Perceptual organization of complex-tone sequences: a tradeoff between pitch and timbre?

Sequences of rapidly occurring sounds that differ from each other are often perceptually segregated into "streams" within which the range of differences is smaller [Bregman and Campbell, J. Exp. Psychol. 89, 244-249 (1971)]. Early research on streaming implied it to be pitch dominated, but Wessel [Comput. Music J. 3, 45-52 (1979)] demonstrated that timbre differences could also bring about segregation. In the present study, pitch and timbre attributes were put in competition in four-tone sequences of the form: T2P1-TmP1-T2Pn-TmPn, with the first pair assigned pitch P1 but different timbres T2 and Tm, and the second pair pitch Pn, and similarly contrasted timbres. Six listeners were asked to indicate whether perceived grouping of 49 such sequences was based on pitch proximity, timbre similarity, or ambiguous percepts not dominated by either cue. Results confirm that timbre can segregate sequences and imply that timbre and pitch compete in perceptually organizing complex sequences. Because timbre differences were provided by varying the locus of four equal-amplitude harmonics, and pitch differences were provided by varying their relative spacing, it is suggested that the tradeoffs observed may actually arise due to differences in perceived salience of "spectral pitch" and "virtual pitch" [Terhardt, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 55, 1061-1069 (1974)] dependent on relative changes in spectral locus and spectral spacing over time.     

Low frequency ultrasonic-assisted hydrolysis of starch in the presence of α-amylase

Hydrolysis of starch is an important process in the food industry and in the production of bioethanol or smaller carbohydrate molecules that can be used as starting blocks for chemical synthesis. Such hydrolysis can be enhanced by lowering the pH, heating the reaction mixture or catalyzing the reaction with enzymes. This study reports the effect of sonication on the reaction rate of starch hydrolysis at different temperatures, in the presence or absence of alpha-amylase. Starch Azure, a commercially available potato starch covalently linked with Remazol Brilliant Blue, has been chosen since its hydrolysis releases a blue dye, which concentration can be monitored by UV Vis spectroscopy. Ultrasounds, regardless of experimental conditions, provide the highest reaction rate for such hydrolysis.     

On a relation of the angular frequency to the Aharonov–Casher geometric phase in a quantum dot

By analysing the behaviour of a neutral particle with permanent magnetic dipole moment confined to a quantum dot in the presence of a radial electric field, Coulomb-type and linear confining potentials, then, an Aharonov–Bohm-type effect for bound states and a dependence of the angular frequency of the system on the Aharonov–Casher geometric phase and the quantum numbers associated with the radial modes, the angular momentum and the spin are obtained. In particular, the possible values of the angular frequency and the persistent spin currents associated with the ground state are investigated in two different cases.     

Accuracy and precision of a laser-spectroscopy approach to the analysis of δ²H and δ¹⁸O in human urine

The isotope ratio analysis of body water often involves large sample numbers and lengthy sample processing. Here we demonstrate the ability of isotope ratio infrared spectroscopy (IRIS) to rapidly and accurately analyse the isotope ratios of water in urine. We analysed water extracted from human urine using traditional isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) and compared those values with IRIS-analysed extracted water and un-extracted urine. Regression analyses for δ2H and δ1?O values between (1) extracted water analysed via IRMS and IRIS and (2) urine and extracted water analysed via IRIS were significant (R2=0.99). These results indicate that cryogenic distillation of urine was not required for an accurate estimate of the isotopic composition of urine when using IRIS.     

Measurement of the avalanche photodiode impedance and its matching to a transmitting line in the frequency range 0.5–1.0 GHz

The LCR parameters, which characterize the internal impedance of an avalanche photodiode as a source of a variable emf when exposed to laser radiation modulated at frequencies from 0.5 to 1.0 GHz, are experimentally investigated. The measurement procedure is described in detail. The results obtained for an LFD-2A photodiode are presented, and different ways of its matching to a transmitting line are analyzed.     

Accuracy and precision of a laser-spectroscopy approach to the analysis of δ2H and δ18O in human urine

The isotope ratio analysis of body water often involves large sample numbers and lengthy sample processing. Here we demonstrate the ability of isotope ratio infrared spectroscopy (IRIS) to rapidly and accurately analyse the isotope ratios of water in urine. We analysed water extracted from human urine using traditional isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) and compared those values with IRIS-analysed extracted water and un-extracted urine. Regression analyses for δ²H and δ¹⁸O values between (1) extracted water analysed via IRMS and IRIS and (2) urine and extracted water analysed via IRIS were significant (R ²=0.99). These results indicate that cryogenic distillation of urine was not required for an accurate estimate of the isotopic composition of urine when using IRIS.     

Calculation of Energies of the Ground and Low Excited States of a Confined Helium Atom in a Spherical Parabolic Well

Making use of the adiabatic hyperspherical approach, we report a calculation for the energy spectrum of the ground and low-excited states of the confined helium atom in a spherical parabolic well. We find that the energies of a spherical parabolic well are in good agreement with those of an impenetrable spherical box for the larger confined potential radius. However, the energy values of a spherical parabolic well are much lower than those of an impenetrable spherical box for small values of re. We also find that the confinement may cause accidental degeneracies between levels with different low-excited states and the inversion of the energy values.     

Is There a Hierarchy of the Hadron Low pT Spectra?

A compilation of fits to the low p_T hadron distributions is presented. The universality of the distributions is examined. The p_T distributians of direct pions and resonances in the reaction p p → 2π+2π−π⁰ at 5.7 GeV/c are fitted separately. Indications are found that up to ISR energies there are three types oflow p_T inclusive hadron distributions in hadron-hadron interactions. The inclusive p_T distributions of different particles are divided into these three groups according to the particle mass.     

Solutal Marangoni convection in a Hele–Shaw geometry: Impact of orientation and gap width

The European Physical Journal Special Topics - We study Marangoni roll cell convection in a ternary mass transfer system composed of cyclohexanol, water and butanol (transferred species) placed in...     

The effect of the rotational angle on MR diffusion indices in nerves: is the rms displacement of the slow-diffusing component a good measure of fiber orientation?

In recent years, much effort has been made to increase our ability to infer nerve fiber direction through the use of diffusion MR. The present study examines the effect of the rotational angle (alpha), i.e. the angle between the diffusion sensitizing gradients and the main axis of the fibers in the nerves, on different NMR indices. The indices examined were the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), extracted from low b-values (b(max) approximately 1200 s/mm(2)), and the root mean square (rms) displacement of the fast and the slow-diffusing components extracted from high b-value q-space diffusion MR data. In addition, the effect of both the diffusion time and myelination was evaluated. We found that the most sensitive index to the rotational angle is the rms displacement of the slow-diffusing component extracted from the high b-value q-space diffusion MR experiment. For this component the rms displacement was nearly constant for alpha values ranging from -10 degrees to +80 degrees (where alpha=0 degrees is the z direction), but it changed dramatically when diffusion was measured nearly perpendicular to the nerve fiber direction, i.e., for alpha=90+/-10 degrees. The ADC and the rms displacement of the fast-diffusing component exhibited only gradual changes, with a maximal change at alpha=45+/-15 degrees. The sensitivity of the rms displacement of the slow-diffusing component to the rotational angle was found to be higher at longer diffusion times and in mature fully myelinated nerves. The relevance of these observations for determining the fiber direction is briefly discussed.     

Multiple bands: A key to high-temperature superconductivity in iron arsenides?

In the framework of four-band model of superconductivity in iron arsenides proposed by Barzykin and Gor’kov we analyze the gap ratios on hole—like and electron—like Fermi—surface cylinders. It is shown that experimentally observed (ARPES) gap ratios can be obtained only within rather strict limits on the values of pairing coupling constants. The difference of T _c values in 1111 and 122 systems is reasonably explained by the relative values of partial densities of states. The multiple bands electronic structure of these systems leads to a significant enhancement of effective pairing coupling constant determining T _c , so that high enough T _c values can be achieved even for the case of rather small intraband and interband pairing interactions. The article is published in the original.     

δ2H and δ18O of human body water: a GIS model to distinguish residents from non-residents in the contiguous USA

An understanding of the factors influencing the isotopic composition of body water is important to determine the isotopic composition of tissues that are used to reconstruct movement patterns of humans. The δ(2)H and δ(18)O values of body water (δ(2)H(bw) and δ(18)O(bw)) are related to the δ(2)H and δ(18)O values of drinking water (δ(2)H(dw) and δ(18)O(dw)), but clearly distinct because of other factors including the composition of food. Here, we develop a mechanistic geographical information system (GIS) model to produce spatial projections of δ(2)H(bw) and δ(18)O(bw) values for the USA. We investigate the influence of gender, food, and drinking water on the predicted values by comparing them with the published values. The strongest influence on the predicted values was related to the source of δ(2)H(dw) and δ(18)O(dw) values. We combine the model with equations that describe the rate of turnover to produce estimates for the time required for a non-resident to reach an isotopic equilibrium with a resident population.     

δ2H and δ18O of human body water: a GIS model to distinguish residents from non-residents in the contiguous USA

An understanding of the factors influencing the isotopic composition of body water is important to determine the isotopic composition of tissues that are used to reconstruct movement patterns of humans. The δ²H and δ¹⁸O values of body water (δ²H_bw and δ¹⁸O_bw) are related to the δ²H and δ¹⁸O values of drinking water (δ²H_dw and δ¹⁸O_dw), but clearly distinct because of other factors including the composition of food. Here, we develop a mechanistic geographical information system (GIS) model to produce spatial projections of δ²H_bw and δ¹⁸O_bw values for the USA. We investigate the influence of gender, food, and drinking water on the predicted values by comparing them with the published values. The strongest influence on the predicted values was related to the source of δ²H_dw and δ¹⁸O_dw values. We combine the model with equations that describe the rate of turnover to produce estimates for the time required for a non-resident to reach an isotopic equilibrium with a resident population.     

The universality and the future prospects of physiological energetics: Reply to comments on “Physics of metabolic organization”

In response to the comments on review “Physics of metabolic organization”, we discuss the universality and the future prospects of physiological energetics. The topics range from the role of entropy in modeling living organisms to the apparent ubiquity of the von Bertalanffy curve, and the potential applications of the theory in yet unexplored domains. Tradeoffs in outreach to non-specialists are also briefly considered.     

Line coupling in the temperature and frequency dependences of absorption in the microwindows of the 4.3 μm CO2 band

The shapes of the self- and N₂-broadened ν₃CO₂ fundamental vibration-rotation band in the microwindows (troughs between the lines) have been measured at various temperatures. Important deviations with respect to the superposition of Lorentzian profiles are observed. These deviations are interpreted in terms of line coupling, which redistributes the intensity in the whole band. In order to take into account this line coupling, two models are considered within the frame of the impact theory. The first model uses the strong-collision approximation to describe the rotational energy transferred by collisions. It leads to a simple analytical expression for the band profile. The second model is based on the exponential-gap law. These two models account well for the frequency dependence of the measured absorption in the microwindows and for the temperature dependence in the case of the N₂-broadened CO₂ band but not in the self-broadened case. The influence of the line-coupling rotational distribution, which differs significantly in the two models, is discussed. The possible role of the finite duration of collision in rotational energy transfer is examined.     

Detection of combined changes in interaural time and intensity differences: Segregated mechanisms in cue type and in operating frequency range?

Although physiological studies have revealed segregated binaural pathways, namely the medial and lateral superior olives, it is unclear whether the human auditory system has separate mechanisms for different cue types (interaural time and intensity differences; ITD and IID, respectively) and for operating frequency ranges. This study hypothesized "channels" for ITD and IID processing, and examined channel interaction at low and high frequencies based on the signal detection theory. The stimuli were a 125- or 500-Hz tone and a 4-kHz tone amplitude-modulated with a half-wave-rectified 125-Hz sinusoid, presented dichotically with various baseline ITDs and IIDs. The detectability indices, d('), for ITD and IID changes, imposed individually or simultaneously in the same direction, were derived from the results of a forced-choice task. The degree of channel interaction was estimated by comparing d(') for combined cues with those for individual cues. The estimated interaction showed little effect of baseline ITD or IID. The results generally exhibited nonzero interaction, indicating that the cue processes are not completely independent. The interaction was stronger for high frequencies than for low frequencies. The results can be interpreted as indicating the involvement of different binaural mechanisms for different frequency regions.     

Comparison of frequency stabilities of the Rb standard and of the He−Ne/CH4 laser stabilized to theE line in methane

The paper reports on the production of an optical time standard on the basis of the He?Ne laser stabilized to theE line in methane and on a comparison of its frequency stability with that of the rubidium standard. It is shown that the stability of the optical standard is better than that of the rubidium one. Frequency measurements of theE line gavev _E=88373149031.2±1.2 kHz. We have also made new measurements on the frequency of the He?Ne laser stabilized to theF ₂ ⁽²⁾ methane line: $$v_F = 88376181602.9 \pm 1.2kHz.$$      

Is there a fundamental limit on the key distribution distance in quantum cryptography?

Is there a fundamental limit on the key distribution distance in quantum cryptography? Are there quantum key distribution protocols approaching this limit and how close can they approach this limit? The answer to the first question is both yes and no. A general answer to the first question can be given without considering a particular quantum key distribution protocol and its implementation. The answer to the second question is given by a particular protocol for which the distribution distance is close to the theoretical limit and the achievement of this value is limited by our possibilities of correcting errors using classical codes rather than by the quantum key distribution protocol itself.