High-frequency auditory filter shape for the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin

High-frequency auditory filter shapes of an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) were measured using a notched noise masking source centered on pure tone signals at frequencies of 40, 60, 80 and 100?kHz. A dolphin was trained to swim into a hoop station facing the noise/signal transducer located at a distance of 2?m. The dolphin's masked threshold was determined using an up-down staircase method as the width of the notched noise was randomly varied from 0, 0.2, 04, 0.6, and 0.8 times the test tone frequency. The masked threshold decreased as the width of the notched increased and less noise fell within the auditory filter associated with the test tone. The auditory filter shapes were approximated by fitting a roex (p,r(r)) function to the masked threshold results. A constant-Q value of 8.4 modeled the results within the frequency range of 40 to 100 kHz relatively well. However, between 60 and 100?kHz, the 3?dB bandwidth was relatively similar between 9.5 and 10?kHz, indicating a constant-bandwidth system in this frequency range The mean equivalent rectangular bandwidth calculated from the filter shape was approximately 16.0%, 17.0%, 13.6% and 11.3% of the tone frequencies of 40, 60, 80, and 100?kHz.     

Simultaneous semi-eigenvectors for matrices over an extremal algebra

We consider a process withn jobs which is repeated in a periodic manner. This problem can be described by a “simultaneous semi-eigenvector problem”: Find all feasible periods λ for which there exists a time schedule x fulfilling $$\max _{u = 1}^n \left( {x_u + \alpha _{uv} } \right) \leqslant x_v $$ . Letd(λ): =x _n ?x ₁ be the minimum duration of one single process during one cycle under the restriction that the complete system is operated with period λ. We show thatd(λ) is a decreasing and piecewise linear function and we present a polynomial algorithm to calculate this function explicitly.     

First measurement of the polarisation transfer on the proton in the reactionsH(\vec e,e'\vec p) andD(\vec e,e'\vec p)

The measurement of the polarisation transfer to the proton in the reactions $H(\vec e,e'\vec p)$ and $D(\vec e,e'\vec p)$ performed with longitudinally polarised electrons in quasi-free kinematics is presented. The coincidence measurement was executed atQ ²≈8fm ^?2 using the 855 MeV, c.w. beam of the Mainz Microtron MAMI. The recoil polarisation was determined by means of a carbon analyser. The experiment shows that the binding of the nucleon does not modify the polarisationP _x of the recoil proton within an error ofΔ P _x/P_x≈10%. The measured polarisation agrees with recent theoretical predictions. Implications for the measurement of the electric form factor of the neutron using the $D(\vec e,e'\vec n)$ reaction are discussed.     

Powers of matrices over an extremal algebra with applications to periodic graphs

Consider the extremal algebra=({},min,+), using + and min instead of addition and multiplication. This extremal algebra has been successfully applied to a lot of scheduling problems. In this paper the behavior of the powers of a matrix over is studied. The main result is a representation of the complete sequence (A ^m ) _m which can be computed within polynomial time complexity. In the second part we apply this result to compute a minimum cost path in a 1-dimensional periodic graph.     

Heterocyclic photorearrangements. Photochemical behaviour of some 3,5-disubstituted 1,2,4-oxadiazoles in methanol at 254 nm

Photochemical behaviour of some 3,5-disubstituted 1,2,4-oxadiazoles in methanol at 254 nm has been investigated. Ring photoisomerization to the 1,3,4-oxadiazole heterocycle or formation of open chain compounds involving the nucleophilic solvent was shown to depend on the nature and the position of the substituent. Photoinduced ring closure into the benzimidazole system, involving a 3-N-phenylamino side chain sequence and a photolytic intermediate of the oxadiazole heterocycle, is also reported.     

Conformations of laulimalide in DMSO-d6

Laulimalide is one of the newest naturally occurring macrolides known to act as a microtubule stabilizing agent with properties similar to Taxol. It also stands as being one of the most flexible with 18 rotatable bonds. This large number of rotatable bonds allows for approximately 3(18) potential conformers. To examine the conformational energy surface of laulimalide, we have performed an NAMFIS deconvolution analysis for laulimalide in DMSO-d6. The latter has been supplemented with a post-NAMFIS energy analysis at the Becke3LYP/6-31G level that examines the opposing effects of internal hydrogen bonding and syn-pentane interactions. In this way, we have identified 15 laulimalide conformations that can be classified into 5 different families: Supine, Convex, Cobra, Stretch, and Concave motifs.     

Exploring the Association of Electron-Donating Corroles with Phthalocyanines as Electron Acceptors

Electron-donating corroles (Cor) were integrated with electron-accepting phthalocyanines (Pc) to afford two different non-covalent Cor ⋅ Pc systems. At the forefront was the coordination between a 10-meso-pyridine Cor and a ZnPc. The complexation was corroborated in a combination of NMR, absorption, and fluorescence assays, and revealed association with binding constants as high as 10⁶ m ⁻¹. Steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopies evidenced that regardless of exciting Cor or Pc, the charge-separated state evolved efficiently in both cases, followed by a slow charge-recombination to reinstate the ground state. The introduction of non-covalent linkages between Cor and Pc induces sizeable differences in the context of light harvesting and transfer of charges when compared with covalently linked Cor-Pc conjugates.     

Source-to-sensation level ratio of transmitted biosonar pulses in an echolocating false killer whale

Transmitted biosonar pulses, and the brain auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) associated with those pulses, were synchronously recorded in a false killer whale Pseudorca crassidens trained to accept suction-cup EEG electrodes and to detect targets by echolocation. AEP amplitude was investigated as a function of the transmitted biosonar pulse source level. For that, a few thousand of the individual AEP records were sorted according to the spontaneously varied amplitude of synchronously recorded biosonar pulses. In each of the sorting bins (in 5-dB steps) AEP records were averaged to extract AEP from noise; AEP amplitude was plotted as a function of the biosonar pulse source level. For comparison, AEPs were recorded to external (in free field) sound pulses of a waveform and spectrum similar to those of the biosonar pulses; amplitude of these AEPs was plotted as a function of sound pressure level. A comparison of these two functions has shown that, depending on the presence or absence of a target, the sensitivity of the whale's hearing to its own transmitted biosonar pulses was 30 to 45 dB lower than might be expected in a free acoustic field.     

Combined theoretical and FTIR spectroscopic studies on hydrogen adsorption on the zeolites Na-FER and K-FER

The interaction between molecular hydrogen and the alkali-metal-exchanged zeolites Na-FER and K-FER at a low temperature was investigated by combining variable-temperature infrared spectroscopy and theoretical calculations by using a periodic DFT model. The experimentally determined values of standard adsorption enthalpy, DeltaH degrees , were -6.0 (+/-0.8) and -3.5 (+/-0.8) kJ mol(-1) for Na-FER and K-FER, respectively. These results were found to be in agreement with corresponding DeltaH degrees values obtained from calculations on the periodic model. Two types of alkali-metal cation sites in FER were found: channel intersection sites and channel wall sites. Calculations showed a similar interaction energy for both site types, and similar structures of adsorption complexes. Up to two dihydrogen molecules can be physisorbed on the alkali-metal cation located on the intersection of two channels, while only one H2 molecule is physisorbed on the cation at the channel wall site. The adsorption enthalpies of H2 on alkali-metal-exchanged FER are significantly smaller than those found previously for the MFI-type zeolites Na-ZSM-5 and K-ZSM-5, which is likely due to a difference in the alkali-metal cation coordination in the two zeolite frameworks.