scored measure of satisfaction, with underlying interpersonal and organisational dimensions.

  19. Electrohydrodynamic Liquid Disintegration in Micro-, Meso- and Nanoscopic Dimensions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vertes, Akos

    2008-11-01

    The electrohydrodynamic dispersion of liquids spans length scales from 1 mm to 1 nm and involves temporal variations from 1 s to 10 ps. The disintegration mechanisms are diverse and, due to the differences in the dominating forces, vary on the micro-, meso- and nanoscale extending to lower boundaries of 1 μm, 10 nm and 1 nm, respectively. Using fast imaging, spray current measurements, phase Doppler anemometry and molecular dynamics calculations, we followed the behavior of electrified liquids in the three most common geometries, spherical, pendant drop and slender jet, with dimensions ranging from 100 μm to 1 nm. Microscale disintegration involves jet ejection from conical surface deformations, jet breakup due to varicose, kink and ramified jet instabilities, and asymmetric droplet fission resulting in side jets. As the liquid dimensions shift from the microscopic dimensions where the processes are governed by the surface tension and the Maxwell stress, to the meso- and nanoscale, thermal fluctuations become increasingly important. The presence of charges in nanodroplets leads to enhanced surface fluctuations, the formation of extreme protrusions and eventually solvated ion evaporation. Charging of slender nanojets results in longer shape relaxation times along with the fission of systems charged below the Rayleigh limit. In collaboration with Jelena Lusic and Peter Nemes, George Washington University.

  20. Conformal Dimensions via Large Charge Expansion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banerjee, Debasish; Chandrasekharan, Shailesh; Orlando, Domenico

    2018-02-09

    We construct an efficient Monte Carlo algorithm that overcomes the severe signal-to-noise ratio problems and helps us to accurately compute the conformal dimensions of large-Q fields at the Wilson-Fisher fixed point in the O(2) universality class. Using it, we verify a recent proposal that conformal dimensions of strongly coupled conformal field theories with a global U(1) charge can be obtained via a series expansion in the inverse charge 1/Q. We find that the conformal dimensions of the lowest operator with a fixed charge Q are almost entirely determined by the first few terms in the series.

  1. Systems and methods for displaying data in split dimension levels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stolte, Chris; Hanrahan, Patrick

    2015-07-28

    Systems and methods for displaying data in split dimension levels are disclosed. In some implementations, a method includes: at a computer, obtaining a dimensional hierarchy associated with a dataset, wherein the dimensional hierarchy includes at least one dimension and a sub-dimension of the at least one dimension; and populating information representing data included in the dataset into a visual table having a first axis and a second axis, wherein the first axis corresponds to the at least one dimension and the second axis corresponds to the sub-dimension of the at least one dimension.

  2. Potential Dimension Yields From Direct Processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wenjie Lin; D. Earl Kline; Philip A. Araman

    1994-01-01

    As the price of timber increases and environmental leigslation limits harvestable log volumes, the process of converting logs directly into dimension parts needs further exploration. Direct processing converts logs directly into rough green dimension parts without the intermediate steps of lumber manufacturing, grading, trading, shipping and drying. A major attraction...

  3. Dimensions of Acculturation in Native American College Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reynolds, Amy L.; Sodano, Sandro M.; Ecklund, Timothy R.; Guyker, Wendy

    2012-01-01

    Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were applied to the responses of two respective independent samples of Native American college students on the Native American Acculturation Scale (NAAS). Three correlated dimensions were found to underlie NAAS items and these dimensions may also comprise a broader higher order dimension of Native…

  4. Pre-Service Teachers' Concept Images on Fractal Dimension

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karakus, Fatih

    2016-01-01

    The analysis of pre-service teachers' concept images can provide information about their mental schema of fractal dimension. There is limited research on students' understanding of fractal and fractal dimension. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the pre-service teachers' understandings of fractal dimension based on concept image. The…

  5. 16 CFR 501.6 - Cellulose sponges, irregular dimensions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Cellulose sponges, irregular dimensions. 501... REQUIREMENTS AND PROHIBITIONS UNDER PART 500 § 501.6 Cellulose sponges, irregular dimensions. Variety packages of cellulose sponges of irregular dimensions, are exempted from the requirements of § 500.25 of this...

  6. Physics of extra dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Antoniadis, I

    2006-01-01

    Lowering the string scale in the TeV region provides a theoretical framework for solving the mass hierarchy problem and unifying all interactions. The apparent weakness of gravity can then be accounted by the existence of large internal dimensions, in the submillimeter region, and transverse to a braneworld where our universe must be confined. I review the main properties of this scenario and its implications for observations at both particle colliders, and in non-accelerator gravity experiments. Such effects are for instance the production of Kaluza-Klein resonances, graviton emission in the bulk of extra dimensions, and a radical change of gravitational forces in the submillimeter range

  7. Black Holes, Cosmology and Extra Dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frolov, Valeri P

    2013-01-01

    Book review: The book Black holes, Cosmology and Extra Dimensions written by Kirill A Bronnikov and Sergey G Rubin has been published recently by World Scientific Publishing Company. The authors are well known experts in gravity and cosmology. The book is a monograph, a considerable part of which is based on the original work of the authors. Their original point of view on some of the problems makes the book quite interesting, covering a variety of important topics of the modern theory of gravity, astrophysics and cosmology. It consists of 11 chapters which are organized in three parts. The book starts with an introduction, where the authors briefly discuss the main ideas of General Relativity, giving some historical remarks on its development and application to cosmology, and mentioning some more recent subjects such as brane worlds, f (R)−theories and gravity in higher dimensions. Part I of the book is called ‘Gravity’. Chapters two and three are devoted to the Einstein equations and their spherical symmetric black hole solutions. Part II (Cosmology) starts with discussion of the Friedmann–Robertson–Walker and de Sitter solutions of the Einstein equations and their properties. Part III covers the material on extra dimensions. It describes how Einstein gravity is modified in the presence of one or more additional spatial dimensions and how these extra dimensions are compactified in the Kaluza–Klein scheme

  8. Romantic Attachment and Subtypes/Dimensions of Jealousy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marazziti, Donatella; Consoli, Giorgio; Albanese, Francesco; Laquidara, Emanuela; Baroni, Stefano; Catena Dell’Osso, Mario

    2010-01-01

    The present study explored the possible relationship between romantic attachment and jealousy in 100 healthy subjects. The romantic attachment and jealousy were evaluated by means of, respectively, the “Experiences in Close Relationships” questionnaire (ECR), and the “Questionario della Gelosia” (QUEGE). The ECR anxiety scale was related to all QUEGE dimensions, while the ECR avoidance scale to three. Individuals with the preoccupied attachment style showed higher scores than secure subjects on the obsessionality, interpersonal sensitivity and fear of loss dimensions. Fearful-avoidant individuals had higher score than secure subjects on the fear of loss dimension only, while dismissing individuals had lower scores on the self-esteem dimension. These findings suggest that romantic attachment and jealousy are intertwined. PMID:20835357

  9. Casimir Energy, Extra Dimensions and Exotic Propulsion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Obousy, R.; Saharian, A.

    It is well known that the Casimir effect is an excellent candidate for the stabilization of the extra dimensions. It has also been suggested that the Casimir effect in higher dimensions may be the underlying phenomenon that is responsible for the dark energy which is currently driving the accelerated expansion of the universe. In this paper we suggest that, in principle, it may be possible to directly manipulate the size of an extra dimension locally using Standard Model fields in the next generation of particle accelerators. This adjustment of the size of the higher dimension could serve as a technological mechanism to locally adjust the dark energy density and change the local expansion of spacetime. This idea holds tantalizing possibilities in the context of exotic spacecraft propulsion.

  10. Conscious motor processing and movement self-consciousness: two dimensions of personality that influence laparoscopic training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malhotra, Neha; Poolton, Jamie M; Wilson, Mark R; Fan, Joe K M; Masters, Rich S W

    2014-01-01

    Identifying personality factors that account for individual differences in surgical training and performance has practical implications for surgical education. Movement-specific reinvestment is a potentially relevant personality factor that has a moderating effect on laparoscopic performance under time pressure. Movement-specific reinvestment has 2 dimensions, which represent an individual's propensity to consciously control movements (conscious motor processing) or to consciously monitor their 'style' of movement (movement self-consciousness). This study aimed at investigating the moderating effects of the 2 dimensions of movement-specific reinvestment in the learning and updating (cross-handed technique) of laparoscopic skills. Medical students completed the Movement-Specific Reinvestment Scale, a psychometric assessment tool that evaluates the conscious motor processing and movement self-consciousness dimensions of movement-specific reinvestment. They were then trained to a criterion level of proficiency on a fundamental laparoscopic skills task and were tested on a novel cross-handed technique. Completion times were recorded for early-learning, late-learning, and cross-handed trials. Propensity for movement self-consciousness but not conscious motor processing was a significant predictor of task completion times both early (p = 0.036) and late (p = 0.002) in learning, but completion times during the cross-handed trials were predicted by the propensity for conscious motor processing (p = 0.04) rather than movement self-consciousness (p = 0.21). Higher propensity for movement self-consciousness is associated with slower performance times on novel and well-practiced laparoscopic tasks. For complex surgical techniques, however, conscious motor processing plays a more influential role in performance than movement self-consciousness. The findings imply that these 2 dimensions of movement-specific reinvestment have a differential influence in the learning and updating

  11. Robust numerical simulation of porosity evolution in chemical vapor infiltration III: three space dimension

    CERN Document Server

    Jin Shi

    2003-01-01

    Chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) process is an important technology to fabricate ceramic matrix composites (CMC's). In this paper, a three-dimension numerical model is presented to describe pore microstructure evolution during the CVI process. We extend the two-dimension model proposed in [S. Jin, X.L. Wang, T.L. Starr, J. Mater. Res. 14 (1999) 3829; S. Jin. X.L. Wang, T.L. Starr, X.F. Chen, J. Comp. Phys. 162 (2000) 467], where the fiber surface is modeled as an evolving interface, to the three space dimension. The 3D method keeps all the virtue of the 2D model: robust numerical capturing of topological changes of the interface such as the merging, and fast detection of the inaccessible pores. For models in the kinetic limit, where the moving speed of the interface is constant, some numerical examples are presented to show that this three-dimension model will effectively track the change of porosity, close-off time, location and shape of all pores.

  12. The Cultural Dimensions of Language Teaching and Learning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Risager, Karen

    2011-01-01

    Language teaching and learning has many different cultural dimensions, and over the years more and more of these have been the subject of research. The first dimension to be explored was that of content: the images of target language countries and the world that were offered in textbooks...... and presented in class. The next dimension was that of the learner: the (inter)cultural learning, competence and identity of the learner or subject. The next dimension was context: the situation and role of language teaching and learning in society and in the world....

  13. Measure and dimension functions: measurability and densities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mattila, Pertti; Mauldin, R. Daniel

    1997-01-01

    During the past several years, new types of geometric measure and dimension have been introduced; the packing measure and dimension, see [Su], [Tr] and [TT1]. These notions are playing an increasingly prevalent role in various aspects of dynamics and measure theory. Packing measure is a sort of dual of Hausdorff measure in that it is defined in terms of packings rather than coverings. However, in contrast to Hausdorff measure, the usual definition of packing measure requires two limiting procedures, first the construction of a premeasure and then a second standard limiting process to obtain the measure. This makes packing measure somewhat delicate to deal with. The question arises as to whether there is some simpler method for defining packing measure and dimension. In this paper, we find a basic limitation on this possibility. We do this by determining the descriptive set-theoretic complexity of the packing functions. Whereas the Hausdorff dimension function on the space of compact sets is Borel measurable, the packing dimension function is not. On the other hand, we show that the packing dimension functions are measurable with respect to the [sigma]-algebra generated by the analytic sets. Thus, the usual sorts of measurability properties used in connection with Hausdorff measure, for example measures of sections and projections, remain true for packing measure.

  14. Improving Reports Turnaround Time: An Essential Healthcare Quality Dimension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Mustafa; Khalid, Parwaiz; Al-Said, Youssef; Cupler, Edward; Almorsy, Lamia; Khalifa, Mohamed

    2016-01-01

    Turnaround time is one of the most important healthcare performance indicators. King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia worked on reducing the reports turnaround time of the neurophysiology lab from more than two weeks to only five working days for 90% of cases. The main quality improvement methodology used was the FOCUS PDCA. Using root cause analysis, Pareto analysis and qualitative survey methods, the main factors contributing to the delay of turnaround time and the suggested improvement strategies were identified and implemented, through restructuring transcriptionists daily tasks, rescheduling physicians time and alerting for new reports, engaging consultants, consistent coordination and prioritizing critical reports. After implementation; 92% of reports are verified within 5 days compared to only 6% before implementation. 7% of reports were verified in 5 days to 2 weeks and only 1% of reports needed more than 2 weeks compared to 76% before implementation.

  15. On the partition dimension of two-component graphs

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    D O Haryeni

    2017-11-17

    Nov 17, 2017 ... Partition dimension; disconnected graph; component. 2010 Mathematics Subject Classification. 05C12, 05C15. 1. Introduction. The study of the partition dimension for graphs was initiated by Chartrand et al. [2] aimed at finding a new way to solve the problem in metric dimensions of graphs. Many results.

  16. Listening to Children and Parents : Seven Dimensions to Untangle High-Conflict Divorce

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dr Sietske Dijkstra

    2016-01-01

    Divorce is a common and complex phenomenon with high social impact, especially when it involves pervasive conflict. This chapter discusses an analytic content-based framework for gaining an in-depth understanding of divorce. It considers seven inter- related dimensions: time, conflict,

  17. World View: The Second Hidden Dimension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skow, Lisa; And Others

    Proposing that world view is a dimension of culture which lies below the surface of human behavior at the level of the subconscious, this paper argues that this often ignored dimension of culture profoundly influences human communication. The paper is divided into two sections. First, world view is defined and its importance in explaining how…

  18. Optimal Dimensioning of Broadband Integrated Services Digital Network

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zdenka Chmelikova

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available Tasks of this paper are research of input flow statistic parametres influence and parameters demands relating to VP (Virtual Path or VC (Virtual Channel dimensioning. However it is necessary to consider different time of flow arrival and differend time of holding time during connection level. Process of input flow arrival is considered as Poisson process. Holding time is considered as exponential function. Permanent allocation of VP is made by separate VP, where each of VPs enable transmitting offered laod with explicit bandwidth and explicit loss. The mathematic model was created to verify the above mentioned dependences for different types of telecomunications signals and different input flows. "Comnet III" software was selected for experimental verification of process optimization. The simulation model was based on thiss software, which simulate ATM network traffic in behalf of different input flow.

  19. Probing extra dimension through gravitational wave observations of compact binaries and their electromagnetic counterparts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yu, Hao; Gu, Bao-Min; Wang, Yong-Qiang; Liu, Yu-Xiao [Institute of Theoretical Physics, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Huang, Fa Peng [Theoretical Physics Division, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 918-4, Beijing 100049 (China); Meng, Xin-He, E-mail: yuh13@lzu.edu.cn, E-mail: gubm15@lzu.edu.cn, E-mail: huangfp@ihep.ac.cn, E-mail: yqwang@lzu.edu.cn, E-mail: xhm@nankai.edu.cn, E-mail: liuyx@lzu.edu.cn [School of Physics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071 (China)

    2017-02-01

    The future gravitational wave (GW) observations of compact binaries and their possible electromagnetic counterparts may be used to probe the nature of the extra dimension. It is widely accepted that gravitons and photons are the only two completely confirmed objects that can travel along null geodesics in our four-dimensional space-time. However, if there exist extra dimensions and only GWs can propagate freely in the bulk, the causal propagations of GWs and electromagnetic waves (EMWs) are in general different. In this paper, we study null geodesics of GWs and EMWs in a five-dimensional anti-de Sitter space-time in the presence of the curvature of the universe. We show that for general cases the horizon radius of GW is longer than EMW within equal time. Taking the GW150914 event detected by the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory and the X-ray event detected by the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor as an example, we study how the curvature k and the constant curvature radius l affect the horizon radii of GW and EMW in the de Sitter and Einstein-de Sitter models of the universe. This provides an alternative method for probing extra dimension through future GW observations of compact binaries and their electromagnetic counterparts.

  20. Thinking in Three Dimensions: Leadership for Capacity Building, Sustainability, and Succession

    Science.gov (United States)

    Byrne-Jimenez, Monica; Orr, Margaret Terry

    2012-01-01

    Urban schools often experience rapid turnover among teachers and leaders. Yet, research and practice highlight the importance of sustained leadership over time as an integral component of school improvement. Successful leadership requires principals who operate in multiple dimensions at once, moving from individual capacity to group empowerment,…

  1. Personality dimensions and disorders in pathological gambling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Odlaug, Brian Lawrence; Schreiber, Liana R N; Grant, Jon E

    2013-01-01

    This review presents the most current research in personality dimensions and disorders with respect to pathological gambling.......This review presents the most current research in personality dimensions and disorders with respect to pathological gambling....

  2. Revisiting the Relationship between the Processing of Gaze Direction and the Processing of Facial Expression

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganel, Tzvi

    2011-01-01

    There is mixed evidence on the nature of the relationship between the perception of gaze direction and the perception of facial expressions. Major support for shared processing of gaze and expression comes from behavioral studies that showed that observers cannot process expression or gaze and ignore irrelevant variations in the other dimension.…

  3. On bosonization in 3 dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barci, D.G.; Fosco, C.D.; Oxman, L.E.

    1995-08-01

    A recently proposed path-integral bosonization scheme for massive fermions in 3 dimensions is extended by keeping the full momentum-dependence of the one-loop vacuum polarization tensor. This makes it possible to discuss both the massive and massless fermion cases on an equal footing, and moreover the results it yields for massless fermions are consistent with the ones of another, seemingly different, canonical quantization approach to the problem of bosonization for a massless fermionic field in 3 dimensions. (author). 10 refs

  4. A simple approach to ignoring irrelevant variables by population decoding based on multisensory neurons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, HyungGoo R.; Pitkow, Xaq; Angelaki, Dora E.

    2016-01-01

    Sensory input reflects events that occur in the environment, but multiple events may be confounded in sensory signals. For example, under many natural viewing conditions, retinal image motion reflects some combination of self-motion and movement of objects in the world. To estimate one stimulus event and ignore others, the brain can perform marginalization operations, but the neural bases of these operations are poorly understood. Using computational modeling, we examine how multisensory signals may be processed to estimate the direction of self-motion (i.e., heading) and to marginalize out effects of object motion. Multisensory neurons represent heading based on both visual and vestibular inputs and come in two basic types: “congruent” and “opposite” cells. Congruent cells have matched heading tuning for visual and vestibular cues and have been linked to perceptual benefits of cue integration during heading discrimination. Opposite cells have mismatched visual and vestibular heading preferences and are ill-suited for cue integration. We show that decoding a mixed population of congruent and opposite cells substantially reduces errors in heading estimation caused by object motion. In addition, we present a general formulation of an optimal linear decoding scheme that approximates marginalization and can be implemented biologically by simple reinforcement learning mechanisms. We also show that neural response correlations induced by task-irrelevant variables may greatly exceed intrinsic noise correlations. Overall, our findings suggest a general computational strategy by which neurons with mismatched tuning for two different sensory cues may be decoded to perform marginalization operations that dissociate possible causes of sensory inputs. PMID:27334948

  5. Effect of tDCS on task relevant and irrelevant perceptual learning of complex objects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Meel, Chayenne; Daniels, Nicky; de Beeck, Hans Op; Baeck, Annelies

    2016-01-01

    During perceptual learning the visual representations in the brain are altered, but these changes' causal role has not yet been fully characterized. We used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to investigate the role of higher visual regions in lateral occipital cortex (LO) in perceptual learning with complex objects. We also investigated whether object learning is dependent on the relevance of the objects for the learning task. Participants were trained in two tasks: object recognition using a backward masking paradigm and an orientation judgment task. During both tasks, an object with a red line on top of it were presented in each trial. The crucial difference between both tasks was the relevance of the object: the object was relevant for the object recognition task, but not for the orientation judgment task. During training, half of the participants received anodal tDCS stimulation targeted at the lateral occipital cortex (LO). Afterwards, participants were tested on how well they recognized the trained objects, the irrelevant objects presented during the orientation judgment task and a set of completely new objects. Participants stimulated with tDCS during training showed larger improvements of performance compared to participants in the sham condition. No learning effect was found for the objects presented during the orientation judgment task. To conclude, this study suggests a causal role of LO in relevant object learning, but given the rather low spatial resolution of tDCS, more research on the specificity of this effect is needed. Further, mere exposure is not sufficient to train object recognition in our paradigm.

  6. New estimates for human lung dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kennedy, Christine; Sidavasan, Sivalal; Kramer, Gary

    2008-01-01

    Full text: The currently used lung dimensions in dosimetry were originally estimated in the 1940s from Army recruits. This study provides new estimates of lung dimensions based on images acquired from a sample from the general population (varying age and sex). Building accurate models, called phantoms, of the human lung requires that the spatial dimensions (length, width, and depth) be quantified, in addition to volume. Errors in dose estimates may result from improperly sized lungs as the counting efficiency of externally mounted detectors (e.g., in a lung counter) is dependent on the position of internally deposited radioactive material (i.e., the size of the lung). This study investigates the spatial dimensions of human lungs. Lung phantoms have previously been made in one of two sizes. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Torso Phantom (LLNL) has deep, short lungs whose dimensions do not comply well with the data published in Report 23 (Reference Man) issued by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The Japanese Atomic Energy Research Institute Torso Phantom(JAERI), has longer, shallower lungs that also deviate from the ICRP values. However, careful examination of the ICRP recommended values shows that they are soft. In fact, they have been dropped from the ICRP's Report 89 which updates Report 23. Literature surveys have revealed a wealth of information on lung volume, but very little data on the spatial dimensions of human lungs. Better lung phantoms need to be constructed to more accurately represent a person so that dose estimates may be quantified more accurately in view of the new, lower, dose limits for occupationally exposed workers and the general public. Retrospective chest images of 60 patients who underwent imaging of the chest- lungs as part of their healthy persons occupational screening for lung disease were chosen. The chosen normal lung images represent the general population). Ages, gender and weight of the

  7. Gravity theories in more than four dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zumino, B.

    1985-03-01

    String theories suggest particular forms for gravity interactions in higher dimensions. We consider an interesting class of gravity theories in more than four dimensions, clarify their geometric meaning and discuss their special properties. 9 refs

  8. Two-dimensional liquid chromatography consisting of twelve second-dimension columns for comprehensive analysis of intact proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Jiangtao; Beckner, Matthew A; Lynch, Kyle B; Chen, Huang; Zhu, Zaifang; Yang, Yu; Chen, Apeng; Qiao, Zhenzhen; Liu, Shaorong; Lu, Joann J

    2018-05-15

    A comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LCxLC) system consisting of twelve columns in the second dimension was developed for comprehensive analysis of intact proteins in complex biological samples. The system consisted of an ion-exchange column in the first dimension and the twelve reverse-phase columns in the second dimension; all thirteen columns were monolithic and prepared inside 250 µm i.d. capillaries. These columns were assembled together through the use of three valves and an innovative configuration. The effluent from the first dimension was continuously fractionated and sequentially transferred into the twelve second-dimension columns, while the second-dimension separations were carried out in a series of batches (six columns per batch). This LCxLC system was tested first using standard proteins followed by real-world samples from E. coli. Baseline separation was observed for eleven standard proteins and hundreds of peaks were observed for the real-world sample analysis. Two-dimensional liquid chromatography, often considered as an effective tool for mapping proteins, is seen as laborious and time-consuming when configured offline. Our online LCxLC system with increased second-dimension columns promises to provide a solution to overcome these hindrances. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Fractal Dimension Of CT Images Of Normal Parotid Glands

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Sang Jin; Heo, Min Suk; You, Dong Soo

    1999-01-01

    This study was to investigate the age and sex differences of the fractal dimension of the normal parotid glands in the digitized CT images. The six groups, which were composed of 42 men and women from 20's, 40's and 60's and over were picked. Each group contained seven people of the same sex. The normal parotid CT images were digitized, and their fractal dimensions were calculated using Scion Image PC program. The mean of fractal dimensions in males was 1.7292 (+/-0.0588) and 1.6329 (+/-0.0425) in females. The mean of fractal dimensions in young males was 1.7617, 1.7328 in middle males, and 1.6933 in old males. The mean of fractal dimensions in young females was 1.6318, 1.6365 in middle females, and 1.6303 in old females. There was no statistical difference in fractal dimension between left and right parotid gland of the same subject (p>0.05). Fractal dimensions in male were decreased in older group (p 0.05). The fractal dimension of parotid glands in the digitized CT images will be useful to evaluate the age and sex differences.

  10. Wave equations in higher dimensions

    CERN Document Server

    Dong, Shi-Hai

    2011-01-01

    Higher dimensional theories have attracted much attention because they make it possible to reduce much of physics in a concise, elegant fashion that unifies the two great theories of the 20th century: Quantum Theory and Relativity. This book provides an elementary description of quantum wave equations in higher dimensions at an advanced level so as to put all current mathematical and physical concepts and techniques at the reader’s disposal. A comprehensive description of quantum wave equations in higher dimensions and their broad range of applications in quantum mechanics is provided, which complements the traditional coverage found in the existing quantum mechanics textbooks and gives scientists a fresh outlook on quantum systems in all branches of physics. In Parts I and II the basic properties of the SO(n) group are reviewed and basic theories and techniques related to wave equations in higher dimensions are introduced. Parts III and IV cover important quantum systems in the framework of non-relativisti...

  11. Dimensions of patient safety culture in family practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palacios-Derflingher, Luz; O'Beirne, Maeve; Sterling, Pam; Zwicker, Karen; Harding, Brianne K; Casebeer, Ann

    2010-01-01

    Safety culture has been shown to affect patient safety in healthcare. While the United States and United Kingdom have studied the dimensions that reflect patient safety culture in family practice settings, to date, this has not been done in Canada. Differences in the healthcare systems between these countries and Canada may affect the dimensions found to be relevant here. Thus, it is important to identify and compare the dimensions from the United States and the United Kingdom in a Canadian context. The objectives of this study were to explore the dimensions of patient safety culture that relate to family practice in Canada and to determine if differences and similarities exist between dimensions found in Canada and those found in previous studies undertaken in the United States and the United Kingdom. A qualitative study was undertaken applying thematic analysis using focus groups with family practice offices and supplementary key stakeholders. Analysis of the data indicated that most of the dimensions from the United States and United Kingdom are appropriate in our Canadian context. Exceptions included owner/managing partner/leadership support for patient safety, job satisfaction and overall perceptions of patient safety and quality. Two unique dimensions were identified in the Canadian context: disclosure and accepting responsibility for errors. Based on this early work, it is important to consider differences in care settings when understanding dimensions of patient safety culture. We suggest that additional research in family practice settings is critical to further understand the influence of context on patient safety culture.

  12. What's Left of the Left-Right Dimension? Why the Economic Policy Positions of Europeans Do Not Fit the Left-Right Dimension.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Otjes, Simon

    2018-01-01

    In political science the economic left-right dimension plays a central role. A growing body of evidence shows that the economic policy preferences of a large segment of citizens do not scale sufficiently. Using Mokken scale analysis, this study determines the causes of this phenomenon. Differences in the extent to which the economic policy preferences of citizens fit the left-right dimension can be explained in terms of the interaction between individual level and political system-level variables: citizens who spend more attention to politicians with views that conform to the left-right dimension, have views that conform to the left-right dimension. There is also a role for the legacy of communist dictatorship: citizens who were socialised in democratic countries have views that fit the left-right dimension better than those socialised during communism.

  13. Linking service convenience to satisfaction: Dimensions and key moderators

    OpenAIRE

    Benoit, Sabine; Klose, S; Ettinger, A

    2017-01-01

    Purpose: Demand for service convenience, defined as a consumer’s perception of minimized time and effort spent to obtain a service, has increased in conjunction with certain sociocultural and demographic changes. Prior research notes the significance of service convenience, but the importance of different dimensions of service convenience as well as the role of key moderators affecting the link between convenience and satisfaction (like customer psychographic and sociodemograph...

  14. Algorithms for Brownian first-passage-time estimation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adib, Artur B.

    2009-09-01

    A class of algorithms in discrete space and continuous time for Brownian first-passage-time estimation is considered. A simple algorithm is derived that yields exact mean first-passage times (MFPTs) for linear potentials in one dimension, regardless of the lattice spacing. When applied to nonlinear potentials and/or higher spatial dimensions, numerical evidence suggests that this algorithm yields MFPT estimates that either outperform or rival Langevin-based (discrete time and continuous space) estimates.

  15. Quantum physics in one dimension

    CERN Document Server

    Giamarchi, Thierry

    2004-01-01

    This book presents in a pedagogical yet complete way correlated systems in one dimension. Recent progress in nanotechnology and material research have made one dimensional systems a crucial part of today's physics. After an introduction to the basic concepts of correlated systems, the book gives a step by step description of the techniques needed to treat one dimension, and discusses the resulting physics. Then specific experimental realizations of one dimensional systems such asspin chains, quantum wires, nanotubes, organic superconductors etc. are examined. Given its progressive and pedagogi

  16. Spinors fields in co-dimension one braneworlds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mendes, W. M.; Alencar, G.; Landim, R. R.

    2018-02-01

    In this work we analyze the zero mode localization and resonances of 1/2-spin fermions in co-dimension one Randall-Sundrum braneworld scenarios. We consider delta-like, domain walls and deformed domain walls membranes. Beyond the influence of the spacetime dimension D we also consider three types of couplings: (i) the standard Yukawa coupling with the scalar field and parameter η 1, (ii) a Yukawa-dilaton coupling with two parameters η 2 and λ and (iii) a dilaton derivative coupling with parameter h. Together with the deformation parameter s, we end up with five free parameter to be considered. For the zero mode we find that the localization is dependent of D, because the spinorial representation changes when the bulk dimensionality is odd or even and must be treated separately. For case (i) we find that in odd dimensions only one chirality can be localized and for even dimension a massless Dirac spinor is trapped over the brane. In the cases (ii) and (iii) we find that for some values of the parameters, both chiralities can be localized in odd dimensions and for even dimensions we obtain that the massless Dirac spinor is trapped over the brane. We also calculated numerically resonances for cases (ii) and (iii) by using the transfer matrix method. We find that, for deformed defects, the increasing of D induces a shift in the peaks of resonances. For a given λ with domain walls, we find that the resonances can show up by changing the spacetime dimensionality. For example, the same case in D = 5 do not induces resonances but when we consider D = 10 one peak of resonance is found. Therefore the introduction of more dimensions, diversely from the bosonic case, can change drastically the zero mode and resonances in fermion fields.

  17. On Schwinger terms in (3+1)-dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Langmann, E.

    1991-02-01

    Schwinger terms arise in current algebras due to regularisations required for a consistent construction of the currents. In (1+1)-dimensions one has to normal order, and the resulting Schwinger term is the well-known Kac-Peterson cocycle. In higher dimensions, an additional wave function renormalisation is necessary leading to operator valued Schwinger terms. A rigorous, nonperturbative construction of such Schwinger terms was given by Mickelsson and Rajeev [Commun. Math. Phys. 116, 365 (1988)] in terms of determinant bundles over infinite dimensional Grassmannians. We present an alternative construction of this Schwinger term by means of quasi-free second quantization of fermions. First, we review this formalism and the construction of current algebras in (1+1)-dimensions within this framework: gauge transformations correspond to unitarily implementable Bogoliubov transformations (BTS), and the currents can be obtained from the implementers of these BTS. It is argued that in higher dimensions, gauge transformations give rise to BTS which are not unitarily implementable. We propose an implementation of such BTS by quadratic forms which allows us to obtain current algebras in (3+1)-dimensions and the Mickelsson-Rajeev Schwinger term in a simple and natural way. (author)

  18. Flatland a journey of many dimensions

    CERN Document Server

    2007-01-01

    "Flatland" is based on Edwin A. Abbott's classic novel : Flatland : a romance of many dimensions. Flatland is a world that exists entirely on a two-dimensional plane. All different kinds of shapes live, work and play in this world. The story follows Arthur Square (Martin Sheen) and his curious granddaughter Hex (Kristen Bell). When a mysterious visitor (Michael York) arrives from Spaceland, Arthur and Hex must come to terms with the truth of the third dimension, risking dire consequences from the evil Circles that have ruled Flatland for thousands of years. "Flatland" is an animated story that includes action, drama, and geometry lessons. This heartfelt movie challenges audiences to grasp the limitations of our own assumptions about reality, and to think about the idea of higher dimensions.

  19. SCHEME ANALYSIS TREE DIMENSIONS AND TOLERANCES PROCESSING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Constanta RADULESCU

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents one of the steps that help us to determine the optimal tolerances depending on thetechnological capability of processing equipment. To determine the tolerances in this way is necessary to takethe study and to represent schematically the operations are used in technological process of making a piece.Also in this phase will make the tree diagram of the dimensions and machining tolerances, dimensions andtolerances shown that the design execution. Determination processes, and operations of the dimensions andtolerances tree scheme will make for a machined piece is both indoor and outdoor.

  20. Universality and Distinctiveness in Dimensions of Japanese Person Perception

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bond, Michael H.; And Others

    1975-01-01

    Dimensions of Japanese person perception are assessed through an instrument standardized to tap basic dimensions of person perception and whose scales are defined behaviorally. Dimensions are then compared statistically with results from similar cross-cultural studies. (AM)