Effect of adding artificial reverberation to speech-like masking sound

Time-reversed speech has been known to effectively mask information for speech privacy applications. However, the annoyance and distraction caused by the time-reversed speech-like masking sound is higher than other masking sound. This study investigates the effects of adding artificial reverberation to the time-reversed speech. Subjective listening tests have been conducted to measure the intelligibility of target speech, annoyance and distraction caused by the masking sound. The experimental results suggest that adding artificial reverberation to a speech-like masking sound has a significant effect to reduce the annoyance level while maintaining the masking effectiveness of the original masking sound. A trend was also observed that the addition of artificial reverberation could reduce the level of distraction caused by the masking sound.     

Evaluation of gadoxetate disodium as a contrast agent for mouse liver imaging: comparison with gadobenate dimeglumine

We investigated the characteristics of gadoxetate disodium (Gd-EOB-DTPA) as a contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging of the mouse liver. Mice were imaged sequentially under isoflurane anesthesia using a T1-weighted, three-dimensional fast low-angle shot (3D FLASH) sequence after an intravenous injection of Gd-EOB-DTPA or gadobenate dimeglumine (Gd-BOPTA), and the time course of the contrast effect was examined. The time course of the contrast effect of Gd-EOB-DTPA was also assessed after intravenous injection under pentobarbital anesthesia and after subcutaneous injection while awake or under isoflurane or pentobarbital anesthesia. Moreover, different doses of Gd-EOB-DTPA or Gd-BOPTA were injected subcutaneously into conscious mice, and the clarity of the liver border was evaluated visually. Intravenous injection under isoflurane anesthesia caused rapid contrast enhancement in the liver with both Gd-EOB-DTPA and Gd-BOPTA, and the contrast effect was 41% stronger with Gd-EOB-DTPA. Subcutaneous injection of Gd-EOB-DTPA caused delayed but favorable contrast enhancement in the liver. Washout of Gd-EOB-DTPA was faster in mice injected while awake than in those injected under anesthesia. After intravenous injection, washout was faster under pentobarbital anesthesia than under isoflurane anesthesia. The peak liver contrast was 11% and 18% stronger under pentobarbital anesthesia than under isoflurane anesthesia, after intravenous and subcutaneous injections, respectively. Subcutaneous injection of Gd-EOB-DTPA or Gd-BOPTA caused dose-dependent contrast effects in the liver. At a given dose, the contrast effect tended to be stronger and liver demarcation tended to be clearer with Gd-EOB-DTPA than with Gd-BOPTA. In conclusion, intravenous or subcutaneous injection of Gd-EOB-DTPA produces a favorable contrast effects in the mouse liver, indicating its potential in investigating mouse models of liver diseases. The contrast effects vary between conscious mice and anesthetized mice and among anesthetic agents used.     

Quasi in situ Ni K‐edge EXAFS investigation of the spent NiMo catalyst from ultra‐deep hydrodesulfurization of gas oil in a commercial plant

Ni species on the spent NiMo catalyst from ultra‐deep hydrodesulfurization of gas oil in a commercial plant were studied by Ni K‐edge EXAFS and TEM measurement without contact of the catalysts with air. The Ni–Mo coordination shell related to the Ni–Mo–S phase was observed in the spent catalyst by quasi in situ Ni K‐edge EXAFS measurement with a newly constructed high‐pressure chamber. The coordination number of this shell was almost identical to that obtained by in situ Ni K‐edge EXAFS measurement of the fresh catalyst sulfided at 1.1 MPa. On the other hand, large agglomerates of Ni₃S₂ were observed only in the spent catalyst by quasi in situ TEM/EDX measurement. MoS₂‐like slabs were sintered slightly on the spent catalyst, where they were destacked to form monolayer slabs. These results suggest that the Ni–Mo–S phase is preserved on the spent catalyst and Ni₃S₂ agglomerates are formed by sintering of Ni₃S₂ species originally present on the fresh catalyst.     

Facile synthesis of an ambient stable pyreno[4,5-b]pyrrole monoanion and pyreno[4,5-b:9,10-b′]dipyrrole dianion: from serendipity to design

The stability of singly or multiply negatively charged π-conjugated organic compounds is greatly influenced by their electronic delocalization. Herein, we report a strategic methodology for isolation of a mysterious compound. The isolated compounds, a pyreno[4,5-b]pyrrole monoanion and pyreno[4,5-b:9,10-b′]dipyrrole dianion, were highly stable under ambient conditions due to high delocalization of the negative charge over multiple electron deficient C N groups and pyrene π-scaffolds and allowed purification by column chromatography. To our knowledge, this is the first report on TCNE type reductive condensation of malononitrile involving pyrene di- and tetraone and formation of pyrenopyrrole. All compounds were characterized by spectroscopic methods and X-ray crystallography. A UV-vis spectroscopic study shows an intense low energy absorption band with a large absorption coefficient (ε).

An ambient stable pyreno[4,5-b]pyrrole monoanion and pyreno[4,5-b:9,10-b′]dipyrrole dianion have been isolated and characterized, showing a low energy intense absorption band with the absorption coefficient reaching 7.1 × 10⁴ dm³ mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹.     

Parallel Implementation of Successive Convex Relaxation Methods for Quadratic Optimization Problems

As computing resources continue to improve, global solutions for larger size quadrically constrained optimization problems become more achievable. In this paper, we focus on larger size problems and get accurate bounds for optimal values of such problems with the successive use of SDP relaxations on a parallel computing system called Ninf (Network-based Information Library for high performance computing).     

Ultracontractivity for Markov Semigroups and Quasi-Stationary Distributions

We prove the existence and uniqueness of quasi-stationary distributions for symmetric Markov processes. In particular, we show that if its Markov semigroup is intrinsic ultracontractive, then there exists a unique quasi-stationary distribution. We apply our results to one-dimensional diffusion processes.     

Synthesizing Interpenetrated Triazine-based Covalent Organic Frameworks from CO2

Crystalline triazine-based covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are aromatic nitrogen-rich porous materials. COFs typically show high thermal/chemical stability, and are promising for energy applications, but often require harsh synthesis conditions and suffer from low crystallinity. In this work, we propose an environmentally friendly route for the synthesis of crystalline COFs from CO₂ molecules as a precursor. The mass ratio of CO₂ conversion into COFs formula unit reaches 46.3 %. The synthesis consists of two steps; preparation of 1,4-piperazinedicarboxaldehyde from CO₂ and piperazine, and condensation of the dicarboxaldehyde and melamine to construct the framework. The CO₂-derived COF has a 3-fold interpenetrated structure of 2D layers determined by powder X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and select-area electron diffraction. The structure shows a high Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area of 945 m² g⁻¹ and high stability against strong acid (6 M HCl), base (6 M NaOH), and boiling water over 24 hours. Post-modification of the framework with oxone has been demonstrated to modulate hydrophilicity, and it exhibits proton conductivity of 2.5×10⁻² S cm⁻¹ at 85 °C, 95 % of relative humidity.     

DNA micropatterning on polycrystalline diamond via one-step direct amination

We report a novel method of one-step direct amination on polycrystalline diamond to produce functionalized surfaces for DNA micropatterning by photolithography. Polycrystalline diamond was exposed to UV irradiation in ammonia gas to generate amine groups directly. After patterning, optical microscopy confirmed that micropatterns covered with an Au mask were regular in size and shape. The regions outside the micropatterns were passivated with fluorine termination by C3F8 plasma, and the chemical changes on the two different surfaces--the amine groups inside the patterned regions by one-step direct amination and fluorine termination outside the patterned regions--were characterized by spatially resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The patterned areas terminated with active amine groups were then immobilized with probe DNA via a bifunctional molecule. The sequence specificity was conducted by hybridizing fluorescently labeled target DNA to both complementary and noncomplementary probe DNA attached inside the micropatterns. The fluorescence micropatterns observed by epifluorescence microscopy corresponded to those imaged by optical microscopy. DNA hybridization and denaturation experiments on a DNA-modified diamond show that the diamond surfaces reveal superior stability. The influence of a different amination time on fluorescence intensity was compared. Different terminations as passivated layers were investigated, and as a result, fluorine termination points to the greatest signal-to-noise ratio.     

Test of athermal terms of activity coefficient models by Monte Carlo simulation with hard-core models

The infinite dilution activity coefficients of exactly athermal fluids were calculated by Monte Carlo simulation with hard-core models. The hard-core models used in this work were hard-sphere and hard-spherocylinder models. The Widom test particle method was adopted to calculate the residual chemical potentials of solutes in pure solvent and in pure solute solutions. The infinite dilution activity coefficients of solutes were obtained from the residual chemical potentials of solutes. The infinite dilution activity coefficients calculated by Monte Carlo simulation were compared with those of athermal terms in activity coefficient equations. Staverman–Guggenheim equation overestimates the activity coefficients. The deviations of activity coefficients increase with increasing the hard-core volume of solute. Flory–Huggins equation based on molar volume gives good results for the hard-spherocylinder systems. Elbro-FV equation gives good results for both the hard-sphere and hard-spherocylinder systems.