We consider an inhomogeneous small-world network (SWN) composed of inhibitory short-range (SR) and long-range (LR) interneurons, and investigate the effect of network architecture on emergence of synchronized brain rhythms by varying the fraction of LR interneurons plong. The betweenness centralities of the LR and SR interneurons (characterizing the potentiality in controlling communication between other interneurons) are distinctly different. Hence, in view of the betweenness, SWNs we consider are inhomogeneous, unlike the "canonical" Watts–Strogatz SWN with nearly the same betweenness centralities. For small plong, the load of communication traffic is much concentrated on a few LR interneurons. However, as plong is increased, the number of LR connections (coming from LR interneurons) increases, and then the load of communication traffic is less concentrated on LR interneurons, which leads to better efficiency of global communication between interneurons. Sparsely synchronized rhythms are thus found to emerge when passing a small critical value plong(c)(≃0.16). The population frequency of the sparsely synchronized rhythm is ultrafast (higher than 100 Hz), while the mean firing rate of individual interneurons is much lower (∼30 Hz) due to stochastic and intermittent neural discharges. These dynamical behaviors in the inhomogeneous SWN are also compared with those in the homogeneous Watts–Strogatz SWN, in connection with their network topologies. Particularly, we note that the main difference between the two types of SWNs lies in the distribution of betweenness centralities. Unlike the case of the Watts–Strogatz SWN, dynamical responses to external stimuli vary depending on the type of stimulated interneurons in the inhomogeneous SWN. We consider two cases of external time-periodic stimuli applied to sub-populations of the LR and SR interneurons, respectively. Dynamical responses (such as synchronization suppression and enhancement) to these two cases of stimuli are studied and discussed in relation to the betweenness centralities of stimulated interneurons, representing the effectiveness for transfer of stimulation effect in the whole network.

Among the reasons for the relatively limited number of investigations of self-knowledge phenomena should be included, in addition to theoretical motives, the difficulties regarding the use of instruments available for this kind of approach and their content validity. This study investigates the relationship between subjective and objective deficits in schizophrenia, taking into account subjective experiences of cognitive impairment, clinical symptoms, and cognitive evoked potentials (P300 component). A group of 36 young schizophrenic patients (29 on neuroleptic treatment and seven drug-naive) were considered, together with a comparison group of 36 healthy subjects. Auditory event-correlated potentials (ERPs) were obtained using a simple "oddball" paradigm. Clinical symptoms were rated with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and Scales for the Assessment of Positive and Negative Symptoms (SAPS and SANS), and while subjective disturbances were assessed by the Frankfurter Beschwerde Fragebogen (FBF, also called the Complaint Questionnaire). Correlation analysis showed that P300 amplitude was inversely correlated with subjective experiences of cognitive deficit, especially in the area of automatic skills and overstimulation. No relationship emerged between BPRS, SANS, and SAPS scores and P300 alterations. The results suggest that subjective cognitive disturbances, more than objective symptoms, are related to P300 alterations in schizophrenia, and that the FBF questionnaire appropriately covers the domain of schizophrenic cognitive disorders.

An isotopic dilution approach for 1,3-butadiene analysis in gaseous samples is presented. The methodology is based on active sampling on sorbent tubes and subsequent analysis by thermal desorption into a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry system. By adding a perdeuterated internal standard onto the sorbent tubes before sampling, and using mass spectrometric detection, the methodology gives high accuracy for this unstable analyte. The method has been used to monitor 1,3-butadiene ambient air concentrations in a residential area in proximity to a heavy-traffic roadway over a one-week period, for comparison with other traffic-related pollutants analysed by standard procedures. It has also been used to determine tailpipe emissions of two vehicles by standard emission testing procedures in a dynamometer. These vehicles were chosen as examples of low- and high-end emission rate vehicles, i.e., an old no-catalytic converter Otto engine and a new direct-injection diesel engine with catalytic converter. Exhaust gas emissions were 0.052 and 35.85 mg/km, reflecting differences in fuel, engine design, age, and presence (or not) of a catalytic abatement system. The ambient air results showed a weekly average concentration of 1,3-butadiene of 0.53 microg/m(3).

The atmospheric particulate of industrialized cities had become a mixture of potentially toxic substances whose concentrations must be monitored to assess the pollution levels. Trace metals and elements are part of these pollutants and the knowledge of their total concentration in the air as well as their distribution in the different aerosol particle sizes is necessary to evaluate the pollution risk in terms of maximum present levels and long term exposure. In the present work, a preliminary part of a study initiated for monitoring the trace element levels present in the atmospheric particulate of the city of Milan (north Italy) and of its suburban areas is presented. More than 25 elements have been determined in Milan downtown along a period of three years and in different weather conditions. The granulometric distribution of selected potentially toxic elements (such as vanadium, lead, cadmium, nickel) has been also determined to evaluate their concentrations in different inhalable fractions (alveolar and bronchial — tracheal). Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) has been used for the determination of the great part of the elements while Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (GF-AAS) has been employed for the determination of lead and, in some cases, for nickel, cadmium and copper.

The paper introduces NAVNEX (Navigation and Neural Explorer), a hybrid system, neural and symbolic/procedural, well suited for real time extraction of navigation situations during incremental explorations of unknown environments performed by an autonomous mobile robot. Real time performances are obtained through the parallelization of the activities necessary to extract relevant information: reactive planning and navigation, environment reconstruction via self-organization, symbolic (topological) analysis of reconstructed maps. The neural part of the system is based on two self-organizing neural networks which learn the obstacle boundaries and the free space maps, while the symbolic/procedural part is composed of a library of heuristic algorithms which analyze the neural maps on a topological bases, playing the role of "situation recognizers". An incremental merging algorithm is also presented, which integrates in real time the spatio-temporal information of reconstructed graphs of navigation situations.<>

Trace element concentrations in the fly-ash collected from a municipal solid waste refuse incinerator have been determined using both instrumental and radiochemical neutron-activation analysis. A method for sample dissolution and subsequent selective and quantitative radiochemical separation for the determination of mercury, selenium, arsenic, chromium and cadmium is presented. Results obtained in the determination of iron, zinc, bromine, cobalt, caesium, scandium, vanadium, selenium and chromium by instrumental neutron-activation analysis are also reported.

The phenomenon of ageing, i.e., the slow deterioration of the performance, of PTFE-bonded, two-layer type, carbon—air electrodes, working in 6, 8.5 and 10M KOH electrolytes has been investigated. The ageing was observed only in the case when carbon dioxide was present in the air supplied to the electrodes. The rate of ageing increased rapidly with the concentration of the electrolyte. For more concentrated electrolyte (⩾ 8.5M) the ageing was followed by leakage of the electrolyte through the electrode. The rate of ageing was strongly influenced also by the humidity of the air, and by the porosity of the electrode. An ageing mechanism is proposed.