9,161 research outputs found
A PC parallel port button box provides millisecond response time accuracy under Linux
No full textFor psychologists, it is sometimes necessary to measure people's reaction times to the nearest millisecond. This article describes how to use the PC parallel port to receive signals from a button box to achieve millisecond response time accuracy. The workings of the parallel port, the corresponding port addresses, and a simple Linux program for controlling the port are described. A test of the speed and reliability of button box signal detection is reported. If the reader is moderately familiar with Linux, this article should provide sufficient instruction for him or her to build and test his or her own parallel port button box. This article also describes how the parallel port could be used to control an external apparatus
Environmental (waste) compliance control systems for UK SMEs
No full textWhile the ‘environment’ is often perceived as a heavily regulated area of business, in reality, directly-regulated businesses represent a small proportion of the business community. This study aimed to evaluate and outline potential improvements to compliance controls for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly those involved in the waste sector. Forty-four SMEs from England were interviewed/audited between April-September 2008. Using a UK-based system as a case-in-point, the Environment Agency’s (EA) Operational Risk Appraisal (‘Opra’)/Compliance Assessment Report (CAR) system was analysed. Environmental compliance performance indicators and an initial assessment methodology for SMEs were developed. The study showed:• Compliance with permitting legislation was poor in many areas.• Regulatory authorities are either unable/failing to implement their enforcement policies or unable/failing to identify non-compliances due to the infrequency or limited nature of their inspections.• Improvements are needed to the EA Opra/CAR system – control measures are not fully taken into account when calculating risk.Recommendations to improve SME compliance controls include using internationally applicable general and specific compliance and non-compliance performance indicators, re-designing the Opra system and using an initial assessment methodology based on understanding the hazardousness of SME categories, compliance levels and operator competency.<br/
Genetic contributions to visuospatial cognition in Williams syndrome: insights from two contrasting partial deletion patients
No full textBackground
Williams syndrome (WS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder arising from a hemizygotic deletion of approximately 27 genes on chromosome 7, at locus 7q11.23. WS is characterised by an uneven cognitive profile, with serious deficits in visuospatial tasks in comparison to relatively proficient performance in some other cognitive domains such as language and face processing. Individuals with partial genetic deletions within the WS critical region (WSCR) have provided insights into the contribution of specific genes to this complex phenotype. However, the combinatorial effects of different genes remain elusive.
Methods
We report on visuospatial cognition in two individuals with contrasting partial deletions in the WSCR: one female (HR), aged 11 years 9 months, with haploinsufficiency for 24 of the WS genes (up to GTF2IRD1), and one male (JB), aged 14 years 2 months, with the three most telomeric genes within the WSCR deleted, or partially deleted.
Results
Our in-depth phenotyping of the visuospatial domain from table-top psychometric, and small- and large-scale experimental tasks reveal a profile in HR in line with typically developing controls, albeit with some atypical features. These data are contrasted with patient JB’s atypical profile of strengths and weaknesses across the visuospatial domain, as well as with more substantial visuospatial deficits in individuals with the full WS deletion.
Conclusions
Our findings point to the contribution of specific genes to spatial processing difficulties associated with WS, highlighting the multifaceted nature of spatial cognition and the divergent effects of genetic deletions within the WSCR on different components of visuospatial ability. The importance of general transcription factors at the telomeric end of the WSCR, and their combinatorial effects on the WS visuospatial phenotype are also discussed
Experimental reintroduction of woody debris on the Williams River, NSW: geomorphic and ecological responses
No full textA total of 436 logs were used to create 20 engineered log jams (ELJs) in a 1.1 km reach of the Williams River, NSW, Australia, a gravel-bed river that has been desnagged and had most of its riparian vegetation removed over the last 200 years. The experiment was designed to test the effectiveness of reintroducing woody debris (WD) as a means of improving channel stability and recreating habitat diversity. The study assessed geomorphic and ecological responses to introducing woody habitat by comparing paired test and control reaches. Channel characteristics (e.g. bedforms, bars, texture) within test and control reaches were assessed before and after wood placement to quantify the morphological variability induced by the ELJs in the test reach. Since construction in September 2000, the ELJs have been subjected to five overtopping flows, three of which were larger than the mean annual flood. A high-resolution three-dimensional survey of both reaches was completed after major bed-mobilizing flows. Cumulative changes induced by consecutive floods were also assessed. After 12 months, the major geomorphologic changes in the test reach included an increase in pool and riffle area and pool depth; the addition of a pool-riffle sequence; an increase by 0.5-1 m in pool-riffle amplitude; a net gain of 40 m3 of sediment storage per 1000 m2 of channel area (while the control reach experienced a net loss of 15 m3/1000 m2 over the same period); and a substantial increase in the spatial complexity of bed-material distribution. Fish assemblages in the test reach showed an increase in species richness and abundance, and reduced temporal variability compared to the reference reach, suggesting that the changes in physical habitat were beneficial to fish at the reach scale
FIGURES 18–19 in Studies on type material from Kützing's diatom collection IV: The basionym, author and type of Tetracyclus rupestre
No full textFIGURES 18–19. Packet of material for "Gomphogramma rupestre", accompanied with a drawing (Figure 17 from BM; Figure 18 from PC, TA 58055!, the adjacent packet is probably from Braun).Published as part of Williams, David M., Spaulding, Sarah A. & Bishop, Ian, 2021, Studies on type material from Kützing's diatom collection IV: The basionym, author and type of Tetracyclus rupestre, pp. 44-50 in Phytotaxa 498 (1) on page 48, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.498.1.5, http://zenodo.org/record/542418
Sensory patterns of children with Williams syndrome
No full textCilj: Williamsov sindrom je neurorazvojni poremećaj uzrokovan delecijom na kromosomu 7. Karakterizira ga niz medicinskih problema uz demonstraciju neprilagodljivih emocionalnih i fizičkih odgovora na podražaje iz okoline. Nadalje, poremećaj senzorne integracije česte su kod djece s Williamsovim sindromom. Stoga je ova studija imala za cilj izvijestiti o poteškoćama senzorne integracije
kod djece s Williamsovim sindromom u Turskoj.
Metode: Uključeno je dvadeset troje djece s Williamsovim sindromom (prosječne dobi 63,16±13,50 mjeseci; ženskog spola n=13) i
dvadeset dvoje djece u tipičnom razvoju (prosječne dobi 67,66±13,23 mjeseci; ženskog spola n=12). Roditelji su ispunjavali upitnik
senzornog profila (Sensory Profile Questionnaire). Podaci su analizirani pomoću deskriptivne statistike i Mann-Whitney U testa.
Rezultati: Djeca s Williamsovim sindromom pokazala su poremećaj senzorne integracije u područjima senzorne obrade, modulacije,
ponašanja i emocionalnog odgovora. Štoviše, imaju poteškoće u slabom registriranju, traženju osjeta, senzornoj osjetljivosti, izbjegavanju osjeta, senzornom traženju, emocionalno reaktivnoj niskoj izdržljivosti/tonusu, oralnoj osjetljivosti, nepažnji/distraktibilnosti, slabom registriranju, sjedilačkom ponašanju i poteškoćama fine motorike/perceptivnih vještina u usporedbi s njihovi vršnjaci u
tipičnom razvoju.
Zaključci: Ovi nalazi, uzeti u obzir sa sličnim objavljenim studijama, potvrđuju prevalenciju i vrste poremećaja senzorne integracije u
Williamsovom sindromuAim: Williams syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a deletion on chromosome 7. It is characterized by a range of
medical problems in addition to the demonstration of maladaptive emotional and physical responses to environmental stimuli.
Furthermore, sensory processing abnormalities are common in children with Williams syndrome. Therefore, this study aimed to
report sensory processing difficulties in children with Williams syndrome in Turkey.
Methods: Twenty-three children with Williams syndrome (mean age 63.16±13.50 months; females n=13) and twenty-two typically
developing children (mean age 67.66±13.23 months; females n=12) were included. Parents completed the Sensory Profile Questionnaire. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney U test.
Results: Children with Williams syndrome demonstrated sensory processing dysfunction in the sensory processing, modulation, behaviour and emotional response areas. Moreover, they have difficulties in low registration, sensation seeking, sensory sensitivity,
sensation avoiding, sensory seeking, emotionally reactive low endurance/tone, oral sensitivity, inattention/distractibility, poor registration, sedentary behaviours, and fine motor/perceptual skills factors compared to their typically developing peers.
Conclusions: These findings, considered with similar published studies, confirm the prevalence and types of sensory processing abnormalities in Williams syndrom
Millisecond accuracy video display using OpenGL under Linux
No full textTo measure people’s reaction times to the nearest millisecond, it is necessary to know exactly when
a stimulus is displayed. This article describes how to display stimuli with millisecond accuracy on a
normal CRT monitor, using a PC running Linux. A simple C program is presented to illustrate how this
may be done within X Windows using the OpenGL rendering system. A test of this system is reported
that demonstrates that stimuli may be consistently displayed with millisecond accuracy. An algorithm
is presented that allows the exact time of stimulus presentation to be deduced, even if there are relatively
large errors in measuring the display time
Frontmatter (Titlepage, Table of Contents, Author List, PC List, Reviewer List)
No full textFront matter including table of contents, author list, PC list, and reviewer list
High efficiency implementation of PC and PC stable algorithms yields three-dimensional graphs of information flow for the Earth' atmosphere
No full textSeptember 3, 2014.Causal discovery algorithms have recently been applied to several climate applications. In particular, in prior work we have developed methods to recover pathways of interaction in the global climate system, using the classic PC algorithm. However, standard implementations of the PC algorithm cannot handle the large number of variables and temporal models required for this application. This technical report shows that a more efficient implementation of the PC algorithm can provide speed gains of a factor of 1,000 or more. This in turn enables us to calculate graphs of information flow with much higher resolution grids. Furthermore, we can now - for the first time ever - calculate information flow graphs that extend over three dimensions, i.e. rather than just including one layer of the planet's atmosphere we can now capture interactions across several height layers
Multi-day measurements of pneumatic controller emissions
No full textAuthors are from: Energy Institute at Colorado State University, AECOM, SLR Consulting, Fort Lewis College, and University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA.This study was part of a larger study (the Gathering Emission Factor, or "GEF") study [1] to develop activity and methane emission factors for EPA's Greenhouse Gas Inventory (EPA GHGI) using direct emission measurements at the device level on all classes of equipment found on gathering compressor stations. To accomplish this, Colorado State University (CSU) partnered with the engineering firm AECOM to assist with planning, logistics, field work and analysis. Nine midstream natural gas companies – Anadarko Petroleum, Equinor, DCP Midstream, Kinder Morgan, MarkWest Energy Partners, Pioneer Natural Resources, Southwestern Energy, Williams Companies Inc., and XTO Energy Inc. – acted as partners in the study, provided site access for measurements, and provided representatives to advisory committees. At all times, and with the encouragement of industry partners, CSU maintained control the sampling plan, analysis and reporting. This study documents one part of the larger study - emissions from pneumatic actuated valve controllers (PC)
- …
