Functional magnetic resonance imaging of impaired sensory prediction in schizophrenia.

IMPORTANCE: Forward models predict the sensory consequences of planned actions and permit discrimination of self- and non-self-elicited sensation; their impairment in schizophrenia is implied by an abnormality in behavioral force-matching and the flawed agency judgments characteristic of positive symptoms, including auditory hallucinations and delusions of control. OBJECTIVE: To assess attenuation of sensory processing by self-action in individuals with schizophrenia and its relation to current symptom severity. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Functional magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired while medicated individuals with schizophrenia (n = 19) and matched controls (n = 19) performed a factorially designed sensorimotor task in which the occurrence and relative timing of action and sensation were manipulated. The study took place at the neuroimaging research unit at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, and the Maudsley Hospital. RESULTS: In controls, a region of secondary somatosensory cortex exhibited attenuated activation when sensation and action were synchronous compared with when the former occurred after an unexpected delay or alone. By contrast, reduced attenuation was observed in the schizophrenia group, suggesting that these individuals were unable to predict the sensory consequences of their own actions. Furthermore, failure to attenuate secondary somatosensory cortex processing was predicted by current hallucinatory severity. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Although comparably reduced attenuation has been reported in the verbal domain, this work implies that a more general physiologic deficit underlies positive symptoms of schizophrenia.

Oxide electronics for imaging and displays

Despite material weaknesses, considerable progress has been made in designing large area systems such as displays and imaging arrays. This talk will address the various large area technologies, and in particular, review amorphous oxide semiconductors and associated design approaches, along with driving schemes for displays, imaging and other applications. © 2013 IEEE.

Imaging the failure of a rock-fill dam following liquefaction

Rock-fill dams are popular in developing countries due to their ease of construction and use of local materials. They are used to store water and to provide flood defences. The presence of such dams in earthquake-prone regions poses risks, particularly from ground liquefaction. In this paper, results from physical model tests on dams with different configurations are presented. Model dams with impermeable cores including sheet pile walls and clay cores were tested and the effect of reservoir water was investigated. High-speed photography was used to capture the response of the model dams allowing the movement of foundation soil below the dam to be established. It is concluded that the stiffness of the impermeable core has a significant influence on the ultimate deformation of the dam. The presence of reservoir water led to increased downstream movements of the dam and differential settlements between the upstream and downstream sides.

Amorphous oxide semiconductor TFTs for displays and imaging

© 2013 IEEE. This paper reviews the mechanisms underlying visible light detection based on phototransistors fabricated using amorphous oxide semiconductor technology. Although this family of materials is perceived to be optically transparent, the presence of oxygen deficiency defects, such as vacancies, located at subgap states, and their ionization under illumination, gives rise to absorption of blue and green photons. At higher energies, we have the usual band-to-band absorption. In particular, the oxygen defects remain ionized even after illumination ceases, leading to persistent photoconductivity, which can limit the frame-rate of active matrix imaging arrays. However, the persistence in photoconductivity can be overcome through deployment of a gate pulsing scheme enabling realistic frame rates for advanced applications such as sensor-embedded display for touch-free interaction.

Range-Gated Laser Stroboscopic Imaging for Night Remote Surveillance

For night remote surveillance, we present a method, the range-gated laser stroboscopic imaging(RGLSI), which uses a new kind of time delay integration mode to integrate target signals so that night remote surveillance can be realized by a low-energy illuminated laser. The time delay integration in this method has no influence on the video frame rate. Compared with the traditional range-gated laser imaging, RGLSI can reduce scintillation and target speckle effects and significantly improve the image signal-to-noise ratio analyzed. Even under low light level and low visibility conditions, the RGLSI system can effectively work. In a preliminary experiment, we have detected and recognized a railway bridge one kilometer away under a visibility of six kilometers, when the effective illuminated energy is 29.5 mu J.

Phase locking of fibre lasers by self-imaging resonator

Experimental demonstrations of the use of a self-imaging resonator in the phase locking of two fibre lasers are presented. The output power of the phase-locked fibre laser array exceeded 2 W Successful attempts of phase locking show that the fibre laser array is not only capable of producing high Output Power but also large on-axis intensity by this method.

Analysis of the lateral displacement and optical path difference in wide-field-of-view polarization interference imaging spectrometer

The mechanism of beam splitting and principle of wide-field-of-view compensation of modified Savart polariscope in the wide-field-of-view polarization interference imaging spectrometer (WPIIS) are analyzed and discussed. Formulas for the lateral displacement and optical path difference (OPD) produced by the modified Savart polariscope are derived by ray-tracing method. The theoretical and practical guidance is thereby provided for the study, design, modulation, experiment and engineering of the polarization interference imaging spectrometers and other birefringent Fourier-transform spectrometers based on Savart polariscopes. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.