Restarting the adapted binaural system

Previous experiments using trains of high-frequency filtered clicks have shown that for lateralization based on interaural difference of time or level, there is a decline in the usefulness of interaural information after the signal's onset when the clicks are presented at a high rate. This process has been referred to as "binaural adaptation." Of interest here are the conditions that produce a recovery from adaptation and allow for a resampling of the interaural information. A train of clicks with short interclick intervals is used to produce adaptation. Then, during its course, a treatment such as the insertion of a temporal gap or the addition of another "triggering" sound is tested for its ability to restart the binaural process. All of the brief triggers tested are shown to be capable of promoting recovery from adaptation. This suggests that, while the binaural system deals with the demands of high-frequency stimulation with rapid adaptation, it quickly cancels the adaptation in response to stimulus change.     

Remarkable bismuth-gold alloy decorated on MWCNT for glucose electrooxidation: the effect of bismuth promotion and optimization via response surface methodology

In this study, the carbon nanotube supported gold, bismuth, and gold-bismuth(Au/MWCNT, Bi/MWCNT, and Au-Bi/MWCNT) nanocatalysts were prepared with NaBH₄ reduction method at varying molar atomic ratio for glucose electrooxidation (GAEO). The synthesized nanocatalysts at different Au: Bi atomic ratios are characterized via x - ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and N₂ adsorption-desorption. For the performance of AuBi/MWCNT for GAEO, electrochemical measurements are performed by using different electrochemical techniques namely cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), chronoamperometry (CA), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Monometallic Au/MWCNT exhibits higher activity than Bi/MWCNT with 256.57 mA/mg (0.936 mA/cm²) current density. According to CV results, Au₈₀Bi₂₀/MWCNT nanocatalyst has the highest GAEO activity with the mass activity of 320.15 mA/mg (1.133 mA/cm²). For Au₈₀Bi₂₀/MWCNT, central composite design (CCD) is utilized for optimum conditions of the electrode preparation. Au₈₀Bi₂₀/MWCNT nanocatalysts are promising anode nanocatalysts for direct glucose fuel cells (DGFCs).     

Synthesis of nonperipherally tetra-[5-(diethylamino)-2-formylphenoxy] substituted metallophthalocyanines and their electrochemistry

3-[5-(diethylamino)-2-formylphenoxy]phthalonitrile ( n-TY-CN ), metallophthalocyanines n-TY-Co , n-TY-Cu , and n-TY-Mn bearing [5-(diethylamino)-2-formylphenoxy] groups at nonperipheral positions were prepared for the first time. These compounds were characterized with IR, NMR (only for n-TY-CN ), mass and UV-vis (except n-TY-CN ) spectroscopy. Voltammetric characterizations of n-TY-Co , n-TY-Cu , and n-TY-Mn revealed that while n-TY-Co , n-TY-Cu , and n-TY-Mn showed characteristic Pc ring and/or metal-based reduction reaction, n-TY-Co , n-TY-Cu , and n-TY-Mn were coated on the working electrode during the oxidation processes owing to the cationic electropolymerizations of the [5-(diethylamino)-2-formylphenoxy] substituents.     

The detection of increments and decrements is not facilitated by abrupt onsets or offsets

Two experiments measured thresholds for the detection of increments and decrements in the intensity of a quasi-continuous broadband-noise (experiment 1) or increments in a 477-Hz pure-tone pedestal (experiment 2). A variety of onset and offset ramps for the intensity change were tested, from instantaneous onsets or offsets to ramps lasting several tens of milliseconds. For increments and decrements with equal duration, the characteristics of the ramps had little effect on performance. Abrupt rise times, which are associated with strong transient responses in auditory neurons, did not facilitate detection in comparison to much slower rise times. The temporal window model of temporal resolution provided a good account of the data when the decision statistic was the maximum magnitude of the change in the output of the window produced by the increment or decrement, but provided a poor account of the data when the decision statistic was the maximum rate of change in the output of the window over time. Overall the results suggest that, in the absence of cues in the audio-frequency domain, rapid changes in envelope contribute little to near-threshold increment or decrement detection.     

Conformational effects in compounds with 6-membered rings—XI : Study of a conformational equilibrium in the gas phase and in solvents ranging from non-polar to water: 4-methoxycyclohexanone

The conformation free energy difference (ΔG°(1E → 1A)) for -4methoxycyclohexanone (1) has been determined in 34 solvents, ranging in polarity from tetramethylsilile to trifluoracetic acid, using weighted average vicinal coupling constants and two pairs of anancomeric model compounds (2–5). The free energy difference in the gas phase has been estimated from the equilibrium in silicone oil (DC 550), itself derived by extrapolation from data for mixtures with hexamethyldisiloxane, together with the differential solvation energies from gas phase to silicone oil extrapolated from the solvation energies of 2–5 obtained from GLC retention data.Calculations based on Abraham's reaction field theory of solvent effects on conformational equilibria correlate quite well with the general trend in ΔG°(1E → 1A) in “normal” solvents but fail to account even qualitatively for the difference in ΔG°(1E → 1A) between the gas phase and non-polar solvents.     

Removal of COD,aromaticity and color of a pretreated chemical producing industrial wastewater: a comparison between adsorption,ozonation, and advanced oxidation processes

A wide range of products are produced in the chemical producing industry such as textile dyes, chemicals, printing dyes and chemicals, paper chemicals, electrostatic powder dyes, and optical brighteners. The aim of this study is to investigate the treatability of chemical oxygen demand (COD), aromaticity, and color in the wastewater of this sector, where highly complex chemicals are used. Most of the studies in the literature are related to the treatment of synthetically prepared dyed wastewater. This study is important as it is carried out with real wastewater and gives results of many treatment methods. In the study, COD, UV-vis absorbance, and color values were attempted to be removed from the wastewater of a chemical producing industry that was pretreated by coagulation-flocculation. The COD value of the pretreated wastewater discharged to the central treatment system was restricted as 1000 mg/L. Pretreated wastewater characterization is as follows: COD: 2117 mg/L, UV-vis absorbance values at; 254 nm: 9.91, 280 nm: 8.65, 341 nm: 12.77, 436 nm: 5.01, 525 nm: 2.24, and 620 nm: 1.59. In the study, adsorption, ozonation, and advanced oxidation processes (Fenton and persulfate oxidation) were used to remove COD and UV-vis absorbance values (aromaticity, organics, and color). The method by which the best removal efficiency was obtained for all parameters was the adsorption process using powdered activated carbon (PAC). The equilibrium PAC dose was found as 6 g/L. At this adsorbent dose, the removal efficiencies of UV-vis absorbance values were all around 99% and the efficiency of COD removal was 77%. The Langmuir isotherm constants were found to be q_max= 30.4 mg/g and K_L = 487.9 (L/mg). The COD concentration at this adsorbent dose was 486 mg/L and wastewater was suitable for discharge to the central wastewater treatment plant in that region.     

Detection of interaural differences of intensity in trains of high-frequency clicks as a function of interclick interval and number

Listeners were asked to detect interaural differences of intensity in trains of 4000-Hz clicks as the interclick interval (ICI) was varied from 10 to 1 ms and the number of clicks in a train (n) was varied from 1 to 32. As has previously been shown for differences of time [Hafter and Dye, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 73, 644-651 (1983)], plots of log interaural threshold versus log n produced slopes that decrease with ICI. These results are explained in terms of a saturation model which argues that as the click rate increases, the evoked neural activity changes from what is essentially a tonic response toward one that is more phasic.     

AlSb-GaSb-InSb体系的研究

用区域致匀方法获得了AlSb-GaSb-InSb体系中均匀的合金。用X射线结构分析(粉末法)及差热分析研究了均匀化的样品。结果表明,在上述体系中有连续固溶体生成。确定了AlSb-GaSb-InSb体系液相面的投影图及AlSb·GaSb-InSb截面上组成与晶格参数间的关系,并比较了组成不同的合金在空气中的稳定性。     

The effects of intensity on the detection of interaural differences of time in high-frequency trains of clicks

Threshold values of interaural differences of time (delta IDTs ) were measured for trains of dichotic clicks whose levels were 20, 40, or 60 dB SPL. All clicks were bandpass filtered at 4 kHz, and the number of clicks in the train (n) was 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32. The interclick interval (ICI) was 5, 2, or 1 ms. Performance was compared to that of an ideal integrator of information, which produces slopes of - 0.5 when log delta IDT versus log n is plotted. The results showed that increases in level had no effect on the slopes of the log-log functions regardless of the ICI but did decrease the intercepts. Shortening the ICI caused the slopes to go from nearly - 0.5 towards 0.0. The improvement with level could be explained by either a decrease in the temporal variability of neural discharges, or by an increase in the number of samples of IDT at higher intensities brought on by increased firing rates or the activation of more auditory units. A review of the physiological literature found the most parsimonious explanation to be that the decline in threshold IDT was mediated by an increase in the number of active units, each possessing the same degree of adaptation.