Learning to use an artificial visual cue in speech identification

Visual information from a speaker's face profoundly influences auditory perception of speech. However, relatively little is known about the extent to which visual influences may depend on experience, and extent to which new sources of visual speech information can be incorporated in speech perception. In the current study, participants were trained on completely novel visual cues for phonetic categories. Participants learned to accurately identify phonetic categories based on novel visual cues. These newly-learned visual cues influenced identification responses to auditory speech stimuli, but not to the same extent as visual cues from a speaker's face. The novel methods and results of the current study raise theoretical questions about the nature of information integration in speech perception, and open up possibilities for further research on learning in multimodal perception, which may have applications in improving speech comprehension among the hearing-impaired.     

Fermi surface reconstruction by dynamic magnetic fluctuations

We demonstrate that nearly critical quantum magnetic fluctuations in strongly correlated electron systems can change the Fermi surface topology and also lead to spin charge separation in two dimensions. To demonstrate these effects, we consider a small number of holes injected into the bilayer antiferromagnet. The system has a quantum critical point (QCP) which separates magnetically ordered and disordered phases. We demonstrate that in the physically interesting regime, there is a magnetically driven Lifshitz point (LP) inside the magnetically disordered phase. At the LP, the topology of the hole Fermi surface is changed. We also demonstrate that in this regime, the hole spin and charge necessarily separate when approaching the QCP. The considered model sheds light on generic problems concerning the physics of the cuprates.     

New measurements of high-momentum nucleons and short-range structures in nuclei

We present new measurements of electron scattering from high-momentum nucleons in nuclei. These data allow an improved determination of the strength of two-nucleon correlations for several nuclei, including light nuclei where clustering effects can, for the first time, be examined. The data also include the kinematic region where three-nucleon correlations are expected to dominate.     

Liquid-phase microextraction in a microfluidic-chip – High enrichment and sample clean-up from small sample volumes based on three-phase extraction

In this work, a microfluidic-chip based system for liquid-phase microextraction (LPME-chip) was developed. Sample solutions were pumped into the LPME-chip with a micro-syringe pump at a flow rate of 3–4 μL min⁻¹. Inside the LPME chip, the sample was in direct contact with a supported liquid membrane (SLM) composed of 0.2 μL dodecyl acetate immobilized in the pores of a flat membrane of polypropylene (25 μm thickness). On the other side of the SLM, the acceptor phase was present. The acceptor phase was either pumped at 1 μL min⁻¹ during extraction or kept stagnant (stop-flow). Amitriptyline, methadone, haloperidol, loperamide, and pethidine were selected as model analytes, and they were extracted from alkaline sample solution, through the SLM, and into 10 mM HCl or 100 mM HCOOH functioning as acceptor phase. Subsequently, the acceptor phase was either analyzed off-line by capillary electrophoresis for exact quantification, or on-line by UV detection or electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for time profiling of concentrations. The LPME-chip was found to be highly effective, and extraction efficiencies were in the range of 52–91%. When the flow of acceptor phase was turned off during extraction (stop-flow), analyte enrichment increased linearly with the extraction time. After 10 min as an example, amitriptyline was enriched by a factor of 42 from only 30 μL sample solution, and after 120 min amitriptyline was enriched by a factor of 500 from 320 μL sample solution. This suggested that the LPME-chip has great potentials for very efficient analyte enrichments from limited sample volumes in the future.     

6‐Di­methoxy­methyl‐1‐methoxy­carbonyl­bi­cyclo­[3.1.0]­hex‐2‐ene‐2‐carboxyl­ic acid

The title compound, C₁₂H₁₆O₆, prepared by a standard synthetic method, was determined by single‐crystal X‐ray crystallography to exist with a cyclo­propane ring fused to a cyclo­pentene ring. Comparison of the unit‐cell dimensions and space group of this material with those of a crystal of the same material prepared using a route involving pig liver esterase hydro­lysis shows them to be identical.     

Three methoxy‐substituted diethyl 4‐­phenyl‐2,6‐di­methyl‐1,4‐di­hydro­pyridine‐3,5‐di­carboxyl­ate compounds

Diethyl 4‐(2,5‐di­methoxy­phenyl)‐2,6‐di­methyl‐1,4‐di­hydro­pyridine‐3,5‐di­carboxyl­ate, C₂₁H₂₇NO₆, (I), diethyl 4‐(3,4‐di­methoxy­phenyl)‐2,6‐di­methyl‐1,4‐di­hydro­pyridine‐3,5‐di­carboxyl­ate, C₂₁H₂₇NO₆, (II), and diethyl 2,6‐di­methyl‐4‐(3,4,5‐tri­methoxy­phenyl)‐1,4‐di­hydro­pyridine‐3,5‐di­carboxyl­ate, C₂₂H₂₉NO₇, (III), crystallize with hydrogen‐bonding networks involving the H atom bonded to the N atom of the 1,4‐di­hydro­pyridine ring and carbonyl O atoms in (I) and (II). Unusually, (III) shows O atoms of methoxy groups serving as hydrogen‐bond acceptors.     

Bismuth(V) iron(III) tris(phosphate) oxide

Bi^V_0.4Fe₃^IIIO(PO₄)₃ crystallizes with two Fe atoms (one on an inversion centre and one on a mirror plane) displaying octahedral geometry and a third Fe atom (on a mirror plane) with trigonal bipyramidal coordination. Fe atoms are seen in oxy­gen‐bridged chains. Bi^V atoms are found in the interstitial sites between these chains. Bi shows sevenfold coordination, with Bi—O distances between 2.357 (7) and 2.529 (6) Å.     

Proficiency testing schemes for therapeutics and toxicology

 This report addresses the proposition: current proficiency testing (PT) schemes for therapeutics and toxicology can easily engender complacency. The proposition was based on the premise that there are substantial between-laboratory differences and objectives in the supply of services for the measurement of drugs, as a result of which it is difficult to design PT schemes which adequately cover the requirements of all laboratories. Thus, acceptable performance in a PT scheme may lead participants to consider that they have tested their procedures more rigorously than is the case. Four areas, validity of the PT scheme, PT material, frequency of testing and acceptance criteria are examined. Received: 15 April 2000 · Accepted: 15 April 2000     

Microwave activation of electrochemical processes: enhanced PbO2 electrodeposition, stripping and electrocatalysis

Microwave activation of electrochemical processes has recently been introduced as a new technique for the enhancement and control of processes at electrode|solution (electrolyte) interfaces. This methodology is extended to processes at glassy carbon and boron-doped diamond electrodes. Deposition of both Pb metal and PbO₂ from an aqueous solution of Pb²⁺ (0.1 M HNO₃) are affected by microwave radiation. The formation of PbO₂ on anodically pre-treated boron-doped diamond is demonstrated to change from kinetically sluggish and poorly defined at room temperature to nearly diffusion controlled and well defined in the presence of microwave activation. Calibration of the temperature at the electrode|solution (electrolyte) interface with the Fe^3+/2+ (0.1 M HNO₃) redox system allows the experimentally observed effects to be identified as predominantly thermal in nature and therefore consistent with a localized heating effect at the electrode|solution interface. The microwave-activated deposition of PbO₂ on boron-doped diamond remains facile in the presence of excess oxidizable organic compounds such as ethylene glycol. An increase of the current for the electrocatalytic oxidation of ethylene glycol at PbO₂/boron-doped diamond electrodes in the presence of microwave radiation is observed. Preliminary results suggest that the electrodissolution of solid microparticles of PbO₂ abrasively attached to the surface of a glassy carbon electrode is also enhanced in the presence of microwave radiation. Electronic Publication     

Structure revision of ent-kaurane diterpenoids,isoserrins A,B, and D,enabled by DU8+ computation of their NMR spectral data

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