Vocal tract length perturbation and its application to male-female vocal tract shape conversion

An alternative and complete derivation of the vocal tract length sensitivity function, which is an equation for finding a change in formant frequency due to perturbation of the vocal tract length [Fant, Quarterly Progress and Status Rep. No. 4, Speech Transmission Laboratory, Kungliga Teknisha Hogskolan, Stockholm, 1975, pp. 1-14] is presented. It is based on the adiabatic invariance of the vocal tract as an acoustic resonator and on the radiation pressure on the wall and at the exit of the vocal tract. An algorithm for tuning the vocal tract shape to match the formant frequencies to target values, such as those of a recorded speech signal, which was proposed in Story [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 119, 715-718 (2006)], is extended so that the vocal tract length can also be changed. Numerical simulation of this extended algorithm shows that it can successfully convert between the vocal tract shapes of a male and a female for each of five Japanese vowels.     

Detection of mismatched DNA on partially negatively charged diamond surfaces by optical and potentiometric methods

The effects of surface charge density on DNA hybridization have been investigated on a mixture of hydrogen-, oxygen-, and amine-terminated diamond surfaces. A difference in the hybridization efficiencies of complementary and mismatched DNA was clearly observed by fluorescence and potentiometric observations at a particular coverage of oxygen. In the fluorescence observation, singly mismatched DNA was detected with high contrast after appropriate hybridization on the surface with 10-20% oxygen coverage. The amount of oxygen in the form of C-O(-) (deprotonated C-OH) producing the surface negative-charge density was estimated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Electrolyte solution gate field-effect transistors (SGFETs) were used for potentiometric observations. The signal difference (change in gate potential) on the SGFET, which was as large as approximately 20 mV, was caused by the difference in the hybridization efficiencies of complementary target DNA (cDNA) and singly mismatched (1MM) target DNA with a common probe DNA immobilized on the same SGFET. The reversible change in gate potential caused by the hybridization and denaturation cycles and discriminating between the complementary and 1MM DNA targets was very stable throughout the cyclical detections. Moreover, the ratio of signals caused by hybridization of the cDNA and 1MM DNA targets with the probe DNA immobilized on the SGFET was determined to be 3:1 when hybridization had occurred (after 15 min on SGFET), as determined by real-time measurements. From the viewpoint of hybridization kinetics, the rate constant for hybridization of singly mismatched DNA was a factor of approximately 3 smaller than that of cDNA on this functionalized (oxidized and aminated) diamond surface.     

Ubiquitous 8 and 29 kDa gold:alkanethiolate cluster compounds: mass-spectrometric determination of molecular formulas and structural implications

The molecular formulas and charge state distributions of thus-far known ubiquitous alkanethiolate-protected gold clusters with core-masses of 8 and 29 kDa were assessed using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The 8 and 29 kDa clusters were determined to be composed of single species, [Au38(SCn)24]z and [Au144(SCn)59]z, respectively, with charge states of z >/= 0. Possible geometric structures for Au38(SCn)24 and Au144(SCn)59 are discussed, based on the structures of relevant systems that have been recently determined experimentally and theoretically: [Au25(SR)18]- and Au102(SR)44, in which the Au cores are protected by monomers [-SR-Au-SR-] and/or dimers [-SR-Au-SR-Au-SR-]. Their preferential formation and chemical robustness are proposed as being associated with high stability due to geometric factors, while the Au-thiolate interface takes on common motifs regardless of the underlying Au core.     

Detection of 6-(methylsulfinyl)hexyl isothiocyanate (6-MITC) and its conjugate with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) by high performance liquid chromatograpy-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/APCI)

A method using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) mass spectrometry (MS) was established for the detection of 6-(methylsulfinyl)hexyl isothiocyanate (6-MITC) and its conjugate with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC). The optimal chromatographic conditions were obtained on an ODS column (150 x 4.6 mm, 3 microm) with the column temperature at 37 degrees C. The mobile phase consisted of a methanol-0.1% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) mixture (50 : 50, v/v), and the flow rate was 0.3 ml/min. The detection wavelength was set at 220 nm. The identities of the peaks were accomplished by comparing retention times (tR), UV and mass data. All calibration curves showed good linear regression (correlation coefficients for 6-MITC and NAC>0.999) within test ranges. The developed method provided satisfactory precision calculated as percent coefficient of variation with overall intra-day and inter-day variations of less than 5% (4.1 and 4.9% for 6-MITC; 4.2 and 4.9% for NAC). Both 6-MITC and NAC had good responses in the positive APCI and formed strong [M+H]+ ions in the full scan spectra at an m/z of 206 and 164, respectively. The presence of the [M+H]+ ion for the 6-MITC/NAC conjugate was also observed at an m/z of 369. To our best knowledge, this is the first report that describes the formation of the 6-MITC/NAC conjugate and its detection method by HPLC-MS.     

Synthesis and Triethylamine‐catalyzed Cyclization Reaction of 4‐Pentyne‐1,3‐dione System Having Various Substituents

4-Pentyne-1,3-dione system having various substituents was synthesized in two steps and the cyclization behavior of the obtained 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds was examined. γ-Pyrones and 2-alkylidene-2,3-dihydro-3-furanones were obtained by the triethylamine-catalyzed cyclization of the 4-pentyne-1,3-dione system having a diketone moiety. Furthermore, a phenol derivative was obtained in the case of 4-pentyne-1,3-dione system having an ester moiety. Thus, it was found that the kind of substituents in the 4-pentyne-1,3-dione system remarkably influenced the selectivity in the cyclization.     

Microfluidic synthesis and catalytic application of PVP-stabilized, approximately 1 nm gold clusters

Small PVP-stabilized gold clusters were successfully prepared by the homogeneous mixing of continuous flows of aqueous AuCl 4 (-) and BH 4 (-) in a micromixer. Spectroscopic characterization revealed that microfluidic synthesis could yield monodisperse Au:PVP clusters with an average diameter of approximately 1 nm, which is smaller than clusters produced by conventional batch methods. These approximately 1 nm Au:PVP clusters exhibited higher catalytic activity for the aerobic oxidation of p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol than did Au:PVP clusters prepared by batch methods.     

沉积-沉淀-微波干燥法制备金属氧化物负载的金簇合物及其在CO氧化和 硫化物氧化反应中的催化性能

采用沉积-沉淀法再辅以微波干燥和焙烧制备了金属氧化物负载的金簇合物和小的金纳米粒子.干燥方法影响了金颗粒尺寸.在炉干燥过程中Au(III)因部分还原而致使Au聚集.相反,在微波干燥下,因快速和加热均一而使Au(III)得以保持,在Al2O3上负载的Au颗粒尺寸小至1.4 nm.该法可用于具有几种不同微波吸收效率的金属氧化物载体,如MnO2,Al2O3和TiO2.这些催化剂在低温CO氧化和硫化物选择有氧氧化反应中的催化活性比常规方法制备的更高.     

Application of Sol-Gel Method to Preparation of Ultra-Uniform Co-Based Catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch Reaction

Uniformly dispersed Co/SiO₂ catalysts (10–60 wt% on metal basis) were prepared by the sol-gel method, and used for the Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) synthesis in slurry phase at 503 K and 1 MPa in a flow of synthesis gas (H₂/CO = 2/1, W/F = 10 g-catal·h/mol). The catalysts were characterized by temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and chemisorption. Although CO conversion over the unpromoted catalysts prepared by the sol-gel method was lower than the conventional catalysts prepared by impregnation, the catalytic activity of the former catalysts was more stable than the latter catalysts. The conversion was improved drastically, when 0.01–1 wt% of Ir or Ru (on metal basis) was added to the catalysts prepared by the sol-gel method. The TPR and XPS spectra and the H₂ chemisorption revealed that the noble metal addition was responsible for the reduction of Co particles in the catalysts. It is supposed that the durability of the promoted catalysts prepared by the sol-gel method was ascribed to the high dispersion of Co particles stabilized on the catalyst surface.     

Size-specific catalytic activity of polymer-stabilized gold nanoclusters for aerobic alcohol oxidation in water

Gold nanoclusters (phi = 1.3 nm) stabilized by poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (Au:PVP NCs) readily oxidize benzylic alcohols to the corresponding aldehydes and/or carboxylic acids under ambient temperature in water. Kinetic measurement revealed that smaller Au:PVP NCs exhibit higher catalytic activity than larger (9.5 nm) homologues and, more surprisingly, than Pd:PVP NCs of comparable size (1.5 and 2.2 nm). On the basis of the marked difference in the kinetic isotope effect and activation energy between Au:PVP and Pd:PVP NCs, a reaction mechanism for alcohol oxidation catalyzed by Au:PVP NCs is proposed in which a superoxo-like molecular oxygen species adsorbed on the surface of the small Au NCs abstracts a hydrogen atom from the alkoxide.