Quantitative assessment of second language learners' fluency: comparisons between read and spontaneous speech

This paper describes two experiments aimed at exploring the relationship between objective properties of speech and perceived fluency in read and spontaneous speech. The aim is to determine whether such quantitative measures can be used to develop objective fluency tests. Fragments of read speech (Experiment 1) of 60 non-native speakers of Dutch and of spontaneous speech (Experiment 2) of another group of 57 non-native speakers of Dutch were scored for fluency by human raters and were analyzed by means of a continuous speech recognizer to calculate a number of objective measures of speech quality known to be related to perceived fluency. The results show that the objective measures investigated in this study can be employed to predict fluency ratings, but the predictive power of such measures is stronger for read speech than for spontaneous speech. Moreover, the adequacy of the variables to be employed appears to be dependent on the specific type of speech material investigated and the specific task performed by the speaker.     

Subtracted shifted Raman spectroscopy of organic dyes and lakes

Resonance Raman spectroscopy has been utilized to identify vegetal and animal dyes and lakes. These compounds have been used by artists since antiquity, and their identification has important implications in art history and conservation. The resonance condition is useful when working with real ancient objects so as to enhance the Raman scattering of chromophores with respect to the strong signal of the matrix, such as the textile or parchment over which the colorant is supported. The strong fluorescence that generally characterizes the resonance Raman spectra was eliminated by using subtracted shifted Raman spectroscopy (SSRS). A systematic study on reference organic dyes was primarily carried out to evaluate the suitability of the method and to estimate the strengths and limitations of the spectrum reconstruction process. The method was then applied to the noninvasive identification of madder on ancient dyed silk textiles such as an altar table cloth and a manutergium attributed to the Egyptian artistic textile production of the 10th–11th Century A.D. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Enhancement of proton mobility and mitigation of methanol crossover in sPEEK fuel cells by an organically modified titania nanofiller

An organically functionalized titania, TiO₂-RSO₃H, was evaluated as filler in sulfonated polyetheretherketone (sPEEK)-based composite membranes for application in high temperature direct methanol fuel cells. The presence of propylsulfonic acid groups covalently bound onto the TiO₂ surface and the nanometric nature of the additive were analyzed by Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. The properties of the sPEEK/TiO₂-RSO₃H composite membranes were compared with those of the pure sPEEK membranes and those of the sPEEK/TiO₂ composite membranes containing pristine titania nanoparticles at same filler content. Water and methanol transport properties were investigated by NMR methods, including relaxation times and self-diffusion coefficients as function of temperature (up to 130 °C), and pressure (from 0 up to 2 kbar). The incorporation of the nanoadditivies in the sPEEK polymer demonstrates considerable effects on the morphology and stiffness of the membranes, as well as on the transport properties and barrier effect to the methanol crossover. In particular, the functionalization by propylsulfonic acid groups promotes a higher reticulation between the polymeric chains, increasing the tortuosity of the methanol diffusional paths, so reducing the molecular diffusion, while the proton mobility increases being favored by the Grotthus-type mechanism. Conductivity measurements point out that the filler surface functionalization avoids the reduction of the overall proton conduction of the electrolyte due to the embedding of the low-conducting TiO₂. Finally, remarkable improvements were found when using the sPEEK/TiO₂-RSO₃H composite membrane as electrolyte in a DMFC, in terms of reduced methanol crossover and higher current and power density delivered.     

Towards a semiquantitative non invasive characterisation of Tyrian purple dye composition: Convergence of UV–Visible reflectance spectroscopy and fast-high temperature-high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection

In this paper, partial least square (PLS) regression is innovatively applied for a semi-quantitative non invasive study of the most precious dye of Antiquity: Tyrian purple. This original approach for the study of organic dyes in the cultural heritage field, is based on the correlation of spectrophotometric (UV–Visible) and chromatographic (Fast-HT-HPLC-PDA) data from an extensive set of textiles prepared with different snail species according to historical recipes. A cross-validated PLS model, based on the quantity of 6,6′-dibromoindigotin, displays an excellent correlation factor (R²Y = 0.987) between values determined by chromatography and those predicted from reflectance spectra. This indicates that the spectral features of Tyrian purple on textile fibre is strictly related to the amount of this indigoid component whose content may be non invasively predicted from reflectance spectrum. The studied correlation also highlights that, independently of the dyeing method and nature of the textile fibre used, the relative content of 6,6′-dibromindigotin may be used as a parameter to distinguish samples prepared with Hexaplex trunculus L. snails from those prepared with further mollusc species. To validate this model, archaeological textile fragments dating from the Roman period were successfully examined. The results achieved open an absolutely new way in Tyrian purple analysis in cultural heritage by non invasive spectroscopic techniques attesting their convergence with HPLC and giving them a semi-quantitative value.     

Synthesis and evaluation of hexitol nucleoside congeners as ambiguous nucleosides

A series of anhydrohexitol nucleoside congeners was synthesized as ambiguous or so-called universal nucleosides and was evaluated for their hybridization potential and discrimination properties. The 1,5-anhydro-2,3-dideoxy-2-(5-nitroindazol-1-yl)-d-arabino-hexitol 4e showed the lower spread in T_m values upon hybridization to the natural bases, with minimal destabilization, and therefore behaved as a true ambiguous nucleoside.     

Construction of giant dendrimers using a tripodal building block

Giant pentane-soluble organo-silicon dendrimers have been synthesized using a triallylphenol brick according to a new divergent construction that uses a hydrosilylation-nucleophilic substitution sequence up to the ninth generation (G(9)). All the reactions were monitored by (1)H, (13)C, and (29)Si NMR until G(9), indicating that they were clean at the NMR accuracy until this last generation. MALDI TOF mass spectra were recorded for G(1) to G(4) and show the nature and amounts of defects that are intrinsic to the divergent construction. This technique and SEC (recorded up to G(5)) confirm the monodispersity (1.00 to 1.02) from G(1) to G(5). HRTEM and AFM images recorded for the high generations disclose the expected smooth dendrimer size progression and the globular shape. At G(9), the theoretical number of termini (TNT) is 177 407 branches (abbreviation: G(9)-177 047). It is estimated that more than 10(5) terminal branches are actually present in the G(9) dendrimer, far beyond the De Gennes "dense-packing" limit (6000 branches), and it is believed that the branch termini turn inside the dendrimer toward the core. This is corroborated by lower reaction rates and yields for the highest generation numbers presumably due to intradendritic reactions. It is probable that the dendritic construction is limited by the density of branches inside the dendrimer, i.e., far beyond the dense-packing limit.     

Carbonaceous components in atmospheric aerosol: measurement procedures and characterization

Carbonaceous material in the particulate matter was measured in Rome urban area. The carbonaceous material constitutes a significant component of total aerosol mass (30-40%) and it is composed by two main fractions, elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC). EC is essentially a primary pollutant emitted directly from incomplete combustion processes whereas OC has both primary and secondary origin. A chemical OC investigation has been carried out in order to determine the nalkanes, the n-alkanoic acids, the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitro-PAHs by means an HRGC-MS procedure. A different seasonal distribution of these compound classes attributed to photochemical radical activity (n-alkanes and PAH decrease in spring- and summertime) and to biogenic plant emission (n-alkanoic acid increase in summertime) has been evidenced.     

Direct screening of herbal blends for new synthetic cannabinoids by MALDI‐TOF MS

Since 2004, a number of herbal blends containing different synthetic compounds mimicking the pharmacological activity of cannabinoids and displaying a high toxicological potential have appeared in the market. Their availability is mainly based on the so‐called “e‐commerce”, being sold as legal alternatives to cannabis and cannabis derivatives. Although highly selective, sensitive, accurate, and quantitative methods based on GC–MS and LC–MS are available, they lack simplicity, rapidity, versatility and throughput, which are required for product monitoring. In this context, matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization‐time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS) offers a simple and rapid operation with high throughput. Thus, the aim of the present work was to develop a MALDI‐TOF MS method for the rapid qualitative direct analysis of herbal blend preparations for synthetic cannabinoids to be used as front screening of confiscated clandestine preparations. The sample preparation was limited to herbal blend leaves finely grinding in a mortar and loading onto the MALDI plate followed by addition of 2 µl of the matrix/surfactant mixture [α‐cyano‐4‐hydroxy‐cinnamic acid/cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)]. After drying, the sample plate was introduced into the ion source for analysis. MALDI‐TOF conditions were as follows: mass spectra were analyzed in the range m/z 150–550 by averaging the data from 50 laser shots and using an accelerating voltage of 20 kV. The described method was successfully applied to the screening of 31 commercial herbal blends, previously analyzed by GC–MS. Among the samples analyzed, 21 contained synthetic cannabinoids (namely JWH‐018, JWH‐073, JWH‐081, JWH‐250, JWH‐210, JWH‐019, and AM‐694). All the results were in agreement with GC–MS, which was used as the reference technique. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A one-pot synthesis of a 243-allyl dendrimer under ambient conditions

[reaction: see text] Hydrosilylation of a nonaallyl dendritic core using HSi(Me)(2)Cl followed by reaction with a phenolate dendronic brick bearing three allyl groups, followed by repetition of this sequence of reactions twice, allows a one-pot synthesis of a 243-allyl dendrimer under ambient conditions.     

Synthesis of New Nucleosides by coupling of chloropurines with 2- and 3-deoxy derivatives of N-methyl-D-ribofuranuronamide

The synthesis of new deoxyribose nucleosides by coupling chloropurines with modified D -ribose derivatives is reported. The methyl 2-deoxy-N-methyl-3-O-(p-toluoyl)-α-D -ribofuranosiduronamide (α-D - 8 ) and the corresponding anomer β-D - 8 were synthesized starting from the commercially available 2-deoxy-D -ribose ( 1 ) (Scheme 1). Reaction of α-D - 8 with the silylated derivative of 2,6-dichloro-9H-purine ( 9 ) afforded regioselectively the N⁹-(2′-deoxyribonucleoside) 10 as anomeric mixture (Scheme 2), whereas β-D - 8 did not react. Glycosylation of 9 or of 6-chloro-9H-purine ( 17 ) with 1,2-di-O-acetyl-3-deoxy-N-methyl-β-D -ribofuranuronamide ( 13 ) yielded only the protected β-D -anomers 14 and 18 , respectively (Scheme 3). Subsequent deacetylation and dechlorination afforded the desired nucleosides β-D - 11 , β-D - 12,15 , and 16 . The 3′-deoxy-2-chloroadenosine derivative 15 showed the highest affinity and selectivity for adenotin binding site vs. A₁ and A_2A adenosine receptor subtypes.