The effect of speechreading on the speech-reception threshold of sentences in noise

The monaural speech-reception threshold of sentences in noise, here defined as the 50% correct-syllables threshold, was measured for a female speaker with and without speechreading via a video monitor. The additional visual information resulted in a 4.6-dB lower threshold for a group of 12 young subjects and in a 4.0-dB lower threshold for a group of 18 elderly subjects compared to auditory presentation alone.     

A duality principle corresponding to the parabolic equations

Our principal problem consists in finding threshold values for a family of blow-up solutions of nonlinear evolution problems depending on a real parameter λ. We seek to obtain the solution of the problem in a constructive and unified approach which would provide the answer for the following general question: Is there is a constructive method for finding the threshold values? We illustrate our approach by means of an example of finding a threshold value for a family of parabolic equations with nonlinearity indefinite in sign. In the main result, the threshold value is expressed via explicitly specified dual variational principles of a new type.     

Nonlinear phenomena as observed in the ear canal and at the auditory nerve

We report here several measures of nonlinear effects in the mammalian ear made in the external auditory meatus and in single neurons of the auditory nerve. We have measured the 2f1-f2 and the f2-f1 distortion products and we have found that the neural distortion product threshold curve for 2f1-f2 mirrors the low-frequency side of the frequency threshold curve, when the neural distortion product threshold curve of 2f1-f2 is plotted versus log(f2/f1) its slope is about 50 dB/oct and its intercept is 10-20 dB above the frequency threshold at the characteristic frequency CF, substantial 2f1-f2 distortion was seen in all animals studied while the f2-f1 distortion product was only rarely found at substantial levels, and the distortion product pressure observed in the ear canal was at a level equal to that detected at threshold by the neural units under study. We have also made measurements of two-tone rate suppression thresholds using two new and consistent threshold paradigms. We find that for high and intermediate characteristic frequency neural units the suppression threshold is independent of frequency and at a level of about 70 dB SPL, the suppression above CF is much less than below CF, and the tip of the frequency tuning curve can be suppressed by up to 40 dB by a low-frequency suppressor.     

Correlation between yttrium segregation at the grain boundaries and the threshold stress for plasticity in yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystals

Nowadays, the high-temperature plasticity of yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystals (YTZPs) is successfully explained in terms of a threshold stress. Despite the fact that its existence is very well proved experimentally, the origin and nature of the threshold stress are still unexplained. This work develops a possible explanation for the threshold stress in YTZPs. The model developed in this paper is able to explain quantitatively the dependence of this threshold stress with temperature and grain size. The model is able to predict the influence of a glassy phase present at grain boundaries and the values of the threshold stress in YTZP nanocrystals. The theoretical results are discussed and compared with the available data in the literature.     

Informational analysis of seismic sequences by applying the Fisher Information Measure and the Shannon entropy: An application to the 2004–2010 seismicity of Aswan area (Egypt)

The interevent-time (IET) and interevent-distance (IED) series of seismic events occurred at Aswan area (Egypt) from 2004 to 2010 were investigated by means of the Fisher Information Measure and the Shannon entropy. The analysis was performed varying the depth and the magnitude thresholds. The results point out to an increase of level of organization and order with the decrease of magnitude threshold and the increase of depth threshold for the IET series, while the IED series are characterized by a level of uncertainty approximately constant with the threshold magnitude. The complexity measure, calculated as the product of the Fisher Information Measure and the Shannon entropy power, presents very similar pattern for both the types of seismic series, indicating an increasing complexity with the decrease of the threshold magnitude and the increase of the threshold depth.     

Laser intensity fluctuations when the photon number at threshold is small

Previous calculations of laser threshold statistics have described the radiation field with a Fokker-Planck equation that embodies the approximation that the photon number at threshold is large. Here, the magnitude and correlation time of intensity fluctuations are calculated directly from the Scully-Lamb equation of motion for the reduced density matrix of a single-mode laser. This model does not embody a restriction to large photon number at threshold. We delineate the regime in which the threshold photon number is sufficiently small to produce measurable differences from the results of the usual Fokker-Planck analysis.     

Application of metrics constructed from vibrotactile thresholds to the assessment of tactile sensory changes in the hands

Two tools for assessing tactile sensory disturbances in the hands have been constructed from mechanoreceptor-specific vibrotactile threshold shifts, and thresholds changes with time, and employed in a prospective study of forest workers (N=18). Statistically significant positive threshold shifts (i.e., reductions in sensitivity compared to the hands of healthy persons) were found in five hands at study inception (13.9%), and 15 hands at follow-up (41.7%). Four patterns of threshold shift could be identified, involving selectively the median and/or ulnar nerve pathways and/or end organs. Statistically significant positive threshold changes (i.e., reductions in sensitivity with time) were recorded in 69.4% of the hands over a five-year period, even though a majority of the workers remained symptom free. If the thresholds recorded from subjects not working with power tools are used to control for aging, lifestyle, and environmental factors during the five year period, then 40% of the remaining subjects are found to be experiencing work-related threshold changes in their hands. The ability of the threshold shift metric to predict the numbness reported by these subjects shows that it is closely associated with the tactile sensory changes occurring in their hands.     

随机光纤激光器中光纤与随机介质匹配问题的研究

降低阈值是随机激光实用化的前提, 随机光纤激光器是将随机增益介质填充到空芯光子晶体光纤中利 用其光子禁带来降低阈值的一种随机激光器. 理论分析表明: 在光子晶体光纤光子禁带的约束下, 随机光纤激光器中的大部分能量被集中在芯区传播, 这使局域在芯区的光与随机介质相互作用得到增强, 激发效率得以提高. 然而, 光纤填充介质后, 纤芯等效折射率发生了改变, 光子带隙也会随之移动, 因此当选用带隙光纤来降低阈值时, 只考虑光纤本身的带隙是不够的, 应考虑到介质的增益频率和填充后的光子带隙之间的匹配问题, 合理选择光纤或介质的材料, 如果匹配得当, 光子禁带对激光的调控能力会更强, 激光阈值有望得到更大程度的降低. 关键词： 随机激光 光子晶体光纤 光子禁带 阈值     

Auditory filter shapes in the chinchilla

Auditory filter shapes were determined for the chinchilla using the notched-noise technique [R. D. Patterson, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 59, 640-654 (1976)]. Here, the derivative of the curve relating threshold to masker gap width outlines the shape of the auditory filter. Three chinchillas were trained, using positive reinforcement techniques, to provide forward masked thresholds at 1.0 and 10.0 kHz, at three masker spectrum levels. Unexpectedly, the threshold curves contained inflection points and regions of constant or nonmonotonic changes in threshold, so that the derived filters contained dips in their central passbands. Nonmonotonic variations in threshold may be discerned in human threshold versus notch width functions of previously published studies, suggesting that the two types of data are qualitatively similar. The filters computed from the chinchilla data widened with increasing masker level and were more broadly tuned than those obtained in humans. The physiological response to each frequency component of any stimulus is likely a combination of excitation and suppression. Hence, one cannot predict masked threshold from the acoustic spectra of the maskers used here since they differ from their internal representations. Thus the threshold versus notch width function probably reflects the operation of both an auditory filter and a nonlinearity.     

Silicon before the bonds break

The diamond structure of silicon can be destroyed by a femtosecond-laser pulse in a process that is called nonthermal melting. Using a supercell of 800 atoms, we have performed ab initio molecular dynamics simulations on laser-excited potential energy surfaces for electronic excitation densities around the threshold for nonthermal melting. By introducing a quantitative measure for the resemblance of the atomic paths below and above this threshold, we show that the directions of the atomic motions are the same within 98% during 150–200 fs. The atomic pathways below the melting threshold, before the bonds break, are therefore quantitatively closely related to the atomic motions during the first stages of nonthermal melting.     

Enhancement of the electric field threshold for microwave breakdown by crossed magnetic field

The enhancement of breakdown threshold is of benefit to the high power microwave transmission. We propose a magnetic field in the transverse direction to the electric field to enhance the breakdown threshold. A theory of electric field threshold with crossed magnetic field for short pulse is developed, and verified by particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collision (PIC/MCC) simulations. The result shows that the crossed magnetic field can enhance the breakdown threshold significantly.     

Precision study of the eta3He system using the dp--> 3Heeta reaction

The differential and total cross sections for the dp--> 3Heeta reaction have been measured in a high precision high statistics COSY-ANKE experiment near threshold using a continuous beam energy ramp up to an excess energy Q of 11.3 MeV with essentially 100% acceptance. The kinematics allowed the mean value of Q to be determined to about 9 keV. Evidence is found for the effects of higher partial waves for Q >or= 4 MeV. The very rapid rise of the total cross section to its maximum value within 0.5 MeV of threshold implies a very large eta3He scattering length and hence the presence of a quasibound state extremely close to threshold.     

The effect of viscosity changes in the vocal folds on the range of oscillation

Changes in vocal fold oscillation threshold pressure were induced in excised canine larynges by experimentally causing fluid movement into and out of the vocal folds. The transport was facilitated by exposing the vocal folds to various osmotic solutions, and it was assumed that changes in hydration caused changes in the internal tissue viscosity. A range of oscillation threshold pressures was measured for each condition of hydration by varying length and glottal width. The oscillation threshold pressure shifted as predicted. Decreased hydration (increased viscosity) raised the threshold of oscillation, and increased hydration (decreased viscosity) lowered the threshold of oscillation. This apparently represents the first in vitro model for the study of the effect of viscosity changes of the internal environment of the vocal folds on phonation.     

To the theory of current transport in the mechanically controllable break junctions

The transport mechanisms for metal–molecule–metal junction after break are analyzed. Theoretical expression for the threshold voltage for transmission from the direct tunneling current to the Fowler–Nordheim tunneling is obtained and analyzed. It is show that threshold voltage depends on the electrode metal work function and displacement. With the increase in displacement the threshold voltage quickly decreases. Differential resistances for the low and high voltage modes increase with increasing in the displacement, and in the Fowler–Nordheim tunneling mode the differential resistance increases when voltage is decrease. It is shown that for the cases commonly used metals (Ag, Au, Pt) the threshold voltage is linearly dependent on the work function of metals.     

Threshold intensity and coefficient of raman scattering amplification in a high-<Emphasis Type="Italic">Q</Emphasis> bilayer microresonator during the formation of internal and external submicron photonic jets: A photonic nanojet in the near field

Using quantum and semiclassical approaches, the energy excitation threshold for induced Raman scattering is estimated and a relationship between the excitation threshold and the concentration of optically active molecules in a bilayer microresonator is established. Estimates are made during the formation of specially configured optical fields: internal and external photonic nanojets. Based on the amount of stored energy per mode and the value of the threshold intensity, an additional generalized selection rule for whispering gallery modes is suggested. It is shown that the bilayer microresonator can focus incident radiation (laser pumping) into a submicron focal volume at a low threshold intensity.     

Temporal summation by Pacinian corpuscles precludes entrainment at the detection threshold

For rapidly adapting mechanoreceptor afferents, entrainment is defined as a response of one spike per stimulus cycle. For Pacinian corpuscles, the entrainment threshold and psychophysical detection threshold are similar. The psychophysical threshold, however, exhibits temporal summation, which proves that the psychophysical threshold and the physiological entrainment threshold cannot be identical.     

The influence of the quality of ruby on the parameters of the Q-switched laser

The factors influencing energy threshold, slope efficiency and damage threshold of the Q-switched ruby laser are described. Energy output of crystals containing O^– centre (increased absorption near 430 nm) is not substantially decreased. Energy threshold increase and output decrease of the Q-switched ruby were also observed using rods with anomalous birefringence, whereas optical homogenity defined as a number of interference fringes is not so important as in the case of the free-running laser. Damage threshold due to laser radiation is decreased by the presence of divalent chromium, striations and to a lesser extent by the presence of inclusions.     

On the effect of the geometrical shape of a particle on threshold energy in erosion damage

The structural-temporal approach is used for analyzing the energy required for fracture. The behaviors of the threshold fracture energy in the impact of spherical and cylindrical particles against an elastic half-space are compared. It is shown that the threshold energy minimum can be attained using spherical particles. The plots of the dependence of the threshold energy on the impact duration and on the particle radius are constructed for the cases under investigation.     

Enhancement of Raman scattering by parametric mixing of the pump with its harmonic

A strong focusing of the pump laser is generally used to reduce the Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS) threshold, but it also produces a phase matching condition in the region of strong gain. This causes a large threshold for SRS in the near infrared due both to the increased diffraction limit and to the destructive interaction of antiStokes–Stokes processes. However the phase matching condition can be used to reduce the threshold by Raman parametric mixing (RPM) of the pump with the second harmonic generated by a fraction of pump. It this way we have observed a lowering of the threshold of about a factor 2.3 and an increase of the SRS of the pump.