Where Is a Singer''s Voice if It Is Placed “Forward”?

Singing teachers sometimes characterize voice quality in terms of "forward" and "backward" placement. In view of our traditional knowledge about voice production it is hard to explain any possible acoustic or articulatory differences between the voices so "placed." The analysis of the teachers' expert opinions demonstrates that, in general, a voice placed "forward" indicates a desirable quality that students should attain by the end of their studies. Productions that were perceived as "forward" and "backward" were selected from the listening test. The acoustic analysis of those productions reveals that the voice quality in the case of "forward" placement correlates with higher frequencies of the second (F2) and third (F3) formants, as well as with a more salient "singer's formant" in the voice. The five basic vowels were included in the investigation.     

新石器时期人造石灰的判别方法研究

考古发掘表明,我国新石器晚期已经大量使用"白灰面"建筑涂料,这种建筑涂料,不仅坚固、美观、卫生,而且有一定的防潮作用,考古学家推测,这种建筑涂料很可能就是我国早期人工烧制的石灰.为此,本工作采用红外光谱分析方法,对取自陶寺遗址的"白灰面"、"白条石"做了红外光谱的对比研究.结果表明,"白灰面"与"白条石"红外光谱的v2/v4比值明显不同,反应了二者碳酸钙晶体的无序度有较大区别,从而说明经过煅烧而得到的白灰面,即人工烧制的石灰是町以通过红外光谱方法鉴定的,这为我国行灰起源研究提供了一种简单易行的判别方法.此外,本工作还借助显微镜与红外光谱分析方法研究了白灰面中掺和料,结果表明白灰面中的掺和料为纤维素类物质.     

General quantum measurements: Local transition maps

On the basis of four physically motivated assumptions, it is shown that a general quantum measurement of commuting observables can be represented by a local transition map, a special type of positive linear map on a von Neumann algebra. In the case that the algebra is the bounded operators on a Hilbert space, these local transition maps share two properties of von Neumann-type measurements: they decrease matrix elements of states and increase their entropy. It is also shown that local transition maps have all the properties of a conditional expectation of a von Neumann algebra onto a subalgebra except that their range is not restricted to the subalgebra. The notion of locality arises from requiring that a quantum measurement may be treated classically when restricted to the commutative algebra generated by the measured observables. The formalism established applies to observables with arbitrary spectrum. In the case that the spectrum is continuous we have only incomplete measurements.     

The role of release bursts in the perception of [s]-stop clusters

The role of the release burst as a cue to the perception of stop consonants following [s] was investigated in a series of studies. Experiment 1 demonstrated that silent closure duration and burst duration can be traded as cues for the "say"-"stay" distinction. Experiment 2 revealed a similar trading relation between closure duration and burst amplitude. Experiments 3 and 4 suggested, perhaps surprisingly, that absolute, not relative, burst amplitude is important. Experiment 5 demonstrated that listener's sensitivity to bursts in a labeling task is at least equal to their sensitivity in a burst detection task. Experiments 6 and 7 replicated the trading relation between closure duration and burst amplitude for labial stops in the "slit"-"split" and "slash"-"splash" distinctions, although burst amplification, in contrast to attenuation, had no effect. All experiments revealed that listeners are remarkably sensitive to the presence of even very weak release bursts.     

Nature of the constant-loss dielectric response of various crystals and glasses

For a wide range of crystalline materials and glasses, it has been shown that, at low temperatures, the ac conductivity () is proportional to frequency , corresponding to a loss per cycle that is independent of frequency. This paper explores the features of this constant-loss behavior, showing that it is a truly bulk phenomenon, that it is only slowly dependent on temperature (i.e., not activated) and, in the case of glasses, that it does not give rise to a mixed alkali effect. The pair approximation model with hopping over an asymmetric barrier is fitted to some of the results, but doubts remain as to whether this model is appropriate for systems with low defect concentrations.     

Selection rules for topology change

It is shown that there are restrictions on the possible changes of topology of space sections of the universe if this topology change takes place in a compact region which has a Lorentzian metric and spinor structure. In particular, it is impossible to create a single wormhole or attach a single handle to a spacetime but it is kinematically possible to create such wormholes in pairs. Another way of saying this is that there is a ₂ invariant for a closed oriented 3-manifold which determines whether can be the spacelike boundary of a compact manifoldM which admits a Lorentzian metric and a spinor structure. We evaluate this invariant in terms of the homology groups of and find that it is the mod2 Kervaire semi-characteristic.     

Small deviations from local equilibrium for a process which exhibits hydrodynamical behavior. I

The symmetric simple exclusion process where infinitely many particles move randomly on , jump with equal probability on nearest-neighbor sites, and interact by simple exclusion is considered. It is known that the only extremal invariant measures are Bernoulli, that each measure, in a suitable class, after a macroscopic time is locally described, at a zero-order approximation, by a Bernoulli measure with parameter depending on macroscopic space and time, and that the so-defined equilibrium profile satisfies the heat equation. Small deviations from local equilibrium in the hydrodynamical limit are investigated. It is proven, under suitable assumptions, that at first order the state is Gibbs with one- and two-body potentials whose strength depends only on macroscopic space and time and on the equilibrium profile. More precisely, the one-body potential is linear (on the microscopic positions of the particles) and proportional to the macroscopic space gradient of the equilibrium parameter at that time, so that Fourier law holds. The two-body potential varies on a macroscopic scale and does not depend on the microscopic positions of the particles; it is given by the value of the covariance of the Gaussian macroscopic density fluctuation field.     

Photo-CIDNP study of the splitting of the dinucleotidecis,syn-thymine dimer with reduced flavin as a sensitizer: Evidence for a thymine radical anion intermediate

Photochemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (photo-CIDNP) studies were performed on the splitting ofcis,syn 2′-deoxythymidylyl-(3′→5′)-2′-deoxythymidine cyclobutane dimer (cs-dTp dT), using reduced flavin as a sensitizer. This system serves as a model for the light-induced repair mechanism of thymine dimers in DNA by the enzyme photolyase. The CIDNP spectrum shows enhanced absorption of the two C6-H protons of the corresponding monomer dTpdT, which demonstrates that a thymine radical anion is involved in the splitting of the dimer. This is supported by a similar CIDNP spectrum that is obtained with the electron-donorN _α-acetyl tryptophan as a sensitizer. This result suggests that the light-induced splitting of thymine dimers in DNA by photolyase also proceedsvia the thymine radical anion. The small difference in intensity of the two CIDNP signals belonging to the C6-H protons shows that the unpaired electron in the monomer radical has a slight preference for the thymine moiety at the 5′ terminus.     

Relative coarse-graining

The problem of statistical inference based on a partial measurement (coarse-graining) requires the specification of an a priori distribution. We reformulate the ordinary theory such as to encompass systematically a wide range of a priori distributions (relative coarse-graining). This is done in a mathematical setting which admits an interpretation in both classical probability and quantum mechanics. The formalism is illustrated in a few simple examples, such as the die whose geometrical shape is known, the spin in thermal equilibrium with an unknown reservoir, and the position measurement of a one-dimensional particle. It is shown that some of the limitations of the usual theory are a consequence of the fact that it is restricted to equidistributed (symmetric) a priori states.     

Quantum mechanics versus realism

Quantum theory accepts the point-like indivisible (classical) character of a particle as a mere product of a measuring process, or what has become known as a collapse. Following the notion of empty waves, which accepts the particle as a real existent entity without regard to the measurement process, we propose an experiment that may shed some light on the reality of the particle and the consequences of that reality.     

The theory of a bulk photo-voltaic phenomenon in semi-conductors

It is shown theoretically that for a photo-voltaic phenomenon in semi-conductors to exist neither the presence of localised potential barriers with rectifying properties at the contact of a semi-conductor with a metal (Mott's theory 1939) or at a p-n junction (Sosnowski, 1947) nor the presence of non-rectifying contacts (Dember's phenomenon, Lashkarev's theory 1948) is necessary. The case is considered that the illuminated part of the semi-conductor is sufficiently distant from both contacts so that these will not assert themselves; further, it is assumed that there are no localised potential barriers in the semi-conductor. Under these conditions a photo-voltage is produced in a semi-conductor if its conductivity varies throughout its length in such a way that in the dark it is different at the beginning and end of the illuminated part. For this type of non-barrier and non-contact photo-voltage we propose the name bulk photo-voltage. The underlying law of this phenomenon, the general procedure for calculating the photo-voltage, an approximation for weak illumination and the dependence on the intensity of illumination are derived and its physical aspects are discussed.     

方解石棱镜分束角高度对称性的设计

研究ｏ、ｅ双输出棱镜分束角的对称性。指出经特殊设计的双渥拉斯顿棱镜产生的ｏ、ｅ光的分束角具有高度的对称性。     

Substantivalism, Relationism, and Structural Spacetime Realism

Debates about the ontological implications of the general theory of relativity have long oscillated between spacetime substantivalism and relationism. I evaluate such debates by claiming that we need a third option, which I refer to as structural spacetime realism. Such a tertium quid sides with the relationists in defending the relational nature of the spacetime structure, but joins the substantivalists in arguing that spacetime exists, at least in part, independently of particular physical objects and events, the degree of independence being given by the extent to which geometrical laws exist over and above physical events exemplifying them. By showing that structural spacetime realism is the natural outcome of a semantic, model-theoretic approach to the nature of scientific theories, I conclude by arguing that the notion of partial isomorphic representation is the most plausible candidate to connect spacetime models with reality.     

MV-Algebra Pasting

Z. Rieanová proved that every D-lattice is a set-theoretical union of MV-algebras. These MV-algebras are blocks in the D-lattice. There is a dual question: How can we construct a D-poset from a given collection of MV-algebras. To solve this problem we use the pasting technique. We define an admissible system of MV-algebras and we prove that the pasting of this system is a D-poset.     

Uniqueness of Gibbs State for Nonideal Gas in ℝ d : The Case of Pair Potentials

We consider a classical gas of particles in ^d interacting via a pair potential. We prove that in a given region of the (, ) plane, where is the inverse temperature, and is the chemical potential, either the Gibbs state is unique or it does not exist. Our method uses a version of the well-known Dobrushin uniqueness theorem adapted for lattice systems with a noncompact spin space and proved by Dobrushin and Pechersky. The advantage of this version is that using it one needs to check Dobrushin's contraction condition not for all boundary configurations, but only for those that have spin values in some compact subset of the spin space.     

Remarks on the Magnetic Top

We revisit via a path-integral approach the magnetic top proposed recently by Barut, Boi, and Mari. We point out that the magnetic top has the SU(2) symmetry and that it can be viewed as a free top seen from a rotating frame. We present an alternative path-integral quantization of the magnetic top on the basis of the symmetry, and show that the magnetic coupling does not participate in altering the spin quantum numbers.