34,310 research outputs found
Neuronal representation of visual motion and orientation in the fly medulla
No full textSpalthoff C, Gerdes R, Kurtz R. Neuronal representation of visual motion and orientation in the fly medulla. Frontiers in Neural Circuits. 2012;6:72.In insects, the first extraction of motion and direction clues from local brightness modulations is thought to take place in the medulla. However, whether and how these computations are represented in the medulla stills remain widely unknown, because electrical recording of the neurons in the medulla is difficult. As an effort to overcome this difficulty, we employed local electroporation in vivo in the medulla of the blowfly (Calliphora vicina) to stain small ensembles of neurons with a calcium-sensitive dye. We studied the responses of these neuronal ensembles to spatial and temporal brightness modulations and found selectivity for grating orientation. In contrast, the responses to the two opposite directions of motion of a grating with the same orientation were similar in magnitude, indicating that strong directional selectivity is either not present in the types of neurons covered by our data set, or that direction-selective signals are too closely spaced to be distinguished by our calcium imaging. The calcium responses also showed a bell-shaped dependency on the temporal frequency of drifting gratings, with an optimum higher than that observed in one of the subsequent processing stages, i.e., the lobula plate. Medulla responses were elicited by on- as well as off-stimuli with some spatial heterogeneity in the sensitivity for “on” and “off”, and in the polarity of the responses. Medulla neurons thus show similarities to some established principles of motion and edge detection in the vertebrate visual system
A seafloor crater in the German Bight and its effects on the benthos
No full textIn 1963 a deep crater was formed about 65 m below sea level in the western part of the German Bight, due to a gas eruption caused by drilling carried out from the platform ’Mr. Louie'. The study area is situated in a sandy to muddy bottom area inhabited by an Amphiura filiformis association (sensu Salzwedel et al. 1985). The crater, sometimes called ’Figge-Maar', functions as a sediment trap, concentrating particles and organisms from the water column, thus leading to extreme sedimentation rates of about 50 cm, on average, per year. Crater stations, compared with stations situated in the vicinity, show enrichments of juveniles. Echinoderms, especially the subsurface-dwelling heart urchin Echinocardium cordatum and ophiuroids are responsive to enrichment. Other species that are typical of the Amphiura filiformis association are shown to be unable to cope with the special conditions in the crater.<br/
W. D. Snodgrass, 1st Annual Arts Reunion
No full textW. D. Snodgrass is currently the Visiting Writer at Old Dominion University. He is the author of Heart\u27s Needle, After Experience, and The Fuhrer Bunker, as well as the pseudonymous book Remains. In addition to these volumes of poetry. Mr. Snodgrass has published a collection of critical essays In Radical Pursuit and several translations. In 1967 he received the Pulitzer Prize
Perspektywy rozwoju biotechnologii w Polsce
No full textWażnym czynnikiem rozwoju biotechnologii w Polsce są nowoczesne badania naukowe. Artykuł Perspektywy rozwoju biotechnologii w Polsce zwraca uwagę na to, że wiedza z zakresu nauk biologicznych i medycznych przyczynia się do większej konkurencyjności zarówno ośrodków naukowych i badawczych, jak i przedsiębiorstw. Biotechnologiczne projekty naukowo–badawcze realizowane w Polsce nie tworzą jeszcze podstaw do wytwarzania produktów biotechnologicznych w takim zakresie, by polskie przedsiębiorstwa mogły konkurować na rynku międzynarodowych. Jedną z przyczyn, którą analizuje Autor w artykule, jest niewystarczające inwestowanie w rozwój nauki i wsparcie dla małych i średnich firm w sektorze biotechnologii. MSP są najważniejszym elementem rozwoju tego sektora, ponieważ koncentrują się na tworzeniu i rozwoju nowoczesnych produktów biotechnologicznych. Artykuł został podzielony na dwie części: Szanse rozwoju nowoczesnej gospodarki w Polsce bez biotechnologii oraz Edukacja i projekty B+R. Autor finalizuje rozważania, pokazując pozytywny scenariusz dla rozwoju sektora biotechnologicznego w Polsce.Biotechnology uses biological processes in the development of technology or manufacture of a product. It is forecasted that Polish biotechnology industry will exceed very quickly. The technology and science parks in Poland have invested millions Euros to build new laboratories. Polish market is fuelled by increased R&D funding, central and regional governments initiatives. The article on “Polish perspectives of biotechnology development” identifies significant factors for biotechnology project development. It also indicates the examples of government biotechnology initiatives in the world. The author focuses on the statistical analysis of the research and development projects conducted by Polish scientist in scientific laboratories. His main conclusion is that biotechnology will be very important in developing Poland, Polish universities, research and development organizations.Udostępnienie publikacji Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego finansowane w ramach projektu „Doskonałość naukowa kluczem do doskonałości kształcenia”. Projekt realizowany jest ze środków Europejskiego Funduszu Społecznego w ramach Programu Operacyjnego Wiedza Edukacja Rozwój; nr umowy: POWER.03.05.00-00-Z092/17-00
NJBankers 2015 Economic Survey: Final Analysis and Report of Survey Findings
No full textThis is the fifth annual Economic Survey. The survey inquires about national and state current economic assessments, as well as six-month projections; expectations about long-term and short-term interest rates; commercial real estate submarket and loan demand; and residential loan and refinance demand. The survey also explores real estate values, currently and expected, as well as a set of negative indicators and common obstacles to lending. The survey series probes metrics about the national, state, and banking market economies in order to better understand, and, in turn, better facilitate the growth, development, and common interests of the banking sector in the state of New Jersey. Conducted by the Bloustein Center for Survey Research (BCSR) under the direction of James Hughes, Marc Weiner and BCSR senior research specialist Orin Puniello,Conducted for New Jersey Bankers Association"January 2015
W. D. Snodgrass, 2nd Annual ODU Literary Festival
No full textW: D. Snodgrass, visiting writer at Old Dominion University during 1978, currently teaches at the University of Delaware. He is the author of four volumes of poetry: Heart\u27s Needle, After Experience, The Fuhrer Bunker, and the pseudonymous book Remains. He has also published several translations and a collection of critical essays and lectures titled In Radical Pursuit Heart\u27s Needle was awarded the 1967 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
"Closing the R&D Gap, Evaluating the Sources of R&D Spending"
No full textBoth spending and tax policies have been implemented in the United States with the goal of stimulating private sector research and development (R&D). Karier questions whether current R&D policy, especially the research and experimentation tax credit, can contribute to closing the gap between nondefense expenditures on R&D in the United States and such expenditures in other countries, such as Japan and Germany. He also explores possible changes to our current R&D policy to make it more effective.
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Top quark physics results from CDF and D-Zero
No full textI summarize recent top quark physics results from the Fermilab Tevatron experiments. Since the observation of the top quark by CDF and D{null} in 1995, the experimental focus has shifted to a detailed study of the top quark`s properties. This article describes recent measurements of the top quark production cross section, mass, kinematic properties, branching ratios, V{sub {ital tb}}, and the {ital W} polarization in top decays
Search for the rare decay W-+/--> D-s(+/-)gamma in p(p)over-bar collisions at root s=1.8 TeV
No full textWe search for the rare decay W+/- --> D-s(+/-) gamma in 82 pb(-1) of p (p) over bar collisions recorded with the Collider Detector at Fermilab. At the 95% confidence level, we find an upper limit on the relative branching fraction to be Gamma(W+/--->D-s(+/-) gamma)/Gamma(W+/--->e(+/-)nu)< 1.2 X 10(-2) [S0556-2821(98)50719-9]
Observation of the W-annihilation decay D-s(+) -> omega pi(+) and evidence for D-s(+) -> omega K+
No full textKolcu, Onur Buğra (Arel Author)We report the observation of W-annihilation decay D-s(+) -> omega pi(+) and evidence for D-s(+) -> omega K+ in a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.19 fb(-1) collected with the BESIII detector at a center-of-mass energy root s = 4.178 GeV. We obtain the branching fractions B(D-s(+) -> omega pi(+)) = (1.77 +/- 0.32(stat) +/- 0.13(sys)) x 10(-3) with a significance of 6.7 sigma and B(D-s(+) -> omega K+) = (0.87 +/- 0.24(stat) +/- 0.08(sys)) x 10(-3) with a significance of 4.4 sigma. This measurement provides critical information to determine the nonperturbative W-annihilation amplitudes and shows the potential of searching for CP asymmetry in D-s(+) -> omega K+
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