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At least 163 records · Page 9

Normalization of cell responses in cat striate cortex

Simple cells in the striate cortex have been depicted as half-wave-rectified linear operators. Complex cells have been depicted as energy mechanisms, constructed from the squared sum of the outputs of quadrature pairs of linear operators. However, the linear/energy model falls short of a complete explanation of striate cell responses. In this paper, a modified version of the linear/energy model is presented in which striate cells mutually inhibit one another, effectively normalizing their responses with respect to stimulus contrast. This paper reviews experimental measurements of striate cell responses, and shows that the new model explains a significantly larger body of physiological data.

Heeger, D. J.↗

Detection of emetic activity in the cat by monitoring venous pressure and audio signals

To investigate the use of audio signals as a simple, noninvasive measure of emetic activity, the relationship between the somatic events and sounds associated with retching and vomiting was studied. Thoracic venous pressure obtained from an implanted external jugular catheter was shown to provide a precise measure of the somatic events associated with retching and vomiting. Changes in thoracic venous pressure monitored through an indwelling external jugular catheter with audio signals, obtained from a microphone located above the animal in a test chamber, were compared. In addition, two independent observers visually monitored emetic episodes. Retching and vomiting were induced by injection of xylazine (0.66mg/kg s.c.), or by motion. A unique audio signal at a frequency of approximately 250 Hz is produced at the time of the negative thoracic venous pressure change associated with retching. Sounds with higher frequencies (around 2500 Hz) occur in conjunction with the positive pressure changes associated with vomiting. These specific signals could be discriminated reliably by individuals reviewing the audio recordings of the sessions. Retching and those emetic episodes associated with positive venous pressure changes were detected accurately by audio monitoring, with 90 percent of retches and 100 percent of emetic episodes correctly identified. Retching was detected more accurately (p is less than .05) by audio monitoring than by direct visual observation. However, with visual observation a few incidents in which stomach contents were expelled in the absence of positive pressure changes or detectable sounds were identified. These data suggest that in emetic situations, the expulsion of stomach contents may be accomplished by more than one neuromuscular system and that audio signals can be used to detect emetic episodes associated with thoracic venous pressure changes.

A Nagahara↗

Area postrema ablations in cats: Evidence for separate neural routes for motion- and xylazine-induced CTA and emesis

The effects of off-vertical rotation upon the Intake of tap water Immediately after rotation, and upon conditioned taste aversion, were assessed In mice with the tilt of the rotation axis varying from 5 to 20° from the earth-vertical. Conditioned taste aversion occurred In all mice that were rotated, but the Intake of tap water was suppressed only In mice that were rotated at 15 or 20° of tilt. The greater suppression of tap water Intake and the stronger conditioned aversion In the mouse as the angle of tilt was Increased In this experiment are consistent with predictions from similar experiments with human subjects where motion sickness develops more rapidly as the angle of tilt la Increased. It was suggested that off-vertical rotation may be a useful procedure for Insuring experimental control over vestibular stimulation In animal studies of motion sickness.

Robert A Fox↗

Controlling Air Traffic (Simulated) in the Presence of Automation (CATS PAu) 1995: A Study of Measurement Techniques for Situation Awareness in Air Traffic Control

As automated systems proliferate in aviation systems, human operators are taking on less and less of an active role in the jobs they once performed, often reducing what should be important jobs to tasks barely more complex than monitoring machines. When operators are forced into these roles, they risk slipping into hazardous states of awareness, which can lead to reduced skills, lack of vigilance, and the inability to react quickly and competently when there is a machine failure. Using Air Traffic Control (ATC) as a model, the present study developed tools for conducting tests focusing on levels of automation as they relate to situation awareness. Subjects participated in a two-and-a-half hour experiment that consisted of a training period followed by a simulation of air traffic control similar to the system presently used by the FAA, then an additional simulation employing automated assistance. Through an iterative design process utilizing numerous revisions and three experimental sessions, several measures for situational awareness in a simulated Air Traffic Control System were developed and are prepared for use in future experiments.

French, Jennifer R.↗

Pilot Biofeedback Training in the Cognitive Awareness Training Study (CATS)

One of the ongoing problems that pilots face today is a diminished state of awareness such as boredom, sleepiness, or fatigue during cruise conditions that could result in various pilot errors. This study utilized a cognitive training exercise to sharpen the pilot's awareness during simulated flight thereby providing them with a means to overcome these diminished states of awareness. This study utilizes psychophysiological methods in an attempt to assess a pilot's state of awareness more directly. In turn, the pilots will be able to train themselves to recognize these states of awareness and be more mentally sharp during mundane tasks such as those experienced in cruise conditions. The use of these measurement tools may be beneficial for researchers working within the NASA Aviation Safety Program. This paper will provide the reader with some background information concerning the motivation for the study, a brief description of the experimental setup and design matrix, the dependent and independent variables that were employed, and some preliminary findings based on some of the subjective and objective data that was collected. These preliminary findings are of part of an ongoing study being conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.

Uenking, M.↗

CATS-based Agents That Err

This report describes preliminary research on intelligent agents that make errors. Such agents are crucial to the development of novel agent-based techniques for assessing system safety. The agents extend an agent architecture derived from the Crew Activity Tracking System that has been used as the basis for air traffic controller agents. The report first reviews several error taxonomies. Next, it presents an overview of the air traffic controller agents, then details several mechanisms for causing the agents to err in realistic ways. The report presents a performance assessment of the error-generating agents, and identifies directions for further research. The research was supported by the System-Wide Accident Prevention element of the FAA/NASA Aviation Safety Program.

Callantine, Todd J.↗

The Cheshire-cat-like Behavior of 2nu(sub 3) Overtone of Co2 near 2.134 micron: NIR Lab Spectra of Solid CO2 in H2O and CH3OH

Infrared (IR) spectra have demonstrated that solid H2O is very common in the outer Solar System, and solid carbon dioxide (CO2) has been detected on icy satellites, comets, and planetismals throughout the outer Solar System. In such environments, CO2 and H2O must sometimes be mixed at a molecular level, changing their IR absorption features. In fact, the IR spectra of CO2-H2O mixtures are not equivalent to a linear combination of the spectra of the pure materials. Laboratory IR spectra of pure CO2 and H2O have been published but a lack of near-IR spectra of CO2-H2O mixtures has made the interpretation of outer Solar System spectra more difficult. We present near infrared (IR) spectra of CO2 in H2O and in CH3OH compared to that of pure solid CO2 and find significant differences. Peaks not present in either pure H2O or pure CO2 spectra become evident. First, the CO2 (2nu(sub 3)) overtone near 2.134 micron (4685/ cm) that is not seen in pure solid CO2 is prominent in the spectrum of a CO2/H2O = 25 mixture. Second, a 2.74 micron (3650/ cm) dangling OH feature of water (and a potentially related peak at 1.89 micron) appear in the spectra of CO2-H2O ice mixtures, but may not be specific to the presence of CO2. Other CO2 peaks display shifts in position and increased width because of intermolecular interactions with water. Changes in CO2 peak positions and profiles on warming of a CO2/H2O = 5 mixture are consistent with 'segregation' of the ice into nearly pure separate components. Absolute strengths for absorptions of CO2 in solid H2O are estimated. Similar results are observed for CO2 in solid CH3OH. Since the CO2 ( 2nu(sub 3)) overtone near 2.134 micron (4685/ cm) is not present in pure CO2 but prominent in mixtures it may be a good observational indicator of whether solid CO2 is a pure material or intimately mixed with other molecules. Significant changes in the near IR spectrum of solid CO2 in the presence of H2O and CH3OH means that the abundance of solid CO2 in the outer Solar System may have been under-estimated in those environments where solid CO2 and H2O or CH3OH are mixed.

Bernstein, Max↗

Motion sickness elicited by passive rotation in squirrel monkeys

Previous studies on the role of the area postrema (AP) in vomiting induced in the cat by motion and drugs have shown that the AP is not essential for motion-induced vomiting, but is necessary for vomiting to apomorphine and xylazine. To confirm these findings and to determine the role of the AP in the formation of Conditioned Taste Aversion (CTA), the AP was ablated bilaterally in 10 adult female cats. With one exception, the ablated cats continued to vomit to the same 1n0tion that elicited emesis before the ablation. Doses of xylazine and apomorphine that elicit emesis in intact cats, failed to induce emesis in the ablated cats. Histological examination indicated that 8 cats had complete lesions and 2 had partial lesions. Investigations of effects of AP ablations on CTA revealed that cats with complete lesions did not form CTA to flavored milk paired with xylazine injections. However, cats with partial lesion developed xylazine-induced CTA. Seven of the 8 completely lesioned cats developed motion-induced CTA, even though emesis was not consistently elicited by motion. These results suggest that there are multiple routes for inducing CTA and the emetic reflex, that CTA can form without eliciting emesis, and that CTA may be a sensitive measure of sub-emetic motion sickness.

M Corcoran↗

Clear air turbulence - Detection by infrared observations of water vapor

'Forward-looking' infrared measurements of water vapor from the C-141A Kuiper Airborne Observatory of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Ames Research Center show large, distinctly identifiable, signal anomalies from 4 to 10 minutes in advance of subsequent encounters with clear air turbulence (CAT). These anomalies are characteristically different from the signals not followed by CAT encounters. Results of airborne field trials in which the infrared radiometer was used indicate that, out of 51 situations, 80 percent were CAT alerts followed by CAT encounters, 12 percent were 'false alarms' (CAT alerts not followed by CAT encounters), and 8 percent were CAT encounters not preceded by an infrared signal anomaly or CAT alert.

Kuhn, P.↗

Clear Air Turbulence: Detection by Infrared Observations of Water Vapor

"Forward-looking" infrared measurements of water vapor from the C-141A Kuiper Airborne Observatory of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Ames Research Center show large, distinctly identifiable, signal anomalies from 4 to 10 minutes in advance of subsequent encounters with clear air turbulence (CAT). These anomalies are characteristically different from the signals not followed by CAT encounters. Results of airborne field trials in which the infrared radiometer was used indicate that, out of 51 situations, 80 percent were CAT alerts followed by CAT encounters, 12 percent were "false alarms " (CAT alerts not followed by CAT encounters), and 8 percent were CAT encounters not preceded by an infrared signal anomaly or CAT alert.

Kuhn, P.↗

Lean Blowout (LBO) Simulations in a Rich-Burn Quick-Quench Lean-Burn (RQL) Gas Turbine Combustor

The transient processes involving lean blowout (LBO) in a RQL combustor such as the single cup combustor in the National Jet Fuels Combustion Program (NJFCP) referee rig are simulated with the reduced mechanisms based on Hybrid Chemistry for two different fuels, Cat-A2 and Cat-C1. Cat-A2 fuel is Jet-A with average or nominal properties based on a survey of the Petroleum Quality Information System database. The Cat-C1, an alternative jet fuel, is a GEVO alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) fuel composed almost entirely of two highly-branched C12 and C16 iso-paraffins. Experiments conducted in the NJFCP referee rig established a stable flame at an equivalence ratio of 0.096 (the near LBO condition) as the starting condition for LBO tests performed with all Category A and C fuels. Simulations of the approach to LBO verify that a stable flame is established at the near-LBO condition for each fuel before reducing fuel flow rate (and thus equivalence ratio) in a step-wise manner. At each new equivalence ratio, the global heat release rate and total fuel evaporation time histories are monitored to verify a new stable flame condition has been established before performing the next reduction in equivalence ratio until the flame is approaching the blowout. Main conclusions are threefold: (1) For Cat-C1 fuel the equivalence ratio for LBO is around 0.087. (2) For Cat-A2 fuel the equivalence ratio for LBO is either 0.082 or 0.078 depended on the time span of equivalence ratio of 0.085. (3) The averaged difference from LES on LBO for Cat-C1 relative to Cat-A2 is 8.75% versus 7.8% from the experimental data.

LES, Lean blow out↗

The 1979 clear air turbulence flight test program

A clear air turbulence (CAT) flight test to evaluate and test four different sensors in the detection and measuring of CAT and other meteorological targets that relate to turbulence is discussed. The primary types of CAT investigated were mountain wave CAT, jetstream CAT, CAT in cirrus clouds, and CAT in frontal wind shears, troughs, and ridges. The sensors included the CO2 pulsed Doppler lidar and three radiometers. One of the radiometers, at a frequency of 55.5 GHz, looked at atmospheric temperature structure. Another, at a frequency of 180.1 GHz, looked at atmospheric water vapor and investigated the feasibility of measuring at the microwave frequency the turbulence features seen in the infrared (IR) frequencies. An IR radiometer at 27 to 33 microns was the fourth sensor. This last device and the temperature structure radiometer worked well at all flight levels.

Weaver, E. A.↗

Aerosol and Cloud Detection Using Machine Learning Algorithms and Space-Based Lidar Data

Clouds and aerosols play a significant role in determining the overall atmospheric radiation budget, yet remain a key uncertainty in understanding and predicting the future climate system. In addition to their impact on the Earth’s climate system, aerosols from volcanic eruptions, wildfires, man-made pollution events, and dust storms are hazardous to aviation safety and human health. Space-based lidar systems provide critical information about the vertical distributions of clouds and aerosols that greatly improve our understanding of the climate system. However, daytime data from backscatter lidars, such as the Cloud-Aerosol Transport System (CATS) on the International Space Station (ISS), must be averaged during science processing at the expense of spatial resolution to obtain sufficient signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for accurately detecting atmospheric features. For example, 50% of all atmospheric features reported in daytime operational CATS data products require averaging to 60 km for detection. Furthermore, the single-wavelength nature of the CATS primary operation mode makes accurately typing these features challenging in complex scenes. This paper presents machine learning (ML) techniques that, when applied to CATS data, enable detection of atmospheric features during daytime operations with a horizontal resolution of 5 km compared to the 60 km horizontal resolution often required for daytime CATS data. A Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) trained using CATS standard data products also demonstrated the potential for improved cloud-aerosol discrimination compared to the operational CATS algorithms for cloud edges and complex near-surface scenes during daytime.

lidar↗