Pitch-interval discrimination and musical expertise: Is the semitone a perceptual boundary?

The ability to discriminate pitch changes (or intervals) is foundational for speech and music. In an auditory psychophysical experiment, musicians and non-musicians were tested with fixed- and roving-pitch discrimination tasks to investigate the effects of musical expertise on interval discrimination. The tasks were administered parametrically to assess performance across varying pitch distances between intervals. Both groups showed improvements in fixed-pitch interval discrimination as a function of increasing interval difference. Only musicians showed better roving-pitch interval discrimination as interval differences increased, suggesting that this task was too demanding for non-musicians. Musicians had better interval discrimination than non-musicians across most interval differences in both tasks. Interestingly, musicians exhibited improved interval discrimination starting at interval differences of 100 cents (a semitone in Western music), whereas non-musicians showed enhanced discrimination at interval differences exceeding 125 cents. Although exposure to Western music and speech may help establish a basic interval-discrimination threshold between 100 and 200 cents (intervals that occur often in Western languages and music), musical training presumably enhances auditory processing and reduces this threshold to a semitone. As musical expertise does not decrease this threshold beyond 100 cents, the semitone may represent a musical training-induced intervallic limit to acoustic processing.     

Prestress effects on the eigenfrequencies of the soundboards: experimental results on a simplified string instrument

This paper presents an experimental study of the effects of prestresses on the vibration behavior of string instruments. These prestresses are created by gluing ribs (crowning) and tensioning string (downbearing). The effects of these prestresses were previously studied numerically for a piano soundboard by Mamou-Mani et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 123, 2401-2406 (2008)] and analytically for simplified models by Mamou-Mani et al. [Acta Acust. Unit. Acust. 95, 915-926 (2009)]. In the present study, a specified test bench is designed, including a simplified soundboard (a rectangular plate), a bridge, and a single string. The plate is subjected to in-plane and transverse loads. Vibrational eigenmodes are identified using nearfield acoustical holography (NAH) measurement. The evolution of eigenfrequencies with these specific prestresses is studied. The results show the effectiveness of NAH for this purpose and a very good qualitative concordance with previous numerical and analytical calculus.     

Self‐formed Schottky barrier induced selector‐less RRAM for cross‐point memory applications

We propose a selector‐less Pr_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃ (PCMO) based resistive‐switching RAM (RRAM) for high‐density cross‐point memory array applications. First, we investigate the inhomogeneous barrier with an effective barrier height (Φ_eff), i.e., self‐formed Schottky barrier. In addition, a scalable 4F² selector‐less cross‐point 1 kb RRAM array has been successfully fabricated, demonstrating set, reset, and read operation for high cell efficiency and high‐density memory applications. (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Zonal RANS/LES coupling simulation of a transitional and separated flow around an airfoil near stall

The objective of the current study is to examine the course of events leading to stall just before its occurrence. The stall mechanisms are very sensitive to the transition that the boundary layer undergoes near the leading edge of the profile by a so-called laminar separation bubble (LSB). In order to provide helpful insights into this complex flow, a zonal Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS)/large-eddy simulation (LES) simulation of the flow around an airfoil near stall has been achieved and its results are presented and analyzed in this paper. LSB has already been numerically studied by direct numerical simulation (DNS) or LES, but for a flat plate with an adverse pressure gradient only. We intend, in this paper, to achieve a detailed analysis of the transition process by a LSB in more realistic conditions. The comparison with a linear instability analysis has shown that the numerical instability mechanism in the LSB provides the expected frequency of the perturbations. Furthermore, the right order of magnitude for the turbulence intensities at the reattachment point is found.      

Performance of a combined three-hole conductivity probe for void fraction and velocity measurement in air–water flows

The development of a three-hole pressure probe with back-flushing combined with a conductivity probe, used for measuring simultaneously the magnitude and direction of the velocity vector in complex air–water flows, is described in this paper. The air–water flows envisaged in the current work are typically those occurring around the rotors of impulse hydraulic turbines (like the Pelton and Cross-Flow turbines), where the flow direction is not known prior to the data acquisition. The calibration of both the conductivity and three-hole pressure components of the combined probe in a rig built for the purpose, where the probe was placed in a position similar to that adopted for the flow measurements, will be reported. After concluding the calibration procedure, the probe was utilized in the outside region of a Cross-Flow turbine rotor. The experimental results obtained in the present study illustrate the satisfactory performance of the combined probe, and are encouraging toward its use for characterizing the velocity field of other complex air–water flows.     

Laryngeal Myasthenia Gravis: Report of 40 Cases

Myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disorder of the neuromuscular junction, is usually recognized because of ocular complaints or generalized weakness. We report a series of 40 patients who presented with dysphonia as their initial and primary complaint. Diagnostic testing included strobovideolaryngoscopy, electromyography (EMG) with repetitive stimulation and Tensilon testing, and laboratory and radiographic evaluation. Strobovideolaryngoscopy most commonly revealed fluctuating impairment of vocal fold mobility, either unilateral or bilateral. EMG detected evidence of neuromuscular junction abnormalities in all patients. Only one patient had evidence of antiacetylcholine receptor (ACh-R) antibodies, but many other abnormalities suggestive of autoimmune dysfunction were present. Pyridostigmine therapy was initiated in 34 patients but was not tolerated in 4. Of the remaining 30 patients, 23 reported improvement of symptoms. We conclude that myasthenia gravis can present with symptoms confined primarily to the larynx and should be included in the differential diagnosis of dysphonia.     

Minifenestration Type I Thyroplasty Using an Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene Implant

Several methods have been used to treat laryngeal incompetence, but no ideal technique has been identified. This paper describes a clinical experience with minifenestration type I thyroplasty using a new device made of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE). The device, a thin ribbon of ePTFE, is inserted through a 4-mm fenestration to produce vocal fold medialization. At our center, 26 of these devices have been implanted in the past 3 years. Good or satisfactory results were achieved in 96% of cases. Advantages of this technique include easy insertion of the implant, nominal cost and biocompatibility of the ePTFE device, ready availability of all instruments required for the procedure, and elimination of the need to perform arytenoid adduction.     

Synthesis of 4‐hydroxyquinolin‐2(1H)‐one analogues and 2‐substituted quinolone derivatives

A versatile synthetic method for preparing 4‐hydroxyquinolone and 2‐substituted quinolone compounds from simple benzoic acid derivatives was demonstrated. The synthetic strategies involve the use of well known ethyl acetoacetate synthesis, malonic ester synthesis and reductive cyclization. The key intermediates were keto esters 4a‐e , which could be transformed to 4‐hydroxyquinolones 5a,b or 2‐substituted quinolone ethyl esters 6a‐c depending on the reaction conditions. 4‐Hydroxyquinolone analogues were prepared and investigated for N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) activity in vitro. Among these derivatives, 6,7‐difluoro‐3‐nitro‐4‐hydroxyquinolin‐2(1H)‐one ( 9 ) exhibited moderate activity.     

Radiometrie study of the adsorption of TcO 4 - on hematite

The adsorption of TCO ₄ ^- on hematite powder is studied as a model system to demonstrate usefulness of the application of the so called radiotracer foil method for the investigation of sorption phenomena occurring at powdered oxides. It is shown that the character of the pH dependence of the adsorption and the role of the nature and concentration of supporting electrolyte in the sorption can be easily demonstrated and the problems connected with the reversibility of the processes can be easily solved. It is demonstrated that the addition of acids to the TCO ₄ ^- (H₂O)/hematite system results in two opposite tendencies: an increase in the adsorption owing to the surface protonation and a decrease due to the adsorption competition of anions. The sign of the result depends on the absolute and relative concentration of the supporting electrolyte and the species added to the solution phase. Dedicated to the ninetieth anniversary of Ya.M. Kolotyrkin’s birth. Submitted in English.     

[13C]Dynamic NMR and Molecular Modeling of 2,4-Bis(N-Pyrrolidinyl)-6-chloro-s-triazine

The room temperature [¹³C]NMR spectrum of 2,4-bis(N-pyrrolidinyl)-6-chloro-s-triazine shows doubled signals for the pyrrolidine rings, which suggests restricted rotation about the Ar-C—N bond. The rotational barrier around this bond was determined by [¹³C]dynamic NMR (DNMR) spectra run at different increasing temperatures and also by the PM3 Hamiltonian contained in the MOPAC package. The values thus obtained, 16.6 and 13.6 kcal mol^–1, respectively, are in good agreement.