Determination of phase transition points of ionic liquids by combination of thermal analysis and conductivity measurements at very low heating and cooling rates

The determination of phase transition points of nine different ionic liquids (ILs) was performed by thermal analysis with simultaneous recording of conductivity. Conductivity of electrolyte solutions and ILs drastically changes during phase transitions and thus is an additional and very sensitive indicator for measuring phase transition points. Evaluation of temperature–time functions and conductivity–time functions with our computer-coupled automated equipment enabled the determination of melting temperatures with high accuracy and reliability. This claim is based on large samples, low temperature change rates and by regularly repeated measurements, i.e. at least seven measurements per IL. The melting temperatures of 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium trifluoromethanesulfonate, 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium tris(penta-fluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate, and 1-methyl-3-propylimidazolium iodide were, to our knowledge, determined for the first time. The melting temperatures of the other 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium-, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium-, 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium-, and trimethylsulfonium-based ILs showed either a very good accordance with values published in literature or were distinctly higher.     

On decomposing mixed-mode oscillations and their return maps

Alternating patterns of small and large amplitude oscillations occur in a wide variety of physical, chemical, biological, and engineering systems. These mixed-mode oscillations (MMOs) are often found in systems with multiple time scales. Previous differential equation modeling and analysis of MMOs have mainly focused on local mechanisms to explain the small oscillations. Numerical continuation studies reported different MMO patterns based on parameter variation. This paper aims at improving the link between local analysis and numerical simulation. Our starting point is a numerical study of a singular return map for the Koper model which is a prototypical example for MMOs, which also relates to local normal form theory. We demonstrate that many MMO patterns can be understood geometrically by approximating the singular maps with affine and quadratic maps. Motivated by our numerical analysis we use abstract affine and quadratic return map models in combination with two local normal forms that generate small oscillations. Using this decomposition approach we can reproduce many classical MMO patterns and effectively decouple bifurcation parameters for local and global parts of the flow. The overall strategy we employ provides an alternative technique for understanding MMOs.     

The dynamic range of useful temporal fine structure cues for speech in the presence of a competing talker

Within an auditory channel, the speech waveform contains both temporal envelope (E(O)) and temporal fine structure (TFS) information. Vocoder processing extracts a modified version of the temporal envelope (E') within each channel and uses it to modulate a channel carrier. The resulting signal, E'(Carr), has reduced information content compared to the original "E(O)?+ TFS" signal. The dynamic range over which listeners make additional use of E(O)?+ TFS over E'(Carr) cues was investigated in a competing-speech task. The target-and-background mixture was processed using a 30-channel vocoder. In each channel, E(O)?+ TFS replaced E'(Carr) at either the peaks or the valleys of the signal. The replacement decision was based on comparing the short-term channel level to a parametrically varied "switching threshold," expressed relative to the long-term channel level. Intelligibility was measured as a function of switching threshold, carrier type, target-to-background ratio, and replacement method. Scores showed a dependence on all four parameters. Derived intensity-importance functions (IIFs) showed that E(O)?+ TFS information from 8-13 dB below to 10 dB above the channel long-term level was important. When E(O)?+ TFS information was added at the peaks, IIFs peaked around -2 dB, but when E(O)?+ TFS information was added at the valleys, the peaks lay around +1 dB.     

Psychophysical tuning curves for frequencies below 100 Hz

Psychophysical tuning curves (PTCs) were measured for sinusoidal signals with frequency f(s)?= 31.5, 40, 50, 63, and 80 Hz, using sinusoidal and narrowband-noise maskers. For the former, conditions were included where a pair of beating tones was added to reduce the use of cues related to beats. Estimates of each subject's middle-ear transfer function (METF) were obtained from equal-loudness contours measured from 20 to 160 Hz. With decreasing f(s), the PTCs became progressively broadened and markedly asymmetrical, with shallow upper skirts and steep lower skirts. For the sinusoidal maskers, the tips were more irregular than for narrowband-noise maskers or when beating tones were added. For f(s)?= 31.5 and 40 Hz, the tips of the PTCs always fell above f(s). Allowing for the METF so as to infer underlying filter shapes resulted in flatter lower skirts, especially below 40 Hz, and reduced the frequency at the tips for f(s) between 31.5 and 50 Hz; however, the tips did not fall below 40 to 50 Hz. The bandwidths of the PTCs increased with decreasing f(s) below 80 Hz. However, bandwidths remained roughly constant if the METF was included as part of auditory filtering for frequencies below 40 Hz.     

Membranous and cartilaginous vocal fold adduction in singing

While vocal fold adduction is an important parameter in speech, relatively little has been known on the adjustment of the vocal fold adduction in singing. This study investigates the possibility of separate adjustments of cartilaginous and membranous vocal fold adduction in singing. Six female and seven male subjects, singers and non-singers, were asked to imitate an instructor in producing four phonation types: "aBducted falsetto" (FaB), "aDducted falsetto" (FaD), "aBducted Chest" (CaB), and "aDducted Chest" (CaD). The phonations were evaluated using videostroboscopy, videokymography (VKG), electroglottography (EGG), and audio recordings. All the subjects showed less posterior (cartilaginous) vocal fold adduction in phonation types FaB and CaB than in FaD and CaD, and less membranous vocal fold adduction (smaller closed quotient) in FaB and FaD than in CaB and CaD. The findings indicate that the exercises enabled the singers to separately manipulate (a) cartilaginous adduction and (b) membranous medialization of the glottis though vocal fold bulging. Membranous adduction (monitored via videokymographic closed quotient) was influenced by both membranous medialization and cartilaginous adduction. Individual control over these types of vocal fold adjustments allows singers to create different vocal timbres.     

The importance for speech intelligibility of random fluctuations in "steady" background noise

Spectrally shaped steady noise is commonly used as a masker of speech. The effects of inherent random fluctuations in amplitude of such a noise are typically ignored. Here, the importance of these random fluctuations was assessed by comparing two cases. For one, speech was mixed with steady speech-shaped noise and N-channel tone vocoded, a process referred to as signal-domain mixing (SDM); this preserved the random fluctuations of the noise. For the second, the envelope of speech alone was extracted for each vocoder channel and a constant was added corresponding to the root-mean-square value of the noise envelope for that channel. This is referred to as envelope-domain mixing (EDM); it removed the random fluctuations of the noise. Sinusoidally modulated noise and a single talker were also used as backgrounds, with both SDM and EDM. Speech intelligibility was measured for N?=?12, 19, and 30, with the target-to-background ratio fixed at -7 dB. For SDM, performance was best for the speech background and worst for the steady noise. For EDM, this pattern was reversed. Intelligibility with steady noise was consistently very poor for SDM, but near-ceiling for EDM, demonstrating that the random fluctuations in steady noise have a large effect.     

Equivalent contributing depth investigated by a lateral wave with axial transmission in viscoelastic cortical bone

Cortical bone is a viscoelastic heterogeneous medium which may be assessed with axial transmission. This work aims at evaluating the average depth investigated by the lateral wave for radial variations of material properties in relatively thick cortical bone. The equivalent contributing depth (ECD) is derived from the finite element simulation results for spatial variations of a viscoelastic coefficient (η(11)) and of porosity. A value of ECD equal to around 1.6 mm is obtained for a spatial variation of η(11). The method fails to predict accurate values of the ECD for a spatial variation of porosity, because all parameters vary simultaneously.     

Low-frequency noise from large wind turbines

As wind turbines get larger, worries have emerged that the turbine noise would move down in frequency and that the low-frequency noise would cause annoyance for the neighbors. The noise emission from 48 wind turbines with nominal electric power up to 3.6 MW is analyzed and discussed. The relative amount of low-frequency noise is higher for large turbines (2.3-3.6 MW) than for small turbines (≤ 2 MW), and the difference is statistically significant. The difference can also be expressed as a downward shift of the spectrum of approximately one-third of an octave. A further shift of similar size is suggested for future turbines in the 10-MW range. Due to the air absorption, the higher low-frequency content becomes even more pronounced, when sound pressure levels in relevant neighbor distances are considered. Even when A-weighted levels are considered, a substantial part of the noise is at low frequencies, and for several of the investigated large turbines, the one-third-octave band with the highest level is at or below 250 Hz. It is thus beyond any doubt that the low-frequency part of the spectrum plays an important role in the noise at the neighbors.     

Constructing Self-Dual Strings

We present an ADHMN-like construction which generates self-dual string solutions to the effective M5-brane worldvolume theory from solutions to the Basu-Harvey equation. Our construction finds a natural interpretation in terms of gerbes, which we develop in some detail. We also comment on a possible extension to stacks of multiple M5-branes.