Brain potentials after clicking a mouse: a new psychophysiological approach to human-computer interaction

As a first step in developing a new psychophysiological technique to assess mental workload in human-computer interaction (HCI), we recorded event-related brain potentials for visual stimuli triggered by voluntary mouse clicks. Twelve university students clicked a mouse button at their own pace. Each click triggered 1 of 3 alphabetic letters assigned to frequent standard, rare target, and rare nontarget stimuli. Counting target stimuli was required. Both rare stimuli elicited a P3 (P300) wave, the amplitude of which was larger when the stimuli were triggered by mouse clicks than when the same stimuli were presented automatically without mouse clicks. Postmotor potentials associated with clicking were small in amplitude (<2 microV) and did not temporally overlap with the P3. The findings suggest that the P3 can be recorded for a computer's response to the user's intentional action and may be used as a measure of perceptual-central processing resources allocated to the HCI task. Actual or potential applications of this research include the evaluation of the user's attentional state during HCI byrecording brain potentials in the "mouse click" or action-perception paradigm.     

Temporal integration as a function of signal and gap intensity in rats (Rattus norvegicus) and pigeons (Columba livia).

Previous data suggest that rats (Rattus norvegicus) and pigeons (Columba livia) use different interval-timing strategies when a gap interrupts a to-be-timed signal: Rats stop timing during the gap, and pigeons reset their timing mechanism after the gap. To examine whether the response rule is controlled by an attentional mechanism dependent on the characteristics of the stimuli, the authors manipulated the intensity of the signal and gap when rats and pigeons timed in the gap procedure. Results suggest that both rats and pigeons stop timing during a nonsalient gap and reset timing after a salient gap. These results also suggest that both species use similar interval-timing mechanisms, influenced by nontemporal characteristics of the signal and gap. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Polarisation-maintaining fibre couplers with low excess loss

Polarisation-maintaining fused fibre couplers with excess loss of less than 0.1 dB have been fabricated by using polarisation-maintaining and absorption-reducing (PANDA) fibres with matched-index stress-applying parts. The couplers show polarisation crosstalk of less than ?30 dB.     

Evaluation of heat-transfer coefficient at direct-contact condensation of cold water and steam

The estimation of the heat transfer coefficient at the direct-contact condensation of cold water and steam is a very hard task since the phenoma are essentially undsteady and the interface motion is so complicated that an exact estimation of its area is almost impossible. The present study shows the heat transfer coefficient evaluated experimentally by assuming simple interface shapes for complicated surfaces and estimated those through comparison of the numerical analyses to the data of experiments related to the loss of coolant accidents of light water reactors.At chugging, the heat transfer coefficient reached up to 2 × 10⁶W/(m^{2 K}). At condensation oscillation, it ranged between 10⁵–10⁶ W/(m² K). At a jet region of cold water injected into the steam flow in a pipe or the stationary steam in a vessel, the value was around 2 × 10⁵W/(m²K), and at the surface of stratified flow, it was between 3 × 10³–3 × 10⁴W/(m²K).     

Fabrication of single-mode fibres by v.a.d.

A 21 km long single-mode fibre with loss values of 0.6 dB/km at 1.2 and 1.55 ?m, and 0.7 dB/km at 1.3 ?m, has been made by the v.a.d. method. This indicates the high potential of this method in the production of long low-loss single-mode fibres.     

Polarisation characteristics in long length v.a.d. single-mode fibres

Polarisation characteristics in long single-mode fibres are investigated. Single-mode fibres used in the experiment have been fabricated by the v.a.d. (vapour-phase axial deposition) method. It was shown from the measurements on a 21 km single-span v.a.d. fibre that the state of polarisation of the incident light beam can be maintained over a long length when the incident plane of polarisation coincides with the major or minor axis of the single-mode optical fibre.     

Silica-based waveguide-type wavelength-insensitive couplers(WINC's) with series-tapered coupling structure

The authors propose new wavelength-insensitive directional couplers (WINCs) with series-tapered waveguides in the coupling region. The wavelength-insensitive characteristics are investigated with respect to the geometric symmetry of the series-tapered coupling structure. An approximate analysis of three types of WINC is made using simple transmission matrix multiplication. These new WINC's were fabricated based on silica-based planar lightwave circuits (PLCs) on silicon substrates. The experimental results for the wavelength-insensitive responses of the series-tapered coupler, which was designed in detail with the beam propagation method (BPM), are in good agreement with the calculated results. The novel wavelength-insensitive characteristics of these couplers are also demonstrated for the first time     

Afterloading technique for interstitial irradiation of lesions in deep-seated organs

An afterloading procedure using iridium 192 seeds was developed for the control of both localized primary lesions that are difficult to remove and superficial residual lesions that remain after the partial removal of tumors in relatively inaccessible, deep-seated organs. This technique makes possible the delivery of a minimal radiation dose to lesions in deep-seated organs. Fewer complications result, the seeds can be adjusted at appropriate intervals in proportion to the amount of radioactivity desired, and radiation exposure to personnel can be reduced. This paper describes the techniques and apparatus used to place the seeds in the tubing. Primary lesions of the urinary bladder, the prostate gland, and the esophagus, residual lesions in the brain and lung, and metastases in intrapelvic lymph nodes were treated. No technical difficulties or complications were encountered. Radiation exposures to personnel were minimized. The results indicate that the procedure has practical applications.