Mechanisms of modulation gap detection

It has been postulated that the central auditory system contains an array of modulation filters, each responsive to a different range of modulation frequencies present at the outputs of the (peripheral) auditory filters. In the present experiments, we tested what we call the "dip hypothesis," that a gap in modulation is detected using the "dip" in the output of the modulation filter tuned to the modulator frequency. In experiment 1, the task was to detect a gap in the sinusoidal amplitude modulation imposed on a 4-kHz carrier. The modulator preceding the gap ended with a positive-going zero-crossing. There were three conditions, differing in the phase at which the modulator started at the end of the gap; zero-phase, at a positive-going zero-crossing; pi-phase, at a negative-going zero-crossing; and "preserved" phase, at the phase the modulator would have had if it had continued without interruption. Modulation frequencies were 5, 10, 20, and 40 Hz. Psychometric functions for detection of the gap were measured using a two-alternative forced-choice task. For the zero-phase and preserved-phase conditions, the detectability index, d', increased monotonically with increasing gap duration. For the pi-phase condition, performance was good (d' > 1) for small gap durations, and initially worsened with increasing gap duration, before improving again for longer gap durations. This is the pattern of results expected from the dip hypothesis, provided that the modulation filters have Q values of 2 or more. However, it is also possible that a rhythm cue was used to improve performance in the pi-phase condition for short gap durations; the introduction of the gap markedly disrupted the regular rhythm produced by the modulator peaks. In experiment 2, the rhythm cue was disrupted by varying the modulator period randomly around its nominal value, except for the modulator periods immediately before and after the gap. This markedly impaired performance, and resulted in psychometric functions that were very similar for the zero-phase and pi-phase conditions. This pattern of results is inconsistent with the dip hypothesis. For both experiments, modulation gap "thresholds" (d' approximately 1) were roughly constant when expressed as a proportion of the modulator period. Possible mechanisms of modulation gap detection are discussed and evaluated.     

Behaviour of copper(II) and nickel(II) dialkyldithiocarbamates on polar and non-polar stationary phases

Summary Fifteen Dialkyldithiocarbamate complexes each of copper(II) and Ni(II) have been prepared and the retention times of these complexes have been measured on the non-polar OV-101 phase and the polar NGA and OV-225 phases. The relationship has been studied between the retention characteristics of the complexes and their structure. The lenght of the alkyl substituent, regarded as a steric hindrance, turned out to affect the retention of the complexes on the non-polar phases.

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Verhalten von Kupfer(II)- und Nickel(II)-dialkyldithiocarbamaten auf polaren und unpolaren stationären Phasen

Zusammenfassung Je 15 Dialkyldithiocarbamatkomplexe von Kupfer(II) und Nickel(II) wurden dargestellt und ihre Retentionszeiten auf der unpolaren Phase OV-101 sowie den polaren Phasen NGA und OV-225 gemessen. Die Beziehung zwischen der Retentionscharakteristik der Komplexe und ihrer Struktur wurde untersucht. Es zeigte sich, daß die Länge des Alkylsubstituenten (als sterische Hinderung) die Retention auf der unpolaren Phase beeinträchtigt.

     

Interferometric technique for measuring broadband ultrashort pulses at the sampling limit

We present a new technique for measuring ultrashort optical pulses by use of spectral phase interferometry for direct electric-field reconstruction that is suitable for large bandwidth pulses. The method does not require generation of a replica of the pulse to be measured and encodes the spectral phase information in a spatial interference pattern. A major advantage of this method is that the spectral sampling saturates the Whittaker-Shannon bound. Moreover, the technique allows for the characterization of some types of space-time coupling. An experimental demonstration of the technique is presented.     

Numerical study of light correlations in a random medium close to the Anderson localization threshold

We applied a finite-difference time domain algorithm to the study of field and intensity correlations in random media. Close to the onset of Anderson localization, we observe deviations of the correlation functions, in both shape and magnitude, from those predicted by the diffusion theory. Physical implications of the observed phenomena are discussed.     

Analysis of Phosphorescence Decay in Heterogeneous Systems: Consequences of Finite Excitation Flash Duration

Analysis of phosphorescence lifetimes using the Stern-Volmer equation is a reliable means of determining quencher concentration for a uniform sample. Methods of analysis for heterogeneous systems are based on the assumption that the excitation is produced by a momentary flash. This condition is an idealization because a real flash has a finite duration and a complex time profile. In the case of a heterogeneous quencher concentration, an excitation flash produces different initial intensities and different times of peak intensity from compartments having different concentrations of quencher. We formulated a model to explore the effects of flash duration on the shape of the emission curve obtained from systems in which the heterogeneity is continuous. We developed mathematical models that can be used to recover fitting parameters of continuous distributions of reciprocal lifetimes approximated as rectangular or Gaussian distributions, or an arbitrary histogram. We also formulated a procedure to convert the distribution of reciprocal lifetimes into a volume distribution of quencher concentration. We found that (1) the Stern-Volmer ratio of phosphorescence intensities cannot be employed for interpretation of pulse phosphorometric data in terms of a volume distribution of quencher; (2) shortening the flash duration decreases the difference of initial intensities between compartments having high and low quencher concentration; (3) the parameters of the volume distribution of quencher concentration can be recovered correctly only after taking account of the difference in initial intensities; and (4) calibration of the initial intensities for a given fitting delay and flash function is necessary.     

On spherical expansions of zonal functions on Euclidean spheres

This paper describes a new approach to the problem of computing spherical expansions of zonal functions on Euclidean spheres. We derive an explicit formula for the coefficients of the expansion expressing them in terms of the Taylor coefficients of the profile function rather than (as done usually) in terms of its integrals against Gegenbauer polynomials. Our proof of this result is based on a polynomial identity equivalent to the canonical decomposition of homogeneous polynomials and uses only basic properties of this decomposition together with simple facts concerning zonal harmonic polynomials. As corollaries, we obtain direct and apparently new derivations of the so-called plane wave expansion and of the expansion of the Poisson kernel for the unit ball. Received: 26 January 2007