Dynamic contrast perception assessed by pattern masking

The perceived contrast of a pulsed grating varies markedly with the exposure duration and spatial frequency of the grating. We studied dynamic changes in perceived grating contrast with a pattern-masking paradigm. We measured masking of a brief, localized test pattern (a D6 stimulus, 30 ms in duration) by fixed-contrast cosine grating patterns of varying duration (50-500 ms). The cosine mask pattern had spatial frequency of either 1 or 6 cycles per degree (cpd) at a contrast of 0.3. The D6 test pattern was centered on a light bar of the mask and was either positive peak contrast (same-polarity test and mask) or negative peak contrast (opposite-polarity test and mask). In Experiment 1, the test and mask had simultaneous onset. With a 6-cpd mask, the same-polarity test-threshold elevation versus mask-duration function increases monotonically. For a 1-cpd mask, the same-polarity threshold-mask-duration function is nonmonotonic, with peak masking effect produced by a grating pulse of 80-100 ms. These masking effects are closely congruent with known dynamic contrast effects. With negative tests, masking-duration functions are elevated from same-polarity functions and are essentially similar in shape for 1- and 6-cpd masks. The elevated thresholds suggest inhibitory interaction between ON and OFF pathways, with a similar time course across spatial frequency. In Experiment 2, the D6 test was delayed from mask onset by 33 ms. Positive contrasts only were employed. For 1-cpd stimuli, the delay of test greatly reduced masking at all mask durations and eliminated the nonmonotonic function. This suggests that for low-spatial-frequency patterns, perceived contrast is determined by an early peak component of the neural response. But for 6-cpd stimuli, masking of the delayed test was somewhat greater at all mask durations, consistent with a gradually increasing underlying neural response to the grating. Finally, in Experiment 3, same-polarity masking effects at both spatial frequencies were replicated with negative-contrast test and mask (OFF pathway mediation). This indicates that the ON and OFF pathways have similar response dynamics.     

A priority media access control protocol for video communication support on CSMA/CD LANs

Real-time multimedia communication applications demand performance requirements which differ significantly from conventional data communication applications. Current local area networks (LANs) provide efficient transport for bursty data traffic; however, they cannot necessarily provide quality of service guarantees for real-time communications. In this work we introduce and investigate an experimental priority protocol for supporting real-time communication on Ethernet, a popular implementation of multiple-access broadcast bus LANs. We examine the new protocol, known as Priority Mode-CSMA/CD (PM-CSMA/CD), providing a high priority (HP) class with CSMA/CD employed for standard priority (SP) traffic. PM-CSMA/CD performance is examined through computer simulation of videotelephony workstations operating over the shared bus LAN. Over all observed traffic conditions, the priority protocol provides performance satisfying real-time packet transport requirements of audio and video streams. The primary advantage of our protocol over similar priority schemes is its physical layer compatibility with standard CSMA/CD. The protocol also provides improved channel utilization with increasing high priority load, with no penalty in SP class performance at low to medium network loads.     

Channel access and interference issues in multi-code DS-CDMA wireless packet (ATM) networks

Multi-Code Direct-Sequence Code-Division-Multiple-Access (MC-CDMA) has been proposed as a flexible multiple access scheme for wireless packet networks that support a large variety of mobiles with different and even time-varying rates. Using MC-CDMA, traffic streams with significantly different transmission rates can be easily integrated into a unified architecture, with all the transmissions occupying the same bandwidth and having the same spread spectrum processing gain. In this paper, we address medium-access and interference issues in MC-CDMA wireless packet networks. For medium access, we propose and study Multi-Code CDMA (MC-CDMA) with Distributed-Queueing Request Update Multiple Access (DQRUMA) to form a unified bandwidth-on-demand fair-sharing platform for multi-rate wireless services. DQRUMA is an efficient demand-assignment multiple access protocol for wireless access and scheduling. Pseudo-Noise (PN) codes (primary codes) and optimal power levels are allocated to the mobiles on a slot-by-slot basis, and a Maximum Capacity Power Allocation (MCPA) criterion exploits the sub-code concatenation property of the MC-CDMA transmission. Simulation results show that the system provides close to ideal-access performance for multi-rate mobiles, both with homogeneous traffic characteristics and with a mix of heterogeneous traffic characteristics. Finally, we analyze the effects of MC-CDMA intercell interference on the reverse link (i.e., mobile to cell site) and investigate interference reduction by using the Maximum Capacity Power Allocation (MCPA) criterion. Our results show significant reduction in reverse-link MC-CDMA intercell interference is possible using the MCPA criterion.     

The economic potential of rural water supply projects in Tanzania

The rationale behind the decision to invest in the development of rural water supply in Tanzania is discussed. It is shown that theoretically economic as well as social benefits are supposed to influence investment decisions. In practice, however, choice of projects to be developed are made solely on the basis of social rather than economic factors. Economic potential of such projects are generally not considered. Examples of small scale irrigation, fish farming and village afforestation are discussed. It is concluded that economic potential of rural water supply projects should be considered together with the social benefits during the planning stages of such projects.     

Anaerobic toxicity and biodegradability of pulp mill waste constituents

Batch bioassays have been conducted to characterize the response of methanogenic bacteria to several constituents of sulfite evaporator condensate. The results can be grouped into three ranges with increasingly severe consequences to anaerobic reactors: a low concentration, no effect range; a medium concentration range where methanogenesis is temporarily interrupted or slowed down, but may return to normal; and a high concentration range where methanogenesis is permanently inhibited. In some cases the toxicant was metabolized when present in the lower concentration ranges. There was also evidence that mechanisms other than fermentation to methane were significant in accounting for removal of the toxicants from solution. Organisms acclimated to low concentrations of a toxicant are better able to withstand a shock load of that toxicant than are unacclimated organisms.     

Continuum based modeling of silicon integrated circuit processing: An object oriented approach

Continuum based integrated circuit process modeling is the dominant tool used to investigate and understand integrated circuit (IC) development. This paper describes the commonly used models for implantation, diffusion, and material growth. In addition, the supporting numerical techniques are described. This paper focuses on the implementation in object oriented code, Florida Object Oriented Process Simulator (FLOOPS). The software architecture is described for implementing models and numerics. A number of process examples are introduced and discussed.     

Visual variant of Alzheimer's disease: Distinctive neuropsychological features.

A subgroup of patients with probable Alzheimer disease (AD) reported a history of isolated visual disturbances (VS) early in the course of disease, without the characteristic memory complaints. Brain imaging and neuropathologic studies indicated that this subgroup had larger involvement of visual cortical areas and relative sparing of temporal. frontal, and limbic structures compared with classic AD. Consistent with these findings, the authors hypothesized that the cognitive deficits in this subgroup would be distinctly different from those seen in more typical AD patients. The authors studied 10 probable AD patients with VS (AD&±&|S), 22 patients without VS (AD–), and 25 healthy controls with a neuropsychological test battery. Compared with AD–, AD&±&|S patients performed significantly better on tests of verbal memory and had greater impairment on tests of visuospatial skills, suggesting a distinct pattern of cognitive dysfunction consistent with metabolic and neuropathologic reports. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Crowding stress and violent injuries among behaviorally inhibited rhesus macaques.

Environmental stressors and stable individual differences in human behavior have both been implicated etiologically in injuries. Because stress-related injuries are difficult to study experimentally in humans, the authors examined injury incidence in a troop of 21 male and 15 female free-ranging rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) before, during, and after a 6-month group confinement. Individual differences in behavioral inhibition to novelty were assessed, using multiple, quantified observations of behavior by 3 independent raters during 3 previous years. Incidence and severity of medically attended injuries were ascertained from veterinary records over a 2-year study period. A 5-fold increase in the incidence of injuries was documented during confinement stress, and an interaction was found between the stressor and behavioral inhibition in the prediction of injury incidence. Highly inhibited animals had significantly higher injury rates during confinement, compared with their uninhibited peers, but equal or lower rates in the low stress periods that preceded and followed confinement. Inhibited individuals appeared to have been specifically targeted for violence during the group stressor but were protected under normative, more predictable conditions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nonenzymatic hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine prepared as liposomes and mixed micelles

Nonenzymatic hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine was investigated at several pH ranges in liposomes and mixed micelles. Phosphatidylcholine was stable to hydrolysis for 140 hr at pH 4, 7 and 10, but slowly hydrolyzed at pH 1 with a half-time of 50 hr. We conclude that phosphatidylcholine is not significantly degraded by hydrolysis under conditions typical for liposome preparation methods.