Comparison of Singer's Formant, Speaker's Ring, and LTA Spectrum Among Classical Singers and Untrained Normal Speakers

Many studies have described and analyzed the singer's formant. A similar phenomenon produced by trained speakers led some authors to examine the speaker's ring. If we consider these phenomena as resonance effects associated with vocal tract adjustments and training, can we hypothesize that trained singers can carry over their singing formant ability into speech, also obtaining a speaker's ring? Can we find similar differences for energy distribution in continuous speech? Forty classically trained singers and forty untrained normal speakers performed an all-voiced reading task and produced a sample of a sustained spoken vowel /a/. The singers were also requested to perform a sustained sung vowel /a/ at a comfortable pitch. The reading was analyzed by the long-term average spectrum (LTAS) method. The sustained vowels were analyzed through power spectrum analysis. The data suggest that singers show more energy concentration in the singer's formant/speaker's ring region in both sung and spoken vowels. The singers' spoken vowel energy in the speaker's ring area was found to be significantly larger than that of the untrained speakers. The LTAS showed similar findings suggesting that those differences also occur in continuous speech. This finding supports the value of further research on the effect of singing training on the resonance of the speaking voice.     

Direct evidence for distinct colour origins in ROY polymorphs

ROY is one of the most well-studied families of crystal structures owing to it being the most polymorphic organic material on record. The various red, orange, and yellow colours of its crystal structures are widely-believed to originate from molecular conformation, though the orange needle (ON) polymorph is thought to be an exception. We report high-pressure, single-crystal X-ray measurements which provide direct experimental evidence that the colour origin in ON is intermolecular, revealing that the molecule undergoes minimal deformation but still exhibits a pronounced, reversible, pale orange → dark red colour change between ambient pressure and 4.18 GPa. Our experimental data are rationalised with band structures, calculated using an accurate hybrid DFT approach, where we are able to account for the variation in colour for five polymorphs of ROY. We highlight the outlier behaviour of ON which shows marked π⋯π stacking interactions that are directly modified through application of pressure. Band structure calculations confirm these intermolecular interactions as the origin of the colour change.

Alternative colour origins in ROY polymorphs are conclusively determined for the first time, using high-pressure diffraction and hybrid DFT.     

Structural and luminescent properties of micro- and nanosized particles of lanthanide terephthalate coordination polymers

Reaction in water between rare earth ions (Ln = Y, La-Tm, except Pm) and the sodium salt of terephthalic acid leads to a family of lanthanide-based coordination polymers of general formula [Ln2(C8H4O4)3(H2O)4] n with Ln = La-Tm or Y. The isostructurality of the compounds with the previously reported Tb-containing polymer is ascertained on the basis of their X-ray powder diffraction diagrams. The coordination water molecules can be reversibly removed without destroying the crystal structure for compounds involving one of the lighter lanthanide ions (La-Eu). For compounds involving one of the heavier lanthanide ions (Tb-Tm) or yttrium, a structural change occurs during the drying process. X-ray diffraction data show this new anhydrous phase corresponding to the linking of pairs of Er(III) ions through mu-carboxylate bridges. Porosity profiles calculated for the anhydrous phases of Tb(III) and Er(III) show the presence of channels with very small sections. The luminescent properties of all the compounds have been recorded and the two most luminescent polymers, namely, the europium- and the terbium-containing ones, have been studied in more detail. Tb(III)-containing compounds display large quantum yields, up to 43%. Polyvinylpyrrolidone nanoparticles doped with [Ln2(C8H4O4)3(H2O)4] n (Ln = Eu, Tb, Er) have also been synthesized and characterized. The encapsulation of the coordination polymers results in somewhat reduced luminescence intensities and lifetime, but the nanoparticles can be dispersed in water and remain unchanged in this medium for more than 20 h.     

A submersible flow analysis system

A submersible chemical analyzer (SCANNER) has been developed which can perform analyses in situ in the ocean. The SCANNER is based on a modified flow-injection system and can be used to automate virtually any spectrophotometric determination that can be done by flow injection analysis. The SCANNER consists of a multichannel peristaltic pump, solid-state colorimeters, manifold tubing, valves, and an electronic module. All of the components are pressure-tolerant, except the electronics module, which is placed in a pressure housing. Typical detection limits are of the order of 0.1 μM. Sample introduction is continuous. The SCANNER has been tested successfully to pressures of 3300 dbar in the laboratory and to depths of 2500 m in the ocean. Examples of silicate and sulfide determinations around animal communities in a deep-sea hydrothermal vent field are presented.     

Two tris(oxalato)ferrate(III) hybrid salts with pyridinium derivative isomers as counter cations: synthesis,crystal structures,thermal analyses,and magnetic properties

Two organic–inorganic hybrid salts, tris(2-amino-4,6-dimethylpyridinium) tris(oxalato)ferrate(III), (C₇H₁₁N₂)₃[Fe(C₂O₄)₃] (1), and tris(4-dimethylaminopyridinium) tris(oxalato)ferrate(III) tetrahydrate, (C₇H₁₁N₂)₃[Fe(C₂O₄)₃]·4H₂O (2), have been synthesized and characterized by elemental and thermal analyses, IR spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and SQUID magnetometry. Compounds 1 and 2 crystallize in triclinic P-1 and monoclinic C2/c space groups, respectively. Each compound contains the anionic complex [Fe(C₂O₄)₃]^3- in which the central metal is six-coordinate in a slightly distorted octahedron defined by three chelating oxalate(2-) ligands. The two substituted pyridinium cations are isomers. However, due to the great steric hindrance provided by the bulky cation, 2-amino-4,6-dimethylpyridinium, only the 4-dimethylaminopyridinium cation, the smallest of this series, led to formation of 2 with enough vacant spaces to be occupied by four solvent water molecules. In the crystals, cations and anions are connected via hydrogen-bonds of the types N–H?O in 1 and N–H?O and O–H?O in 2, with π–π stacking interactions between the pyridine rings stabilizing the 3-D framework. The thermal studies confirmed the anhydrous character of salt 1 and the presence of water molecules in salt 2. The magnetic susceptibility measurements in the 2–300 K temperature range revealed weak antiferromagnetic coupling in the two salts.     

Purification of recombinant proteins by chemical removal of the affinity tag

The efficient removal of a N-or C-terminal purification tag from a fusion protein is necessary to obtain a protein in a pure and active form, ready for use in human or animal medicine. Current techniques based on enzymatic cleavage are expensive and result in the presence of additional amino acids at either end of the proteins, as well as contaminating proteases in the preparation. Here we evaluate an alternative method to the one-step affinity/protease purification process for large-scale purification. It is based upon the cyanogen bromide (CNBr) cleavage at a single methionine placed in between a histidine tag and aPlasmodium falciparum antigen. The C-terminal segment of the circumsporozoite polypeptide was expressed as a fusion protein with a histidine tag inEscherichia coli purified by Ni-NAT agarose column chromatography and subsequently cleaved by CNBr to obtain a polypeptide without any extraneous amino acids derived from the cleavage site or from the affinity purification tag. Thus, a recombinant protein is produced without the need for further purification, demonstrating that CNBr cleavage is a precise, efficient, and low-cost alternative to enzymatic digestion, and can be applied to large-scale preparations of recombinant proteins.     

Structural characterization and electronic properties determination by high-field and high-frequency EPR of a series of five-coordinated Mn(II) complexes

The isolation, structural characterization, and electronic properties of a series of high-spin mononuclear five-coordinated Mn(II) complexes, [Mn(terpy)(X)(2)] (terpy = 2, 2':6',2' '-terpyridine; X = I(-) (1), Br(-) (2), Cl(-) (3), or SCN(-) (4)), are reported. The X-ray structures of the complexes reveal that the manganese ion lies in the center of a distorted trigonal bipyramid for complexes 1, 2, and 4, while complex 3 is better described as a distorted square pyramid. The electronic properties of 1-4 were investigated by high-field and high-frequency EPR spectroscopy (HF-EPR) performed between 5 and 30 K. The powder HF-EPR spectra have been recorded in high-field-limit conditions (95-285 GHz) (D < gbetaB). The spectra are thus simplified, allowing an easy interpretation of the experimental data and an accurate determination of the spin Hamiltonian parameters. The magnitude of D varies between 0.26 and 1.00 cm(-)(1) with the nature of the anionic ligand. Thanks to low-temperature EPR experiments, the sign of D was unambiguously determined. D is positive for the iodo and bromo complexes and negative for the chloro and thiocyano ones. A structural correlation is proposed. Each complex is characterized by a significant rhombicity with E/D values between 0.17 and 0.29, reflecting the distorted geometry observed around the manganese. Finally, we compared the spin Hamiltonian parameters of our five-coordinated complexes and those previously reported for other analogous series of dihalo four- and six-coordinated complexes. The effect of the coordination number and of the geometry of the Mn(II) complexes on the spin Hamiltonian parameters is discussed.     

Zinc(II) and cadmium(II) complexes containing the 2-{2-[3-(triethoxysilyl)-propylthio]ethylamino}ethylamino ligand

The new 2-{2-[3-(triethoxysilyl)propylthio]ethylamino}ethylamino SNN ligand, has been synthesized and fully characterized. Its donor properties towards zinc(II) and cadmium(II) have been investigated in order to simulate the metal uptake behavior in environmental applications. It reacts with ZnX₂ (X = Cl, Br and I) and CdCl₂ to form monomeric molecular complexes, MX₂(SNN)₂. Mass, i.r., ¹H- and ¹³C{¹H}-n.m.r. spectroscopies and elemental analyses reveal that, in these complexes, the metal attains its highest coordination number by linking to two nitrogen atoms of the ethylenediamine portion, and to two halogen atoms. The SNN ligand thus behaves as a bidentate four electrons donor, the thioether sulfur atom still remaining available for further coordination.     

Studies of mixed silica/alumina and silica/boric oxide materials

Multinuclear low temperature solution NMR and FTIR has been used to monitor the hydrolysis and polymerisation chemistry involved in the preparation of multicomponent silica/alumina and silica/boric oxide monolithic gels. Pre-hydrolysis of the silicon component (tetraethylorthosilicate) in the presence of low levels of water is an important factor in obtaining transparent materials. In order to obtain high homogeneity and minimise the subsequent precipitation of the fastest hydrolysing component, ethylacetonate (etac) has been used to modify the aluminum alkoxides. Solid state nmr and FTIR studies show that the borosilicate system contains Si-O-B bonds during the early stages of polymerisation but they are absent on final gelation. Thermal treatment to around 500°C is required to generate mixed Si-O-B bonds. Length of prehydrolysis has little affect on the nature of the Si-O-B gel materials but has a significant effect on the chemical nature of Si-O-Al materials. Longer silicon alkoxide prehydrolysis times lead to better defined materials.formerly Carole C. Perry.formerly at Chemistry Department, Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex. UB8 3PH UK.