Perception of familiar contrasts in unfamiliar positions

This paper investigates the perception of non-native phoneme contrasts which exist in the native language, but not in the position tested. Like English, Dutch contrasts voiced and voiceless obstruents. Unlike English, Dutch allows only voiceless obstruents in word-final position. Dutch and English listeners' accuracy on English final voicing contrasts and their use of preceding vowel duration as a voicing cue were tested. The phonetic structure of Dutch should provide the necessary experience for a native-like use of this cue. Experiment 1 showed that Dutch listeners categorized English final /z/-/s/, /v/-/f/, /b/-/p/, and /d/-/t/ contrasts in nonwords as accurately as initial contrasts, and as accurately as English listeners did, even when release bursts were removed. In experiment 2, English listeners used vowel duration as a cue for one final contrast, although it was uninformative and sometimes mismatched other voicing characteristics, whereas Dutch listeners did not. Although it should be relatively easy for them, Dutch listeners did not use vowel duration. Nevertheless, they attained native-like accuracy, and sometimes even outperformed the native listeners who were liable to be misled by uninformative vowel duration information. Thus, native-like use of cues for non-native but familiar contrasts in unfamiliar positions may hardly ever be attained.     

A spectroscopic ellipsometric investigation of new critical points of Zn1−xMnxS epilayers

Zn_1−xMn_xS epilayers were grown on GaAs (1 0 0) substrates by hot-wall epitaxy. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed that all the epilayers have a zincblende structure. The optical properties were investigated using spectroscopic ellipsometry at 300 K from 3.0 to 8.5 eV. The obtained data were analyzed for determining the critical points of pseudodielectric function spectra, (E) = ₁(E) + i₂(E), such as E₀, E₀ + Δ₀, and E₁, and three E₂ (Σ, Δ, Γ) structures at a lower Mn composition range. These critical points were determined by analytical line-shapes fitted to numerically calculated derivatives of their pseudodielectric functions. The observation of new peaks, as well as the shifting and broadening of the critical points of Zn_1−xMn_xS epilayers, were investigated as a function of Mn composition by ellipsometric measurements for the first time. The characteristics of the peaks changed with increasing Mn composition. In particular, four new peaks were observed between 4.0 and 8.0 eV for Zn_1−xMn_xS epilayers, and their characteristics were investigated in this study.     

Li3xLa2/3-xTiO3的合成及其对pH值响应灵敏度的影响

采用溶胶-凝胶法,分别制得x=0.05、0.11、0.15的系列锂快离子导体陶瓷材料Li₃xLa_2/3-xTiO₃（以下简称LLTO）。应用X射线粉末衍射法对产物的结构和纯度予以表征,结果表明为钙钛矿型结构。在一定范围内其纯度随研磨时间、培烧时间及搅拌时间（采用溶胶-凝胶法）的增加而提高。将系列产物研磨、压片成型后应用于pH传感器,对水溶液中的氢离子浓度进行检测并比较其响应灵敏度,结果表明灵敏度随LLTO纯度的提高而增大。     

Fundamental frequency and tracheal pressure during three types of vocalizations elicited from anesthetized dogs

Electrical stimulation of the midbrain was used to elicit a variety of vocalizations from six anesthetized dogs. This study was conducted to investigate the ranges of and relationships between fundamental frequency of the vocalizations (F₀) and tracheal pressure (P_t) produced during the vocalizations. The vocalizations were described according to type (growl, howl, and whine); F₀ and P_t, as well as patterns of laryngeal muscle activity, were examined for each vocalization type. Natural-sounding growl and howl vocalizations were elicited from five dogs; three dogs also produced whines. With few exceptions, F₀ was categorically different for the three vocalization types (low for growls, average for howls, very high for whines). P_t values overlapped for the three vocalization types, although, on average, howls were produced with greater P_t than growls. Patterns and degrees of laryngeal muscle activity varied across and within vocalization types, but general findings were consistent with the presumed function of most of the muscles. Laryngeal muscle activity may help explain some of the variability in the acoustic and aerodynamic data.     

Abnormal uterine cavity: differential diagnosis with MR imaging

The objective of the study was to assess the usefulness of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in distinguishing malignant from benign conditions in patients with an abnormal uterine cavity. Fifty-four patients that were suspected of having abnormal uterine cavities were retrospectively evaluated by using MR imaging. The diagnosis of an abnormal uterine cavity included a thickened endometrium, and/or a endometrial mass, and/or a submucosal mass. Threshold values to classify the uterine cavity as abnormal on sagittal T₂-weighted images were >10 mm for premenopausal women and >5 mm for postmenopausal women. Malignancy was diagnosed when lesions invaded the myometrial/junctional zone, and/or lesion enhancement was lower than that of the adjacent myometrium. The results found that histology confirmed 18 malignant and 37 benign lesions. Twelve of 15 endometrial carcinomas and 3 malignant mixed mesodermal tumors (MMMT) were correctly characterized as malignant on enhanced T₁-weighted images; whereas 6 of 15 endometrial carcinomas and 3 MMMT were correctly characterized on T₂-weighted images. Thirty-four of 37 benign cases were correctly characterized as not malignant on enhanced T₁-weighted images. One of 14 submucosal leiomyomas, one endometrial stromal metaplasia, and one of ten pathologically normal endometria were misdiagnosed on enhanced T₁-weighted images but were correctly diagnosed on T₂-weighted images. The overall sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for distinguishing malignant from benign central uterine masses were 83%, 92%, and 89% for enhanced T₁-weighted image, and 50%, 97%, and 82% for T₂-weighted image, respectively. We came to the conclusion that in diagnosing patients with abnormal uterine cavity, MR imaging may help differentiate malignant from benign disorders.     

Growth mechanism and characterisation of chemically grown Sb doped Bi2Se3 thin films

The synthesis of combinatorial Bi_2−xSb_xSe₃ thin films by arrested precipitation technique (APT) using triethanolamine-bismuth, triethanolamine-antimony and sodium selenosulphite as sources of Bi³⁺, Sb³⁺ and Se²⁻, respectively is investigated on commercial glass substrates. The growth mechanism of film formation, composition and surface morphology of the as deposited films were studied as a function of preparative parameters and bath composition. The films were monophasic, polycrystalline and covered the surface of the substrate completely. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis gave coherent elemental composition indicating single phase BiSbSe₃ was made. The good results obtained for Bi_2−xSb_xSe₃ thin films revealed that arrested precipitation technique is best suited for the deposition of large area thin films on conducting/nonconducting substrates to produce materials for device applications.     

Infant speech-sound discrimination in noise

The effects of noise on 7- to 11-month-old infants' speech-sound discrimination (/ba/vs/ga/) were determined using a conditioned head-turn procedure. Variation in performance as a function of signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) was estimated by testing each infant at four S/N's (-8, 0, 8, and 16 dB). Adults were tested for comparison at four S/N's (-12, -8, -4, and 0 dB). The S/N's were chosen based on pilot data. Performance varied monotonically with S/N for both age groups, but infants required greater S/N than adults to achieve comparable levels of performance. Both groups were also tested using an adaptive (1-up, 1-down) threshold procedure with a 3-dB step size. There was a group mean difference in threshold of 5.8-dB S/N favoring the adults. Weighted group psychometric functions, derived from the responses obtained in the adaptive runs, showed good correspondence with the data points at the four S/N's. The slopes of these functions were the same (7.5%/dB) for infants and adults. The results suggest that infants are at a greater disadvantage than adults when processing speech in noise and that concern over the effects of a noisy environment on the acquisition of language is justified. In addition, the adaptive threshold procedure can be used as an efficient way to estimate the limits of discrimination ability as a function of S/N or intensity, both for individual subjects and for groups of subjects, in developmental research.     

Cortical auditory evoked potential correlates of categorical perception of voice-onset time.

The goal of this study was to examine the neural encoding of voice-onset time distinctions that indicate the phonetic categories /da/ and /ta/ for human listeners. Cortical Auditory Evoked Potentials (CAEP) were measured in conjunction with behavioral perception of a /da/-/ta/ continuum. Sixteen subjects participated in identification and discrimination experiments. A sharp category boundary was revealed between /da/ and /ta/ around the same location for all listeners. Subjects' discrimination of a VOT change of equal magnitude was significantly more accurate across the /da/-/ta/ categories than within the /ta/ category. Neurophysiologic correlates of VOT encoding were investigated using the N1 CAEP which reflects sensory encoding of stimulus features and the MMN CAEP which reflects sensory discrimination. The MMN elicited by the across-category pair was larger and more robust than the MMN which occurred in response to the within-category pair. Distinct changes in N1 morphology were related to VOT encoding. For stimuli that were behaviorally identified as /da/, a single negativity (N1) was apparent; however, for stimuli identified as /ta/, two distinct negativities (N1 and N1') were apparent. Thus the enhanced MMN responses and the morphological discontinuity in N1 morphology observed in the region of the /da/-/ta/ phonetic boundary appear to provide neurophysiologic correlates of categorical perception for VOT.     

Computation of etched track profiles in CR-39 and comparison with experimental results for light ions of different kinds and energies

Computation of etched track profiles needs the knowledge of the variable track etch rates along the ion trajectories. Using the depth-dependent track etch rates experimentally determined for perpendicularly incident protons, deuterons and alpha particles as well as ⁷Li, ¹¹B, ¹²C, ¹⁴N and ¹⁶O ions of different energies simulations of the track development were performed. Two models of track etching were applied for that purpose recently published in literature. Although the models are based on the same physical fundamentals the results are slightly different. The reasons of the discrepancies were found by analysing the algorithms in detail. Comparison of the calculated track profiles with those determined experimentally from longitudinal sections of the etch pits showed good agreement for non-overetched as well as overetched tracks. The consistency of the whole experimental data set was checked by analysing the correlation of the track etch rates with geometric track parameters for all kinds of ions and etching times covered by the experiments.     

Adult-child differences in acoustic cue weighting are influenced by segmental context: children are not always perceptually biased toward transitions

It has been proposed that young children may have a perceptual preference for transitional cues [Nittrouer, S. (2002). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 112, 711-719]. According to this proposal, this preference can manifest itself either as heavier weighting of transitional cues by children than by adults, or as heavier weighting of transitional cues than of other, more static, cues by children. This study tested this hypothesis by examining adults' and children's cue weighting for the contrasts /saI/-/integral of aI/, /de/-/be/, /ta/-/da/, and /ti/-/di/. Children were found to weight transitions more heavily than did adults for the fricative contrast /saI/-/integral aI/, and were found to weight transitional cues more heavily than nontransitional cues for the voice-onset-time contrast /ta/-/da/. However, these two patterns of cue weighting were not found to hold for the contrasts /de/-/be/ and /ti/-/di/. Consistent with several studies in the literature, results suggest that children do not always show a bias towards vowel-formant transitions, but that cue weighting can differ according to segmental context, and possibly the physical distinctiveness of available acoustic cues.     

Perceptual cues to the voiced-voiceless distinction of final fricatives for listeners with impaired or with normal hearing

Cues to the voicing distinction for final /f,s,v,z/ were assessed for 24 impaired- and 11 normal-hearing listeners. In base-line tests the listeners identified the consonants in recorded /d circumflex C/ syllables. To assess the importance of various cues, tests were conducted of the syllables altered by deletion and/or temporal adjustment of segments containing acoustic patterns related to the voicing distinction for the fricatives. The results showed that decreasing the duration of /circumflex/ preceding /v/ or /z/, and lengthening the /circumflex/ preceding /f/ or /s/, considerably reduced the correctness of voicing perception for the hearing-impaired group, while showing no effect for the normal-hearing group. For the normals, voicing perception deteriorated for /f/ and /s/ when the frications were deleted from the syllables, and for /v/ and /z/ when the vowel offsets were removed from the syllables with duration-adjusted vowels and deleted frications. We conclude that some hearing-impaired listeners rely to a greater extent on vowel duration as a voicing cue than do normal-hearing listeners.     

Vibrotactile identification of vowels

The ability of subjects to identify vowels in vibrotactile transformations of consonant-vowel syllables was measured for two types of displays: a spectral display (frequency by intensity), and a vocal tract area function display (vocal tract location by cross-sectional area). Both displays were presented to the fingertip via the tactile display of the Optacon transducer. In the first experiments the spectral display was effective for identifying vowels in /b/V/ context when as many as 24 or as few as eight spectral channels were presented to the skin. However, performance fell when the 12- and 8-channel displays were reduced in size to occupy 1/2 or 1/3 of the 24-row tactile matrix. The effect of reducing the size of the display was greater when the spectrum was represented as a solid histogram ("filled" patterns) than when it was represented as a simple spectral contour ("unfilled" patterns). Spatial masking within the filled pattern was postulated as the cause for this decline in performance. Another experiment measured the utility of the spectral display when the syllables were produced by multiple speakers. The resulting increase in response confusions was primarily attributable to variations in the tactile patterns caused by differences in vocal tract resonances among the speakers. The final experiment found an area function display to be inferior to the spectral display for identification of vowels. The results demonstrate that a two-dimensional spectral display is worthy of further development as a basic vibrotactile display for speech.     

CdS/膨润土复合材料的制备及其光催化性能

以CdCl₂和硫代乙酰胺为反应物,通过湿化学法合成CdS/膨润土复合材料,采用X射线衍射(XRD)、红外光谱(FTIR)以及紫外可见光谱(UV-Vis)等分析技术对其结构及光学性能进行表征。以罗丹明B和亚甲基蓝为目标污染物,考察了CdS/膨润土复合材料对有机染料的降解性能。结果表明:在罗丹明B和亚甲基蓝的初始浓度为20 mg/L 时,光照3 h后,CdS/膨润土对它们的降解率分别为80.6%和88.3%,优于CdS及膨润土原土催化剂。     

Preparation and characterization of nanocrystalline ITO thin films on glass and clay substrates by ion-beam sputter deposition method

Nanocrystalline indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were prepared on clay-1 (Clay-TPP-LP-SA), clay-2 (Clay-TPP-SA) and glass substrates using ion-beam sputter deposition method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed that the as-deposited ITO films on both clay-1 and clay-2 substrates were a mixture of amorphous and polycrystalline. But the as-deposited ITO films on glass substrates were polycrystalline. The surface morphologies of as-deposited ITO/glass has smooth surface; in contrast, ITO/clay-1 has rough surface. The surface roughnesses of ITO thin films on glass and clay-1 substrate were calculated as 4.3 and 83 nm, respectively. From the AFM and SEM analyses, the particle sizes of nanocrystalline ITO for a film thickness of 712 nm were calculated as 19.5 and 20 nm, respectively. Optical study showed that the optical transmittance of ITO/clay-2 was higher than that of ITO/clay-1. The sheet resistances of as-deposited ITO/clay-1 and ITO/clay-2 were calculated as 76.0 and 63.0 Ω/□, respectively. The figure of merit value for as-deposited ITO/clay-2 (12.70 × 10⁻³/Ω) was also higher than that of ITO/clay-1 (9.6 × 10⁻³/Ω), respectively. The flexibilities of ITO/clay-1 and ITO/clay-2 were evaluated as 13 and 12 mm, respectively. However, the ITO-coated clay-2 substrate showed much better optical and electrical properties as well as flexibility as compared to clay-1.     

Langendorff灌流心脏的31P NMR谱测定

测定了Langendorff灌流大鼠和兔心脏的³¹P NMR谱.观测到PCr、ATP、SP、P_i以及PME和GPC等含磷代谢物的共振峰,各谱峰之间实现了很好的分辨.在3~5min的累加时间内测得的图谱具有较好的S/N,可用于以上含磷代谢物的定量测定,以高能含磷化合物ATP和PCr相对峰强度以及冠脉流量的变化对灌流大鼠心脏代谢的稳定性进行了考察,结果表明,在本实验条件下大鼠心脏的能量储存至少可稳定2h,用所建方法以3min的时间间隔对同一大鼠心脏缺血21min及再灌注12min过程中心脏的³¹P NMR谱进行了连续跟踪测定,并初步观测了缺血及再灌注过程中心肌细胞内ATP、PCr与P_i之间的消长关系.     

FTIR结合化学计量学对三七地下部位鉴别及皂苷含量预测

当今中药市场上掺假现象屡见不鲜，不良商贩利用三七须根粉末假冒主根和剪口粉末，严重影响三七的质量与药效。通过傅里叶变换红外光谱(FTIR)结合化学计量学建立三七主根、剪口和须根粉末鉴别及四种皂苷含量快速预测模型，为快速三七质量控制提供基础。采集三七主根、剪口和须根红外光谱，超高效液相色谱(UPLC)测量样品中三七皂苷R₁、人参皂苷Rg₁、人参皂苷Rb₁和人参皂苷Rd含量。采用纵坐标归一化及二阶导数对原始红外光谱进行预处理；Kennard-stone算法将60个样本分为2/3训练集与1/3预测集。训练集数据结合支持向量机(SVM)判别建立三七主根、剪口和须根粉末鉴别模型，最佳核函数c和g采用交叉验证进行网格式搜索，预测集数据用于对判别模型进行外部验证。正交信号校正偏最小二乘回归(OSC-PLSR)建立三七中四种皂苷含量预测模型，红外光谱采用一阶、二阶导数及Savitsky-Golay平滑5点、7点、9点、11点预处理。60个样本分为2/3训练集与1/3预测集，训练集数据建立OSC-PLSR模型，预测集数据对OSC-PLSR模型的预测结果进行外部验证。结果显示： (1)二阶导数可有效的分离原始谱图的叠合隐蔽谱峰，并提高谱图的分辨率；(2)交叉验证网格式搜索计算出最佳核函数c=2.828 43，g=4.882 81×10-4，此时训练集判别正确率为100%；(3)SVM判别模型核函数设置为最佳核函数，预测集数据外部验证正确率为100%，所有样本均被正确鉴别；(4)三七皂苷R₁、人参皂苷Rg₁、人参皂苷Rb₁和人参皂苷Rd最优含量预测模型预测值与UPLC检测值接近，预测效果良好。FTIR结合SVM判别能对三七主根、剪口和须根粉末快速鉴别，结合OSC-PLSR能对四种皂苷含量进行准确预测。该方法准确可靠，可为中药材三七提供快速有效的质量控制。     

静电纺丝法制备聚丙烯腈/银纳米粒子复合纳米纤维及其SERS特性

利用静电纺丝技术制备了一种聚丙烯腈/银纳米粒子复合纳米纤维的表面增强拉曼光谱基底。通过调节聚丙烯腈溶液的浓度可得到不同直径、不同厚度的纤维薄膜,将聚丙烯腈的N,N-二甲基甲酰胺溶液与硝酸银溶液混合得到聚丙烯腈/Ag种子溶液,然后利用静电纺丝技术制备聚丙烯腈/Ag种子/AgNO₃复合纳米纤维;加入AgNO₃并利用水合肼二次还原后可制备适合拉曼检测的聚丙烯腈/Ag纳米粒子复合纤维膜,聚合物纤维表面和内部的金属纳米粒子的密度可调节。通过调节不同的纳米粒子的密集程度,可构筑出具有较高的电磁场增强效果的特殊的“热”结构(高局域强电磁场的亚波长区域)。而聚合物纤维内部的银纳米粒子可通过溶胀作用吸附更多的探针分子,提高拉曼检测的灵敏度。该基底有很好的SERS信号,并且可大规模制备。     

Phosphorus-doped carbon nanoparticles supported palladium electrocatalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in PEM water electrolysis

Hydrogen production by PEM water electrolysis is one of the most efficient methods, due to the produced high purity of gases, high efficiency, and devoid of harmful emissions. In this study, phosphorus-doped carbon nanoparticles (P-CNPs) were synthesized by spray pyrolysis method in chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The synthesized P-CNPs were used as electron carrier support materials for the preparation of P-CNPs-supported palladium (Pd/P-CNPs) electrocatalyst and also used as the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrode in PEM water electrolysis. These synthesized Pd/P-CNPs were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and cyclic voltammetry methods. The membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) were fabricated using Pd/P-CNPs as a cathode catalyst for the HER and RuO₂ as the anode for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The fabricated MEA electrochemical performances along with their corresponding yields of hydrogen production were evaluated in PEM water electrolyzer single cell assemblies at various experimental conditions. The obtained results showed that the synthesized Pd/P-CNPs observed a current density of 1 A cm^?2 at 2 V at 80 °C. Further, long-term stability tested for up to 500 h continuously and showed the reasonable stability with similar electrochemical activity compared to commercial Pt/CB. Hence, the synthesized Pd/P-CNPs could be used as the alternative to Pt-based catalysts for HER.     

定量核磁共振氢谱测定新药替格瑞洛

本文建立了基于核磁共振氢谱（¹H NMR）测定新药替格瑞洛绝对含量的方法.采用Bruker Avance 300型NMR谱仪,以磺胺多辛为内标;以替格瑞洛中质子信号δ_H 7.14（2H,m）和δ_H 7.04（1H,s）,磺胺多辛质子信号δ_H 8.04（1H,s）、δ_H 7.73（2H,d）和δ_H 6.54（2H,d）作为定量峰;以氘代甲醇（CD₃OD）为溶剂进行测定.测定条件为：探头温度为308 K,谱宽为3 511.5 Hz,中心频率为1 470.6 Hz,脉冲翻转角为θ=30°,延迟时间为10 s,采样次数为16,线宽因子为0.3 Hz.在此实验条件下,替格瑞洛样品与内标磺胺多辛的定量峰分离良好,实验结果精密度较高、重复性较好、线性范围较宽,其线性拟合方程为：Y=1.053X-0.081（r=0.996,n=5）.最终测得样品中替格瑞洛含量为99.4%,相对标准偏差（RSD）为0.20%.该方法简便、准确、快速,适用于替格瑞洛样品的绝对含量测定.     

Speech intelligibility studies in classrooms

Speech intelligibility tests and acoustical measurements were made in ten occupied classrooms. Octave-band measurements of background noise levels, early decay times, and reverberation times, as well as various early/late sound ratios, and the center time were obtained. Various octave-band useful/detrimental ratios were calculated along with the speech transmission index. The interrelationships of these measures were considered to evaluate which were most appropriate in classrooms, and the best predictors of speech intelligibility scores were identified. From these results ideal design goals for acoustical conditions for classrooms were determined either in terms of the 50-ms useful/detrimental ratios or from combinations of the reverberation time and background noise level.