Improving accuracy in detecting acoustic onsets.

In current cognitive psychology, naming latencies are commonly measured by electronic voice keys that detect when sound exceeds a certain amplitude threshold. However, recent research (e.g., K. Rastle & M. H. Davis, 2002) has shown that these devices are particularly inaccurate in precisely detecting acoustic onsets. In this article, the authors discuss the various problems and solutions that have been put forward with respect to this issue and show that classical voice keys may trigger several tens of milliseconds later than acoustic onset. The authors argue that a solution to this problem may come from voice keys that use a combination of analogue and digital noise (nonspeech sound) detection. It is shown that the acoustic onsets detected by such a device are only a few milliseconds delayed and correlate highly (up to .99) with reaction time values obtained by visual waveform inspection. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Quantifying Biomediated Ground Improvement by Ureolysis: Large-Scale Biogrout Experiment

Biogrouting is a biological ground improvement method, in which microorganisms are used to induce carbonate precipitation in the subsurface in order to increase the strength and stiffness of granular soils. In this paper the results of a large-scale experiment (100?m3) are presented, in which the feasibility of biogrouting as a ground improvement method is investigated using techniques and equipment similar to those used in potential applications. In situ geophysical measurements were used to monitor the biogrouting process during treatment and indicated that the stiffness had increased significantly after one day of treatment. The results of unconfined compressive strength tests on samples which were excavated after treatment were used to assess the distribution of mechanical properties throughout the cemented sand body, which correlated quite well with the results of the in situ geophysical measurements. The stiffness increase could be quantified as a function of the injected volume of grouting agents and the distance from the injection points. These results will serve as an important benchmark for future applications of biomediated ground improvement.     

Mining sequences with exceptional transition behaviour of varying order using quality measures based on information-theoretic scoring functions

Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery - Discrete Markov chains are frequently used to analyse transition behaviour in sequential data. Here, the transition probabilities can be estimated using...     

Design principles for low-voltage low-power analog integrated circuits

In this paper it is argued that there are good reasons to choose current as the information-carrying quantity in the case of low-voltage low-power design constraints. This paper focuses on the influence of the transfer quality on that choice. To obtain power-efficient transfer quality, indirect feedback is shown to be a good alternative to traditional feedback techniques.     

Cost-sensitive ensemble learning: a unifying framework

Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery - Over the years, a plethora of cost-sensitive methods have been proposed for learning on data when different types of misclassification errors incur different...     

Control of Polymorph Selection in Amorphous Calcium Carbonate Crystallization by Poly(Aspartic Acid): Two Different Mechanisms

Poly(aspartic acid) (pAsp) is known to stabilize amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) and affect its crystallization pathways. However, little is known about the mechanisms behind these phenomena. Here it is shown that ACC is stabilized by pAsp molecules in the solution rather than by the amount of pAsp incorporated into the ACC bulk, and that the effect of pAsp on the polymorph selection is entirely different at low and high concentration of pAsp. At low concentrations, pAsp is more effective in inhibiting the nucleation and growth of vaterite than calcite. At high concentrations, when calcite formation is prevented, the crystallization of vaterite proceeds via a pseudomorphic transformation of ACC nanospheres, where vaterite nucleates on the surface of ACC nanospheres and grows by a local transformation of the bulk ACC phase. These results shed some light on the function of pAsp during an ACC‐mediated biomineralization process and provide an explanation for the presence of metastable vaterite at conditions where calcite is thermodynamically favored.     

Preparation of Zinc Titanate Thin Films by Low-Pressure Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition

Homogeneous thin films of zinc titanate have been successfully prepared on Si(100) wafers by depositing a film of zinc and titanium oxides (ZnO-TiO₂) by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), followed by an annealing treatment. The precursors used for the deposition were diethylzinc (DEZ), tetraisopropoxide titanium (TPT), and water. By performing the deposition at temperatures between 140 and 350C, the stoichiometry of the as-deposited films could be effectively controlled over Zn/Ti ratios between 0.5 and 2.5, which cover the composition of various zinc titanate phases identified in the literature. The as-deposited ZnO-TiO₂ films are amorphous, and possess a fairly smooth surface. XPS and SIMS analysis showed that the composition of these films is uniform over the wafer as well as through the films bulk. An annealing treatment of the as-deposited films at high temperature     

Change patterns

Change, such as in the requirements or the assumptions of a system, has a far-reaching impact across several software artifacts. This paper argues that patterns of co-evolution (or change patterns) can be observed between intertwined pairs of artifacts, like the requirements specification and the architectural design. The paper introduces change patterns as a precise framework to systematically capture and handle change. The approach is based on model-driven engineering concepts and is accompanied by a tool-supported process. Changing trust assumptions are presented as an example of security-related evolution, and are used to illustrate the approach. The approach is empirically validated by means of a controlled experiment involving 12 subjects, and a case study involving an industrial partner.     

Leaving the third dimension: no measurable evidence for cognitive aftereffects of stereoscopic 3D movies

Stereoscopic 3D (S‐3D) is becoming an increasingly important display technology. Parallel to this, concern about the potential negative effects of exposure to S‐3D movies has been growing. Some manufacturers place disclaimers on their TVs advising people to limit the time they watch S‐3D. However, surprisingly little experimental research has been conducted estimating the genuineness of these concerns. Therefore, an experiment was designed to assess the potential impact of viewing an S‐3D movie on visual, spatial, and general attention performance. To mimic the real‐world experience of watching a movie in the living room, participants (N = 61) watched a full movie in either 2D or S‐3D. Our results do not show evidence for cognitive aftereffects of S‐3D movies. A second experiment (N = 32) that focused on possible aftereffects on visual attention also failed to find reliable effects. We therefore conclude that cognitive functioning is not altered by watching an S‐3D movie, at least not to an extent that is measurable through well‐established cognitive tasks.