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An Attentionless Account of the Attentional Blink
Get PDFTheories of the attentional blink (AB) – a deficit in responding to the second of two temporally proximal stimuli (within 500 ms; Raymond et al., 1992) – generally explain the deficit as resulting from either the dynamics in top-down and bottom-up attentional process, or limitations in the capacity of the hypothesized attentional process. Extensive basic research has been conducted on the neural correlates of top-down and bottom-up attention as well as on the capacity limitations of attention; however, rather than leading to a single definition, the variety and complexity of results has led several taxonomies which differ systematically with the experimental procedures supposed to evidence them. This lack of consensus is a problem for research attempting to explain specific phenomena such as the AB in terms of the proposed attentional process. This dissertation critically reviews the methods and conclusions of research on attention. In Chapter 2, two prominent conceptualizations of attention are discussed within their historical context and some definitional issues are highlighted. In Chapter 3, research on and theories of the AB are discussed in terms of existing taxonomies of attention. An argument is developed that dynamics in attention, as commonly conceptualized, is not necessarily the mechanism eliciting the AB and data from a series of pilot experiments are interpreted within this hypothesis. In Chapters 4 and 5, two cognitive behavioral experiments are discussed which test whether the AB arises due to localized competition within visual processing areas of the brain. Results from experiment 1 demonstrated a different patter of errors during the AB when the second target appeared in the same stimulus stream as the first target than when they switched streams, suggesting that the mechanisms of the AB are different for this condition. Results from experiment 2 demonstrated the typical AB effect and pattern of errors when target letters were defined by the color of a compound stimulus presented behind the letter stream, but a floor effect when the shape of that compound stimulus defined the targets. Although not definitive, these data might be best interpreted within a localized inhibition account of the AB and are less consistent with the prevailing idea of a late-stage attentional bottleneck
Export Quality, Trade, and Environment
No full textThe first chapter of this dissertation explores the impact of export quality on the exports of a developing and a developed country. We developed a theoretical framework using the two-country oligopolistic model with quality differentials in product. We find that enhancing export quality improves export performance of a country but it reduces domestic trade under certain conditions. In the second chapter, we test the theoretical findings of Chapter 1 empirically, using annual inter-country and intra-country trade data for 142 countries from 1963 to 2014 and by applying the gravity model of trade. We also use IMF’s Export Quality Index and Unit Value of exports to estimate a two-stage gravity model to examine the effects of producer prices and exports quality on both exports and domestic trade. Our empirical findings are consistent with our theoretical predictions. The empirical findings suggest that quality has a positive impact on international trade and a 1% increase in quality leads to an increase in total exports by 1.08%. A 1% increase in quality leads to a fall in intranational trade by 2.69%. The effect of improving export quality on the exports is more pronounced for OECD countries than the non-OECD countries. This study also discusses the policy measures that developing countries should take to compete effectively in the international market and break the cycle of over-reliance on low-quality export goods and achieve higher economic growth.The third chapter explores the impact of export quality on carbon emissions and fossil fuel energy use. We estimated an OLS with fixed effects and conducted a 2SLS analysis using data for 163 countries from 1980–2014. We have found a positiveassociation between export product quality upgrading and fossil fuel consumption for non-OECD member countries and a negative association for OECD member countries. A 1% increase in export quality increases fossil fuel consumption by 0.092% in non-OECD countries and reduces fossil fuel consumption by 1.57% in OECD countries. Similarly, we also found a positive association between export product quality upgrading and carbon emissions for non-OECD member countries and a negative association for OECD countries. A 1% increase in export quality increases carbon emissions by 0.139% in non-OECD countries and reduces carbon emissions by 1.327% in OECD countries. Our results also indicate that the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis is valid
Iwasawa Algebras and Parabolic Induction of p-adic Banach Representations
No full textLet G be a reductive group, and P a parabolic subgroup. Let L ⊆ K be finiteextensions of Qp and let G = G(L), P = P(L). In this thesis, we define the Iwasawa algebra K[[G]] and prove that it is isomorphic to the convolution algebra of compactly supported distributions on G. We show that under Schneider-Teitelbaum duality the func- tor of parabolic induction on the side of the admissible representations corresponds to the functor K[[G]] ⊗K[[P ]] − on the side of the K[[G]]-modules.This has important applications in the theory of admissible representations of G on p-adicBanach spaces. In particular, we prove the parabolic induction of an admissible represen- tation is again admissible, and prove Frobenius reciprocity for admissible representations
SEPTIN MEDIATED SPORE CELL WALL ORGANIZATION CONTRIBUTES TO HOST IMMUNE EVASION IN ASPERGILLUS FUMIGATUS
No full textAspergillus fumigatus is the major etiology of invasive aspergillosis, a leading cause of death in immunocompromised patients. Septins are conserved GTPases that could be mediating host-spore interactions in A. fumigatus. To test this hypothesis, we are using a combination of microscopy techniques and cell culture-based methods. Using Atomic Force Microscopy, we found that spores from the ∆aspB strain have a disorganized rodlet layer compared to the parent strain. Disorganized rodlet layer can lead to an increase in immune recognition of common pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), chitin and β-glucan. It is unknown whether the increase in immune recognition of ∆aspB spores is due to more exposure to the host or if they total quantity of PAMPs has increased. To test this, we used several staining methods to compare total and exposed levels of PAMPs in the conidia. Our work shows that there is an increase in exposed chitin and total levels of chitin and β-glucan. To evaluate how this plays a role in vitro, we first exposed macrophage-like cells (J744.1) to septin deletion strain’s spores and measured the TNF-a to determine spore immunogenicity using an ELISA. As expected, only the deletions that abolish all septin complexes had a significant increase in TNF-a. Then, we determine how effective macrophages were at killing the spores. We found that the deletion strains were more susceptible to killing by the macrophages. A murine study revealed that ∆aspB infection results in more lung inflammation than the wildtype. Taken together, these results suggest the septin cytoskeleton is involved in A. fumigatus spore cell wall organization and immune evasion
EXCHANGING THE RESOURCES WITHIN THE INTERNET OF THINGS USING BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY
No full textThis research explores the integration of blockchain technology in the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem, focusing on a case study of a remote health monitoring system that uses wearable tech and sensors for real-time health data tracking. It delves into how blockchain can facilitate secure and efficient health information sharing between patients and medical professionals in this context. A permissioned blockchain network ensures that only authorized users have access, enhancing data security and patient care. By examining the adoption, installation, and outcomes of blockchain in healthcare IoT frameworks, the study highlights the technology\u27s potential benefits, challenges, and best practices. It offers a comparative analysis of different healthcare organizations\u27 experiences, shedding light on how blockchain can revolutionize healthcare delivery, improve patient outcomes, and safeguard medical data privacy and integrity. The conclusion contributes to the knowledge on blockchain in IoT applications and provides guidance for healthcare institutions aiming to leverage these technologies
ASSESSING VULNERABILITY IN VARIATIONAL AUTOENCODER GANS: INSIGHTS FROM WHITE BOX AND BLACK BOX ATTACK SCENARIOS
No full textIn this study, we explore the vulnerability of Variational Autoencoder Generative Adversarial Networks (VAEGANs) to membership inference attacks, focusing on the potential privacy risks associated with Generative AI. By employing both black-box and white-box attack methodologies, we aim to quantify the extent to which sensitive information can be discerned or reconstructed by an adversary. Our investigation reveals significant vulnerabilities within the VAEGAN framework, highlighting the pressing need for enhanced privacy protections in generative models. Through a series of experiments across diverse datasets, we assess the impact of these attacks on the integrity of the models, shedding light on the balance between data generation capabilities and privacy preservation. Our findings underscore the importance of developing robust mechanisms to safeguard against such privacy breaches, contributing to the broader discussion on securing Generative AI against emerging threats
Teaching Philosophy as a Pedagogic Practice-ing: Are you the type of person that says, “everything happens for a reason”?
Get PDFIn this paper, I discuss a classroom activity that was intended to create an environment attentive enough for students to scrutinize whether their touted beliefs matched their implicit assumptions. Drawing upon Emmanuel Levinas’s ethics of the face-to-face relation, Carol A. Taylor’s posthuman orientations for pedagogical practice-ings, and Bickel’s and Fisher’s emergent theory of art-care, I explore my pedagogical approach in teaching philosophy to explain how affective encounters in communitas between teacher and learners can expand personal understandings and imagine new meaningful possibilities together. These affective encounters serve an ethic of concern where each is capable of a unique response and where each intra-action matters in the process of co-poiesis. For me, these pedagogical practice-ings helped to understand the use of creative imagination and illustrate an approach that was implicit in the classroom activity chosen for reflection
