Vestibular responses to loud dance music: a physiological basis of the "rock and roll threshold"?

In this paper new evidence is provided to indicate that vestibular responses may be obtained from loud dance music for intensities above 90 dB(A) SPL (Impulse-weighted). In a sample of ten subjects acoustically evoked EMG were obtained from the sternocleidomastoid muscle in response to a sample of techno music typical of that which may be experienced in a dance club. Previous research has shown that this response is vestibularly mediated since it can be obtained in subjects with loss of cochlear function, but is absent in subjects with loss of vestibular function (Colebatch et al. [J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. 57, 190-197 (1994)]. Given that pleasurable sensations of self-motion are widely sought after by more normal means of vestibular stimulation, it is suggested that acoustically evoked sensations of self-motion may account for the compulsion to exposure to loud music. Given further the similarity between the thresholds found, and the intensities and frequency distributions that are typical in rock concerts and dance clubs, it is also suggested that this response may be a physiological basis for the minimum loudness necessary for rock and dance music to work-the "rock and roll threshold".     

A New Formula for the Spectra of Axial Symmetric and Transition Nuclei and a Quantity to Identify the Nuclear γ Deformation

The analytical limits of a speacial potential of the Bohr Hamiltonian are discussed in detail.A new formula for the axial symmetric,triakial deformed and the γ-soft nuclei is presented.The nuclear γ deformation can be identified with this formula.The calculations of some nuclear yrast lines seproduce the experiment al results very Well,and the degree of the nuclear γ deformation is obtained.     

Adsorption of γ-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane on zinc: A study of the competition between thiol and silanol functions related to the age of the siloxane solution,its pH and the oxidation state of the surface

We describe the adsorption of γ–mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (γ-MPS) on zinc under various experimental conditions, including the age of the siloxane solution (t_ag), its pH (7 or 4), and the mode of preparation of the surface (RCA treatment or in situ polishing). It is shown by XPS studies that the structure of the adsorbed monolayer varies dramatically with the pH of the solution. At the natural pH of the siloxane solution (pH 7) where no hydrolysis of the SiOCH₃ group occurs, adsorption proceeds through the SH moiety and not through SiOCH₃ groups. This preferential attachment through SH is found whatever the age of the solution and the treatment of the zinc. It is confirmed by the fact that n-propyltrimethoxysilane (PSi) does not interact with the surface in the case of very old solutions (adsorption is not observed when Zn is polished in situ and only occurs with RCA zinc treatment for t_ag > 40 min). With siloxane solutions at pH 4, adsorption of γ-MPS is more complex and the structure of the adsorbed layer depends mainly on the age of the solution. With a fresh solution, hydrolysis is not very advanced and, as mentioned previously, adsorption occurs through the SH group. With older solutions and as a consequence of the progressive hydrolysis of the SiOCH₃ group to SiOH, the density of the grafted siloxane monolayer increases (6 min < t_ag < 10 min), followed by a mixed adsorption through SH and SiOH (10 min < t_ag < 40–50 min) revealed by the decrease in the normalised (Si2p/S2p)* intensity ratio. Finally, adsorption of dimers and oligomers is observed with still older siloxane solutions. In contrast to PSi whose adsorption on zinc is favoured by the RCA treatment, neither treatment of the surface changes the results significantly in the case of γ-MPS. Comparison with alkanethiols confirms the transition from monomer to dimer adsorption and IRRAS studies clearly indicate a condensation reaction between OH and SH groups.     

A method to predict the orientation relationship,interface planes and morphology between a crystalline precipitate and matrix: part II – application

A model based on near coincidence of diffraction intensity-weighted reciprocal lattice spots was used to study the orientation relationships between a precipitate and matrix in various alloys. The model was used to calculate the orientation relationship and interface orientations between phases including body-centred cubic, body-centred tetragonal, face-centred cubic and hexagonal close-packed crystals. Comparison of calculated results with those reported from various experimental observations demonstrate that in most cases the model can predict the orientation relationship between two phases with an accuracy of a few degrees or better. Calculation of the interface orientation was found to be very sensitive to the exact orientation relationship and therefore, in some cases, showed significant deviation from experimental observations.     

A critical analysis and a recent improvement of the two-dimensional model for solution–precipitation creep: application to silicon nitride ceramics

The step model is one of the most widely used models of solution–precipitation creep in polycrystalline ceramics with secondary glassy phases. However, it leads to unrealistic stress exponent values when two-dimensional step nucleation takes place at the grain boundaries. We present a modification of the original model of step nucleation that avoids such unreasonable values by considering in detail the precipitation (or solution) process. The modified model agrees with reported experimental results for ceramic systems in which it has been accepted that high-temperature plasticity occurs by solution–precipitation.     

Optimizing a class of linear multi-step methods for the approximate solution of the radial Schrödinger equation and related problems with respect to phase-lag

In this paper we consider a methodology of optimization of the efficiency of a numerical method for the approximate solution of the radial Schrödinger equation and related problems. More specifically, we show how the methodology of vanishing of the phase-lag and its derivatives optimizes the behaviour of a numerical method.     

Quantum cybernetics: a new perspective for Nelson's stochastic theory,nonlocality, and the Klein–Gordon equation

The Klein–Gordon equation is shown to be equivalent to coupled partial differential equations for a sub-quantum Brownian movement of a “particle”, which is both passively affected by, and actively affecting, a diffusion process of its generally nonlocal environment. This indicates circularly causal, or “cybernetic”, relationships between “particles” and their surroundings. Moreover, in the relativistic domain, the original stochastic theory of Nelson is shown to hold as a limiting case only, i.e., for a vanishing quantum potential.     

Atomic dynamics of the α-(Al,Si)CuFe alloy: A crystalline approximant of a quasicrystal...

The atomic dynamics of the Al_0.550Si_0.070Cu_0.255Fe_0.125 alloy with the structure that approximates the structure of an icosahedral quasicrystal with a similar chemical composition has been investigated using inelastic neutron scattering. The partial vibrational spectra of copper, iron, and aluminum atoms and the total spectrum of thermal vibrations of the compound have been directly reconstructed from the experimental data for the first time. A combined analysis of the results obtained and the data on the atomic dynamics of the i-AlCuFe icosahedral quasicrystal has been performed.     

A comparison of the Jacobian-free Newton–Krylov method and the EVP model for solving the sea ice momentum equation with a viscous-plastic formulation: A serial algorithm study

Numerical convergence properties of a recently developed Jacobian-free Newton–Krylov (JFNK) solver are compared to the ones of the widely used EVP model when solving the sea ice momentum equation with a Viscous-Plastic (VP) formulation. To do so, very accurate reference solutions are produced with an independent Picard solver with an advective time step of 10 s and a tight nonlinear convergence criterion on 10, 20, 40, and 80-km grids. Approximate solutions with the JFNK and EVP solvers are obtained for advective time steps of 10, 20 and 30 min. Because of an artificial elastic term, the EVP model permits an explicit time-stepping scheme with a relatively large subcycling time step. The elastic waves excited during the subcycling are intended to damp out and almost entirely disappear such that the approximate solution should be close to the VP solution. Results show that residual elastic waves cause the EVP approximate solution to have notable differences with the reference solution and that these differences get more important as the grid is refined. Compared to the reference solution, additional shear lines and zones of strong convergence/divergence are seen in the EVP approximate solution. The approximate solution obtained with the JFNK solver is very close to the reference solution for all spatial resolutions tested.     

Measurements of differential and angle-integrated cross sections for the ~(10)B(n, α)~7Li reaction in the neutron energy range from 1.0 eV to 2.5 MeV

Differential and angle-integrated cross sections for the ~(10)B(n,α)~7 Li,~(10)B(n,α_0) ~7 Li and ~(10)B(n,α_1) ~7 Li~*reactions have been measured at CSNS Back-n white neutron source.Two enriched(90%) ~(10)B samples 5.0 cm in diameter and～85.0 μg/cm~2 in thickness each with an aluminum backing were prepared,and back-to-back mounted at the sample holder.The charged particles were detected using the silicon-detector array of the Light-charged Particle Detector Array(LPDA) system.The neutron energy En was determined by TOF(time-of-flight) method,and the valid a events were extracted from the E_n-Amplitude two-dimensional spectrum.With 15 silicon detectors,the differential cross sections of a-particles were measured from 19.2°to 160.8°.Fitted with the Legendre polynomial series,the(n,a) cross sections were obtained through integration.The absolute cross sections were normalized using the standard cross sections of the ~(10)B(n,α) ~7 Li reaction in the 0.3-0.5 MeV neutron energy region.The measurement neutron energy range for the ~(10)B(n,α) ~7 Li reaction is 1.0 eV≤E_n 2.5 Me V(67 energy points),and that for the ~(10)B(n,α_0) ~7 Li and~(10)B(n,α_1) ~7 Li~*reactions is 1.0 eV≤E_n1.0 MeV(59 energy points).The present results have been analyzed by the resonance reaction mechanism and the level structure of the ~(11)B compound system,and compared with existing measurements and evaluations.     

Soliton,Breather and Rogue Wave Solutions for the Nonlinear Schrdinger Equation Coupled to a Multiple Self-Induced Transparency System

We derive an N-fold Darboux transformation for the nonlinear Schrdinger equation coupled to a multiple selfinduced transparency system, which is applicable to optical fiber communications in the erbium-doped medium.The N-soliton, N-breather and N th-order rogue wave solutions in the compact determinant representations are derived using the Darboux transformation and limit technique. Dynamics of such solutions from the first-to second-order ones are shown.     

Bright solitary waves on a torus: Existence,stability and dynamics for the nonlinear Schrödinger model

Motivated by recent developments in the realm of matter waves, we explore the potential of creating solitary waves on the surface of a torus. This is an intriguing perspective due to the role of curvature in the shape and dynamics of the coherent structures. We find different families of bright solitary waves for attractive nonlinearities including ones localized in both angular directions, as well as waves localized in one direction and homogeneous in the other. The waves localized in both angular directions have also been partitioned into two types: those whose magnitude decays to zero and those who do not. The stability properties of the waves are examined and one family is found to be spectrally stable in a suitable parametric regime while most are spectrally unstable, a feature that we comment on. Finally, the nature of the ensuing nonlinear dynamics is touched upon.     

Boron thin films and CR-39 detectors in BNCT: A method to measure the 10B(n,α)7Li reaction rate

The working principle of the Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is the selective delivery of a greater amount of boron to the tumor cells than to the healthy ones, followed by the neutron irradiation that will induce the emission of α-particles and recoil ⁷Li nuclei through the ¹⁰B(n,α)⁷Li reaction. The objective of this work is to present a setup composed of a boron thin film coupled with CR-39. Alpha and ⁷Li particle coming from the boron films are used to quantify neutron boron reaction and are detected by CR-39. The nuclei compounding of this detector, H, C and O, will undergo fast neutrons reactions, which will be detected in the CR-39 itself. In this way, the ¹⁰B(n,α)⁷Li reaction and the contribution of fast neutrons to the flux can be determined at the same time. These measurements are essential for treatment planning as well as for studies of the biodistribution of ¹⁰B-carrier drugs and tissue microdosimetry. The boron films were deposited on stainless steel substrates through the sputtering technique and irradiated with thermal neutrons at the reactor IEA-R1 located at IPEN, São Paulo/SP, Brazil. Here we show the first results on the characterization of these thin films and calibration of the proposed setup.