Light memory operation based on a double pin SiC device

Experimental optoelectronic characterization of a p-i'(a-SiC:H)-n/pi(a-Si:H)-n heterostructure with low conductivity doped layers shows the feasibility of tailoring channel bandwidth and wavelength by optical bias through back and front side illumination. Front background enhances light-to-dark sensitivity of the long and medium wavelength range, and strongly quenches the others. Back violet background enhances the magnitude in short wavelength range and reduces the others. Experiments have three distinct programmed time slots: control, hibernation and data. Throughout the control time slot steady light wavelengths illuminate either or both sides of the device, followed by the hibernation without any background illumination. The third time slot allows a programmable sequence of different wavelengths with an impulse frequency of 6000Hz to shine upon the sensor. Results show that the control time slot illumination has an influence on the data time slot which is used as a volatile memory with the set, reset logical functions. © IFIP International Federation for Information Processing 2015.

A Visual Programming Framework for Wireless Sensor Networks in Smart Home Applications

International Conference on Intelligent Sensors, Sensor Networks and Information Processing (ISSNIP 2015). 7 to 9, Apr, 2015. Singapure, Singapore.

Feature Extraction in Densely Sensed Environments: Extensions to Multiple Broadcast Domains

The vision of the Internet of Things (IoT) includes large and dense deployment of interconnected smart sensing and monitoring devices. This vast deployment necessitates collection and processing of large volume of measurement data. However, collecting all the measured data from individual devices on such a scale may be impractical and time consuming. Moreover, processing these measurements requires complex algorithms to extract useful information. Thus, it becomes imperative to devise distributed information processing mechanisms that identify application-specific features in a timely manner and with a low overhead. In this article, we present a feature extraction mechanism for dense networks that takes advantage of dominance-based medium access control (MAC) protocols to (i) efficiently obtain global extrema of the sensed quantities, (ii) extract local extrema, and (iii) detect the boundaries of events, by using simple transforms that nodes employ on their local data. We extend our results for a large dense network with multiple broadcast domains (MBD). We discuss and compare two approaches for addressing the challenges with MBD and we show through extensive evaluations that our proposed distributed MBD approach is fast and efficient at retrieving the most valuable measurements, independent of the number sensor nodes in the network.

Emotion-oriented interventions for environment and the facilitation of pro-environmental behavior

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Ambiente, pela Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia

Trans-Synaptic Signaling by Activity-Dependent Cleavage of Neuroligin-1

Throughout the brain, patterns of activity in postsynaptic neurons influence the properties of synaptic inputs. Such feedback regulation is central to neural network stability that underlies proper information processing and feature representation in the central nervous system. At the cellular level, tight coupling of presynaptic and postsynaptic function is fundamental to neural computation and synaptic plasticity. The cohort of protein complexes at the pre and postsynaptic membrane allows for tight synapse-specific segregation and integration of diverse molecular and electrical signals.(...)

Repeated assessment and practice effects of the written symbol digit modalities test using a short inter-test interval

The Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) is a widely used instrument to assess information processing speed, attention, visual scanning, and tracking. Considering that repeated evaluations are a common need in neuropsychological assessment routines, we explored test–retest reliability and practice effects of two alternate SDMT forms with a short inter-assessment interval. A total of 123 university students completed the written SDMT version in two different time points separated by a 150-min interval. Half of the participants accomplished the same form in both occasions, while the other half filled different forms. Overall, reasonable test–retest reliabilities were found (r = .70), and the subjects that completed the same form revealed significant practice effects (p < .001, dz = 1.61), which were almost non-existent in those filling different forms. These forms were found to be moderately reliable and to elicit a similar performance across participants, suggesting their utility in repeated cognitive assessments when brief inter-assessment intervals are required.

Do stars govern our actions? astrocyte involvement in rodent behavior

Do stars govern our actions? Astrocyte involvement in rodent behavior

SOFHIA: a CAD environment to design digital control systems

"Series Title: IFIP - The International Federation for Information Processing, ISSN 1868-4238"

SI2ME: um serviço de informação para o trabalho no binómio monitorização-melhoria, no setor educativo não superior em Portugal

Tese de Doutoramento em Tecnologias e Sistemas de Informação.

Analyse der Informationsverarbeitung in CHL1-defizienten Mäusen mittels metabolischer Markierung, Expressionsstudien der Immediate-Early-Gene c-fos und arg3.1/arc sowie verhaltensbiologischer Tests

Close homolog of L1, neural cell recognition molecules, c-fos, arg3.1, arc, immediat early genes, novelty, information processing, behavioral tests

Men perform comparably to women in a perspective taking task after administration of intranasal oxytocin but not after placebo

Oxytocin (OT) is thought to play an important role in human interpersonal information processing and behavior. By inference, OT should facilitate empathic responding, i.e. the ability to feel for others and to take their perspective. In two independent double-blind, placebo-controlled between-subjects studies, we assessed the effect of intranasally administered OT on affective empathy and perspective taking, whilst also examining potential sex differences (e.g., women being more empathic than men). In study 1, we provided 96 participants (48 men) with an empathy scenario and recorded self reports of empathic reactions to the scenario, while in study 2, a sample of 120 individuals (60 men) performed a computerized implicit perspective taking task. Whilst results from Study 1 showed no influence of OT on affective empathy, we found in Study 2 that OT exerted an effect on perspective taking ability in men. More specifically, men responded faster than women in the placebo group but they responded as slowly as women in the OT group. We conjecture that men in the OT group adopted a social perspective taking strategy, such as did women in both groups, but not men in the placebo group. On the basis of results across both studies, we suggest that self-report measures (such as used in Study 1) might be less sensitive to OT effects than more implicit measures of empathy such as that used in Study 2. If these assumptions are confirmed, one could infer that OT effects on empathic responses are more pronounced in men than women, and that any such effect is best studied using more implicit measures of empathy rather than explicit self-report measures.

What do we know about gliotransmitter release from astrocytes?

Astrocytes participate in information processing by actively modulating synaptic properties via gliotransmitter release. Various mechanisms of astrocytic release have been reported, including release from storage organelles via exocytosis and release from the cytosol via plasma membrane ion channels and pumps. It is still not fully clear which mechanisms operate under which conditions, but some of them, being Ca(2+)-regulated, may be physiologically relevant. The properties of Ca(2+)-dependent transmitter release via exocytosis or via ion channels are different and expected to produce different extracellular transmitter concentrations over time and to have distinct functional consequences. The molecular aspects of these two release pathways are still under active investigation. Here, we discuss the existing morphological and functional evidence in support of either of them. Transgenic mouse models, specific antagonists and localization studies have provided insight into regulated exocytosis, albeit not in a systematic fashion. Even more remains to be uncovered about the details of channel-mediated release. Better functional tools and improved ultrastructural approaches are needed in order fully to define specific modalities and effects of astrocytic gliotransmitter release pathways.

Perceiving Prospects Properly

When an agent chooses between prospects, noise in information processing generates an effect akin to the winner’s curse. Statistically unbiased perception systematically overvalues the chosen action because it fails to account for the possibility that noise is responsible for making the preferred action appear to be optimal. The optimal perception patterns share key features with prospect theory, namely, overweighting of small probability events (and corresponding underweighting of high probability events), status quo bias, and reference-dependent S-shaped valuations. These biases arise to correct for the winner’s curse effect.

Attribution d'intentions hostiles et intentions comportementales agressives dans un contexte intergroupes

We conducted two experiments to demonstrate the relevance of group membership (in-group vs. out-group) in the processing of conflictual social interactions as described by Dodge (1980; Dodge, Pettit, Mcclaskey, & Brown, 1986). In the first study, we highlighted the impact of group membership on the attribution of hostile intents and on reactions to a provocation. In the second study we found that the impact of group membership on aggressive reaction intents is moderated by the status of people in the interaction, and that this effect is partially mediated by attribution of hostile intents. We conclude by stressing the necessity to integrate intergroup dynamics in the social information processing model elaborated by Dodge.

Effects of anxiety on visuospatial pattern discrimination and decision-making processes: what can we learn from brain dynamics ?

Detection and discrimination of visuospatial input involve at least extracting, selecting and encoding relevant information and decision-making processes allowing selecting a response. These two operations are altered, respectively, by attentional mechanisms that change discrimination capacities, and by beliefs concerning the likelihood of uncertain events. Information processing is tuned by the attentional level that acts like a filter on perception, while decision-making processes are weighed by subjective probability of risk. In addition, it has been shown that anxiety could affect the detection of unexpected events through the modification of the level of arousal. Consequently, purpose of this study concerns whether and how decision-making and brain dynamics are affected by anxiety. To investigate these questions, the performance of women with either a high (12) or a low (12) STAI-T (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Spielberger, 1983) was examined in a decision-making visuospatial task where subjects have to recognize a target visual pattern from non-target patterns. The target pattern was a schematic image of furniture arranged in such a way as to give the impression of a living room. Non-target patterns were created by either the compression or the dilatation of the distances between objects. Target and non-target patterns were always presented in the same configuration. Preliminary behavioral results show no group difference in reaction time. In addition, visuo-spatial abilities were analyzed trough the signal detection theory for quantifying perceptual decisions in the presence of uncertainty (Green and Swets, 1966). This theory treats detection of a stimulus as a decision-making process determined by the nature of the stimulus and cognitive factors. Astonishingly, no difference in d' (corresponding to the distance between means of the distributions) and c (corresponds to the likelihood ratio) indexes was observed. Comparison of Event-related potentials (ERP) reveals that brain dynamics differ according to anxiety. It shows differences in component latencies, particularly a delay in anxious subjects over posterior electrode sites. However, these differences are compensated during later components by shorter latencies in anxious subjects compared to non-anxious one. These inverted effects seem indicate that the absence of difference in reaction time rely on a compensation of attentional level that tunes cortical activation in anxious subjects, but they have to hammer away to maintain performance.