Variability and uncertainty in masking by competing speech

This study investigated the role of uncertainty in masking of speech by interfering speech. Target stimuli were nonsense sentences recorded by a female talker. Masking sentences were recorded from ten female talkers and combined into pairs. Listeners' recognition performance was measured with both target and masker presented from a front loudspeaker (nonspatial condition) or with a masker presented from two loudspeakers, with the right leading the front by 4 ms (spatial condition). In Experiment 1, the sentences were presented in blocks in which the masking talkers, spatial configuration, and signal-to-noise (S-N) ratio were fixed. Listeners' recognition performance varied widely among the masking talkers in the nonspatial condition, much less so in the spatial condition. This result was attributed to variation in effectiveness of informational masking in the nonspatial condition. The second experiment increased uncertainty by randomizing masking talkers and S-N ratios across trials in some conditions, and reduced uncertainty by presenting the same token of masker across trials in other conditions. These variations in masker uncertainty had relatively small effects on speech recognition.     

In vivo (31)P MRS study of skeletal muscle metabolism in patients with postpolio residual paralysis

The muscle metabolism of at-rest patients with varying degrees of postpolio residual paralysis (PPRP) was studied and compared with that of controls using in vivo phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The phosphocreatine (PCr)/inorganic phosphate (Pi) and PCr/adenosine triphosphate ratios were lower in patients than in controls. Reduction in PCr/Pi suggests abnormalities in oxidative phosphorylation. A significant increase was observed in the phosphomonoester/PCr ratio in patients, indicating the accumulation of intermediary compounds of the glycolytic pathway. Furthermore, the phosphodiester/PCr ratio was also significantly increased in patients. In general, the observed changes in metabolite ratios were found to be related to the degree of residual paralysis, suggesting that metabolic changes are secondary to chronic neurogenic processes. These metabolic alterations appear to be the possible cause of energy deficit and underlying muscle fatigue in PPRP patients. The present results provide an insight into the metabolic impairment and degree of muscle damage in patients with PPRP.     

Alpha-deuteron structure of 6Li as predicted by a separable-potential three-body model

Schroedinger's equation with separable n-p (³S₁) and $\text{n}\text{-α (}{}^2\text{P}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>3</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}\text{)}$ potentials solved to obtain a three-body model of the ⁶Li ground-state wave function. This model predicts the α-n-p binding energy of ⁶Li to be 4.67 MeV [Exp.: 4.53 MeV = 3.697 + 0.834 (Coulomb)], the asymptotic normalization constant of the d-α tail to be 2.39, and the amount of d+α component to be 65%. The ⁶Li→α+d vertex function is slightly more momentum dependent than present experiments suggest.     

Evaluation of Methanogenic Activity of Biogas Plant Slurry for Monitoring Codigestion of Ossein Factory Wastes and Cyanobacterial Biomass

Overall measurement of methanogenic activity of sludge and or slurry is thought as a key for understanding the basic physiology of anaerobic consortia involved in anaerobic digestion process of an alternative biomass. In this study, the methanogenic activity of biogas plant slurry was used to evaluate the anaerobic digestion of ossein factory wastes such as sinews and primary clarified bone waste (PCBW) and cyanobacterial biomass in standard assay conditions. A maximum methanogenic activity was reported here when ossein factory wastes mixed with cyanobacterial biomass in specific proportions in which sinews and PCBW alone also favored to a significant methane yield. Cyanobacterial biomass alone did not give a desirable methanogenic activity. Approximately 48% of total solids were destroyed from these wastes after 30 days. This study gives information on the use of these wastes with suitable proportions for taking an effort in a large-scale anaerobic digestion in an effective way of ossein factory.     

XPS spectra of some transition metal and alkaline earth monochalcogenides

The first-row transition-metal monosulfides and alkaline-earth chalcogenides were studied by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It is shown that the bonding in the alkaline earth compounds is relatively ionic with XPS evidence for significant charge separation. On the other hand, transition metal sulfides, with the exception of MnS, appear to be principally metallic with little or no charge separation. Values for the inner orbital binding energy shifts are reported for a large number of monochalcogenides.     

Polarization induced water molecule dissociation below the first-order electronic-phase transition temperature

Hydrogen produced from the photocatalytic splitting of water is one of the reliable alternatives to replace the polluting fossil and the radioactive nuclear fuels. Here, we provide unequivocal evidence for the existence of blue- and red-shifting O-H covalent bonds within a single water molecule adsorbed on the MgO surface as a result of asymmetric displacement polarizabilities. The adsorbed H-O-H on MgO gives rise to one weaker H-O bond, while the other O-H covalent bond from the same adsorbed water molecule compensates this effect with a stronger bond. The weaker bond (nearest to the surface), the interlayer tunneling electrons and the silver substrate are shown to be the causes for the smallest dissociative activation energy on the MgO monolayer. The origin that is responsible to initiate the splitting mechanism is proven to be due to the changes in the polarizability of an adsorbed water molecule, which are further supported by the temperature-dependent static dielectric constant measurements for water below the first-order electronic-phase transition temperature.     

Mild and efficient oxy-iodination of alkynes and phenols with potassium iodide and tert-butyl hydroperoxide

An efficient synthesis of 1-iodoalkynes and iodophenols was easily achieved by employing simple KI and TBHP. The reaction does not involve the use of a metal and base combination. A variety of substituted alkynes and phenols were prepared with good to excellent yield.     

Dielectric,thermal, and mechanical properties of CeO2‐filled HDPE composites for microwave substrate applications

Cerium oxide‐filled high density polyethylene (HDPE) composites for microwave substrate applications were prepared by sigma‐blend technique. The HDPE was used as the matrix and the dispersion of CeO₂ in the composite was varied up to 0.5 by volume fraction, and the dielectric properties were studied at 1 MHz and microwave frequencies. The variations of thermal conductivity (k_eff), coefficient of thermal expansion (α_c) and Vicker's microhardness with the volume fraction of the filler were also measured. The relative permittivity (ε_eff) and dielectric loss (tan δ) were found to increase with increase in CeO₂ content. For 0.4 volume fraction loading of the ceramic, the composite had ε_eff = 5.7, tan δ = 0.0068 (at 7 GHz), k_eff = 2.6 W/m °C, α_c = 98.5 ppm/°C, Vicker's microhardness of 18 kg/mm² and tensile strength of 14.6 MPa. Different theoretical approaches have been used to predict the effective permittivity, thermal conductivity, and coefficient of thermal expansion of composite systems and the results were compared with the experimental data. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 998–1008, 2010     

Peptide-small molecule hybrids via orthogonal deprotection-chemoselective conjugation to cysteine-anchored scaffolds. A model study

The feasibility of an orthogonal deprotection-conjugation protocol, holding the promise of libraries of functionally diverse chemical probes attached to cysteine-anchored peptide scaffolds, has been explored with a model system. The necessary tools for assembly of the hybrid libraries have been prepared and the tandem procedure optimized. S-alkylation and S-sulfenylation are featured as the chemoselective ligation reactions. [reaction: see text]