An Investigation into Vertical Bias Effects

ABSTRACT

In three experiments, after exploring a virtual environment (VE), adult participants made spatial judgments about the location of target objects that were higher and lower than their perceived test location within the VE. In Experiment 1, the locations of the target objects were inferred from verbal instructions. The main results were a tendency to judge objects as closer to the horizontal plane than their true locations, and more efficient downward than upward judgments. Both effects generally accord with findings reported by Wilson et al. (2004a Wilson, P. N., Foreman, N., Stanton, D. and Duffy, H. 2004a. Memory for targets in a multilevel simulated environment: Evidence for vertical asymmetry in spatial memory. Memory & Cognition, 32: 283–297. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar], 2004b Wilson, P. N., Foreman, N., Stanton, D. and Duffy, H. 2004b. Memory for targets in a multi-level simulated-environment: A comparison between able-bodied and physically disabled children. British Journal of Psychology, 95: 325–338.  [Google Scholar]). In Experiments 2 and 3, which were closely modeled on the design of the Wilson et al. studies, regression to the horizontal plane was noted but no downward bias was observed. A misperception in the viewing height between the floors and ceilings of the virtual rooms was apparent in both experiments. The results from the present study together with earlier investigations suggest different hierarchical encoding of between-axis and within-axis information.     

The spontaneous development of biology from chemistry

Biology arose as a spontaneous development from the chemistry of the early Earth by Free Energy-driven processes that occurred in common environments involving significant populations of systems. Molecular imprinting to matrices is capable of catalysis of polymer formation and reproduction that, in association with self-assembled membranes, could lead to proto-enzymes, proto-ribosomes, and proto-cells. Proto-cells would evolve via processes analogous to Darwinian natural selection. These hypotheses are testable by controlled laboratory experiments. What we call "life" is the sum of properties of such highly evolved systems.     

Can late effects of neutron irradiation in man be estimated from early responses?1

Slowly-developing tissue changes after neutron irradiation should be more easily predicted from acutely-developing injury than is the case with X rays. The difference between tissue responses to neutrons and X rays is that cell survival in both rapidly and slowly responding tissues is a direct logarithmic function of neutron dose, at least up to about 3 Gy, whereas the X-ray dose-survival relationship differs between the two types of tissue: the target cells for late injury are more susceptible to killing from accumulation of sub-lethal X-ray injury and hence the survival curve diverges from its initial essentially linear region more rapidly than does that for the target cells for acute injury.     

Cockpits for 2010 and Beyond

Truly optimal weapon system performance is highly dependent on the level of man-machine cockpit integration resulting from the intelligent application of crew station technologies. Future cockpits will incorporate a wide range of enhancements. Heavy application of artificial intelligence techniques can be expected to encompass the entire spectrum of crew station technologies; from data fusion, to optimized display resource management, to real-time onboard maintenance and fault reporting, and even to the optimization of pilot physiological needs. Emphasis on exploiting applications of the ultimate human resource, the mind, can be expected through the use of biocybernetics; initially to control previously manual and/or automated cockpit functions, and eventually to allow bidirectional communications. Future enhancements can also be expected to improve aircrew performance by allowing the pilot to take full advantage of aircraft maneuvering capability, and to operate effectively in hostile chemical, biological and radiological environments. New high resolution, full color, three dimensional crew station display devices will complement enlarged sensor suites and enhance aircrew situational awareness. Does the pilot really need to see the outside world to fly and fight effectively? Or, can panoramic display techniques, in an encapsulated environment, coupled with 4? steradian sensor coverage, increase performance? This paper strives to illustrate some ``no holds barred' approaches to making future fighter cockpits an ``in-tune' extension of the operator, based on current and projected tactical needs.     

Software Maintenance Criteria for Small Microprocessor-Based Systems

Criteria is provided for designing and implementing small microprocessor-based programs with the objective of enhancing their maintainability properties. Since microprocessor-based programs typically have relatively short schedules and low budgets. it is necessary to adapt maintainability enhancing practices for these projects in such a manner that their impact in these critical areas is not excessive. Since many of the practices which can be used to enhance maintainability actually coincide with those which improve productivity during software development, application of those practices should incur little or no added cost or duration to a microprocessor-based program. This paper suggests practical steps which can be applied to the software design and implementation activities, to the software documentation, and to the development environment which will enhance the maintainability of the resultant computer programs.     

ASTROSAT

The ASTROSAT satellite is an Indian National Space Observatory under development in India. Due for launch in 2010, ASTROSAT will carry a complement of five scientific instruments enabling simultaneous observations from the optical through to the hard X-ray energy band. This capability will enable broad-band spectroscopy and high time-resolution monitoring of both galactic and extra-galactic targets, such as X-ray binaries and AGN. One of the instruments is being built in collaboration with the Canadian Space Agency and another in collaboration with the University of Leicester. ASTROSAT also carries a scanning sky monitor to observe the variable X-ray sky. After an initial period of science verification and guaranteed time, a certain fraction of ASTROSAT observing time will also be made available to the community via a call for proposals. Here I summarise the instrument complement and principle scientific objectives of the mission.