Controlling for stimulus dominance in dichotic listening tests: A modification of !l.

Dichotic listening procedures have been used to assess cerebral lateralization in normal Ss. One particularly useful technique is the use of stimuli that fuse into a single percept. Although this procedure has many advantages over other dichotic listening methods, it is particularly susceptible to stimulus dominance, which acts as noise in a S's response data, thus reducing the power of any statistical test of the ear advantage. It is proposed that the solution to this problem is a log-linear analysis of the response data to yield a λ-type index (λ*) that is a measure of ear dominance independent of stimulus dominance. Details of the analysis are provided, as well as a sample analysis of data collected from 104 right-handed and 30 left-handed Ss. Comparisons are drawn between the log-linear analysis and other methods that have been proposed to control for stimulus dominance in this single-response dichotic fusion procedure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Right visual field superiority for letter recognition with partial report.

Experiments using partial report techniques have typically failed to find left-right visual field differences in the recognition of tachistoscopically presented letter rows. Such data represent a difficulty for theories that emphasize the relevance of cerebral hemispheric asymmetry. It is contended that the end items of a display are critical, and that a truly symmetric display should have both a left and a right end item in each visual field. In the present experiments with 36 righthanded university students, partial report procedures were employed, but a gap was placed between the left and right halves of the display. In the 1st experiment, a single-letter spatial probe procedure was used, and a clear right visual field superiority was found. In the 2nd experiment, a hemifield report procedure was used; the presence of a gap in the display enhanced the right visual field superiority, especially for shorter strings of letters. Results indicate that right visual field superiority can be obtained with partial report procedures under appropriate conditions. (French summary) (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Biological response of broiler chickens fed peas (Pisum sativum L.) expressing the bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) α‐amylase inhibitor transgene

The nutritive value of transgenic peas expressing an α‐amylase inhibitor (α‐Ai1) was evaluated with broiler chickens. The effects of feeding transgenic peas on the development of visceral organs associated with digestion and nutrient absorption were also examined. The chemical composition of the conventional and the transgenic peas used in this study were similar. In the two feeding trials, that were conducted normal and transgenic peas were incorporated into a maize–soybean diet at concentrations up to 500 g kg^?1. The diets were balanced to contain similar levels of apparent metabolisable energy (AME) and amino acids. In the first trial, the birds were fed the diets from 3 to 17 days post‐hatching and with levels of transgenic peas at 250 g kg^?1 or greater there was a significant reduction in body weight but an increase in feed intake resulting in deceased feed conversion efficiency. In the second trial, in which the birds were fed diets containing 300 g kg^?1 transgenic peas until 40 days of age, growth performance was significantly reduced. It was also demonstrated that the ileal starch digestibility coefficient (0.80 vs 0.42) was significantly reduced in the birds fed transgenic peas. Determination of AME and ileal digestibility of amino acids in 5‐week‐old broilers demonstrated a significant reduction in AME (12.12 vs 5.08 MJ kg^?1 DM) in the birds fed the transgenic peas. The AME value recorded for transgenic peas reflected the lower starch digestibility of this line. Ileal digestion of protein and amino acids was unaffected by treatment. Expression of α‐Ai1 in peas did not appear to affect bird health or the utilisation of dietary protein. However, the significant reduction in ileal digestion of starch in transgenic peas does reduce the utility of this feedstuff in monogastric diets where efficient energy utilisation is required. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Multidimensional visual representations for underwater environmental uncertainty

We investigate how to represent the resulting multivariate information and multidimensional uncertainty by developing and applying candidate visual techniques. Although good techniques exist for visualizing many data types, less progress has been made on how to display uncertainty and multivariate information - this is especially true as the dimensionality rises. At this time, our primary focus is to develop the statistical characterizations for the environmental uncertainty (described only briefly in this article) and to develop a visual method for each characterization. The mariner community needs enhanced characterizations of environmental uncertainty now, but the accuracy of the characterizations is still not sufficient, and therefore formal user evaluations cannot take place at this point in development. We received feedback on the applicability of our techniques from domain experts. We used this in conjunction with previous results to compile a set of development guidelines.     

ISO国际标准-奥林匹克所涉及的重大体育、文化和社会活动的“工具箱”

大多奥运会竞赛项目的优胜者是如何决出的？诚然，他们是那些跑得更快、游得更快、跳得更高、举得更重或扔得更远的运动员。然而，他们的技能和水平又是如何衡量的呢？这要离不开以国际单位制（SI）为基础的国际标准ISO 31“量和单位”来实现。国际单位制在2008年北京奥运会期间可能不会引起人们的注意，然而，如果没有ISO 31的话，很难想象那些有趣的比赛项目将如何进行。     

ISO International Standards—a“toolbox”of Olympic proportions for major sporting,cultural and social events

How are the winners determined in most of the events that make up the Olympic Games? Theyare,of course,the athletes who run or swim faster,jump higher,lift heavier,throw further.But how is their prowess measured? By the SI (Système inter-national) International System of Units,which is     

Error correction/masking for digital voice transmission over theland mobile satellite system

The development of a 2400-b/s speech digitizer which provides an acceptable level of intelligibility and quality over land mobile satellite channels is described. Performance tests over simulated channels in the UHF band (800 MHz) are presented. The voice digitizer is a linear prediction (LPC) vocoder which uses a channel error correction and concealment procedure tailored to error statistics for a minimum-shift keyed (MSK) downlink to a moving vehicle. The error-handling technique is based on perceptual criteria and utilizes the parametric nature of LPC representation of speech. A single-error-correcting, single-burst-detecting (28, 20) fire code is shown to be the best choice for the application. The intelligibility of the vocoder is measured and compared to the standard LPC-10 algorithm. The major remaining sources of speech quality degradation due to channel errors are determined and ranked