Perception drives production across sensory modalities: A network for sensorimotor integration of visual speech.

PubMed

Venezia, Jonathan H; Fillmore, Paul; Matchin, William; Isenberg, A Lisette; Hickok, Gregory; Fridriksson, Julius

2016-02-01

Sensory information is critical for movement control, both for defining the targets of actions and providing feedback during planning or ongoing movements. This holds for speech motor control as well, where both auditory and somatosensory information have been shown to play a key role. Recent clinical research demonstrates that individuals with severe speech production deficits can show a dramatic improvement in fluency during online mimicking of an audiovisual speech signal suggesting the existence of a visuomotor pathway for speech motor control. Here we used fMRI in healthy individuals to identify this new visuomotor circuit for speech production. Participants were asked to perceive and covertly rehearse nonsense syllable sequences presented auditorily, visually, or audiovisually. The motor act of rehearsal, which is prima facie the same whether or not it is cued with a visible talker, produced different patterns of sensorimotor activation when cued by visual or audiovisual speech (relative to auditory speech). In particular, a network of brain regions including the left posterior middle temporal gyrus and several frontoparietal sensorimotor areas activated more strongly during rehearsal cued by a visible talker versus rehearsal cued by auditory speech alone. Some of these brain regions responded exclusively to rehearsal cued by visual or audiovisual speech. This result has significant implications for models of speech motor control, for the treatment of speech output disorders, and for models of the role of speech gesture imitation in development. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Perception drives production across sensory modalities: A network for sensorimotor integration of visual speech

PubMed Central

Venezia, Jonathan H.; Fillmore, Paul; Matchin, William; Isenberg, A. Lisette; Hickok, Gregory; Fridriksson, Julius

2015-01-01

Sensory information is critical for movement control, both for defining the targets of actions and providing feedback during planning or ongoing movements. This holds for speech motor control as well, where both auditory and somatosensory information have been shown to play a key role. Recent clinical research demonstrates that individuals with severe speech production deficits can show a dramatic improvement in fluency during online mimicking of an audiovisual speech signal suggesting the existence of a visuomotor pathway for speech motor control. Here we used fMRI in healthy individuals to identify this new visuomotor circuit for speech production. Participants were asked to perceive and covertly rehearse nonsense syllable sequences presented auditorily, visually, or audiovisually. The motor act of rehearsal, which is prima facie the same whether or not it is cued with a visible talker, produced different patterns of sensorimotor activation when cued by visual or audiovisual speech (relative to auditory speech). In particular, a network of brain regions including the left posterior middle temporal gyrus and several frontoparietal sensorimotor areas activated more strongly during rehearsal cued by a visible talker versus rehearsal cued by auditory speech alone. Some of these brain regions responded exclusively to rehearsal cued by visual or audiovisual speech. This result has significant implications for models of speech motor control, for the treatment of speech output disorders, and for models of the role of speech gesture imitation in development. PMID:26608242

Large Vocabulary Audio-Visual Speech Recognition

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-06-12

www.is.cs.cmu.edu Email: waibel(a)cs.cmu~edu Inttractive Systenms Labs ttoctis Ssstms Labs Meeting Browser - -- Interpreting Human Communication "Why did...Speech Interacti Stams Labs t-cive Systms Focus of Attention Tracking Conclusion - Complete Model of Human Communication is Needed - Include all

Photoinduced Br Desorption from CsBr Thin Films Grown on Cu(100)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Halliday, Matthew T.; Joly, Alan G.; Hess, Wayne P.

2015-10-22

Thin films of CsBr deposited onto metals such as copper are potential photocathode materials for light sources and other applications. We investigate desorption dynamics of Br atoms from CsBr films grown on insulator (KBr, LiF) and metal (Cu) substrates induced by sub-bandgap 6.4 eV laser pulses. The experimental results demonstrate that the peak kinetic energy of Br atoms desorbed from CsBr/Cu films is much lower than that for the hyperthermal desorption from CsBr/LiF films. Kelvin probe measurements indicate negative charge at the surface following Br desorption from CsBr/Cu films. Our ab initio calculations of excitons at CsBr surfaces demonstrate thatmore » this behavior can be explained by an exciton model of desorption including electron trapping at the CsBr surface. Trapped negative charges reduce the energy of surface excitons available for Br desorption. We examine the electron-trapping characteristics of low-coordinated sites at the surface, in particular, divacancies and kink sites. We also provide a model of cation desorption caused by Franck-Hertz excitation of F centers at the surface in the course of irradiation of CsBr/Cu films. These results provide new insights into the mechanisms of photoinduced structural evolution of alkali halide films on metal substrates and activation of metal photocathodes coated with CsBr.« less

Cued Speech for Enhancing Speech Perception and First Language Development of Children With Cochlear Implants

PubMed Central

Leybaert, Jacqueline; LaSasso, Carol J.

2010-01-01

Nearly 300 million people worldwide have moderate to profound hearing loss. Hearing impairment, if not adequately managed, has strong socioeconomic and affective impact on individuals. Cochlear implants have become the most effective vehicle for helping profoundly deaf children and adults to understand spoken language, to be sensitive to environmental sounds, and, to some extent, to listen to music. The auditory information delivered by the cochlear implant remains non-optimal for speech perception because it delivers a spectrally degraded signal and lacks some of the fine temporal acoustic structure. In this article, we discuss research revealing the multimodal nature of speech perception in normally-hearing individuals, with important inter-subject variability in the weighting of auditory or visual information. We also discuss how audio-visual training, via Cued Speech, can improve speech perception in cochlear implantees, particularly in noisy contexts. Cued Speech is a system that makes use of visual information from speechreading combined with hand shapes positioned in different places around the face in order to deliver completely unambiguous information about the syllables and the phonemes of spoken language. We support our view that exposure to Cued Speech before or after the implantation could be important in the aural rehabilitation process of cochlear implantees. We describe five lines of research that are converging to support the view that Cued Speech can enhance speech perception in individuals with cochlear implants. PMID:20724357

Copper Ferrocyanide Functionalized Core-Shell Magnetic Silica Composites for the Selective Removal of Cesium Ions from Radioactive Liquid Waste.

PubMed

Lee, Hyun Kyu; Yang, Da Som; Oh, Wonzin; Choi, Sang-June

2016-06-01

The copper ferrocyanide functionalized core-shell magnetic silica composite (mag@silica-CuFC) was prepared and was found to be easily separated from aqueous solutions by using magnetic field. The synthesized mag@silica-CuFC composite has a high sorption ability of Cs owing to its strong affinity for Cs as well as the high surface area of the supports. Cs sorption on the mag@silica-CuFC composite quickly reached the sorption equilibrium after 2 h of contact time. The effect of the presence of salts with a high concentration of up to 3.5 wt% on the efficiency of Cs sorption onto the composites was also studied. The maximum sorption ability was found to be maintained in the presence of up to 3.5 wt% of NaCl in the solution. Considering these results, the mag@silica-CuFC composite has great potential for use as an effective sorbent for the selective removal of radioactive Cs ions.

Transcriptional regulation of abscisic acid signal core components during cucumber seed germination and under Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, NaCl and simulated acid rain stresses.

PubMed

Wang, Yanping; Wang, Ya; Kai, Wenbin; Zhao, Bo; Chen, Pei; Sun, Liang; Ji, Kai; Li, Qian; Dai, Shengjie; Sun, Yufei; Wang, Yidong; Pei, Yuelin; Leng, Ping

2014-03-01

Abscisic acid (ABA) is an important phytohormone that regulates lots of physiological and biochemical processes in plant life cycle, especially in seed germination and stress responses. For exploring the transcriptional regulation of ABA signal transduction during cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) seed germination and under Cu(2+), Zn(2+), NaCl and simulated acid rain stresses, nine CsPYLs, three group A CsPP2Cs and two subclass III CsSnRK2s were identified from cucumber genome, which respectively showed high sequence similarities and highly conserved domains with homologous genes in Arabidopsis. Based on Real-time PCR analysis, most of the tested genes' expression decreased during cucumber seed germination, which was in accordance with the ABA level variation. In addition, according to the absolute expression, CsPYL1, CsPYL3, CsPP2C5, CsABI1, CsSnRK2.3 and CsSnRK2.4 were highly expressed, indicating that they may play more important roles in ABA signaling during cucumber seed germination. Moreover, most of these highly expressed genes, except CsPYL3, were up-regulated by ABA treatment. Meanwhile, most of the tested genes' expression dramatically changed at the initial water uptake phase, indicating that this period may be critical in the regulation of ABA on seed germination. Under Cu(2+), Zn(2+), NaCl and simulated acid rain stresses, cucumber seed germination percentage decreased and ABA content increased. Meanwhile, the expression of ABA signal transduction core components genes showed specific response to a particular stress and was not always consist with ABA variation. Generally, the expression of CsPYL1, CsPYL3, CsABI1, CsSnRK2.3 and CsSnRK2.4 was sensitive to 120 mM NaCl and 0.5 mM Cu(2+) treatments. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Surface Structure Spread Single Crystals (S4C): Preparation and characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Alwis, A.; Holsclaw, B.; Pushkarev, V. V.; Reinicker, A.; Lawton, T. J.; Blecher, M. E.; Sykes, E. C. H.; Gellman, A. J.

2013-02-01

A set of six spherically curved Cu single crystals referred to as Surface Structure Spread Single Crystals (S4Cs) has been prepared in such a way that their exposed surfaces collectively span all possible crystallographic surface orientations that can be cleaved from the face centered cubic Cu lattice. The method for preparing these S4Cs and for finding the high symmetry pole point is described. Optical profilometry has been used to determine the true shapes of the S4Cs and show that over the majority of the surface, the shape is extremely close to that of a perfect sphere. The local orientations of the surfaces lie within ± 1° of the orientation expected on the basis of the spherical shape; their orientation is as good as that of many commercially prepared single crystals. STM imaging has been used to characterize the atomic level structure of the Cu(111) ± 11°-S4C. This has shown that the average step densities and the average step orientations match those expected based on the spherical shape. In other words, although there is some distribution of step-step spacing and step orientations, there is no evidence of large scale reconstruction or faceting. The Cu S4Cs have local structures based on the ideal termination of the face centered cubic Cu lattice in the direction of termination. The set of Cu S4Cs will serve as the basis for high throughput investigations of structure sensitive surface chemistry on Cu.

The impact of highly concentrated Mo and Cu dietary supplements, fed as a bolus, on the efficacy of chelated versus inorganic Cu in cattle on a low-Cu diet.

PubMed

Grace, N D; West, D M; Smith, S L; Knowles, S O

2013-11-01

To compare the efficacy of chelated versus inorganic forms of dietary Cu supplements, fed as a bolus, when challenged by a daily bolus of dietary Mo in cattle on a low-Cu diet. Forty non-lactating, Friesian dairy cows of adequate Cu status were assigned to four groups and fed a basal diet of baled silage containing 5.3 mg Cu and 0.4 mg Mo/kg DM. The experimental design was a factorial of two chemical forms of supplemental Cu and two levels of Mo intake, provided as pelleted grain supplements made from crushed barley/molasses plus Cu and Mo. The supplements contained 140 mg Cu/kg as Cu sulphate pentahydrate (CS), 140 mg Cu/kg as Cu glycinate (CG), CS plus 38 mg Mo/kg as sodium molybdate (CS+Mo), or CG plus 38 mg Mo/kg (CG+Mo). Commencing on Day 0, supplements were fed once daily (offered 1-1.2 kg/cow) and were completely consumed within 5-10 minutes, which constitutes a bolus type of administration. Liver samples were collected by biopsy at Days -24, 13, 41 or 47, and 69 for Cu determinations. The diets fed to the Cu+Mo groups were roughly equivalent to 25 mg Cu and 5.7 mg Mo/kg DM. Mean initial concentration of Cu in liver for all groups was 516 (SE 54) μmol Cu/kg fresh tissue. In cows supplemented with CS and CG, the final (Day 69) concentrations increased (p<0.01) to 939 (SE 166) and 853 (SE 163) μmol Cu/kg, respectively. These values were not different (p=0.72). For groups CS+Mo and CG+Mo, the final concentrations of 535 (SE 122) and 453 (SE 102) μmol Cu/kg were not different from initial values or from each other (p>0.25). The rate of accumulation of Cu in liver following bolus Cu and Mo intake was highly variable but was not affected by initial concentration of Cu in liver (p>0.9) or by the form of Cu (p>0.6). Mean rates of accumulation of Cu in liver were 4.0 (SD 3.8) and 0.65 (SD 2.0) μmol Cu/kg fresh tissue/day for the Cu-only treatments and the Cu+Mo treatments, respectively. When fed together as a bolus, high Mo intake negated the effect of supplemental Cu but it did not reduce liver Cu stores. There was no difference in the reaction of dietary Mo with chelated Cu (as glycinate) versus inorganic Cu (as sulphate) dietary supplements.

Oxidation of a [Cu2S] complex by N2O and CO2: insights into a role of tetranuclearity in the CuZ site of nitrous oxide reductase.

PubMed

Bagherzadeh, Sharareh; Mankad, Neal P

2018-01-25

Oxidation of a [Cu 2 (μ-S)] complex by N 2 O or CO 2 generated a [Cu 2 (μ-SO 4 )] product. In the presence of a sulfur trap, a [Cu 2 (μ-O)] species also formed from N 2 O. A [Cu 2 (μ-CS 3 )] species derived from CS 2 modeled initial reaction intermediates. These observations indicate that one role of tetranuclearity in the Cu Z catalytic site of nitrous oxide reductase is to protect the crucial S 2- ligand from oxidation.

Chitosan Membrane Embedded With ZnO/CuO Nanocomposites for the Photodegradation of Fast Green Dye Under Artificial and Solar Irradiation

PubMed Central

Alzahrani, Eman

2018-01-01

Fast Green (FCF) dye is commonly used in both cytology and histology applications. Previous studies have found that it can cause mutagenic and tumorigenic effects in experimental human and animal populations. It can also be a source of skin, eye, respiratory, and digestive irritation. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of thin film membranes to degrade FCF. A thin film membrane of chitosan (CS) was fabricated and subsequently filled with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO) or ZnO/CuO-heterostructured nanocomposites. The CS membrane was used as a matrix, and the nanomaterials were used as photocatalysts. The prepared membranes were characterised by four analytical techniques: atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and energy-dispersive X-ray analyses. The photocatalytic activity of the fabricated membranes was evaluated by performing experiments in which aqueous solutions of FCF dye that contained the fabricated membrane were irradiated with solar light or UV light. The photodegradation percentage was spectrophotometrically determined by monitoring the maximum wavelengths (λmax) of FCF at 623 nm for different irradiation times. The decolourisation percentages of the dye under solar light were 57.90% and 60.23% using the CS-ZnO and CS-ZnO/CuO membranes, respectively. When UV light irradiation was employed as the source of irradiation, the photodegradation percentages of FCF were 71.45% and 91.21% using the CS-ZnO and CS-ZnO/CuO membranes, respectively. These results indicated that the best photocatalytic system for the degradation of FCF dye was CS-ZnO/CuO membrane in combination with UV light irradiation. The study also found that it was easy to separate the prepared membranes after the reaction without the need for a centrifuge or magnet. The results demonstrate the potential for CS-ZnO and CS-ZnO/CuO membranes for use as effective sorbents during the process of photodegradation of harmful dyes within waste water recycling practices. PMID:29593375

Speech Processing to Improve the Perception of Speech in Background Noise for Children With Auditory Processing Disorder and Typically Developing Peers.

PubMed

Flanagan, Sheila; Zorilă, Tudor-Cătălin; Stylianou, Yannis; Moore, Brian C J

2018-01-01

Auditory processing disorder (APD) may be diagnosed when a child has listening difficulties but has normal audiometric thresholds. For adults with normal hearing and with mild-to-moderate hearing impairment, an algorithm called spectral shaping with dynamic range compression (SSDRC) has been shown to increase the intelligibility of speech when background noise is added after the processing. Here, we assessed the effect of such processing using 8 children with APD and 10 age-matched control children. The loudness of the processed and unprocessed sentences was matched using a loudness model. The task was to repeat back sentences produced by a female speaker when presented with either speech-shaped noise (SSN) or a male competing speaker (CS) at two signal-to-background ratios (SBRs). Speech identification was significantly better with SSDRC processing than without, for both groups. The benefit of SSDRC processing was greater for the SSN than for the CS background. For the SSN, scores were similar for the two groups at both SBRs. For the CS, the APD group performed significantly more poorly than the control group. The overall improvement produced by SSDRC processing could be useful for enhancing communication in a classroom where the teacher's voice is broadcast using a wireless system.

Copper-Catalyzed Oxidative Reaction of β-Keto Sulfones with Alcohols via C-S Bond Cleavage: Reaction Development and Mechanism Study.

PubMed

Du, Bingnan; Wang, Wenmin; Wang, Yang; Qi, Zhenghang; Tian, Jiaqi; Zhou, Jie; Wang, Xiaochen; Han, Jianlin; Ma, Jing; Pan, Yi

2018-02-16

A Cu-catalyzed cascade oxidative radical process of β-keto sulfones with alcohols has been achieved by using oxygen as an oxidant. In this reaction, β-keto sulfones were converted into sulfinate esters under the oxidative conditions via cleavage of C-S bond. Experimental and computational studies demonstrate that a new pathway is involved in this reaction, which proceeds through the formation of the key four-coordinated Cu II intermediate, O-O bond homolysis induced C-S bond cleavage and Cu-catalyzed esterification to form the final products. This reaction provides a new strategy to sulfonate esters and enriches the research content of C-S bond cleavage and transformations. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The Influence of Psycholinguistic Variables on Articulatory Errors in Naming in Progressive Motor Speech Degeneration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Code, Chris; Tree, Jeremy; Ball, Martin

2011-01-01

We describe an analysis of speech errors on a confrontation naming task in a man with progressive speech degeneration of 10-year duration from Pick's disease. C.S. had a progressive non-fluent aphasia together with a motor speech impairment and early assessment indicated some naming impairments. There was also an absence of significant…

A mechanism of Cu work function reduction in CsBr/Cu photocathodes

DOE PAGES

Halliday, M. T. E.; Hess, W. P.; Shluger, A. L.

2016-02-15

Thin films of CsBr deposited on Cu(100) have been proposed as next-generation photocathode materials for applications in particle accelerators and free-electron lasers. However, the mechanisms underlying an improved photocathode performance remain poorly understood. We present density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations of the work function reduction following the application of CsBr thin film coatings to Cu photocathodes. The effects of structure and van der Waals forces are examined. Calculations suggest that CsBr films can reduce the work function by around 1.5 eV, which would explain the exponential increase in quantum efficiency (QE) of coated vs. uncoated photocathodes. In conclusion, a modelmore » explaining experimentally observed laser activation of photocathode is provided whereby the photo-induced creation of di-vacancies at the surface, and their subsequent diffusion throughout the lattice and segregation at the interface leads to a further increase in QE after a period of laser irradiation.« less

Magnetic excitations in the spin-1/2 triangular-lattice antiferromagnet Cs 2CuBr 4

DOE PAGES

Zvyagin, S. A.; Ozerov, M.; Kamenskyi, D.; ...

2015-11-27

We present on high- field electron spin resonance (ESR) studies of magnetic excitations in the spin- 1/2 triangular-lattice antiferromagnet Cs 2CuBr 4. Frequency- field diagrams of ESR excitations are measured for different orientations of magnetic fields up to 25 T. We show that the substantial zero- field energy gap, Δ ≈ 9.5 K, observed in the low-temperature excitation spectrum of Cs 2CuBr 4 [Zvyagin et al:, Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 077206 (2014)], is present well above T N. Noticeably, the transition into the long-range magnetically ordered phase does not significantly affect the size of the gap, suggesting that even belowmore » T N the high-energy spin dynamics in Cs 2CuBr 4 is determined by short-range-order spin correlations. The experimental data are compared with results of model spin-wave-theory calculations for spin-1/2 triangle-lattice antiferromagnet.« less

The development of word recognition, sentence comprehension, word spelling, and vocabulary in children with deafness: a longitudinal study.

PubMed

Colin, S; Leybaert, J; Ecalle, J; Magnan, A

2013-05-01

Only a small number of longitudinal studies have been conducted to assess the literacy skills of children with hearing impairment. The results of these studies are inconsistent with regard to the importance of phonology in reading acquisition as is the case in studies with hearing children. Colin, Magnan, Ecalle, and Leybaert (2007) revealed the important role of early phonological skills and the contribution of the factor of age of exposure to Cued Speech (CS: a manual system intended to resolve the ambiguities inherent to speechreading) to subsequent reading acquisition (from kindergarten to first grade) in children with deafness. The aim of the present paper is twofold: (1) to confirm the role of early exposure to CS in the development of the linguistic skills necessary in order to learn reading and writing in second grade; (2) to reveal the possible existence of common factors other than CS that may influence literacy performances and explain the inter-individual difference within groups of children with hearing impairment. Eighteen 6-year-old hearing-impaired and 18 hearing children of the same chronological age were tested from kindergarten to second grade. The children with deafness had either been exposed to CS at an early age, at home and before kindergarten (early-CS group), or had first been exposed to it when they entered kindergarten (late-CS group) or first grade (beginner-CS group). Children were given implicit and explicit phonological tasks, silent reading tasks (word recognition and sentence comprehension), word spelling, and vocabulary tasks. Children in the early-CS group outperformed those of the late-CS and beginner-CS groups in phonological tasks from first grade to second grade. They became better readers and better spellers than those from the late-CS group and the beginner-CS group. Their performances did not differ from those of hearing children in any of the tasks except for the receptive vocabulary test. Thus early exposure to CS seems to permit the development of linguistic skills necessary in order to learn reading and writing. The possible contribution of other factors to the acquisition of literacy skills by children with hearing impairment will be discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selective Capture of Cesium and Thallium from Natural Waters and Simulated Wastes with Copper Ferrocyanide Functionalized Mesoporous Silica

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sangvanich, Thanapon; Sukwarotwat, Vichaya; Wiacek, Robert J.

2010-10-15

Copper(II) ferrocyanide immobilized inside mesoporous silica MCM-41 supports (Cu-FC-EDA-SAMMSTM) has been evaluated against iron(III) hexacyanoferrate(II) (insoluble Prussian blue) for the sorption of cesium (Cs+) and thallium (Tl+) from natural waters and simulated wastes. The affinities (in term of distribution coefficients, Kd) of both sorbents for Cs and Tl were measured as a function of solution pH, competing cations, and matrices. For the entire pH studied (pH 0.1 to 7.3), Cu-FC-EDA-SAMMS had higher affinities for Cs and Tl (one to two orders of magnitude higher Kd) than Prussian blue and was less negatively impacted by the solution pH, competing cations, andmore » matrices. The adsorption isotherms and kinetics of the two sorbents for Cs and/or Tl were also determined in seawater and simulated acid and alkaline wastes. SAMMS outperformed Prussian blue in terms of maximum adsorption capacity (e.g., 21.7 versus 2.6 mg Cs/g in acid waste stimulant, pH 1.1), and rate (e.g., over 95 wt% of Cs was removed after 2 minutes with SAMMS, while only 75 wt% was removed with Prussian blue). The lower affinity, capacity, and rate of Cs and Tl sorption on Prussian blue than those on Cu-FC-EDA-SAMMS were attributed to the molecular pore sizes, which restrict mass transport, and the insoluble Cs abducts of the Prussian blue, which restrict the ability of neighboring binding sites to further bind Cs ions. On the other hand, the large pores of SAMMS not only enable faster diffusion and faster binding chemistry, but they also allow isolation of binding sites so that one Cs binding event does not impact further Cs binding. In addition, iron (Fe) dissolved from insoluble Prussian blue over 10-fold of that from Cu-FC-EDA-SAMMS after 24 hours of contact time, indicating poorer material stability of Prussian blue.« less

Fe3O4@SiO2@CS-TETA functionalized graphene oxide for the adsorption of methylene blue (MB) and Cu(II)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Fan; Zhang, Lijuan; Wang, Yeying; Liu, Xijian; Rohani, Sohrab; Lu, Jie

2017-10-01

The graphene oxide (GO) functionalized by Fe3O4@SiO2@CS-TETA nanoparticles, Fe3O4@SiO2@CS-TETA-GO, was firstly fabricated in a mild way as a novel adsorbent for the removal of Cu(II) ions and methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. The magnetic composites showed a good dispersity in water and can be conveniently collected for reuse through magnetic separation due to its excellent magnetism. When the Fe3O4@SiO2@CS- TETA-GO was used as an absorbent for the absorption of MB and Cu(II), the adsorption kinetics and isotherms data well fitted the pseudo-second-order model and the Langmuir model, respectively. Under the optimized pH and initial concentration, the maximum adsorption capacity was about 529.1 mg g-1 for MB in 20 min and 324.7 mg g-1 for Cu(II) in 16 min, respectively, exhibiting a better adsorption performance than other GO-based adsorbents reported recently. More importantly, the synthesized adsorbent could be effectively regenerated and repeatedly utilized without significant capacity loss after six times cycles. All the results demonstrated that Fe3O4@SiO2@CS-TETA-GO could be used as an excellent adsorbent for the adsorption of Cu(II) and MB in many fields.

Sugar beet factory lime affects the mobilization of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, and Zn under dynamic redox conditions in a contaminated floodplain soil.

PubMed

Shaheen, Sabry M; Rinklebe, Jörg

2017-01-15

The impact of sugar beet factory lime (SBFL) on the release dynamics and mobilization of toxic metals (TMs) under dynamic redox conditions in floodplain soils has not been studied up to date. Therefore, the aim of this study was to verify the scientific hypothesis that SBFL is able to immobilize Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, and Zn under different redox potentials (E H ) in a contaminated floodplain soil. For this purpose, the non-treated contaminated soil (CS) and the same soil treated with SBFL (CS+SBFL) were flooded in the laboratory using a highly sophisticated automated biogeochemical microcosm apparatus. The experiment was conducted stepwise from reducing (-13 mV) to oxidizing (+519 mV) soil conditions. Soil pH decreased under oxic conditions in CS (from 6.9 to 4.0) and in CS+SBFL (from 7.5 to 4.4). The mobilization of Cu, Cr, Pb, and Fe were lower in CS+SBFL than in CS under both reducing/neutral and oxic/acidic conditions. Those results demonstrate that SBFL is able to decrease concentrations of these elements under a wide range of redox and pH conditions. The mobilization of Cd, Co, Mn, Mo, Ni, and Zn were higher in CS+SBFL than in CS under reducing/neutral conditions; however, these concentrations showed an opposite behavior under oxic/acidic conditions and were lower in CS+SBFL than in CS. We conclude that SBFL immobilized Cu, Cr, Pb, and Fe under dynamic redox conditions and immobilized Cd, Co, Mn, Mo, Ni, and Zn under oxic acidic conditions; however, the latter elements were mobilized under reducing neutral conditions in the studied soil. Therefore, the addition of SBFL to acid floodplain soils contaminated with TMs might be an important alternative for ameliorating these soils with view to a sustainable management of these soils. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Retrieval from Memory: Vulnerable or Inviolable?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Dylan M.; Marsh, John E.; Hughes, Robert W.

2012-01-01

We show that retrieval from semantic memory is vulnerable even to the mere presence of speech. Irrelevant speech impairs semantic fluency--namely, lexical retrieval cued by a semantic category name--but only if it is meaningful (forward speech compared to reversed speech or words compared to nonwords). Moreover, speech related semantically to the…

MgCu metallic glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durandurdu, Murat

2018-03-01

We generate an amorphous MgCu model using the rapid solidification of the melt through a first-principles molecular dynamics approach within a generalised gradient approximation and reveal, for the first time, its structural features and mechanical properties in details. The liquid and glassy MgCu are found to acquire slightly distinct local structures. Yet in both forms of MgCu, most Cu atoms have a tendency to form the ideal and defective icosahedrons while Mg atoms are arranged in complex configurations. The mean coordination number of Cu and Mg at 300 K is 11.31 and 13.73, respectively. The short-range order of MgCu glass is projected to be different than the known crystalline MgCu and Mg2Cu phases. The mechanical properties of MgCu glass and the CsCl-type MgCu crystal are computed and compared. On the basis of the enthalpy analyses, a possible pressure-induced crystallisation of the MgCu glass into a CsCl-type structure is proposed to occur at around 11 GPa.

Evaporation of Cu, Sn, and S from Fe-C-Cu-Sn-S Liquid Alloys in the Temperature Range from 1513 K to 1873 K (1240 °C to 1600 °C)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tafwidli, Fahmi; Choi, Moo-Eob; Yi, Sang-Ho; Kang, Youn-Bae

2018-02-01

Evaporation of Cu or Sn from liquid iron alloys containing C and S was experimentally investigated. The initial C concentration, [pct C]0, in the liquid alloy was varied from zero to C saturation, and the evaporation temperature was varied from 1513 K to 1773 K (1240 °C to 1500 °C). Along with the report by one of the present authors, the evaporation mechanism of Cu and Sn from liquid Fe-C-S alloy is proposed, after a modification from the previous mechanism. It was proposed that Cu and Sn evaporate as Cu(g) and Sn(g) and also evaporate as CuS(g) and SnS(g), which are more volatile species. Therefore, availability of S in the alloy affects the overall evaporation rate of Cu and Sn. At the same time, C in the alloy also forms volatile carbosulfides CS(g) and CS2(g), thereby competing with Cu and Sn. Moreover, C increases the activity coefficients of Cu, Sn, and S. This increases the thermodynamic driving force for the formation of CuS(g) and SnS(g). Therefore, increasing [pct C] partly accelerates the evaporation rate of Cu and Sn by increasing the activity coefficient but partly decelerates the evaporation rate by lowering the available S content. S partly accelerates the evaporation rate by increasing the available S for the sulfide gas species but partly decelerates the evaporation rate due to the surface poisoning effect. Increasing the reaction temperature increases the overall evaporation rate. All these facts were taken into account in order to develop an evaporation rate model. This model was extended from the present authors' previous one by taking into account (1) CS(g), S(g), and CS2(g) (therefore, the following species were considered as dominant evaporating species: Cu(g), CuS(g), Sn(g), SnS(g), S(g), CS(g), and CS2(g)); (2) the effect of C and temperature on the activity coefficients of Cu, Sn, and S; (3) the effect of C and temperature on the density of the liquid alloy; and (4) the effect of temperature on the S adsorption coefficient. This revised evaporation model was used in order to explain the experimental data, and it showed good agreement. In particular, it was found that the temperature showed a significant effect on the evaporation rate, and the effect of temperature and C content on the activity coefficients of Cu, Sn, and S also significantly affected the evaporation rate. The chemical reaction rate constant of the individual evaporation reaction ( kiR ) and residual rate constant ( kir ) could be obtained as a function of temperature. The activation energy of each evaporation reaction was derived and discussed. The evaporation rate model can be applied in order to predict the content of Cu and Sn remaining in liquid iron under various conditions of temperature and [pct C].

Evaporation of Cu, Sn, and S from Fe-C-Cu-Sn-S Liquid Alloys in the Temperature Range from 1513 K to 1873 K (1240 °C to 1600 °C)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tafwidli, Fahmi; Choi, Moo-Eob; Yi, Sang-Ho; Kang, Youn-Bae

2018-06-01

Evaporation of Cu or Sn from liquid iron alloys containing C and S was experimentally investigated. The initial C concentration, [pct C]0, in the liquid alloy was varied from zero to C saturation, and the evaporation temperature was varied from 1513 K to 1773 K (1240 °C to 1500 °C). Along with the report by one of the present authors, the evaporation mechanism of Cu and Sn from liquid Fe-C-S alloy is proposed, after a modification from the previous mechanism. It was proposed that Cu and Sn evaporate as Cu(g) and Sn(g) and also evaporate as CuS(g) and SnS(g), which are more volatile species. Therefore, availability of S in the alloy affects the overall evaporation rate of Cu and Sn. At the same time, C in the alloy also forms volatile carbosulfides CS(g) and CS2(g), thereby competing with Cu and Sn. Moreover, C increases the activity coefficients of Cu, Sn, and S. This increases the thermodynamic driving force for the formation of CuS(g) and SnS(g). Therefore, increasing [pct C] partly accelerates the evaporation rate of Cu and Sn by increasing the activity coefficient but partly decelerates the evaporation rate by lowering the available S content. S partly accelerates the evaporation rate by increasing the available S for the sulfide gas species but partly decelerates the evaporation rate due to the surface poisoning effect. Increasing the reaction temperature increases the overall evaporation rate. All these facts were taken into account in order to develop an evaporation rate model. This model was extended from the present authors' previous one by taking into account (1) CS(g), S(g), and CS2(g) (therefore, the following species were considered as dominant evaporating species: Cu(g), CuS(g), Sn(g), SnS(g), S(g), CS(g), and CS2(g)); (2) the effect of C and temperature on the activity coefficients of Cu, Sn, and S; (3) the effect of C and temperature on the density of the liquid alloy; and (4) the effect of temperature on the S adsorption coefficient. This revised evaporation model was used in order to explain the experimental data, and it showed good agreement. In particular, it was found that the temperature showed a significant effect on the evaporation rate, and the effect of temperature and C content on the activity coefficients of Cu, Sn, and S also significantly affected the evaporation rate. The chemical reaction rate constant of the individual evaporation reaction ( kiR ) and residual rate constant ( kir ) could be obtained as a function of temperature. The activation energy of each evaporation reaction was derived and discussed. The evaporation rate model can be applied in order to predict the content of Cu and Sn remaining in liquid iron under various conditions of temperature and [pct C].

First-principles prediction of a promising p-type transparent conductive material CsGeCl3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Dan; Zhao, Yu-Jun; Ju, Zhi-Ping; Gan, Li-Yong; Chen, Xin-Man; Li, Chang-Sheng; Yao, Chun-mei; Guo, Jin

2014-04-01

Most reported p-type transparent conductive materials are Cu-based compounds such as CuAlO2 and CuCrO2. Here, we report that compounds based on ns2 cations with low binding energy can also possess high valence band maximum, which is crucial for the p-type doping according to the doping limit rules. In particular, CsGeCl3, a compound with valence band maximum from ns2 cations, is predicted as a promising p-type transparent conductive material by first-principles calculations. Our results show that the p-type defect Ge vacancy dominates its intrinsic defects with a shallow transition level, and the calculated hole effective masses are low in CsGeCl3.

Acoustics of Clear and Noise-Adapted Speech in Children, Young, and Older Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smiljanic, Rajka; Gilbert, Rachael C.

2017-01-01

Purpose: This study investigated acoustic-phonetic modifications produced in noise-adapted speech (NAS) and clear speech (CS) by children, young adults, and older adults. Method: Ten children (11-13 years of age), 10 young adults (18-29 years of age), and 10 older adults (60-84 years of age) read sentences in conversational and clear speaking…

CuO nanoparticles catalyzed C-N, C-O, and C-S cross-coupling reactions: scope and mechanism.

PubMed

Jammi, Suribabu; Sakthivel, Sekarpandi; Rout, Laxmidhar; Mukherjee, Tathagata; Mandal, Santu; Mitra, Raja; Saha, Prasenjit; Punniyamurthy, Tharmalingam

2009-03-06

CuO nanoparticles have been studied for C-N, C-O, and C-S bond formations via cross-coupling reactions of nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur nucleophiles with aryl halides. Amides, amines, imidazoles, phenols, alcohols and thiols undergo reactions with aryl iodides in the presence of a base such as KOH, Cs(2)CO(3), and K(2)CO(3) at moderate temperature. The procedure is simple, general, ligand-free, and efficient to afford the cross-coupled products in high yield.

Development of a speech autocuer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bedles, R. L.; Kizakvich, P. N.; Lawson, D. T.; McCartney, M. L.

1980-12-01

A wearable, visually based prosthesis for the deaf based upon the proven method for removing lipreading ambiguity known as cued speech was fabricated and tested. Both software and hardware developments are described, including a microcomputer, display, and speech preprocessor.

Development of a speech autocuer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bedles, R. L.; Kizakvich, P. N.; Lawson, D. T.; Mccartney, M. L.

1980-01-01

A wearable, visually based prosthesis for the deaf based upon the proven method for removing lipreading ambiguity known as cued speech was fabricated and tested. Both software and hardware developments are described, including a microcomputer, display, and speech preprocessor.

Feasibility of through-time spiral generalized autocalibrating partial parallel acquisition for low latency accelerated real-time MRI of speech.

PubMed

Lingala, Sajan Goud; Zhu, Yinghua; Lim, Yongwan; Toutios, Asterios; Ji, Yunhua; Lo, Wei-Ching; Seiberlich, Nicole; Narayanan, Shrikanth; Nayak, Krishna S

2017-12-01

To evaluate the feasibility of through-time spiral generalized autocalibrating partial parallel acquisition (GRAPPA) for low-latency accelerated real-time MRI of speech. Through-time spiral GRAPPA (spiral GRAPPA), a fast linear reconstruction method, is applied to spiral (k-t) data acquired from an eight-channel custom upper-airway coil. Fully sampled data were retrospectively down-sampled to evaluate spiral GRAPPA at undersampling factors R = 2 to 6. Pseudo-golden-angle spiral acquisitions were used for prospective studies. Three subjects were imaged while performing a range of speech tasks that involved rapid articulator movements, including fluent speech and beat-boxing. Spiral GRAPPA was compared with view sharing, and a parallel imaging and compressed sensing (PI-CS) method. Spiral GRAPPA captured spatiotemporal dynamics of vocal tract articulators at undersampling factors ≤4. Spiral GRAPPA at 18 ms/frame and 2.4 mm 2 /pixel outperformed view sharing in depicting rapidly moving articulators. Spiral GRAPPA and PI-CS provided equivalent temporal fidelity. Reconstruction latency per frame was 14 ms for view sharing and 116 ms for spiral GRAPPA, using a single processor. Spiral GRAPPA kept up with the MRI data rate of 18ms/frame with eight processors. PI-CS required 17 minutes to reconstruct 5 seconds of dynamic data. Spiral GRAPPA enabled 4-fold accelerated real-time MRI of speech with a low reconstruction latency. This approach is applicable to wide range of speech RT-MRI experiments that benefit from real-time feedback while visualizing rapid articulator movement. Magn Reson Med 78:2275-2282, 2017. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Vowels in infant-directed speech: More breathy and more variable, but not clearer.

PubMed

Miyazawa, Kouki; Shinya, Takahito; Martin, Andrew; Kikuchi, Hideaki; Mazuka, Reiko

2017-09-01

Infant-directed speech (IDS) is known to differ from adult-directed speech (ADS) in a number of ways, and it has often been argued that some of these IDS properties facilitate infants' acquisition of language. An influential study in support of this view is Kuhl et al. (1997), which found that vowels in IDS are produced with expanded first and second formants (F1/F2) on average, indicating that the vowels are acoustically further apart in IDS than in ADS. These results have been interpreted to mean that the way vowels are produced in IDS makes infants' task of learning vowel categories easier. The present paper revisits this interpretation by means of a thorough analysis of IDS vowels using a large-scale corpus of Japanese natural utterances. We will show that the expansion of F1/F2 values does occur in spontaneous IDS even when the vowels' prosodic position, lexical pitch accent, and lexical bias are accounted for. When IDS vowels are compared to carefully read speech (CS) by the same mothers, however, larger variability among IDS vowel tokens means that the acoustic distances among vowels are farther apart only in CS, but not in IDS when compared to ADS. Finally, we will show that IDS vowels are significantly more breathy than ADS or CS vowels. Taken together, our results demonstrate that even though expansion of formant values occurs in spontaneous IDS, this expansion cannot be interpreted as an indication that the acoustic distances among vowels are farther apart, as is the case in CS. Instead, we found that IDS vowels are characterized by breathy voice, which has been associated with the communication of emotional affect. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cued Speech and the Development of Reading in English: Examining the Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trezek, Beverly J.

2017-01-01

Even though Cued Speech has been a communication option for 50 years, it has not been widely adopted among users of English or in the country where it was created (i.e., the United States). This situation has led scholars and practitioners in the field of deafness to question whether the original intent of creating this system has been realized…

Accumulation and depletion of liver copper stores in dairy cows challenged with a Cu-deficient diet and oral and injectable forms of Cu supplementation.

PubMed

Balemi, S C; Grace, N D; West, D M; Smith, S L; Knowles, S O

2010-06-01

To quantify the capacity of the liver to respond to a Cu-deficient diet and various forms of Cu supplementation in dairy cows with high Cu status. Sixty non-pregnant, non lactating mixed-age Friesian dairy cows were fed baled silage for 116 days, containing 5.8 mg Cu/kg dry matter (DM), that provided an inadequate Cu intake. They were either unsupplemented (Control); or treated thrice weekly orally with solutions containing the equivalent of 150 mg Cu/day as copper sulphate pentahydrate (CS), copper amino chelate (CAC), or copper glycinate (CG); 16 g Cu as CuO wire particles, administered in an intra-ruminal bolus on Day 0; or 100 mg Cu as calcium copper edetate, administered by S/C injection on Days 0 and 58. On Days -5, 14, 28, 58, 86 and 116, liver biopsies and blood samples were obtained for determination of Cu. Mean initial concentrations of Cu in liver for all groups was 827 (SE 42) micromol/kg fresh tissue. In control cows, this decreased to 552 micromol/kg on Day 116, and averaged 670 micromol/kg over the length of the trial. Oral forms of Cu supplementation increased overall mean concentrations in liver to 960 (SE 79), 1,050 (SE 81) and 1,100 (SE 84) micromol/kg for CS, CAC and CG, respectively, but there was no difference between form of supplement. Mean concentrations were significantly increased by bolus treatment, but not by injection. Concentrations of Cu in serum in all groups decreased from 12.1 (SE 0.3) to 10.4 (SE 0.6) micromol/L by Day 116, with no differences due to treatments. The initial concentration of Cu in liver significantly affected the rate of accumulation of Cu among cows supplemented orally. In cows with an initial concentration <1,100 micromol/kg, the average increase was 4.1 micromol/kg fresh tissue/day, whereas rates were variable, even negative, when initial concentrations were >1,100 micromol/kg. Release of Cu over 116 days in cows given the bolus was calculated to be equivalent to an oral intake of CS of 106 mg Cu/day. In dairy cows with a high Cu status fed a Cu-deficient diet, responses to supplementation with two chelated forms of Cu administrated orally were similar to those due to CS. Copper as CuO was about 77% as effective as oral supplementation with chemically similar inorganic Cu. Initial concentrations of Cu in liver influenced the rate of accumulation following oral supplementation. Changes in concentrations of Cu in liver were readily observed following oral supplementation over a wide range of initial concentrations, whereas these changes could not be detected in serum. The liver is thus a good index of the Cu status of dairy cows.

Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) Modeling of the Cellular Dosimetry of 64Cu: Comparison with MIRDcell S Values and Implications for Studies of Its Cytotoxic Effects.

PubMed

Cai, Zhongli; Kwon, Yongkyu Luke; Reilly, Raymond M

2017-02-01

64 Cu emits positrons as well as β - particles and Auger and internal conversion electrons useful for radiotherapy. Our objective was to model the cellular dosimetry of 64 Cu under different geometries commonly used to study the cytotoxic effects of 64 Cu. Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) was used to simulate the transport of all particles emitted by 64 Cu from the cell surface (CS), cytoplasm (Cy), or nucleus (N) of a single cell; monolayer in a well (radius = 0.32-1.74 cm); or a sphere (radius = 50-6,000 μm) of cells to calculate S values. The radius of the cell and N ranged from 5 to 12 μm and 2 to 11 μm, respectively. S values were obtained by MIRDcell for comparison. MCF7/HER2-18 cells were exposed in vitro to 64 Cu-labeled trastuzumab. The subcellular distribution of 64 Cu was measured by cell fractionation. The surviving fraction was determined in a clonogenic assay. The relative differences of MCNP versus MIRDcell self-dose S values (S self ) for 64 Cu ranged from -0.2% to 3.6% for N to N (S N←N ), 2.3% to 8.6% for Cy to N (S N←Cy ), and -12.0% to 7.3% for CS to N (S N←CS ). The relative differences of MCNP versus MIRDcell cross-dose S values were 25.8%-30.6% for a monolayer and 30%-34% for a sphere, respectively. The ratios of S N←N versus S N←Cy and S N←Cy versus S N←CS decreased with increasing ratio of the N of the cell versus radius of the cell and the size of the monolayer or sphere. The surviving fraction of MCF7 /: HER2-18 cells treated with 64 Cu-labeled trastuzumab (0.016-0.368 MBq/μg, 67 nM) for 18 h versus the absorbed dose followed a linear survival curve with α = 0.51 ± 0.05 Gy -1 and R 2 = 0.8838. This is significantly different from the linear quadratic survival curve of MCF7 /: HER2-18 cells exposed to γ-rays. MCNP- and MIRDcell-calculated S values agreed well. 64 Cu in the N increases the dose to the N in isolated single cells but has less effect in a cell monolayer or small cluster of cells simulating a micrometastasis, and little effect in a sphere analogous to a tumor xenograft compared with 64 Cu in the Cy or on the CS. The dose deposited by 64 Cu is less effective for cell killing than γ-rays. © 2017 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.

Young's Moduli of Cold and Vacuum Plasma Sprayed Metallic Coatings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raj, S. V.; Pawlik, R.; Loewenthal, W.

2009-01-01

Monolithic metallic copper alloy and NiCrAlY coatings were fabricated by either the cold spray (CS) or the vacuum plasma spray (VPS) deposition processes. Dynamic elastic modulus property measurements were conducted on these monolithic coating specimens between 300 K and 1273 K using the impulse excitation technique. The Young's moduli decreased almost linearly with increasing temperature at all temperatures except in the case of the CS Cu-23%Cr-5%Al and VPS NiCrAlY, where deviations from linearity were observed above a critical temperature. It was observed that the Young's moduli for VPS Cu-8%Cr were larger than literature data compiled for Cu. The addition of 1%Al to Cu- 8%Cr significantly increased its Young's modulus by 12 to 17% presumably due to a solid solution effect. Comparisons of the Young s moduli data between two different measurements on the same CS Cu- 23%Cr-5%Al specimen revealed that the values measured in the first run were about 10% higher than those in the second run. It is suggested that this observation is due to annealing of the initial cold work microstructure resulting form the cold spray deposition process.

Low-Bandgap Cs4CuSb2Cl12 Layered Double Perovskite: Synthesis, Reversible Thermal Changes, and Magnetic Interaction.

PubMed

Singhal, Nancy; Chakraborty, Rayan; Ghosh, Prasenjit; Nag, Angshuman

2018-05-29

Double perovskites (DPs) with a generic formula A2M'(I)M(III)X6 (A and M are metal ions, and X = Cl, Br, I) are now being explored as potential alternatives to Pb-halide perovskite for solar cell and other optoelectronic applications. However, these DPs typically suffer from wide (~ 3 eV) and/or indirect band gaps. In 2017, a new structural variety, namely layered DP halide Cs4CuSb2Cl12 (CCSC) with bivalent Cu(II) ion in place of M'(I) was reported exhibiting a band gap ~1 eV. Here, we report a mechanochemical synthesis of CCSC, its thermal- and chemical stability, and magnetic response of Cu(II) d9 electrons controlling optoelectronic properties. A simple grinding of precursor salts at ambient conditions provides stable and scalable product CCSC. CCSC is stable in water-acetone solvent mixture (~30% water) and many other polar solvents unlike Pb-halide perovskites. It decomposes to Cs3Sb2Cl9, Cs2CuCl4 and SbCl3 at 210 oC, but the reaction can be reversed back to produce CCSC at lower temperatures and high humidity. A long range magnetic ordering is observed in CCSC even at room temperature. Role of such magnetic ordering in controlling the dispersion of conduction band, and therefore, controlling the electronic and optoelectronic properties of CCSC has been discussed. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Speech Aids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1987-01-01

Designed to assist deaf and hearing impaired-persons in achieving better speech, Resnick Worldwide Inc.'s device provides a visual means of cuing the deaf as a speech-improvement measure. This is done by electronically processing the subjects' sounds and comparing them with optimum values which are displayed for comparison.

Synthesis, structure and characterization of two new copper(I)-thioarsenates (III) constructed by the [AsS{sub 3}]{sup 3-} and CuS{sub x} units

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yao, Hua-Gang; Ji, Min; Ji, Shou-Hua

2013-02-15

Two new copper(I)-thioarsenates(III), CsCu{sub 2}AsS{sub 3}(1) and KCu{sub 4}AsS{sub 4}(2), have been synthesized solvothermally in the presence of copper powder. Compound 1 is built up of trigonal AsS{sub 3} pyramid, tetrahedral CuAsS{sub 3} and CuS{sub 3} moieties forming 4-membered, 5-membered and 6-membered rings. The fusion of these rings produces layered anions [Cu{sub 2}AsS{sub 3}]{sup -}, and cesium cations are located between metal-sulfide layers. The structure of 2 consists of infinite [Cu{sub 2}S{sub 2}]{sup 2-} chain and layered [Cu{sub 6}As{sub 2}S{sub 6}] linked to form a three-dimensional anionic framework, [Cu{sub 4}AsS{sub 4}]{sup -}, and containing channels in which the potassium cationsmore » reside. - Graphical abstract: Qne layered CsCu{sub 2}AsS{sub 3} and one framework KCu{sub 4}AsS{sub 4} possessing noncondensed [AsS{sub 3}]{sup 3-} unit have been synthesized solvothermally. The optical band gaps of the two compounds are 2.3 and 1.8 eV, respectively. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We obtained two new copper(I)-thioarsenate(III), CsCu{sub 2}AsS{sub 3} and KCu{sub 4}AsS{sub 4}. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Both compounds possess noncondensed [AsS{sub 3}]{sup 3-} unit and represent new structure types. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The optical band gaps of the two compounds are 2.3 eV and 1.8 eV, respectively.« less

Metallographic autopsies of full-scale ITER prototype cable-in-conduit conductors after full testing in SULTAN: 1. The mechanical role of copper strands in a CICC

DOE PAGES

Sanabria, Carlos; Lee, Peter J.; Starch, William; ...

2015-06-22

Cables made with Nb 3Sn-based superconductor strands will provide the 13 T maximum peak magnetic field of the ITER Central Solenoid (CS) coils and they must survive up to 60,000 electromagnetic cycles. Accordingly, prototype designs of CS cable-in-conduit-conductors (CICC) were electromagnetically tested over multiple magnetic field cycles and warm-up-cool-down scenarios in the SULTAN facility at CRPP. We report here a post mortem metallographic analysis of two CS CICC prototypes which exhibited some rate of irreversible performance degradation during cycling. The standard ITER CS CICC cable design uses a combination of superconducting and Cu strands, and because the Lorentz force onmore » the strand is proportional to the transport current in the strand, removing the copper strands (while increasing the Cu:SC ratio of the superconducting strands) was proposed as one way of reducing the strand load. In this study we compare the two alternative CICCs, with and without Cu strands, keeping in mind that the degradation after SULTAN test was lower for the CICC without Cu strands. The post mortem metallographic evaluation revealed that the overall strand transverse movement was 20% lower in the CICC without Cu strands and that the tensile filament fractures found were less, both indications of an overall reduction in high tensile strain regions. Furthermore, it was interesting to see that the Cu strands in the mixed cable design (with higher degradation) helped reduce the contact stresses on the high pressure side of the CICC, but in either case, the strain reduction mechanisms were not enough to suppress cyclic degradation. Advantages and disadvantages of each conductor design are discussed here aimed to understand the sources of the degradation.« less

Adsorption characteristics of UO(2)(2+) and Th(4+) ions from simulated radioactive solutions onto chitosan/clinoptilolite sorbents.

PubMed

Humelnicu, Doina; Dinu, Maria Valentina; Drăgan, Ecaterina Stela

2011-01-15

Adsorption features of UO(2)(2+) and Th(4+) ions from simulated radioactive solutions onto a novel chitosan/clinoptilolite (CS/CPL) composite as beads have been investigated compared with chitosan cross-linked with epichlorohydrin. The effects of contact time, the initial metal ion concentration, sorbent mass and temperature on the adsorption capacity of the CS-based sorbents were investigated. The adsorption kinetics was well described by the pseudo-second order equation, and the adsorption isotherms were better fitted by the Sips model. The maximum experimental adsorption capacities were 328.32 mg Th(4+)/g composite, and 408.62 mg UO(2)(2+)/g composite. The overall adsorption tendency of CS/CPL composite toward UO(2)(2+) and Th(4+) radiocations in the presence of Cu(2+), Fe(2+) and Al(3+), under competitive conditions, followed the order: Cu(2+)>UO(2)(2+)>Fe(2+)>Al(3+), and Cu(2+)>Th(4+)>Fe(2+)>Al(3+), respectively. The negative values of Gibbs free energy of adsorption indicated the spontaneity of the adsorption of radioactive ions on both the CS/CPL composite and the cross-linked CS. The desorption level of UO(2)(2+) from the composite CS/CPL, by using 0.1M Na(2)CO(3), was around 92%, and that of Th(4+) ions, performed by 0.1M HCl, was around 85%, both values being higher than the desorption level of radiocations from the cross-linked CS, which were 89% and 83%, respectively. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Validation of the Acoustic Voice Quality Index Version 03.01 and the Acoustic Breathiness Index in the Spanish language.

PubMed

Delgado Hernández, Jonathan; León Gómez, Nieves M; Jiménez, Alejandra; Izquierdo, Laura M; Barsties V Latoszek, Ben

2018-05-01

The aim of this study was to validate the Acoustic Voice Quality Index 03.01 (AVQIv3) and the Acoustic Breathiness Index (ABI) in the Spanish language. Concatenated voice samples of continuous speech (cs) and sustained vowel (sv) from 136 subjects with dysphonia and 47 vocally healthy subjects were perceptually judged for overall voice quality and breathiness severity. First, to reach a higher level of ecological validity, the proportions of cs and sv were equalized regarding the time length of 3 seconds sv part and voiced cs part, respectively. Second, concurrent validity and diagnostic accuracy were verified. A moderate reliability of overall voice quality and breathiness severity from 5 experts was used. It was found that 33 syllables as standardization of the cs part, which represents 3 seconds of voiced cs, allows the equalization of both speech tasks. A strong correlation was revealed between AVQIv3 and overall voice quality and ABI and perceived breathiness severity. Additionally, the best diagnostic outcome was identified at a threshold of 2.28 and 3.40 for AVQIv3 and ABI, respectively. The AVQIv3 and ABI showed in the Spanish language valid and robust results to quantify abnormal voice qualities regarding overall voice quality and breathiness severity.

Copper-induced alteration in sucrose partitioning and its relationship to the root growth of two Elsholtzia haichowensis Sun populations.

PubMed

Li, Min-Jing; Xiong, Zhi-Ting; Liu, Hui; Kuo, Yi-Ming; Tong, Lei

2016-10-02

Hydroponic culture was used to comparatively investigate the copper (Cu)-induced alteration to sucrose metabolism and biomass allocation in two Elsholtzia haichowensis Sun populations with one from a Cu-contaminated site (CS) and the other from a non-contaminated site (NCS). Experimental results revealed that biomass allocation preferred roots over shoots in CS population, and shoots over roots in NCS population under Cu exposure. The difference in biomass allocation was correlated with the difference in sucrose partitioning between the two populations. Cu treatment (45 μM) significantly decreased leaf sucrose content and increased root sucrose content in CS population as a result of the increased activities of leaf sucrose synthesis enzymes (sucrose phosphate synthetase and sucrose synthase) and root sucrose cleavage enzyme (vacuolar invertase), which led to increased sucrose transport from leaves to roots. In contrast, higher Cu treatment increased sucrose content in leaves and decreased sucrose content in roots in NCS population as a result of the decreased activities of root sucrose cleavage enzymes (vacuolar and cell wall invertases) that led to less sucrose transport from leaves to roots. These results provide important insights into carbon resource partitioning and biomass allocation strategies in metallophytes and are beneficial for the implementation of phytoremediation techniques.

Switching characteristics in Cu:SiO2 by chemical soak methods for resistive random access memory (ReRAM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chin, Fun-Tat; Lin, Yu-Hsien; Yang, Wen-Luh; Liao, Chin-Hsuan; Lin, Li-Min; Hsiao, Yu-Ping; Chao, Tien-Sheng

2015-01-01

A limited copper (Cu)-source Cu:SiO2 switching layer composed of various Cu concentrations was fabricated using a chemical soaking (CS) technique. The switching layer was then studied for developing applications in resistive random access memory (ReRAM) devices. Observing the resistive switching mechanism exhibited by all the samples suggested that Cu conductive filaments formed and ruptured during the set/reset process. The experimental results indicated that the endurance property failure that occurred was related to the joule heating effect. Moreover, the endurance switching cycle increased as the Cu concentration decreased. In high-temperature tests, the samples demonstrated that the operating (set/reset) voltages decreased as the temperature increased, and an Arrhenius plot was used to calculate the activation energy of the set/reset process. In addition, the samples demonstrated stable data retention properties when baked at 85 °C, but the samples with low Cu concentrations exhibited short retention times in the low-resistance state (LRS) during 125 °C tests. Therefore, Cu concentration is a crucial factor in the trade-off between the endurance and retention properties; furthermore, the Cu concentration can be easily modulated using this CS technique.

Adapted cuing technique: facilitating sequential phoneme production.

PubMed

Klick, S L

1994-09-01

ACT is a visual cuing technique designed to facilitate dyspraxic speech by highlighting the sequential production of phonemes. In using ACT, cues are presented in such a way as to suggest sequential, coarticulatory movement in an overall pattern of motion. While using ACT, the facilitator's hand moves forward and back along the side of her (or his) own face. Finger movements signal specific speech sounds in formations loosely based on the manual alphabet for the hearing impaired. The best movements suggest the flowing, interactive nature of coarticulated phonemes. The synergistic nature of speech is suggested by coordinated hand motions which tighten and relax, move quickly or slowly, reflecting the motions of the vocal tract at various points during production of phonemic sequences. General principles involved in using ACT include a primary focus on speech-in-motion, the monitoring and fading of cues, and the presentation of stimuli based on motor-task analysis of phonemic sequences. Phonemic sequences are cued along three dimensions: place, manner, and vowel-related mandibular motion. Cuing vowels is a central feature of ACT. Two parameters of vowel production, focal point of resonance and mandibular closure, are cued. The facilitator's hand motions reflect the changing shape of the vocal tract and the trajectory of the tongue that result from the coarticulation of vowels and consonants. Rigid presentation of the phonemes is secondary to the facilitator's primary focus on presenting the overall sequential movement. The facilitator's goal is to self-tailor ACT in response to the changing needs and abilities of the client.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Two superconducting transitions in single-crystal La 2 - x Ba x CuO 4

DOE PAGES

Tee, X. Y.; Ito, T.; Ushiyama, T.; ...

2017-02-27

Here, we use spatially-resolved transport techniques to investigate the superconducting properties of single crystals La 2-xBa xCuO 4. We also found a superconducting transition temperature T cs associated with the ab-plane surface region which is considerably higher than the bulk T c. This effect is pronounced in the region of charge carrier doping x with strong spin-charge stripe correlations, reaching T cs = 36 K or 1.64T c.

Functional and Biochemical Characterization of Cucumber Genes Encoding Two Copper ATPases CsHMA5.1 and CsHMA5.2*

PubMed Central

Migocka, Magdalena; Posyniak, Ewelina; Maciaszczyk-Dziubinska, Ewa; Papierniak, Anna; Kosieradzaka, Anna

2015-01-01

Plant copper P1B-type ATPases appear to be crucial for maintaining copper homeostasis within plant cells, but until now they have been studied mostly in model plant systems. Here, we present the molecular and biochemical characterization of two cucumber copper ATPases, CsHMA5.1 and CsHMA5.2, indicating a different function for HMA5-like proteins in different plants. When expressed in yeast, CsHMA5.1 and CsHMA5.2 localize to the vacuolar membrane and are activated by monovalent copper or silver ions and cysteine, showing different affinities to Cu+ (Km ∼1 or 0.5 μm, respectively) and similar affinity to Ag+ (Km ∼2.5 μm). Both proteins restore the growth of yeast mutants sensitive to copper excess and silver through intracellular copper sequestration, indicating that they contribute to copper and silver detoxification. Immunoblotting with specific antibodies revealed the presence of CsHMA5.1 and CsHMA5.2 in the tonoplast of cucumber cells. Interestingly, the root-specific CsHMA5.1 was not affected by copper stress, whereas the widely expressed CsHMA5.2 was up-regulated or down-regulated in roots upon copper excess or deficiency, respectively. The copper-induced increase in tonoplast CsHMA5.2 is consistent with the increased activity of ATP-dependent copper transport into tonoplast vesicles isolated from roots of plants grown under copper excess. These data identify CsHMA5.1 and CsHMA5.2 as high affinity Cu+ transporters and suggest that CsHMA5.2 is responsible for the increased sequestration of copper in vacuoles of cucumber root cells under copper excess. PMID:25963145

Cu-modified carbon spheres/reduced graphene oxide as a high sensitivity of gas sensor for NO2 detection at room temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Zhibin; Tan, Li; Yang, Ruiqiang; Zhang, Yu; Tao, Jin; Zhang, Nan; Wen, Fusheng

2018-03-01

Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) as one of the most serious air pollution is harmful to people's health, therefore high-performance gas sensors is critically needed. Here, Cu-modified carbon spheres/reduced graphene oxide (Cu@CS/RGO) composite have been prepared as NO2 gas sensor material. Carbon sphere in the interlayer of RGO can increase the specific surface area of RGO. Copper nanoparticles decorated on the surface of CS can effectively enhance the adsorption activity of RGO as supplier of free electrons. The experimental results showed that its particular structure improved the gas sensitivity of RGO at different NO2 concentrations at room temperature.

A facile one-pot oxidation-assisted dealloying protocol to massively synthesize monolithic core-shell architectured nanoporous copper@cuprous oxide nanonetworks for photodegradation of methyl orange

PubMed Central

Liu, Wenbo; Chen, Long; Dong, Xin; Yan, Jiazhen; Li, Ning; Shi, Sanqiang; Zhang, Shichao

2016-01-01

In this report, a facile and effective one-pot oxidation-assisted dealloying protocol has been developed to massively synthesize monolithic core-shell architectured nanoporous copper@cuprous oxide nanonetworks (C-S NPC@Cu2O NNs) by chemical dealloying of melt-spun Al 37 at.% Cu alloy in an oxygen-rich alkaline solution at room temperature, which possesses superior photocatalytic activity towards photodegradation of methyl orange (MO). The experimental results show that the as-prepared nanocomposite exhibits an open, bicontinuous interpenetrating ligament-pore structure with length scales of 20 ± 5 nm, in which the ligaments comprising Cu and Cu2O are typical of core-shell architecture with uniform shell thickness of ca. 3.5 nm. The photodegradation experiments of C-S NPC@Cu2O NNs show their superior photocatalytic activities for the MO degradation under visible light irradiation with degradation rate as high as 6.67 mg min−1 gcat−1, which is a diffusion-controlled kinetic process in essence in light of the good linear correlation between photodegradation ratio and square root of irradiation time. The excellent photocatalytic activity can be ascribed to the synergistic effects between unique core-shell architecture and 3D nanoporous network with high specific surface area and fast mass transfer channel, indicating that the C-S NPC@Cu2O NNs will be a promising candidate for photocatalysts of MO degradation. PMID:27830720

A facile one-pot oxidation-assisted dealloying protocol to massively synthesize monolithic core-shell architectured nanoporous copper@cuprous oxide nanonetworks for photodegradation of methyl orange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Wenbo; Chen, Long; Dong, Xin; Yan, Jiazhen; Li, Ning; Shi, Sanqiang; Zhang, Shichao

2016-11-01

In this report, a facile and effective one-pot oxidation-assisted dealloying protocol has been developed to massively synthesize monolithic core-shell architectured nanoporous copper@cuprous oxide nanonetworks (C-S NPC@Cu2O NNs) by chemical dealloying of melt-spun Al 37 at.% Cu alloy in an oxygen-rich alkaline solution at room temperature, which possesses superior photocatalytic activity towards photodegradation of methyl orange (MO). The experimental results show that the as-prepared nanocomposite exhibits an open, bicontinuous interpenetrating ligament-pore structure with length scales of 20 ± 5 nm, in which the ligaments comprising Cu and Cu2O are typical of core-shell architecture with uniform shell thickness of ca. 3.5 nm. The photodegradation experiments of C-S NPC@Cu2O NNs show their superior photocatalytic activities for the MO degradation under visible light irradiation with degradation rate as high as 6.67 mg min-1 gcat-1, which is a diffusion-controlled kinetic process in essence in light of the good linear correlation between photodegradation ratio and square root of irradiation time. The excellent photocatalytic activity can be ascribed to the synergistic effects between unique core-shell architecture and 3D nanoporous network with high specific surface area and fast mass transfer channel, indicating that the C-S NPC@Cu2O NNs will be a promising candidate for photocatalysts of MO degradation.

Cesium iodide alloys

DOEpatents

Kim, H.E.; Moorhead, A.J.

1992-12-15

A transparent, strong CsI alloy is described having additions of monovalent iodides. Although the preferred iodide is AgI, RbI and CuI additions also contribute to an improved polycrystalline CsI alloy with outstanding multispectral infrared transmittance properties. 6 figs.

Switching of auditory attention in "cocktail-party" listening: ERP evidence of cueing effects in younger and older adults.

PubMed

Getzmann, Stephan; Jasny, Julian; Falkenstein, Michael

2017-02-01

Verbal communication in a "cocktail-party situation" is a major challenge for the auditory system. In particular, changes in target speaker usually result in declined speech perception. Here, we investigated whether speech cues indicating a subsequent change in target speaker reduce the costs of switching in younger and older adults. We employed event-related potential (ERP) measures and a speech perception task, in which sequences of short words were simultaneously presented by four speakers. Changes in target speaker were either unpredictable or semantically cued by a word within the target stream. Cued changes resulted in a less decreased performance than uncued changes in both age groups. The ERP analysis revealed shorter latencies in the change-related N400 and late positive complex (LPC) after cued changes, suggesting an acceleration in context updating and attention switching. Thus, both younger and older listeners used semantic cues to prepare changes in speaker setting. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Attenuating fearful memories: effect of cued extinction on intrusions.

PubMed

Marks, Elizabeth H; Zoellner, Lori A

2014-12-01

Exposure-based therapies for posttraumatic stress disorder are thought to reduce intrusive memories through extinction processes. Methods that enhance extinction may translate to improved treatment. Rat research suggests retrieving a memory via a conditioned stimulus (CS) cue, and then modifying the retrieved memory within a specific reconsolidation window may enhance extinction. In humans, studies (e.g., Kindt & Soeter, 2013; Schiller et al., 2010) using basic learning paradigms show discrepant findings. Using a distressing film paradigm, participants (N = 148) completed fear acquisition and extinction. At extinction, they were randomized to 1 of 3 groups: CS cue within reconsolidation window, CS cue outside window, or non-CS cue within window. Intrusions were assessed 24 hr after extinction. Participants receiving the CS cue and completing extinction within the reconsolidation window had more intrusions (M = 2.40, SD = 2.54) than those cued outside (M = 1.65, SD = 1.70) or those receiving a non-CS cue (M = 1.24, SD = 1.26), F(2, 145) = 4.52, p = .01, d = 0.55. Consistent with the reconsolidation hypothesis, presenting a CS cue does appear to activate a specific period of time during which a memory can be updated. However, the CS cue caused increased, rather than decreased, frequency of intrusions. Understanding parameters of preextinction cueing may help us better understand reconsolidation as a potential memory updating mechanism.

Cluster transformation of [Cu3(μ3-H)(μ3-BH4)((PPh2)2NH)3](BF4) to [Cu3(μ3-H)(μ2,μ1-S2CH)((PPh2)2NH)3](BF4) via reaction with CS2. X-ray structural characterisation and reactivity of cationic clusters explored by multistage mass spectrometry and computational studies.

PubMed

Ma, Howard Z; Li, Jiaye; Canty, Allan J; O'Hair, Richard A J

2017-11-07

The copper nanocluster [Cu 3 (μ 3 -H)(μ 3 -BH 4 )L Ph 3 ](BF 4 ), 1a·BF4 (L Ph = (PPh 2 ) 2 NH = dppa), can potentially react with substrates at either the coordinated hydride or borohydride sites. Reaction of 1a·BF4 with CS 2 has given rise to [Cu 3 (μ 3 -H)(μ 2 ,μ 1 -S 2 CH)L Ph 3 ](BF 4 ), (2a·BF4), which was structurally characterised using electrospray ionisation (ESI) with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), X-ray crystallography, NMR, IR and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The copper(i) atoms adopt a planar trinuclear Cu 3 geometry coordinated on the bottom face by a μ 3 -hydride, on the top face by a μ 2 ,μ 1 -dithioformate and surrounded by three bridging L Ph ligands. Reaction of 1a·BF4 with elemental sulfur gives the known cluster [Cu 4 (L Ph -H + 2S) 3 ](BF 4 ), (3·BF4), which was structurally characterised via X-ray crystallography. ESI-MS of 2a·BF4 produces [Cu 3 (H)(S 2 CH)L Ph 3 ] + and its gas-phase ion chemistry was examined under multistage mass spectrometry conditions using collision-induced dissociation (CID). The primary product, [Cu 3 (H)(S 2 CH)L Ph 2 ] + , formed via ligand loss, undergoes further fragmentation via loss of thioformaldehyde to give [Cu 3 (S)L Ph 2 ] + . DFT calculations exploring rearrangement and fragmentation of the model system [Cu 3 (H)(S 2 CH)L Me 2 ] + (L Me = (PMe 2 ) 2 NH = dmpa) provide a feasible mechanism. Thus, coupling of the coordinated hydride with the dithioformate ligands gives [Cu 3 (S 2 CH 2 )L Me 2 ] + , which then undergoes CH 2 S extrusion via C-S bond cleavage to give [Cu 3 (S)L Me 2 ] + .

A bronze matryoshka: the discrete intermetalloid cluster [Sn@Cu12@Sn20](12-) in the ternary phases A12Cu12Sn21 (A = Na, K).

PubMed

Stegmaier, Saskia; Fässler, Thomas F

2011-12-14

The synthesis and crystal structure of the first ternary A-Cu-Sn intermetallic phases for the heavier alkali metals A = Na to Cs is reported. The title compounds A(12)Cu(12)Sn(21) show discrete 33-atom intermetalloid Cu-Sn clusters {Sn@Cu(12)@Sn(20)}, which are composed of {Sn(20)} pentagonal dodecahedra surrounding {Cu(12)} icosahedra with single Sn atoms at the center. Na(12)Cu(12)Sn(21) and K(12)Cu(12)Sn(21) were characterized by single-crystal XRD studies, and the successful synthesis of analogous A-Cu-Sn compounds with A = Rb and Cs is deduced from powder XRD data. The isotypic A(12)Cu(12)Sn(21) phases crystallize in the cubic space group Pn ̅3m (No. 224), with the Cu-Sn clusters adopting a face centered cubic arrangement. A formal charge of 12- can be assigned to the {Sn@Cu(12)@Sn(20)} cluster unit, and the interpretation of the title compounds as salt-like intermetallic phases featuring discrete anionic intermetalloid [Sn@Cu(12)@Sn(20)](12-) clusters separated by alkali metal cations is supported by electronic structure calculations. For both Na(12)Cu(12)Sn(21) and K(12)Cu(12)Sn(21), DFT band structure calculations (TB-LMTO-ASA) reveal a band gap. The discrete [Sn@Cu(12)@Sn(20)](12-) cluster is analyzed in consideration of the molecular orbitals obtained from hybrid DFT calculations (Gaussian 09) for the cluster anion. The [Sn@Cu(12)@Sn(20)](12-) cluster MOs can be classified with labels indicating the numbers of radial and angular nodes, in the style of spherical shell models of cluster bonding. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Cardiac catecholamines in rats fed copper deficient or copper adequate diets containing fructose or starch

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Scholfield, D.J.; Fields, M.; Beal, T.

1989-02-09

The symptoms of copper (Cu) deficiency are known to be more severe when rats are fed a diet with fructose (F) as the principal carbohydrate. Mortality, in males, due to cardiac abnormalities usually occurs after five weeks of a 62% F, 0.6 ppm Cu deficient diet. These effects are not observed if cornstarch (CS) is the carbohydrate (CHO) source. Studies with F containing diets have shown increased catecholamine (C) turnover rates while diets deficient in Cu result in decreased norepinephrine (N) levels in tissues. Dopamine B-hydroxylase (EC 1.14.17.1) is a Cu dependent enzyme which catalyzes the conversion of dopamine (D)more » to N. An experiment was designed to investigate the effects of CHO and dietary Cu on levels of three C in cardiac tissue. Thirty-two male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed Cu deficient or adequate diets with 60% of calories from F or CS for 6 weeks. N, epinephrine (E) and D were measured by HPLC. Statistical analysis indicates that Cu deficiency tends to decrease N levels, while having the reverse effect on E. D did not appear to change. These findings indicate that Cu deficiency but not dietary CHO can affect the concentration of N and E in rat cardiac tissue.« less

Formant-frequency variation and its effects on across-formant grouping in speech perception.

PubMed

Roberts, Brian; Summers, Robert J; Bailey, Peter J

2013-01-01

How speech is separated perceptually from other speech remains poorly understood. In a series of experiments, perceptual organisation was probed by presenting three-formant (F1+F2+F3) analogues of target sentences dichotically, together with a competitor for F2 (F2C), or for F2+F3, which listeners must reject to optimise recognition. To control for energetic masking, the competitor was always presented in the opposite ear to the corresponding target formant(s). Sine-wave speech was used initially, and different versions of F2C were derived from F2 using separate manipulations of its amplitude and frequency contours. F2Cs with time-varying frequency contours were highly effective competitors, whatever their amplitude characteristics, whereas constant-frequency F2Cs were ineffective. Subsequent studies used synthetic-formant speech to explore the effects of manipulating the rate and depth of formant-frequency change in the competitor. Competitor efficacy was not tuned to the rate of formant-frequency variation in the target sentences; rather, the reduction in intelligibility increased with competitor rate relative to the rate for the target sentences. Therefore, differences in speech rate may not be a useful cue for separating the speech of concurrent talkers. Effects of competitors whose depth of formant-frequency variation was scaled by a range of factors were explored using competitors derived either by inverting the frequency contour of F2 about its geometric mean (plausibly speech-like pattern) or by using a regular and arbitrary frequency contour (triangle wave, not plausibly speech-like) matched to the average rate and depth of variation for the inverted F2C. Competitor efficacy depended on the overall depth of frequency variation, not depth relative to that for the other formants. Furthermore, the triangle-wave competitors were as effective as their more speech-like counterparts. Overall, the results suggest that formant-frequency variation is critical for the across-frequency grouping of formants but that this grouping does not depend on speech-specific constraints.

Efficient Carbon-Based CsPbBr3 Inorganic Perovskite Solar Cells by Using Cu-Phthalocyanine as Hole Transport Material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhiyong; Sun, Bo; Liu, Xingyue; Han, Jinghui; Ye, Haibo; Shi, Tielin; Tang, Zirong; Liao, Guanglan

2018-06-01

Metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted extensive research interest for next-generation solution-processed photovoltaic devices because of their high solar-to-electric power conversion efficiency (PCE) and low fabrication cost. Although the world's best PSC successfully achieves a considerable PCE of over 20% within a very limited timeframe after intensive efforts, the stability, high cost, and up-scaling of PSCs still remain issues. Recently, inorganic perovskite material, CsPbBr3, is emerging as a promising photo-sensitizer with excellent durability and thermal stability, but the efficiency is still embarrassing. In this work, we intend to address these issues by exploiting CsPbBr3 as light absorber, accompanied by using Cu-phthalocyanine (CuPc) as hole transport material (HTM) and carbon as counter electrode. The optimal device acquires a decent PCE of 6.21%, over 60% higher than those of the HTM-free devices. The systematic characterization and analysis reveal a more effective charge transfer process and a suppressed charge recombination in PSCs after introducing CuPc as hole transfer layer. More importantly, our devices exhibit an outstanding durability and a promising thermal stability, making it rather meaningful in future fabrication and application of PSCs.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

Measures to Evaluate the Effects of DBS on Speech Production

PubMed Central

Weismer, Gary; Yunusova, Yana; Bunton, Kate

2011-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to review and evaluate measures of speech production that could be used to document effects of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) on speech performance, especially in persons with Parkinson disease (PD). A small set of evaluative criteria for these measures is presented first, followed by consideration of several speech physiology and speech acoustic measures that have been studied frequently and reported on in the literature on normal speech production, and speech production affected by neuromotor disorders (dysarthria). Each measure is reviewed and evaluated against the evaluative criteria. Embedded within this review and evaluation is a presentation of new data relating speech motions to speech intelligibility measures in speakers with PD, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and control speakers (CS). These data are used to support the conclusion that at the present time the slope of second formant transitions (F2 slope), an acoustic measure, is well suited to make inferences to speech motion and to predict speech intelligibility. The use of other measures should not be ruled out, however, and we encourage further development of evaluative criteria for speech measures designed to probe the effects of DBS or any treatment with potential effects on speech production and communication skills. PMID:24932066

Nonlinear magnetoelectric effect and magnetostriction in piezoelectric CsCuCl{sub 3} in paramagnetic and antiferromagnetic states

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kharkovskiy, A. I., E-mail: akharkovskiy@inbox.ru; L.F. Vereshchagin Institute for High Pressure Physics RAS, 142190 Troitsk, Moscow; Shaldin, Yu. V.

2016-01-07

The direct nonlinear magnetoelectric (ME) effect and the magnetostriction of piezoelectric CsCuCl{sub 3} single crystals were comprehensively studied over a wide temperature range in stationary magnetic fields of up to 14 T. The direct nonlinear ME effect measurements were also performed in pulsed magnetic fields up to 31 T, at liquid helium temperature in the antiferromagnetic (AF) state for the crystallographic direction in which effect has the maximum value. The nonlinear ME effect was quadratic in the paramagnetic state for the whole range of magnetic fields. In the AF state the phase transition between different configurations of spins manifested itself as plateau-likemore » peculiarity on the nonlinear ME effect. The nonlinear ME effect was saturated by the phase transition to the spin-saturated paramagnetic state. Two contributions to the nonlinear ME effects in CsCuCl{sub 3} were extracted from the experimental data: the intrinsic ME effect originated from the magnetoelectric interactions, and the extrinsic one, which resulted from a magnetostriction-induced piezoelectric effect.« less

Adsorption of copper and zinc by biochars produced from pyrolysis of hardwood and corn straw in aqueous solution.

PubMed

Chen, Xincai; Chen, Guangcun; Chen, Linggui; Chen, Yingxu; Lehmann, Johannes; McBride, Murray B; Hay, Anthony G

2011-10-01

Biochars produced by pyrolysis of hardwood at 450 °C (HW450) and corn straw at 600 °C (CS600) were characterized and investigated as adsorbents for the removal of Cu(II) and Zn(II) from aqueous solution. The adsorption data were well described by a Langmuir isotherm, with maximum Cu(II) and Zn(II) adsorption capacities of 12.52 and 11.0 mg/g for CS600, 6.79 and 4.54 mg/g for HW450, respectively. Thermodynamic analysis suggested that the adsorption was an endothermic process and did not occur spontaneously. Although Cu(II) adsorption was only marginally affected by Zn(II), Cu(II) competed with Zn(II) for binding sites at Cu(II) and Zn(II) concentrations ≥ 1.0mM. Results from this study indicated that plant-residue or agricultural waste derived biochar can act as effective surface sorbent, but their ability to treat mixed waste streams needs to be carefully evaluated on an individual basis. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selective Capture of Cesium and Thallium from Natural Waters and Simulated Wastes with Copper Ferrocyanide Functionalized Mesoporous Silica

PubMed Central

Sangvanich, Thanapon; Sukwarotwat, Vichaya; Wiacek, Robert J.; Grudzien, Rafal M.; Fryxell, Glen E.; Addleman, R. Shane; Timchalk, Charles; Yantasee, Wassana

2010-01-01

Copper(II) ferrocyanide on mesoporous silica (FC-Cu-EDA-SAMMS™) has been evaluated against iron(III) hexacyanoferrate(II) (insoluble Prussian Blue) for removing cesium (Cs+) and thallium (Tl+) from natural waters and simulated acidic and alkaline wastes. From pH 0.1 – 7.3, FC-Cu-EDA-SAMMS had greater affinities for Cs and Tl and was less affected by the solution pH, competing cations, and matrices. SAMMS also outperformed Prussian Blue in terms of adsorption capacities (e.g., 21.7 versus 2.6 mg Cs/g in acidic waste stimulant (pH 1.1), 28.3 versus 5.8 mg Tl/g in seawater), and rate (e.g., over 95 wt% of Cs was removed from seawater after 2 min with SAMMS, while only 75 wt% was removed with Prussian Blue). SAMMS also had higher stability (e.g., 2.5 to 13-fold less Fe dissolved from 2 to 24 hr of contact time). In addition to environmental applications, SAMMS has great potential to be used as orally administered drug for limiting the absorption of radioactive Cs and toxic Tl in gastrointestinal tract. PMID:20594644

Fire Control and Human Evolution.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russell, Claire

1978-01-01

Briefly outlines some aspects of the discovery of fire control by primitive people, such as the preadaptation for speech, the evolution of the human brain, and natural selection for human nakedness or loss of hair. (CS)

Control of Task Sequences: What Is the Role of Language?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayr, Ulrich; Kleffner-Canucci, Killian; Kikumoto, Atsushi; Redford, Melissa A.

2014-01-01

It is almost a truism that language aids serial-order control through self-cuing of upcoming sequential elements. We measured speech onset latencies as subjects performed hierarchically organized task sequences while "thinking aloud" each task label. Surprisingly, speech onset latencies and response times (RTs) were highly synchronized,…

Jahn-Teller effects in transition-metal compounds with small charge-transfer energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mizokawa, Takashi

2013-04-01

We have studied Jahn-Teller effects in Cs2Au2Br6, ACu3Co4O12(A=Ca or Y), and IrTe2 in which the ligand p-to-transition-metal d charge-transfer energy is small or negative. The Au+/Au3+ charge disproportionation of Cs2Au2Br6 manifests in Au 4f photoemission spectra. In Cs2Au2Br6 with negative Δ and intermediate U, the charge disproportionation can be described using effective d orbitals constructed from the Au 5d and Br 4p orbitals and is stabilized by the Jahn-Teller distortion of the Au3+ site with low-spin d8 configuration. In ACu3Co4O12, Δs for Cu3+ and Co4+ are negative and Us are very large. The Zhang-Rice picture is valid to describe the electronic state, and the valence change from Cu2+/Co4+ to Cu3+/Co3+ can be viewed as the O 2p hole transfer from Co to Cu or d9 + d6L → d9L + d6. In IrTe2, both Δ and U are small and the Ir 5d and Te 5p electrons are itinerant to form the multi-band Fermi surfaces. The ideas of band Jahn-Teller transition and Peierls transition are useful to describe the structural instabilities.

Alpha Oscillatory Dynamics Index Temporal Expectation Benefits in Working Memory.

PubMed

Wilsch, Anna; Henry, Molly J; Herrmann, Björn; Maess, Burkhard; Obleser, Jonas

2015-07-01

Enhanced alpha power compared with a baseline can reflect states of increased cognitive load, for example, when listening to speech in noise. Can knowledge about "when" to listen (temporal expectations) potentially counteract cognitive load and concomitantly reduce alpha? The current magnetoencephalography (MEG) experiment induced cognitive load using an auditory delayed-matching-to-sample task with 2 syllables S1 and S2 presented in speech-shaped noise. Temporal expectation about the occurrence of S1 was manipulated in 3 different cue conditions: "Neutral" (uninformative about foreperiod), "early-cued" (short foreperiod), and "late-cued" (long foreperiod). Alpha power throughout the trial was highest when the cue was uninformative about the onset time of S1 (neutral) and lowest for the late-cued condition. This alpha-reducing effect of late compared with neutral cues was most evident during memory retention in noise and originated primarily in the right insula. Moreover, individual alpha effects during retention accounted best for observed individual performance differences between late-cued and neutral conditions, indicating a tradeoff between allocation of neural resources and the benefits drawn from temporal cues. Overall, the results indicate that temporal expectations can facilitate the encoding of speech in noise, and concomitantly reduce neural markers of cognitive load. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Secondary ion emission from Ti, V, Cu, Ag and Au surfaces under KeV Cs + irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Heide, P. A. W.

2005-02-01

Low energy mono-atomic singly charged secondary ion emissions from Ti, V, Cu, Ag and Au substrates during the initial stages of sputtering with Cs + primary ions have been studied. With the exception of the Ag - secondary ions, all exhibited exponential like correlations with the Cs induced work function changes. This, along with the lack of variations in the valence band structure around the Fermi edge, is consistent with resonance charge transfer to/from states located at the Fermi edge. The insensitivity of Ag - to work function appears to stem from the dominance of a separate ion formation process, namely charge transfer into vacant 4d states in the sputtered population, which themselves appear to be produced through collective oscillations. A similar excitation-mediated process involving different levels also appears to be active in the formation of other negatively charged transition metal ions, albeit to a much lesser degree.

133Cs-NMR study on aligned powder of competing spin chain compound Cs2Cu2Mo3O12

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yagi, A.; Matsui, K.; Goto, T.; Hase, M.; Sasaki, T.

2018-03-01

S = 1/2 competing spin chain compound Cs2Cu2Mo3O12 has two dominant exchange interactions of the nearest neighbouring ferromagnetic J 1 = 93 K and the second nearest neighbouring antiferromagnetic J 2 = +33 K, and is expected to show the nematic Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid (TLL) state under high magnetic field region. The recent theoretical study by Sato et al. has shown that in the nematic TLL state, the spin fluctuations are expected to be highly anisotropic, that is, its transverse component is suppressed. Our previous NMR study on the present system showed that the dominant contribution to nuclear spin relaxation comes from the longitudinal component. In order to conclude that the transverse component of spin fluctuations is suppressed, the knowledge of hyperfine coupling is indispensable. This article is solely devoted to investigate the hyperfine coupling of 133Cs-NMR site to prove that the anisotropic part of hyperfine coupling, which connects the nuclear spin relaxation with the transverse spin fluctuations is considerably large to be A an = +770 Oe/μB.

Properties of wood-plastic composites: effect of inorganic additives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakraji, Elias Hanna; Salman, Numan

2003-01-01

Wood-plastic composites from Syrian tree species (white poplar, cypress tree, and white willow) were prepared using gamma-ray irradiation. Dry wood was impregnated with acrylamide or butylmethacrylate at various methanol compositions as the swelling solvent. Effect of inorganic additives and co-additives such as lithium nitrate (LiNO 3), copper sulfate (CuSO 4) and sulfuric acid (H 2SO 4), used at a very low concentration (1%), on the polymer loading (PL) and the compression strength (CS) was also investigated. It has been found that all the additives and co-additives, except Cu 2+, increase the PL values and only Li + has a positive effect on CS.

Metal-loaded pollucite-like aluminophosphates: dissymmetrisation of crystal structures and physical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shvanskaya, L. V.; Yakubovich, O. V.; Koshelev, A. V.; Vasiliev, A. N.

2018-02-01

Two aluminophosphate analogues of the mineral pollucite with the general formula Cs2(M,Al)3P3O12 (where M = Cu or Mn) have been synthesized by high-temperature flux and structurally characterized using the single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Both samples crystallize in cubic I4132 space group, Z = 8, with a = 13.5911(5) and a = 13.8544(7) for Cu- and Mn-loaded phases, respectively. Their framework structures are based on the ANA-type topology and exhibit the partial ordering of the metal (M/Al) and phosphorus (P) cations over the tetrahedral sites. The regular changes in cell dimensions and volumes in the row Cs2(Cu,Al)3P3O12→Cs2(Mn,Al)3P3O12 obviously correspond to increasing radii of the transition metal. The crystal chemical analysis of both pollucite-like phases show correlations between the difference in the radii size of tetrahedral cations and the degree of distortion of flexible ANA-type framework due to decreasing of the intertetrahedral angles (T-O-T). Magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate that both compounds are paramagnets in the temperature range of 2-300 K.

Sorption Mechanisms of Cesium on Cu II2Fe II(CN) 6and Cu II3[Fe III(CN) 6] 2Hexacyanoferrates and Their Relation to the Crystalline Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayrault, S.; Jimenez, B.; Garnier, E.; Fedoroff, M.; Jones, D. J.; Loos-Neskovic, C.

1998-12-01

CuII2FeII(CN)6·xH2O and CuII3[FeIII(CN)6]2·xH2O can be prepared with reproducible chemical compositions and structures after careful washing. They have cubicFmoverline3mstructures with iron vacancies. In CuII2FeII(CN)6, copper occupies two different sites: Cu1 in position 4blinked to Fe through the CN groups, and Cu2 not linked to the CN groups and partially occupying the interstitial 24epositions. The second type of site is not present in CuII3[FeIII(CN)6]2. Sorption kinetics and isotherms were determined for cesium on both hexacyanoferrates by batch experiments. On CuII3[FeIII(CN)6]2, the maximum uptake is only 0.073 Cs/Fe (at./at.). On CuII2FeII(CN)6, the uptake reaches 1.5 Cs/Fe. The sorption kinetics include at least two steps: at1/2variation until approximately 72 h and then a slow evolution studied up to 6 months. The sorption mechanism is complex. The main process seems to be diffusion of ion pairs, followed by a reorganization of the solid, resulting in one or more new solid phases. The presence of the Cu2 site seems to play a favorable role in the sorption. Owing to its good midterm stability and the first rapid step of exchange, CuII2FeII(CN)6·xH2O seems to be one of the most promising compounds for the recovery of cesium from nuclear liquid wastes.

Electrochemical immunoassay for carcinoembryonic antigen based on signal amplification strategy of nanotubular mesoporous PdCu alloy.

PubMed

Cai, Yanyan; Li, He; Li, Yuyang; Zhao, Yanfang; Ma, Hongmin; Zhu, Baocun; Xu, Caixia; Wei, Qin; Wu, Dan; Du, Bin

2012-01-01

Interests in using nanoporous metals for biosensing applications have been increasing. Herein, nanotubular mesoporous PdCu (NM-PdCu) alloy is used to fabricate a novel label-free electrochemical immunosensor for cancer biomarker carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). It operates through physisorption of anti-CEA on NM-PdCu and the mixture of sulfonated graphene sheets (HSO(3)-GS) and thionine (TH) functionalized glassy carbon electrode interface as the detection platform. In this study, chitosan (CS)-PdCu is bound very strongly to carcinoembryonic antibody (anti-CEA), because of the good electron conductivity, high surface area, and good biocompatibility. CS-PdCu is immobilized on electrodes by electrostatic interactions between the negatively charged sulfo group of HSO(3)-GS and the abundant positively charged amino groups of chitosan. TH acts as the redox probe. Under the optimized conditions, the electrochemical immunosensor exhibits a wide working range from 0.01 to 12 ng/mL with a low detection limit of 4.86 pg/mL. The accuracy, reproducibility, and stability of the immunosensor are acceptable. The assay is evaluated for real serum samples, receiving satisfactory results. The nanoporous metal materials-based immunoassay provides a promising approach in clinical application and thus represents a versatile detection method. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chitosan film loaded with silver nanoparticles-sorbent for solid phase extraction of Al(III), Cd(II), Cu(II), Co(II), Fe(III), Ni(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II).

PubMed

Djerahov, Lubomir; Vasileva, Penka; Karadjova, Irina; Kurakalva, Rama Mohan; Aradhi, Keshav Krishna

2016-08-20

The present study describes the ecofriendly method for the preparation of chitosan film loaded with silver nanoparticles (CS-AgNPs) and application of this film as efficient sorbent for separation and enrichment of Al(III), Cd(II), Cu(II), Co(II), Fe(III), Ni(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II). The stable CS-AgNPs colloid was prepared by dispersing the AgNPs sol in chitosan solution at appropriate ratio and further used to obtain a cast film with very good stability under storage and good mechanical strength for easy handling in aqueous medium. The incorporation of AgNPs in the structure of CS film and interaction between the polymer matrix and nanoparticles were confirmed by UV-vis and FTIR spectroscopy. The homogeneously embedded AgNPs (average diameter 29nm, TEM analysis) were clearly observed throughout the film by SEM. The CS-AgNPs nanocomposite film shows high sorption activity toward trace metals under optimized chemical conditions. The results suggest that the CS-AgNPs nanocomposite film can be feasibly used as a novel sorbent material for solid-phase extraction of metal pollutants from surface waters. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Auditory-Motor Rhythms and Speech Processing in French and German Listeners

PubMed Central

Falk, Simone; Volpi-Moncorger, Chloé; Dalla Bella, Simone

2017-01-01

Moving to a speech rhythm can enhance verbal processing in the listener by increasing temporal expectancies (Falk and Dalla Bella, 2016). Here we tested whether this hypothesis holds for prosodically diverse languages such as German (a lexical stress-language) and French (a non-stress language). Moreover, we examined the relation between motor performance and the benefits for verbal processing as a function of language. Sixty-four participants, 32 German and 32 French native speakers detected subtle word changes in accented positions in metrically structured sentences to which they previously tapped with their index finger. Before each sentence, they were cued by a metronome to tap either congruently (i.e., to accented syllables) or incongruently (i.e., to non-accented parts) to the following speech stimulus. Both French and German speakers detected words better when cued to tap congruently compared to incongruent tapping. Detection performance was predicted by participants' motor performance in the non-verbal cueing phase. Moreover, tapping rate while participants tapped to speech predicted detection differently for the two language groups, in particular in the incongruent tapping condition. We discuss our findings in light of the rhythmic differences of both languages and with respect to recent theories of expectancy-driven and multisensory speech processing. PMID:28443036

Tandem reactions initiated by copper-catalyzed cross-coupling: a new strategy towards heterocycle synthesis.

PubMed

Liu, Yunyun; Wan, Jie-Ping

2011-10-21

Copper-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions which lead to the formation of C-N, C-O, C-S and C-C bonds have been recognized as one of the most useful strategies in synthetic organic chemistry. During past decades, important breakthroughs in the study of Cu-catalyzed coupling processes demonstrated that Cu-catalyzed reactions are broadly applicable to a variety of research fields related to organic synthesis. Representatively, employing these coupling transformations as key steps, a large number of tandem reactions have been developed for the construction of various heterocyclic compounds. These tactics share the advantages of high atom economics of tandem reactions as well as the broad tolerance of Cu-catalyst systems. Therefore, Cu-catalyzed C-X (X = N, O, S, C) coupling transformation-initiated tandem reactions were quickly recognized as a strategy with great potential for synthesizing heterocyclic compounds and gained worldwide attention. In this review, recent research progress in heterocycle syntheses using tandem reactions initiated by copper-catalyzed coupling transformations, including C-N, C-O, C-S as well as C-C coupling processes are summarized.

A new series of oxycarbonate superconductors (Cu(0.5)C(0.5))(m)Ba(m+1)Ca(n-1)Cu(n)O2(m+n)+1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Takayama-Muromachi, E.; Kawashima, T.; Matsui, Y.

1995-01-01

We found a new series of oxycarbonate superconductors in the Ba-CaCu-C-O system under high pressure of 5 GPa. Their ideal formula is (Cu(0.5)C(0.5)(m)Ba(m+1)Ca(n-1)Cu(n)O2)((m+n)+1) ((Cu,C)-m(m+1)(n-1)n). Thus far, n = 3, 4 members of the m = 1 series, (Cu,C)-1223 and (Cu,C)-1234, have been prepared in bulk while n = 4, 5 members, (Cu,C)-2334 and (Cu,C)-2345, have been prepared for the m = 2 series. (Cu,C)-1223 shows superconductivity below 67 K while T(sub c)'s of other compounds are above 110 K. In particular, (Cu,C)-1234 has the highest T(sub c) of 117 K.

Use of geochemical signatures, including rare earth elements, in mosses and lichens to assess spatial integration and the influence of forest environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gandois, L.; Agnan, Y.; Leblond, S.; Séjalon-Delmas, N.; Le Roux, G.; Probst, A.

2014-10-01

In order to assess the influence of local environment and spatial integration of Trace Metals (TM) by biomonitors, Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn, V and Zn and some rare earth element (REE) concentrations have been measured in lichens and mosses collected in three French forest sites located in three distinct mountainous areas, as well as in the local soil and bedrock, and in both bulk deposition (BD) and throughfall (TF). Similar enrichment factors (EF) were calculated using lichens and mosses and local bedrock for most elements, except for Cs, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Cu which were significantly (KW, p < 0.05) more enriched in mosses. Similar REE ratios were measured in soils, bedrock, lichens and mosses at each study sites, indicating a regional integration of atmospheric deposition by both biomonitors. Both TM signature and REE composition of mosses revealed that this biomonitor is highly influenced by throughfall composition, and reflect atmospheric deposition interaction with the forest canopy. This explained the higher enrichment measured in mosses for elements which concentration in deposition were influenced by the canopy, either due to leaching (Mn), direct uptake (Ni), or dry deposition dissolution (Pb, Cu, Cs).

A Competitive Kinetics Study of the Reaction of Cl with CS2 in Air at 298 K

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wallington, Timothy J.; Andino, Jean M.; Potts, Alan R.; Wine, Paul H.

1997-01-01

The relative rate technique has been used to investigate the kinetics of the reaction of Cl atoms with carbon disulfide, CS2, at 700 Torr total pressure of air at 298 K. The decay rate of CS2 was measured relative to CH4, CH3Cl and CHF2CL. For experiments using CH4 and CH3Cl references, the decay rate of CS2 was dependent on the ratio of the concentration of the reference to that of CS2. We ascribe this behavior to the generation of OH radicals in the system leading to complicated secondary chemistry. From experiments using CHF2Cl we are able to assign an upper limit of 4 x 10(exp -15) cu cm/(molecule s) for the overall reaction, Cl + CS2 yields products.

Ground State of Quasi-One Dimensional Competing Spin Chain Cs2Cu2Mo3O12 at zero and Finite Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsui, Kazuki; Goto, Takayuki; Angel, Julia; Watanabe, Isao; Sasaki, Takahiko; Hase, Masashi

The ground state of competing-spin-chain Cs2Cu2Mo3O12 with the ferromagnetic exchange interaction J1 = -93 K on nearest-neighboring spins and the antiferromagnetic one J2 = +33 K on next-nearest-neighboring spins was investigated by ZF/LF-μSR and 133Cs-NMR in the 3He temperature range. The zero-field μSR relaxation rate λ shows a significant increase below 1.85 K, suggesting the existence of magnetic order, which is consistent with the recent report on the specific heat. However, LF decoupling data at the lowest temperature 0.3 K indicate that the spins fluctuate dynamically, suggesting that the system is in a quasi-static ordered state under zero field. This idea is further supported by the fact that the broadening in NMR spectra below TN is weakened at low field below 2 T.

Effect of alkali ions (Na+, K+, Cs+) on reaction mechanism of CZTS nano-particles synthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Suresh; Altosaar, Mare; Grossberg, Maarja; Mikli, Valdek

2018-04-01

The control of morphology, elemental composition and phase composition of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) nano-crystals depends on the control of complex formation and surface stabilization of nano-particles in solution-based synthesis in oleylamine. At temperatures ≥280 °C, the control of nano-crystal's morphology and homogenous growth is difficult because of fast poly-nuclear growth occurring at higher temperatures. In the present work the effect of oleylamine complex formation with different alkali ions (Na+, K+ and Cs+) on nano-crystals growth at synthesis temperature of 280 °C was studied. It was found that nano-powders synthesized in the presence of Na+ and K+ ions showed the formation of crystals of different sizes - small nano-particles (18 nm-30 nm), large aggregated crystals (few nm to 1 μm) and large single crystals (1 μm - 4 μm). The presence of Cs+ ions in the nano-powder synthesis in oleylamine-metal precursor-CsOH solution promoted growth of nano-crystals of homogenous size. It is proposed that the formed oleylamine-Cs complexes a) enhance the formation and stabilization of oleylamine-metal (Cu, Zn and Sn) complexes before the injection of sulphur precursor into the oleylamine-metal precursor solution and b) after addition of sulphur stabilize the fast nucleated nano-particles and promote diffusion limited growth.

Building Languages

MedlinePlus

... Support Services Technology and Audiology Medical and Surgical Solutions Putting it all Together Building Language American Sign Language (ASL) Conceptually Accurate Signed English (CASE) Cued Speech Finger Spelling Listening/Auditory Training ...

Kinetics and Thermochemistry of Reversible Adduct Formation in the Reaction of Cl((sup 2)P(sub J)) with CS2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nicovich, J. M.; Shackelford, C. J.; Wine, P. H.

1997-01-01

Reversible adduct formation in the reaction of Cl((sup 2)P(sub J)) with CS2 has been observed over the temperature range 193-258 K by use of time-resolved resonance fluorescence spectroscopy to follow the decay of pulsed-laser-generated Cl((sup 2)P(sub J)) into equilbrium with CS2Cl. Rate coefficients for CS2Cl formation and decomposition have been determined as a function of temperature and pressure; hence, the equilbrium constant has been determined as a function of temperature. A second-law analysis of the temperature dependence of Kp and heat capacity corrections calculated with use of an assumed CS2Cl structure yields the following thermodynamic parameters for the association reaction: Delta-H(sub 298) = -10.5 +/- 0.5 kcal/mol, Delta-H(sub 0) = -9.5 +/- 0.7 kcal/mol, Delta-S(sub 298) = -26.8 +/- 2.4 cal/mol.deg., and Delta-H(sub f,298)(CS2Cl) = 46.4 +/- 0.6 kcal/mol. The resonance fluorescence detection scheme has been adapted to allow detection of Cl((sup 2)P(sub J)) in the presence of large concentrations of O2, thus allowing the CS2Cl + Cl + O2 reaction to be investigated. We find that the rate coefficient for CS2Cl + O2 reaction via all channels that do not generate Cl((sup 2)P(sub J)) is less than 2.5 x 10(exp-16) cu cm/(molecule.s) at 293 K and 300-Torr total pressure and that the total rate coefficient is less than 2 x 10 (exp -15) cu cm/(molecule.s) at 230 K and 30-Torr total pressure. Evidence for reversible adduct formation in the reaction of Cl((sup 2)P(sub J)) with COS was sought but not observed, even at temperatures as low as 194 K.

A new series of oxycarbonate superconductors (Cu{sub 0.5}C{sub 0.5}){sub m}Ba{sub m+1}Ca{sub n-1}Cu{sub n}O{sub 2}({sub m+n})+1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Takayama-Muromachi, E.; Kawashima, T.; Matsui, Y.

1994-12-31

We found a new series of oxycarbonate superconductors in the Ba-Ca-Cu-C-O system under high pressure of 5 GPa. Their ideal formula is (Cu{sub 0.5}C{sub 0.5}){sub m}Ba{sub m+1}Ca{sub n-1}Cu{sub n}O{sub 2}({sub m+n})+1 ((Cu,C)-m(m+1)(n-1)n). Thus far, n=3, 4 members of the m=1 series, (Cu,C)-1223 and (Cu,C)-1234, have been prepared in bulk while n=4, 5 members, (Cu,C)-2334 and (Cu,C)-2345, have been prepared for the m=2 series. (Cu,C)-1223 shows superconductivity below 67 K while T{sub c}`s of other compounds are above 110 K. In particular, (Cu,C)=1234 has the highest T{sub c} of 117 K.

A neutron diffraction study of the magnetic phases of CsCuCl3 for in-plane fields up to 17 T

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stüßer, N.; Schotte, U.; Hoser, A.; Meschke, M.; Meißner, M.; Wosnitza, J.

2002-05-01

Neutron diffraction investigations have been performed to study the magnetization process of CsCuCl3 with the magnetic field aligned within the ab-plane. In zero field the stacked, triangular-lattice antiferromagnet (TLA) CsCuCl3 has a helical structure incommensurate in the chain direction normal to the ab-plane. The magnetic phase diagram was investigated from 2 K up to TN in fields up to 17 T. The phase line for the expected incommensurate-commensurate (IC-C) phase transition could be determined throughout the whole phase diagram. At low temperature the IC-C transition is roughly at half the saturation field HS. The neutron diffraction patterns were found to be well described by a sinusoidally modulated spiral in fields up to HS/3. The initial increase of the scattering intensity in rising field indicates a continuous reduction of the spin frustration on the triangular lattice. Between HS/3 and HS/2 a new phase occurs where the spiral vector has a plateau in its field dependence. Close to the IC-C transition a growing asymmetry of magnetic satellite-peak intensities indicates domain effects which are related to the lifting of the chiral degeneracy in the ab-plane in rising field. The phase diagram obtained has some similarities with those calculated for stacked TLAs by considering the effects of quantum and thermal fluctuations.

Conversion of radioactive ferrocyanide compounds to immobile glasses

DOEpatents

Schulz, W.W.; Dressen, A.L.

1975-11-21

A method is described for converting complex radioactive ferrocyanide compounds of /sup 134/Cs and /sup 137/Cs to immobile glass that is resistant to leaching by water. The /sup 134/Cs and /sup 137/Cs are separated from nuclear waste solutions by precipitation from alkaline solutions by the addition of a soluble Ni/sup 2 +/, Zn/sup 2 +/, Cu/sup 2 +/, Co/sup 2 +/, UO/sub 2//sup 2 +/, or Mn/sup 2 +/ and K/sub 4/Fe(CN)/sub 6/. The dried, finely ground precipitate is mixed with Na/sub 2/CO/sub 3/ and a mixture of (a) basalt and B/sub 2/O/sub 3/ or (b) SiO/sub 2/ and CaO, melted, and allowed to solidify. (BLM)

Mothers' Speech Addressed to One-, Two-, and Three-Year-Old Normal Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Longhurst, Thomas M.; Stepanich, Lyanne

1975-01-01

Analysis of mother-child interaction data for 36 children and their mothers revealed that the three groups of mothers' verbal interactions differed significantly in their mean length of utterance, percentage of yes-no questions, percentage of information questions, and percentage of clarification questions. (Author/CS)

Oxygenates vs. synthesis gas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kamil Klier; Richard G. Herman; Alessandra Beretta

1999-04-01

Methanol synthesis from H{sub 2}/CO has been carried out at 7.6 MPa over zirconia-supported copper catalysts. Catalysts with nominal compositions of 10/90 mol% and 30/70 mol% Cu/ZrO{sub 2} were used in this study. Additionally, a 3 mol% cesium-doped 10/90 catalyst was prepared to study the effect of doping with heavy alkali, and this promoter greatly increased the methanol productivity. The effects of CO{sub 2} addition, water injection, reaction temperature, and H{sub 2}/C0 ratio have been investigated. Both CO{sub 2} addition to the synthesis gas and cesium doping of the catalyst promoted methanol synthesis, while inhibiting the synthesis of dimethyl ether.more » Injection of water, however, was found to slightly suppress methanol and dimethyl ether formation while being converted to CO{sub 2} via the water gas shift reaction over these catalysts. There was no clear correlation between copper surface area and catalyst activity. Surface analysis of the tested samples revealed that copper tended to migrate and enrich the catalyst surface. The concept of employing a double-bed reactor with a pronounced temperature gradient to enhance higher alcohol synthesis was explored, and it was found that utilization of a Cs-promoted Cu/ZnO/Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} catalyst as a first lower temperature bed and a Cs-promoted ZnO/Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} catalyst as a second high-temperature bed significantly promoted the productivity of 2-methyl-1-propanol (isobutanol) from H{sub 2}/CO synthesis gas mixtures. While the conversion of CO to C{sub 2+} oxygenates over the double-bed configuration was comparable to that observed over the single Cu-based catalyst, major changes in the product distribution occurred by the coupling to the zinc chromite catalyst; that is, the productivity of the C{sub 1}-C{sub 3} alcohols decreased dramatically, and 2-methyl branched alcohols were selectively formed. The desirable methanol/2-methyl oxygenate molar ratios close to 1 were obtained in the present double-bed system that provides the feedstock for the synthesis of high octane and high cetane ethers, where the isobutanol productivity was as high as 139 g/kg cat/hr. Higher alcohol synthesis has been investigated over a Cs/Cu/ZnO/Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} catalyst at temperatures higher (up to 703K) than those previously utilized, and no sintering of the catalyst was observed during the short-term testing. However, the higher reaction temperatures led to lower CO conversion levels and lower yield of alcohols, especially of methanol, because of equilibrium limitations. With the double catalyst bed configuration, the effect of pressure in the range of 7.6--12.4 MPa on catalyst activity and selectivity was studied. The upper bed was composed of the copper-based catalyst at 598K, and the lower bed consisted of a copper-free Cs-ZnO/Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} catalyst at a high temperature of 678K. High pressure was found to increase CO conversion to oxygenated products, although the increase in isobutanol productivity did not keep pace with that of methanol. It was also shown that the Cs/Cu/ZnO/Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} catalyst could be utilized to advantage as the second-bed catalyst at 613--643K instead of the previously used copper-free Cs-ZnO/ Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} catalyst at higher temperature, With double Cs/Cu/ZnO/Cr{sub 2}O{sub 3} catalysts, high space time yields of up to 202 g/kg cat/hr, with high selectivity to isobutanol, were achieved.« less

Premotor neural correlates of predictive motor timing for speech production and hand movement: evidence for a temporal predictive code in the motor system.

PubMed

Johari, Karim; Behroozmand, Roozbeh

2017-05-01

The predictive coding model suggests that neural processing of sensory information is facilitated for temporally-predictable stimuli. This study investigated how temporal processing of visually-presented sensory cues modulates movement reaction time and neural activities in speech and hand motor systems. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in 13 subjects while they were visually-cued to prepare to produce a steady vocalization of a vowel sound or press a button in a randomized order, and to initiate the cued movement following the onset of a go signal on the screen. Experiment was conducted in two counterbalanced blocks in which the time interval between visual cue and go signal was temporally-predictable (fixed delay at 1000 ms) or unpredictable (variable between 1000 and 2000 ms). Results of the behavioral response analysis indicated that movement reaction time was significantly decreased for temporally-predictable stimuli in both speech and hand modalities. We identified premotor ERP activities with a left-lateralized parietal distribution for hand and a frontocentral distribution for speech that were significantly suppressed in response to temporally-predictable compared with unpredictable stimuli. The premotor ERPs were elicited approximately -100 ms before movement and were significantly correlated with speech and hand motor reaction times only in response to temporally-predictable stimuli. These findings suggest that the motor system establishes a predictive code to facilitate movement in response to temporally-predictable sensory stimuli. Our data suggest that the premotor ERP activities are robust neurophysiological biomarkers of such predictive coding mechanisms. These findings provide novel insights into the temporal processing mechanisms of speech and hand motor systems.

Inactivation of ventral hippocampus interfered with cued-fear acquisition but did not influence later recall or discrimination.

PubMed

Chen, Veronica M; Foilb, Allison R; Christianson, John P

2016-01-01

The ventral hippocampus (VH) is involved in the both the acquisition and recall of conditioned fear. Here, we tested the role of VH in acquisition and recall of a conditioned fear discrimination. Intra-VH vehicle or muscimol injections were made 1h prior to a CS+/CS- conditioning or prior to later recall. Vehicle treated rats exhibited discrimination with significantly greater freezing to the CS+ than to the CS- whereas muscimol treated rats did not freeze. Injections made before recall had no effect as both treatment groups displayed equal freezing in response to the CS+, and discrimination. While these results are consistent with several reports, the failure to influence fear discrimination upon recall appears to contrast with the hypothesized role of VH in recall of extinguished conditioned fear cues. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of 1,2,4-Triazoles via Oxidative Heterocyclization: Selective C-N Bond Over C-S Bond Formation.

PubMed

Gogoi, Anupal; Guin, Srimanta; Rajamanickam, Suresh; Rout, Saroj Kumar; Patel, Bhisma K

2015-09-18

The higher propensity of C-N over C-S bond forming ability was demonstrated, through formal C-H functionalization during the construction of 4,5-disubstituted 1,2,4-triazole-3-thiones from arylidenearylthiosemicarbazides catalyzed by Cu(II). However, steric factors imparted by the o-disubstituted substrates tend to change the reaction path giving thiodiazole as the major or an exclusive product. Upon prolonging the reaction time, the in situ generated thiones are transformed to 4,5-disubstituted 1,2,4-triazoles via a desulfurization process. Two classes of heterocycles viz. 4,5-disubstituted 1,2,4-triazole-3-thiones and 4,5-disubstituted 1,2,4-triazoles can be synthesized from arylidenearylthiosemicarbazides by simply adjusting the reaction time. Desulfurization of 1,2,4-triazole-3-thiones is assisted by thiophilic Cu to provide 1,2,4-triazoles with concomitant formation of CuS and polynuclear sulfur anions as confirmed from scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy measurements. A one-pot synthesis of an antimicrobial compound has been successfully achieved following this strategy.

Modified band alignment effect in ZnO/Cu2O heterojunction solar cells via Cs2O buffer insertion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eom, Kiryung; Lee, Dongyoon; Kim, Seunghwan; Seo, Hyungtak

2018-02-01

The effects of a complex buffer layer of cesium oxide (Cs2O) on the photocurrent response in oxide heterojunction solar cells (HSCs) were investigated. A p-n junction oxide HSC was fabricated using p-type copper (I) oxide (Cu2O) and n-type zinc oxide (ZnO); the buffer layer was inserted between the Cu2O and fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO). Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) and x-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy analyses were performed to characterize the electronic band structures of cells, both with and without this buffer layer. In conjunction with the measured band electronic structures, the significantly improved visible-range photocurrent spectra of the buffer-inserted HSC were analyzed in-depth. As a result, the 1 sun power conversion efficiency was increased by about three times by the insertion of buffer layer. The physicochemical origin of the photocurrent enhancement was mainly ascribed to the increased photocarrier density in the buffer layer and modified valence band offset to promote the effective hole transfer at the interface to FTO on the band-alignment model.

CuI/L-proline-catalyzed coupling reactions of aryl halides with activated methylene compounds.

PubMed

Xie, Xiaoan; Cai, Guorong; Ma, Dawei

2005-10-13

[reaction: see text] The arylation of ethyl acetoacetate, ethyl benzoyl acetate, and diethyl malonate under the catalysis of CuI/L-proline in DMSO proceeds smoothly at 40-50 degrees C in the presence of Cs2CO3 to provide the 2-aryl-1,3-dicarbonyl compounds in good yields. Both aryl iodides and aryl bromides are compatible with these reaction conditions.

Cu Nanoparticles in Hydrogels of Chitosan-PVA Affects the Characteristics of Post-Harvest and Bioactive Compounds of Jalapeño Pepper.

PubMed

Pinedo-Guerrero, Zeus H; Hernández-Fuentes, Alma Delia; Ortega-Ortiz, Hortensia; Benavides-Mendoza, Adalberto; Cadenas-Pliego, Gregorio; Juárez-Maldonado, And Antonio

2017-06-02

Peppers are consumed all over the world due to the flavor, aroma, and color that they add to food. Additionally, they play a role in human health, as they contain a high concentration of bioactive compounds and antioxidants. The treatments used were an absolute control, Cs-PVA, and four treatments with 0.02, 0.2, 2, and 10 mg (nCu) g -1 (Cs-PVA). The application of Cu nanoparticles in chitosan-PVA hydrogels increases the content of capsaicin by up to 51% compared to the control. This application also increases the content of antioxidants ABTS [2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazolin-6-sulfonic acid)] and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), total phenols and flavonoids (4%, 6.6%, 5.9%, and 12.7%, respectively) in jalapeño pepper fruits stored for 15 days at room temperature; under refrigeration, it increases DPPH antioxidants, total phenols, and flavonoids (23.9%, 1.54%, and 17.2%, respectively). The application of Cu nanoparticles in chitosan-PVA hydrogels, even when applied to the substrate, not only has an effect on the development of the jalapeño pepper crop, but also modifies the post-harvest characteristics of the jalapeño pepper fruits.

Concentrations of trace elements in marine fish and its risk assessment in Malaysia.

PubMed

Agusa, Tetsuro; Kunito, Takashi; Yasunaga, Genta; Iwata, Hisato; Subramanian, Annamalai; Ismail, Ahmad; Tanabe, Shinsuke

2005-01-01

Concentrations of trace elements (V, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Ga, Se, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sn, Sb, Cs, Ba, Hg, Tl, Pb and Bi) were determined in muscle and liver of 12 species of marine fish collected from coastal areas in Malaysia. Levels of V, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Ga, Sr, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sn, Ba and Pb in liver were higher than those in muscle, whereas Rb and Cs concentrations showed the opposite trend. Positive correlations between concentrations in liver and muscle were observed for all the trace elements except Cu and Sn. Copper, Zn, Se, Ag, Cd, Cs and Hg concentrations in bigeye scads from the east coast of the Peninsular Malaysia were higher than those from the west, whereas V showed the opposite trend. The high concentration of V in the west coast might indicate oil contamination in the Strait of Malacca. To evaluate the health risk to Malaysian population through consumption of fish, intake rates of trace elements were estimated on the basis of the concentrations of trace elements in muscle of fish and daily fish consumption. Some specimens of the marine fish had Hg levels higher than the guideline value by US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indicating that consumption of these fish at the present rate may be hazardous to Malaysian people. To our knowledge, this is the first study on multielemental accumulation in marine fish from the Malaysian coast.

Can rhythmic auditory cuing remediate language-related deficits in Parkinson's disease?

PubMed

Kotz, Sonja A; Gunter, Thomas C

2015-03-01

Neurodegenerative changes of the basal ganglia in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) lead to motor deficits as well as general cognitive decline. Given these impairments, the question arises as to whether motor and nonmotor deficits can be ameliorated similarly. We reason that a domain-general sensorimotor circuit involved in temporal processing may support the remediation of such deficits. Following findings that auditory cuing benefits gait kinematics, we explored whether reported language-processing deficits in IPD can also be remediated via auditory cuing. During continuous EEG measurement, an individual diagnosed with IPD heard two types of temporally predictable but metrically different auditory beat-based cues: a march, which metrically aligned with the speech accent structure, a waltz that did not metrically align, or no cue before listening to naturally spoken sentences that were either grammatically well formed or were semantically or syntactically incorrect. Results confirmed that only the cuing with a march led to improved computation of syntactic and semantic information. We infer that a marching rhythm may lead to a stronger engagement of the cerebello-thalamo-cortical circuit that compensates dysfunctional striato-cortical timing. Reinforcing temporal realignment, in turn, may lead to the timely processing of linguistic information embedded in the temporally variable speech signal. © 2014 New York Academy of Sciences.

Peace Corps in Special Education and Rehabilitation. Case Study CS-2. Appropriate Technologies for Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dixon, Gregory L.; Davis, Katherine

The monograph evaluates the efforts of the Peace Corps in special education and rehabilitation. Charts list levels of activity; work sectors (health, education, social service, or vocational); locale; specialty area (special education, occupational, physical, and speech therapy, vocational rehabilitation, and social work); and disabilities served…

Deriving Word Order in Code-Switching: Feature Inheritance and Light Verbs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shim, Ji Young

2013-01-01

This dissertation investigates code-switching (CS), the concurrent use of more than one language in conversation, commonly observed in bilingual speech. Assuming that code-switching is subject to universal principles, just like monolingual grammar, the dissertation provides a principled account of code-switching, with particular emphasis on OV~VO…

Enlarged Vestibular Aqueducts and Childhood Hearing Loss

MedlinePlus

... EVA. However, this is a rare event in commercial aircraft with pressurized cabins. If you have EVA, ... EVA, will benefit from learning other forms of communication, such as sign language or cued speech, or ...

Advanced Copper Composites Against Copper-Tolerant Xanthomonas perforans and Tomato Bacterial Spot.

PubMed

Strayer-Scherer, A; Liao, Y Y; Young, M; Ritchie, L; Vallad, G E; Santra, S; Freeman, J H; Clark, D; Jones, J B; Paret, M L

2018-02-01

Bacterial spot, caused by Xanthomonas spp., is a widespread and damaging bacterial disease of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). For disease management, growers rely on copper bactericides, which are often ineffective due to the presence of copper-tolerant Xanthomonas strains. This study evaluated the antibacterial activity of the new copper composites core-shell copper (CS-Cu), multivalent copper (MV-Cu), and fixed quaternary ammonium copper (FQ-Cu) as potential alternatives to commercially available micron-sized copper bactericides for controlling copper-tolerant Xanthomonas perforans. In vitro, metallic copper from CS-Cu and FQ-Cu at 100 μg/ml killed the copper-tolerant X. perforans strain within 1 h of exposure. In contrast, none of the micron-sized copper rates (100 to 1,000 μg/ml) from Kocide 3000 significantly reduced copper-tolerant X. perforans populations after 48 h of exposure compared with the water control (P < 0.05). All copper-based treatments killed the copper-sensitive X. perforans strain within 1 h. Greenhouse studies demonstrated that all copper composites significantly reduced bacterial spot disease severity when compared with copper-mancozeb and water controls (P < 0.05). Although there was no significant impact on yield, copper composites significantly reduced disease severity when compared with water controls, using 80% less metallic copper in comparison with copper-mancozeb in field studies (P < 0.05). This study highlights the discovery that copper composites have the potential to manage copper-tolerant X. perforans and tomato bacterial spot.

What information is necessary for speech categorization? Harnessing variability in the speech signal by integrating cues computed relative to expectations

PubMed Central

McMurray, Bob; Jongman, Allard

2012-01-01

Most theories of categorization emphasize how continuous perceptual information is mapped to categories. However, equally important is the informational assumptions of a model, the type of information subserving this mapping. This is crucial in speech perception where the signal is variable and context-dependent. This study assessed the informational assumptions of several models of speech categorization, in particular, the number of cues that are the basis of categorization and whether these cues represent the input veridically or have undergone compensation. We collected a corpus of 2880 fricative productions (Jongman, Wayland & Wong, 2000) spanning many talker- and vowel-contexts and measured 24 cues for each. A subset was also presented to listeners in an 8AFC phoneme categorization task. We then trained a common classification model based on logistic regression to categorize the fricative from the cue values, and manipulated the information in the training set to contrast 1) models based on a small number of invariant cues; 2) models using all cues without compensation, and 3) models in which cues underwent compensation for contextual factors. Compensation was modeled by Computing Cues Relative to Expectations (C-CuRE), a new approach to compensation that preserves fine-grained detail in the signal. Only the compensation model achieved a similar accuracy to listeners, and showed the same effects of context. Thus, even simple categorization metrics can overcome the variability in speech when sufficient information is available and compensation schemes like C-CuRE are employed. PMID:21417542

Materials Data on CsCuC2 (SG:131) by Materials Project

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kristin Persson

2017-05-05

Computed materials data using density functional theory calculations. These calculations determine the electronic structure of bulk materials by solving approximations to the Schrodinger equation. For more information, see https://materialsproject.org/docs/calculations

Low-Temperature Synthesis of New Ternary Chalcogenide Compounds of Copper, Gold, and Mercury Using Alkali Metal Polychalcogenide Fluxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Younbong

In last two decades great efforts have been exerted to find new materials with interesting optical, electrical, and catalytic properties. Metal chalcogenides have been studied extensively because of their interesting physical properties and rich structural chemistry, among the potential materials. Prior to this work, most known metal chalcogenides had been synthesized at high temperature (T > 500^circC). Intermediate temperature synthesis in solid state chemistry was seldom pursued because of the extremely slow diffusion rates between reactants. This intermediate temperature regime could be a new synthesis condition if one looks for new materials with unusual structural features and properties. Metastable or kinetically stable compounds can be stabilized in this intermediate temperature regime, in contrast to the thermodynamically stable high temperature compounds. Molten salts, especially alkali metal polychalcogenide fluxes, can provide a route for exploring new chalcogenide materials at intermediate temperatures. These fluxes are very reactive and melt as low as 145^circC (mp of K_2S_4). Using these fluxes as reaction media, we have encountered many novel chalcogenide compounds with unusual structures and interesting electrical properties (semiconductors to metallic conductors). Low-dimensional polychalcogenide compounds of alpha-ACuQ_4 (A = K, Cs; Q = S, Se), beta -KCuS_4, KAuQ_5 (Q = S, Se), K_3AuSe_ {13}, Na_3AuSe _8, and CsAuSe_3 exhibit the beautiful structural diversity and bonding flexibility of the polychalcogenide ligands. In addition, many novel chalcogenide compounds of Cu, Hg, and Au with low-dimensional structures. The preparation of novel mixed -valence Cu compounds, K_2Cu _5Te_5, Cs _3Cu_8Te_ {10}, Na_3Cu _4Se_4, K _3Cu_8S_4 Te_2, and KCu_4 S_2Te, which show interesting metallic properties, especially underscores the enormous potential of the molten salt method for the synthesis of new chalcogenide materials with interesting physical properties. The materials prepared in this study can be classified as a new class of chalcogenide compounds due to their unique structures. In this dissertation the synthesis, characterization with emphasis on structures, charge transport properties, and magnetic susceptibilities of the materials will be illustrated.

Determination of copper and mercury in phosphate fertilizers employing direct solid sampling analysis and high resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Oliveira Souza, Sidnei; François, Luciane Luiza; Borges, Aline Rocha; Vale, Maria Goreti Rodrigues; Araujo, Rennan Geovanny Oliveira

2015-12-01

The present study proposes the determination of copper and mercury in phosphate fertilizers by direct solid sampling analysis (SS) employing high resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS GF AAS). For Cu determination, two analytical lines were used: 327.3960 nm and 249.2146 nm. Hg determination was carried out on the line 253.6521 nm and 100 μg KMnO4 was used as chemical modifier. The optimal pyrolysis temperature for Cu determination was 1300 °C. Atomization temperatures for Cu and Hg were 2400 and 1100 °C, respectively. External calibration with aqueous standard solutions was adopted for both elements. The limits of quantification (LoQs) and characteristic mass (m0) obtained for Cu determination were 0.4 μg g- 1 and 1.12 ng, respectively, on line 249.2146 nm, and 64 μg g- 1 and 25 pg on 327.3960 nm. For mercury, LoQ and m0 were 4.8 ng g- 1 and 39 pg, respectively. The accuracy of the proposed methods was confirmed by the analysis of standard reference material (SRM) of Trace Elements in Multi-Nutrient Fertilizer (SRM NIST 695). The precision expressed as relative standard deviation (RSD), was better than 8.2% for Hg and 7.7% for the Cu (n = 5), considered satisfactory for microanalysis in solid sample. Four fertilizer samples acquired in commercial establishments in the city of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, were analyzed. The optimized analytical methods were simple, fast, accurate, precise and free of spectral interferences for the determination of Cu and Hg in phosphate fertilizer samples by SS-HR-CS GF AAS, avoiding the dissolution of the sample, the use of harmful reagents and the generation of residues.

The 1993 Indonesian Family Life Survey: Appendix B, Community-Facility Questionnaires and Interviewer Manual. Revised.

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-04-01

td es , (i t o (i td es , (i t o (i td cu JZ : ;*_ >z >T. >z _ _ f* cu ►5a cu...a S ■s = = Joe==S <^ , , 4» « ft» 0» td — — ^ * > > g’ff’ff’irSr’ir’ir •• os o u o oo .s s s c cs i- o 𔃿 I...34XZ en co ~ co .— Q2 2« £ tD Q D xi 11 > o t: o O cu e QJ i 2«i 2 c75 < 2 > 2 es X) 11 t> U « \\© t~ od ON Ö _i

Clear Speech Modifications in Children Aged 6-10

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Griffin Lijding

Modifications to speech production made by adult talkers in response to instructions to speak clearly have been well documented in the literature. Targeting adult populations has been motivated by efforts to improve speech production for the benefit of the communication partners, however, many adults also have communication partners who are children. Surprisingly, there is limited literature on whether children can change their speech production when cued to speak clearly. Pettinato, Tuomainen, Granlund, and Hazan (2016) showed that by age 12, children exhibited enlarged vowel space areas and reduced articulation rate when prompted to speak clearly, but did not produce any other adult-like clear speech modifications in connected speech. Moreover, Syrett and Kawahara (2013) suggested that preschoolers produced longer and more intense vowels when prompted to speak clearly at the word level. These findings contrasted with adult talkers who show significant temporal and spectral differences between speech produced in control and clear speech conditions. Therefore, it was the purpose of this study to analyze changes in temporal and spectral characteristics of speech production that children aged 6-10 made in these experimental conditions. It is important to elucidate the clear speech profile of this population to better understand which adult-like clear speech modifications they make spontaneously and which modifications are still developing. Understanding these baselines will advance future studies that measure the impact of more explicit instructions and children's abilities to better accommodate their interlocutors, which is a critical component of children's pragmatic and speech-motor development.

Synthesis and Cs-Corrected Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy Characterization of Multimetallic Nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khanal, Subarna; Bhattarai, Nabraj; Velázquez-Salazar, Jesus; Jose-Yacaman, Miguel; Subarna Khanal Team

2014-03-01

Multimetallic nanoparticles have been attracted greater attention both in materials science and nanotechnology due to its unique electronic, optical, biological, and catalytic properties lead by physiochemical interactions among different atoms and phases. The distinct features of multimetallic nanoparticles enhanced synergetic properties, large surface to volume ratio and quantum size effects ultimately lead to novel and wide range of possibilities for different applications than monometallic counterparts. For instance, PtPd, Pt/Cu, Au-Au3Cu, AgPd/Pt, AuCu/Pt and many other multimetallic nanoparticles have raised interest for their various applications in fuel cells, ethanol and methanol oxidation reactions, hydrogen storage, and so on. The nanostructures were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (Cs-corrected STEM), in combination with high angle annular dark field (HAADF), bright field (BF), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) detectors. These techniques allowed us to probe the structure at the atomic level of the nanoparticles revealing new structural information and elemental composition of the nanoparticles. The authors would like to acknowledge NSF grants DMR-1103730, ``Alloys at the Nanoscale: The Case of Nanoparticles Second Phase'' and NSF PREM Grant # DMR 0934218.

L-Theanine Content and Related Gene Expression: Novel Insights into Theanine Biosynthesis and Hydrolysis among Different Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis L.) Tissues and Cultivars

PubMed Central

Liu, Zhi-Wei; Wu, Zhi-Jun; Li, Hui; Wang, Yong-Xin; Zhuang, Jing

2017-01-01

L-Theanine content has tissues and cultivars specificity in tea plant (Camellia sinensis L.), the correlations of theanine metabolic related genes expression profiles with theanine contents were explored in this study. L-theanine contents in the bud and 1st leaf, 2nd leaf, 3rd leaf, old leaf, stem, and lateral root were determined by HPLC from three C. sinensis cultivars, namely ‘Huangjinya’, ‘Anjibaicha’, and ‘Yingshuang’, respectively. The theanine contents in leaves and root of ‘Huangjinya’ were the highest, followed by ‘Anjibaicha’, and ‘Yingshuang’. The theanine contents in the leaves reduced as the leaf mature gradually, and in stem were the least. Seventeen genes encoding enzymes involved in theanine metabolism were identified from GenBank and our tea transcriptome database, including CsTS1, CsTS2, CsGS1, CsGS2, CsGOGAT-Fe, CsGOGAT-NAD(P)H, CsGDH1, CsGDH2, CsALT, CsSAMDC, CsADC, CsCuAO, CsPAO, CsNiR, CsNR, CsGGT1, and CsGGT3. The transcript profiles of those seventeen genes in the different tissues of three tea plant cultivars were analyzed comparatively. Among the different cultivars, the transcript levels of most selected genes in ‘Huangjinya’ were significantly higher than that in the ‘Anjibaicha’ and ‘Yingshuang’. Among the different tissues, the transcript levels of CsTS2, CsGS1, and CsGDH2 almost showed positive correlation with the theanine contents, while the other genes showed negative correlation with the theanine contents in most cases. The theanine contents showed correlations with related genes expression levels among cultivars and tissues of tea plant, and were determined by the integrated effect of the metabolic related genes. PMID:28439281

Social Factors for Code-Switching in Tunisian Business Companies: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baoueb, Lamia Bach

2009-01-01

Although the literature on CS between Arabic and French in different bilingual speech communities is wide, few studies have dealt with the Tunisian context and no previous work has ever been done on the Tunisian business sector as a specific group using more than one pair of languages to communicate. This case study investigates the variety of…

The Effects of Explicit and Implicit Pragmatic Instruction on the Development of Compliments and Compliment Responses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ebadi, Saman; Pourzandi, Mahsa

2015-01-01

This study explored the effects of explicit and implicit instructions in the development of EFL learners' speech acts of complimenting (Cs) and complimenting response (CRs). The participants in this research were 56 intermediate EFL learners from a language center, participating as members of intact classes that were divided into three groups of…

Interlanguage Pragmatics Study of Compliments among Thai EFL Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Worathumrong, Sakulrat; Luksaneeyanawin, Sudaporn

2016-01-01

This study compares how the native speakers of Thai (TTs) and American (AEs) as well as the Thai learners of English as a foreign language with high exposure to English (TEHs) and those with the low exposure (TELs) perform the speech acts of compliments (Cs) by taking the context of age into their consideration. The data were collected by means of…

Detection of s-wave superconductivity on monolayer CuO2 films on Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yang; Zhong, Yong; Han, Sha; Lv, Yanfeng; Wang, Wenlin; Zhang, Ding; Ding, Hao; Zhang, Yimin; Wang, Lili; He, Ke; Song, Canli; Ma, Xucun; Xue, Qikun

High temperature superconductivity emerges when the CuO2 layer touches the doped charge reservoir blocks. The redistributed charge carriers at these interfaces condense into coherent Cooper pairs, albeit the exact underlying mechanism is still highly controversial. Targeting at this, we have mimicked the CuO2/charge reservoir interface by depositing the monolayer CuO2 films on optimal doped Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ substrates. Direct investigation on these superconducting CuO2 films, however, yields results in stark contrast with the common recognition. Despite of the well-known V shaped pseudogap, a U shaped gap is identified. This U shaped gap disappears at TC and is indifference to K, Cs and Ag adsorbates, in line with the traditional s-wave superconductivity. In view of these results, we propose that superconductivity in cuprates may indeed stem from the modulation doping induced two dimensional hole liquid, which is confined in the CuO2 layers. NSF and MOST of China.

Comparison of the two cerebral hemispheres in inhibitory processes operative during movement preparation

PubMed Central

Klein, Pierre-Alexandre; Duque, Julie; Labruna, Ludovica; Ivry, Richard B.

2015-01-01

Neuroimaging and neuropsychological studies suggest that in right-handed individuals, the left hemisphere plays a dominant role in praxis, relative to the right hemisphere. However hemispheric asymmetries assessed with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has not shown consistent differences in corticospinal (CS) excitability of the two hemispheres during movements. In the current study, we systematically explored hemispheric asymmetries in inhibitory processes that are manifest during movement preparation and initiation. Single-pulse TMS was applied over the left or right primary motor cortex (M1LEFT and M1RIGHT, respectively) to elicit motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) in the contralateral hand while participants performed a two-choice reaction time task requiring a cued movement of the left or right index finger. In Experiments 1 and 2, TMS probes were obtained during a delay period following the presentation of the preparatory cue that provided partial or full information about the required response. MEPs were suppressed relative to baseline regardless of whether they were elicited in a cued or uncued hand. Importantly, the magnitude of these inhibitory changes in CS excitability was similar when TMS was applied over M1LEFT or M1RIGHT, irrespective of the amount of information carried by the preparatory cue. In Experiment 3, there was no preparatory cue and TMS was applied at various time points after the imperative signal. When CS excitability was probed in the cued effector, MEPs were initially inhibited and then rose across the reaction time interval. This function was similar for M1LEFT and M1RIGHT TMS. When CS excitability was probed in the uncued effector, MEPs remained inhibited throughout the RT interval. However, MEPs in right FDI became more inhibited during selection and initiation of a left hand movement, whereas MEPs in left FDI remained relatively invariant across RT interval for the right hand. In addition to these task-specific effects, there was a global difference in CS excitability across experiments between the two hemispheres. When the intensity of stimulation was set to 115% of the resting threshold, MEPs were larger when the TMS probe was applied over the M1LEFT than over M1RIGHT. In summary, while the latter result suggests that M1LEFT is more excitable than M1RIGHT, the recruitment of preparatory inhibitory mechanisms is similar within the two cerebral hemispheres. PMID:26458519

Neural evidence for predictive coding in auditory cortex during speech production.

PubMed

Okada, Kayoko; Matchin, William; Hickok, Gregory

2018-02-01

Recent models of speech production suggest that motor commands generate forward predictions of the auditory consequences of those commands, that these forward predications can be used to monitor and correct speech output, and that this system is hierarchically organized (Hickok, Houde, & Rong, Neuron, 69(3), 407--422, 2011; Pickering & Garrod, Behavior and Brain Sciences, 36(4), 329--347, 2013). Recent psycholinguistic research has shown that internally generated speech (i.e., imagined speech) produces different types of errors than does overt speech (Oppenheim & Dell, Cognition, 106(1), 528--537, 2008; Oppenheim & Dell, Memory & Cognition, 38(8), 1147-1160, 2010). These studies suggest that articulated speech might involve predictive coding at additional levels than imagined speech. The current fMRI experiment investigates neural evidence of predictive coding in speech production. Twenty-four participants from UC Irvine were recruited for the study. Participants were scanned while they were visually presented with a sequence of words that they reproduced in sync with a visual metronome. On each trial, they were cued to either silently articulate the sequence or to imagine the sequence without overt articulation. As expected, silent articulation and imagined speech both engaged a left hemisphere network previously implicated in speech production. A contrast of silent articulation with imagined speech revealed greater activation for articulated speech in inferior frontal cortex, premotor cortex and the insula in the left hemisphere, consistent with greater articulatory load. Although both conditions were silent, this contrast also produced significantly greater activation in auditory cortex in dorsal superior temporal gyrus in both hemispheres. We suggest that these activations reflect forward predictions arising from additional levels of the perceptual/motor hierarchy that are involved in monitoring the intended speech output.

Preparation and testing of a tetra-amine copper(II) chitosan bead system for enhanced phosphate remediation.

PubMed

Kumar, Ilango Aswin; Viswanathan, Natrayasamy

2018-03-01

A tetra-amine copper(II) chitosan bead system (TAC@CS composite beads) was developed by grafting tetra-amine copper(II) (TAC) with chitosan (CS) and utilized for phosphate removal. The prepared TAC@CS composite beads possess enhanced phosphate sorption capacity (SC) of 41.42 ± 0.071 mg/g than copper grafted chitosan (Cu@CS) composite, TAC and chitosan which were found to be 37.01 ± 0.803, 33.20 ± 0.650 and 7.24 ± 0.059 mg/g respectively. In batch mode, various adsorption influencing parameters like contact time, initial phosphate concentration, solution pH, co-anions and temperature were optimized for maximum phosphate sorption. The prepared adsorbents were characterized by FTIR, XRD, UV-Visible, SEM and EDAX analysis. The adsorption isotherms and thermodynamic parameters of the adsorbent were studied. The feasible phosphate uptake mechanism of TAC@CS biocomposite beads was reported. The reusability studies of TAC@CS composite beads were carried out using NaOH as elutant. The suitability of TAC@CS composite beads at field conditions was tested with phosphate contaminated field water samples collected from nearby areas of Dindigul district. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multivariate characterization of elements accumulated in King Bolete Boletus edulis mushroom at lowland and high mountain regions.

PubMed

Falandysz, J; Kunito, T; Kubota, R; Bielawski, L; Frankowska, A; Falandysz, Justyna J; Tanabe, S

2008-12-01

Based on ICP-MS, ICP-OES, HG-AAS, CV-AAS and elementary instrumental analysis of King Bolete collected from four sites of different soil bedrock geochemistry considered could be as mushroom abundant in certain elements. King's Bolete fruiting bodies are very rich in K (> 20 mg/g dry weight), rich in Ca, Mg, Na, Rb and Zn (> 100 microg/g dw), and relatively also rich in Ag, Cd, Cs, Cu, Fe, Mn and Se (> 10 microg/g dw). The caps of King Bolete when compared to stipes around two-to three-fold more abundant are in Ag, Cd, Cs, Cu, Hg, K, Mg, Mo, N, Rb, Se and Zn. King Bolete collected at the lowland and mountain sites showed Ag, Ba, Co, Cr, Hg, K, Mg, Mn, Mo and Na in caps in comparable concentrations, and specimens from the mountain areas accumulated more Cd and Sb. Elements such as Al, Pb and Rb occurred at relatively elevated concentration in King Bolete picked up at the metal ores-rich region of the Sudety Mountains. Because of high bioconcentration potential King Bolete at the background sites accumulate in fruiting bodies great concentrations of problematic elements such as Cd, Pb and Hg, i.e. up to nearly 20, 3 and 5 microg/g dw, on the average, respectively. The interdependence among determined mineral elements examined were using the principal components analysis (PCA) method. The PCA explained 56% of the total variance. The metals tend to cluster together (Ba, Cd, Cs, Cr, Ga, Rb, Se, Sr and V; K and Mg; Cu and Mo). The results provided useful environmental and nutritional background level information on 26 minerals as the composition of King Bolete from the sites of different bedrock soil geochemistry.

Zero-field random-field effect in diluted triangular lattice antiferromagnet CuFe1-xAlxO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakajima, T.; Mitsuda, S.; Kitagawa, K.; Terada, N.; Komiya, T.; Noda, Y.

2007-04-01

We performed neutron scattering experiments on a diluted triangular lattice antiferromagnet (TLA), CuFe1-xAlxO2 with x = 0.10. The detailed analysis of the scattering profiles revealed that the scattering function of magnetic reflection is described as the sum of a Lorentzian term and a Lorentzian-squared term with anisotropic width. The Lorentzian-squared term dominating at low temperature is indicative of the domain state in the prototypical random-field Ising model. Taking account of the sinusoidally amplitude-modulated magnetic structure with incommensurate wavenumber in CuFe1-xAlxO2 with x = 0.10, we conclude that the effective random field arises even at zero field, owing to the combination of site-random magnetic vacancies and the sinusoidal structure that is regarded as a partially disordered (PD) structure in a wide sense, as reported in the typical three-sublattice PD phase of a diluted Ising TLA, CsCo0.83Mg0.17Br3 (van Duijn et al 2004 Phys. Rev. Lett. 92 077202). While the previous study revealed the existence of a domain state in CsCo0.83Mg0.17Br3 by detecting magnetic reflections specific to the spin configuration near the domain walls, our present study revealed the existence of a domain state in CuFe1-xAlxO2 (x = 0.10) by determination of the functional form of the scattering function.

Colloidal Nanocrystals with Near-infrared Optical Properties: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panthani, Matthew George

2011-07-01

Colloidal nanocrystals with optical properties in the near-infrared (NIR) are of interest for many applications such as photovoltaic (PV) energy conversion, bioimaging, and therapeutics. For PVs and other electronic devices, challenges in using colloidal nanomaterials often deal with the surfaces. Because of the high surface-to-volume ratio of small nanocrystals, surfaces and interfaces play an enhanced role in the properties of nanocrystal films and devices. Organic ligand-capped CuInSe2 (CIS) and Cu(InXGa 1-X)Se2 (CIGS) nanocrystals were synthesized and used as the absorber layer in prototype solar cells. By fabricating devices from spray-coated CuInSe nanocrystals under ambient conditions, solar-to-electric power conversion efficiencies as high as 3.1% were achieved. Many treatments of the nanocrystal films were explored. Although some treatments increased the conductivity of the nanocrystal films, the best devices were from untreated CIS films. By modifying the reaction chemistry, quantum-confined CuInSe XS2-X (CISS) nanocrystals were produced. The potential of the CISS nanocrystals for targeted bioimaging was demonstrated via oral delivery to mice and imaging of nanocrystal fluorescence. The size-dependent photoluminescence of Si nanocrystals was measured. Si nanocrystals supported on graphene were characterized by conventional transmission electron microscopy and spherical aberration (Cs)-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Enhanced imaging contrast and resolution was achieved by using Cs-corrected STEM with a graphene support. In addition, clear imaging of defects and the organic-inorganic interface was enabled by utilizing this technique.

New type of borophosphate anionic radical in the crystal structure of CsAl2BP6O20

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shvanskaya, L. V.; Yakubovich, O. V.; Belik, V. I.

2016-09-01

The crystal structure of a new borophosphate CsAl2BP6O20 obtained by spontaneous crystallization in a multicomponent Cs-Cu-B-P-O system is determined by X-ray diffraction ( a = 11.815(2), b = 10.042(2), and c = 26.630(4) Å; space group Pbca, Z = 8, V = 3159.5(10) Å3; R 1 = 0.043). A new type of borophosphate anionic 2D radical characterized by the lowest B: P = 1: 6 ratio and containing P3O10 phosphate groups is found in the compound. A mixed-type anionic framework consisting of vertex-sharing BO4 and PO4 tetrahedra and AlO6 octahedra is distinguished in the structure. Large cesium atoms are located in the channels of the framework. Topological relationships are revealed between the structures of the CsAl3(P3O10)2 and CsAl2BP6O20 phases having different cationic compositions. These compounds can be considered quasi-polytypic phases.

Expression and Enzyme Activity of Catalase in Chilo suppressalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) Is Responsive to Environmental Stresses.

PubMed

Lu, Yanhui; Bai, Qi; Zheng, Xusong; Lu, Zhongxian

2017-08-01

Catalase (CAT) is an important antioxidant enzyme that protects organisms against oxidative stresses by eliminating hydrogen peroxide. In this study, we cloned and characterized a full-length cDNA of CAT from Chilo suppressalis (CsCAT) and examined the influence of environmental stresses on CsCAT expression and enzyme activity. The cDNA contains a 1659-bp open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 553 amino acids most closely related (90.14%) to Papilio polytes catalases. The CsCAT was expressed in all developmental stages with the highest expression in the fat body, and the CsCAT enzyme activity closely mirrored its observed mRNA expression patterns. The CsCAT mRNA was up-regulated when the larvae were exposed to high temperature (≥30 °C), insecticides (abamectin and chlorantraniliprole), chemicals (H2O2, CHP, CdCl2, and CuSO4), and a dead-end trap plant (vetiver grass), and the CsCAT enzyme activity again mirrored the observed CsCAT expression patterns. These results suggest that up-regulation of CsCAT may enhance the defense response of C. suppressalis by weakening the effects of environmental stresses, and provide insight into the role of CsCAT during development of C. suppressalis. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Status report on speech research. A report on the status and progress of studies on the nature of speech, instrumentation for its investigation, and practical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liberman, A. M.

1985-10-01

This interim status report on speech research discusses the following topics: On Vagueness and Fictions as Cornerstones of a Theory of Perceiving and Acting: A Comment on Walter (1983); The Informational Support for Upright Stance; Determining the Extent of Coarticulation-effects of Experimental Design; The Roles of Phoneme Frequency, Similarity, and Availability in the Experimental Elicitation of Speech Errors; On Learning to Speak; The Motor Theory of Speech Perception Revised; Linguistic and Acoustic Correlates of the Perceptual Structure Found in an Individual Differences Scaling Study of Vowels; Perceptual Coherence of Speech: Stability of Silence-cued Stop Consonants; Development of the Speech Perceptuomotor System; Dependence of Reading on Orthography-Investigations in Serbo-Croatian; The Relationship between Knowledge of Derivational Morphology and Spelling Ability in Fourth, Sixth, and Eighth Graders; Relations among Regular and Irregular, Morphologically-Related Words in the Lexicon as Revealed by Repetition Priming; Grammatical Priming of Inflected Nouns by the Gender of Possessive Adjectives; Grammatical Priming of Inflected Nouns by Inflected Adjectives; Deaf Signers and Serial Recall in the Visual Modality-Memory for Signs, Fingerspelling, and Print; Did Orthographies Evolve?; The Development of Children's Sensitivity to Factors Inf luencing Vowel Reading.

Assessment of Heavy Metals Contamination in Reclaimed Mine Soil and their Accumulation and Distribution in Eucalyptus Hybrid.

PubMed

Maiti, Subodh Kumar; Rana, Vivek

2017-01-01

The metal contamination in reclaimed mine soil (RMS) of Jharia coal field, Dhanbad (India) using various contamination indices and their accumulation in tissues of Eucalyptus hybrid were assessed. In RMS, metal concentrations were found higher (202%-533%) than control soil (CS) with major contribution of Co and Mn followed by Zn, Cu and Pb. Principal component analysis (PCA) of metals present in RMS was carried out to assess their origin in RMS. The contamination factor (CF) values in RMS indicated moderate to very high level of pollution (ranged between 2.02 and 5.33). Higher accumulation of Pb in barks (three times), Zn in leaves (4.5 times), Mn in leaves (19 times), and Cu in roots (1.4 times) was found in trees growing on RMS than CS. The study concluded that different tree tissues accumulate varied concentration of heavy metals in RMS and thus for biomonitoring of metals, specific tissues has to be selected.

Dynamics of the Spin Liquid Phase of Cs2CuCl4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Ookie; Vachon, Marc-Andre; Mitrovi{Ć}, Vesna F.; Marston, Brad

2008-03-01

The dynamics of a spin-liquid phase of an antiferromagnet on the anisotropic triangular lattice and in a magnetic field are studied with a combination of Gutzwiller-projected wavefunctions and mean-field theory. Candidate ground states that support fermionic gapless spinon excitations include four different U(1) spin liquidsootnotetextY. Zhou, X. G. Wen, cond-mat/0210662 (2003).. The lattice and the states interpolate between limiting cases of 1D decoupled chains (J/J^' = 0) and the isotropic 2D square lattice (J/J^'= ∞). Parameters of the mean field theory are chosen to minimize the ground state energy of the corresponding Gutzwiller-projected wavefunction. The spin-lattice relaxation rate 1/T1, calculated within the mean-field approximation, is compared to NMR measurementsootnotetextM. A. Vachon, O. Ma, J. B. Marston, V. F. Mitrovi'c, unpublished (2007). in the spin liquid phase of Cs2CuCl4ootnotetextY. Tokiwa, T. Radu, R. Coldea, H. Wilhelm, Z. Tylczynski, F. Steglich, PRB 73, 134414 (2006)..

Simultaneous Evaporation of Cu and Sn from Liquid Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Sung-Hoon; Kang, Youn-Bae

2016-08-01

In order to understand evaporation refining of tramp elements in molten ferrous scrap, Cu and Sn, a series of experiments were carried out using liquid-gas reaction in a levitation melting equipment. Effect of S and C, which are abundant in hot metal from ironmaking process, was examined and analyzed by employing a comprehensive evaporation kinetic model developed by the present authors (Jung et al. in Metall Mater Trans B 46B:250-258, 2014; Jung et al. in Metall Mater Trans B 46B:259-266, 2014; Jung et al. in Metall Mater Trans B 46B:267-277, 2014; Jung and Kang in Metall Mater Trans B 10.1007/s11663-016-0601-5, 2016). Evaporation of Cu and Sn were treated by evaporation of individual species such as Cu(g), CuS(g), Sn(g), and SnS(g), along with CS2(g). Decrease of Cu and Sn content in liquid steel was in good agreement with the model prediction. Optimum conditions of steel composition for the rapid evaporation of Cu and Sn were proposed by utilizing the model predictions.

Regenerable CO2 collection for spacecraft application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lance, N., Jr.; Schubert, F. H.

1981-01-01

The design of the CS-3, a three-person capacity preprototype CO2 collection subsystem, is described. It is noted that the function of the CS-3 is to remove metabolically produced CO2 from the Spacelab cabin to maintain atmospheric pCO2 at 400 Pa or less. Results are presented of an extensive parametric/endurance test program characterizing the subsystem's performance. The results demonstrate the suitability of the electrochemical depolarized CO2 concentration concept for possible use in the Space Operations Center. The CS-3 is found to meet or exceed all Regenerative Life Support Evaluation requirements. Specifically, the 0.13 cu m, 46 kg subsystem is able to remove CO2 at an equivalent rate of 3.4 persons from an air stream having a pCO2 of 400 Pa.

34 CFR 396.1 - What is the Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf and Individuals Who Are Deaf...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... communication needs of individuals who are deaf and individuals who are deaf-blind by— (a) Training manual, tactile, oral, and cued speech interpreters; (b) Ensuring the maintenance of the skills of interpreters...

34 CFR 396.1 - What is the Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf and Individuals Who Are Deaf...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... meet the communication needs of individuals who are deaf and individuals who are deaf-blind by— (a) Training manual, tactile, oral, and cued speech interpreters; (b) Ensuring the maintenance of the skills of...

34 CFR 396.1 - What is the Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf and Individuals Who Are Deaf...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... meet the communication needs of individuals who are deaf and individuals who are deaf-blind by— (a) Training manual, tactile, oral, and cued speech interpreters; (b) Ensuring the maintenance of the skills of...

34 CFR 396.1 - What is the Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf and Individuals Who Are Deaf...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... communication needs of individuals who are deaf and individuals who are deaf-blind by— (a) Training manual, tactile, oral, and cued speech interpreters; (b) Ensuring the maintenance of the skills of interpreters...

Toward The Goal Of Video Deaf Communication Over Public Telephone Lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Healy, Donald J.; Clements, Mark A.

1986-11-01

At least 500,000 profoundly deaf persons in the United States communicate primarily by American Sign Language (ASL), a language quite distinct from English and not well suited to writing. Currently, telephone communication for an ASL user is basically limited to use of a teletype machine, which requires both typing skills and proficiency in English. This paper reviews recent research relevant to the development of techniques which would allow manual communication across existing telephone channels using video imagery. Two possibilities for such manual communication are ASL and cued speech. The latter technique uses hand signals to aid lip reading. In either case, conventional television video transmission would require a bandwidth many times that available on a telephone channel. The achievement of visual communication using sign language or cued speech at data rates below 10 kbps, low enough to be transmitted over a public telephone line, will require the development of new data reducing algorithms. Avenues for future research toward this goal are presented.

Visible-light-driven Photocatalytic N-arylation of Imidazole Derivatives and Arylboronic Acids on Cu/graphene catalyst

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Yan-Li; Guo, Xiao-Ning; Wang, Ying-Yong; Guo, Xiang-Yun

2015-07-01

N-aryl imidazoles play an important role as structural and functional units in many natural products and biologically active compounds. Herein, we report a photocatalytic route for the C-N cross-coupling reactions over a Cu/graphene catalyst, which can effectively catalyze N-arylation of imidazole and phenylboronic acid, and achieve a turnover frequency of 25.4 h-1 at 25 oC and the irradiation of visible light. The enhanced catalytic activity of the Cu/graphene under the light irradiation results from the localized surface plasmon resonance of copper nanoparticles. The Cu/graphene photocatalyst has a general applicability for photocatalytic C-N, C-O and C-S cross-coupling of arylboronic acids with imidazoles, phenols and thiophenols. This study provides a green photocatalytic route for the production of N-aryl imidazoles.

Formant-Frequency Variation and Informational Masking of Speech by Extraneous Formants: Evidence Against Dynamic and Speech-Specific Acoustical Constraints

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

How speech is separated perceptually from other speech remains poorly understood. Recent research indicates that the ability of an extraneous formant to impair intelligibility depends on the variation of its frequency contour. This study explored the effects of manipulating the depth and pattern of that variation. Three formants (F1+F2+F3) constituting synthetic analogues of natural sentences were distributed across the 2 ears, together with a competitor for F2 (F2C) that listeners must reject to optimize recognition (left = F1+F2C; right = F2+F3). The frequency contours of F1 − F3 were each scaled to 50% of their natural depth, with little effect on intelligibility. Competitors were created either by inverting the frequency contour of F2 about its geometric mean (a plausibly speech-like pattern) or using a regular and arbitrary frequency contour (triangle wave, not plausibly speech-like) matched to the average rate and depth of variation for the inverted F2C. Adding a competitor typically reduced intelligibility; this reduction depended on the depth of F2C variation, being greatest for 100%-depth, intermediate for 50%-depth, and least for 0%-depth (constant) F2Cs. This suggests that competitor impact depends on overall depth of frequency variation, not depth relative to that for the target formants. The absence of tuning (i.e., no minimum in intelligibility for the 50% case) suggests that the ability to reject an extraneous formant does not depend on similarity in the depth of formant-frequency variation. Furthermore, triangle-wave competitors were as effective as their more speech-like counterparts, suggesting that the selection of formants from the ensemble also does not depend on speech-specific constraints. PMID:24842068

Impact de la pollution industrielle sur la zone côtière du Jorf Lasar (océan Atlantique marocain): la moule comme indicateur de la contamination métallique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaimoussi, Aziz; Chafik, Abdelghani; Mouzdahir, Abdelkrim; Bakkas, Salem

2001-09-01

The present study characterizes the effluents of the 'Maroc Phosphore' factories III and IV (of Jorf Lasfar coastal zone). The results show that the effluent (Cs/l) is very acid, very phosphate-rich, high in suspended matter and calcium-rich. Hydrological parameters indicate an important content of phosphates, especially in the stations located in the South of Cs/l. Tissues of mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis from the Jorf Lasfar zone present high concentrations of Cd and Cu.

Nonparametric Trajectory Analysis of CMAPS Data

EPA Science Inventory

As part of the Cleveland Multiple Air Pollutant Study (CMAPS), 30-minute average concentrations of the elemental composition of PM2.5 were made at two sites during the months of August 2009 and February 2010. The elements measured were: Al, As, Ba, Be, Ca, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu...

The effects of meaningful irrelevant speech and road traffic noise on teachers' attention, episodic and semantic memory.

PubMed

Enmarker, Ingela

2004-11-01

The aim of the present experiment was to examine the effects of meaningful irrelevant speech and road traffic noise on attention, episodic and semantic memory, and also to examine whether the noise effects were age-dependent. A total of 96 male and female teachers in the age range of 35-45 and 55-65 years were randomly assigned to a silent or the two noise conditions. Noise effects found in episodic memory were limited to a meaningful text, where cued recall contrary to expectations was equally impaired by the two types of noise. However, meaningful irrelevant speech also deteriorated recognition of the text, whereas road traffic noise caused no decrement. Retrieval from two word fluency tests in semantic memory showed strong effects of noise exposure, one affected by meaningful irrelevant speech and the other by road traffic noise. The results implied that both acoustic variation and the semantic interference could be of importance for noise impairments. The expected age-dependent noise effects did not show up.

Double Dissociation of Amygdala and Hippocampal Contributions to Trace and Delay Fear Conditioning

PubMed Central

Raybuck, Jonathan D.; Lattal, K. Matthew

2011-01-01

A key finding in studies of the neurobiology of learning memory is that the amygdala is critically involved in Pavlovian fear conditioning. This is well established in delay-cued and contextual fear conditioning; however, surprisingly little is known of the role of the amygdala in trace conditioning. Trace fear conditioning, in which the CS and US are separated in time by a trace interval, requires the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. It is possible that recruitment of cortical structures by trace conditioning alters the role of the amygdala compared to delay fear conditioning, where the CS and US overlap. To investigate this, we inactivated the amygdala of male C57BL/6 mice with GABA A agonist muscimol prior to 2-pairing trace or delay fear conditioning. Amygdala inactivation produced deficits in contextual and delay conditioning, but had no effect on trace conditioning. As controls, we demonstrate that dorsal hippocampal inactivation produced deficits in trace and contextual, but not delay fear conditioning. Further, pre- and post-training amygdala inactivation disrupted the contextual but the not cued component of trace conditioning, as did muscimol infusion prior to 1- or 4-pairing trace conditioning. These findings demonstrate that insertion of a temporal gap between the CS and US can generate amygdala-independent fear conditioning. We discuss the implications of this surprising finding for current models of the neural circuitry involved in fear conditioning. PMID:21283812

Phonon and thermodynamical properties of CuSc: A DFT study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, Ekta; Pagare, Gitanjali; Dubey, Shubha; Sanyal, S. P.

2018-05-01

A detailed systematic theoretical investigation of phonon and thermodynamical behavior of CuSc intermetallic compound has been carried out by uing first-principles density functional theory in B2-type (CsCl) crystal structure. Phonon dispersion curve and phonon density of states (PhDOS) are studied which confirm the stability of CuSc intermetallic compound in B2 phase. It is found that PhDOS at high frequencies mostly composed of Sc states. We have also presented some temperature dependent properties such as entropy, free energy, heat capacity, internal energy and thermal displacement, which are computed under PHONON code. The various features of these quantities are discussed in detail. From these results we demonstrate that the particular intermetallic have better ductility and larger thermal expansion.

Cu-In Halide Perovskite Solar Absorbers.

PubMed

Zhao, Xin-Gang; Yang, Dongwen; Sun, Yuanhui; Li, Tianshu; Zhang, Lijun; Yu, Liping; Zunger, Alex

2017-05-17

The long-term chemical instability and the presence of toxic Pb in otherwise stellar solar absorber APbX 3 made of organic molecules on the A site and halogens for X have hindered their large-scale commercialization. Previously explored ways to achieve Pb-free halide perovskites involved replacing Pb 2+ with other similar M 2+ cations in ns 2 electron configuration, e.g., Sn 2+ or by Bi 3+ (plus Ag + ), but unfortunately this showed either poor stability (M = Sn) or weakly absorbing oversized indirect gaps (M = Bi), prompting concerns that perhaps stability and good optoelectronic properties might be contraindicated. Herein, we exploit the electronic structure underpinning of classic Cu[In,Ga]Se 2 (CIGS) chalcopyrite solar absorbers to design Pb-free halide perovskites by transmuting 2Pb to the pair [B IB + C III ] such as [Cu + Ga] or [Ag + In] and combinations thereof. The resulting group of double perovskites with formula A 2 BCX 6 (A = K, Rb, Cs; B = Cu, Ag; C = Ga, In; X = Cl, Br, I) benefits from the ionic, yet narrow-gap character of halide perovskites, and at the same time borrows the advantage of the strong Cu(d)/Se(p) → Ga/In(s/p) valence-to-conduction-band absorption spectra known from CIGS. This constitutes a new group of CuIn-based Halide Perovskite (CIHP). Our first-principles calculations guided by such design principles indicate that the CIHPs class has members with clear thermodynamic stability, showing direct band gaps, and manifesting a wide-range of tunable gap values (from zero to about 2.5 eV) and combination of light electron and heavy-light hole effective masses. Materials screening of candidate CIHPs then identifies the best-of-class Rb 2 [CuIn]Cl 6 , Rb 2 [AgIn]Br 6 , and Cs 2 [AgIn]Br 6 , having direct band gaps of 1.36, 1.46, and 1.50 eV, and theoretical spectroscopic limited maximal efficiency comparable to chalcopyrites and CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 . Our finding offers a new routine for designing new-type Pb-free halide perovskite solar absorbers.

Margaritasite: a new mineral of hydrothermal origin from the Pena Blanca uranium district, Mexico.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wenrich, K.J.; Modreski, P.J.; Zielinski, R.A.; Seeley, J.L.

1982-01-01

Margaritasite, (Cs,K,H3O)2(UO2)2V2O8.nH2O (where Cs > K, H3O and n approx 1), a 10.514, b 8.425, c 7.25 A, beta 106.01o, P21/a, Z = 2, is a newly recognized uranium ore mineral named for the Margaritas deposit, Pena Blanca uranium district, Chihuahua, Mexico, at which it was discovered. A Cs-rich analogue of carnotite, margaritasite is the natural equivalent of synthetic Cs-uranyl vanadate (A.M. 43- 799, 50-825). A fine-grained yellow mineral, it is most easily distinguished from carnotite by XRD; X-ray powder patterns (CuKalpha radiation) show that the (001) reflection of margaritasite lies at 12.7o (2theta ), while that of carnotite is found at 13.8o (2theta ). The shift of the (001) reflection in margaritasite reflects the structural changes caused when Cs occupies the sites filled by K in carnotite. Synthesis experiments indicate that margaritasite also differs from carnotite in a higher-T hydrothermal origin. Chemical analyses and XRD data for margaritasite and synthetic Cs- carnotite, and chemical analyses for rocks from Sierra Pena Blanca and vicinity, are tabulated.-J.A.Z.

Fucosylated chondroitin sulfates from the body wall of the sea cucumber Holothuria forskali: conformation, selectin binding, and biological activity.

PubMed

Panagos, Charalampos G; Thomson, Derek S; Moss, Claire; Hughes, Adam D; Kelly, Maeve S; Liu, Yan; Chai, Wengang; Venkatasamy, Radhakrishnan; Spina, Domenico; Page, Clive P; Hogwood, John; Woods, Robert J; Mulloy, Barbara; Bavington, Charlie D; Uhrín, Dušan

2014-10-10

Fucosylated chondroitin sulfate (fCS) extracted from the sea cucumber Holothuria forskali is composed of the following repeating trisaccharide unit: → 3)GalNAcβ4,6S(1 → 4) [FucαX(1 → 3)]GlcAβ(1 →, where X stands for different sulfation patterns of fucose (X = 3,4S (46%), 2,4S (39%), and 4S (15%)). As revealed by NMR and molecular dynamics simulations, the fCS repeating unit adopts a conformation similar to that of the Le(x) blood group determinant, bringing several sulfate groups into close proximity and creating large negative patches distributed along the helical skeleton of the CS backbone. This may explain the high affinity of fCS oligosaccharides for L- and P-selectins as determined by microarray binding of fCS oligosaccharides prepared by Cu(2+)-catalyzed Fenton-type and photochemical depolymerization. No binding to E-selectin was observed. fCS poly- and oligosaccharides display low cytotoxicity in vitro, inhibit human neutrophil elastase activity, and inhibit the migration of neutrophils through an endothelial cell layer in vitro. Although the polysaccharide showed some anti-coagulant activity, small oligosaccharide fCS fragments had much reduced anticoagulant properties, with activity mainly via heparin cofactor II. The fCS polysaccharides showed prekallikrein activation comparable with dextran sulfate, whereas the fCS oligosaccharides caused almost no effect. The H. forskali fCS oligosaccharides were also tested in a mouse peritoneal inflammation model, where they caused a reduction in neutrophil infiltration. Overall, the data presented support the action of fCS as an inhibitor of selectin interactions, which play vital roles in inflammation and metastasis progression. Future studies of fCS-selectin interaction using fCS fragments or their mimetics may open new avenues for therapeutic intervention. © 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Visible-light-driven Photocatalytic N-arylation of Imidazole Derivatives and Arylboronic Acids on Cu/graphene catalyst

PubMed Central

Cui, Yan-Li; Guo, Xiao-Ning; Wang, Ying-Yong; Guo, Xiang-Yun

2015-01-01

N-aryl imidazoles play an important role as structural and functional units in many natural products and biologically active compounds. Herein, we report a photocatalytic route for the C-N cross-coupling reactions over a Cu/graphene catalyst, which can effectively catalyze N-arylation of imidazole and phenylboronic acid, and achieve a turnover frequency of 25.4 h−1 at 25 oC and the irradiation of visible light. The enhanced catalytic activity of the Cu/graphene under the light irradiation results from the localized surface plasmon resonance of copper nanoparticles. The Cu/graphene photocatalyst has a general applicability for photocatalytic C-N, C-O and C-S cross-coupling of arylboronic acids with imidazoles, phenols and thiophenols. This study provides a green photocatalytic route for the production of N-aryl imidazoles. PMID:26189944

Liquidus Temperatures and Solidification Behavior in the Copper-Niobium System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, D.; Robinson, M. B.; Rathz, T. J.; Williams, G.

1998-01-01

The copper-niobium phase diagram has been under active debate; thus, a corroboratory experimental study is needed. In this investigation, the melts of Cu-Nb alloys at compositions ranging from 5 lo 86 wt% Nb were processed in different environments and solidified at relatively low rates of 50-75 C/s to determine liquidus temperatures and to study solidification behavior. For all samples processed under very clean conditions, only Nb dendrites in a Cu matrix were observed; while in the presents of oxygen impurities, the alloys containing 5-35 wt% Nb exhibited microstructure of Nb-rich spheroids and Nb dendrites in the Cu matrix. The results obtained from clean conditions are in fair agreement with the Cu-Nb phase diagram having an S-shaped, near-horizontal appearances of the liquidus. The formation of Nb-rich droplets at slow cooling rates is discussed in terms of a stable liquid miscibility gap induced by oxygen.

Hearing and seeing meaning in noise: Alpha, beta, and gamma oscillations predict gestural enhancement of degraded speech comprehension.

PubMed

Drijvers, Linda; Özyürek, Asli; Jensen, Ole

2018-05-01

During face-to-face communication, listeners integrate speech with gestures. The semantic information conveyed by iconic gestures (e.g., a drinking gesture) can aid speech comprehension in adverse listening conditions. In this magnetoencephalography (MEG) study, we investigated the spatiotemporal neural oscillatory activity associated with gestural enhancement of degraded speech comprehension. Participants watched videos of an actress uttering clear or degraded speech, accompanied by a gesture or not and completed a cued-recall task after watching every video. When gestures semantically disambiguated degraded speech comprehension, an alpha and beta power suppression and a gamma power increase revealed engagement and active processing in the hand-area of the motor cortex, the extended language network (LIFG/pSTS/STG/MTG), medial temporal lobe, and occipital regions. These observed low- and high-frequency oscillatory modulations in these areas support general unification, integration and lexical access processes during online language comprehension, and simulation of and increased visual attention to manual gestures over time. All individual oscillatory power modulations associated with gestural enhancement of degraded speech comprehension predicted a listener's correct disambiguation of the degraded verb after watching the videos. Our results thus go beyond the previously proposed role of oscillatory dynamics in unimodal degraded speech comprehension and provide first evidence for the role of low- and high-frequency oscillations in predicting the integration of auditory and visual information at a semantic level. © 2018 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cortical activity during cued picture naming predicts individual differences in stuttering frequency

PubMed Central

Mock, Jeffrey R.; Foundas, Anne L.; Golob, Edward J.

2016-01-01

Objective Developmental stuttering is characterized by fluent speech punctuated by stuttering events, the frequency of which varies among individuals and contexts. Most stuttering events occur at the beginning of an utterance, suggesting neural dynamics associated with stuttering may be evident during speech preparation. Methods This study used EEG to measure cortical activity during speech preparation in men who stutter, and compared the EEG measures to individual differences in stuttering rate as well as to a fluent control group. Each trial contained a cue followed by an acoustic probe at one of two onset times (early or late), and then a picture. There were two conditions: a speech condition where cues induced speech preparation of the picture’s name and a control condition that minimized speech preparation. Results Across conditions stuttering frequency correlated to cue-related EEG beta power and auditory ERP slow waves from early onset acoustic probes. Conclusions The findings reveal two new cortical markers of stuttering frequency that were present in both conditions, manifest at different times, are elicited by different stimuli (visual cue, auditory probe), and have different EEG responses (beta power, ERP slow wave). Significance The cue-target paradigm evoked brain responses that correlated to pre-experimental stuttering rate. PMID:27472545

Cortical activity during cued picture naming predicts individual differences in stuttering frequency.

PubMed

Mock, Jeffrey R; Foundas, Anne L; Golob, Edward J

2016-09-01

Developmental stuttering is characterized by fluent speech punctuated by stuttering events, the frequency of which varies among individuals and contexts. Most stuttering events occur at the beginning of an utterance, suggesting neural dynamics associated with stuttering may be evident during speech preparation. This study used EEG to measure cortical activity during speech preparation in men who stutter, and compared the EEG measures to individual differences in stuttering rate as well as to a fluent control group. Each trial contained a cue followed by an acoustic probe at one of two onset times (early or late), and then a picture. There were two conditions: a speech condition where cues induced speech preparation of the picture's name and a control condition that minimized speech preparation. Across conditions stuttering frequency correlated to cue-related EEG beta power and auditory ERP slow waves from early onset acoustic probes. The findings reveal two new cortical markers of stuttering frequency that were present in both conditions, manifest at different times, are elicited by different stimuli (visual cue, auditory probe), and have different EEG responses (beta power, ERP slow wave). The cue-target paradigm evoked brain responses that correlated to pre-experimental stuttering rate. Copyright © 2016 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cerebral specialization for speech perception and movement organization in adults with Down's syndrome.

PubMed

Elliott, D; Weeks, D J

1993-03-01

Adults with Down's syndrome and a group of undifferentiated mentally handicapped persons were examined using a free recall dichotic listening procedure to determine a laterality index for the perception of speech sounds. Subjects also performed both the visual and verbal portions of a standard apraxia battery. As in previous research, subjects with Down's syndrome tended to display a left ear advantage on the dichotic listening test. As well, they performed better on the apraxia battery when movements were cued visually rather than verbally. This verbal-motor disadvantage increased as the left ear dichotic listening advantage became more pronounced. It is argued that the verbal-motor difficulties experienced by persons with Down's syndrome stem from a dissociation of the functional systems responsible for speech perception and movement organization (Elliott and Weeks, 1990).

Prosody production networks are modulated by sensory cues and social context.

PubMed

Klasen, Martin; von Marschall, Clara; Isman, Güldehen; Zvyagintsev, Mikhail; Gur, Ruben C; Mathiak, Klaus

2018-03-05

The neurobiology of emotional prosody production is not well investigated. In particular, the effects of cues and social context are not known. The present study sought to differentiate cued from free emotion generation and the effect of social feedback from a human listener. Online speech filtering enabled fMRI during prosodic communication in 30 participants. Emotional vocalizations were a) free, b) auditorily cued, c) visually cued, or d) with interactive feedback. In addition to distributed language networks, cued emotions increased activity in auditory and - in case of visual stimuli - visual cortex. Responses were larger in pSTG at the right hemisphere and the ventral striatum when participants were listened to and received feedback from the experimenter. Sensory, language, and reward networks contributed to prosody production and were modulated by cues and social context. The right pSTG is a central hub for communication in social interactions - in particular for interpersonal evaluation of vocal emotions.

Context conditioning and behavioral avoidance in a virtual reality environment: effect of predictability.

PubMed

Grillon, Christian; Baas, Johanna M P; Cornwell, Brian; Johnson, Linda

2006-10-01

Sustained anxiety can be modeled using context conditioning, which can be studied in a virtual reality environment. Unpredictable stressors increase context conditioning in animals. This study examined context conditioning to predictable and unpredictable shocks in humans using behavioral avoidance, potentiated startle, and subjective reports of anxiety. Subjects were guided through three virtual rooms (no-shock, predictable, unpredictable contexts). Eight-sec duration colored lights served as conditioned stimuli (CS). During acquisition, no shock was administered in the no-shock context. Shocks were paired with the CS in the predictable context and were administered randomly in the unpredictable context. No shock was administered during extinction. Startle stimuli were delivered during CS and between CS to assess cued and context conditioning, respectively. To assess avoidance, subjects freely navigated into two of the three contexts to retrieve money. Startle between CS was potentiated in the unpredictable context compared to the two other contexts. Following acquisition, subjects showed a strong preference for the no-shock context and avoidance of the unpredictable context. Consistent with animal data, context conditioning is increased by unpredictability. These data support virtual reality as a tool to extend research on physiological and behavioral signs of fear and anxiety in humans.

Effects of cement on redistribution of trace metals and dissolution of organics in sewage sludge and its inorganic waste-amended products.

PubMed

Lim, T T; Chu, J; Goi, M H

2006-01-01

The suitability of using cement-stabilized sludge products as artificial soils in earth works was evaluated. The sludge products investigated were cemented sludge, cement-treated clay-amended sludge (SS+MC), and cement-treated copper slag-amended sludge (SS+CS). The leachability of lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and chromium (Cr) were assessed using the sequential extraction technique, toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), NEN 7341 availability test, and column leaching test. The results indicated that Zn leachability was reduced in all the cement-stabilized sludge products. In contrast, Cu was transferred from the organic fraction to the readily leachable phases in the cement-stabilized sludge products and therefore exhibited increased leachability. The increased Cu leachability could be attributed to dissolution of humic substances in the sludge as a result of elevated pH. Good correlation between dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and heavy metal leaching from the cement-stabilized sludge products was observed in the column leaching experiment. Even with a cement percentage as small as 12.5%, calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) was formed in the SS+MC and SS+CS products. Inclusion of the marine clay in the SS+MC products could reduce the leaching potentials of Zn, and this was the great advantage of the marine clay over the copper slag for sludge amendment.

Implications for food safety of the uptake by tomato of 25 trace-elements from a phosphogypsum amended soil from SW Spain.

PubMed

Enamorado, Santiago; Abril, José M; Delgado, Antonio; Más, José L; Polvillo, Oliva; Quintero, José M

2014-02-15

Phosphogypsum (PG) has been usually applied as Ca-amendment to reclaim sodic soils such as those in the marshland area of Lebrija (SW Spain). This work aimed at the effects of PG amendments on the uptake of trace-elements by tomato and its implications for food safety. A completely randomized experiment was performed using a representative soil from Lebrija in a greenhouse involving six replicates and four PG treatments equivalent to 0, 20, 60, and 200 Mg ha(-1). Soil-to-plant transfer factors (TFs) were determined for Be, B, Al, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Sr, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sb, Cs, Ba, Tl, Pb, Th and U. The highest TF in shoots was observed for Cd (4.0; 1.5 in fruits), its concentration being increased with increasing PG doses due to its content in this metal (2.1 mg Cd kg(-1)PG). Phosphogypsum applying decreased the concentrations of Mn, Co and Cu in shoots; and of B, Cu, Sb, Cs, Ba, Tl and Th in fruits, however enhanced the accumulation of Se in fruits. Although Cd concentrations in tomato were below the maximum allowed levels in control pots (0 Mg PG ha(-1)), PG amendments above 60 Mg ha(-1) exceeded such limits. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A new family of nucleophiles for photoinduced, copper-catalyzed cross-couplings via single-electron transfer: reactions of thiols with aryl halides under mild conditions (O °C).

PubMed

Uyeda, Christopher; Tan, Yichen; Fu, Gregory C; Peters, Jonas C

2013-06-26

Building on the known photophysical properties of well-defined copper-carbazolide complexes, we have recently described photoinduced, copper-catalyzed N-arylations and N-alkylations of carbazoles. Until now, there have been no examples of the use of other families of heteroatom nucleophiles in such photoinduced processes. Herein, we report a versatile photoinduced, copper-catalyzed method for coupling aryl thiols with aryl halides, wherein a single set of reaction conditions, using inexpensive CuI as a precatalyst without the need for an added ligand, is effective for a wide range of coupling partners. As far as we are aware, copper-catalyzed C-S cross-couplings at 0 °C have not previously been achieved, which renders our observation of efficient reaction of an unactivated aryl iodide at -40 °C especially striking. Mechanistic investigations are consistent with these photoinduced C-S cross-couplings following a SET/radical pathway for C-X bond cleavage (via a Cu(I)-thiolate), which contrasts with nonphotoinduced, copper-catalyzed processes wherein a concerted mechanism is believed to occur.

Modeling the Concentrations and Efficiencies for the Interacting Species of Pyropheophorbide Methyl Ester-Copper Association

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Omari, S.

2013-07-01

The interaction between pyropheophorbide methyl ester (PPME) and Cu2+ was investigated using UV-vis and fluorescence spectrscopy. Study of the binding interaction between PPME and Cu2+ could contribute to understanding of its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Parameters of the static and dynamic fluorescence quenching of PPME-Cu2+ association were calculated at different temperatures. For binding site of 1:1 at 299 K, the static binding constant (kS), the static isosbestic concentration (CS{ iso}), the dynamic binding constant (kD), and the dynamic isosbestic concentration (CD{ iso }) are, respectively, 61 M-1, 0.0164 M, 75 M-1, and 0.0133 M. The concentrations and efficiencies of the intermediates species were modeled. Satisfactory correspondence between the experimental and calculated results was found.

TEMPO-oxidized cellulose hydrogel as a high-capacity and reusable heavy metal ion adsorbent.

PubMed

Isobe, Noriyuki; Chen, Xiaoxia; Kim, Ung-Jin; Kimura, Satoshi; Wada, Masahisa; Saito, Tsuguyuki; Isogai, Akira

2013-09-15

Nitroxy radical catalyzed oxidation with hypochlorite/bromide (TEMPO-mediated oxidation) was performed on a cellulose hydrogel prepared using LiOH/urea solvent. TEMPO oxidation successfully introduced carboxyl groups onto the surface of the cellulose hydrogel with retention of the gel structure and its nanoporous property. The equilibrium measurement of Cu(2+) adsorption showed favorable interaction with Cu(2+) and high maximum adsorption capacity. In addition, over 98% of the adsorbed Cu(2+) was recovered using acid treatment, and the subsequent washing allowed the TEMPO-oxidized gels to be used repeatedly. Furthermore, the TEMPO-oxidized cellulose hydrogel showed high adsorption capacity for other toxic metal ions such as Zn(2+), Fe(3+), Cd(2+), and Cs(+). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Facile method for the synthesis of a magnetic CNTs-C@Fe-chitosan composite and its application in tetracycline removal from aqueous solutions.

PubMed

Ma, Jie; Zhuang, Yuan; Yu, Fei

2015-06-28

A magnetic CNTs-C@Fe-chitosan composite (CNTs-C@Fe-CS) was prepared based on as-prepared carbon nanotubes (APCNTs). The metal nanoparticles in APCNTs could be utilized directly without any purification treatment, and the carbon shells provide an effective barrier against oxidation, acid dissolution, and movement of the MNPs, thus ensuring the long-term stability of CNTs-C@Fe-CS. The results showed that CNTs-C@Fe-CS contained more abundant oxygen and nitrogen containing functional groups after chitosan modification and the composite had good magnetization characteristics, even in acidic solutions. Then CNTs-C@Fe-CS was used as an adsorbent for the removal of tetracycline from aqueous solutions. Adsorption experiments indicated that CNTs-C@Fe-CS have a good adsorption capacity (qe) of tetracycline (104 mg g(-1)). The Freundlich isotherm model fitted the experimental data better than the Langmuir isotherm model. Kinetic regression results showed that the adsorption kinetics was more accurately represented by a pseudo second-order model. Intra-particle diffusion was involved in the adsorption, but it was not the only rate-controlling step. Cu(2+) and humic acid could promote the adsorption of tetracycline on CNTs-C@Fe-CS. The CNTs-C@Fe-CS adsorbents could be effectively and quickly separated by applying an external magnetic field and the adsorption capacity was still maintained at 99.3 mg g(-1) after being used 10 times. Therefore, CNTs-C@Fe-CS is a promising magnetic nanomaterial for preconcentration and separation of organic pollutants for environmental remediation.

Do You Hear Me? Information for Persons with a Hearing Impairment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brook, Emily

1990-01-01

This compendium of general information for individuals with hearing impairments reports on: the incidence of hearing impairments; methods of communication between hearing and nonhearing persons (fingerspelling, lip reading, cued speech, signing, and telephone devices); 13 titles of books and tapes available; 4 sources of hearing ear dogs; 42…

Teaching Spanish to the Deaf.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Munoz-Strizver, Nancy

Conversational Spanish is taught to hearing-impaired adolescents at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (MSSD) through the use of cued speech. This paper provides an explanation of this mode of instruction and a description of the Spanish program at MSSD. The students learn the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Cued…

Computational Discovery of Two Lead Free Halide Double Perovskites with Band Gaps in the Visible Range: Cs2BiAgCl6 and Cs2BiAgBr6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filip, Marina; Volonakis, George; Haghighirad, Amir Abbas; Hillman, Samuel; Sakai, Nobuya; Wenger, Bernard; Snaith, Henry; Giustino, Feliciano

The perovskite solar cell is emerging as one of the most promising solution processable photovoltaic technologies, with an efficiency that now exceeds the performance of thin-film silicon devices. This performance is exclusively due to the optimum optoelectronic properties of the prototypical methylammonium lead-iodide perovskite (MAPI). However, the presence of lead in MAPI, and its problematic stability in ambient conditions poses concerns for its potential environmental impact. These concerns are motivating the search for novel non-toxic halide perovskites with similar optoelectronic properties to MAPI. In this work we will present the computational search for the homovalent and the heterovalent replacement of Pb in lead-halide perovskites. This search has lead to the computational discovery and experimental synthesis of two stable lead-free halide double perovskites based on Bi and Ag: Cs2BiAgCl6 and Cs2BiAgBr6. These new compounds are highly stable, they are semiconducting and absorb light in the visible range. In this talk we will present the electronic and optical properties of Cs2BiAgCl6 and Cs2BiAgBr6 calculated within DFT and GW and discuss the stability and formability of the entire Cs2BB'X6 family of semiconductors (B = Bi, Sb, B = Cu, Ag, Au, X = Cl, Br, I). This work was supported by the and the Leverhulme Trust (RL-2012-001).

Enhanced chitosan beads-supported Fe(0)-nanoparticles for removal of heavy metals from electroplating wastewater in permeable reactive barriers.

PubMed

Liu, Tingyi; Yang, Xi; Wang, Zhong-Liang; Yan, Xiaoxing

2013-11-01

The removal of heavy metals from electroplating wastewater is a matter of paramount importance due to their high toxicity causing major environmental pollution problems. Nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) became more effective to remove heavy metals from electroplating wastewater when enhanced chitosan (CS) beads were introduced as a support material in permeable reactive barriers (PRBs). The removal rate of Cr (VI) decreased with an increase of pH and initial Cr (VI) concentration. However, the removal rates of Cu (II), Cd (II) and Pb (II) increased with an increase of pH while decreased with an increase of their initial concentrations. The initial concentrations of heavy metals showed an effect on their removal sequence. Scanning electron microscope images showed that CS-NZVI beads enhanced by ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE) had a loose and porous surface with a nucleus-shell structure. The pore size of the nucleus ranged from 19.2 to 138.6 μm with an average aperture size of around 58.6 μm. The shell showed a tube structure and electroplating wastewaters may reach NZVI through these tubes. X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS) demonstrated that the reduction of Cr (VI) to Cr (III) was complete in less than 2 h. Cu (II) and Pb (II) were removed via predominant reduction and auxiliary adsorption. However, main adsorption and auxiliary reduction worked for the removal of Cd (II). The removal rate of total Cr, Cu (II), Cd (II) and Pb (II) from actual electroplating wastewater was 89.4%, 98.9%, 94.9% and 99.4%, respectively. The findings revealed that EGDE-CS-NZVI-beads PRBs had the capacity to remediate actual electroplating wastewater and may become an effective and promising technology for in situ remediation of heavy metals. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

CFA-13 - a bifunctional perfluorinated metal-organic framework featuring active Cu(i) and Cu(ii) sites.

PubMed

Fritzsche, J; Denysenko, D; Grzywa, M; Volkmer, D

2017-11-07

The synthesis and crystal structure of the mixed-valent perfluorinated metal-organic framework (Me 2 NH 2 )[CFA-13] (Coordination Framework Augsburg University-13), (Me 2 NH 2 )[CuCu(tfpc) 4 ] (H 2 -tfpc = 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylic acid) is described. The copper-containing MOF crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system within the space group P2 1 /n (no. 14) and the unit cell parameters are as follows: a = 22.3887(19), b = 13.6888(8), c = 21.1804(13) Å, β = 90.495(3)°, V = 6491.0(8) Å 3 . (Me 2 NH 2 )[CFA-13] features a porous 3-D structure constructed from two types of secondary building units (SBUs). Besides novel trinuclear [Cu(pz) 4 ] - coordination units, the network also exhibits Cu(ii) paddle-wheel SBUs. (Me 2 NH 2 )[CFA-13] is fully characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, variable temperature powder X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, photoluminescence, gas sorption measurements and pulse chemisorption experiments. M[CFA-13] (M = K + , Cs + ) frameworks were prepared by postsynthetic exchange of interchannel dimethylammonium cations. Moreover, it was shown that CO molecules can be selectively bound at Cu(i) sites of [Cu(pz) 4 ] - units, whereas Cu(ii) paddle-wheel units bind selectively NH 3 molecules.

Control of Task Sequences: What is the Role of Language?

PubMed Central

Mayr, Ulrich; Kleffner, Killian; Kikumoto, Atsushi; Redford, Melissa A.

2015-01-01

It is almost a truism that language aids serial-order control through self-cuing of upcoming sequential elements. We measured speech onset latencies as subjects performed hierarchically organized task sequences while "thinking aloud" each task label. Surprisingly, speech onset latencies and response times (RTs) were highly synchronized, a pattern that is not consistent with the hypothesis that speaking aids proactive retrieval of upcoming sequential elements during serial-order control. We also found that when instructed to do so, participants were able to speak task labels prior to presentation of response-relevant stimuli and that this substantially reduced RT signatures of retrieval—however at the cost of more sequencing errors. Thus, while proactive retrieval is possible in principle, in natural situations it seems to be prevented through a strong, "gestalt-like" tendency to synchronize speech and action. We suggest that this tendency may support context updating rather than proactive control. PMID:24274386

Effects of fertilization, crop year, variety, and provenance factors on mineral concentrations in onions.

PubMed

Ariyama, Kaoru; Nishida, Tadashi; Noda, Tomoaki; Kadokura, Masashi; Yasui, Akemi

2006-05-03

Mineral concentrations of onions (Allium cepa L.) grown under various conditions, including factors (fertilization, crop year, variety, and provenance), were investigated to clarify how much each factor contributes to the variation of their concentrations. This was because the mineral concentrations might be affected by various factors. The ultimate goal of this study was to develop a technique to determine the geographic origins of onions by mineral composition. Samples were onions grown under various conditions at 52 fields in 18 farms in Hokkaido, Japan. Twenty-six elements (Li, Na, Mg, Al, P, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Y, Mo, Cd, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Nd, Gd, W, and Tl) in these samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Fertilization conditions and crop years of onions caused variations of P, Ni, Cu, Rb, Sr, Mo, Cs, and Tl concentrations in onions; different onion varieties also showed variations in numerous element concentrations. However, the variations of mineral compositions of onions by these factors were smaller than the differences between production places with a few exceptions. Furthermore, Na, Rb, and Cs in group IA of the periodic table, Ca, Sr, and Ba in group IIA, and Zn and Cd in group IIB showed similar concentration patterns by group; this result demonstrated that elements in the same periodic groups behaved similarly in terms of their absorption in onions.

Psychophysics of complex auditory and speech stimuli

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pastore, Richard E.

1993-10-01

A major focus on the primary project is the use of different procedures to provide converging evidence on the nature of perceptual spaces for speech categories. Completed research examined initial voiced consonants, with results providing strong evidence that different stimulus properties may cue a phoneme category in different vowel contexts. Thus, /b/ is cued by a rising second format (F2) with the vowel /a/, requiring both F2 and F3 to be rising with /i/, and is independent of the release burst for these vowels. Furthermore, cues for phonetic contrasts are not necessarily symmetric, and the strong dependence of prior speech research on classification procedures may have led to errors. Thus, the opposite (falling F2 and F3) transitions lead somewhat ambiguous percepts (i.e., not /b/) which may be labeled consistently (as /d/ or /g/), but requires a release burst to achieve high category quality and similarity to category exemplars. Ongoing research is examining cues in other vowel contexts and issuing procedures to evaluate the nature of interaction between cues for categories of both speech and music.

Lateralization of Frequency-Specific Networks for Covert Spatial Attention to Auditory Stimuli

PubMed Central

Thorpe, Samuel; D'Zmura, Michael

2011-01-01

We conducted a cued spatial attention experiment to investigate the time–frequency structure of human EEG induced by attentional orientation of an observer in external auditory space. Seven subjects participated in a task in which attention was cued to one of two spatial locations at left and right. Subjects were instructed to report the speech stimulus at the cued location and to ignore a simultaneous speech stream originating from the uncued location. EEG was recorded from the onset of the directional cue through the offset of the inter-stimulus interval (ISI), during which attention was directed toward the cued location. Using a wavelet spectrum, each frequency band was then normalized by the mean level of power observed in the early part of the cue interval to obtain a measure of induced power related to the deployment of attention. Topographies of band specific induced power during the cue and inter-stimulus intervals showed peaks over symmetric bilateral scalp areas. We used a bootstrap analysis of a lateralization measure defined for symmetric groups of channels in each band to identify specific lateralization events throughout the ISI. Our results suggest that the deployment and maintenance of spatially oriented attention throughout a period of 1,100 ms is marked by distinct episodes of reliable hemispheric lateralization ipsilateral to the direction in which attention is oriented. An early theta lateralization was evident over posterior parietal electrodes and was sustained throughout the ISI. In the alpha and mu bands punctuated episodes of parietal power lateralization were observed roughly 500 ms after attentional deployment, consistent with previous studies of visual attention. In the beta band these episodes show similar patterns of lateralization over frontal motor areas. These results indicate that spatial attention involves similar mechanisms in the auditory and visual modalities. PMID:21630112

Structural, elastic and electronic properties of typical NdMgT4 (T = Co, Ni, Cu) alloys from ab initio calculation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Na; Zhang, Wei-bing; Tang, Bi-yu; Gao, Hai-Tao; He, En-jie; Wang, Lei

2018-07-01

The crystal structure, elastic and magnetic properties of important ternary Mg-based alloys NdMgT4 (T = Co, Ni, Cu) have been studied using reliable ab initio calculations. Both cohesive energy and charge density difference suggest that three alloys have good structural stability with the order: NdMgCo4 > NdMgNi4 > NdMgCu4. It shows that NdMgCo4 alloy has magnetic moments with the Co atoms being the main contribution, which is also in agreement with the calculated electronic structures. We find that NdMgT4 (T = Co, Ni, Cu) alloys are all ductile materials with bulk-to-shear modulus (B/G) values higher than 1.75. The trends of calculated values for the shear moduli Cs and C44 are consistent with that of shear modulus G and young's modulus E, proving that NdMgT4 (T = Co, Ni, Cu) alloys exhibit good plasticity with the trend: NdMgNi4 > NdMgCu4 > NdMgCo4. These calculated results give the basis guidance for the design of rare earth-magnesium-transition metal (R-Mg-T) alloys with improved mechanical properties.

Fast and direct screening of copper in micro-volumes of distilled alcoholic beverages by high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry.

PubMed

Ajtony, Zsolt; Laczai, Nikoletta; Dravecz, Gabriella; Szoboszlai, Norbert; Marosi, Áron; Marlok, Bence; Streli, Christina; Bencs, László

2016-12-15

HR-CS-GFAAS methods were developed for the fast determination of Cu in domestic and commercially available Hungarian distilled alcoholic beverages (called pálinka), in order to decide if their Cu content exceeds the permissible limit, as legislated by the WHO. Some microliters of samples were directly dispensed into the atomizer. Graphite furnace heating programs, effects/amounts of the Pd modifier, alternative wavelengths (e.g., Cu I 249.2146nm), external calibration and internal standardization methods were studied. Applying a fast graphite furnace heating program without any chemical modifier, the Cu content of a sample could be quantitated within 1.5min. The detection limit of the method is 0.03mg/L. Calibration curves are linear up to 10-15mg/L Cu. Spike-recoveries ranged from 89% to 119% with an average of 100.9±8.5%. Internal calibration could be applied with the assistance of Cr, Fe, and/or Rh standards. The accuracy of the GFAAS results was verified by TXRF analyses. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

12om Limited Objective Experiment #2: Final Results Summary and Recommendations

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-31

Acronym Definition ARP CD CF CFD CG CIM COA CONOPS CSE Dev DFATD DP DRDC FGS Gov HREC IDP KR LOE LOC MA MARS NASA TLX NGO OP OPP Ops ROC SA...weight Ratings (OPP Support) Ratings (IP) Ratings (CU) Ratings (CS) Ratings (Usability) Ratings (Training T/E) Ratings (Use T/E) NASA TLX Mental demand

The effects of hydrolyzed sorghum on growth performance and meat quality of rabbits

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The effect of sorghum hydrolyzed by Trametes maxima CU1 and Pycnoporus sanguineus CS2 was evaluated on growth performance parameters and rabbit meat quality. A total of 24 unsexed New Zealand rabbits, weaned at 20 d of age, were allocated in two treatments: T1 (non-hydrolyzed sorghum) and T2 (hydr...

Task difficulty differentially affects two measures of processing load: the pupil response during sentence processing and delayed cued recall of the sentences.

PubMed

Zekveld, Adriana A; Festen, Joost M; Kramer, Sophia E

2013-08-01

In this study, the authors assessed the influence of masking level (29% or 71% sentence perception) and test modality on the processing load during language perception as reflected by the pupil response. In addition, the authors administered a delayed cued stimulus recall test to examine whether processing load affected the encoding of the stimuli in memory. Participants performed speech and text reception threshold tests, during which the pupil response was measured. In the cued recall test, the first half of correctly perceived sentences was presented, and participants were asked to complete the sentences. Reading and listening span tests of working memory capacity were presented as well. Regardless of test modality, the pupil response indicated higher processing load in the 29% condition than in the 71% correct condition. Cued recall was better for the 29% condition. The consistent effect of masking level on the pupil response during listening and reading support the validity of the pupil response as a measure of processing load during language perception. The absent relation between pupil response and cued recall may suggest that cued recall is not directly related to processing load, as reflected by the pupil response.

Nodeless pairing in superconducting copper-oxide monolayer films on Bi 2Sr 2CaCu 2O 8+δ

DOE PAGES

Zhong, Yong; Wang, Yang; Han, Sha; ...

2016-07-12

We report that the pairing mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates remains the biggest unresolved mystery in condensed matter physics. To solve the problem, one of the most effective approaches is to investigate directly the superconducting CuO 2 layers. Here, by growing CuO 2 monolayer films on Bi 2Sr 2CaCu 2O 8+δ substrates, we identify two distinct and spatially separated energy gaps centered at the Fermi energy, a smaller U-like gap and a larger V-like gap on the films, and study their interactions with alien atoms by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. The newly discovered U-like gap exhibits strong phase coherencemore » and is immune to scattering by K, Cs and Ag atoms, suggesting its nature as a nodeless superconducting gap in the CuO 2 layers, whereas the V-like gap agrees with the well-known pseudogap state in the underdoped regime. In conclusion, our results support an s-wave superconductivity in Bi 2Sr 2CaCu 2O 8+δ, which, we propose, originates from the modulation-doping resultant two-dimensional hole liquid confined in the CuO 2 layers.« less

Nodeless pairing in superconducting copper-oxide monolayer films on Bi 2Sr 2CaCu 2O 8+δ

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhong, Yong; Wang, Yang; Han, Sha

We report that the pairing mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates remains the biggest unresolved mystery in condensed matter physics. To solve the problem, one of the most effective approaches is to investigate directly the superconducting CuO 2 layers. Here, by growing CuO 2 monolayer films on Bi 2Sr 2CaCu 2O 8+δ substrates, we identify two distinct and spatially separated energy gaps centered at the Fermi energy, a smaller U-like gap and a larger V-like gap on the films, and study their interactions with alien atoms by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. The newly discovered U-like gap exhibits strong phase coherencemore » and is immune to scattering by K, Cs and Ag atoms, suggesting its nature as a nodeless superconducting gap in the CuO 2 layers, whereas the V-like gap agrees with the well-known pseudogap state in the underdoped regime. In conclusion, our results support an s-wave superconductivity in Bi 2Sr 2CaCu 2O 8+δ, which, we propose, originates from the modulation-doping resultant two-dimensional hole liquid confined in the CuO 2 layers.« less

Cued Speech Transliteration: Effects of Speaking Rate and Lag Time on Production Accuracy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krause, Jean C.; Tessler, Morgan P.

2016-01-01

Many deaf and hard-of-hearing children rely on interpreters to access classroom communication. Although the exact level of access provided by interpreters in these settings is unknown, it is likely to depend heavily on interpreter accuracy (portion of message correctly produced by the interpreter) and the factors that govern interpreter accuracy.…

Effects of Increasing Sound Pressure Level on Lip and Jaw Movement Parameters and Consistency in Young Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huber, Jessica E.; Chandrasekaran, Bharath

2006-01-01

Purpose: Examination of movement parameters and consistency has been used to infer underlying neural control of movement. However, there has been no systematic investigation of whether the way individuals are asked (or cued) to increase loudness alters articulation. This study examined whether different cues to elicit louder speech induce…

A Public School Cued Speech Program for Children with Hearing Loss and Special Learning Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LeBlanc, Barbara M.

2004-01-01

The difficulties encountered by students with hearing loss and special learning needs are often attributed exclusively to hearing loss, particularly when there are no other obvious physical or sensory handicaps. A Louisiana public school system has addressed this issue for the past 9 years and has included both regular and special education…

Transmittance of optical materials from 0.17 micro to 3.0 micro.

PubMed

McCarthy, D E

1967-11-01

The transmittance of thirty-one optical materials is given from 0.17, micro to 3.0 micro. Included are NaCl, KBr, CsBr, CsI, CaF(2), BaF(2), NaF, TlBr, TICL, KRS-5, KRS-6, T-12, KC, CuC, T O(2), ADP, KDP, SrTiO(3), GaP, CaCO(3), CdSe, As(2)S(3), ruby, Al(2)O(3), Irtran 1-6, and quartz. All are synthetic with the exception of CaCO(3). In many cases, the short wavelength cutoff of the synthetic materials is less than that which has been reported for naturally occurring materials.

Investigation of the surface sensitivity of positron-annihilation-induced Auger-electron spectroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mehl, D.R.

1990-01-01

The first surface sensitivity studies of positron-annihilation-induced Auger-electron spectroscopy (PAES) are presented. Preliminary measurements on polycrystalline Al with adsorbates indicate that PAES is more selective of the surface than conventional electron-induced Auger electron spectroscopy (EAES). PAES and EAES studies of well-defined overlayer-metal systems of Cu(110)+S and Cu(110)+Cs verify that PAES is selective of the top atomic layer. This surface selectivity is accounted for by theoretical calculations which indicate that the positron surface state is displaced away from the substrate by the over-layer, decreasing the annihilation rate of positrons with substrate core electrons.

Liquidus Temperatures and Solidification Behavior in the Copper-Niobium System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, D.; Robinson, M. B.; Rathz, T. J.; Williams, G.

1998-01-01

The copper-niobium phase diagram has been under active debate; thus, a corroboratory experimental study is needed. In this investigation, the melts of Cu-Nb alloys at compositions ranging from 5 to 86 wt pct Nb were processed in different environments and solidified at relatively low cooling rates of 50 to 75 C/s to determine liquidus temperatures and to study solidification behavior. For all samples processed under very clean conditions, only Nb dendrites in a Cu matrix were observed; while in the presence of oxygen impurities the alloys containing 5 to 35 wt pct Nb exhibited microstructure of Nb-rich spheroids and Nb dendrites in the Cu matrix. The results obtained from clean conditions are in fair agreement with the Cu-Nb phase diagram having an S-shaped, near-horizontal appearance of the liquidus. The formation of Nb- rich droplets at slow cooling rates is discussed in terms of a stable liquid miscibility gap induced by oxygen.

Corrosion behavior of low alloy steels in a wet-dry acid humid environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Qing-he; Liu, Wei; Yang, Jian-wei; Zhu, Yi-chun; Zhang, Bin-li; Lu, Min-xu

2016-09-01

The corrosion behavior of corrosion resistant steel (CRS) in a simulated wet-dry acid humid environment was investigated and compared with carbon steel (CS) using corrosion loss, polarization curves, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA), N2 adsorption, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that the corrosion kinetics of both steels were closely related to the composition and compactness of the rust, and the electrochemical properties of rusted steel. Small amounts of Cu, Cr, and Ni in CRS increased the amount of amorphous phases and decreased the content of γ-FeOOH in the rust, resulting in higher compactness and electrochemical stability of the CRS rust. The elements Cu, Cr, and Ni were uniformly distributed in the CRS rust and formed CuFeO2, Cu2O, CrOOH, NiFe2O4, and Ni2O3, which enhanced the corrosion resistance of CRS in the wet-dry acid humid environment.

Repeated Activation of a CS-US-Contingency Memory Results in Sustained Conditioned Responding

PubMed Central

Joos, Els; Vansteenwegen, Debora; Vervliet, Bram; Hermans, Dirk

2013-01-01

Individuals seem to differ in conditionability, i.e., the ease by which the contingent presentation of two stimuli will lead to a conditioned response. In contemporary learning theory, individual differences in the etiology and maintenance of anxiety disorders are, among others, explained by individual differences in temperamental variables (Mineka and Zinbarg, 2006). One such individual difference variable is how people process a learning experience when the conditioning stimuli are no longer present. Repeatedly thinking about the conditioning experience, as in worry or rumination, might prolong the initial (fear) reactions and as such, might leave certain individuals more vulnerable to developing an anxiety disorder. However, in human conditioning research, relatively little attention has been devoted to the processing of a memory trace after its initial acquisition, despite its potential influences on subsequent performance. Post-acquisition processing can be induced by mental reiteration of a conditioned stimulus-unconditioned stimulus (CS-US)-contingency. Using a human conditioned suppression paradigm, we investigated the effect of repeated activations of a CS-US-contingency memory on the level of conditioned responding at a later test. Results of three experiments showed more sustained responding to a “rehearsed” CS+ as compared to a “non-rehearsed” CS+. Moreover, the second experiment showed no effect of rehearsal when only the CS was rehearsed instead of the CS-US-contingency. The third experiment demonstrated that mental CS-US-rehearsal has the same effect regardless of whether it was cued by the CS and a verbal reference to the US or by a neutral signal, making the rehearsal “purely mental.” In sum, it was demonstrated that post-acquisition activation of a CS-US-contingency memory can impact conditioned responding, underlining the importance of post-acquisition processes in conditioning. This might indicate that individuals who are more prone to mentally rehearse information condition more easily. PMID:23755034

Repeated Activation of a CS-US-Contingency Memory Results in Sustained Conditioned Responding.

PubMed

Joos, Els; Vansteenwegen, Debora; Vervliet, Bram; Hermans, Dirk

2013-01-01

Individuals seem to differ in conditionability, i.e., the ease by which the contingent presentation of two stimuli will lead to a conditioned response. In contemporary learning theory, individual differences in the etiology and maintenance of anxiety disorders are, among others, explained by individual differences in temperamental variables (Mineka and Zinbarg, 2006). One such individual difference variable is how people process a learning experience when the conditioning stimuli are no longer present. Repeatedly thinking about the conditioning experience, as in worry or rumination, might prolong the initial (fear) reactions and as such, might leave certain individuals more vulnerable to developing an anxiety disorder. However, in human conditioning research, relatively little attention has been devoted to the processing of a memory trace after its initial acquisition, despite its potential influences on subsequent performance. Post-acquisition processing can be induced by mental reiteration of a conditioned stimulus-unconditioned stimulus (CS-US)-contingency. Using a human conditioned suppression paradigm, we investigated the effect of repeated activations of a CS-US-contingency memory on the level of conditioned responding at a later test. Results of three experiments showed more sustained responding to a "rehearsed" CS+ as compared to a "non-rehearsed" CS+. Moreover, the second experiment showed no effect of rehearsal when only the CS was rehearsed instead of the CS-US-contingency. The third experiment demonstrated that mental CS-US-rehearsal has the same effect regardless of whether it was cued by the CS and a verbal reference to the US or by a neutral signal, making the rehearsal "purely mental." In sum, it was demonstrated that post-acquisition activation of a CS-US-contingency memory can impact conditioned responding, underlining the importance of post-acquisition processes in conditioning. This might indicate that individuals who are more prone to mentally rehearse information condition more easily.

Ultrasound biofeedback treatment for persisting childhood apraxia of speech.

PubMed

Preston, Jonathan L; Brick, Nickole; Landi, Nicole

2013-11-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a treatment program that includes ultrasound biofeedback for children with persisting speech sound errors associated with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). Six children ages 9-15 years participated in a multiple baseline experiment for 18 treatment sessions during which treatment focused on producing sequences involving lingual sounds. Children were cued to modify their tongue movements using visual feedback from real-time ultrasound images. Probe data were collected before, during, and after treatment to assess word-level accuracy for treated and untreated sound sequences. As participants reached preestablished performance criteria, new sequences were introduced into treatment. All participants met the performance criterion (80% accuracy for 2 consecutive sessions) on at least 2 treated sound sequences. Across the 6 participants, performance criterion was met for 23 of 31 treated sequences in an average of 5 sessions. Some participants showed no improvement in untreated sequences, whereas others showed generalization to untreated sequences that were phonetically similar to the treated sequences. Most gains were maintained 2 months after the end of treatment. The percentage of phonemes correct increased significantly from pretreatment to the 2-month follow-up. A treatment program including ultrasound biofeedback is a viable option for improving speech sound accuracy in children with persisting speech sound errors associated with CAS.

Nonlinearity, resonance, charging, and motion at the atomic scale studied with scanning tunneling microscopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tu, Xiuwen

2008-10-01

Several novel phenomena at the single-atom and single-molecule level occurring on the surfaces of single crystals were studied with home-built low temperature scanning tunneling microscopes. The results revealed intriguing properties of single atoms and single molecules, including nonlinearity, resonance, charging, and motion. First, negative differential resistance (NDR) was observed in the dI/dV spectra for single copper-phthalocyanine (CuPc) molecules adsorbed on one- and two-layer sodium bromide (NaBr), but not for single CuPc molecules adsorbed on three-layer NaBr, all grown on a NiAl(110) surface. This transition from NDR to the absence of NDR was explained as the result of competing effects in the double-barrier tunnel junction (DBTJ) and was reproduced in a calculation based on a resonant-tunneling model. Second, the nonlinearity of the STM junction due to a single manganese (Mn) atom or MnCO molecule adsorbed on a NiAl(110) surface was used to rectify microwave irradiation. The resulting rectification current was shown to be sensitive to the spin-splitting of the electronic states of the Mn atom and to the vibrations of the MnCO molecule. Next, the ordering of cesium (Cs) atoms adsorbed on a Au(111) surface and a NiAl(110) surface was imaged in real space. Because of charge transfer to the substrates, Cs adatoms were positively charged on both surfaces. Even at 12 K, Cs adatoms were able to move and adjust according to coverage. On Au(111), the Cs first layer had a quasi-hexagonal lattice and islands of the second Cs layer did not appear until the first was completed. On NiAl(110), a locally disordered Cs first layer was observed before a locally ordered layer appeared at higher coverages. The cation-pi interactions were then studied at the single molecular level. We were able to form cation-pi complexes such as Cs···DSB, Cs···DSB···Cs, Rb···DSB, and Rb···ZnEtiol controllably by manipulation with the STM tip. We could also separate these complexes controllably by voltage pulses. STM imaging and spectroscopy revealed precise information about the atomic and electronic structure of these cation-pi complexes. Finally, electron transport through single atoms and molecules in a double-barrier tunnel junction (DBTJ) was examined. Charge bistability was observed for single ZnEtioI molecules adsorbed in several different conformations on ultrathin aluminum oxide. A sudden decrease in local apparent barrier height (LABH) was observed at the onset of an adsorbate electronic orbital for single ZnEtioI molecules and Cs atoms supported by the ultrathin aluminum oxide. The resonant-tunneling model, which was proposed to explain the transition from NDR to the absence of NDR, was found useful in explaining the sudden decrease in LABH, too. NDR, bipolar tunneling, and vibronic states were also observed and discussed in the context of DBTJ.

Molecular characterization of Clonorchis sinensis secretory myoglobin: Delineating its role in anti-oxidative survival

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Clonorchiasis is a globally important, neglected food-borne disease caused by Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis), and it is highly related to cholangiocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. Increased molecular evidence has strongly suggested that the adult worm of C. sinensis continuously releases excretory-secretory proteins (ESPs), which play important roles in the parasite-host interactions, to establish successful infection and ensure its own survival. Myoglobin, a hemoprotein, is present in high concentrations in trematodes and ESPs. To further understand the biological function of CsMb and its putative roles in the interactions of C. sinensis with its host, we explored the molecular characterization of CsMb in this paper. Methods We expressed CsMb and its mutants in E. coli BL21 and identified its molecular characteristics using bioinformatics analysis and experimental approaches. Reverse transcription PCR analysis was used to measure myoglobin transcripts of C. sinensis with different culture conditions. The peroxidase activity of CsMb was confirmed by spectrophotometry. We co-cultured RAW264.7 cells with recombinant CsMb (rCsMb), and we then measured the production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and nitric oxide (NO) in addition to the mRNA levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) and Mn superoxide dismutase (SOD2) in activated RAW264.7 cells. Results In the in vitro culture of adult worms, the transcripts of CsMb increased with the increase of oxygen content. Oxidative stress conditions induced by H2O2 increased the levels of CsMb transcripts in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, CsMb catalyzed oxidation reactions in the presence of H2O2, and amino acid 34 of CsMb played an essential role in its reaction with H2O2. In addition, CsMb significantly reduced H2O2 and NO levels in LPS-activated macrophages, and CsMb downregulated iNOS and SOD expression in activated macrophages. Conclusion The present study is the first to investigate the peroxidase activity of CsMb. This investigation suggested that C. sinensis may decrease the redox activation of macrophages by CsMb expression to evade host immune responses. These studies contribute to a better understanding of the role of CsMb in the molecular mechanisms involved in ROS detoxification by C. sinensis. PMID:24885788

Genetic Factors and Orofacial Motor Learning Selectively Influence Variability in Central Sulcus Morphology in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

PubMed Central

Autrey, Michelle; Mahovetz, Lindsay; Pope, Sarah; Mareno, Mary Catherine; Schapiro, Steven J.

2017-01-01

Captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) have been shown to learn the use of novel attention-getting (AG) sounds to capture the attention of humans as a means of requesting or drawing their attention to a desired object or food. There are significant individual differences in the use of AG sounds by chimpanzees and, here, we examined whether changes in cortical organization of the central sulcus (CS) were associated with AG sound production. MRI scans were collected from 240 chimpanzees, including 122 that reliably produced AG sounds and 118 that did not. For each subject, the depth of CS was quantified along the superior–inferior plane with specific interest in the inferior portion corresponding to the region of the motor cortex where the mouth and orofacial movements are controlled. Results indicated that CS depth in the inferior, but not superior, portion was significantly greater in chimpanzees that reliably produced AG sounds compared with those who did not. Quantitative genetic analyses indicated that overall CS surface area and depth were significantly heritable, particularly in the superior regions, but less so in the inferior and central portions. Further, heritability in CS depth was altered as a function of acquisition of AG sounds. The collective results suggest that learning to produce AG sounds resulted in region-specific cortical reorganization within the inferior portion of the CS, a finding previously undocumented in chimpanzees or any nonhuman primate. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Recent studies in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) have shown that some can learn to produce novel sounds by configuring different orofacial movement patterns and these sounds are used in communicatively relevant contexts. Here, we examined the neuromorphological correlates in the production of these sounds in chimpanzees. We show that chimpanzees that have learned to produce these sounds show significant differences in central sulcus (CS) morphology, particularly in the inferior region. We further show that overall CS morphology and regions within the superior portion are significantly heritable, whereas central and inferior portions of the CS are not. The collective findings suggest chimpanzees exhibit cortical plasticity in regions of the brain that were central to the emergence of speech functions in humans. PMID:28473646

Final Supplemental Environmental Assessment of Proposed Actions by the 58th Special Operations Wing, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-01

New York) 90 Food Blender at 3 ft. 80 Garbage Disposal at 3 ft. Shouting at 3 ft. 70 Vacuum Cleanerr at 10ft. 60 Normal Speech at 3ft. 50...Manufacturing, general Photographic & optical Agriculture (except livestock) & forestry Livestock farming & breeding Mining & fishing, resource production...1.1586400; NASA -TM-86400. 1 March 1985. Finegold et al. 1994 Finegold, L.S., C.S. Harris, and H.E. von Gierke. 1994. “Community Annoyance and Sleep

Phonological Feature Repetition Suppression in the Left Inferior Frontal Gyrus.

PubMed

Okada, Kayoko; Matchin, William; Hickok, Gregory

2018-06-07

Models of speech production posit a role for the motor system, predominantly the posterior inferior frontal gyrus, in encoding complex phonological representations for speech production, at the phonemic, syllable, and word levels [Roelofs, A. A dorsal-pathway account of aphasic language production: The WEAVER++/ARC model. Cortex, 59(Suppl. C), 33-48, 2014; Hickok, G. Computational neuroanatomy of speech production. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 13, 135-145, 2012; Guenther, F. H. Cortical interactions underlying the production of speech sounds. Journal of Communication Disorders, 39, 350-365, 2006]. However, phonological theory posits subphonemic units of representation, namely phonological features [Chomsky, N., & Halle, M. The sound pattern of English, 1968; Jakobson, R., Fant, G., & Halle, M. Preliminaries to speech analysis. The distinctive features and their correlates. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1951], that specify independent articulatory parameters of speech sounds, such as place and manner of articulation. Therefore, motor brain systems may also incorporate phonological features into speech production planning units. Here, we add support for such a role with an fMRI experiment of word sequence production using a phonemic similarity manipulation. We adapted and modified the experimental paradigm of Oppenheim and Dell [Oppenheim, G. M., & Dell, G. S. Inner speech slips exhibit lexical bias, but not the phonemic similarity effect. Cognition, 106, 528-537, 2008; Oppenheim, G. M., & Dell, G. S. Motor movement matters: The flexible abstractness of inner speech. Memory & Cognition, 38, 1147-1160, 2010]. Participants silently articulated words cued by sequential visual presentation that varied in degree of phonological feature overlap in consonant onset position: high overlap (two shared phonological features; e.g., /r/ and /l/) or low overlap (one shared phonological feature, e.g., /r/ and /b/). We found a significant repetition suppression effect in the left posterior inferior frontal gyrus, with increased activation for phonologically dissimilar words compared with similar words. These results suggest that phonemes, particularly phonological features, are part of the planning units of the motor speech system.

Marine and freshwater concentration ratios (CR(wo-water)): review of Japanese data.

PubMed

Tagami, K; Uchida, S

2013-12-01

The water-to-organism (whole body) concentration ratio (CR(wo-water)), which is defined as the ratio of the concentration of a radionuclide in the biota (Bq kg(-1) fresh weight) to that in water (Bq L(-1)), has been used in mathematical models for environmental radiation protection. In the present paper, published global fallout (90)Sr, (137)Cs, (106)Ru, (144)Ce and (239+240)Pu activity concentration data and stable element concentration data for Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu and Mn for organisms living in freshwater or seawater areas in Japan were collated. The data suitable for obtaining CR(wo-water) values were identified. CR(wo-water) values of (137)Cs were similar for pelagic fish, benthic fish and whitebait (immature, small fish) with respective geometric means of 30 (range: 4.4-69), 32 (range: 15-54) and 33 (range: 13-84). The calculated CR(wo-water) values of the other radionuclides and stable elements were generally similar to other previously reported values; with the exception that those for Ce were lower for marine biota and those of Cu were higher for freshwater fish. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Radionuclide transfer to reptiles.

PubMed

Wood, Michael D; Beresford, Nicholas A; Semenov, Dmitry V; Yankovich, Tamara L; Copplestone, David

2010-11-01

Reptiles are an important, and often protected, component of many ecosystems but have rarely been fully considered within ecological risk assessments (ERA) due to a paucity of data on contaminant uptake and effects. This paper presents a meta-analysis of literature-derived environmental media (soil and water) to whole-body concentration ratios (CRs) for predicting the transfer of 35 elements (Am, As, B, Ba, Ca, Cd, Ce, Cm, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, La, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, Pb, Po, Pu, Ra, Rb, Sb, Se, Sr, Th, U, V, Y, Zn, Zr) to reptiles in freshwater ecosystems and 15 elements (Am, C, Cs, Cu, K, Mn, Ni, Pb, Po, Pu, Sr, Tc, Th, U, Zn) to reptiles in terrestrial ecosystems. These reptile CRs are compared with CRs for other vertebrate groups. Tissue distribution data are also presented along with data on the fractional mass of bone, kidney, liver and muscle in reptiles. Although the data were originally collected for use in radiation dose assessments, many of the CR data presented in this paper will also be useful for chemical ERA and for the assessments of dietary transfer in humans for whom reptiles constitute an important component of the diet, such as in Australian aboriginal communities.

The molecular content of the Rosette's teardrops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonzalez-Alfonso, E.; Cernicharo, J.

1994-08-01

We report the detection of the J = 1 to 0 and J = 2 to 1 lines of (12)CO and (13)CO, and of the J = 2 to 1 and J = 3 to 2 lines of CS, in the direction of the small teardrops of the Rosette nebula. These objects appear in the optical as dark patches of 3 arcseconds - 30 arcseconds diameter against the bright H II region of the Rosette nebula. The CO lines were detected in all the observed globules. One of the observed teardrops is still connected to a large elephant trunk by a tenuous filament, which has also been detected in (12)CO. The sizes of the (12)CO J = 2 to 1 emitting regions are found to be similar to the optical sizes. The kinetic temperature of the globules is 15-20 K, and the beam-averaged molecular hydrogen densities inferred fron the (13)CO lines range from 2 x 103 to 7 x 103 per cu cm. CS J = 2 to 1 emission was detected toward two small teardrops and marginally toward another one. The CS J = 3 to 2 line was detected in one of the above globules. Analysis of these lines yields to an upper limit of the density of (1-3) x 104 per cu cm for this teardrop. The masses range from approximately 0.02 solar mass for a well-isolated and defined teardrop to approximately 0.5 solar mass for one which is still connected to a larger globule. Visual extinctions are also very low with typical values of approximately 1-3 mag.

Implementing Visually Cued Imitation Training with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Developmental Delays

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ganz, Jennifer B.; Bourgeois, Bethany C.; Flores, Margaret M.; Campos, B. Adriana

2008-01-01

Clearly, imitation is linked to a variety of skill areas. As a result, children with autism and developmental delays are less likely than their typical peers to perform well in many areas of development, including play and speech. The purpose of this study was to determine if a simple, teacher-friendly strategy could be implemented that would…

34 CFR 396.1 - What is the Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf and Individuals Who Are Deaf...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) Training manual, tactile, oral, and cued speech interpreters; (b) Ensuring the maintenance of the skills of... 34 Education 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What is the Training of Interpreters for Individuals... the Offices of the Department of Education (Continued) OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE...

A right-ear bias of auditory selective attention is evident in alpha oscillations.

PubMed

Payne, Lisa; Rogers, Chad S; Wingfield, Arthur; Sekuler, Robert

2017-04-01

Auditory selective attention makes it possible to pick out one speech stream that is embedded in a multispeaker environment. We adapted a cued dichotic listening task to examine suppression of a speech stream lateralized to the nonattended ear, and to evaluate the effects of attention on the right ear's well-known advantage in the perception of linguistic stimuli. After being cued to attend to input from either their left or right ear, participants heard two different four-word streams presented simultaneously to the separate ears. Following each dichotic presentation, participants judged whether a spoken probe word had been in the attended ear's stream. We used EEG signals to track participants' spatial lateralization of auditory attention, which is marked by interhemispheric differences in EEG alpha (8-14 Hz) power. A right-ear advantage (REA) was evident in faster response times and greater sensitivity in distinguishing attended from unattended words. Consistent with the REA, we found strongest parietal and right frontotemporal alpha modulation during the attend-right condition. These findings provide evidence for a link between selective attention and the REA during directed dichotic listening. © 2016 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Modeling fear‐conditioned bradycardia in humans

PubMed Central

Tzovara, Athina; Staib, Matthias; Paulus, Philipp C.; Hofer, Nicolas; Bach, Dominik R.

2016-01-01

Abstract Across species, cued fear conditioning is a common experimental paradigm to investigate aversive Pavlovian learning. While fear‐conditioned stimuli (CS+) elicit overt behavior in many mammals, this is not the case in humans. Typically, autonomic nervous system activity is used to quantify fear memory in humans, measured by skin conductance responses (SCR). Here, we investigate whether heart period responses (HPR) evoked by the CS, often observed in humans and small mammals, are suitable to complement SCR as an index of fear memory in humans. We analyze four datasets involving delay and trace conditioning, in which heart beats are identified via electrocardiogram or pulse oximetry, to show that fear‐conditioned heart rate deceleration (bradycardia) is elicited and robustly distinguishes CS+ from CS−. We then develop a psychophysiological model (PsPM) of fear‐conditioned HPR. This PsPM is inverted to yield estimates of autonomic input into the heart. We show that the sensitivity to distinguish CS+ and CS− (predictive validity) is higher for model‐based estimates than peak‐scoring analysis, and compare this with SCR. Our work provides a novel tool to investigate fear memory in humans that allows direct comparison between species. PMID:26950648

Determining baseline element composition of lichens. I. Parmelia sulcata at Theodore Roosevelt national park, North Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gough, L.P.; Severson, R.C.; Jackson, L.L.

1988-01-01

Element-concentration baselines are given for Parmelia sulcata and associated soils. Parmelia chlorochroa was found sporadically and therefore only representative concentration ranges are reported for this species. Element data include (1) for lichens; Al, As, Ba, B, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, P, Sr, S, Ti, V, Y, and Zn; and (2) for soils: Al, Ba, Be, Ca, Cs, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mg, Mn, Ni, Nb, P, Pb, Sr, S, Ti, V, Y, and Zn. Very little (usually 7.2 km); thus, P sulcata is, in general, chemically similar throughout the park. This same uniformity was found for soil geochemistry. Numerous samples collected at close intervals would be required, therefore, to produce detailed element-concentration maps for P. sulcata and soils. No instances of elemental phytotoxic conditions were found; however, P. sulcata apparently possesses large concentrations of Ba, Cu, Fe, Pb, S, V, and possibly Zn.

Direct visualization of soliton stripes in the Cu O2 plane and oxygen interstitials in B i2(S r2 -xL ax) Cu O6 +δ superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, C.; Tian, H. F.; Yang, H. X.; Zhang, B.; Sun, K.; Sun, X.; Peng, Y. Y.; Zhou, X. J.; Li, J. Q.

2017-11-01

Microstructure features in correlation with the incommensurate modulation and oxygen interstitials in B i2(S r2 -xL ax) Cu O6 +δ superconducting materials were studied by Cs-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy. Atomic displacements following the modulation wave were well characterized by a sinusoidal wave for each atomic layer, which highlighted clear changes resulting from increases in the La concentration. Careful investigations of the alterations in the local atomic structure revealed that remarkable microstructural features, i.e., notable soliton lines, which arise from the prominent interplay between incommensurate modulation and the basic lattice, appear at the Cu O2 sheets yielding visible structural anomalies for x ranging from 0.40 to 0.85. The interstitial oxygen atoms between the SrO-BiO layers became clearly visible for X ≥0.73 and showed well-defined ordered states in the x =1.10 sample. These structural features, in particular the strong structural effects of the soliton lines on the Cu O2 sheets, could evidently affect the physical properties of layered La-Bi2201 systems.

CFA-4 - a fluorinated metal-organic framework with exchangeable interchannel cations.

PubMed

Fritzsche, J; Grzywa, M; Denysenko, D; Bon, V; Senkovska, I; Kaskel, S; Volkmer, D

2017-05-23

The syntheses and crystal structures of the fluorinated linker 1,4-bis(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)-1H-pyrazole-4-yl)benzene (H 2 -tfpb; 1) and the novel metal-organic framework family M[CFA-4] (Coordination Framework Augsburg University-4), M[Cu 5 (tfpb) 3 ] (M = Cu(i), K, Cs, Ca(0.5)), are described. The ligand 1 is fully characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence-, NMR-, IR spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. The copper(i)-containing MOF crystallizes in the hexagonal crystal system within the chiral space group P6 3 22 (no. 182) and the unit cell parameters are as follows: a = 23.630(5) Å, c = 41.390(5) Å, V = 20 015(6) Å 3 . M[CFA-4] features a porous 3-D structure constructed from pentanuclear copper(i) secondary building units {Cu(pz) 6 } - (pz = pyrazolate). Cu(I)[CFA-4] is fully characterized by synchrotron single crystal X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, variable temperature powder X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, photoluminescence and gas sorption measurements. Moreover, thermal stability and gas sorption properties of K[CFA-4] and Cu(I)[CFA-4] are compared.

Comparison of the TL responses of two different preparations of LiF:Mg,Cu,P irradiated by photons of various energies.

PubMed

González, P R; Furetta, C; Azorín, J

2007-03-01

The aim of this work is to present the results concerning the photon irradiation of a new phosphor, the LiF:Mg,Cu,P+PTFE, produced at the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares (ININ-Mexico). The photon irradiations were performed using X-rays of 16, 24, 34.5, 42, 100 and 145keV, and gamma rays from (137)Cs (662keV) and from (60)Co (1 252keV). The results obtained are normalized to the (60)Co response. The experimental data are then compared to those obtained using the commercial dosimeters TLD-100 and GR-200A.

Measurement of the mass attenuation coefficient from 81 keV to 1333 keV for elemental materials Al, Cu and Pb

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gjorgieva, Slavica, E-mail: slavicagjorgieva89@gmail.com; Institute of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Ss Cyril and Methodius University, POB 162, 1000 Skopje; Barandovski, Lambe, E-mail: lambe@pmf.ukim.mk

The mass attenuation coefficients (μ/ρ) for 3 high purity elemental materials Al, Cu and Pb were measured in the γ-ray energy range from 81 keV up to 1333 keV using {sup 22}Na, {sup 60}Co {sup 133}Ba and {sup 133}Cs as sources of gamma radiation. Well shielded detector (NaI (Tl) semiconductor detector) was used to measure the intensity of the transmitted beam. The measurements were made under condition of good geometry, assuring that any photon absorbed or deflected appreciably does not reach the detector. The measured values are compared with the theoretical ones obtained by Seltzer (1993).

K β to K α X-ray intensity ratios and K to L shell vacancy transfer probabilities of Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anand, L. F. M.; Gudennavar, S. B.; Bubbly, S. G.; Kerur, B. R.

2015-12-01

The K to L shell total vacancy transfer probabilities of low Z elements Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn are estimated by measuring the K β to K α intensity ratio adopting the 2π-geometry. The target elements were excited by 32.86 keV barium K-shell X-rays from a weak 137Cs γ-ray source. The emitted K-shell X-rays were detected using a low energy HPGe X-ray detector coupled to a 16 k MCA. The measured intensity ratios and the total vacancy transfer probabilities are compared with theoretical results and others' work, establishing a good agreement.

Copper-catalyzed direct synthesis of diaryl 1,2-diketones from aryl iodides and propiolic acids.

PubMed

Min, Hongkeun; Palani, Thiruvengadam; Park, Kyungho; Hwang, Jinil; Lee, Sunwoo

2014-07-03

Benzil derivatives such as diaryl 1,2-diketones are synthesized via the direct decarboxylative coupling reaction of aryl propiolic acids and their oxidation. The optimized conditions are that the reaction of aryl propiolic acids and aryl iodides is conducted at 140 °C for 6 h in the presence of 10 mol % CuI/Cu(OTf)2 and Cs2CO3, after which HI (aq) is added and further reacted. The method shows good functional group tolerance toward ester, aldehyde, cyano, and nitro groups. In addition, symmetrical diaryl 1,2-diketones are obtained from aryl iodides and propiolic acid in the presence of palladium and copper catalysts.

The effects of Parkinson's disease on the production of contrastive stress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheang, Henry S.; Pell, Marc D.

2004-05-01

Reduced speech intelligibility has been observed clinically among patients with Parkinson's disease (PD); one possible contributor to these problems is that motor limitations in PD reduce the ability to mark linguistic contrasts in speech using prosodic cues. This study compared acoustic aspects of the production of contrastive stress (CS) in sentences that were elicited from ten subjects with PD and ten matched control subjects without neurological impairment. Subjects responded to questions that biased them to put emphasis on the first, middle, or last word of target utterances. The mean vowel duration and mean fundamental frequency (F0) of each keyword were then measured, normalized, and analyzed for possible differences in the acoustic cues provided by each group to signal emphatic stress. Both groups demonstrated systematic differences in vowel lengthening between emphasized and unemphasized words across word positions; however, controls were more reliable than PD subjects at modulating the F0 of emphasized words to signal its location in the utterance. Group differences in the F0 measures suggest one possible source of the impoverished intelligibility of Parkinsonian speech and will be investigated in a subsequent study that looks at the direct impact of these changes on emphasis perception by listeners. [Work supported by CIHR.

Deficient fear extinction memory in posttraumatic stress disorder.

PubMed

Wicking, Manon; Steiger, Frauke; Nees, Frauke; Diener, Slawomira J; Grimm, Oliver; Ruttorf, Michaela; Schad, Lothar R; Winkelmann, Tobias; Wirtz, Gustav; Flor, Herta

2016-12-01

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) might be maintained by deficient extinction memory. We used a cued fear conditioning design with extinction and a post-extinction phase to provoke the return of fear and examined the role of the interplay of amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal regions. We compared 18 PTSD patients with two healthy control groups: 18 trauma-exposed subjects without PTSD (nonPTSD) and 18 healthy controls (HC) without trauma experience. They underwent a three-day ABC-conditioning procedure in a functional magnetic resonance imaging scanner. Two geometric shapes that served as conditioned stimuli (CS) were presented in the context of virtual reality scenes. Electric painful stimuli were delivered after one of the two shapes (CS+) during acquisition (in context A), while the other (CS-) was never paired with pain. Extinction was performed in context B and extinction memory was tested in a novel context C. The PTSD patients showed significantly higher differential skin conductance responses than the non-PTSD and HC and higher differential amygdala and hippocampus activity than the HC in context C. In addition, elevated arousal to the CS+ during extinction and to the CS- throughout the experiment was present in the PTSD patients but self-reported differential valence or contingency were not different. During extinction recall, differential amygdala activity correlated positively with the intensity of numbing and ventromedial prefrontal cortex activity correlated positively with behavioral avoidance. PTSD patients show heightened return of fear in neural and peripheral measures. In addition, self-reported arousal was high to both danger (CS+) and safety (CS-) cues. These results suggest that a deficient maintenance of extinction and a failure to identify safety signals might contribute to PTSD symptoms, whereas non-PTSD subjects seem to show normal responses. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Elaboration of 2-(trifluoromethyl)indoles via a cascade coupling/condensation/deacylation process.

PubMed

Chen, Yu; Wang, Yuji; Sun, Zheming; Ma, Dawei

2008-02-21

CuI/l-proline-catalyzed coupling of 2-halotrifluoroacetanilides with beta-keto esters in anhydrous DMSO under the action of Cs2CO3 at 40-80 degrees C produces polysubstituted 2-(trifluoromethyl)indoles in good to excellent yields. This reaction is suggested to occur via a novel coupling/condensation/deacylation mechanism, and many functional groups are tolerated under these conditions.

Explicit authenticity and stimulus features interact to modulate BOLD response induced by emotional speech.

PubMed

Drolet, Matthis; Schubotz, Ricarda I; Fischer, Julia

2013-06-01

Context has been found to have a profound effect on the recognition of social stimuli and correlated brain activation. The present study was designed to determine whether knowledge about emotional authenticity influences emotion recognition expressed through speech intonation. Participants classified emotionally expressive speech in an fMRI experimental design as sad, happy, angry, or fearful. For some trials, stimuli were cued as either authentic or play-acted in order to manipulate participant top-down belief about authenticity, and these labels were presented both congruently and incongruently to the emotional authenticity of the stimulus. Contrasting authentic versus play-acted stimuli during uncued trials indicated that play-acted stimuli spontaneously up-regulate activity in the auditory cortex and regions associated with emotional speech processing. In addition, a clear interaction effect of cue and stimulus authenticity showed up-regulation in the posterior superior temporal sulcus and the anterior cingulate cortex, indicating that cueing had an impact on the perception of authenticity. In particular, when a cue indicating an authentic stimulus was followed by a play-acted stimulus, additional activation occurred in the temporoparietal junction, probably pointing to increased load on perspective taking in such trials. While actual authenticity has a significant impact on brain activation, individual belief about stimulus authenticity can additionally modulate the brain response to differences in emotionally expressive speech.

An Exploration of Rhythmic Grouping of Speech Sequences by French- and German-Learning Infants

PubMed Central

Abboub, Nawal; Boll-Avetisyan, Natalie; Bhatara, Anjali; Höhle, Barbara; Nazzi, Thierry

2016-01-01

Rhythm in music and speech can be characterized by a constellation of several acoustic cues. Individually, these cues have different effects on rhythmic perception: sequences of sounds alternating in duration are perceived as short-long pairs (weak-strong/iambic pattern), whereas sequences of sounds alternating in intensity or pitch are perceived as loud-soft, or high-low pairs (strong-weak/trochaic pattern). This perceptual bias—called the Iambic-Trochaic Law (ITL)–has been claimed to be an universal property of the auditory system applying in both the music and the language domains. Recent studies have shown that language experience can modulate the effects of the ITL on rhythmic perception of both speech and non-speech sequences in adults, and of non-speech sequences in 7.5-month-old infants. The goal of the present study was to explore whether language experience also modulates infants’ grouping of speech. To do so, we presented sequences of syllables to monolingual French- and German-learning 7.5-month-olds. Using the Headturn Preference Procedure (HPP), we examined whether they were able to perceive a rhythmic structure in sequences of syllables that alternated in duration, pitch, or intensity. Our findings show that both French- and German-learning infants perceived a rhythmic structure when it was cued by duration or pitch but not intensity. Our findings also show differences in how these infants use duration and pitch cues to group syllable sequences, suggesting that pitch cues were the easier ones to use. Moreover, performance did not differ across languages, failing to reveal early language effects on rhythmic perception. These results contribute to our understanding of the origin of rhythmic perception and perceptual mechanisms shared across music and speech, which may bootstrap language acquisition. PMID:27378887

University of Colorado Dialog Systems for Travel and Navigation

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-01-01

understanding technologies using the DARPA Hub Architecture. Users are able to converse with an automated travel agent over the phone to retrieve up-to-date...travel information such as flight schedules, pricing, along with hotel and rental car availability. The CU Communicator has been under development...implementation of the DARPA Communicator task [3]. The system combines continuous speech recognition, natural language understanding and flexible dialogue

A study of low-dimensional quaternary mixed-transition metal chalcogenides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oledzka, Magdalena Agata

New quaternary alkali metal mixed-transition metal sulfides: ACuMSsb2 (A = K, Rb, Cs; M = Mn, Fe, Co) and KCosb{2-x}Cusb{x}Ssb2 (0.5 ≤ x ≤ 1.5) were prepared by CSsb2/Nsb2 sulfurization of a mixture of oxide or sulfide and carbonate precursors of the corresponding metals. All of the phases form in the tetragonal ThCrsb2Sisb2-type structure in space group I4/mmm. The ACoCuSsb2 phases are semiconducting, with room temperature resistivities rhosbRT˜ 10sp{-2}Omega {*}cm;\\ KCosb{0.5}CUsb{1.5}Ssb2 is metallic with a metal-to-nonmetal transition at ˜120 K. Seebeck measurements indicate that the majority of charge carriers are holes. The temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility shows an anomalous transition to the ferromagnetic state in the ACoCuSsb2 phases. The electrical and magnetic properties of the new quaternary phases are compared to those of ternary ACosb2Ssb2 (A = K, Rb, Cs). The quaternary sulfides ACuFeSsb2 show semiconducting behavior. Magnetic susceptibility data indicate the presence of localized magnetic moment arising from the di- and trivalent iron ions. The semiconducting properties observed in this system are in contrast to the metallic behavior predicted by theoretical calculations. Investigations of the electrical properties of the sulfides ACuMnSsb2 revealed semiconducting behavior with a broad anomaly at ≈70 K. In the temperature range 100-300 K, the molar magnetic susceptibility of all the samples shows a weak maximum consistent with localized antiferromagnetic exchange of isolated two-dimensional manganese cluster nets. The divergence of the FC and ZFC molar susceptibilities at low temperatures, for all the samples, suggests spin-glass-type behavior with a well defined freezing temperature of ≈35 K. Single phase polycrystalline quaternary selenides ACuMnSesb2 (A = K, Rb, Cs) were prepared for the first time by the reduction of the mixture containing corresponding alkali metal carbonates, copper oxide, manganese and selenium powders. p-Type semiconducting behavior was observed for the samples with rhosbRT of {˜}10sp{-1}Omega{*}cm, and Esba˜ 0.1 eV. The relatively high values of magnetic susceptibility and the weak maximum in the temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility above 100 K was attributed to short-range antiferromagnetic interactions. New quaternary layered sulfides: NaCuMSsb2 (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Zn) crystallize in the trigonal CaAlsb2Sisb2-type structure in space group P{bar 3}m1. All the new phases are semiconducting, with rhosb{RT} varying from 6.2× 10sp{-1} to 5× 10sp{-2}Omega{*}cm, depending upon the transition metal M. Magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate the presence of localized Mnsp{2+} ions in NaCuMnSsb2. The NaCuMSsb2 (M = Fe, Co) phases display temperature independent paramagnetism whereas the NaCuZnSsb2 phase is diamagnetic, as expected. In addition, detailed low-temperature magnetic studies of the NaCuFeSsb2 phase revealed spin-glass-type behavior with the freezing temperature Tsbf˜ 50 K.

Callous-unemotional behavior and early-childhood onset of behavior problems: the role of parental harshness and warmth.

PubMed

Waller, Rebecca; Gardner, Frances; Shaw, Daniel S; Dishion, Thomas J; Wilson, Melvin N; Hyde, Luke W

2015-01-01

Youth with callous-unemotional (CU) behavior are at risk of developing more severe forms of aggressive and antisocial behavior. Previous cross-sectional studies suggest that associations between parenting and conduct problems are less strong when children or adolescents have high levels of CU behavior, implying lower malleability of behavior compared to low-CU children. The current study extends previous findings by examining the moderating role of CU behavior on associations between parenting and behavior problems in a very young sample, both concurrently and longitudinally, and using a variety of measurement methods. Data were collected from a multi-ethnic, high-risk sample at ages 2 to 4 (N = 364; 49% female). Parent-reported CU behavior was assessed at age 3 using a previously validated measure (Hyde et al., 2013 ). Parental harshness was coded from observations of parent-child interactions and parental warmth was coded from 5-min speech samples. In this large and young sample, CU behavior moderated cross-sectional correlations between parent-reported and observed warmth and child behavior problems. However, in cross-sectional and longitudinal models testing parental harshness, and longitudinal models testing warmth, there was no moderation by CU behavior. The findings are in line with recent literature suggesting parental warmth may be important to child behavior problems at high levels of CU behavior. In general, however, the results of this study contrast with much of the extant literature and suggest that in young children, affective aspects of parenting appear to be related to emerging behavior problems, regardless of the presence of early CU behavior.

Ordering and Excitations in the Field-Induced Magnetic Phase of Cs3Cr2Br9

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grenier, Beatrice

2006-03-01

Cs3Cr2Br9 is an interesting example of interacting spin-dimer system. As in other isotropic antiferromagnets such as Haldane or alternating chains and ladders, the ground state in zero field is a total spin singlet separated from the excited triplet by an energy gap. In a magnetic field H, a phase transition occurs at a critical field Hc1, where the gap to the lowest component of the Zeeman-split triplet closes. Above Hc1, field-induced magnetic order (FIMO) for spin components perpendicular to H is induced by inter-dimer or inter-chain couplings. The FIMO transition may be considered as a Bose-Einstein Condensation. Cs3Cr2Br9 differs from other dimer systems currently studied (e.g. PHCC, TlCuCl3) in two main ways: each Cr^3+ ion of the dimer has spin 3/2 rather than 1/2 for Cu-based systems and the arrangement of the dimers is hexagonal. This gives rise to anisotropy and frustration in a 3D lattice, respectively. The possibility of studying the magnetic ordering and the spin dynamics in a FIMO with sufficient detail to bring out features of frustration and anisotropy motivated the present neutron scattering study in Cs3Cr2Br9*. Two field orientations have been exploited, perpendicular and parallel to the easy axis c (direction of the dimers). First, I present the diffraction study: the FIMO displays large hysteresis incommensurability, showing the importance of frustration. The impact of anisotropy is seen in the magnetic structure, whose nature strongly depends on the field direction. Second, I focus on spin dynamics: it quantifies the presence of anisotropy and shows its crucial role on the energy gap at Hc1, which is measurably open or not, depending on whether H is perpendicular or parallel to c. Third, an explanation is proposed for the large value of the gap at higher field: it involves the mixing of higher order states (extended-FIMO), reflected by the absence of magnetization plateaus. Comparison with the sister Cs3Cr2Cl9 compound provides a test of this hypothesis. *B. Grenier et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 177202 (2004)

In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of a Novel Ferrocyanide Functionalized Nanopourous Silica Decorporation Agent for Cesium (Cs) in Rats

PubMed Central

Timchalk, Charles; Creim, Jeffrey A; Sukwarotwat, Vichaya; Wiacek, Robert; Addleman, R Shane; Fryxell, Glen E; Yantasee, Wassana

2009-01-01

Novel decorporation agents are being developed to protect against radiological terrorist attacks. These sorbents, known as the self-assembled monolayer on mesoporous supports (SAMMS™), are hybrid materials where differing organic moieties are grafted onto mesoporous silica (SiO2). In vitro experiments focused on the evaluation, and optimization of SAMMS for capturing radiocesium (137Cs); therefore based on these studies, a ferrocyanide copper (FC-Cu-EDA)-SAMMS was advanced for in vivo evaluation. In vivo experiments were conducted comparing the performance of the SAMMS vs. insoluble Prussian blue. Groups of jugular cannulated rats (4/treatment) were evaluated. Animals in group I were administered 137Cs chloride (~40 μg/kg) by intravenous (iv) injection or oral gavage; Group II animals were administered pre-bound 137Cs- SAMMS or sequential 137Cs chloride + SAMMS (~61 ng/kg) by oral gavage; and Group III was orally administered 137Cs chloride (~61 ng/kg) followed by either 0.1 g of SAMMS or Prussian blue. Following dosing, the rats were maintained in metabolism cages for 72 hour and blood, urine and fecal samples were collected for 137Cs analysis (gamma counting). Rats were then humanely euthanized, and selected tissues analyzed. Orally administered 137Cs chloride was rapidly and well absorbed (~100% relative to iv dose), and the pharmacokinetics (blood, urine, feces & tissues) were very comparable to the iv dose group. For both exposures the urine and feces accounted for 20 and 3% of the dose, respectively. The prebound 137Cs-SAMMS was retained primarily within the feces (72% of the dose), with ~1.4% detected in the urine, suggesting that the 137Cs remained tightly bound to SAMMS. SAMMS & Prussian blue both effectively captured available 137Cs in the gut with feces accounting for 80–88% of the administered dose, while less than 2% was detected in the urine. This study suggests that the functionalized SAMMS outperforms Prussian blue in vitro at low pH, but demonstrates comparable in vivo sequestration efficacy at low exposure concentrations. The comparable response may be the result of the low 137Cs chloride dose and high sorbent dosage that was utilized. Future studies are planned to optimize SAMMS in vivo performance over a broader range of doses and conditions. PMID:20699707

Genetic Factors and Orofacial Motor Learning Selectively Influence Variability in Central Sulcus Morphology in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

PubMed

Hopkins, William D; Coulon, Oliver; Meguerditchian, Adrien; Autrey, Michelle; Davidek, Kendall; Mahovetz, Lindsay; Pope, Sarah; Mareno, Mary Catherine; Schapiro, Steven J

2017-05-31

Captive chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ) have been shown to learn the use of novel attention-getting (AG) sounds to capture the attention of humans as a means of requesting or drawing their attention to a desired object or food. There are significant individual differences in the use of AG sounds by chimpanzees and, here, we examined whether changes in cortical organization of the central sulcus (CS) were associated with AG sound production. MRI scans were collected from 240 chimpanzees, including 122 that reliably produced AG sounds and 118 that did not. For each subject, the depth of CS was quantified along the superior-inferior plane with specific interest in the inferior portion corresponding to the region of the motor cortex where the mouth and orofacial movements are controlled. Results indicated that CS depth in the inferior, but not superior, portion was significantly greater in chimpanzees that reliably produced AG sounds compared with those who did not. Quantitative genetic analyses indicated that overall CS surface area and depth were significantly heritable, particularly in the superior regions, but less so in the inferior and central portions. Further, heritability in CS depth was altered as a function of acquisition of AG sounds. The collective results suggest that learning to produce AG sounds resulted in region-specific cortical reorganization within the inferior portion of the CS, a finding previously undocumented in chimpanzees or any nonhuman primate. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Recent studies in chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes ) have shown that some can learn to produce novel sounds by configuring different orofacial movement patterns and these sounds are used in communicatively relevant contexts. Here, we examined the neuromorphological correlates in the production of these sounds in chimpanzees. We show that chimpanzees that have learned to produce these sounds show significant differences in central sulcus (CS) morphology, particularly in the inferior region. We further show that overall CS morphology and regions within the superior portion are significantly heritable, whereas central and inferior portions of the CS are not. The collective findings suggest chimpanzees exhibit cortical plasticity in regions of the brain that were central to the emergence of speech functions in humans. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/375476-09$15.00/0.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging exploration of combined hand and speech movements in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Pinto, Serge; Mancini, Laura; Jahanshahi, Marjan; Thornton, John S; Tripoliti, Elina; Yousry, Tarek A; Limousin, Patricia

2011-10-01

Among the repertoire of motor functions, although hand movement and speech production tasks have been investigated widely by functional neuroimaging, paradigms combining both movements have been studied less so. Such paradigms are of particular interest in Parkinson's disease, in which patients have specific difficulties performing two movements simultaneously. In 9 unmedicated patients with Parkinson's disease and 15 healthy control subjects, externally cued tasks (i.e., hand movement, speech production, and combined hand movement and speech production) were performed twice in a random order and functional magnetic resonance imaging detected cerebral activations, compared to the rest. F-statistics tested within-group (significant activations at P values < 0.05, familywise error corrected), between-group, and between-task comparisons (regional activations significant at P values < 0.001, uncorrected, with cluster size > 10 voxels). For control subjects, the combined task activations comprised the sum of those obtained during hand movement and speech production performed separately, reflecting the neural correlates of performing movements sharing similar programming modalities. In patients with Parkinson's disease, only activations underlying hand movement were observed during the combined task. We interpreted this phenomenon as patients' potential inability to recruit facilitatory activations while performing two movements simultaneously. This lost capacity could be related to a functional prioritization of one movement (i.e., hand movement), in comparison with the other (i.e., speech production). Our observation could also reflect the inability of patients with Parkinson's disease to intrinsically engage the motor coordination necessary to perform a combined task. Copyright © 2011 Movement Disorder Society.

Modulation of flyash-induced genotoxicity in Vicia faba by vermicomposting.

PubMed

Jain, Kavindra; Singh, Jitendra; Chauhan, L K S; Murthy, R C; Gupta, S K

2004-09-01

Cytogenetic effects of pre- and postvermicomposted flyash samples were evaluated on the root meristem cells of Vicia faba. Seedlings of V. faba were directly sown in flyash and cow dung-soil mixtures (20%, 40%, 60%, and 80%) and the lateral roots grown in these test mixtures were sampled at 5 days. Negative control was run parallel in cow dung-soil (CS) mixture alone. One set of flyash-cow dung-soil (FCS) mixture was subjected to vermicomposting by introducing Eisenia foetida species of earthworms for 30 days and the cytogenetic effects were reinvestigated through V. faba root meristems. Chemical analysis carried out prior to vermicomposting revealed high concentrations of heavy metals such as Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Ni in FCS samples. CS samples also showed the presence of these metals. Cytogenetic examinations of root meristems exposed to the FCS mixtures showed significant inhibition of mitotic index (MI), induction of chromosome aberrations (CA), and a significantly increased frequency of mitotic aberrations (MA). The increase of the aberrations was dependent on the flyash concentrations. Roots grown in CS samples also showed chromosomal and MAs; however, the percentage was lower than that observed with FCS and also statistically nonsignificant. Cytogenetic analysis of vermicomposted samples of FCS revealed a 15-45% decline in the aberration frequencies whereas chemical analysis showed a 10-50% decline in the metal concentrations, viz. Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Ni, which indicates E. foetida a potential accumulator of heavy metals and the decline in metal concentrations may be the cause of the decrease in aberration frequencies. The present study indicates the genotoxicity potential of flyash and also the feasibility of vermicomposting for cleanup of metal-contaminated soil to mitigate the toxicity/genotoxicity. Copyright 2004 Elsevier Inc.

Origin discrimination of defatted pork via trace elements profiling, stable isotope ratios analysis, and multivariate statistical techniques.

PubMed

Park, Yu Min; Lee, Cheong Mi; Hong, Joon Ho; Jamila, Nargis; Khan, Naeem; Jung, Jong-Hyun; Jung, Young-Chul; Kim, Kyong Su

2018-09-01

This study verified the origin of 346 defatted Korean and non-Korean pork samples via trace elements profiling, and C and N stable isotope ratios analysis. The analyzed elements were 6 Li, 7 Li, 10 B, 11 B, 51 V , 50 Cr, 52 Cr, 53 Cr, 55 Mn, 58 Ni, 60 Ni, 59 Co, 63 Cu, 65 Cu, 64 Zn, 66 Zn, 69 Ga, 71 Ga, 75 As, 82 Se, 84 Sr, 86 Sr, 87 Sr, 88 Sr, 85 Rb, 94 Mo, 95 Mo, 97 Mo, 107 Ag, 109 Ag, 110 Cd, 111 Cd, 113 Cd, 112 Cd, 114 Cd, 116 Cd, 133 Cs, 206 Pb, 207 Pb, and 208 Pb. Content (mg/kg) of 51 V (0.012), 50 Cr (0.882), 75 As (0.017), 85 Rb (57.7), and 87 Sr (46.3) were high in Korean pork samples whereas 6 Li, 7 Li, 59 Co, 55 Mn, 58 Ni, 84 Sr, 86 Sr, 88 Sr, 111 Cd, and 133 Cs were found higher in non-Korean samples. The results of discriminant analysis showed that the trace elements content and stable isotope ratios were significant for the discrimination of geographical origins with a perfect discrimination rate of 100%. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Use of Chitosan-PVA Hydrogels with Copper Nanoparticles to Improve the Growth of Grafted Watermelon.

PubMed

González Gómez, Homero; Ramírez Godina, Francisca; Ortega Ortiz, Hortensia; Benavides Mendoza, Adalberto; Robledo Torres, Valentín; Cabrera De la Fuente, Marcelino

2017-06-22

Modern agriculture requires alternative practices that improve crop growth without negatively affecting the environment, as resources such as water and arable land grow scarcer while the human population continues to increase. Grafting is a cultivation technique that allows the plant to be more efficient in its utilization of water and nutrients, while nanoscale material engineering provides the opportunity to use much smaller quantities of consumables compared to conventional systems but with similar or superior effects. On those grounds, we evaluated the effects of chitosan-polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel with absorbed copper nanoparticles (Cs-PVA-nCu) on leaf morphology and plant growth when applied to grafted watermelon cultivar 'Jubilee' plants. Stomatal density (SD), stomatal index (SI), stoma length (SL), and width (SW) were evaluated. The primary stem and root length, the stem diameter, specific leaf area, and fresh and dry weights were also recorded. Our results demonstrate that grafting induces modifications to leaf micromorphology that favorably affect plant growth, with grafted plants showing better vegetative growth in spite of their lower SD and SI values. Application of Cs-PVA-nCu was found to increase stoma width, primary stem length, and root length by 7%, 8% and 14%, respectively. These techniques modestly improve plant development and growth.

One-step synthesis of dithiocarbamates from metal powders

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hepp, Aloysius F.; Hehemann, David G.; Duraj, Stan A.; Clark, Eric B.; Eckles, William E.; Fanwick, Phillip E.

1994-01-01

Neutral metal dithiocarbamate complexes (M(NR2CS2)X) are well-known precursors to metal sulfides, a class of materials with numerous technological applications. We are involved in a research effort to prepare new precursors to metal sulfides using simple, reproducible synthetic procedures. We describe the results of our synthetic and characterization studies for M = Fe, Co, Ni, Cu. and In. For example, treatment of metallic indium with tetramethylthiuram disulfide (tmtd) in 4-methylpyridine (4-Mepy) at 25 deg C produces a new homoleptic indium (III) dithiocarbamate, In(N(CH3)2CS2)3(I), in yields of over 60 percent. The indium (III) dithiocarbamate was characterized by X-ray crystallography; (I) exists in the solid state as discrete distorted-octahedral molecules. Compound (I) crystallizes in the P1bar (No. 2) space group with lattice parameters: a = 9.282(1) A, b = 10.081(1) A, c = 12.502 A, alpha = 73.91(1) deg, beta = 70.21(1) deg, gamma = 85.8(1)deg, and Z = 2. X-ray diffraction and mass spectral data were used to characterize the products of the analogous reactions with Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu. We discuss both use of dithiocarbamates as precursors and our approach to their preparation.

NUCLEAR HEATING IN LIF DOSEMETERS IN A FUSION NEUTRON FIELD, TRIAL OF DIRECT COMPARISON OF EXPERIMENTAL AND SIMULATED RESULTS.

PubMed

Pohorecki, Wladyslaw; Obryk, Barbara

2017-09-29

The results of nuclear heating measured by means of thermoluminescent dosemeters (TLD-LiF) in a Cu block irradiated by 14 MeV neutrons are presented. The integral Cu experiment relevant for verification of copper nuclear data at neutron energies characteristic for fusion facilities was performed in the ENEA FNG Laboratory at Frascati. Five types of TLDs were used: highly photon sensitive LiF:Mg,Cu,P (MCP-N), 7LiF:Mg,Cu,P (MCP-7) and standard, lower sensitivity LiF:Mg,Ti (MTS-N), 7LiF:Mg,Ti (MTS-7) and 6LiF:Mg,Ti (MTS-6). Calibration of the detectors was performed with gamma rays in terms of air-kerma (10 mGy of 137Cs air-kerma). Nuclear heating in the Cu block was also calculated with the use of MCNP transport code Nuclear heating in Cu and air in TLD's positions was calculated as well. The nuclear heating contribution from all simulated by MCNP6 code particles including protons, deuterons, alphas tritons and heavier ions produced by the neutron interactions were calculated. A trial of the direct comparison between experimental results and results of simulation was performed. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

TEM study of the martensitic phases in the ductile DyCu and YCu intermetallic compounds [The martensitic phase transformation in ductile DyCu and YCu intermetallic compounds

DOE PAGES

Cao, G. H.; Oertel, C. -G.; Schaarschuch, R.; ...

2017-05-03

DyCu and YCu are representatives of the family of CsCl-type B2 rare earth intermetallic compounds that exhibit high room temperature ductility. Structure, orientation relationship, and morphology of the martensites in the equiatomic compounds DyCu and YCu are examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM studies show that the martensite structures in DyCu and YCu alloys are virtually identical. The martensite is of orthorhombic CrB-type B33 structure with lattice parameters a = 0.38 nm, b = 1.22 nm, and c = 0.40 nm. (021¯) twins were observed in the B33 DyCu and YCu martensites. The orientation relationship of B33 and B2more » phases is (111¯)[112]B33 || (110)[001]B2. The simulated electron diffraction patterns of the B33 phase are consistent with those of experimental observations. TEM investigations also reveal that a dominant orthorhombic FeB-type B27 martensite with lattice parameters a = 0.71 nm, b = 0.45 nm, and c = 0.54 nm exists in YCu alloy. (11¯ 1) twins were observed in the B27 YCu martensite. As a result, the formation mechanism of B2 to B33 and B2 to B27 phase transformation is discussed.« less

AAS and spectrophotometric methods for the determination metoprolol tartrate in tablets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alpdoğan, Güzin; Sungur, Sidika

1999-11-01

Sensitive and specific atomic adsorption spectroscopy (AAS) and spectrophotometric methods have been developed for the determination of beta adrenergic blocking drug, metoprolol tartrate.The method is based on the formation of Cu(II) dithiocarbamate complex by derivatization of the secondary amino group of metoprolol with CS 2 and CuCl 2 in the presence of ammonia.The copper-bis(dithiocarbamate) complex was extracted into chloroform and the concentration of metoprolol tartrate was determined directly by spectrophotometric and indirectly by AAS measurement of copper.The two methods developed were applied to the assay of metoprolol tartrate in commercial tablet formulations.The methods were compared statistically with each other and with the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method of USPXXII using t- and F-tests.

K{sub β} to K{sub α} X-ray intensity ratios and K to L shell vacancy transfer probabilities of Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anand, L. F. M.; Gudennavar, S. B., E-mail: shivappa.b.gudennavar@christuniversity.in; Bubbly, S. G.

The K to L shell total vacancy transfer probabilities of low Z elements Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn are estimated by measuring the K{sub β} to K{sub α} intensity ratio adopting the 2π-geometry. The target elements were excited by 32.86 keV barium K-shell X-rays from a weak {sup 137}Cs γ-ray source. The emitted K-shell X-rays were detected using a low energy HPGe X-ray detector coupled to a 16 k MCA. The measured intensity ratios and the total vacancy transfer probabilities are compared with theoretical results and others’ work, establishing a good agreement.

Active Moss Biomonitoring of Atmospheric Trace Element Deposition in Belgrade Urban Area using ENAA and AAS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anicic, M.; Tasic, M.; Tomasevic, M.

2007-11-26

Active biomonitoring of air quality in Belgrade, Serbia, was performed using the moss Sphagnum girgensohnii. Moss bags were exposed in parallel with and without irrigation respectively for four consecutive 3-month periods at three urban sites. Twenty-nine elements were determined in the exposed moss samples by ENAA and three (Cu, Cd, and Pb) by AAS. The relative accumulation factor (RAF) was greater than 1 for the majority of elements. Elements such as Cl, K, Rb and Cs, however, leached from the moss tissue during the exposure time. For all exposure periods, higher uptake in the irrigated moss bags was evident formore » Al, Cr, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sr, Pb, and Cd.« less

Integrating mechanisms of visual guidance in naturalistic language production.

PubMed

Coco, Moreno I; Keller, Frank

2015-05-01

Situated language production requires the integration of visual attention and linguistic processing. Previous work has not conclusively disentangled the role of perceptual scene information and structural sentence information in guiding visual attention. In this paper, we present an eye-tracking study that demonstrates that three types of guidance, perceptual, conceptual, and structural, interact to control visual attention. In a cued language production experiment, we manipulate perceptual (scene clutter) and conceptual guidance (cue animacy) and measure structural guidance (syntactic complexity of the utterance). Analysis of the time course of language production, before and during speech, reveals that all three forms of guidance affect the complexity of visual responses, quantified in terms of the entropy of attentional landscapes and the turbulence of scan patterns, especially during speech. We find that perceptual and conceptual guidance mediate the distribution of attention in the scene, whereas structural guidance closely relates to scan pattern complexity. Furthermore, the eye-voice span of the cued object and its perceptual competitor are similar; its latency mediated by both perceptual and structural guidance. These results rule out a strict interpretation of structural guidance as the single dominant form of visual guidance in situated language production. Rather, the phase of the task and the associated demands of cross-modal cognitive processing determine the mechanisms that guide attention.

Ion selective electrode for cesium based on 5-(4'-nitrophenylazo)25,27-bis(2-propyloxy)26,28-dihydroxycalix[4]arene.

PubMed

Ramanjaneyulu, P S; Singh, Parminder; Sayi, Y S; Chawla, H M; Ramakumar, K L

2010-03-15

A polyvinylchloride (PVC) based liquid membrane ion selective electrode (ISE) for cesium was fabricated with 5-(4'-nitrophenylazo)25,27-bis(2-propyloxy)26,28-dihydroxycalix[4]arene as ionophore. Different membrane constituents were investigated to realise optimum performance of the ISE developed. Of the four plasticizers and two ion additives studied, the best response was observed with membrane having 2-nitro phenyl octyl ether (oNPOE) as plasticizer and potassium tetrakis (perchloro phenyl) borate (KTpClPB) as ion additive. Linear response over concentration range of 10(-5)-10(-1)M CsCl was obtained. The Nernstian slope of the response was 56 mV per decade for Cs with a response time less than 20s. Matched potential method has been applied to find out the selectivity for Cs over several ions like Rb(+), K(+), Na(+), NH(4)(+), Sr(2+), Ba(2+), Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Cu(2+), Pb(2+), Zn(2+), Ni(2+) and Ce(3+). The response of ISE for Cs(+) was fairly constant over the pH range of 3-11. The lifetime of the electrode is 9 months which is the longest life for any membrane-based Cs-ISE so far developed. The concentration of cesium in two simulated high level active waste streams was determined and results agreed well with those obtained independently employing atomic absorption spectrometry. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of a Novel Ferrocyanide Functionalized Nanopourous Silica Decorporation Agent for Cesium in Rats

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Timchalk, Charles; Creim, Jeffrey A.; Sukwarotwat, Vichaya

2010-09-01

Novel decorporation agents are being developed to protect against radiological terrorist attacks. These sorbents, known as the self-assembled monolayer on mesoporous supports (SAMMS™), are hybrid materials where differing organic moieties are grafted onto mesoporous silica (SiO2). In vitro experiments focused on the evaluation, and optimization of SAMMS for capturing radiocesium (137Cs); based on these studies, a ferrocyanide copper (FC-Cu-EDA)-SAMMS was advanced for in vivo evaluation. In vivo experiments were conducted comparing the performance of the SAMMS vs. insoluble Prussian blue. Groups of jugular cannulated rats (4/treatment) were evaluated. Group I was administered 137Cs (~40 μgeq/kg) by intravenous (iv) injection andmore » oral gavage; Group II was administered pre-bound 137Cs-SAMMS and sequential 137Cs + SAMMS (~61 ngeq/kg) by oral gavage; and Group III evaluated orally administered 137Cs (~0.06 μgeq/kg) followed by 0.1 g of either SAMMS or Prussian blue. Following dosing the rats were maintained in metabolism cages for 72 hour and blood, urine and fecal samples were collected for 137Cs analysis (gamma counting). Rats were then humanely euthanized, and selected tissues analyzed. Orally administered 137Cs was rapidly and well absorbed (~100% relative to iv dose), and the pharmacokinetics (blood, urine, feces & tissues) were very comparable to the iv dose group. For both exposures the urine and feces accounted for 20 and 3% of the dose, respectively. The prebound 137Cs-SAMMS was retained primarily within the feces (72% of the dose), with ~1.4% detected in the urine, suggesting that the 137Cs remained tightly bound to SAMMS. SAMMS & Prussian blue both effectively captured available 137Cs in the gut with feces accounting for 80-88% of the administered dose, while less than 2% was detected in the urine. This study suggests that the functionalized SAMMS out performs Prussian blue in vitro at low pH, but demonstrates comparable in vivo sequestration efficacy at low exposure concentrations. The comparable response may be the result of the low 137Cs dose and high sorbent dosage that was utilized. Future studies are planned to optimize SAMMS in vivo performance over a broader range of doses and conditions.« less

Volatilization, transport and sublimation of metallic and non-metallic elements in high temperature gases at Merapi Volcano, Indonesia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Symonds, R.B.; Rose, William I.; Reed, M.H.; Lichte, F.E.; Finnegan, David L.

1987-01-01

Condensates, silica tube sublimates and incrustations were sampled from 500-800??C fumaroles and lava samples were collected at Merapi Volcano, Indonesia in Jan.-Feb., 1984. With respect to the magma, Merapi gases are enriched by factors greater than 105 in Se, Re, Bi and Cd; 104-105 in Au, Br, In, Pb and W; 103-104 in Mo, Cl, Cs, S, Sn and Ag; 102-103 in As, Zn, F and Rb; and 1-102 in Cu, K, Na, Sb, Ni, Ga, V, Fe, Mn and Li. The fumaroles are transporting more than 106 grams/day ( g d) of S, Cl and F; 104-106 g/d of Al, Br, Zn, Fe, K and Mg; 103-104 g d of Pb, As, Mo, Mn, V, W and Sr; and less than 103 g d of Ni, Cu, Cr, Ga, Sb, Bi, Cd, Li, Co and U. With decreasing temperature (800-500??C) there were five sublimate zones found in silica tubes: 1) cristobalite and magnetite (first deposition of Si, Fe and Al); 2) K-Ca sulfate, acmite, halite, sylvite and pyrite (maximum deposition of Cl, Na, K, Si, S, Fe, Mo, Br, Al, Rb, Cs, Mn, W, P, Ca, Re, Ag, Au and Co); 3) aphthitalite (K-Na sulfate), sphalerite, galena and Cs-K. sulfate (maximum deposition of Zn, Bi, Cd, Se and In; higher deposition of Pb and Sn); 4) Pb-K chloride and Na-K-Fe sulfate (maximum deposition of Pb, Sn and Cu); and 5) Zn, Cu and K-Pb sulfates (maximum deposition of Pb, Sn, Ti, As and Sb). The incrustations surrounding the fumaroles are also chemically zoned. Bi, Cd, Pb, W, Mo, Zn, Cu, K, Na, V, Fe and Mn are concentrated most in or very close to the vent as expected with cooling, atmospheric contamination and dispersion. The highly volatile elements Br, Cl, As and Sb are transported primarily away from high temperature vents. Ba, Si, P, Al, Ca and Cr are derived from wall rock reactions. Incomplete degassing of shallow magma at 915??C is the origin of most of the elements in the Merapi volcanic gas, although it is partly contaminated by particles or wall rock reactions. The metals are transported predominantly as chloride species. As the gas cools in the fumarolic environment, it becomes saturated with sublimate phases that fractionate from the gas in the order of their equilibrium saturation temperatures. Devolatilization of a cooling batholith could transport enough acids and metals to a hydrothermal system to play a significant role in forming an ore deposit. However, sublimation from a high temperature, high velocity carrier gas is not efficient enough to form a large ore deposit. Re, Se, Cd and Bi could be used as supporting evidence for magmatic fluid transport in an ore deposit. ?? 1987.

Functional MRI evidence for fine motor praxis dysfunction in children with persistent speech disorders

PubMed Central

Redle, Erin; Vannest, Jennifer; Maloney, Thomas; Tsevat, Rebecca K.; Eikenberry, Sarah; Lewis, Barbara; Shriberg, Lawrence D.; Tkach, Jean; Holland, Scott K.

2014-01-01

Children with persistent speech disorders (PSD) often present with overt or subtle motor deficits; the possibility that speech disorders and motor deficits could arise from a shared neurological base is currently unknown. Functional MRI (fMRI) was used to examine the brain networks supporting fine motor praxis in children with PSD and without clinically identified fine motor deficits. Methods This case-control study included 12 children with PSD (mean age 7.42 years, 4 female) and 12 controls (mean age 7.44 years, 4 female). Children completed behavioral evaluations using standardized motor assessments and parent reported functional measures. During fMRI scanning, participants completed a cued finger tapping task contrasted passive listening. A general linear model approach identified brain regions associated with finger tapping in each group and regions that differed between groups. The relationship between regional fMRI activation and fine motor skill was assessed using a regression analysis. Results Children with PSD had significantly poorer results for rapid speech production and fine motor praxis skills, but did not differ on classroom functional skills. Functional MRI results showed that children with PSD had significantly more activation in the cerebellum during finger tapping. Positive correlations between performance on a fine motor praxis test and activation multiple cortical regions were noted for children with PSD but not for controls. Conclusions Over-activation in the cerebellum during a motor task may reflect a subtle abnormality in the non-speech motor neural circuitry in children with PSD. PMID:25481413

Callous-unemotional behavior and early-childhood onset of behavior problems: the role of parental harshness and warmth

PubMed Central

Waller, Rebecca; Gardner, Frances; Shaw, Daniel S.; Dishion, Thomas J.; Wilson, Melvin N.; Hyde, Luke W.

2014-01-01

Objective Youth with callous unemotional (CU) behavior are at risk of developing more severe forms of aggressive and antisocial behavior. Previous cross-sectional studies suggest that associations between parenting and conduct problems are less strong when children or adolescents have high levels of CU behavior, implying lower malleability of behavior compared to low-CU children. The current study extends previous findings by examining the moderating role of CU behavior on associations between parenting and behavior problems in a very young sample, both concurrently and longitudinally, and using a variety of measurement methods. Methods Data were collected from a multi-ethnic, high-risk sample at ages 2–4 (N = 364; 49% female). Parent-reported CU behavior was assessed at age 3 using a previously validated measure (Hyde et al., 2013). Parental harshness was coded from observations of parent-child interactions and parental warmth was coded from five-minute speech samples. Results In this large and young sample, CU behavior moderated cross-sectional correlations between parent-reported and observed warmth and child behavior problems. However, in cross-sectional and longitudinal models testing parental harshness, and longitudinal models testing warmth, there was no moderation by CU behavior. Conclusions The findings are in line with recent literature suggesting parental warmth may be important to child behavior problems at high levels of CU behavior. In general, however, the results of this study contrast with much of the extant literature and suggest that in young children, affective aspects of parenting appear to be related to emerging behavior problems, regardless of the presence of early CU behavior. PMID:24661288

Major and minor oxide and trace element determination in silicate rocks by direct current plasma optical emission echelle spectrometry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bankston, D.C.; Humphris, S.E.; Thompson, G.

1979-07-01

A technique for the determination of major concentrations of SiO/sub 2/, Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/, Fe/sub 2/O/sub 3/, MgO, CaO, Na/sub 2/O, and K/sub 2/O, minor levels of TiO/sub 2/, P/sub 2/O/sub 5/, and MnO, and trace concentrations of Ba, Cr, Cu, Ni, Sr, V, and Zn, in semi-microsamples 200 mg) of powdered whole rock, is described. Chemically diverse standard reference rocks are used both for calibration and assessment of accuracy. A lithium metaborate fusion melt of each standard or sample is dissolved in dilute HNO/sub 3/ containing Cs/sup +/ at a level of 0.2% (w/v). The resulting solution is usedmore » to perform all analyses except those for Na/sub 2/O and K/sub 2/O, which are determined in a portion of the original sample solution wherein the Cs/sup +/ concentration has been raised to 0.32% (w/v). Analyses of both portions of each sample solution are performed using an optical emission spectrometer/spectrograph equipped with an echelle monochromator and a dc argon plasma excitation source. Trace element detection limits ranged from 2 ppM for Cu to 15 ppM for Zn. A study of precision based on replicate determinations in three splits of the proposed USGS reference basalt BHVO-1 yielded the following results: (1) For analyses of the major and minor oxide constituents, values of the percent relative standard deviation (RSD) ranged from 1 for CaO, to 21 for P/sub 2/O/sub 5/. 2) For trace element determinations, values of the RSD ranged from 2 for Cu, to 19 for Zn. 2 figures, 11 tables.« less

Transfer factors of natural radionuclides and (137)Cs from soil to plants used in traditional medicine in central Serbia.

PubMed

Djelic, Gorica; Krstic, Dragana; Stajic, Jelena M; Milenkovic, Biljana; Topuzovic, Marina; Nikezic, Dragoslav; Vucic, Dusica; Zeremski, Tijana; Stankovic, Milan; Kostic, Dragana

2016-07-01

Transfer factors of natural radionuclides and (137)Cs from soil to plants used in traditional medicine were determined. The transfer factors (TF) were calculated as Bq kg(-1) of dry plant per Bq kg(-1) of dry soil. Mass activity concentrations of (226)Ra, (232)Th, (40)K and (137)Cs in soil and plant samples were measured with high purity germanium detector (HPGe). The concentrations of As, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined, as well as the cation exchange capacity (CEC) and the content of exchangeable cations (Ca, Mg, K, Na). Wide ranges of values were obtained for all the metals, especially for Cr and Ni. The Absalom model was used for determination of the amount of (137)Cs transferred from soil to plant based on soil characteristics such as pH, exchangeable potassium, humus and clay contents. The estimated transfer factors were in the range from 0.011 to 0.307 with an arithmetic mean of 0.071, median of 0.050, geometric mean of 0.053 and geometric standard deviation (GSD) of 2.08. This value agreed well with that calculated from the measurements of 0.069, geometric mean 0.040 and GSD 3.19. Correlations between radionuclides, metals, physicochemical properties and transfer factors were determined by Spearman correlation coefficient. There was a strong positive correlation between (137)Cs transfer factor and the ratio of transfer factor for K and (137)Cs. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was performed in order to identify some pattern of data. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Synthesis, Characterization and Decomposition Studies of Tris(N,N-dibenzyldithiocarbamato) Indium(III): Chemical Spray Deposition of Polycrystalline CuInS2 on Copper Films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hehemann, David G.; Lau, J. Eva; Harris, Jerry D.; Hoops, Michael D.; Duffy, Norman V.; Fanwick, Philip E.; Khan, Osman; Jin, Michael H.-C.; Hepp, Aloysius F.

2005-01-01

Tris(bis(phenylmethyl)carbamodithioato-S,S ), commonly referred to as tris(N,Ndibenzyldithiocarbamato) indium(III), In(S2CNBz2)3, was synthesized and characterized by single crystal X-ray crystallography. The compound crystallizes in the triclinic space group P1 bar with two molecules per unit cell. The material was further characterized using a novel analytical system employing the combined powers of thermogravimetric analysis, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and Fourier-Transform infrared spectroscopy to investigate its potential use as a precursor for the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of thin film materials for photovoltaic applications. Upon heating, the material thermally decomposes to release CS2 and benzyl moieties in to the gas phase, resulting in bulk In2S3. Preliminary spray CVD experiments indicate that In(S2CNBz2)3 decomposed on a Cu substrate reacts to produce stoichiometric CuInS2 films.

Contribution of a contralateral hearing aid to perception of consonant voicing, intonation, and emotional state in adult cochlear implantees.

PubMed

Most, Tova; Gaon-Sivan, Gal; Shpak, Talma; Luntz, Michal

2012-01-01

Binaural hearing in cochlear implant (CI) users can be achieved either by bilateral implantation or bimodally with a contralateral hearing aid (HA). Binaural-bimodal hearing has the advantage of complementing the high-frequency electric information from the CI by low-frequency acoustic information from the HA. We examined the contribution of a contralateral HA in 25 adult implantees to their perception of fundamental frequency-cued speech characteristics (initial consonant voicing, intonation, and emotions). Testing with CI alone, HA alone, and bimodal hearing showed that all three characteristics were best perceived under the bimodal condition. Significant differences were recorded between bimodal and HA conditions in the initial voicing test, between bimodal and CI conditions in the intonation test, and between both bimodal and CI conditions and between bimodal and HA conditions in the emotion-in-speech test. These findings confirmed that such binaural-bimodal hearing enhances perception of these speech characteristics and suggest that implantees with residual hearing in the contralateral ear may benefit from a HA in that ear.

Spectrophotometric and electrochemical study for metal ion binding of azocalix[4]arene bearing p-ethylester group

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Tae Hyun

2017-05-01

The complexation behavior of diazophenylcalix[4]arene bearing para-ethylester group (p-EAC) for alkali, alkaline earth, various heavy and transition metal ions (Li+, Na+, K+, Rb+, Cs+, Mg2 +, Ca2 +, Sr2 +, Ba2 +, Cr3 +, Fe2 +, Co2 +, Ni2 +, Cu2 +, Zn2 +, Pb2 +) was investigated by spectrophotometric and electrochemical methods in CH3CN. p-EAC exhibits decreased absorbance at 353 nm in the presence of Cr3 +, Fe2 +, Pb2 +, and Cu2 +. The spectra of p-EAC showed bathochromic shift in absorption maximum on the addition of Cr3 +, Fe2 +, or Pb2 + with decreasing order of absorbance (Cr3 + > Fe2 + > Pb2 +), and on the other hand, hypsochromic shift on the addition of Cu2 +. This leads to the selective coloration from light green to orange and colorless for Cr3 + and Cu2 + that can be detected by the naked eye, respectively. In electrochemistry experiments, p-EAC also showed two different types of voltammetric changes toward Cr3 +, Fe2 +, or Pb2 +, and toward Cu2 +, whereas no significant changes occurred in the presence of the other metal ions. Nonlinear fitting curve procedure was used to determine a logarithmic value of 5.20, 4.92, 3.54 and 4.80 for the stability constants of the complex of p-EAC with Cr3 +, Fe2 +, Pb2 +, and Cu2 +, respectively.

The promotional effects of cesium promoter on higher alcohol synthesis from syngas over cesium-promoted Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sun, Jie; Cai, Qiuxia; Wan, Yan

In this study, the promotional effects of cesium promoter on higher alcohol (C2+OH) synthesis from syngas over Cs-Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts were investigated using a combined experimental and theoretical density functional theory (DFT) calculation method. In the presence of cesium, the C2+OH productivity increases from 77.1 g•kgcat-1•h-1 to 157.3 g•kgcat-1•h-1 at 583 K due to the enhancement of the initial C–C bond formation. Detailed analysis of chain growth probabilities (CGPs) confirms that initial C–C bond formation is the rate-determining step in the temperature range of 543-583 K. Addition of cesium promoter significantly increases the productivities of 2-methyl-1-propanol, while the CGPs values (C3*more » to 2-methyl-C3*) is almost unaffected. With the assistance of cesium promoter, the CGPs of the initial C–C bond formation step (C1* to C2*) could be increased from 0.13 to 0.25 at 583 K. DFT calculations indicate that the initial C–C bond formation is mainly contributed by the HCO+HCO coupling reaction over the ZnCu(211) model surface. In the presence of the Cs2O, the stabilities of key reaction intermediates such as HCO and H2CO are enhanced which facilitates both HCO+HCO and HCO+H2CO coupling reaction steps with lower activation barriers over the Cs2O-ZnCu(211) surface. The promotional effects of cesium on the C2+OH productivity are also benefited from the competitive CH+HCO coupling reaction over CH hydrogenation that leads to lower alkane formation. In addition, Bader charge analysis suggests that the presence of cesium ions would facilitate the nucleophilic reaction between HCO and H2CO for initial C–C bond formation. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 91545114 and No. 91545203). We appreciate the joint PhD scholarship support from the China Scholarship Council. The authors would also like to thank the support from Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (2011-iChEM). DM was supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences. Computing time was granted by the William R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL). EMSL is a national scientific user facility located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and sponsored by DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research. PNNL is a multiprogram national laboratory operated for DOE by Battelle Memorial Institute. We also appreciate the support from Sinochem Quanzhou Petrochemical Co. Ltd.« less

Mobility of 137Cs in freshwater lakes: A mass balance and diffusion study of Lake St. Clair, Southeast Michigan, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jinlong; Baskaran, Mark; Niedermiller, John

2017-12-01

Cesium-137 is one of the most widely utilized anthropogenic radionuclides, both as a tracer and chronometer in the environment. Its application as an effective chronometer requires a thorough understanding of its geochemical behavior in aqueous systems. In this study, we collected and analyzed a suite of time-series water samples over a period of 8 months (April - November 2015), for particulate and dissolved 137Cs activities from a watershed in southeast Michigan, USA, using Cu2Fe(CN)6-coated cartridges developed to pre-concentrate dissolved 137Cs. We also conducted a series of laboratory experiments with the natural freshwater sediment samples and water with different chemical composition. There were seasonal variations of both particulate and dissolved 137Cs activities in the watersheds of Lake St. Clair. The distribution coefficients of 137Cs determined over a period of 8 months varied between 0.14 × 105 and 6.1 × 105 mL g-1 (mean: 2.9 × 105 mL g-1). The annual input and export flux of total 137Cs activity via rivers into and out of Lake St. Clair were calculated to be 3.6 × 1010 Bq and 1.6 × 1010 Bq, respectively. The amount of 137Cs derived by diffusion from interstitial pore water to the water column was estimated to be 0.30 × 1010 Bq (8.3% of the total input flux) which is similar to the percentage of 137Cs desorption (13%-20%) from sediment placed in oxic soft water system over a period of 30-106 days. For the same concentrations of NH4+, Mn2+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Na+ and Sr2+ in a distilled water, our lab work showed that the sediment-sorbed 137Cs is displaced by ions in the order NH4+ > Mn2+ > K+ > Mg2+ ≈ Ca2+ > Na+ > Sr2+. In laboratory studies, 137Cs sorbed onto sediment was found to be less mobile in oxic soft water (Kd: 2.0 × 103 mL g-1) and more mobile in anoxic soft water (Kd: 0.2 × 103 mL g-1). In a hard water system, however, there is no significant difference in Kd values for both oxic and anoxic conditions. The sequence of Kd values is: oxic soft water > oxic hard water > anoxic hard water > anoxic soft water. The desorption experiments with 137Cs-sorbed sediments also confirmed that 137Cs is much more mobile in soft water than hard water. This mobility of 137Cs under oxic hard water system makes sedimentation rate estimation by 137Cs (based on the time the introduction of 137Cs) problematic in some soft water lakes, and estuarine and coastal waters.

Chemically modified activated carbon with 1-acylthiosemicarbazide for selective solid-phase extraction and preconcentration of trace Cu(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II) from water samples.

PubMed

Gao, Ru; Hu, Zheng; Chang, Xijun; He, Qun; Zhang, Lijun; Tu, Zhifeng; Shi, Jianping

2009-12-15

A new sorbent 1-acylthiosemicarbazide-modified activated carbon (AC-ATSC) was prepared as a solid-phase extractant and applied for removing of trace Cu(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II) prior to their determination by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The separation/preconcentration conditions of analytes were investigated, including effects of pH, the shaking time, the sample flow rate and volume, the elution condition and the interfering ions. At pH 3, the maximum static adsorption capacity of Cu(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II) onto the AC-ATSC were 78.20, 67.80 and 48.56 mg g(-1), respectively. The adsorbed metal ions were quantitatively eluted by 3.0 mL of 2% CS(NH2)2 and 2.0 mol L(-1) HCl solution. Common coexisting ions did not interfere with the separation. According to the definition of IUPAC, the detection limits (3sigma) of this method for Cu(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II) were 0.20, 0.12 and 0.45 ng mL(-1), respectively. The relative standard deviation under optimum conditions is less than 4.0% (n=8). The prepared sorbent was applied for the preconcentration of trace Cu(II), Hg(II) and Pb(II) in certified and water samples with satisfactory results.

Functional MRI evidence for fine motor praxis dysfunction in children with persistent speech disorders.

PubMed

Redle, Erin; Vannest, Jennifer; Maloney, Thomas; Tsevat, Rebecca K; Eikenberry, Sarah; Lewis, Barbara; Shriberg, Lawrence D; Tkach, Jean; Holland, Scott K

2015-02-09

Children with persistent speech disorders (PSD) often present with overt or subtle motor deficits; the possibility that speech disorders and motor deficits could arise from a shared neurological base is currently unknown. Functional MRI (fMRI) was used to examine the brain networks supporting fine motor praxis in children with PSD and without clinically identified fine motor deficits. This case-control study included 12 children with PSD (mean age 7.42 years, four female) and 12 controls (mean age 7.44 years, four female). Children completed behavioral evaluations using standardized motor assessments and parent reported functional measures. During fMRI scanning, participants completed a cued finger tapping task contrasted passive listening. A general linear model approach identified brain regions associated with finger tapping in each group and regions that differed between groups. The relationship between regional fMRI activation and fine motor skill was assessed using a regression analysis. Children with PSD had significantly poorer results for rapid speech production and fine motor praxis skills, but did not differ on classroom functional skills. Functional MRI results showed that children with PSD had significantly more activation in the cerebellum during finger tapping. Positive correlations between performance on a fine motor praxis test and activation multiple cortical regions were noted for children with PSD but not for controls. Over-activation in the cerebellum during a motor task may reflect a subtle abnormality in the non-speech motor neural circuitry in children with PSD. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

SU-D-206-06: Task-Specific Optimization of Scintillator Thickness for CMOS-Detector Based Cone-Beam Breast CT

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vedantham, S; Shrestha, S; Shi, L

Purpose: To optimize the cesium iodide (CsI:Tl) scintillator thickness in a complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS)-based detector for use in dedicated cone-beam breast CT. Methods: The imaging task considered was the detection of a microcalcification cluster comprising six 220µm diameter calcium carbonate spheres, arranged in the form of a regular pentagon with 2 mm spacing on its sides and a central calcification, similar to that in ACR-recommended mammography accreditation phantom, at a mean glandular dose of 4.5 mGy. Generalized parallel-cascades based linear systems analysis was used to determine Fourier-domain image quality metrics in reconstructed object space, from which the detectability indexmore » inclusive of anatomical noise was determined for a non-prewhitening numerical observer. For 300 projections over 2π, magnification-associated focal-spot blur, Monte Carlo derived x-ray scatter, K-fluorescent emission and reabsorption within CsI:Tl, CsI:Tl quantum efficiency and optical blur, fiberoptic plate transmission efficiency and blur, CMOS quantum efficiency, pixel aperture function and additive noise, and filtered back-projection to isotropic 105µm voxel pitch with bilinear interpolation were modeled. Imaging geometry of a clinical prototype breast CT system, a 60 kV Cu/Al filtered x-ray spectrum from 0.3 mm focal spot incident on a 14 cm diameter semi-ellipsoidal breast were used to determine the detectability index for 300–600 µm thick (75µm increments) CsI:Tl. The CsI:Tl thickness that maximized the detectability index was considered optimal. Results: The limiting resolution (10% modulation transfer function, MTF) progressively decreased with increasing CsI:Tl thickness. The zero-frequency detective quantum efficiency, DQE(0), in projection space increased with increasing CsI:Tl thickness. The maximum detectability index was achieved with 525µm thick CsI:Tl scintillator. Reduced MTF at mid-to-high frequencies for 600µm thick CsI:Tl lowered the detectability index than 525µm CsI:Tl. Conclusion: For the x-ray spectrum and imaging conditions considered, a 525µm thick CsI:Tl scintillator integrated with the CMOS detector is optimal for detecting microcalcification cluster. Funding support: Supported in part by NIH R01 CA195512. The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not reflect the official views of the NIH or the NCI. Disclosures: SV, GV and AK - Research collaboration, Koning Corp., West Henrietta, NY.« less

Technogenic contaminations of the soil-plant cover in the Primorsky Krai, Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molchanova, Inna; Pozolotina, Vera; Mikhailovskaya, Ludmila; Antonova, Elena; Zhuravlev, Yury; Timofeeva, Yana; Burdukovsky, Maxim

2013-04-01

All economical development of the countries carries out monitoring as with the aim to estimate impact of the industrial enterprises and nuclear-energetic complexes as consequences of the nuclear accidents. The investigation the region of the Far East due to proximity to epicentre of accident on Fukushima-1 NPP is of a great interest. The aim of this work are radioecological investigations and estimate technogenic load on the ecosystems of tightly populated plots of the shore zone of the Vladivostok region. Eight plots were located on the investigated territory. The tree fall, forest litters and soils were sampling from the profile cuts of layer by layer, up to 20 cm. The artificial radionuclides (Sr-90 and Cs-134,137), as heavy metals and microelements (Co, Cu, Zn, Pb and Mn) content in the prepared samples was determined. The stock of Sr-90 fluctuates from 0.3 to 1.3 kBq/m2 and Cs-137 was from 0.4 to 3.0 kBq/m2 in the examined soils. On the whole, the level of the radionuclides content in the soil cover is within the limits of the background that was formed in the belt between 50° and 60° of northern latitude. The presence in investigated samples of Cs-134 indicates to contribution of accidental fallout of Fukushima-1 into contamination of the components of the natural ecosystems. In a year's time after the accident the stock of this isotope in the soils was 0.01-0.20 kBq/m^2. It is by factor of 10-100 lower than the stock of Cs-137. Taking into account that the ratio Cs-134/Cs-137 on the moment of accident was equal to unity (1:1). It can be estimated the quantity of Cs-137 entering into environment during post - accident period. This quantity was an average 0.03-0.30 kBq/m2 (with correction on radionuclides decay). The observation for the state of the soil cover includes the estimate of the level and peculiarities of distribution in the soils of heavy metals and microelements. Their content in the soils is formed from Clarke number and additional industrial gas-aerosol fallout. The analysis of a large volume data permitted to calculate the maximal level of the elements content in a soil under influence only natural factors. It was established, that maximal content of Co, Zn, Mn in these soils exceed of their Clarke's numbers. Minimal elements content was found for a tree fall. As a rule, this content is by factor of 10-100 lower than the Clarke values. Maximal concentration is in the soil layer. At the same time the additional technogenic fall-out produces the double increasing of the content of Cu and Pb in the soil layer. For the rest elements the concentrations increased on 8-32%. Acknowledgements. This work was supported by the grant for integrative research between the Ural and Far Eastern Branches of the Russian Academy of Sciences (12-C-4-1001).

Flux-limited sample of Galactic carbon stars

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Claussen, M.J.; Kleinmann, S.G.; Joyce, R.R.

Published observational data (including IRAS observations) for a flux-limited sample of 215 Galactic carbon stars (CSs) selected from the 2-micron sky survey of Neugebauer and Leighton (1969) are compiled in extensive tables and graphs and analyzed statistically. The sample is found to penetrate a volume of radius 1.5 kpc, and the local CS space density and surface density are calculated as log rho0 (per cu kpc) = 2.0 + or - 0.4 and log N (per sq kpc) = 1.6 + or - 0.2, respectively. The total Galactic mass-return rate from these CSs is estimated as 0.013 solar mass/yr, implyingmore » a time scale of 0.1-1 Myr for the CS evolutionary phase and a mass of 1.2-1.6 solar mass for the (probably F-type) main-seqence progenitors of CSs. 81 references.« less

DLLME-spectrophotometric determination of glyphosate residue in legumes.

PubMed

Çetin, Emine; Şahan, Serkan; Ülgen, Ahmet; Şahin, Uğur

2017-09-01

A new separation and pre-concentration method for spectrophotometric determination of glyphosate herbicide was developed. Glyphosate was converted into dithiocarbamic acid with CS 2 , followed by copper in the presence of ammonia to promote complex formation. This complex was collected in a CH 2 Cl 2 organic drop and absorbance measured at 435nm. The analytical parameters, such as the amount of NH 3 , Cu(II) and CS 2 , type of extraction solutions, and the ratio of dispersive and organic liquids were optimized. The calibration curve was linear in the range 0.5-10mgl -1 . The limits of detection and quantification were calculated from 3s to 10s criterions as 0.21mgl -1 and 0.70mgl -1 , respectively. The developed method was applied to legume samples with the satisfactory recovery values of 98±4-102±3%. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spermicidal activity of some halides.

PubMed

Narayan, J P; Singh, J N

1979-01-01

Though most of the metallic ions are spermicidal in action, the present investigation emphasises the spermicidal activity of anions. Among the inorganic compounds screened at 4 concentrations (0.01%, 0.1%, 1% and 5%) halides are mainly spermicidal, except NaCl, KCl & CsCl which are spermiostatic; sulphates and nitrates are mainly spermiostatic except ZnSO4 at 1% concentration and above; CuSO4, Al2 (SO4)3, Uo2(NO3)2.6H2O and AgNO3 at 5% concentration where they become spermicidal.

Effects of different warming patterns on the translocations of cadmium and copper in a soil-rice seedling system.

PubMed

Ge, Liqiang; Cang, Long; Liu, Hui; Zhou, Dongmei

2015-10-01

Heavy-metal-polluted rice poses potential threats to food security and has received great attention in recent years, while how elevated temperature affects the translocation of heavy metals in soil-rice system is unclear. In this study, potting experiments were conducted in plant growth chambers for 24 days to evaluate the effects of different warming patterns on cadmium (Cd) and copper (Cu) migrations in soil-rice seedling system. Rice seedlings were cultivated under four different day/night temperature patterns: 25/18 °C (CK), 25/23 °C (N5), 30/18 °C (D5), and 30/23 °C (DN5), respectively. Non-contaminated soil (CS), Cd/Cu lightly polluted soil (LS), and highly polluted soil (HS) were chosen for experiments. The results showed that different warming patterns decreased soil pH and elevated available soil Cd/Cu concentrations. The shoot and root biomass were increased by 39.0-320 and 28.6-348 %, respectively. Warming induced significant (p < 0.05) increase of Cd/Cu uptake and translocation in rice seedlings, especially for the Cd concentration in shoot. The Cd concentrations of shoot increased by 5-12 times and up to 8 times for LS and HS, respectively. Meanwhile, the Cd concentration of shoot increased with warming while that of root kept unchanged, indicating that warming promoted cadmium translocation from root to shoot (about -four to nine times of CK), while warming changed the Cu concentration of shoot similarly to that of root and had no significant effects on Cu translocations in rice seedlings. Our study may provide improved understanding for Cd/Cu fates in soil-rice system by warming and imply that heavy metals had the higher environmental risk under the future global warming.

Click chemistry improved wet adhesion strength of mussel-inspired citrate-based antimicrobial bioadhesives

PubMed Central

Guo, Jinshan; Kim, Gloria B.; Shan, Dingying; Kim, Jimin P.; Hu, Jianqing; Wang, Wei; Hamad, Fawzi G.; Qian, Guoying; Rizk, Elias B.; Yang, Jian

2016-01-01

For the first time, a convenient copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC, click chemistry) was successfully introduced into injectable citrate-based mussel-inspired bioadhesives (iCMBAs, iCs) to improve both cohesive and wet adhesive strengths and elongate the degradation time, providing numerous advantages in surgical applications. The major challenge to developing such an adhesive was the mutual inhibition effect between the oxidant used for crosslinking catechol groups and the Cu(II) reductant used for CuAAC, which was successfully minimized by adding a biocompatible buffering agent typically used in cell culture, 4-(2-hydroxyethyl) -1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid (HEPES), as a copper chelating agent. Among the investigated formulations, the highest adhesion strength achieved (223.11 ± 15.94 kPa) was around 13 times higher than that of a commercially available fibrin glue (15.4 ± 2.8 kPa). In addition, dual-crosslinked (i.e. click crosslinking and mussel-inspired crosslinking) iCMBAs still preserved considerable antibacterial and antifungal capabilities that are beneficial for the bioadhesives used as hemostatic adhesives or sealants for wound management. PMID:27770631

Enhancement of TbIII–CuII Single‐Molecule Magnet Performance through Structural Modification

PubMed Central

Heras Ojea, María José; Milway, Victoria A.; Velmurugan, Gunasekaran; Thomas, Lynne H.; Coles, Simon J.; Wilson, Claire; Wernsdorfer, Wolfgang

2016-01-01

Abstract We report a series of 3d–4f complexes {Ln2Cu3(H3L)2Xn} (X=OAc−, Ln=Gd, Tb or X=NO3 −, Ln=Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er) using the 2,2′‐(propane‐1,3‐diyldiimino)bis[2‐(hydroxylmethyl)propane‐1,3‐diol] (H6L) pro‐ligand. All complexes, except that in which Ln=Gd, show slow magnetic relaxation in zero applied dc field. A remarkable improvement of the energy barrier to reorientation of the magnetisation in the {Tb2Cu3(H3L)2Xn} complexes is seen by changing the auxiliary ligands (X=OAc− for NO3 −). This leads to the largest reported relaxation barrier in zero applied dc field for a Tb/Cu‐based single‐molecule magnet. Ab initio CASSCF calculations performed on mononuclear TbIII models are employed to understand the increase in energy barrier and the calculations suggest that the difference stems from a change in the TbIII coordination environment (C 4v versus Cs). PMID:27484259

Determination of the Extent of Trace Metals Pollution in Soils, Sediments and Human Hair at e-Waste Recycling Site in Ghana.

PubMed

Tokumaru, Takashi; Ozaki, Hirokazu; Onwona-Agyeman, Siaw; Ofosu-Anim, John; Watanabe, Izumi

2017-10-01

The concentrations of trace elements (Mg, Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Y, Mo, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Cs, Ba, Tl, Pb, and Bi) in soils, sediment, human hair, and foodstuff collected around the electronic waste (e-waste) recycling sites in Accra, Ghana were detected using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). High levels of Cu, Zn, Mo, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, and Pb were observed in soils collected from the e-waste recycling sites. Four sequential extraction procedures were used to evaluate the mobility and bioavailability of metals (Cu, Zn, Cd, Sb, and Pb). Especially, the results showed that Cd and Zn in soils were mostly recovered in exchangeable fraction (respectively 58.9 and 62.8%). Sediment collected from around the site had enrichment of Zn, Sn, Sb, Mo, In, Pb, and Bi. The concentrations of Cu, Mo, Cd, Sb, and Pb in human hair were significantly higher than those collected from the control site (p < 0.01). Additionally, hierarchical cluster analysis reviewed that these elements were derived from e-waste activities. The results of Pb isotopic ratios in the samples indicate that Pb in human hair possibly originated from contaminated soils, fish, and foodstuff.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cao, G. H.; Oertel, C. -G.; Schaarschuch, R.

DyCu and YCu are representatives of the family of CsCl-type B2 rare earth intermetallic compounds that exhibit high room temperature ductility. Structure, orientation relationship, and morphology of the martensites in the equiatomic compounds DyCu and YCu are examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM studies show that the martensite structures in DyCu and YCu alloys are virtually identical. The martensite is of orthorhombic CrB-type B33 structure with lattice parameters a = 0.38 nm, b = 1.22 nm, and c = 0.40 nm. (021¯) twins were observed in the B33 DyCu and YCu martensites. The orientation relationship of B33 and B2more » phases is (111¯)[112]B33 || (110)[001]B2. The simulated electron diffraction patterns of the B33 phase are consistent with those of experimental observations. TEM investigations also reveal that a dominant orthorhombic FeB-type B27 martensite with lattice parameters a = 0.71 nm, b = 0.45 nm, and c = 0.54 nm exists in YCu alloy. (11¯ 1) twins were observed in the B27 YCu martensite. As a result, the formation mechanism of B2 to B33 and B2 to B27 phase transformation is discussed.« less

The Coast Artillery Journal. Volume 64, Number 3, March 1926

DTIC Science & Technology

1926-03-01

Admiral William .L. Rodgers . 298 THE COAST ARTILLERY JOURNAL ANTUrBCJlAFT :\\IAcBINE Cu~u Il’f AcrJOl’f r I I EDITORIALS The Chief of Coast Artillerv ON...Jefferson and Hamilton. Therein lies the theme of this story. In our childhood histories we read extracts from the stirring speeches of Pat- rick ...made Pies a Specialty PHOEBUS, VA. FORT MONROE, ’VIRGINIA Telephone 315 Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. Everything in Season. Fresh Killed Chicken a

Envelope Responses in Single-trial EEG Indicate Attended Speaker in a Cocktail Party

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-25

attention at the cued location, which may not produce strong lateralization in alpha power. In fact, a similar cocktail party study found that alpha...enhances selective speech envelope tracking in auditory cortex at a ‘ cocktail party ’ J. Neurosci. 33 1417–26 [9] Cherry E C 1953 Some experiments on the...Envelope responses in single-trial EEG indicate attended speaker in a ‘ cocktail party ’ Cort Horton1, Ramesh Srinivasan1,2 and Michael D’Zmura1

Copper and protons directly activate the zinc-activated channel.

PubMed

Trattnig, Sarah M; Gasiorek, Agnes; Deeb, Tarek Z; Ortiz, Eydith J Comenencia; Moss, Stephen J; Jensen, Anders A; Davies, Paul A

2016-03-01

The zinc-activated channel (ZAC) is a cationic ion channel belonging to the superfamily of Cys-loop receptors, which consists of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels. ZAC is the least understood member of this family so in the present study we sought to characterize the properties of this channel further. We demonstrate that not only zinc (Zn(2+)) but also copper (Cu(2+)) and protons (H(+)) are agonists of ZAC, displaying potencies and efficacies in the rank orders of H(+)>Cu(2+)>Zn(2+) and H(+)>Zn(2+)>Cu(2+), respectively. The responses elicited by Zn(2+), Cu(2+) and H(+) through ZAC are all characterized by low degrees of desensitization. In contrast, currents evoked by high concentrations of the three agonists comprise distinctly different activation and decay components, with transitions to and from an open state being significantly faster for H(+) than for the two metal ions. The permeabilities of ZAC for Na(+) and K(+) relative to Cs(+) are indistinguishable, whereas replacing all of extracellular Na(+) and K(+) with the divalent cations Ca(2+) or Mg(2+) results in complete elimination of Zn(2+)-activated currents at both negative and positive holding potentials. This indicates that ZAC is non-selectively permeable to monovalent cations, whereas Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) inhibit the channel. In conclusion, this is the first report of a Cys-loop receptor being gated by Zn(2+), Cu(2+) and H(+). ZAC could be an important mediator of some of the wide range of physiological functions regulated by or involving Zn(2+), Cu(2+) and H(+). Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Determining Sediment Sources in the Anacostia River Watershed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devereux, O. H.; Needelman, B. A.; Prestegaard, K. L.; Gellis, A. C.; Ritchie, J. C.

2005-12-01

Suspended sediment is a water-quality problem in the Chesapeake Bay. This project is designed to identify sediment sources in an urban watershed, the Northeast Branch of the Anacostia River (in Washington, D.C. and Maryland - drainage area = 188.5 km2), which delivers sediment directly to the Bay. This watershed spans two physiographic regions - the Piedmont and Coastal Plain. Bank sediment and suspended-sediment deposits were characterized using the following techniques: radionuclide (Cs-137) analysis by gamma ray spectrometry, trace-element analysis by ICP-MS, clay mineralogy by XRD, and particle-size analysis by use of a laser particle-size analyzer. Sampling of bank and suspended sediment was designed to: a) characterize tributary inputs from both Piedmont and Coastal Plain sources, and b) differentiate tributary inputs from bank erosion along the main stem of the Northeast Branch. Thirteen sample sites were chosen that represent tributary source areas of each physiographic region and the main stem where mixing occurs. Surface samples of the banks were compared to overbank deposits from a ten year storm (a proxy for the suspended sediments). Fingerprint components are selected from these data. Cesium-137 concentrations were analyzed for bank and overbank deposits for each physiographic region. No clear differences were seen between the two physiographic regions. Significant differences were observed between upland tributaries and the main stem of the Anacostia River. The average activity of Cs-137 for the tributaries was 5.4 bq/kg and the average for the main stem was 1.1 bq/kg. This suggests that there is significant erosion and storage of sediment in the tributaries. The low activity from Cs-137 in the main stem suggests a lack of storage of sediment along the main stem of the river. For the trace-element data, we focused on elements that showed significant variation among the sites. For the bank sediment, these elements include: Sr, V, Y, Ce, and Nd. For the overbank deposits, Zr, V, Ba, Ce, and Cu showed significant variability. In both physiographic regions, Pb is primarily found in bank deposits, while Cu is found in higher concentrations in overbank deposits. The Cs-137 data clearly showed the erosion and storage of sediment patterns in the watershed. The trace-element data indicate that stream banks may be differentiated from overbank deposits.

Copper-promoted circumneutral activation of H2O2 by magnetic CuFe2O4 spinel nanoparticles: Mechanism, stoichiometric efficiency, and pathway of degrading sulfanilamide.

PubMed

Feng, Yong; Liao, Changzhong; Shih, Kaimin

2016-07-01

To evaluate the heterogeneous degradation of sulfanilamide by external energy-free Fenton-like reactions, magnetic CuFe2O4 spinel nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized and used as catalysts for activation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The physicochemical properties of the CuFe2O4 NPs were characterized with several techniques, including X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and magnetometry. In the catalytic experiments, CuFe2O4 NPs/H2O2 oxidation showed the best degradation performance in the circumneutral conditions that resulted from the presence of Cu(II) on the surface of the CuFe2O4 NPs. The surface area-normalized pseudo-first-order rate constants were calculated as 2.60 × 10(-2) L m(-1) min(-1), 2.58 × 10(-3) L m(-1) min(-1), 1.92 × 10(-3) L m(-1) min(-1), and 7.30 × 10(-4) L m(-1) min(-1) for CuO, CuFe2O4 NPs, Fe3O4, and α-Fe2O3 catalysts, respectively. Thus, solid state Cu(II) was more reactive and efficient than Fe(III) in the circumneutral activation of H2O2; this finding was further supported by the results regarding the stoichiometric efficiency of H2O2. The effects of experimental parameters such as the oxidant dosage and catalyst loading were investigated. The mechanism for H2O2 activation on the spinel surface was explored and could be explained by the solid redox cycles of Fe(II)/Fe(III) and Cu(II)/Cu(I). Based on the products detected, a degradation pathway via the CS bond cleavage is proposed for the degradation of sulfanilamide. The findings of this study suggest that copper can be used as a doping metal to improve the reactivity and expand the effective pH range of iron oxides. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Speech-language pathologists' practices regarding assessment, analysis, target selection, intervention, and service delivery for children with speech sound disorders.

PubMed

Mcleod, Sharynne; Baker, Elise

2014-01-01

A survey of 231 Australian speech-language pathologists (SLPs) was undertaken to describe practices regarding assessment, analysis, target selection, intervention, and service delivery for children with speech sound disorders (SSD). The participants typically worked in private practice, education, or community health settings and 67.6% had a waiting list for services. For each child, most of the SLPs spent 10-40 min in pre-assessment activities, 30-60 min undertaking face-to-face assessments, and 30-60 min completing paperwork after assessments. During an assessment SLPs typically conducted a parent interview, single-word speech sampling, collected a connected speech sample, and used informal tests. They also determined children's stimulability and estimated intelligibility. With multilingual children, informal assessment procedures and English-only tests were commonly used and SLPs relied on family members or interpreters to assist. Common analysis techniques included determination of phonological processes, substitutions-omissions-distortions-additions (SODA), and phonetic inventory. Participants placed high priority on selecting target sounds that were stimulable, early developing, and in error across all word positions and 60.3% felt very confident or confident selecting an appropriate intervention approach. Eight intervention approaches were frequently used: auditory discrimination, minimal pairs, cued articulation, phonological awareness, traditional articulation therapy, auditory bombardment, Nuffield Centre Dyspraxia Programme, and core vocabulary. Children typically received individual therapy with an SLP in a clinic setting. Parents often observed and participated in sessions and SLPs typically included siblings and grandparents in intervention sessions. Parent training and home programs were more frequently used than the group therapy. Two-thirds kept up-to-date by reading journal articles monthly or every 6 months. There were many similarities with previously reported practices for children with SSD in the US, UK, and the Netherlands, with some (but not all) practices aligning with current research evidence.

Assessment of rhythmic entrainment at multiple timescales in dyslexia: evidence for disruption to syllable timing.

PubMed

Leong, Victoria; Goswami, Usha

2014-02-01

Developmental dyslexia is associated with rhythmic difficulties, including impaired perception of beat patterns in music and prosodic stress patterns in speech. Spoken prosodic rhythm is cued by slow (<10 Hz) fluctuations in speech signal amplitude. Impaired neural oscillatory tracking of these slow amplitude modulation (AM) patterns is one plausible source of impaired rhythm tracking in dyslexia. Here, we characterise the temporal profile of the dyslexic rhythm deficit by examining rhythmic entrainment at multiple speech timescales. Adult dyslexic participants completed two experiments aimed at testing the perception and production of speech rhythm. In the perception task, participants tapped along to the beat of 4 metrically-regular nursery rhyme sentences. In the production task, participants produced the same 4 sentences in time to a metronome beat. Rhythmic entrainment was assessed using both traditional rhythmic indices and a novel AM-based measure, which utilised 3 dominant AM timescales in the speech signal each associated with a different phonological grain-sized unit (0.9-2.5 Hz, prosodic stress; 2.5-12 Hz, syllables; 12-40 Hz, phonemes). The AM-based measure revealed atypical rhythmic entrainment by dyslexic participants to syllable patterns in speech, in perception and production. In the perception task, both groups showed equally strong phase-locking to Syllable AM patterns, but dyslexic responses were entrained to a significantly earlier oscillatory phase angle than controls. In the production task, dyslexic utterances showed shorter syllable intervals, and differences in Syllable:Phoneme AM cross-frequency synchronisation. Our data support the view that rhythmic entrainment at slow (∼5 Hz, Syllable) rates is atypical in dyslexia, suggesting that neural mechanisms for syllable perception and production may also be atypical. These syllable timing deficits could contribute to the atypical development of phonological representations for spoken words, the central cognitive characteristic of developmental dyslexia across languages. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessment of rhythmic entrainment at multiple timescales in dyslexia: Evidence for disruption to syllable timing☆

PubMed Central

Leong, Victoria; Goswami, Usha

2014-01-01

Developmental dyslexia is associated with rhythmic difficulties, including impaired perception of beat patterns in music and prosodic stress patterns in speech. Spoken prosodic rhythm is cued by slow (<10 Hz) fluctuations in speech signal amplitude. Impaired neural oscillatory tracking of these slow amplitude modulation (AM) patterns is one plausible source of impaired rhythm tracking in dyslexia. Here, we characterise the temporal profile of the dyslexic rhythm deficit by examining rhythmic entrainment at multiple speech timescales. Adult dyslexic participants completed two experiments aimed at testing the perception and production of speech rhythm. In the perception task, participants tapped along to the beat of 4 metrically-regular nursery rhyme sentences. In the production task, participants produced the same 4 sentences in time to a metronome beat. Rhythmic entrainment was assessed using both traditional rhythmic indices and a novel AM-based measure, which utilised 3 dominant AM timescales in the speech signal each associated with a different phonological grain-sized unit (0.9–2.5 Hz, prosodic stress; 2.5–12 Hz, syllables; 12–40 Hz, phonemes). The AM-based measure revealed atypical rhythmic entrainment by dyslexic participants to syllable patterns in speech, in perception and production. In the perception task, both groups showed equally strong phase-locking to Syllable AM patterns, but dyslexic responses were entrained to a significantly earlier oscillatory phase angle than controls. In the production task, dyslexic utterances showed shorter syllable intervals, and differences in Syllable:Phoneme AM cross-frequency synchronisation. Our data support the view that rhythmic entrainment at slow (∼5 Hz, Syllable) rates is atypical in dyslexia, suggesting that neural mechanisms for syllable perception and production may also be atypical. These syllable timing deficits could contribute to the atypical development of phonological representations for spoken words, the central cognitive characteristic of developmental dyslexia across languages. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled . PMID:23916752

Copper(I), silver(I) and gold(I) halide complexes with the dithioformamidinium dihalides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peyronel, Giorgio; Malavasi, Wanda; Pignedoli, Anna

Some copper(I), silver(I) and gold(I) halide complexes with the dithioformamidinium dihalides (Tu 2X 2) were prepared and studied by infrared spectroscopy and conductometry: 3CuX.2Tu 2X 2(XCl,I), CuBr.Tu 2Br 2, 4CuBr.3.5Tu 2Br 2.MeOH, 2CuBr.Tu 2Br 2.0.66EtOH, 3CuI.2Tu 2I 2, 2AgCl.2.5Tu 2Cl 2, 3AgCl.2Tu 2Cl 2.0.5EtOH, 3AgCl.Tu 2Cl 2, 2AgBr.2Tu 2Br 2.0.5Tu 2(NO 3) 2.H 2O, AgBr.Tu 2Br 2, 4AgBr.Tu 2Br 2, 4AgI.0.5Tu 2I 2.EtOH, AuCl.1.5Tu 2Cl 2, 4AuCl.3.5Tu 2Cl 2.2DMF, AuBr.4Tu 2Br 2, AuBr.2Tu 2Br 2.1.5DMF, AuI.5Tu 2I 2, AuI.Tu 2I 2. A decrease of the ν(NH), δ(NH 2) and ν(CN 2) frequencies and an increase of the ν(CS) frequencies indicate an N-coordination of the dithioformamidinium cation to the metal ions; ν(MN) and ν(MX) frequencies are tentatively assigned in the far-infrared spectra.

Investigations on the direct introduction of cigarette smoke for trace elements analysis by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Michael J.; Naworal, John D.; Walker, Kathleen; Connell, Chris T.

2003-11-01

Direct introduction of mainstream cigarette smoke into an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has been investigated with respect to its feasibility for on-line analysis of trace elements. An automated apparatus was designed and built interfacing a smoking machine with an ICP-MS for smoke generation, collection, injection and analysis. Major and minor elements present in the particulate phase and the gas phase of mainstream cigarette smoke of 2R4F reference cigarettes have been qualitatively identified by examination of their full mass spectra. This method provides a rapid-screening analysis of the transfer of trace elements into mainstream smoke during cigarette combustion. A full suite of elements present in the whole cigarette smoke has been identified, including As, B, Ba, Br, Cd, Cl, Cs, Cu, Hg, I, K, Li, Mn, Na, Pb, Rb, Sb, Sn, Tl and Zn. Of these elements, the major portions of B, Ba, Cs, Cu, K, Li, Mn, Na, Pb, Rb, Sn, Tl and Zn are present in the particulate phase, whereas the major portion of Hg is present in the gas phase. As, Br, Cd, Cl, I and Sb exist in a distribution between the gas phase and the particulate phase. Depending on the element, the precision of measurement ranges from 5 to 25% in terms of relative standard deviation of peak height and peak area, based on the fourth puff of 2R4F mainstream cigarette smoke analyzed in five smoking replicates.

Magneto-acoustic study near the quantum critical point of the frustrated quantum antiferromagnet Cs{sub 2}CuCl{sub 4}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cong, P. T., E-mail: t.pham@hzdr.de; Physics Institute, Goethe University Frankfurt, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main; Postulka, L.

2016-10-14

Magneto-acoustic investigations of the frustrated triangular-lattice antiferromagnet Cs{sub 2}CuCl{sub 4} were performed for the longitudinal modes c{sub 11} and c{sub 33} in magnetic fields along the a-axis. The temperature dependence of the sound velocity at zero field shows a mild softening at low temperature and displays a small kink-like anomaly at T{sub N}. Isothermal measurements at T < T{sub N} of the sound attenuation α reveal two closely spaced features of different characters on approaching the material's quantum-critical point (QCP) at B{sub s} ≈ 8.5 T for B || a. The peak at slightly lower fields remains sharp down to the lowest temperaturemore » and can be attributed to the ordering temperature T{sub N}(B). The second anomaly, which is rounded and which becomes reduced in size upon cooling, is assigned to the material's spin-liquid properties preceding the long-range antiferromagnetic ordering with decreasing temperature. These two features merge upon cooling suggesting a coincidence at the QCP. The elastic constant at lowest temperatures of our experiment at 32 mK can be well described by a Landau free energy model with a very small magnetoelastic coupling constant G/k{sub B} ≈ 2.8 K. The applicability of this classical model indicates the existence of a small gap in the magnetic excitation spectrum which drives the system away from quantum criticality.« less

Spatial Variations and Sources of Trace Elements in Recent Snow from Glaciers at the Tibetan Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, J.; Li, Y.; Li, Z.; Cozzi, G.; Turetta, C.; Barbante, C.; Xiong, L.

2017-12-01

Various trace element (TEs) could be long-range transported through the atmosphere and deposited onto the snow surface. Recently, with the development of economy of China and the surrounding countries, TEs such as Pb, Cd, Mo and Sb in several glaciers from the Tibetan Plateau (TP) have been gradually affected by anthropogenic activities. This study presents the acid leached concentrations of TEs (e.g., Al, As, Ba, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Mo, Pb, Rb, Sb, Sr, Ti, Tl, U, V) and dust content sampled from Qiumianleike (QMLK), Meikuang (MK), Yuzhufeng (YZF), Xiaodongkemadi (XDKMD), Gurenhekou (GRHK) glaciers on the TP from April to May of 2013. The different concentrations of TEs in the surface snow and snow pit samples over the five glaciers show that TEs were influenced both by surrounding environment of glaciers and seasonal variations of atmospheric impurity loading. Comparison of TEs concentrations with data of other sites, elevated concentrations of As, Cu, Mo, Pb and Sb were observed in glaciers of TP, showing significant atmospheric TEs pollution. Enrichment factor(EF) analysis indicates that Rb, V, U, Cr, Ba, Cs, Li, As, Co, Mn, Tl, Sr and Cu mainly originated from crustal dust, while anthropogenic inputs such as nonferrous metals melting, coal combustion and traffic emission made an important contribution to the Mo, Pb and Sb. Evidences from air mass back trajectories show the air masses arrived at QMLK mostly came from the Taklimakan desert, the TEs from the Taklimakan desert and the western TP could be transported to the MK and YZF glaciers . The air masses derived from the western TP and the southwestern TP affected the environment of the XDKMD and GRHK glaciers. Futhermore, the air masses passed through some big cities with developed industry and large population such as Urumqi, Bishkek, Dushanbe and some countries such as Pakistan and India could also bring pollutants to the studied glaciers.

Source origin of trace elements in PM from regional background, urban and industrial sites of Spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Querol, X.; Viana, M.; Alastuey, A.; Amato, F.; Moreno, T.; Castillo, S.; Pey, J.; de la Rosa, J.; Sánchez de la Campa, A.; Artíñano, B.; Salvador, P.; García Dos Santos, S.; Fernández-Patier, R.; Moreno-Grau, S.; Negral, L.; Minguillón, M. C.; Monfort, E.; Gil, J. I.; Inza, A.; Ortega, L. A.; Santamaría, J. M.; Zabalza, J.

Despite their significant role in source apportionment analysis, studies dedicated to the identification of tracer elements of emission sources of atmospheric particulate matter based on air quality data are relatively scarce. The studies describing tracer elements of specific sources currently available in the literature mostly focus on emissions from traffic or large-scale combustion processes (e.g. power plants), but not on specific industrial processes. Furthermore, marker elements are not usually determined at receptor sites, but during emission. In our study, trace element concentrations in PM 10 and PM 2.5 were determined at 33 monitoring stations in Spain throughout the period 1995-2006. Industrial emissions from different forms of metallurgy (steel, stainless steel, copper, zinc), ceramic and petrochemical industries were evaluated. Results obtained at sites with no significant industrial development allowed us to define usual concentration ranges for a number of trace elements in rural and urban background environments. At industrial and traffic hotspots, average trace metal concentrations were highest, exceeding rural background levels by even one order of magnitude in the cases of Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, As, Sn, W, V, Ni, Cs and Pb. Steel production emissions were linked to high levels of Cr, Mn, Ni, Zn, Mo, Cd, Se and Sn (and probably Pb). Copper metallurgy areas showed high levels of As, Bi, Ga and Cu. Zinc metallurgy was characterised by high levels of Zn and Cd. Glazed ceramic production areas were linked to high levels of Zn, As, Se, Zr, Cs, Tl, Li, Co and Pb. High levels of Ni and V (in association) were tracers of petrochemical plants and/or fuel-oil combustion. At one site under the influence of heavy vessel traffic these elements could be considered tracers (although not exclusively) of shipping emissions. Levels of Zn-Ba and Cu-Sb were relatively high in urban areas when compared with industrialised regions due to tyre and brake abrasion, respectively.

Age-related changes in the functional neuroanatomy of overt speech production.

PubMed

Sörös, Peter; Bose, Arpita; Sokoloff, Lisa Guttman; Graham, Simon J; Stuss, Donald T

2011-08-01

Alterations of existing neural networks during healthy aging, resulting in behavioral deficits and changes in brain activity, have been described for cognitive, motor, and sensory functions. To investigate age-related changes in the neural circuitry underlying overt non-lexical speech production, functional MRI was performed in 14 healthy younger (21-32 years) and 14 healthy older individuals (62-84 years). The experimental task involved the acoustically cued overt production of the vowel /a/ and the polysyllabic utterance /pataka/. In younger and older individuals, overt speech production was associated with the activation of a widespread articulo-phonological network, including the primary motor cortex, the supplementary motor area, the cingulate motor areas, and the posterior superior temporal cortex, similar in the /a/ and /pataka/ condition. An analysis of variance with the factors age and condition revealed a significant main effect of age. Irrespective of the experimental condition, significantly greater activation was found in the bilateral posterior superior temporal cortex, the posterior temporal plane, and the transverse temporal gyri in younger compared to older individuals. Significantly greater activation was found in the bilateral middle temporal gyri, medial frontal gyri, middle frontal gyri, and inferior frontal gyri in older vs. younger individuals. The analysis of variance did not reveal a significant main effect of condition and no significant interaction of age and condition. These results suggest a complex reorganization of neural networks dedicated to the production of speech during healthy aging. Copyright © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tests of shock chemistry in IC 443G

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, B. E.; Chan, Kin-Wing; Green, S.; Lubowich, D. A.

1992-01-01

Eight molecular species, in the hot dense clump IC 443G, believed to be impacted by the shock wave from the SNR IC 443, are investigated. The clump consists of two distinct regions, one relatively cool, and one hotter and denser. Region 1 contains CO, HCO(+), HCN, and CN, whose abundances may be explained either by ion-molecule chemistry, or by a D shock of 60-90 km/s, passing through a clump of about 100,000/cu cm. Region 2 gives rise to SiO, CS, SO, and H2CO, and requires an ND shock of 5-15 km/s passing through a region of about 1,000,000/cu cm. Observed fractional abundances fit ND shock models if L is about 6.6 x 10 exp 15 cm. In general, observed line widths vary inversely with derived excitation density, while centroid velocities of all species are essentially identical.

Trace elements and heavy metals in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Reserve in the northern Gulf of Mexico

PubMed Central

McComb, Jacqueline Q.; Han, Fengxiang X.; Rogers, Christian; Thomas, Catherine; Arslan, Zikri; Ardeshir, Adeli; Tchounwou, Paul B.

2015-01-01

The objectives of this study are to investigate distribution of trace elements and heavy metals in the salt marsh and wetland soil and biogeochemical processes in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve of the northern Gulf of Mexico. The results show that Hg, Cd and to some extent, As and Pb have been significantly accumulated in soils. The strongest correlations were found between concentrations of Ni and total organic matter contents. The correlations decreased in the order: Ni > Cr > Sr > Co > Zn, Cd > Cu > Cs. Strong correlations were also observed between total P and concentrations of Ni, Co, Cr, Sr, Zn, Cu, and Cd. This may be related to the P spilling accident in 2005 in the Bangs Lake site. Lead isotopic ratios in soils matched well those of North American coals, indicating the contribution of Pb through atmospheric fallout from coal power plants. PMID:26238403

Effect of gamma irradiation on the TlBa2Ca2Cu3O9-δ superconducting properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadhim, Bahjat B.; Khaleel, Imad H.; Hussein, Bushra H.; Jasim, Kareem Ail; Shaban, Auday H.; AL-Maiyaly, Bushra K. H.; Mahdi, Shatha H.

2018-05-01

The aim of the present work is studing the influence of gamma irradiation on the superconducting properties of TlBr2Ca2Cu3O9-δ compound, at room temperature by using 137Cs source with dose 10,20 and 30 MRad. Specimen has been prepared by solid state reaction process. Superconductor properties and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studied before and after irradiation. It is showed that our compound has tetragonal structure correspond to the 1223 phase with decreasing of the ratio c/a due to gamma irradiation. In addition, the transition temperature (Tc(on)&Tc(off)) were decreasing from 110 to 85 K, and 129 to 117 K respectivelya,when the dose increasing from 0 to 20 MRad and increase Tc(on) to 119 K &Tc(off) 132 for dose 30 MRad.

Architecture of optical sensor for recognition of multiple toxic metal ions from water.

PubMed

Shenashen, M A; El-Safty, S A; Elshehy, E A

2013-09-15

Here, we designed novel optical sensor based on the wormhole hexagonal mesoporous core/multi-shell silica nanoparticles that enabled the selective recognition and removal of these extremely toxic metals from drinking water. The surface-coating process of a mesoporous core/double-shell silica platforms by several consequence decorations using a cationic surfactant with double alkyl tails (CS-DAT) and then a synthesized dicarboxylate 1,5-diphenyl-3-thiocarbazone (III) signaling probe enabled us to create a unique hierarchical multi-shell sensor. In this design, the high loading capacity and wrapping of the CS-DAT and III organic moieties could be achieved, leading to the formation of silica core with multi-shells that formed from double-silica, CS-DAT, and III dressing layers. In this sensing system, notable changes in color and reflectance intensity of the multi-shelled sensor for Cu(2+), Co(2+), Cd(2+), and Hg(2+) ions, were observed at pH 2, 8, 9.5 and 11.5, respectively. The multi-shelled sensor is added to enable accessibility for continuous monitoring of several different toxic metal ions and efficient multi-ion sensing and removal capabilities with respect to reversibility, selectivity, and signal stability. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genome-Wide Identification and Transcriptional Expression Analysis of Cucumber Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) Family in Response to Various Abiotic Stresses

PubMed Central

Zhou, Yong; Hu, Lifang; Wu, Hao; Jiang, Lunwei

2017-01-01

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) proteins are widely present in the plant kingdom and play important roles in different biological processes. However, little is known about the SOD genes in cucumber. In this study, night SOD genes were identified from cucumber (Cucumis sativus) using bioinformatics-based methods, including 5 Cu/ZnSODs, 3 FeSODs, and 1 MnSOD. Gene structure and motif analysis indicated that most of the SOD genes have relatively conserved exon/intron arrangement and motif composition. Phylogenetic analyses with SODs from cucumber and several other species revealed that these SOD proteins can be traced back to two ancestral SODs before the divergence of monocot and dicot plants. Many cis-elements related to stress responses and plant hormones were found in the promoter sequence of each CsSOD gene. Gene expression analysis revealed that most of the CsSOD genes are expressed in almost all the tested tissues. qRT-PCR analysis of 8 selected CsSOD genes showed that these genes could respond to heat, cold, osmotic, and salt stresses. Our results provide a basis for further functional research on SOD gene family in cucumber and facilitate their potential applications in the genetic improvement of cucumber. PMID:28808654

Colorimetric chemosensor of symmetrical benzoylthiourea derivatives as for detection of Cu2+ in aqueous solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamedan, N. A.; Hasan, S.; Zaki, H. M.; Alias, N. Z.

2017-02-01

A novel receptor, designed with a combination of oxygen (O), nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) -binding sites for metal ions was synthesized. Ortho (A), meta (B) and para (C) bearing benzoyl thiourea were designed and synthesized with triamine group to apply as colorimetric chemosensors for detection of Cu2+. The structure was confirmed by characterized the compound using Elemental analysis, Fourier Infrared (FTIR) and proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy. Functional groups of C=O, N-H, C=N and C=S were found at 1677 cm-1, 3240 cm-1, 1591 cm-1, 1024 cm-1 respectively while 1H NMR shows peaks of alkane (CH2), benzene (Ar-H), CONH, CSNH at 3.68 - 4.14, 7.16 - 7.86, 8.74, and 9.2 respectively. Elemental analysis for A, B and C C20H21N5O2S2Br2 found was compatible with the expected theoretical calculation. For an application, all of these three sensors showed excellent colorimetric specific selectivity and high sensitivity for Cu2+ in acetonitrile/water binary solutions, so only A was selected for further studies towards sensitivity. When Cu2+ was added to the solution of A, a dramatic color change from yellow to green, while other cations Fe2+, Zn2+, Ni2+, Co2+, Cr3+ and Mn2+ did not interfere with the recognition process for Cu2+. The detection limit of the sensor C toward Cu2+ was 1.15 x 10-5 M, which is less sensitive that sensor A and B with a detection limit of 6.2 x 10-6 M and 1.5 x 10-6 M respectively. This indicated that the sensor A and B might be useful as an efficient chemical sensor.

Surface chemistry characterization of hydrodesulfurization and methanol synthesis model nanocatalysts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komarneni, Mallikharjuna Rao

Surface science investigations of model catalysts have contributed significantly to heterogeneous catalysis over the past several decades. The unique properties of nanomaterials are being exploited in catalysis for the development of highly active and selective catalysts. Surface science investigations of model catalysts such as inorganic fullerene-like (IF) nanoparticles (NP), inorganic nanotubes (INT), and the oxide-supported nanoclusters are included in this dissertation. Thermal desorption spectroscopy and molecular beam scattering were respectively utilized to study the adsorption kinetics and dynamics of gas phase molecules on catalyst surfaces. In addition, ambient pressure kinetics experiments were performed to characterize the catalytic activity of hydrodesulfurization (HDS) nanocatalysts. The nanocatalysts were characterized with a variety of techniques, including Auger electron spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction. The adsorption kinetics studies of thiophene on novel HDS catalysts provided the first evidence for the presence of different adsorption sites on INT-WS2. Additionally, the adsorption sites on IF-MoS2 NP and silica-supported Mo clusters (Mo/silica) were characterized. Furthermore, the C-S bond activation energy of thiophene on Mo/silica was determined. These studies finally led to the fabrication of Ni/Co coated INT-WS2, which showed good catalytic activity towards HDS of thiophene. The studies of methanol synthesis catalysts include the adsorption kinetics and dynamics studies of CO and CO2 on Cu/silica and silica-supported EBL-fabricated Cu/CuOx nanoclusters. The adsorption dynamics of CO on Cu/silica are modeled within the frame work of the capture zone model (CZM), and the active sites of the silica-supported Au/Cu catalysts are successfully mapped. Studies on EBL model catalysts identify the rims of the CuOx nanoclusters as catalytically active sites. This observation has implications for new methanol catalyst design.

Convergent Synthesis and Photoinduced Processes in Multi-Chromophoric Rotaxanes1

PubMed Central

Megiatto, Jackson D.; Li, Ke; Schuster, David I.; Palkar, Amit; Herranz, M. Ángeles; Echegoyen, Luis; Abwandner, Silke; de Miguel, Gustavo; Guldi, Dirk M.

2010-01-01

A series of [2]rotaxane materials, in which [60]fullerene is linked to a macrocycle and ferrocene (Fc) moieties are placed at the termini of a thread, both of which possess a central Cu(I)-1,10-phenanthroline [Cu(phen)2]+ complex, were synthesized by self-assembly using Sauvage metal template methodology. Two types of threads were constructed, one with terminal ester linkages, and a second with terminal 1,2,3-triazole linkages derived from Cu(I)-catalyzed “click” 1,3-cycloaddition reactions. Model compounds lacking the fullerene moiety were prepared in an analogous manner. The ability of the interlocked Fc-[Cu(phen)2]+-C60 hybrids to undergo electron transfer upon photoexcitation was investigated by means of time-resolved fluorescence and transient absorption spectroscopy, using excitation wavelengths directed at the fullerene and [Cu(phen)2]+ subunits. The energies of the electronic excited states and charge separated (CS) states that might be formed upon photoexcitation were determined from spectroscopic and electrochemical data. These studies showed that MLCT excited states of the copper complex in the fullerenerotaxanes were quenched by electron transfer to the fullerene, resulting in charge separated states with oxidized copper and reduced fullerene moieties, (Fc)2-[Cu(phen)2]2+-C60•−. Even though electron transfer from Fc to the oxidized copper complex is predicted to be exergonic by 0.18 eV, no unequivocal evidence in support of such a process was obtained. The conclusion that Fc plays no role in the photoinduced processes in our systems rests on the lack of enhancement of the lifetime of the charge separated state as measured by decay of C60•− at ~ 1000 nm, since one-electron oxidized Fc is very difficult to detect spectroscopically in the 500–800 nm spectral region. PMID:20518479

Imaging plates calibration to X-rays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Curcio, A.; Andreoli, P.; Cipriani, M.; Claps, G.; Consoli, F.; Cristofari, G.; De Angelis, R.; Giulietti, D.; Ingenito, F.; Pacella, D.

2016-05-01

The growing interest for the Imaging Plates, due to their high sensitivity range and versatility, has induced, in the last years, to detailed characterizations of their response function in different energy ranges and kind of radiation/particles. A calibration of the Imaging Plates BAS-MS, BAS-SR, BAS-TR has been performed at the ENEA-Frascati labs by exploiting the X-ray fluorescence of different targets (Ca, Cu, Pb, Mo, I, Ta) and the radioactivity of a BaCs source, in order to cover the X-ray range between few keV to 80 keV.

Systematic approaches to layered materials with strong electron correlations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chung, Chung-Hou

I present systematic large-N approaches to study the ground state magnetic orderings and charge transport of layered materials with strong electron correlations, including the organic material kappa-(BEDT-TTF)2X, and the antiferromagnetic insulators Cs2CuCl4 and SrCu2(BO3) 2. I model the electronic properties of the organic materials kappa-(BEDT-TTF) 2X with a fermionic SU(N) Hubbard-Heisenberg model on an anisotropic triangular lattice. The ground state phase diagram shows a metal-insulator transition and a depression of the density of states in the metallic phase which are consistent with the experiments. The magnetic properties of kappa-(BEDT-TTF) 2X are modeled by a bosonic Sp(N) quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the same lattice. The phase diagram consists of five different phases as a function of the size of the spin and the degree of frustration: the Neel ordered phase, a (pi, pi) short-range-order (SRO) phase, an incommensurate (q, q) long-range-order (LRO) phase, a (q, q) SRO phase, and a decoupled chain phase. I apply the same Sp(N) approach on the same triangular lattice to model the magnetic properties of Cs2CuCl 4 both with and without a magnetic field. At zero field, I find the ground state either exhibits incommensurate spin order, or is in a quantum disordered phase with deconfined spin-1/2 excitations and topological order. The Sp(N) calculation of spin excitation spectrum shows a large upward quantum renormalization consistent with that seen in experiments. For fields perpendicular to the plane of spin rotation, I find that the spins form an incommensurate "cone" of polarization up to a saturation field where all spins are fully polarized. There is a large quantum renormalization of the zero-field incommensuration. The results are in apparent agreement with neutron scattering experiments. Finally, the magnetic properties of the insulator SrCu2(BO 3)2 is modeled by the Sp(N) quantum antiferromagnet on the Shastry-Sutherland lattice. In addition to the familiar Neel and dimer phases, I find a confining phase with plaquette order, and a topologically ordered phase with deconfined S = 1/2 spinons and helical spin correlations. The deconfined phase is contiguous to the dimer phase, and in a regime of couplings close to those appropriate for the material.

Highly monodisperse multiple twinned AuCu-Pt trimetallic nanoparticles with high index surfaces.

PubMed

Khanal, Subarna; Bhattarai, Nabraj; McMaster, David; Bahena, Daniel; Velazquez-Salazar, J Jesus; Jose-Yacaman, Miguel

2014-08-14

Trimetallic nanoparticles possess different properties than their mono- and bi-metallic counterparts, opening a wide range of possibilities for diverse potential applications with the notion to study possible morphology, atomic ordering, reduce precious metal consumption and many others. In this paper, we present a comprehensive experimental study on AuCu-Pt trimetallic nanoparticles with an average diameter of 15 ± 1.0 nm, synthesized in a one-pot synthesis method and characterized by the Cs-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy technique that allowed us to probe the structure at the atomic level resolution. A new way to control the nanoparticle morphology by the presence of third metal (Pt) is also discussed by the overgrowth of Pt on the as prepared AuCu core by Frank-van der Merwe (FM) layer-by-layer and Stranski-Krastanov (SK) island-on-wetting-layer growth modes. With the application of this research, we are now a step closer to produce optimum catalysts in which the active phase forms only surface monolayers. In addition, the nanoalloy exhibits high index facet surfaces with {211} and {321} families that are highly open-structure surfaces and are interesting for the catalytic applications.

Highly Monodisperse Multiple Twinned AuCu/Pt Trimetallic Nanoparticles with High Index Surfaces

PubMed Central

Khanal, Subarna; Bhattarai, Nabraj; McMaster, David; Bahena, Daniel; Velazquez-Salazar, J. Jesus

2014-01-01

Trimetallic nanoparticles present different properties than their mono- and bi-metallic counterparts, opening a wide range of possibilities for diverse potential applications with the notion to study possible morphology, atomic ordering, reduce precious metal consumption and many others. In this paper, we are presenting a comprehensive experimental study on AuCu/Pt trimetallic nanoparticles with an average diameter 15 ± 1.0 nm, synthesized in one-pot synthesis method and characterized by Cs-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy technique that allowed us to probe the structure at the atomic level resolution. A new way to control the nanoparticle morphology by the presence of third metal (Pt) is also discussed by the overgrowth of Pt on as prepared AuCu core by Frank–van der Merwe (FM) layer-by-layer and Stranski–Krastanov (SK) island-on-wetting-layer growth modes. With the application of this research, we are now a step closer to produce optimum catalysts in which the active phase forms only surface monolayers. In addition, the nanoalloy presents high index facet surfaces with {211} and {321} families, that are highly open-structure surfaces and are interesting for the catalytic applications. PMID:24975090

Distribution of uranium and some selected trace metals in human scalp hair from Balkans.

PubMed

Zunic, Z S; Tokonami, S; Mishra, S; Arae, H; Kritsananuwat, R; Sahoo, S K

2012-11-01

The possible consequences of the use of depleted uranium (DU) used in Balkan conflicts in 1995 and 1999 for the people and the environment of this reason need attention. The heavy metal content in human hair may serve as a good indicator of dietary, environmental and occupational exposures to the metal compounds. The present work summarises the distribution of uranium and some selected trace metals such as Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Cd and Cs in the scalp hair of inhabitants from Balkans exposed to DU directly and indirectly, i.e. Han Pijesak, Bratoselce and Gornja Stubla areas. Except U and Cs, all other metals were compared with the worldwide reported values of occupationally unexposed persons. Uranium concentrations show a wide variation ranging from 0.9 ± 0.05 to 449 ± 12 µg kg(-1). Although hair samples were collected from Balkan conflict zones, uranium isotopic measurement ((235)U/(238)U) shows a natural origin rather than DU.

Use of High-Resolution Continuum Source Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (HR-CS FAAS) for Sequential Multi-Element Determination of Metals in Seawater and Wastewater Samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peña-Vázquez, E.; Barciela-Alonso, M. C.; Pita-Calvo, C.; Domínguez-González, R.; Bermejo-Barrera, P.

2015-09-01

The objective of this work is to develop a method for the determination of metals in saline matrices using high-resolution continuum source flame atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS FAAS). Module SFS 6 for sample injection was used in the manual mode, and flame operating conditions were selected. The main absorption lines were used for all the elements, and the number of selected analytical pixels were 5 (CP±2) for Cd, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn, and 3 pixels for Mn (CP±1). Samples were acidified (0.5% (v/v) nitric acid), and the standard addition method was used for the sequential determination of the analytes in diluted samples (1:2). The method showed good precision (RSD(%) < 4%, except for Pb (6.5%)) and good recoveries. Accuracy was checked after the analysis of an SPS-WW2 wastewater reference material diluted with synthetic seawater (dilution 1:2), showing a good agreement between certified and experimental results.

A Method to Predict the Thickness of Poorly-Bonded Material Along Spray and Spray-Layer Boundaries in Cold Spray Deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yangfan; Hamada, Yukitaka; Otobe, Katsunori; Ando, Teiichi

2017-02-01

Multi-traverse CS provides a unique means for the production of thick coatings and bulk materials from powders. However, the material along spray and spray-layer boundaries is often poorly bonded as it is laid by the leading and trailing peripheries of the spray that carry powder particles with insufficient kinetic energy. For the same reason, the splats in the very first layer deposited on the substrate may not be bonded well either. A mathematical spray model was developed based on an axisymmetric Gaussian mass flow rate distribution and a stepped deposition yield to predict the thickness of such poorly-bonded layers in multi-traverse CS deposition. The predicted thickness of poorly-bonded layers in a multi-traverse Cu coating falls in the range of experimental values. The model also predicts that the material that contains poorly bonded splats could exceed 20% of the total volume of the coating.

Discrimination between mineralized and unmineralized alteration zones using primary geochemical haloes in the Darreh-Zar porphyry copper deposit in Kerman, southeastern Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parsapoor, A.; Khalili, M.; Maghami, M.

2017-08-01

Primary geochemical haloes were studied at the Darreh-Zar porphyry Cu-deposit, southern Iran. In terms of geochemical signatures, high K2O/Na2O enrichment, HREEs and HFSE's depletion in the potassic alteration, high (La/Sm)cn, (La/Yb)cn and (Gd/Yb)cn ratios in mineralized sericitic and potassic zones and notable depletion in the REEs content in argillic alteration is recognized. Further, Mg, Li, Sc, P enrichment and W depletion can serve to separate potassic alteration from the other altered zones, while (Eu/Eu*)cn and (Ce/Ce*)cn don't show pronounced changes in different alteration zones. The coupled positive Tl, Se, S, Rb, Co, Cs, Mo, K and negative Te, Ta, Ti, Sr, Rb, As, Bi, Ga, Hf, In, Mn, Zn and Zr anomalies can be adequately used in discriminating between the mineralized zones (potassic, chlorite-sericite and sericite alterations) and the barren (propylitic zone). The behavior of the trace elements on isocon diagrams reveal that HFSEs are depleted in mineralized altered zones and display variations in the amounts in the barren facies. Zonality index in the axial direction from drill holes 146 to 124 estimates the zonality sequence as Pb-Zn-Ag-Cu-Pb-Zn in the surface horizons. The calculated zonality in five drill holes and six levels indicates that the level of 550 m at the DH 117 in the central part of the area has the highest value (0.76) for Cu. The zonality sequence from the surface to the depth is variable and can be demonstrated as follow: DH 146: Pb-Zn-Cu-Mo-Ag; DH 137: Zn-Cu-Mo-Pb-Ag; DH 117: Ag-Zn-Pb-Mo-Cu; DH: 121: Cu-Mo-Zn-Ag-Pb; DH 136: Pb-Ag-Zn-Cu-Mo; DH 124: Zn-Mo-Cu-Pb-Ag. Available data of the enrichment factors shows different enrichment for copper and molybdenum (i.e. EF > 10), selenium and silver (i.e. EF > 5), tin and LREEs (i.e. 1 < EF < 5).

Synthesis, Characterization, and Processing of Copper, Indium, and Gallium Dithiocarbamates for Energy Conversion Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duraj, S. A.; Duffy, N. V.; Hepp, A. F.; Cowen, J. E.; Hoops, M. D.; Brothrs, S. M.; Baird, M. J.; Fanwick, P. E.; Harris, J. D.; Jin, M. H.-C.

2009-01-01

Ten dithiocarbamate complexes of indium(III) and gallium(III) have been prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectra and melting point. Each complex was decomposed thermally and its decomposition products separated and identified with the combination of gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Their potential utility as photovoltaic materials precursors was assessed. Bis(dibenzyldithiocarbamato)- and bis(diethyldithiocarbamato)copper(II), Cu(S2CN(CH2C6H5)2)2 and Cu(S2CN(C2H5)2)2 respectively, have also been examined for their suitability as precursors for copper sulfides for the fabrication of photovoltaic materials. Each complex was decomposed thermally and the products analyzed by GC/MS, TGA and FTIR. The dibenzyl derivative complex decomposed at a lower temperature (225-320 C) to yield CuS as the product. The diethyl derivative complex decomposed at a higher temperature (260-325 C) to yield Cu2S. No Cu containing fragments were noted in the mass spectra. Unusual recombination fragments were observed in the mass spectra of the diethyl derivative. Tris(bis(phenylmethyl)carbamodithioato-S,S'), commonly referred to as tris(N,N-dibenzyldithiocarbamato)indium(III), In(S2CNBz2)3, was synthesized and characterized by single crystal X-ray crystallography. The compound crystallizes in the triclinic space group P1(bar) with two molecules per unit cell. The material was further characterized using a novel analytical system employing the combined powers of thermogravimetric analysis, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy to investigate its potential use as a precursor for the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of thin film materials for photovoltaic applications. Upon heating, the material thermally decomposes to release CS2 and benzyl moieties in to the gas phase, resulting in bulk In2S3. Preliminary spray CVD experiments indicate that In(S2CNBz2)3 decomposed on a Cu substrate reacts to produce stoichiometric CuInS2 films.

Body distribution of trace elements in black-tailed gulls from Rishiri Island, Japan: age-dependent accumulation and transfer to feathers and eggs.

PubMed

Agusa, Tetsuro; Matsumoto, Taro; Ikemoto, Tokutaka; Anan, Yasumi; Kubota, Reiji; Yasunaga, Genta; Kunito, Takashi; Tanabe, Shinsuke; Ogi, Haruo; Shibata, Yasuyuki

2005-09-01

Body distribution and maternal transfer of 18 trace elements (V, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sb, Cs, Ba, Hg, Tl, and Pb) to eggs were examined in black-tailed gulls (Larus crassirostris), which were culled in Rishiri Island, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. Manganese, Cu, Rb, Mo, and Cd showed the highest levels in liver and kidney, Ag, Sb, and Hg in feather, and V, Sr, and Pb in bone. Maternal transfer rates of trace elements ranged from 0.8% (Cd) to as much as 65% (Tl) of maternal body burden. Large amounts of Sr, Ba, and Tl were transferred to the eggs, though maternal transfer rates of V, Cd, Hg, and Pb were substantially low. It also was observed that Rb, Sr, Cd, Cs, and Ba hardly were excreted into feathers. Concentrations of Co in liver, Ba in liver and kidney, and Mo in liver increased significantly with age, whereas Se in bone and kidney, Hg in kidney, and Cr in feather decreased with age in the known-aged black-tailed gulls (2-20 years old). It also was suggested that feathers might be useful to estimate contamination status of trace elements in birds, especially for Hg on a population basis, although the utility is limited on an individual basis for the black-tailed gulls. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the maternal transfer rate of multielements and also on the usefulness of feathers to estimate contamination status of Hg in birds on a population basis.

Polymorphism control of superconductivity and magnetism in Cs(3)C(60) close to the Mott transition.

PubMed

Ganin, Alexey Y; Takabayashi, Yasuhiro; Jeglic, Peter; Arcon, Denis; Potocnik, Anton; Baker, Peter J; Ohishi, Yasuo; McDonald, Martin T; Tzirakis, Manolis D; McLennan, Alec; Darling, George R; Takata, Masaki; Rosseinsky, Matthew J; Prassides, Kosmas

2010-07-08

The crystal structure of a solid controls the interactions between the electronically active units and thus its electronic properties. In the high-temperature superconducting copper oxides, only one spatial arrangement of the electronically active Cu(2+) units-a two-dimensional square lattice-is available to study the competition between the cooperative electronic states of magnetic order and superconductivity. Crystals of the spherical molecular C(60)(3-) anion support both superconductivity and magnetism but can consist of fundamentally distinct three-dimensional arrangements of the anions. Superconductivity in the A(3)C(60) (A = alkali metal) fullerides has been exclusively associated with face-centred cubic (f.c.c.) packing of C(60)(3-) (refs 2, 3), but recently the most expanded (and thus having the highest superconducting transition temperature, T(c); ref. 4) composition Cs(3)C(60) has been isolated as a body-centred cubic (b.c.c.) packing, which supports both superconductivity and magnetic order. Here we isolate the f.c.c. polymorph of Cs(3)C(60) to show how the spatial arrangement of the electronically active units controls the competing superconducting and magnetic electronic ground states. Unlike all the other f.c.c. A(3)C(60) fullerides, f.c.c. Cs(3)C(60) is not a superconductor but a magnetic insulator at ambient pressure, and becomes superconducting under pressure. The magnetic ordering occurs at an order of magnitude lower temperature in the geometrically frustrated f.c.c. polymorph (Néel temperature T(N) = 2.2 K) than in the b.c.c.-based packing (T(N) = 46 K). The different lattice packings of C(60)(3-) change T(c) from 38 K in b.c.c. Cs(3)C(60) to 35 K in f.c.c. Cs(3)C(60) (the highest found in the f.c.c. A(3)C(60) family). The existence of two superconducting packings of the same electronically active unit reveals that T(c) scales universally in a structure-independent dome-like relationship with proximity to the Mott metal-insulator transition, which is governed by the role of electron correlations characteristic of high-temperature superconducting materials other than fullerides.

Reuse of residual sludge from stone-processing: differences and similarities between sludge coming from carbonate and silicate stones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Careddu, Nicola; Antonella Dino, Giovanna

2015-04-01

Residual sludge coming from dimension stone working activities represents a serious environmental and economic problem both for Stone Industry and citizens. Indeed, most of time, residual sludge is landfilled because of the difficulties to recover it; such difficulties are mainly connected to local legislation and a lack of proper protocols. In general, it is possible to individuate two different categories of sludge: residual sludge coming from carbonate rocks (CS) and those coming from silicate rocks (SS). Both of them are characterised by a very fine size distribution. CS is composed mainly by the same compounds of the processed stones (marble, limestone, travertine). The reason of this is related to the very slow wear of diamond tools during processing which entails a negligible content of heavy metals. CS becomes very interesting, from an economic point of view, when it has a CaCO3 grade > 95 %. On the contrary, SS is characterised by high heavy metal and TPH content. Residual sludge from the processing of silicate rocks can be split in three different sub-categories, depending on the way they are produced, and in particular: sludge from gangsaw using abrasive steel shot (GSS), sludge from multi diamond-saw block cutter (DBC), and mixed sludge (MS) from gangsaw and block cutter. These three sub-categories show different problems connected to heavy metal content, indeed on the one hand GSS is characterised by a high percentage of Ni, Cr, Cu, etc., on the other hand DBC is characterised by Co and Cu high content. In general, sludge, management of which in Italy is administered in accordance with the Italian Legislative Decree 152/06, can be used as waste from for environmental restoration or for cement plants. Several researches investigate the possible reuse of these materials but, at present time, there is no evidence of its systematic recovery as "recycled product" or "by-product". On the basis of the results of these researches it is possible to highlight its recovery, after a proper treatment, mainly as: landfill waterproofing material; filler material for civil works; artificial soil for land rehabilitation and high value added products from carbonate rocks. Such "new products", obtained from the treatment of residual sludge, have to be certified not only on the basis of their technical and physical characteristics but also by means of appropriate chemical analyses to guarantee that the products are not polluted. The research will show a comparison between the characteristics of the two main sludge categories (similarities and differences), the environmental problems connected to sludge management, the potential applications for both the categories (CS and SS), highlighting the most promising ones (e.g., SS: artificial soil for land rehabilitation and filler material for civil works; CS: filler in high value added products as paper, rubber and paints), the problems connected to "new products" certification and selling, and some suggestions for executive protocols to boost their systematic recovery.

New complex fertilizer 'Suprodit' to obtain safe agricultural productions on contaminated lands.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikolaevich Ratnikov, Alexander; Sergeevich Anisimov, Vyacheslav; Nikoaevna Anisimova, Lidiya; Georgievich Sviridenko, Dmitry; Jurievna Balanova, Olesya

2015-04-01

One of the reclamation techniques to reduce the accumulation of radionuclides and heavy metals in the crop is the use of natural sorbents, industrial deposits of which are located in the contaminated areas or at distances that allows one to organize cheap their delivery to the application site. More promising reclamation technique is the use of new types of complex fertilizers, the main components of which are special sorbents of natural or artificial origin. New complex fertilizer of prolonged action - "SUPRODIT", containing in addition to nutrients highly efficient mineral and organic sorbents, was developed by specialists of the RIRAE. The feedstock for mineral sorbent was Tripoli (finely porous siliceous mineral) from local field (Kaluga region), organic sorbent - peat. The "SUPRODIT"composition: N - 8-11%; P2O5 - 11-13 %; K2O - 11-17%, organic matter and 30-40%, respectively. The effect of a single application of complex fertilizer will be maintained for two or more growing seasons. Received RF patent for the invention "Method of production of complex fertilizer of prolonged action". In a series of field experiments on sod-podzolic sandy loam soil it was shown that the application of "SUPRODIT" at dose of 800 kg/ha to soil contaminated with dehydrated sewage sludge (DSS), significantly reduces heavy metals (Cd, Ni, Pb) content in a crop of oats and barley due to the sorption properties of this fertilizers. Thus, Cd accumulation in the oats grain decreased 1.3 times, barley grain - 1.5 times, Ni - 1.5 times for barley and oats; Pb - 1.8 and 1.7 times respectively opposite to variant where the DSS was applied only. "SUPRODIT" reduces the negative effects of HM on the growth and development of plants, and limits the accumulation of 137Cs and HM in biomass. The 137Cs content in the biomass of barley in the variant of jointly added to soil of 137Cs and "SUPRODIT" decreased by 8.9 times in comparison with control and 4.4 times compared with standard fertilizers (NPK). The Cd accumulation by barley grain in sod-podzolic soil, contaminated with Cd6, Zn600, Cu390 mg/kg, when applying "SUPRODIT" was 2.5 times less than after industrial fertilizers (NPK and nitrophoska) application; the accumulation of Zn - 1.5 and 1.9 times less; the accumulation of Cu - 1.6 and 1.5 times less in comparison with NPK and nitrophoska, respectively. Applying of "SUPRODIT" constrain the accumulation of 137Cs in barley grain 1.2-1.3 times more efficiently than NPK and nitrophoska. Use "SUPRODIT" in technologies of cultivation of fodder crops on contaminated land in the districts of the Kaluga and Bryansk regions of the Russian Federation allow us to get a feed corresponding to acceptable levels on the content of 137Cs at a density of contamination 500-920 kBq/m2, which ensures that the milk will fit to corresponding maximum permissible concentration.

Scattering of fast electrons by vapour-atoms and by solid-atoms - A comparison

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Joshipura, K.N.; Mohanan, S.

1988-08-01

A comparative theoretical study has been done on the scattering of fast electrons by free (vapour) atoms and bound (solid) atoms, in particular, the alkali atoms, Al and Cu. The Born differential cross-sections (DCS), calculated with the static plus polarization electron-atom potential, are found in general, to be larger for free atoms that for bound atoms, at least at small angles of scattering. For Rb and Cs the two DCS tend to merge at very large angles only. The sample incident energies chosen are 400 eV and above.

Copper-catalyzed aerobic oxidative N-S bond functionalization for C-S bond formation: regio- and stereoselective synthesis of sulfones and thioethers.

PubMed

Li, Xianwei; Xu, Yanli; Wu, Wanqing; Jiang, Chang; Qi, Chaorong; Jiang, Huanfeng

2014-06-23

A regio- and stereoselective synthesis of sulfones and thioethers by means of Cu(I)-catalyzed aerobic oxidative N-S bond cleavage of sulfonyl hydrazides, followed by cross-coupling reactions with alkenes and aromatic compounds to form the C sp 2-S bond, is described herein. N2 and H2O are the byproducts of this transformation, thus offering an environmentally benign process with a wide range of potential applications in organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Cocaine self-administration abolishes associative neural encoding in the nucleus accumbens necessary for higher-order learning.

PubMed

Saddoris, Michael P; Carelli, Regina M

2014-01-15

Cocaine use is often associated with diminished cognitive function, persisting even after abstinence from the drug. Likely targets for these changes are the core and shell of the nucleus accumbens (NAc), which are critical for mediating the rewarding aspects of drugs of abuse as well as supporting associative learning. To understand this deficit, we recorded neural activity in the NAc of rats with a history of cocaine self-administration or control subjects while they learned Pavlovian first- and second-order associations. Rats were trained for 2 weeks to self-administer intravenous cocaine or water. Later, rats learned a first-order Pavlovian discrimination where a conditioned stimulus (CS)+ predicted food, and a control (CS-) did not. Rats then learned a second-order association where, absent any food reinforcement, a novel cued (SOC+) predicted the CS+ and another (SOC-) predicted the CS-. Electrophysiological recordings were taken during performance of these tasks in the NAc core and shell. Both control subjects and cocaine-experienced rats learned the first-order association, but only control subjects learned the second-order association. Neural recordings indicated that core and shell neurons encoded task-relevant information that correlated with behavioral performance, whereas this type of encoding was abolished in cocaine-experienced rats. The NAc core and shell perform complementary roles in supporting normal associative learning, functions that are impaired after cocaine experience. This impoverished encoding of motivational behavior, even after abstinence from the drug, might provide a key mechanism to understand why addiction remains a chronically relapsing disorder despite repeated attempts at sobriety. Copyright © 2014 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

NMDA receptors in the avian amygdala and the premotor arcopallium mediate distinct aspects of appetitive extinction learning.

PubMed

Gao, Meng; Lengersdorf, Daniel; Stüttgen, Maik C; Güntürkün, Onur

2018-05-02

Extinction learning is an essential mechanism that enables constant adaptation to ever-changing environmental conditions. The underlying neural circuit is mostly studied with rodent models using auditory cued fear conditioning. In order to uncover the variant and the invariant neural properties of extinction learning, we adopted pigeons as an animal model in an appetitive sign-tracking paradigm. The animals firstly learned to respond to two conditioned stimuli in two different contexts (CS-1 in context A and CS-2 in context B), before conditioned responses to the stimuli were extinguished in the opposite contexts (CS-1 in context B and CS-2 in context A). Subsequently, responding to both stimuli was tested in both contexts. Prior to extinction training, we locally injected the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist 2-Amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV) in either the amygdala or the (pre)motor arcopallium to investigate their involvement in extinction learning. Our findings suggest that the encoding of extinction memory required the activation of amygdala, as visible by an impairment of extinction acquisition by concurrent inactivation of local NMDARs. In contrast, consolidation and subsequent retrieval of extinction memory recruited the (pre)motor arcopallium. Also, the inactivation of arcopallial NMDARs induced a general motoric slowing during extinction training. Thus, our results reveal a double dissociation between arcopallium and amygdala with respect to acquisition and consolidation of extinction, respectively. Our study therefore provides new insights on the two key components of the avian extinction network and their resemblance to the data obtained from mammals, possibly indicating a shared neural mechanism underlying extinction learning shaped by evolution. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Solubility of copper in silicate melts as function of oxygen and sulfur fugacities, temperature, and silicate composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holzheid, A.; Lodders, K.

2001-06-01

The solubility of Cu in silicate melts coexisting with liquid Cu(Fe) metal and liquid Cu(Fe) sulfide was determined experimentally at oxygen fugacities ranging from 10 -9.1 to 10 -13.6 bar and sulfur fugacities ranging from 10 -2.5 to 10 -6.3 bar at 1300°C. An iron oxide-free silicate of anorthite-diopside eutectic composition and a synthetic MgO-rich basaltic silicate (FeO-bearing) were used in the partitioning experiments. In S-containing systems, some of the metal reacted to metal sulfide. The silicates in the four systems investigated (Fe-free and S-free; Fe-containing and S-free; Fe-free and S-containing; Fe-containing and S-containing) had different colors depending on the dissolved Cu species and the presence of iron and/or sulfur. Irrespective of the presence of sulfur, the solubility of Cu in the silicate increases with increasing oxygen fugacity and metal/silicate partition coefficients for Cu decrease. Increasing the temperature from 1300°C to 1514°C increases the Cu solubility (decreases the metal/silicate partition coefficient) at an oxygen fugacity 0.5 log units below the iron-wüstite (IW) equilibrium in the Fe-free, S-free and Fe-containing, S-free systems. We infer the presence of monovalent Cu + ("CuO 0.5") in the silicate melt on the basis of the solubility of Cu as function of oxygen fugacity. Experiments containing iron yield a formal valence of ˜0.5 for Cu at very low oxygen fugacities, which is not observed in Fe-free systems. The low formal valence is explained by redox reactions between iron and copper in the silicate melts. There is no evidence for sulfidic dissolution of Cu in the silicates but sulfur has indirect effects on Cu partitioning. Iron metal/silicate partition coefficients depend on oxygen fugacity and on sulfur fugacity. Sulfidic dissolution of iron and oxide-sulfide exchange reactions with Cu cause a small increase in Cu metal/silicate partition coefficients. We derive an activity coefficient (γ CuO 0.5) of 10 ± 1 for liquid CuO 0.5 at 1300°C for the silicate melts used here. A comparison with literature data shows that log γ CuO 0.5 increases in proportion to the mass percentages [CaO +(Al 2O 3)/2] in silicate melts. We recommend the following equations for Cu metal/silicate and sulfide/silicate partitioning for geochemical and cosmochemical modeling if silicate composition and the activity of Cu in the metal or sulfide is known: log D met/sil = -0.48 - 0.25 · log fO 2 - log γ Cu metal + 0.02 · [CaO + (Al 2O 3)/2; wt%] silicate logD sul/sil=+0.76-0.25 · logfO 2+0.25logfS 2-logγ CS 0.5,sulfide +0.02 · [CaO+Al 2O 3/2;wt%] silicate. The derived Cu metal/silicate and metal/sulfide partition coefficients are applied to core formation in the Earth and Mars. The observed Cu abundances in the Earth cannot be easily explained by simple core-mantle equilibrium, but the observed Cu abundances for Mars are consistent with core-mantle equilibrium at low pressure and temperatures.

Ionic liquid syntheses via click chemistry: expeditious routes toward versatile functional materials.

PubMed

Mirjafari, Arsalan

2018-03-25

Since the introduction of click chemistry by K. B. Sharpless in 2001, its exploration and exploitation has occurred in countless fields of materials sciences in both academic and industrial spheres. Click chemistry is defined as an efficient, robust, and orthogonal synthetic platform for the facile formation of new carbon-heteroatom bonds, using readily available starting materials. Premier examples of click reactions are copper(i)-catalyzed azide-alkyne Huisgen cycloaddition (CuAAC) and the thiol-X (X = ene and yne) coupling reactions to form C-N and C-S bonds, respectively. The emphasis of this review is centered on the rapidly expanding area of click chemistry-mediated synthesis of functional ionic liquids via CuAAC, thiol-X and oxime formation, and selected examples of nucleophilic ring-opening reactions, while offering some thoughts on emerging challenges, opportunities and ultimately the evolution of this field. Click chemistry offers tremendous opportunities, and introduces intriguing perspectives for efficient and robust generation of tailored task-specific ionic liquids - an important class of soft materials.

High-resolution analytical imaging and electron holography of magnetite particles in amyloid cores of Alzheimer’s disease

PubMed Central

Plascencia-Villa, Germán; Ponce, Arturo; Collingwood, Joanna F.; Arellano-Jiménez, M. Josefina; Zhu, Xiongwei; Rogers, Jack T.; Betancourt, Israel; José-Yacamán, Miguel; Perry, George

2016-01-01

Abnormal accumulation of brain metals is a key feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Formation of amyloid-β plaque cores (APC) is related to interactions with biometals, especially Fe, Cu and Zn, but their particular structural associations and roles remain unclear. Using an integrative set of advanced transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques, including spherical aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (Cs-STEM), nano-beam electron diffraction, electron holography and analytical spectroscopy techniques (EDX and EELS), we demonstrate that Fe in APC is present as iron oxide (Fe3O4) magnetite nanoparticles. Here we show that Fe was accumulated primarily as nanostructured particles within APC, whereas Cu and Zn were distributed through the amyloid fibers. Remarkably, these highly organized crystalline magnetite nanostructures directly bound into fibrillar Aβ showed characteristic superparamagnetic responses with saturated magnetization with circular contours, as observed for the first time by off-axis electron holography of nanometer scale particles. PMID:27121137

High-resolution analytical imaging and electron holography of magnetite particles in amyloid cores of Alzheimer’s disease

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plascencia-Villa, Germán; Ponce, Arturo; Collingwood, Joanna F.; Arellano-Jiménez, M. Josefina; Zhu, Xiongwei; Rogers, Jack T.; Betancourt, Israel; José-Yacamán, Miguel; Perry, George

2016-04-01

Abnormal accumulation of brain metals is a key feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Formation of amyloid-β plaque cores (APC) is related to interactions with biometals, especially Fe, Cu and Zn, but their particular structural associations and roles remain unclear. Using an integrative set of advanced transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques, including spherical aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (Cs-STEM), nano-beam electron diffraction, electron holography and analytical spectroscopy techniques (EDX and EELS), we demonstrate that Fe in APC is present as iron oxide (Fe3O4) magnetite nanoparticles. Here we show that Fe was accumulated primarily as nanostructured particles within APC, whereas Cu and Zn were distributed through the amyloid fibers. Remarkably, these highly organized crystalline magnetite nanostructures directly bound into fibrillar Aβ showed characteristic superparamagnetic responses with saturated magnetization with circular contours, as observed for the first time by off-axis electron holography of nanometer scale particles.

Intentional switching in auditory selective attention: Exploring age-related effects in a spatial setup requiring speech perception.

PubMed

Oberem, Josefa; Koch, Iring; Fels, Janina

2017-06-01

Using a binaural-listening paradigm, age-related differences in the ability to intentionally switch auditory selective attention between two speakers, defined by their spatial location, were examined. Therefore 40 normal-hearing participants (20 young, Ø 24.8years; 20 older Ø 67.8years) were tested. The spatial reproduction of stimuli was provided by headphones using head-related-transfer-functions of an artificial head. Spoken number words of two speakers were presented simultaneously to participants from two out of eight locations on the horizontal plane. Guided by a visual cue indicating the spatial location of the target speaker, the participants were asked to categorize the target's number word into smaller vs. greater than five while ignoring the distractor's speech. Results showed significantly higher reaction times and error rates for older participants. The relative influence of the spatial switch of the target-speaker (switch or repetition of speaker's direction in space) was identical across age groups. Congruency effects (stimuli spoken by target and distractor may evoke the same answer or different answers) were increased for older participants and depend on the target's position. Results suggest that the ability to intentionally switch auditory attention to a new cued location was unimpaired whereas it was generally harder for older participants to suppress processing the distractor's speech. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Testing CuO nanowires as a novel X-ray to electron converter for gas-filled radiation detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zarei, H.; Saramad, S.; Razaghi, S.

2017-10-01

Nanowires, due to their special physical properties and also high surface to volume ratio, can have considerable applications in designing and development of novel nanodevices. For the radiation shielding, higher absorption coefficient of nanostructures in comparison to bulk ones is an advantage. In gas detectors, designing a proper converter that absorbs higher energy of gamma and X-rays and convert it to more free electrons is one of the major problems. Since the nanowires have higher surface to volume ratio in comparison to the bulk one, so it is expected that by optimizing the thickness, the generated electrons can have higher chance to escape from the surface. In this work, the random CuO nanowires with diameter of 40 nm are deposited on thin glass slide. This nanostructure with different thicknesses are tested by plastic and CsI scintillators by X-ray tube with HVs in the range of 16 to 25 kV. The results show that for the same thickness, the CuO nanowires can release electrons six times more than the bulk ones and for the same energy the optimum QE of nanoconverter can be three times greater than the bulk converter. This novel nanoconverter with higher detection efficiency can have applications in high energy physics, medical imaging and also astronomy.

Biogeochemical characteristics of Rosa canina grown in hydrothermally contaminated soils of the Gümüşhane Province, Northeast Turkey.

PubMed

Vural, Alaaddin

2015-08-01

Kırkpavli alteration area (Gümüşhane, Northeast Turkey) is contaminated by heavy metals such as Cd, Pb, As, Cu and Zn. The quantity of accumulation of heavy metal trace elements and macroelements in 32 leaves of Rosa canina of the Kırkpavli alteration area has been studied within the scope of geochemical studies. Element contents of samples were assessed using various parameters including descriptive statistics, factor analysis, correlation coefficients and bioaccumulation factor. Concentrations were detected in the acceptable range for Mo, Cu, Pb, Ni, As, Cd, Sb, P, Ti, Na, Se and Sn. Concentrations of Co, Mn, Ba and Hg were detected close to the acceptable values, whereas Zn, Fe, Sr, V, Ca, Cr, Mg, B, Al, K, W, Sc, Cs and Rb concentrations were detected above the acceptable values. Principal component analysis was used to identify the elements that have a close relationship with each other and/or similar origins. It has been concluded that Zn, Cu, As and Mo content of the plant were related to hydrothermal alteration process and they behaved together, whereas Mn and Fe were especially products of weathering conditions, also behaved together. In terms of macroelements, Ca, Mg and Na had similar behaviour, while P and K had the same correlation.

Synthesis and characterization of bis-(2-cyano-1-methyl-3-{2- {{(5-methylimidazol-4-yl)methyl}thio}ethyl)guanidine copper(II) sulfate tetrahydrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahardjo, Sentot B.; Endah Saraswati, Teguh; Pramono, Edy; Fitriana, Nur

2016-02-01

Complex of copper(II) with 2-cyano-1-methyl-3-{2-{{(5-methylimidazol-4- yl)methyl}thio}ethyl)guanidin(xepamet) had been synthesized in 1 : 4 mole ratio of metal to the ligand in methanol. The complex was characterized by metal analysis, thermal gravimetry/differential thermal analyzer (TG/DTA), molar conductivity meter, (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) FT-IR, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and magnetic susceptibility balance. The molar conductivity measurement shows that the complex was 2: 1 for electrolyte and SO42- which was acting as a counter ion. The thermal analysis by Thermogravimetric (TG) indicates that the complex contained four molecules of H2O. The Infrared spectral data indicates that functional groups of (C=N) imidazole and (C-S) are coordinated to the center ion Cu2+. Magnetic moment measurement shows that the complex is paramagnetic with peff = 1.78 ± 0.01 BM. Electronic spectra of the complex show a broad band at 608 nm (16447.23 cm-1) are due to Eg→T2g transition. Based on those of characteristics, The complex formula was estimated as [Cu(xepamet)2]SO4.4H2O. The structure of [Cu(xepamet)2]SO4.4H2O complex is probably square planar.

Convergent synthesis and photoinduced processes in multi-chromophoric rotaxanes.

PubMed

Megiatto, Jackson D; Li, Ke; Schuster, David I; Palkar, Amit; Herranz, M Ángeles; Echegoyen, Luis; Abwandner, Silke; de Miguel, Gustavo; Guldi, Dirk M

2010-11-18

A series of [2]rotaxane materials, in which [60]fullerene is linked to a macrocycle and ferrocene (Fc) moieties are placed at the termini of a thread, both of which possess a central Cu(I)-1,10-phenanthroline [Cu(phen)(2)](+) complex, were synthesized by self-assembly using Sauvage metal template methodology. Two types of threads were constructed, one with terminal ester linkages, and a second with terminal 1,2,3-triazole linkages derived from Cu(I)-catalyzed "click" 1,3-cycloaddition reactions. Model compounds lacking the fullerene moiety were prepared in an analogous manner. The ability of the interlocked Fc-[Cu(phen)(2)](+)-C(60) hybrids to undergo electron transfer upon photoexcitation in benzonitrile, dichloromethane, and ortho-dichlorobenzene was investigated by means of time-resolved fluorescence and transient absorption spectroscopy, using excitation wavelengths directed at the fullerene and [Cu(phen)(2)](+) subunits. The energies of the electronic excited states and charge separated (CS) states that might be formed upon photoexcitation were determined from spectroscopic and electrochemical data. These studies showed that MLCT excited states of the copper complex in the fullerenerotaxanes were quenched by electron transfer to the fullerene in benzonitrile, resulting in charge separated states with oxidized copper and reduced fullerene moieties, (Fc)(2)-[Cu(phen)(2)](2+)-C(60)(•-). Even though electron transfer from Fc to the oxidized copper complex is predicted to be exergonic by 0.16 to 0.20 eV, no unequivocal evidence in support of such a process was obtained. The conclusion that Fc plays no role in the photoinduced processes in our systems rests on the lack of enhancement of the lifetime of the charge separated state, as measured by decay of C(60)(•-) at ∼1000 nm, since one-electron oxidized Fc is very difficult to detect spectroscopically in the 500-800 nm spectral region.

CuCl2 for the isolation of a broad array of endohedral fullerenes containing metallic, metallic carbide, metallic nitride, and metallic oxide clusters, and separation of their structural isomers.

PubMed

Stevenson, Steven; Rottinger, Khristina A

2013-08-19

A typical arc-synthesis generates many types of fullerenes and endohedrals. Resulting soot extracts contain a complex mixture of >50 types of fullerenes, metallofullerenes, and their structural isomers. Prior to application development, novel separation methods are required to fractionate this rich array of metallic, metallic carbide, metallic nitride, and metallic oxide endohedrals, all of which can be present in a single, soot extract. Herein, we report the discovery of CuCl2 as a Lewis acid that will selectively precipitate only the more reactive members of each of these endohedral families. The more reactive Sc4O2@Ih-C80, Sc3C2@Ih-C80, and Sc3N@D3h-C78 endohedrals are quickly removed from extracts to greatly decrease the number of endohedrals present in a sample. Experiments indicate that enrichment factors of several orders of magnitude can be achieved within minutes of reaction time. CuCl2 also has sufficient selectivity to resolve and separate structural isomers, as demonstrated with Er2@C82 (isomer I, Cs(6)-C82 versus isomer III). The selective complexation of CuCl2 with fullerenes can be correlated to their first oxidation potential. We estimate a significantly lower threshold of precipitation for CuCl2 (<0.19 V) compared to stronger Lewis acids. Fullerenes and metallofullerenes having first oxidation potentials above 0.19 V tend to remain unreacted in solution. In contrast, species with first oxidation potentials below 0.19 V (vs Fc/Fc(+)) precipitate via complexation, and are easily decomplexed. CuCl2 is compared to Lewis acids having higher precipitation thresholds (e.g., FeCl3) in our goal to predict a priori which endohedrals would remain in solution versus which endohedral species would complex and precipitate. The ability to predict endohedral precipitation a priori is beneficial to the design of purification strategies for metallofullerenes.

Differential distribution of metals in tree tissues growing on reclaimed coal mine overburden dumps, Jharia coal field (India).

PubMed

Rana, Vivek; Maiti, Subodh Kumar

2018-04-01

Opencast bituminous coal mining invariably generates huge amount of metal-polluted waste rocks (stored as overburden (OB) dumps) and reclaimed by planting fast growing hardy tree species which accumulate metals in their tissues. In the present study, reclaimed OB dumps located in Jharia coal field (Jharkhand, India) were selected to assess the accumulation of selected metals (Pb, Zn, Mn, Cu and Co) in tissues (leaf, stem bark, stem wood, root bark and root wood) of two commonly planted tree species (Acacia auriculiformis A.Cunn. ex Benth. and Melia azedarach L.). In reclaimed mine soil (RMS), the concentrations of pseudo-total and available metals (DTPA-extractable) were found 182-498 and 196-1877% higher, respectively, than control soil (CS). The positive Spearman's correlation coefficients between pseudo-total concentration of Pb and Cu (r = 0.717; p < 0.05), Pb and Co (r = 0.650; p < 0.05), Zn and Mn (0.359), Cu and Co (r = 0.896; p < 0.01) suggested similar sources for Pb-Cu-Co and Mn-Zn. Among the five tree tissues considered, Pb selectively accumulated in root bark, stem bark and leaves; Zn and Mn in leaves; and Cu in root wood and stem wood. These results suggested metal accumulation to be "tissue-specific". The biological indices (BCF, TF leaf , TF stem bark and TF stem wood ) indicated variation in metal uptake potential of different tree tissues. The study indicated that A. auriculiformis could be employed for Mn phytoextraction (BCF, TF leaf , TF stem bark and TF stem wood  > 1). The applicability of both the trees in Cu phytostabilization (BCF > 1; TF leaf , TF stem bark and TF stem wood  < 1) was suggested. The study enhanced knowledge about the selection of tree species for the phytoremediation of coal mine OB dumps and specific tree tissues for monitoring metal pollution.

Metals detected by ICP/MS in wound tissue of war injuries without fragments in Gaza

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background The amount and identity of metals incorporated into "weapons without fragments" remain undisclosed to health personnel. This poses a long-term risk of assumption and contributes to additional hazards for victims because of increased difficulties with clinical management. We assessed if there was evidence that metals are embedded in "wounds without fragments" of victims of the Israeli military operations in Gaza in 2006 and 2009. Methods Biopsies of "wounds without fragments" from clinically classified injuries, amputation (A), charred (C), burns (B), multiple piercing wounds by White Phosphorus (WP) (M), were analyzed by ICP/MS for content in 32 metals. Results Toxic and carcinogenic metals were detected in folds over control tissues in wound tissues from all injuries: in A and C wounds (Al, Ti, Cu, Sr, Ba, Co, Hg, V, Cs and Sn), in M wounds (Al, Ti, Cu, Sr, Ba, Co and Hg) and in B wounds (Co, Hg, Cs, and Sn); Pb and U in wounds of all classes; B, As, Mn, Rb, Cd, Cr, Zn in wounds of all classes, but M; Ni was in wounds of class A. Kind and amounts of metals correlate with clinical classification of injuries, exposing a specific metal signature, similar for 2006 and 2009 samples. Conclusions The presence of toxic and carcinogenic metals in wound tissue is indicative of the presence in weapon inducing the injury. Metal contamination of wounds carries unknown long term risks for survivors, and can imply effects on populations from environmental contamination. We discuss remediation strategies, and believe that these data suggest the need for epidemiological and environmental surveys. PMID:20579349

Impact of Ficoll density gradient centrifugation on major and trace element concentrations in erythrocytes and blood plasma.

PubMed

Lu, Ying; Ahmed, Sultan; Harari, Florencia; Vahter, Marie

2015-01-01

Ficoll density gradient centrifugation is widely used to separate cellular components of human blood. We evaluated the suitability to use erythrocytes and blood plasma obtained from Ficoll centrifugation for assessment of elemental concentrations. We determined 22 elements (from Li to U) in erythrocytes and blood plasma separated by direct or Ficoll density gradient centrifugation, using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Compared with erythrocytes and blood plasma separated by direct centrifugation, those separated by Ficoll had highly elevated iodine and Ba concentration, due to the contamination from the Ficoll-Paque medium, and about twice as high concentrations of Sr and Mo in erythrocytes. On the other hand, the concentrations of Ca in erythrocytes and plasma were markedly reduced by the Ficoll separation, to some extent also Li, Co, Cu, and U. The reduced concentrations were probably due to EDTA, a chelator present in the Ficoll medium. Arsenic concentrations seemed to be lowered by Ficoll, probably in a species-specific manner. The concentrations of Mg, P, S, K, Fe, Zn, Se, Rb, and Cs were not affected in the erythrocytes, but decreased in plasma. Concentrations of Mn, Cd, and Pb were not affected in erythrocytes, but in plasma affected by EDTA and/or pre-analytical contamination. Ficoll separation changed the concentrations of Li, Ca, Co, Cu, As, Mo, I, Ba, and U in erythrocytes and blood plasma, Sr in erythrocytes, and Mg, P, S, K, Fe, Zn, Se, Rb and Cs in blood plasma, to an extent that will invalidate evaluation of deficiencies or excess intakes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Karayigit, A.I.; Bulut, Y.; Karayigit, G.

A total of 48 samples, feed coals (FCs), fly ashes (FAs) and bottom ashes (BAs), which were systematically collected once a week over an eight-week period from boiler units, B1-4 with 660 MW and B5-6 with 330 MW capacity from Soma power plant, have been evaluated for major and trace elements (Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ti, S, As, B, Ba, Be, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Cs, Ga, Ge, Hf, Hg, Li, Mo, Nb, Ni, P, Pb, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Sn, Sr, Ta, Th, Tl, U, V, Y, Zn, Zr, and REEs) to get information onmore » behavior during coal combustion. This study indicates that some elements such as Hg, Bi, Cd, As, Pb, Ge, Tl, Sn, Zn, Sb, B show enrichments in FAs relative to the BAs in both group boiler units. In addition to these, Cs, Lu, Tm, and Ga in Units B1-4 and S in Units B5-6 also have enrichments in FAs. Elements showing enrichments in BAs in both group boiler units are Ta, Mn, Nb. In addition to these, Se, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe in Units B1-4 and Cu in Units B5-6 also have enrichments in BAs. The remaining elements investigated in this study have no clear segregation between FAs and BAs. Mass balance calculations with the two methods show that some elements, S, Ta, Hg, Se, Zn, Na, Ca in Units B1-4, and Hg, S, Ta, Se, P in Units B5-6, have volatile behavior during coal combustion in the Soma power plant. This study also implies that some elements, Sb and Tb in Units B1-4 and Sb in Units B5-6, have relatively high retention effects in the combustion residues from the Soma power plant.« less

Spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet on an anisotropic triangular lattice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Starykh, Oleg

2007-03-01

The Triangular lattice spin-1/2 Heisenberg AntiFerromagnet (TAF) is a prototypical model of frustrated quantum magnetism. While it is believed to exhibit long-range order in the isotropic limit, changes such as spatial anisotropy can alter the delicate balance amongst competing ground states. I will describe the static and dynamic properties of the spatially anisotropic TAF, with inter-chain diagonal exchange J' much weaker than the intrachain exchange J. Treating J' as a perturbation of decoupled Heisenberg spin-1/2 chains, I find that the ground state is spontaneously dimerized in a four-fold degenerate zig-zag pattern. This dimerization instability is driven by quantum fluctuations, which are dramatically enhanced here by the frustrated nature of inter-chain exchange. A magnetic field partially relieves frustration, by canting the spins along the field direction, and causes a quantum phase transition into a magnetically-ordered spin-density-wave phase. This is followed by cone and, finally, fully polarized (saturated) phases, as a function of increasing magnetic field. I show that many of these features are in fact observed in experiments on the celebrated material Cs2CuCl4 (J'/J =1/3). I will also discuss the significant modification of the phase diagram by symmetry-breaking anisotropic Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interactions, present in this interesting magnet. In addition to static and thermodynamic properties, the proposed ``one-dimensional'' approach offers a compelling explanation of the unusual experimentally measured dynamical structure factor of Cs2CuCl4 in terms of descendants of one-dimensional spinons. Quite generally, I find characteristic features of a momentum-dependent spinon bound state and a dispersing incoherent excitation in the structure factor, in agreement with experiments.

Geochronology and sources of heavy metal pollution in sediments of Istanbul Strait (Bosporus) outlet area, SW Black Sea, Turkey.

PubMed

Sarı, Erol; Çağatay, M Namık; Acar, Dursun; Belivermiş, Murat; Kılıç, Önder; Arslan, Tuğçe Nagihan; Tutay, Ali; Kurt, Mehmet Ali; Sezer, Narin

2018-08-01

Geochemical and sedimentological analyses and radionuclide ( 210 Pb and 137 Cs) dating of three cores from the Bosporus outlet area of the Black Sea, north of Istanbul, were conducted to assess the sources and history of heavy metal pollution. The sedimentary succession in the shelf core KD12-01 consists mainly of clay (49-80%) and silt (15-41%). Radionuclide dating of the core indicates that it consists of old sediments that are uncontaminated with heavy metals. In contrast, cores KD12-04 and KD12-07 recovered from -350 m and -304 mm in the upper slope area represent sediments consisting of silt and clay that were deposited since at least the last 120 years and 60 years, respectively. The latter core contains two mass-flow units represented by relatively old sedimentary material according to the low 210 Pb activity and relatively low heavy metal contents. The upper 40 and 48 cm of cores KD 12-04 and KD 12-07 represent sediments deposited since 1970s and 1980s that are significantly polluted with Cu, Ni, Zn, Mo, Pb and Cr, Cu, Co, Ni, Mo, Pb, Zn, respectively. However, high Pb and Cr concentrations with high TOC contents date back to early part of the 20th century in core KD 12-04. The geochemical data, together with the high 137 Cs concentrations of the contaminated sediments, strongly suggest that the pollution is mainly delivered to the western and north western Black Sea by the large European rivers, from there transported to the study area by the rim current, and deposited in the sediments under anoxic conditions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of varying operating parameters on heavy metals ecological risk during anaerobic co-digestion of chicken manure and corn stover.

PubMed

Yan, Yilong; Zhang, Liqiu; Feng, Li; Sun, Dezhi; Dang, Yan

2018-01-01

In this study, the potential ecological risk of heavy metals (Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, As, Cd, Pb, Cr) accumulation from anaerobic co-digestion of chicken manure (CM) and corn stover (CS) was evaluated by comparing different initial substrate concentrations, digestion temperatures, and mixture ratios. Results showed that the highest volumetric methane yield of 20.3±1.4L/L reactor was achieved with a CS:CM ratio of 3:1 (on volatile solid basis) in mesophilic solid state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD). Although co-digestion increased the concentrations of all tested heavy metals and the direct toxicity of some heavy metals, the potential ecological risk index indicated that the digestates were all classified as low ecological risk. The biogasification and risk variation of heavy metals were affected by the operating parameters. These results are significant and should be taken into consideration when optimizing co-digestion of animal manure and crop residues during full-scale projects. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ionic liquids for metal extraction from chalcopyrite: solid, liquid and gas phase studies.

PubMed

Kuzmina, O; Symianakis, E; Godfrey, D; Albrecht, T; Welton, T

2017-08-16

We studied leaching of Cu and Fe from naturally occurring chalcopyrite ore using aqueous solutions of ionic liquids (ILs) based on imidazolium and ethylammonium cations and hydrogensulfate, nitrate, acetate or dicyanamide anions. Liquid, solid and gas phases of the leaching systems were characterised. We have shown that nonoxidative leaching is greatly dependant not only on temperature and pH, but on the anion species of the IL. Solutions of 1-butylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate exhibited the best leaching performance among hydrogen sulphate ILs. We have suggested that the formation of an oxide layer in some ILs may be responsible for a reduced leaching ability. The analysis of the gas phase showed the production of CO 2 and CS 2 in all leached samples. Our results suggested that the CS 2 produced upon leaching could be responsible for decreasing the sulfur, but not oxide, layer on the surface of chalcopyrite samples and therefore more efficient leaching. This is the first study, to our knowledge, to provide a systematic comparison of the leaching performance of ILs composed of different anions and cations and without added oxidants.

Biocompatible nanocarriers that respond to oxidative environments via interactions between chitosan and multiple metal ions

PubMed Central

Zhang, Shichang; Xia, Liye; Ding, Chenchen; Wen, Lu; Wan, Weihua; Chen, Gang

2016-01-01

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) functions as an early damage signal contributing to the oxidative stress response and can act as a trigger in smart oxidation-responsive drug delivery systems that are currently in development. Current H2O2-triggered oxidation-responsive polymeric systems are usually derived from chemical synthesis and rarely include natural polymers. Herein, we report two series of nanoparticle (NP) complexes prepared with the biopolymer chitosan (CS) and four different metal ions (Cu2+, Ca2+, Zn2+, and Fe3+), defined as CSNPs-metal complexes (Series 1) and CS-metal complexes NPs (Series 2), which responded to oxidation by dissolving upon H2O2 exposure. Experiments examining Nile red release and H2O2-triggered degradation confirmed that both series of complexes showed better sensitivity to oxidation than the CSNPs alone. Furthermore, preliminary cytotoxicity and histological observations indicated that the two series exhibited little or no cytotoxicity and generated a mild inflammatory response. Our work provides a novel and promising strategy for developing NPs for use as intelligent oxidation-responsive systems. PMID:27358564

Measurement of 0.511-MeV gamma rays with a balloon-borne Ge/Li/ spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ling, J. C.; Mahoney, W. A.; Willett, J. B.; Jacobson, A. S.

1977-01-01

A collimated high-resolution gamma ray spectrometer was flown on a balloon over Palestine, Texas, on June 10, 1974, to obtain measurements of the terrestrial and extraterrestrial 0.511-MeV gamma rays. The spectrometer consists of four 40-cu-cm Ge(Li) crystals operating in the energy range 0.06-10 MeV; this cluster of detectors is surrounded by a CsI(Na) anticoincidence shield. This system is used primarily to allow measurements of the two escape peaks associated with high-energy gamma ray lines. It also allows a measurement of the background component of the 0.511-MeV flux produced by beta(+) decays in materials inside the CsI(Na) shield. It is shown that the measurements of the atmospheric fluxes are consistent with earlier results after allowance is made for an additional component of the background due to beta(+) decays produced by neutron- and proton-initiated interactions with materials in and near the detector. Results of the extraterrestrial flux require an extensive detailed analysis of the time-varying background because of activation buildup and balloon spatial drifts.

Selenium and 17 other largely essential and toxic metals in muscle and organ meats of Red Deer (Cervus elaphus)--consequences to human health.

PubMed

Jarzyńska, Grażyna; Falandysz, Jerzy

2011-07-01

Concentrations, composition and interrelationships of selenium and metallic elements (Ag, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Ga, Mn, Mo, Pb, Rb, Sb, Sr, Tl, V and Zn) have been examined in muscle and organ meats of Red Deer hunted in Poland. The analytical data obtained were also discussed in terms of Se supplementation and deficit to Deer as well as the benefits and risk to humans associated with the essential and toxic metals intake resulting from consumption of Deer meat and products. These elements were determined in 20 adult animals of both sexes that were obtained in the 2000/2001 hunting season from Warmia and Mazury in the north-eastern part of Poland. The whole kidneys contained Ba, Cd, Cr, Ga, Pb, Se, Sr and Tl at statistically greater concentrations than liver or muscle tissue from the same animal. Liver showed statistically greater concentrations of Ag, Co, Cu, Mn and Mo than kidneys or muscle tissue, and muscle tissue was richer in Zn, when compared to the kidneys or liver. Cs and Rb were similarly distributed between all three tissue types, while V was less abundant in liver than kidneys or muscle tissue. There were significant associations between some metallic elements retained in Red Deer demonstrated by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of the data set. In organ and muscle meats (kidneys, liver and muscle tissue considered together) the first principal component (PC1) was strongly influenced by positively correlated variables describing Se, Ba and Cd and negatively correlated variables describing Ag, Co, Cs, Mn, Pb, Tl and V; PC2, respectively, by Cu, Mn and Mo (+) and Zn (-); PC3 by Ga (+) and PC4 by Sb (+). Selenium occurred in muscle tissue, liver and kidneys at median concentrations of 0.13, 0.19 and 4.0mg/g dry weight, respectively. These values can be defined as marginally deficient (< 0.6mg Se/kg liver dw) or satisfactory (≤ 3.0mg Se/kg kidneys dw) for the amount required to maintain the Deer's body condition and health, depending on the criterion for supplementation used. In terms of human nutritional needs, a relatively high selenium content of kidneys can be beneficial. The muscle meat, liver and kidneys of Red Deer can be considered as a very good source of essential Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Mn, Se and Zn in the human diet. Lead is generally considered as toxic, and the concentrations found in Red Deer (via the food chain intake) were well below the European Union tolerance limit. Pb from the lead bullets can always create food hygienic problem, if not well recognized during sanitary inspection, and this was noted for one muscle meat sample in this study (5% surveyed). There is no tolerance limit of Cd in game animal meats. The median values of Cd noted in fresh muscle tissue, liver and whole kidneys were 0.07, 0.18, and 3.3mg/kg wet weight, respectively. Cd exists as a chemical element present at trace levels in plants and mushrooms in Deer's food chain in background (uncontaminated) areas. When these are consumed by the Deer, the amount of Cd sequestered with metallothioneins and retained in the organ and muscle meat in this study is low enough to be considered safe for human consumption. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Something to talk about: enhancement of linguistic cohesion through tdCS in chronic non fluent aphasia.

PubMed

Marangolo, Paola; Fiori, Valentina; Campana, Serena; Calpagnano, Maria Antonietta; Razzano, Carmelina; Caltagirone, Carlo; Marini, Andrea

2014-01-01

Several studies have shown that the modulation of cortical activity through transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) enhances naming performance in persons with aphasia. In this study, we investigated the potential effects of tDCS in improving spontaneous speech and the ability to use connective words to establish cohesion among adjacent utterances in a group of eight participants with chronic non fluent aphasia. They were administered five short videoclips representing everyday life contexts and two picture description tasks. Three videoclips were used to elicit spontaneous conversation during the treatment, while the remaining tasks were presented to the patients only before and after the therapy. Patients were required to talk about each videoclip, with the help of a therapist, while they were treated with tDCS (20 min, 1 mA) over the left hemisphere in three different conditions: anodic tDCS over the Broca's area, anodic tDCS over the Wernicke's area and a sham condition. Each experimental condition was performed for ten consecutive daily sessions with 14 days of intersession interval. Only after Broca's stimulation, patients showed a greater improvement in producing words that enhanced the cohesion of their speech samples (i.e., pronouns, ellipses, word repetitions, conjunctions). Beneficial effects of the stimulation were generalized also to contexts presented to the patients at the beginning and at the end of the therapy sessions. Our data further confirm the key role of the left inferior frontal gyrus in binding words into a coherent speech. We believe that positive tDCS effects may be further extended to different linguistic domains, useful to promote language recovery. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

[A case of crossed aphasia with echolalia after the resection of tumor in the right medial frontal lobe].

PubMed

Endo, K; Suzuki, K; Yamadori, A; Kumabe, T; Seki, K; Fujii, T

2001-03-01

We report a right-handed woman, who developed a non-fluent aphasia after resection of astrocytoma (grade III) in the right medial frontal lobe. On admission to the rehabilitation department, neurological examination revealed mild left hemiparesis, hyperreflexia on the left side and grasp reflex on the left hand. Neuropsychologically she showed general inattention, non-fluent aphasia, acalculia, constructional disability, and mild buccofacial apraxia. No other apraxia, unilateral spatial neglect or extinction phenomena were observed. An MRI demonstrated resected areas in the right superior frontal gyrus, subcortical region in the right middle frontal gyrus, anterior part of the cingulate gyrus, a part of supplementary motor area. Surrounding area in the right frontal lobe showed diffuse signal change. She demonstrated non-fluent aprosodic speech with word finding difficulty. No phonemic paraphasia, or anarthria was observed. Auditory comprehension was fair with some difficulty in comprehending complex commands. Naming was good, but verbal fluency tests for a category or phonemic cuing was severely impaired. She could repeat words but not sentences. Reading comprehension was disturbed by semantic paralexia and writing words was poor for both Kana (syllabogram) and Kanji(logogram) characters. A significant feature of her speech was mitigated echolalia. In both free conversation and examination setting, she often repeated phrases spoken to her which she used to start her speech. In addition, she repeated words spoken to others which were totally irrelevant to her conversation. She was aware of her echoing, which always embarrassed her. She described her echolalic tendency as a great nuisance. However, once echoing being forbidden, she could not initiate her speech and made incorrect responses after long delay. Thus, her compulsive echolalia helped to start her speech. Only four patients with crossed aphasia demonstrated echolalia in the literature. They showed severe aphasia with markedly decreased speech and severe comprehension deficit. A patient with a similar lesion in the right medial frontal lobe had aspontaneity in general and language function per se could not be examined properly. Echolalia related to the medial frontal lesion in the language dominant hemisphere was described as a compulsive speech response, because some other 'echoing' phenomena or compulsive behavior were also observed in these patients. On the other hand, some patients with a large lesion in the right hemisphere tended to respond to stimuli directed to other patients, so called 'response-to-next-patient-stimulation'. This behavior was explained by disinhibited shift of attention or perseveration of the set. Both compulsive speech responses and 'response-to-next-patient-stimulation' like phenomena may have contributed to the echolalia phenomena of the present case.

Nanoalloying and phase transformations during thermal treatment of physical mixtures of Pd and Cu nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Mukundan, Vineetha; Yin, Jun; Joseph, Pharrah; Luo, Jin; Shan, Shiyao; Zakharov, Dmitri N; Zhong, Chuan-Jian; Malis, Oana

2014-01-01

Nanoscale alloying and phase transformations in physical mixtures of Pd and Cu ultrafine nanoparticles are investigated in real time with in situ synchrotron-based x-ray diffraction complemented by ex situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The combination of metal–support interaction and reactive/non-reactive environment was found to determine the thermal evolution and ultimate structure of this binary system. At 300 °C, the nanoparticles supported on silica and carbon black intermix to form a chemically ordered CsCl-type (B2) alloy phase. The B2 phase transforms into a disordered fcc alloy at higher temperature (> 450 °C). The alloy nanoparticles supported on silica and carbon black are homogeneous in volume, but evidence was found of Pd surface enrichment. In sharp contrast, when supported on alumina, the two metals segregated at 300 °C to produce almost pure fcc Cu and Pd phases. Upon further annealing of the mixture on alumina above 600 °C, the two metals interdiffused, forming two distinct disordered alloys of compositions 30% and 90% Pd. The annealing atmosphere also plays a major role in the structural evolution of these bimetallic nanoparticles. The nanoparticles annealed in forming gas are larger than the nanoparticles annealing in helium due to reduction of the surface oxides that promotes coalescence and sintering. PMID:27877663

Trace elements and electrolytes in human resting mixed saliva after exercise

PubMed Central

Chicharro, J. L.; Serrano, V.; Urena, R.; Gutierrez, A. M.; Carvajal, A.; Fernandez-, H; Lucia, A.

1999-01-01

OBJECTIVES: Exercise is known to cause changes in the concentration of salivary components such as amylase, Na, and Cl. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of physical exercise on the levels of trace elements and electrolytes in whole (mixed) saliva. METHODS: Forty subjects performed a maximal exercise test on a cycle ergometer. Samples of saliva were obtained before and immediately after the exercise test. Sample concentrations of Fe, Mg, Sc, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Se, Sr, Ag, Sb, Cs, and Hg were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and concentrations of Ca and Na by atomic absorption spectrometry. RESULTS: After exercise, Mg and Na levels showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) while Mn levels fell (p < 0.05). Zn/Cu molar ratios were unaffected by exercise. CONCLUSIONS: Intense physical exercise induced changes in the concentrations of only three (Na, Mg, and Mn) of the 16 elements analysed in the saliva samples. Further research is needed to assess the clinical implications of these findings. 


 PMID:10378074

Elemental analysis of different varieties of rice samples using XRF technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaur, Jaspreet; Kumar, Anil

2016-05-01

Rice is most consumed staple food in the world providing over 21% of the calorie intake of world's population having high yielding capacity. Elements detected in rice are Al, As, Br, Cd, Cl, Co, Cs, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Rb, Se and Zn by using Instrumental Neutron Activation with k0 standardization (R. Jayasekera etal,2004). Some of these trace elements are C, H, O, N, S, Ca, P, K, Na, Cl, Mn, Ti, Mg, Cu, Fe, Ni, Si and Zn are essential for growth of human physique The deficiency or excess of these elements in food is known to cause a variety of malnutrition or health disorders in the world. Every year, various varieties of rice are launched by Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana. The main purpose of which is to increases the yield to attain the maximum profit. But this leads to changing the elemental concentration in them, which may affect the human health according to variation in the nutrition values. The main objective is to study the presence of elemental concentration in various varieties of rice using EDXRF technique.

Geochemical assessment of metals and dioxin in sediment from the San Carlos Reservoir and the Gila, San Carlos, and San Francisco Rivers, Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Church, Stan E.; Choate, LaDonna M.; Marot, Marci E.; Fey, David L.; Adams, Monique; Briggs, Paul H.; Brown, Zoe Ann

2005-01-01

In October 2004, we sampled stream-bed sediment, terrace sediment, and sediment from the San Carlos Reservoir to determine the spatial and chronological variation of six potentially toxic metals-Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, As, and Hg. Water levels in the San Carlos Reservoir were at a 20-year low at an elevation of 2,409 ft (734.3 m). Four cores were taken from the reservoir: one from the San Carlos River arm, one from the Gila River arm, and two from the San Carlos Reservoir just west of the Pinal County line. Radioisotope chronometry (7Be, 137Cs, and 210Pb) conducted on sediment from the reservoir cores provides a good chronological record back to 1959. Chronology prior to that, during the 1950s, is based on our interpretation of the 137Cs anomaly in reservoir cores. During and prior to the 1950s, the reservoir was dry and sediment-accumulation rates were irregular; age control based on radioisotope data was not possible. We recovered sediment at the base of one 4-m-long core that may date back to the late 1930s. The sedimentological record contains two discrete events, one about 1978-83 and one about 1957, where the Cu concentration in reservoir sediment exceeded recommended sediment quality guidelines and should have had an effect on sensitive aquatic and benthic organisms. Concentrations of Zn determined in sediment deposited during the 1957(?) event also exceeded recommended sediment quality guidelines. Concentration data for Cu from the four cores clearly indicate that the source of this material was upstream on the Gila River. Lead isotope data, coupled with the geochemical data from a 2M HCl-1 percent H2O2 leach of selected sediment samples, show two discrete populations of data. One represents the dominant sediment load derived from the Safford Valley, and a second reflects sediment derived from the San Francisco River. The Cu concentration spikes in the reservoir cores have chemical and Pb isotope signatures that indicate that deposits in a porphyry copper deposit from the Morenci district is the likely source of these Cu-rich sedimentary deposits. Copper concentrations and Pb isotope data in premining terrace-sediment deposits indicate that the Cu peaks could not have resulted from erosion of premining sediment from terrace deposits downstream on the Gila River. The chemical and Pb isotope data also indicate that agricultural practices in the Safford Valley have resulted in an increased sediment load to the Gila River since large-scale farming began, prior to the time when the San Carlos Reservoir was built. Analyses of dioxin, which is an impurity in one of the herbicides used in the late 1960s and early 1970s, were completed in sediment from one of the cores in the reservoir to determine whether any of these pesticide residues have accumulated in the reservoir sediment. Dioxin concentration is expressed in terms of its toxicity (toxic equivalent concentration or TEQ). Concentrations of dioxin in the sediment ranged from 0.68 to 1.37 pg/g and are less than any of the benchmark concentrations recommended as threshold values for adverse effects of dioxin in sediment (> 2.5-10 pg/g).

Chemical characteristics and source of size-fractionated atmospheric particle in haze episode in Beijing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Jihua; Duan, Jingchun; Zhen, Naijia; He, Kebin; Hao, Jiming

2016-01-01

The abundance, behavior, and source of chemical species in size-fractionated atmospheric particle were studied with a 13-stage low pressure impactor (ELPI) during high polluted winter episode in Beijing. Thirty three elements (Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na, Si, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, As, Se, Sr, Zr, Mo, Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Cs, Ba, Hg, Tl, and Pb) and eight water soluble ions (Cl-, NO3-, SO42 -, NH4+, Na+, K+, Ca2 +, and Mg2 +) were determined by ICP/MS and IC, respectively. The size distribution of TC (OC + EC) was reconstructed. Averagely, 51.5 ± 5.3% and 74.1 ± 3.7% of the total aerosol mass was distributed in the sub-micron (PM1) and fine particle (PM2.5), respectively. A significant shift to larger fractions during heavy pollution episode was observed for aerosol mass, NH4+, SO42 -, NO3-, K, Fe, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb. The mass size distributions of NH4+, SO42 -, NO3-, and K were dominated by accumulation mode. Size distributions of elements were classified into four main types: (I) elements were enriched within the accumulation mode (< 1 μm, Ge, Se, Ag, Sn, Sb, Cs, Hg, Ti, and Pb); (II) those mass (K, Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, As, Mo, and Cd) was resided mainly within the accumulation mode, ranged from 1 to 2 μm; (III) Na, V, Co, Ni, and Ga were distributed among fine, intermediate, and coarse modes; and (IV) those which were mainly found within particles larger than 2.7 μm (Al, Mg, Si, Ca, Sc, Tl, Fe, Sr, Zr, and Ba). [H+]cor showed an accumulation mode at 600-700 nm and the role of Ca2 + should be fully considered in the estimation of acidity. The acidity in accumulation mode particles suggested that generally gaseous NH3 was not enough to neutralize sulfate completely. PMF method was applied for source apportionment of elements combined with water soluble ions. Dust, vehicle, aged coal combustion, and sea salt were identified, and the size resolved source apportionments were discussed. Aged coal combustion was the important source of fine particles and dust contributed most to coarse particle.

Extraction method based on emulsion breaking for the determination of Cu, Fe and Pb in Brazilian automotive gasoline samples by high-resolution continuum source flame atomic absorption spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leite, Clarice C.; de Jesus, Alexandre; Kolling, Leandro; Ferrão, Marco F.; Samios, Dimitrios; Silva, Márcia M.

2018-04-01

This work reports a new method for extraction of Cu, Fe and Pb from Brazilian automotive gasoline and their determination by high-resolution continuous source flame atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS FAAS). The method was based on the formation of water-in-oil emulsion by mixing 2.0 mL of extraction solution constituted by 12% (w/v) Triton X-100 and 5% (v/v) HNO3 with 10 mL of sample. After heating at 90 °C for 10 min, two well-defined phases were formed. The bottom phase (approximately 3.5 mL), composed of acidified water and part of the ethanol originally present in the gasoline sample, containing the extracted analytes was analyzed. The surfactant and HNO3 concentrations and the heating temperature employed in the process were optimized by Doehlert design, using a Brazilian gasoline sample spiked with Cu, Fe and Pb (organometallic compounds). The efficiency of extraction was investigated and it ranged from 80 to 89%. The calibration was accomplished by using matrix matching method. For this, the standards were obtained performing the same extraction procedure used for the sample, using emulsions obtained with a gasoline sample free of analytes and the addition of inorganic standards. Limits of detection obtained were 3.0, 5.0 and 14.0 μg L-1 for Cu, Fe and Pb, respectively. These limits were estimated for the original sample taking into account the preconcentration factor obtained. The accuracy of the proposed method was assured by recovery tests spiking the samples with organometallic standards and the obtained values ranged from 98 to 105%. Ten gasoline samples were analyzed and Fe was found in four samples (0.04-0.35 mg L-1) while Cu (0.28 mg L-1) and Pb (0.60 mg L-1) was found in just one sample.

Influence of electrolyte composition and temperature on behaviour of AB5 hydrogen storage alloy used as negative electrode in Ni-MH batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karwowska, Malgorzata; Jaron, Tomasz; Fijalkowski, Karol J.; Leszczynski, Piotr J.; Rogulski, Zbigniew; Czerwinski, Andrzej

2014-10-01

The AB5-type metal alloy (Mm-Ni4.1Al0.2Mn0.4Co0.45) has been investigated in different electrolytes (LiOH, NaOH, KOH, RbOH, CsOH). All of the electrochemical measurements have been performed using limited volume electrode technique (LVE). Thickness of the working electrode is nearly equal to the diameter of the grain (ca. 50 μm). Hydrogen diffusion coefficient has been determined using chronoamperometry. Hydrogen diffusion coefficient calculated for 100% state of charge reaches maximum value in KOH (DH = 4.65·10-10 cm2 s-1). We have obtained the highest value of capacity for the electrode in KOH and the lowest - in CsOH. The temperature influence on alloy capacity has been also tested. The alloy has been also characterised with SEM coupled with EDS, TGA/DSC and powder XRD. The unit cell of MmNi4.1Al0.2Mn0.4Co0.45 have been refined in the Cu5.4Yb0.8 structure type (a modified LaNi5 structure); the structure is unaffected by the electrochemical treatment.

Dual Roles of β-Oxodithioesters in the Copper-Catalyzed Synthesis of Benzo[e]pyrazolo[1,5-c][1,3]thiazine Derivatives.

PubMed

Wen, Li-Rong; Yuan, Wen-Kui; Li, Ming

2015-05-15

A facile and efficient method for the chemoselective synthesis of benzo[e]pyrazolo[1,5-c][1,3]thiazine derivatives has been developed by tandem Ullmann coupling reactions of β-oxodithioesters (ODEs) with 3-(2-bromoaryl)-1H-pyrazoles in C-S bond formation manner, in which ODEs play dual roles as both a substrate and a ligand. A series of benzo[e]pyrazolo[1,5-c][1,3]thiazine derivatives were provided in good to excellent yields with CuI as the copper source in the presence of NaOH in CH3CN at 80 °C under a N2 atmosphere.

High performance YBCO films. Quarterly status report No. 6, 1 February-30 April 1993. [YBCO (yttrium barium copper oxides)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Denlinger, E.J.; Fathy, A.; Kalokitis, D.

1993-04-30

YBCO on MgF2 withstood post annealing to 750 deg C without deterioration. This allows the deposition of high quality multiple layer YBCO films onto both sides of a MgF2 substrate. GdBaCuO films were deposited onto LaAlO3 and appear to be superior to YBCO in terms of lower particulate density, slightly higher T[sub c]'s, and higher critical current density. The ramifications could be very beneficial to the MCM program. Furthermore, the tolerance of these films to a wider range of deposition conditions indicates a possibility of using these films on MgF2.

Feigning Amnesia Moderately Impairs Memory for a Mock Crime Video.

PubMed

Mangiulli, Ivan; van Oorsouw, Kim; Curci, Antonietta; Merckelbach, Harald; Jelicic, Marko

2018-01-01

Previous studies showed that feigning amnesia for a crime impairs actual memory for the target event. Lack of rehearsal has been proposed as an explanation for this memory-undermining effect of feigning. The aim of the present study was to replicate and extend previous research adopting a mock crime video instead of a narrative story. We showed participants a video of a violent crime. Next, they were requested to imagine that they had committed this offense and to either feign amnesia or confess the crime. A third condition was included: Participants in the delayed test-only control condition did not receive any instruction. On subsequent recall tests, participants in all three conditions were instructed to report as much information as possible about the offense. On the free recall test, feigning amnesia impaired memory for the video clip, but participants who were asked to feign crime-related amnesia outperformed controls. However, no differences between simulators and confessors were found on both correct cued recollection or on distortion and commission rates. We also explored whether inner speech might modulate memory for the crime. Inner speech traits were not found to be related to the simulating amnesia effect. Theoretical and practical implications of our results are discussed.

The perception of phonological quantity based on durational cues by native speakers, second-language users and nonspeakers of Finnish.

PubMed

Ylinen, Sari; Shestakova, Anna; Alku, Paavo; Huotilainen, Minna

2005-01-01

Some languages, such as Finnish, use speech-sound duration as the primary cue for a phonological quantity distinction. For second-language (L2) learners, quantity is often difficult to master if speech-sound duration plays a less important role in the phonology of their native language (L1). By comparing the categorization performance of native speakers of Finnish, Russian L2 users of Finnish, and non-Finnish-speaking Russians, the present study aimed to determine whether the L2 users, whose native language does not have a quantity distinction, have been able to establish categories for Finnish quantity. The results suggest that the native speakers and some of the L2 users that have been exposed to Finnish for a longer time have access to phonological quantity categories, whereas the L2 users with shorter exposure and the non-Finnish-speaking subjects do not. In addition, by comparing categorization and discrimination tasks it was found that the native speakers show a phoneme-boundary effect for quantity that is cued by duration only, whereas the non-Finnish-speaking subjects and the subjects with low proficiency in Finnish do not.

The effect of auditory verbal imagery on signal detection in hallucination-prone individuals

PubMed Central

Moseley, Peter; Smailes, David; Ellison, Amanda; Fernyhough, Charles

2016-01-01

Cognitive models have suggested that auditory hallucinations occur when internal mental events, such as inner speech or auditory verbal imagery (AVI), are misattributed to an external source. This has been supported by numerous studies indicating that individuals who experience hallucinations tend to perform in a biased manner on tasks that require them to distinguish self-generated from non-self-generated perceptions. However, these tasks have typically been of limited relevance to inner speech models of hallucinations, because they have not manipulated the AVI that participants used during the task. Here, a new paradigm was employed to investigate the interaction between imagery and perception, in which a healthy, non-clinical sample of participants were instructed to use AVI whilst completing an auditory signal detection task. It was hypothesized that AVI-usage would cause participants to perform in a biased manner, therefore falsely detecting more voices in bursts of noise. In Experiment 1, when cued to generate AVI, highly hallucination-prone participants showed a lower response bias than when performing a standard signal detection task, being more willing to report the presence of a voice in the noise. Participants not prone to hallucinations performed no differently between the two conditions. In Experiment 2, participants were not specifically instructed to use AVI, but retrospectively reported how often they engaged in AVI during the task. Highly hallucination-prone participants who retrospectively reported using imagery showed a lower response bias than did participants with lower proneness who also reported using AVI. Results are discussed in relation to prominent inner speech models of hallucinations. PMID:26435050

Characteristics of Pediatric Performance on a Test Battery Commonly Used in the Diagnosis of Central Auditory Processing Disorder.

PubMed

Weihing, Jeffrey; Guenette, Linda; Chermak, Gail; Brown, Mallory; Ceruti, Julianne; Fitzgerald, Krista; Geissler, Kristin; Gonzalez, Jennifer; Brenneman, Lauren; Musiek, Frank

2015-01-01

Although central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) test battery performance has been examined in adults with neurologic lesions of the central auditory nervous system (CANS), similar data on children being referred for CAPD evaluations are sparse. This study characterizes CAPD test battery performance in children using tests commonly administered to diagnose the disorder. Specifically, this study describes failure rates for various test combinations, relationships between CAPD tests used in the battery, and the influence of cognitive function on CAPD test performance and CAPD diagnosis. A comparison is also made between the performance of children with CAPD and data from patients with neurologic lesions of the CANS. A retrospective study. Fifty-six pediatric patients were referred for CAPD testing. Participants were administered four CAPD tests, including frequency patterns (FP), low-pass filtered speech (LPFS), dichotic digits (DD), and competing sentences (CS). In addition, they were given the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC). Descriptive analyses examined the failure rates of various test combinations, as well as how often children with CAPD failed certain combinations when compared with adults with CANS lesions. A principal components analysis was performed to examine interrelationships between tests. Correlations and regressions were conducted to determine the relationship between CAPD test performance and the WISC. Results showed that the FP and LPFS tests were most commonly failed by children with CAPD. Two-test combinations that included one or both of these two tests and excluded DD tended to be failed more often. Including the DD and CS test in a battery benefited specificity. Tests thought to measure interhemispheric transfer tended to be correlated. Compared with adult patients with neurologic lesions, children with CAPD tended to fail LPFS more frequently and DD less frequently. Both groups failed FP with relatively equal frequency. The two-test combination that showed the highest failure rate for children with CAPD was LPFS-FP. Comparison with adults with CANS lesions, however, suggests that the mechanisms underlying LPFS performance in children need to be better understood. The two-test combination that showed the next highest failure rates among children with CAPD and did not include LPFS was CS-FP. If it is desirable to use a dichotic measure that has a lower linguistic load than CS then DD can be substituted for CS despite the slightly lower failure rate of the DD-FP battery. American Academy of Audiology.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rettie, Alexander J. E.; Sturza, Mihai; Malliakas, Christos D.

The two-dimensional material KCu 3–xSe 2 was synthesized using both a K 2Se 3 flux and directly from the elements. It crystallizes in the CsAg 3S 2 structure (monoclinic space group C2/m with a = 15.417(3) Å, b = 4.0742(8) Å, c = 8.3190(17) Å, and β = 112.94(3)°), and single-crystal refinement revealed infinite copper-deficient [Cu 3–xSe 2]– layers separated by K + ions. Thermal analysis indicated that KCu 3–xSe 2 melts congruently at ~755 °C. UV–vis spectroscopy showed an optical band gap of ~1.35 eV that is direct in nature, as confirmed by electronic structure calculations. Electronic transport measurementsmore » on single crystals yielded an in-plane resistivity of ~6 × 10 –1 Ω cm at 300 K that has a complex temperature dependence. The results of Seebeck coefficient measurements were consistent with a doped p-type semiconductor (S = +214 μV K –1 at 300 K), with doping being attributed to copper vacancies. Transport is dominated by low-mobility (on the order of 1 cm 2 V –1 s –1) holes caused by relatively flat valence bands with substantial Cu 3d character and a significant concentration of Cu ion vacancy defects (p ~ 10 19 cm –3) in this material. In conclusion, electronic band structure calculations showed that electrons should be significantly more mobile in this structure type.« less

Using elemental profiles and stable isotopes to trace the origin of green coffee beans on the global market.

PubMed

Santato, Alessandro; Bertoldi, Daniela; Perini, Matteo; Camin, Federica; Larcher, Roberto

2012-09-01

A broad elemental profile incorporating 54 elements (Li, Be, B, Na, Mg, Al, P, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Y, Mo, Pd, Ag, Cd, Sn, Sb, Te, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Dy, Er, Tm, Yb, Re, Ir, Pt, Au, Hg, Tl, Pb, Bi and U) in combination with δ(2) H, δ(13) C, δ(15) N and δ(18) O was used to characterise the composition of 62 green arabica (Coffea arabica) and robusta (Coffea canephora) coffee beans grown in South and Central America, Africa and Asia, the four most internationally renowned areas of production. The δ(2) H, Mg, Fe, Co and Ni content made it possible to correctly assign 95% of green coffee beans to the appropriate variety. Canonical discriminant analysis, performed using δ(13) C, δ(15) N, δ(18) O, Li, Mg, P, K, Mn, Co, Cu, Se, Y, Mo, Cd, La and Ce correctly traced the origin of 98% of coffee beans. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Elemental analysis of different varieties of rice samples using XRF technique

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kaur, Jaspreet, E-mail: gillpreet05051812@gmail.com; Kumar, Anil, E-mail: gilljaspreet06@gmail.com

Rice is most consumed staple food in the world providing over 21% of the calorie intake of world’s population having high yielding capacity. Elements detected in rice are Al, As, Br, Cd, Cl, Co, Cs, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Rb, Se and Zn by using Instrumental Neutron Activation with k0 standardization (R. Jayasekera etal,2004). Some of these trace elements are C, H, O, N, S, Ca, P, K, Na, Cl, Mn, Ti, Mg, Cu, Fe, Ni, Si and Zn are essential for growth of human physique The deficiency or excess of these elements in food is knownmore » to cause a variety of malnutrition or health disorders in the world. Every year, various varieties of rice are launched by Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana. The main purpose of which is to increases the yield to attain the maximum profit. But this leads to changing the elemental concentration in them, which may affect the human health according to variation in the nutrition values. The main objective is to study the presence of elemental concentration in various varieties of rice using EDXRF technique.« less

Testing Room-Temperature Ionic Liquid Solutions for Depot Repair of Aluminum Coatings

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-01

Ne 3 Na Mg IIIB IVB VB VIB VIIB ------ VIIIB ------ IB IIB Al Si P S Cl Ar 4 K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr 5 Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc...Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd In Sn Sb Te I Xe 6 Cs Ba La Hf Ta W Re Os Ir Pt Au Hg Tl Pb Bi Po At Rn 7 Fr Ra Ac Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu Th Pa U Np...Electroplating Bath Lid Arrangement ;:::::::::::=== Thermometer Purge gas vent Anode lead Cathode lead (Extractable from the lid) Purge feed gas

All Prime Contract Awards by State or Country, Place, and Contractor, FY 85. Part 16 (Ashaway, Rhode Island - Woodstock, Tennessee).

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-01-01

1LA LA 0)0 CC- CL4 0- Cl) -0 00 00 0’ ’E4 1<u 0 0 0 - * - 0𔃾 ( LADO a:0 1(JD C 0( (000 ((0 (0 0(0 to( L4 444 ɜ mi O O D4 34) 4n 44i 0~ CS414 < (-44...0001,- VI-I EU) .-. N CU EO Ec C ( EU)c) 0000Ioo- cO EOa I (0004 I am(00(0 41N0 410 ON" 4(0) Re t I 4 (41 414--m 10) m1 - 0004< f E0(0()4c ENC E-4 -IN4 W

Final Environmental Impact Statement, Rehabilitation of Locks and Dam Number 1, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-07-01

sftt ,/’. ,a 2 cs’~ naovigation lock ..vhiCh failed i,? 15/9 sel h" , ’C -- -7 - r I -l n each bock AO ’C squae .16t/,ck f(I yER ILOCA’ p*z :c,,ceie f/cc...Jerrtck s/one parng below apron. � failire Of 5 monoi/ha 1951 r -emoval of fallen guard well and 8 fD~ portion of rock filld crib - tst Zi65.08 -- 8...cut-11-ll Vog re sil wallmnltftiI I0dsee rie lock rLVeC2paiea92/ICk eadtn wi/oo cu AI ii. L_ - r ,^ . _’i eIe / oe n-n - - 1 --- p~bSq toa via cosa

Performance Enhancement of Small Molecular Solar Cells by Bilayer Cathode Buffer.

PubMed

Sun, Qinjun; Zhao, Huanbin; Zhou, Miao; Gao, Liyan; Hao, Yuying

2016-04-01

An effective composite bilayer cathode buffer structure is proposed for use in small molecular solar cells. CsF was doped in Alq3 to form the first cathode buffer, leading to small serial resistances. BCP was used as the second cathode buffer to block the holes to the electrode. The optimized bilayer cathode buffer significantly increased the short circuit and fill factor of devices. By integrating this bilayer cathode buffer, the CuPc/C60 small molecular heterojunction cell exhibited a power conversion efficiency of up to 0.8%, which was an improvement of 56% compared to a device with only the Alq3 cathode buffer. Meanwhile, the bilayer cathode buffer still has a good protective effect on the performance of the device.

Formation of Metal-Adducted Analyte Ions by Flame-Induced Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometry.

PubMed

Cheng, Sy-Chyi; Wang, Chin-Hsiung; Shiea, Jentaie

2016-05-17

A flame-induced atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (FAPCI) source, consisting of a miniflame, nebulizer, and heated tube, was developed to ionize analytes. The ionization was performed by reacting analytes with a charged species generated in a flame. A stainless steel needle deposited with saturated alkali chloride solution was introduced into the mini oxyacetylene flame to generate alkali ions, which were reacted with analytes (M) generated in a heated nebulizer. The alkali-adducted 18-crown-6 ether ions, including (M + Li)(+), (M + Na)(+), (M + K)(+), (M + Rb)(+), and (M + Cs)(+), were successfully detected on the FAPCI mass spectra when the corresponding alkali chloride solutions were separately introduced to the flame. When an alkali chloride mixture was introduced, all alkali-adducted analyte ions were simultaneously detected. Their intensity order was as follows: (M + Cs)(+) > (M + Rb)(+) > (M + K)(+) > (M + Na)(+) > (M + Li)(+), and this trend agreed with the lattice energies of alkali chlorides. Besides alkali ions, other transition metal ions such as Ni(+), Cu(+), and Ag(+) were generated in a flame for analyte ionization. Other than metal ions, the reactive species generated in the fossil fuel flame could also be used to ionize analytes, which formed protonated analyte ions (M + H)(+) in positive ion mode and deprotonated analyte ions (M - H)(-) in negative ion mode.

Changes in brain activity following intensive voice treatment in children with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Bakhtiari, Reyhaneh; Cummine, Jacqueline; Reed, Alesha; Fox, Cynthia M; Chouinard, Brea; Cribben, Ivor; Boliek, Carol A

2017-09-01

Eight children (3 females; 8-16 years) with motor speech disorders secondary to cerebral palsy underwent 4 weeks of an intensive neuroplasticity-principled voice treatment protocol, LSVT LOUD ® , followed by a structured 12-week maintenance program. Children were asked to overtly produce phonation (ah) at conversational loudness, cued-phonation at perceived twice-conversational loudness, a series of single words, and a prosodic imitation task while being scanned using fMRI, immediately pre- and post-treatment and 12 weeks following a maintenance program. Eight age- and sex-matched controls were scanned at each of the same three time points. Based on the speech and language literature, 16 bilateral regions of interest were selected a priori to detect potential neural changes following treatment. Reduced neural activity in the motor areas (decreased motor system effort) before and immediately after treatment, and increased activity in the anterior cingulate gyrus after treatment (increased contribution of decision making processes) were observed in the group with cerebral palsy compared to the control group. Using graphical models, post-treatment changes in connectivity were observed between the left supramarginal gyrus and the right supramarginal gyrus and the left precentral gyrus for the children with cerebral palsy, suggesting LSVT LOUD enhanced contributions of the feedback system in the speech production network instead of high reliance on feedforward control system and the somatosensory target map for regulating vocal effort. Network pruning indicates greater processing efficiency and the recruitment of the auditory and somatosensory feedback control systems following intensive treatment. Hum Brain Mapp 38:4413-4429, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Impact of snow deposition on major and trace element concentrations and elementary fluxes in surface waters of the Western Siberian Lowland across a 1700 km latitudinal gradient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shevchenko, Vladimir P.; Pokrovsky, Oleg S.; Vorobyev, Sergey N.; Krickov, Ivan V.; Manasypov, Rinat M.; Politova, Nadezhda V.; Kopysov, Sergey G.; Dara, Olga M.; Auda, Yves; Shirokova, Liudmila S.; Kolesnichenko, Larisa G.; Zemtsov, Valery A.; Kirpotin, Sergey N.

2017-11-01

In order to better understand the chemical composition of snow and its impact on surface water hydrochemistry in the poorly studied Western Siberia Lowland (WSL), the surface layer of snow was sampled in February 2014 across a 1700 km latitudinal gradient (ca. 56.5 to 68° N). We aimed at assessing the latitudinal effect on both dissolved and particulate forms of elements in snow and quantifying the impact of atmospheric input to element storage and export fluxes in inland waters of the WSL. The concentration of dissolved+colloidal (< 0.45 µm) Fe, Co, Cu, As and La increased by a factor of 2 to 5 north of 63° N compared to southern regions. The pH and dissolved Ca, Mg, Sr, Mo and U in snow water increased with the rise in concentrations of particulate fraction (PF). Principal component analyses of major and trace element concentrations in both dissolved and particulate fractions revealed two factors not linked to the latitude. A hierarchical cluster analysis yielded several groups of elements that originated from alumino-silicate mineral matrix, carbonate minerals and marine aerosols or belonging to volatile atmospheric heavy metals, labile elements from weatherable minerals and nutrients. The main sources of mineral components in PF are desert and semi-desert regions of central Asia. The snow water concentrations of DIC, Cl, SO4, Mg, Ca, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Mo, Cd, Sb, Cs, W, Pb and U exceeded or were comparable with springtime concentrations in thermokarst lakes of the permafrost-affected WSL zone. The springtime river fluxes of DIC, Cl, SO4, Na, Mg, Ca, Rb, Cs, metals (Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb), metalloids (As, Sb), Mo and U in the discontinuous to continuous permafrost zone (64-68° N) can be explained solely by melting of accumulated snow. The impact of snow deposition on riverine fluxes of elements strongly increased northward, in discontinuous and continuous permafrost zones of frozen peat bogs. This was consistent with the decrease in the impact of rock lithology on river chemical composition in the permafrost zone of the WSL, relative to the permafrost-free regions. Therefore, the present study demonstrates significant and previously underestimated atmospheric input of many major and trace elements to their riverine fluxes during spring floods. A broader impact of this result is that current estimations of river water fluxes response to climate warming in high latitudes may be unwarranted without detailed analysis of winter precipitation.

Metallic elements and metalloids in Boletus luridus, B. magnificus and B. tomentipes mushrooms from polymetallic soils from SW China.

PubMed

Falandysz, Jerzy; Zhang, Ji; Wiejak, Anna; Barałkiewicz, Danuta; Hanć, Anetta

2017-08-01

Yunnan Province in China is known for its high biodiversity of mushrooms and a diverse geochemistry of soil bedrock and polymetallic soils, but our knowledge of mineral compositions of mushrooms from Yunnan is scarce. The metallic trace elements, Ag, Ba, Co, Cd, Cs, Cu, Cr, Hg, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sr, V, Tl, U and Zn, and the metalloids, As and Sb, have been investigated using validated methods with a dynamic reactive cell by mass spectroscopy - inductive coupled plasma and cold vapour - atomic absorption spectroscopy on three popular species of Boletus mushrooms from Southwestern China. The trace mineral profiles in caps and stipes of B. luridus (24 individuals), B. magnificus (29 individuals) and B. tomentipes (38 individuals) have been evaluated. The interspecific differences in the content of several trace elements could be attributed to known differences in the geochemistry of soils in Yunnan, but for copper a difference was observed within species. The mean values of concentrations in composite samples of caps for B. luridus, B. magnificus and B. tomentipes from three to four locations were at the ranges (mgkg -1 dry biomass): Ag (1.3-3.7), As (0.79-53), Ba (4.0-12), Co (0.68-1.2), Cd (0.79-2.2), Cs (0.67-55), Cu (37-77), Cr (5.0-7.6), Hg (2.1-5.4), Li (0.15-0.61), Mn (13-28), Ni (0.86-4.6), Pb (0.59-1.8), Rb (90-120), Sb (0.014-0.088), Sr (0.63-1.6), V (1.4-2.2), Tl (0.017-0.054), U (0.029-0.065) and Zn (130-180). Caps of Boletus mushrooms were richer in Ag, Cu, Hg and Zn than stipes, while other elements were distributed roughly equally between both morphological parts. B. luridus, B. magnificus and B. tomentipes grew in certain sites in Yunnan contained Ag, As, Ba, Cr, Hg, Ni, Sr or V at elevated concentration. A specific geochemistry of the soils type (latosols, lateritic red earths, and red and yellow earths in the Circum-Pacific Mercuriferous Belt of Southwestern China) can explain occurrence of some minerals at greater or elevated amount in mushrooms in Yunnan, while number of available research and data on mineral composition of mushrooms due to geochemical anomalies of soil parent material is so far little. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Feigning Amnesia Moderately Impairs Memory for a Mock Crime Video

PubMed Central

Mangiulli, Ivan; van Oorsouw, Kim; Curci, Antonietta; Merckelbach, Harald; Jelicic, Marko

2018-01-01

Previous studies showed that feigning amnesia for a crime impairs actual memory for the target event. Lack of rehearsal has been proposed as an explanation for this memory-undermining effect of feigning. The aim of the present study was to replicate and extend previous research adopting a mock crime video instead of a narrative story. We showed participants a video of a violent crime. Next, they were requested to imagine that they had committed this offense and to either feign amnesia or confess the crime. A third condition was included: Participants in the delayed test-only control condition did not receive any instruction. On subsequent recall tests, participants in all three conditions were instructed to report as much information as possible about the offense. On the free recall test, feigning amnesia impaired memory for the video clip, but participants who were asked to feign crime-related amnesia outperformed controls. However, no differences between simulators and confessors were found on both correct cued recollection or on distortion and commission rates. We also explored whether inner speech might modulate memory for the crime. Inner speech traits were not found to be related to the simulating amnesia effect. Theoretical and practical implications of our results are discussed. PMID:29760675

Recovery of valuable metals from electroplating sludge with reducing additives via vitrification.

PubMed

Huang, Ruth; Huang, Kuo-Lin; Lin, Zih-Yi; Wang, Jian-Wen; Lin, Chitsan; Kuo, Yi-Ming

2013-11-15

In this study, vitrification was applied to treat Ni-Cu electroplating sludge. The sludge was mixed with additives (limestone:cullet = 4:6) and then heated to 1450 °C. The cooled product could be separated into slag and ingot. An atomic absorption spectrometer was used to determine the metal levels of specimens and toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) tests, whereas the crystalline and surface characteristics were examined using quantitative X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. With a glassy structure, the slag was mainly composed of Ca, Si, and Mg. The TCLP results of slags met the Taiwan regulated standards, suggesting that slag can be used for recycling purposes. With the aid of additives, the crystalline phase of slag was transformed form CaMgSiO4 into CsSiO3. The ingots were mainly composed of Ni (563,000-693,800 mg/kg), Cu (79,900-87,400 mg/kg), and Fe (35,000-43,600 mg/kg) (target metals) due the gravity separation during vitrification. At appropriate additives/sludge ratios (>0.2), >95% of target metals gathered in the ingot as a recoverable form (Ni-Fe alloy). The high Ni level of slag suggests that the ingot can be used as the raw materials for smelters or the additives for steel making. Therefore, the vitrification approach of this study is a promising technology to recover valuable metals from Ni-Cu electroplating sludge. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copper Vacancies and Heavy Holes in the Two-Dimensional Semiconductor KCu 3–xSe 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rettie, Alexander J. E.; Sturza, Mihai; Malliakas, Christos D.

The two-dimensional material KCu 3–xSe 2 was synthesized using both a K 2Se 3 flux and directly from the elements. It crystallizes in the CsAg 3S 2 structure (monoclinic space group C2/m with a = 15.417(3) Å, b = 4.0742(8) Å, c = 8.3190(17) Å, and β = 112.94(3)°), and single-crystal refinement revealed infinite copper-deficient [Cu 3–xSe 2]– layers separated by K + ions. Thermal analysis indicated that KCu 3–xSe 2 melts congruently at ~755 °C. UV–vis spectroscopy showed an optical band gap of ~1.35 eV that is direct in nature, as confirmed by electronic structure calculations. Electronic transport measurementsmore » on single crystals yielded an in-plane resistivity of ~6 × 10 –1 Ω cm at 300 K that has a complex temperature dependence. The results of Seebeck coefficient measurements were consistent with a doped p-type semiconductor (S = +214 μV K –1 at 300 K), with doping being attributed to copper vacancies. Transport is dominated by low-mobility (on the order of 1 cm 2 V –1 s –1) holes caused by relatively flat valence bands with substantial Cu 3d character and a significant concentration of Cu ion vacancy defects (p ~ 10 19 cm –3) in this material. In conclusion, electronic band structure calculations showed that electrons should be significantly more mobile in this structure type.« less

Copper Vacancies and Heavy Holes in the Two-Dimensional Semiconductor KCu 3–xSe 2

DOE PAGES

Rettie, Alexander J. E.; Sturza, Mihai; Malliakas, Christos D.; ...

2017-06-21

The two-dimensional material KCu 3–xSe 2 was synthesized using both a K 2Se 3 flux and directly from the elements. It crystallizes in the CsAg 3S 2 structure (monoclinic space group C2/m with a = 15.417(3) Å, b = 4.0742(8) Å, c = 8.3190(17) Å, and β = 112.94(3)°), and single-crystal refinement revealed infinite copper-deficient [Cu 3–xSe 2]– layers separated by K + ions. Thermal analysis indicated that KCu 3–xSe 2 melts congruently at ~755 °C. UV–vis spectroscopy showed an optical band gap of ~1.35 eV that is direct in nature, as confirmed by electronic structure calculations. Electronic transport measurementsmore » on single crystals yielded an in-plane resistivity of ~6 × 10 –1 Ω cm at 300 K that has a complex temperature dependence. The results of Seebeck coefficient measurements were consistent with a doped p-type semiconductor (S = +214 μV K –1 at 300 K), with doping being attributed to copper vacancies. Transport is dominated by low-mobility (on the order of 1 cm 2 V –1 s –1) holes caused by relatively flat valence bands with substantial Cu 3d character and a significant concentration of Cu ion vacancy defects (p ~ 10 19 cm –3) in this material. In conclusion, electronic band structure calculations showed that electrons should be significantly more mobile in this structure type.« less

3. A 40-years record of the polymetallic pollution of the Lot River system, France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Audry, S.; Schäfer, J.; Blanc, G.; Veschambre, S.; Jouanneau, J.-M.

2003-04-01

The Lot River system (southwest France) is known for historic Zn and Cd pollution that originates from Zn ore treatment in the small Riou-Mort watershed and affects seafood production in the Gironde Estuary. We present a sedimentary record from 2 cores taken in a dam lake downstream of the Riou-Mort watershed covering the evolution of metal inputs into the Lot River over the past 40 years (1960-2001). Depth profiles of Cd, Zn, Cu and Pb concentrations are comparable indicating common sources and transport. The constant Zn/Cd ratio (˜50) observed in the sediment cores is similar to that in SPM from the Riou-Mort watershed, indicating the dominance of point source pollution upon the geochemical background signal. Cadmium, Zn, Cu and Pb concentrations in the studied sediment cores show an important peak in 42-44 cm depth with up to 300 mg.kg-1 (Cd), 10,000 mg.kg-1 (Zn), 150 mg.kg-1 (Cu) and 930 mg.kg-1 (Pb). These concentrations are much higher than geochemical background values; For example, Cd concentrations are more than 350-fold higher than those measured in the same riverbed upstream the confluence with the Riou-Mort River. This peak coincides with the upper 137Cs peak resulting from the Chernobyl accident (1986). Therefore, this heavy metal peak is attributed to the latest accidental Cd pollution of the Lot-River in 1986. Several downward heavy metal peaks reflect varying input probably due to changes in industrial activities within the Riou-Mort watershed. Given mean sedimentation rate of about 2 cm.yr-1, the record suggests constant and much lower heavy metal concentrations since the early nineties due to restriction of industrial activities and remediation efforts in the Riou-Mort watershed. Nevertheless, Cd, Zn, Cu and Pb concentrations in the upper sediment remain high, compared to background values from reference sites in the upper Lot River system.

Trace element concentrations in livers of polar bears from two populations in Northern and Western Alaska.

PubMed

Kannan, Kurunthachalam; Agusa, Tetsuro; Evans, Thomas J; Tanabe, Shinsuke

2007-10-01

Concentrations of 20 trace elements (V, Cr, Mn, Co, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Cs, Ba, Hg, Tl, Pb, and Bi) were measured in livers of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) collected from Northern and Western Alaska from 1993 to 2002 to examine differences in the profiles of trace metals between the Beaufort Sea (Northern Alaska) and the Chukchi Sea (Western Alaska) subpopulations in Alaska. Among the trace elements analyzed, concentrations of Cu (50-290 microg/g, dry wt) in polar bear livers were in the higher range of values that have been reported for marine mammals. Concentrations of Hg in polar bears varied widely, from 3.5 to 99 microg/g dry wt, and the mean concentrations in polar bears were comparable to concentrations reported previously for several other species of marine mammals. Mean concentrations of Pb and Cd were 0.67 and 1.0 microg/g dry wt, respectively; these concentrations were lower than levels reported elsewhere for polar bears from Greenland and Canada. Age- and gender-related variations in the concentrations of trace elements in our polar bears were minimal. Concentrations of Hg decreased slowly in samples collected during 1993-2002, whereas Cd and Pb concentrations were found to be stable or slowly increasing, in the livers of Alaskan polar bears. Concentrations of Ag, Bi, Ba, Cu, and Sn were significantly higher in the Chukchi Sea subpopulation than in the Beaufort Sea subpopulation. Concentrations of Hg were significantly higher in the Beaufort Sea subpopulation than in the Chukchi Sea subpopulation. Differences in the profiles and concentrations of Hg, Ag, Bi, Ba, Cu, and Sn suggest that the sources of exposure to these trace elements between Western and Northern Alaskan polar bears are different, in agreement with findings reported earlier for several organic contaminants.

Application of whole-body personal TL dosemeters in mixed field beta-gamma radiation.

PubMed

Ciupek, K; Aksamit, D; Wołoszczuk, K

2014-11-01

Application of whole-body personal TL dosemeters based on a high-sensitivity LiF:Mg,Cu,P (MCP-N) in mixed field beta-gamma radiation has been characterised. The measurements were carried out with (90)Sr/(90)Y, (85)Kr and (137)Cs point sources to calculate the energy response and linearity of the TLD response in a dose range of 0.1-30 mSv. From the result, calibration curves were obtained, enabling the readout of individual dose equivalent Hp(10) from gamma radiation and Hp(0.07) from beta radiation in mixed field beta-gamma. Limitation of the methodology and its application are presented and discussed. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Science Goals of the Primary Atomic Reference Clock in Space (PARCS) Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ashby, N.

2003-01-01

The PARCS (Primary Atomic Reference Clock in Space) experiment will use a laser-cooled Cesium atomic clock operating in the microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to provide both advanced tests of gravitational theory and to demonstrate a new cold-atom clock technology for space. PARCS is a joint project of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and the University of Colorado (CU). This paper concentrates on the scientific goals of the PARCS mission. The microgravity space environment allows laser-cooled Cs atoms to have Ramsey times in excess of those feasible on Earth, resulting in improved clock performance. Clock stabilities of 5x10(exp -14) at one second, and accuracies better than 10(exp -16) are projected.

Concentration of stable elements in food products

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Montford, M.A.; Shank, K.E.; Hendricks, C.

1980-01-01

Food samples were taken from commercial markets and analyzed for stable element content. The concentrations of most stable elements (Ag, Al, As, Au, Ba, Br, Ca, Ce, Cl, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Hf, I, K, La, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Sr, Ta, Th, Ti, V, Zn, Zr) were determined using multiple-element neutron activation analysis, while the concentrations of other elements (Cd, Hg, Ni, Pb) were determined using atomic absorption. The relevance of the concentrations found are noted in relation to other literature values. An earlier study was extended to include the determination of the concentrationmore » of stable elements in home-grown products in the vicinity of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Comparisons between the commercial and local food-stuff values are discussed.« less

Ternary oxide nanostructures and methods of making same

DOEpatents

Wong, Stanislaus S [Stony Brook, NY; Park, Tae-Jin [Port Jefferson, NY

2009-09-08

A single crystalline ternary nanostructure having the formula A.sub.xB.sub.yO.sub.z, wherein x ranges from 0.25 to 24, and y ranges from 1.5 to 40, and wherein A and B are independently selected from the group consisting of Ag, Al, As, Au, B, Ba, Br, Ca, Cd, Ce, Cl, Cm, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Dy, Er, Eu, F, Fe, Ga, Gd, Ge, Hf, Ho, I, In, Ir, K, La, Li, Lu, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Nb, Nd, Ni, Os, P, Pb, Pd, Pr, Pt, Rb, Re, Rh, Ru, S, Sb, Sc, Se, Si, Sm, Sn, Sr, Ta, Tb, Tc, Te, Ti, Tl, Tm, U, V, W, Y, Yb, and Zn, wherein the nanostructure is at least 95% free of defects and/or dislocations.

Neurolinguistic development in deaf children: the effect of early language experience.

PubMed

Leybaert, Jacqueline; D'Hondt, Murielle

2003-07-01

Recent investigations have indicated a relationship between the development of cerebral lateralization for processing language and the level of development of linguistic skills in hearing children. The research on cerebral lateralization for language processing in deaf persons is compatible with this view. We have argued that the absence of appropriate input during a critical time window creates a risk for deaf children that the initial bias for left-hemisphere specialization will be distorted or disappear. Two experiments were conducted to test this hypothesis The results of these investigations showed that children educated early and intensively with cued speech or with sign language display more evidence of left-hemisphere specialization for the processing of their native language than do those who have been exposed later and less intensively to those languages.

Semantic interference from distractor pictures in single-picture naming: evidence for competitive lexical selection.

PubMed

Jescheniak, Jörg D; Matushanskaya, Asya; Mädebach, Andreas; Müller, Matthias M

2014-10-01

Picture-naming studies have demonstrated interference from semantic-categorically related distractor words, but not from corresponding distractor pictures, and the lack of generality of the interference effect has been argued to challenge theories viewing lexical selection in speech production as a competitive process. Here, we demonstrate that semantic interference from context pictures does become visible, if sufficient attention is allocated to them. We combined picture naming with a spatial-cuing procedure. When participants' attention was shifted to the distractor, semantically related distractor pictures interfered with the response, as compared with unrelated distractor pictures. This finding supports models conceiving lexical retrieval as competitive (Levelt, Roelofs, & Meyer, 1999) but is difficult to reconcile with the response exclusion hypothesis (Finkbeiner & Caramazza, 2006b) proposed as an alternative.

Emotional eating and Pavlovian learning: evidence for conditioned appetitive responding to negative emotional states.

PubMed

Bongers, Peggy; Jansen, Anita

2017-02-01

Appetitive learning has been demonstrated several times using neutral cues or contexts as a predictor of food intake and it has been shown that humans easily learn cued desires for foods. It has, however, never been studied whether internal cues are also capable of appetitive conditioning. In this study, we tested whether humans can learn cued eating desires to negative moods as conditioned stimuli (CS), thereby offering a potential explanation of emotional eating (EE). Female participants were randomly presented with 10 different stimuli eliciting either negative or neutral emotional states, with one of these states paired with eating chocolate. Expectancy to eat, desire to eat, salivation, and unpleasantness of experiencing negative emotions were assessed. After conditioning, participants were brought into a negative emotional state and were asked to choose between money and chocolate. Data showed differential conditioned responding on the expectancy and desire measures, but not on salivation. Specific conditioned effects were obtained for participants with a higher BMI (body mass index) on the choice task, and for participants high on EE on the unpleasantness ratings. These findings provide the first experimental evidence for the idea that negative emotions can act as conditioned stimuli, and might suggest that classical conditioning is involved in EE.

A Direct Bandgap Copper-Antimony Halide Perovskite.

PubMed

Vargas, Brenda; Ramos, Estrella; Pérez-Gutiérrez, Enrique; Alonso, Juan Carlos; Solis-Ibarra, Diego

2017-07-12

Since the establishment of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), there has been an intense search for alternative materials to replace lead and improve their stability toward moisture and light. As single-metal perovskite structures have yielded unsatisfactory performances, an alternative is the use of double perovskites that incorporate a combination of metals. To this day, only a handful of these compounds have been synthesized, but most of them have indirect bandgaps and/or do not have bandgaps energies well-suited for photovoltaic applications. Here we report the synthesis and characterization of a unique mixed metal ⟨111⟩-oriented layered perovskite, Cs 4 CuSb 2 Cl 12 (1), that incorporates Cu 2+ and Sb 3+ into layers that are three octahedra thick (n = 3). In addition to being made of abundant and nontoxic elements, we show that this material behaves as a semiconductor with a direct bandgap of 1.0 eV and its conductivity is 1 order of magnitude greater than that of MAPbI 3 (MA = methylammonium). Furthermore, 1 has high photo- and thermal-stability and is tolerant to humidity. We conclude that 1 is a promising material for photovoltaic applications and represents a new type of layered perovskite structure that incorporates metals in 2+ and 3+ oxidation states, thus significantly widening the possible combinations of metals to replace lead in PSCs.

Modification of Shirt Buttons for Retrospective Radiation Dosimetry after a Radiological Event

PubMed Central

Marino, Stephen A.; Johnson, Gary W.; Schiff, Peter B.; Brenner, David J.

2010-01-01

Preliminary results are presented for a personal radiation dosimeter in the form of a clothing button to provide gamma-ray dose estimation for clinically significant external radiation exposures to the general public due to a radiological incident, such as a Radiological Dispersal Device. Rods of thermoluminescent material (LiF:Mg,Ti and LiF:Mg,Cu,P) were encapsulated in plastic “buttons”, attached to shirts, and subjected to three cycles of home or commercial laundering or dry cleaning, including ironing or pressing. The buttons were subsequently exposed to doses of 137Cs gamma rays ranging from 0.75 to 8.2 Gy. The rods were removed from the buttons and their light output compared to their responses when bare or to the responses of a set of calibration rods of the same type and from the same manufacturer. In all three of the comparisons for LiF:Mg,Ti rods the relative responses of the rods in buttons changed by 2-6% relative to the same rods before cleaning. In both comparisons for LiF:Mg,Cu,P rods, the response of laundered rods was 1-3% lower than for the same rods before cleaning. Both these materials are potential candidates for button dosimeters. PMID:21451325

Facile synthesis, cytotoxicity and bioimaging of Fe(3+) selective fluorescent chemosensor.

PubMed

Saleem, Muhammad; Abdullah, Razack; Ali, Anser; Park, Bong Joo; Choi, Eun Ha; Hong, In Seok; Lee, Ki Hwan

2014-04-01

The designing and development of fluorescent chemosensors have recently been intensively explored for sensitive and specific detection of environmentally and biologically relevant metal ions in aqueous solution and living cells. Herein, we report the photophysical results of alanine substituted rhodamine B derivative 3 having specific binding affinity toward Fe(3+) with micro molar concentration level. Through fluorescence titration at 599nm, we were confirmed that ligand 3 exhibited ratiometric fluorescence response with remarkable enhancement in emission intensity by complexation between 3 and Fe(3+) while it appeared no emission in case of the competitive ions (Sc(3+), Yb(3+), In(3+), Ce(3+), Sm(3+), Cr(3+), Sn(2+), Pb(2+), Ni(2+), Co(2+), Cu(2+), Ba(2+), Ca(2+), Mg(2+), Ag(+), Cs(+), Cu(+), K(+)) in aqueous/methanol (60:40, v/v) at neutral pH. However, the fluorescence as well as colorimetric response of ligand-iron complex solution was quenched by addition of KCN which snatches the Fe(3+) from complex and turn off the sensor confirming the recognition process was reversible. Furthermore, bioimaging studies against L-929 cells (mouse fibroblast cells) and BHK-21 (hamster kidney fibroblast), through confocal fluorescence microscopic experiment indicated that ligand showed good permeability and minimum toxicity against the tested cell lines. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biomonitoring of 33 Elements in Blood and Urine Samples from Coastal Populations in Sanmen County of Zhejiang Province.

PubMed

Zhang, Su-jing; Luo, Ru-xin; Ma, Dong; Zhuo, Xian-yi

2016-04-01

To determine the normal reference values of 33 elements, Ag, Al, As, Au, B, Ba, Be, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Ga, Hg, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sb, Se, Sr, Th, Ti, Tl, U, V, Zn and Zr, in the blood and urine samples from the general population in Sanmen County of Zhejiang province, a typical coastal area of eastern China. The 33 elements in 272 blood and 300 urine samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The normality test of data was conducted using SPSS 17.0 Statistics. The data was compared with other reports. The normal reference values of the 33 elements in the blood and urine samples from the general population in Sanmen County were obtained, which of some elements were found to be similar with other reports, such as Co, Cu, Mn and Sr, while As, Cd, Hg and Pb were generally found to be higher than those previously reported. There was a wide variation between the reports from different countries in blood Ba. The normal reference values of the 33 elements in the blood and urine samples from the general population in Sanmen County are established, and successfully applied to two poisoning cases.

Probing the core of Cepheus A - Millimeter and submillimeter observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moriarty-Schieven, G. H.; Snell, R. L.; Hughes, V. A.

1991-06-01

Moderate and high angular resolution (40-7 arcsec) maps are presented of the core of the Cepheus A star-forming region using CS J = 3-2 and J = 7-6 emission, which traces the dense gas component of the cloud core, and using far-infrared (450 and 800 microns) continuum emission tracing the warm dust component. Three regimes in the core are traced by these observations: (1) a small (about 0.14 pc), nearly circular central core of high density (1-10 x 10 to the 6th/cu cm) and temperature (30-100 K) containing at least 25 percent of the mass and which contains the active early-type star formation; (2) an extended (0.5 x 0.25 pc), NE-SW oriented core of mass 200-300 solar masses, temperature 30-40 K, and average density nH2 of about 10 to the 5th/cu cm and which, together with the central core, contains 60-80 percent of the total core mass; and (3) an extended core envelope of dimensions 0.5 x 0.85 pc oriented primarily north-south, and a lower density. The velocity structure of the core suggests that it is being disrupted by the high-velocity winds driving the molecular outflow and is not due to a rotating circumstellar disk.

Dopamine in the nucleus accumbens core, but not shell, increases during signaled food reward and decreases during delayed extinction.

PubMed

Biesdorf, C; Wang, A-L; Topic, B; Petri, D; Milani, H; Huston, J P; de Souza Silva, M A

2015-09-01

Microdialysis studies in rat have generally shown that appetitive stimuli release dopamine (DA) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell and core. Here we examined the release of DA in the NAc during delivery of reward (food) and during extinction of food reward in the freely moving animal by use of in vivo microdialysis and HPLC. Fifty-two male Wistar rats were trained to receive food reward associated with appearance of cue-lights in a Skinner-box during in vivo microdialysis. Different behavioral protocols were used to assess the effects of extinction on DA and its metabolites. Results Exp. 1: (a) During a 20-min period of cued reward delivery, DA increased significantly in the NAc core, but not shell subregion; (b) for the next 60min period half of the rats underwent immediate extinction (with the CS light presented during non-reward) and the other half did not undergo extinction to the cue lights (CS was not presented during non-reward). DA remained significantly increased in both groups, providing no evidence for a decrease in DA during extinction in either NAc core or shell regions. (c) In half of the animals of the group that was not subjected to extinction, the cue lights were turned on for 30min, thus, initiating extinction to cue CS at a 1h delay from the period of reward. In this group DA in the NAc core, but not shell, significantly decreased. Behavioral analysis showed that while grooming is an indicator of extinction-induced behavior, glances toward the cue-lights (sign tracking) are an index of resistance to extinction. Results Exp. 2: (a) As in Exp. 1, during a 30-min period of cued reward delivery, DA levels again increased significantly in the NAc core but not in the NAc shell. (b) When extinction (the absence of reward with the cue lights presented) was administered 24h after the last reward session, DA again significantly decreased in the NAc core, but not in the NAc shell. (a) These results confirm the importance of DA release in the NAc for reward-related states, with DA increasing in the core, but not shell subregion. (b) They provide first evidence that during the withholding of expected reward, DA decreases in the NAc core, but not shell region. (c) This decrease in DA appears only after a delay between delivery of reward and extinction likely due to it being masked by persisting DA release. We hypothesize the decrease in extinction-induced release of DA in the NAc core to be a marker for the despair/depression that is known to accompany the failure to obtain expected rewards/reinforcers. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dynamics of trace elements in shallow groundwater of an agricultural land in the northeast of Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mora, Abrahan; Mahlknecht, Jürgen; Hernández-Antonio, Arturo

2017-04-01

The citrus zone located in northeastern Mexico covers an area of 8000 km2 and produces 10% of the Mexican citrus production. The aquifer system of this zone constitutes the major source of water for drinking and irrigation purposes for local population and provides base flows to surface water supplied to the city of Monterrey ( 4.5 million inhabitants). Although the study area is near the recharge zones, several works have reported nitrate pollution in shallow groundwater of this agricultural area, mainly due to animal manure and human waste produced by infiltration of urban sewers and septic tanks. Thus, the goals of this work were to assess the dynamics of selected trace elements in this aquifer system and determine if the trace element content in groundwater poses a threat to the population living in the area. Thirty-nine shallow water wells were sampled in 2010. These water samples were filtered through 0,45 µm pore size membranes and preserved with nitric acid for storage. The concentrations of Cd, Cs, Cu, Mo, Pb, Rb, Si, Ti, U, Y, and Zn were measured by ICP-MS. Also, sulfate concentrations were measured by ion chromatography in unacidified samples. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) performed in the data set show five principal components (PC). PC1 includes elements derived from silicate weathering, such as Si and Ti. The relationship found between Mo and U with sulfates in PC2 indicates that both elements show a high mobility in groundwater. Indeed, the concentrations of sulfate, Mo and U are increased as groundwater moves eastward. PC3 includes the alkali trace elements (Rb and Cs), indicating that both elements could be derived from the same source of origin. PC4 represents the heavy trace elements (Cd and Pb) whereas PC5 includes divalent trace elements such as Zn and Cu. None of the water samples showed trace element concentrations higher than the guideline values for drinking water proposed by the World Health Organization, which indicates that the analyzed trace elements in groundwater do not pose any significant threat to the population living in this area.

a New ENDF/B-VII.0 Based Multigroup Cross-Section Library for Reactor Dosimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alpan, F. A.; Anderson, S. L.

2009-08-01

The latest of the ENDF/B libraries, ENDF/B-VII.0 was released in December 2006. In this paper, the ENDF/B-VII.O evaluations were used in generating a new coupled neutron/gamma multigroup library having the same group structure of VITAMIN-B6, i.e., the 199-neutron, 42-gamma group library. The new library was generated utilizing NJOY99.259 for pre-processing and the AMPX modules for post-processing of cross sections. An ENDF/B-VI.3 based VITAMIN-B6-like library was also generated. The fine-group libraries and the ENDF/B-VI.3 based 47-neutron, 20-gamma group BUGLE-96 library were used with the discrete ordinates code DORT to obtain a three-dimensional synthesized flux distribution from r, r-θ, and r-z models for a standard Westinghouse 3-loop design reactor. Reaction rates were calculated for ex-vessel neutron dosimetry containing 63Cu(n,α)60Co, 46Ti(n,p)46Sc, 54Fe(n,P)54Mn, 58Ni(n,P)58Co, 238U(n,f)137Cs, 237Np(n,f)137Cs, and 59Co(n,γ)60Co (bare and cadmium covered) reactions. Results were compared to measurements. In comparing the 199-neutron, 42-gamma group ENDF/B-VI.3 and ENDF/B-VII.O libraries, it was observed that the ENDF/B-VI.3 based library results were in better agreement with measurements. There is a maximum difference of 7% (for the 63Cu(n,α)60Co reaction rate calculation) between ENDF/B-VI.3 and ENDF/B-VII.O. Differences between ENDF/B-VI.3 and ENDF/B-VII.O libraries are due to 16O, 1H, 90Zr, 91Zr, 92Zr, 238U, and 239Pu evaluations. Both ENDF/B-VI.3 and ENDF/B-VII.O library calculated reaction rates are within 20% of measurement and meet the criterion specified in the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Regulatory Guide 1.190, "Calculational and Dosimetry Methods for Determining Pressure Vessel Neutron Fluence."

Radioactivity levels and heavy metals in the urban soil of Central Serbia.

PubMed

Milenkovic, B; Stajic, J M; Gulan, Lj; Zeremski, T; Nikezic, D

2015-11-01

Radioactivity concentrations and heavy metal content were measured in soil samples collected from the area of Kragujevac, one of the largest cities in Serbia. The specific activities of (226)Ra, (232)Th, (40)K and (137)Cs in 30 samples were measured by gamma spectrometry using an HPGe semiconductor detector. The average values ± standard deviations were 33.5 ± 8.2, 50.3 ± 10.6, 425.8 ± 75.7 and 40.2 ± 26.3 Bq kg(-1), respectively. The activity concentrations of (226)Ra, (232)Th and (137)Cs have shown normal distribution. The annual effective doses, radium equivalent activities, external hazard indexes and excess lifetime cancer risk were also estimated. A RAD7 device was used for measuring radon exhalation rates from several samples with highest content of (226)Ra. The concentrations of As, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were measured, as well as their EDTA extractable concentrations. Wide ranges of values were obtained, especially for Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. The absence of normal distribution indicates anthropogenic origin of Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn. Correlations between radionuclide activities, heavy metal contents and physicochemical properties of analysed soil were determined by Spearman correlation coefficient. Strong positive correlation between (226)Ra and (232)Th was found.

The role of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica in the cycling of trace elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanz-Lázaro, C.; Malea, P.; Apostolaki, E. T.; Kalantzi, I.; Marín, A.; Karakassis, I.

2012-03-01

The aim of this work was to study the role of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica on the cycling of a wide set of trace elements (Ag, As, Ba, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Ga, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sr, Tl, V and Zn). We measured the concentration of these trace elements in the different compartments of P. oceanica (leaves, rhizomes, roots and epibiota) in a non-polluted seagrass meadow representative of the Mediterranean and calculated the annual budget from a mass balance. We provide novel data on accumulation dynamics of many trace elements in P. oceanica compartments and demonstrate that trace element accumulation patterns are mainly determined by plant compartment rather than by temporal variability. Epibiota was the compartment which showed the greatest concentrations for most trace elements. Thus, they constitute a key compartment when estimating trace element transfer to higher trophic levels by P. oceanica. For most trace elements, translocation seemed to be low and acropetal. Zn, Cd, Sr and Rb were the trace elements that showed the highest release rate through decomposition of plant detritus, while Cs, Tl and Bi the lowest. P. oceanica acts as a sink of potentially toxic trace elements (Ni, Cr, As and Ag), which can be sequestered, decreasing their bioavailability. P. oceanica may have a relevant role in the cycling of trace elements in the Mediterranean.

The role of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica in the cycling of trace elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanz-Lázaro, C.; Malea, P.; Apostolaki, E. T.; Kalantzi, I.; Marín, A.; Karakassis, I.

2012-07-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica on the cycling of a wide set of trace elements (Ag, As, Ba, Bi, Cd, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Ga, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sr, Tl, V and Zn). We measured the concentration of these trace elements in different compartments of P. oceanica (leaves, rhizomes, roots and epiphytes) in a non-polluted seagrass meadow representative of the Mediterranean and calculated the annual budget from a mass balance. We provide novel data on accumulation dynamics of many trace elements in P. oceanica compartments and demonstrate that trace element accumulation patterns are mainly determined by plant compartment rather than by temporal variability. Epiphytes were the compartment, which showed the greatest concentrations for most trace elements. Thus, they constitute a key compartment when estimating trace element transfer to higher trophic levels by P. oceanica. Trace element translocation in P. oceanica seemed to be low and acropetal in most cases. Zn, Cd, Sr and Rb were the trace elements that showed the highest release rate through decomposition of plant detritus, while Cs, Tl and Bi showed the lowest. P. oceanica acts as a sink of potentially toxic trace elements (Ni, Cr, As and Ag), which can be sequestered, decreasing their bioavailability. P. oceanica may have a relevant role in the cycling of trace elements in the Mediterranean.

Signals of pollution revealed by trace elements in recent snow from mountain glaciers at the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau.

PubMed

Li, Yuefang; Li, Zhen; Cozzi, Giulio; Turetta, Clara; Barbante, Carlo; Huang, Ju; Xiong, Longfei

2018-06-01

In order to extract pollution signal of trace elements (TEs) in glacier snow at the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau of China by human activities, concentrations of 18 TEs (Al, Ti, Fe, Rb, Sr, Ba, V, Cr, Mn, Li, Cu, Co, Mo, Cs, Sb, Pb, Tl, and U), 14 rare earth elements (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu), Y and Th in digested snow samples from five glaciers in April-May 2013 before monsoon season were measured. Results shown that higher TEs concentrations were found in glaciers at the northern plateau while lower concentrations in glaciers at the central and southern plateau. Discussion revealed that EF values calculated from elements with mass fraction <30% such as Ti and Al, etc in traditional acid leached samples, will overestimate at least 4.6 times the contribution of other sources than dust for TEs such as Sb, Sr, As, Cu and Pb etc. Analysis indicated that most TEs mainly originated from dust sources, whereas Pb, Cu, Mo and Sb showed occasionally significant contributions from polluted sources in three snow pits and the GRHK surface snow samples. The pollution probably originated from mining and smelting, road transport emissions on the plateau and some regions outside of the plateau. Dust provenance tracing results based on REEs indicated that Taklimakan Desert, Qaidam Basin, and Tibetan surface soil were the potential dust sources for the studied glaciers, while the Indian Thar Desert was an occasional dust sources for YZF,XDKMD and GRHK snow samples. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The use of decision trees and naïve Bayes algorithms and trace element patterns for controlling the authenticity of free-range-pastured hens' eggs.

PubMed

Barbosa, Rommel Melgaço; Nacano, Letícia Ramos; Freitas, Rodolfo; Batista, Bruno Lemos; Barbosa, Fernando

2014-09-01

This article aims to evaluate 2 machine learning algorithms, decision trees and naïve Bayes (NB), for egg classification (free-range eggs compared with battery eggs). The database used for the study consisted of 15 chemical elements (As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cs, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Mo, Pb, Se, Sr, V, and Zn) determined in 52 eggs samples (20 free-range and 32 battery eggs) by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Our results demonstrated that decision trees and NB associated with the mineral contents of eggs provide a high level of accuracy (above 80% and 90%, respectively) for classification between free-range and battery eggs and can be used as an alternative method for adulteration evaluation. © 2014 Institute of Food Technologists®

Topological structure prediction in binary nanoparticle superlattices

DOE PAGES

Travesset, A.

2017-04-27

Systems of spherical nanoparticles with capping ligands have been shown to self-assemble into beautiful superlattices of fascinating structure and complexity. Here, I show that the spherical geometry of the nanoparticle imposes constraints on the nature of the topological defects associated with the capping ligand and that such topological defects control the structure and stability of the superlattices that can be assembled. Furthermore, all of these considerations form the basis for the orbifold topological model (OTM) described in this paper. Finally, the model quantitatively predicts the structure of super-lattices where capping ligands are hydrocarbon chains in excellent agreement with experimental results,more » explains the appearance of low packing fraction lattices as equilibrium, why certain similar structures are more stable (bccAB 6vs. CaB 6, AuCu vs. CsCl, etc.) and many other experimental observations.« less

Chemical characterization of gas- and oil-bearing shales by instrumental neutron activation analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Frost, J.K.; Koszykowski, R.F.; Klemm, R.C.

1982-01-01

The concentration of As, Ba, Ca, Co, Cr, Cs, Dy, Eu, Fe, Ga, Hf, K, La, Lu, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Sm, Sr, Ta, Tb, Th, U, Yb, and Zn were determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis in block shale samples of the New Albany Group (Devonian-Mississippian) in the in the Illinois Basin. Uranium content of the samples was as high as 75 ppm and interfered in the determination of samarium, molybdenum, barium and cerium. In the determination of selenium a correction was made for interference from tantalum. U, As, Co, Mo, Ni and Sb as well as Cu, V and pyritic sulphur which were determined by other methods, were found to correlate positively with the organic carbon content of the samples. ?? 1982 Akade??miai Kiado??.

Quantum fluctuations in anisotropic triangular lattices with ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, Burkhard; Thalmeier, Peter

2014-05-01

The Heisenberg model on a triangular lattice is a prime example of a geometrically frustrated spin system. However most experimentally accessible compounds have spatially anisotropic exchange interactions. As a function of this anisotropy, ground states with different magnetic properties can be realized. Motivated by recent experimental findings on Cs2CuCl4-xBrx, we discuss the full phase diagram of the anisotropic model with two exchange constants J1 and J2, including possible ferromagnetic exchange. Furthermore a comparison with the related square lattice model is carried out. We discuss the zero-temperature phase diagram, ordering vector, ground-state energy, and ordered moment on a classical level and investigate the effect of quantum fluctuations within the framework of spin-wave theory. The field dependence of the ordered moment is shown to be nonmonotonic with field and control parameter.

Characterization of ancient glass excavated in Enez (Ancient Ainos) Turkey by combined Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis and Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometry techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akyuz, Sevim; Akyuz, Tanil; Mukhamedshina, Nuranya M.; Mirsagatova, A. Adiba; Basaran, Sait; Cakan, Banu

2012-05-01

Ancient glass fragments excavated in the archaeological district Enez (Ancient Ainos)-Turkey were investigated by combined Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometry techniques. Multi-elemental contents of 15 glass fragments that belong to Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Periods, were determined by INAA. The concentrations of twenty six elements (Na, K, Ca, Sc, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, As, Rb, Sr, Sb, Cs, Ba, Ce, Sm, Eu, Tb, Yb, Lu, Hf, Ta, Au and Th), which might be present in the samples as flux, stabilizers, colorants or opacifiers, and impurities, were examined. Chemometric treatment of the INAA data was performed and principle component analysis revealed presence of 3 distinct groups. The thermal history of the glass samples was determined by FTIR spectrometry.

A potential photocatalytic, antimicrobial and anticancer activity of chitosan-copper nanocomposite.

PubMed

Arjunan, Nithya; Singaravelu, Chandra Mohan; Kulanthaivel, Jeganathan; Kandasamy, Jothivenkatachalam

2017-11-01

In this study, chitosan-copper (CS-Cu) nanocomposite was synthesized without the aid of any external chemical reducing agents. The optical, structural, spectral, thermal and morphological analyses were carried out by several techniques. The prepared nanocomposite acts as a photocatalyst for the removal of Rhodamine B (RhB) and Conge red (CR) dyes under visible light irradiation. The pseudo first order kinetics was derived according to Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) model. The nanocomposite also proved to be an excellent antimicrobial agent against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria; and also show activity against fungus. The advanced material was used for the major research areas which include photocatalytic materials for waste water treatment; biological applications in the development of drug resistant antimicrobials and anticancer agents. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Atacamite and paratacamite from the ultramafic-hosted Logatchev seafloor vent field (14°45′N, Mid-Atlantic Ridge)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dekov, Vesselin; Boycheva, Tanya; Halenius, Ulf; Petersen, Sven; Billstrom, Kjell; Stummeyer, Jens; Kamenov, G.; Shanks, W.

2011-01-01

Atacamite and paratacamite are ubiquitous minerals associated with Cu-rich massive sulfides at the Logatchev hydrothermal field (Mid-Atlantic Ridge). In this work we provide new details on the mineralogy and geochemistry of these basic cupric chlorides. Our data support the notion that atacamite and paratacamite formation at submarine vent fields is an alteration process of hydrothermal Cu-sulfides. Secondary Cu-sulfides (bornite, covellite) are unstable at ambient seawater conditions and will dissolve. Dissolution is focused at the sulfide–seawater contact, leading to release of Fe2+ and Cu+ and formation of residual chalcocite through an intermediate Cu5S4 phase. Most of the released Fe2+ oxidizes immediately and precipitates as FeOOH directly on the chalcocite rims whereas Cu as chloride complexes (CuCl2−, CuCl32-) remains in solution at the same Eh. Cuprous–chloride complexes migrate from the reaction zone and upon increasing Eh precipitate as Cu2Cl(OH)3. As a consequence of this, the sulfide–seawater reaction interface is clearly marked by thin chalcocite–FeOOH bands and the entire assemblage is mantled by atacamite (or paratacamite). Our mineralogical, petrographic, geochemical and isotopic studies suggest that there are two types of atacamite (and/or paratacamite) depending on their mode of precipitation. Type 1 atacamite precipitated directly on the parent sulfides as evidenced by mantling of the sulfides, absence of detrital mineral grains, a preserved conspicuous positive Eu anomaly and a negligible negative Ce anomaly similar to those of the parent sulfide. In addition, Au concentrations are slightly lower than those of the parent sulfides, which suggest minimal transport of Au-ions after their release from the sulfides. Furthermore, the low content of the rare earth elements implies short contact time with the ambient seawater. The Sr–Nd–Pb-isotopic signatures of type 1 atacamite confirm the genetic association with the parent sulfides and indicate formation spatially very close to the latter. Type 2 atacamite precipitated at some distance from the parent sulfides, which means that the cuprous–chloride complexes have moved away from the sulfide alteration zone before precipitation. The evidence for this is absence of direct association of atacamite with sulfides. In addition, this atacamite contains a substantial proportion of detrital minerals, which implies precipitation in the sediments, distal to the parent sulfides. As a consequence of the detrital impurities the contents of elements like Cr, Cs, Hf, Nb, Rb, Th and Zr are higher than in type 1 atacamite (and/or paratacamite). Au contents are lower than those of type 1 atacamite (and/or paratacamite) which implies prolonged Au transport in solution before precipitation. Furthermore, the rare earth element distribution patterns have no positive Eu anomaly suggesting that the positive Eu anomaly of the parent sulfide has been erased after dissolution and prolonged contact of the fluid with ambient seawater (with negative Eu anomaly). Finally, the Sr–Nd-isotope signature differs from that of the parent sulfide and indicates a considerable terrigenous input.

Th17 master transcription factors RORα and RORγ regulate the expression of IL-17C, IL-17D and IL-17F in Cynoglossus semilaevis.

PubMed

Chi, Heng; Bøgwald, Jarl; Dalmo, Roy Ambli; Zhang, Wenjie; Hu, Yong-hua

2016-02-01

The RAR-related orphan receptors (RORs) are members of the nuclear receptor family of intracellular transcription factors. In this study, we examined the regulatory properties of RORα (CsRORα) and RORγ (CsRORγ) in tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis). CsRORα and CsRORγ expression was detected in major lymphoid organs and altered to significant extents after bacterial and viral infection. CsRORα enhanced the activities of CsIL-17C, CsIL-17D, and CsIL-17F promoters, which contain CsRORα and CsRORγ binding sites. CsRORγ also upregulated the promoter activities of CsIL-17D and CsIL-17F but not CsIL-17C. CsRORα and CsRORγ proteins were detected in the nucleus, and overexpression of CsRORα in tongue sole significantly increased the expression of CsIL-17C, CsIL-17D, and CsIL-17F, whereas overexpression of CsRORγ significantly increased the expression of CsIL-17C and CsIL-17F but no CsIL-17D. These results indicate that RORα and RORγ in teleost regulate the expression of IL-17 members in different manners. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

78 FR 49693 - Speech-to-Speech and Internet Protocol (IP) Speech-to-Speech Telecommunications Relay Services...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-15

...] Speech-to-Speech and Internet Protocol (IP) Speech-to-Speech Telecommunications Relay Services...: This is a summary of the Commission's Speech-to-Speech and Internet Protocol (IP) Speech-to-Speech...), Internet Protocol Relay (IP Relay), and IP captioned telephone service (IP CTS) as compensable forms of TRS...

Flow injection analysis of ethyl xanthate by gas diffusion and UV detection as CS2 for process monitoring of sulfide ore flotation.

PubMed

Cordeiro, Thiago G; Hidalgo, Pilar; Gutz, Ivano G R; Pedrotti, Jairo J

2010-07-15

A sensitive and robust analytical method for spectrophotometric determination of ethyl xanthate, CH(3)CH(2)OCS(2)(-) at trace concentrations in pulp solutions from froth flotation process is proposed. The analytical method is based on the decomposition of ethyl xanthate, EtX(-), with 2.0 mol L(-1) HCl generating ethanol and carbon disulfide, CS(2). A gas diffusion cell assures that only the volatile compounds diffuse through a PTFE membrane towards an acceptor stream of deionized water, thus avoiding the interferences of non-volatile compounds and suspended particles. The CS(2) is selectively detected by UV absorbance at 206 nm (epsilon=65,000 L mol(-1) cm(-1)). The measured absorbance is directly proportional to EtX(-) concentration present in the sample solutions. The Beer's law is obeyed in a 1x10(-6) to 2x10(-4) mol L(-1) concentration range of ethyl xanthate in the pulp with an excellent correlation coefficient (r=0.999) and a detection limit of 3.1x10(-7) mol L(-1), corresponding to 38 microg L(-1). At flow rates of 200 microL min(-1) of the donor stream and 100 microL min(-1) of the acceptor channel a sampling rate of 15 injections per hour could be achieved with RSD<2.3% (n=10, 300 microL injections of 1x10(-5) mol L(-1) EtX(-)). Two practical applications demonstrate the versatility of the FIA method: (i) evaluation the free EtX(-) concentration during a laboratory study of the EtX(-) adsorption capacity on pulverized sulfide ore (pyrite) and (ii) monitoring of EtX(-) at different stages (from starting load to washing effluents) of a flotation pilot plant processing a Cu-Zn sulfide ore. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Toxic elements and bio-metals in Cantharellus mushrooms from Poland and China.

PubMed

Falandysz, Jerzy; Chudzińska, Maria; Barałkiewicz, Danuta; Drewnowska, Małgorzata; Hanć, Anetta

2017-04-01

Data on multi-trace element composition and content relationships have been obtained for Cantharellus cibarius, C. tubaeformis, and C. minor mushrooms from Poland and China by inductive coupled plasma-dynamic reaction cell-mass spectroscopy. There is no previous data published on As, Li, V, Tl, and U in chanterelles from Poland and on Ba, Co, Cr, Ni, Rb, and Sr in chanterelles from China. The results implied a role of the soil background geochemistry at the collection site with the occurrence of Ag, As, Ba, Cr, Cs, Li, Mn, Pb, Rb, Sr, U, and V in the fruiting bodies. Both geogenic Cd and anthropogenic Cd can contribute in load of this element in chanterelles from the Świetokrzyskie Mts. region in Poland, while geogenic source can be highly dominant in the background areas of Yunnan. An essentiality of Cu and Zn and effort by mushroom to maintain their physiological regulation could be reflected by data for Cantharellus mushrooms from both regions of the world, but its geogenic source (and possibly anthropogenic) can matter also in the region of the Świetokrzyskie Mountains in Poland. The elements Co, Ni, and Tl were at the same order of magnitude in contents in C. cibarius in Poland and Yunnan, China. C. tubaeformis differed from C. cibarius by a lower content of correlated Co, Ni, and Zn. Soil which is polymetallic and highly weathered in Yunnan can be suggested as a natural geogenic source of greater concentrations of As, Ba, Cr, Li, Pb, Sr, U, and V in the chanterelles there while lower of Mn and Rb, when related to chanterelles in Poland. A difference in Cs content between the sites can be attributed as an effect of the 137 Cs release from the Chernobyl accident, in which Poland was much more affected than Yunnan, where deposition was negligible.

Molecular structures and thermodynamic properties of 12 gaseous cesium-containing species of nuclear safety interest: Cs 2, CsH, CsO, Cs 2O, CsX, and Cs 2X 2 (X = OH, Cl, Br, and I)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badawi, Michael; Xerri, Bertrand; Canneaux, Sébastien; Cantrel, Laurent; Louis, Florent

2012-01-01

Ab initio electronic structure calculations at the coupled cluster level with a correction for the triples extrapolated to the complete basis set limit have been made for the estimation of the thermochemical properties of Cs 2, CsH, CsO, Cs 2O, CsX, and Cs 2X 2 (X = OH, Cl, Br, and I). The standard enthalpies of formation and standard molar entropies at 298 K, and the temperature dependence of the heat capacities at constant pressure were evaluated. The calculated thermochemical properties are in good agreement with their literature counterparts. For Cs 2, CsH, CsOH, Cs 2(OH) 2, CsCl, Cs 2Cl 2, CsBr, CsI, and Cs 2I 2, the calculated ΔfH298K∘ values are within chemical accuracy of the most recent experimental values. Based on the excellent agreement observed between our calculated ΔfH298K∘ values and their literature counterparts, the standard enthalpies of formation at 298 K are estimated to be the following: ΔfH298K∘ (CsO) = 17.0 kJ mol -1 and ΔfH298K∘ (Cs 2Br 2) = -575.4 kJ mol -1.

78 FR 49717 - Speech-to-Speech and Internet Protocol (IP) Speech-to-Speech Telecommunications Relay Services...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-15

...] Speech-to-Speech and Internet Protocol (IP) Speech-to-Speech Telecommunications Relay Services... Internet Protocol (IP) Speech-to-Speech Telecommunications Relay Services; Telecommunications Relay... (IP Relay) and video relay service (VRS), the Commission should bundle national STS outreach efforts...

Speech coding, reconstruction and recognition using acoustics and electromagnetic waves

DOEpatents

Holzrichter, J.F.; Ng, L.C.

1998-03-17

The use of EM radiation in conjunction with simultaneously recorded acoustic speech information enables a complete mathematical coding of acoustic speech. The methods include the forming of a feature vector for each pitch period of voiced speech and the forming of feature vectors for each time frame of unvoiced, as well as for combined voiced and unvoiced speech. The methods include how to deconvolve the speech excitation function from the acoustic speech output to describe the transfer function each time frame. The formation of feature vectors defining all acoustic speech units over well defined time frames can be used for purposes of speech coding, speech compression, speaker identification, language-of-speech identification, speech recognition, speech synthesis, speech translation, speech telephony, and speech teaching. 35 figs.

Speech coding, reconstruction and recognition using acoustics and electromagnetic waves

DOEpatents

Holzrichter, John F.; Ng, Lawrence C.

1998-01-01

The use of EM radiation in conjunction with simultaneously recorded acoustic speech information enables a complete mathematical coding of acoustic speech. The methods include the forming of a feature vector for each pitch period of voiced speech and the forming of feature vectors for each time frame of unvoiced, as well as for combined voiced and unvoiced speech. The methods include how to deconvolve the speech excitation function from the acoustic speech output to describe the transfer function each time frame. The formation of feature vectors defining all acoustic speech units over well defined time frames can be used for purposes of speech coding, speech compression, speaker identification, language-of-speech identification, speech recognition, speech synthesis, speech translation, speech telephony, and speech teaching.

Exploring Australian speech-language pathologists' use and perceptions ofnon-speech oral motor exercises.

PubMed

Rumbach, Anna F; Rose, Tanya A; Cheah, Mynn

2018-01-29

To explore Australian speech-language pathologists' use of non-speech oral motor exercises, and rationales for using/not using non-speech oral motor exercises in clinical practice. A total of 124 speech-language pathologists practising in Australia, working with paediatric and/or adult clients with speech sound difficulties, completed an online survey. The majority of speech-language pathologists reported that they did not use non-speech oral motor exercises when working with paediatric or adult clients with speech sound difficulties. However, more than half of the speech-language pathologists working with adult clients who have dysarthria reported using non-speech oral motor exercises with this population. The most frequently reported rationale for using non-speech oral motor exercises in speech sound difficulty management was to improve awareness/placement of articulators. The majority of speech-language pathologists agreed there is no clear clinical or research evidence base to support non-speech oral motor exercise use with clients who have speech sound difficulties. This study provides an overview of Australian speech-language pathologists' reported use and perceptions of non-speech oral motor exercises' applicability and efficacy in treating paediatric and adult clients who have speech sound difficulties. The research findings provide speech-language pathologists with insight into how and why non-speech oral motor exercises are currently used, and adds to the knowledge base regarding Australian speech-language pathology practice of non-speech oral motor exercises in the treatment of speech sound difficulties. Implications for Rehabilitation Non-speech oral motor exercises refer to oral motor activities which do not involve speech, but involve the manipulation or stimulation of oral structures including the lips, tongue, jaw, and soft palate. Non-speech oral motor exercises are intended to improve the function (e.g., movement, strength) of oral structures. The majority of speech-language pathologists agreed there is no clear clinical or research evidence base to support non-speech oral motor exercise use with clients who have speech sound disorders. Non-speech oral motor exercise use was most frequently reported in the treatment of dysarthria. Non-speech oral motor exercise use when targeting speech sound disorders is not widely endorsed in the literature.

Effect of low body temperature on associative interference in conditioned taste aversion.

PubMed

Christianson, John P; Anderson, Mathew J; Misanin, James R; Hinderliter, Charles F

2005-06-01

When two novel conditioned stimuli precede an unconditioned stimulus (US), the interval between the two conditioned stimuli (CS1 and CS2) influences the magnitude of the CS-US associability of each CS. As the interval between CS1 and CS2 increases, the associability of CS1 with the US decreases due to interference by CS2 and the associability of CS2 increases, given its temporal proximity to the US. Because hypothermia has been reported to increase the interval at which conditioned taste aversions can be formed, its influence was examined on the above relationship, i.e., how interference from CS2 affects the associability of CS1 with the US. Rats received a conditioned taste aversion procedure where CS1 and CS2 were presented either one after the other or separated by an 80-min. delay. For all subjects, the US or pseudo-US was presented immediately after CS2. When hypothermia was interpolated between the two flavor stimuli that were spaced 80 min. apart, CS2-interference with the CS1-US association was greatly attenuated. We propose that hypothermia modifies internal timing mechanisms such that the externally timed 80-min. CS1-CS2 interval was perceived as much shorter for rats made hypothermic. As a result of this perceived shortened inter-CS interval, CS2 produced less interference for the CS1-US association than would be expected for such a relatively long delay between CS1 and CS2.

Speech coding, reconstruction and recognition using acoustics and electromagnetic waves

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Holzrichter, J.F.; Ng, L.C.

The use of EM radiation in conjunction with simultaneously recorded acoustic speech information enables a complete mathematical coding of acoustic speech. The methods include the forming of a feature vector for each pitch period of voiced speech and the forming of feature vectors for each time frame of unvoiced, as well as for combined voiced and unvoiced speech. The methods include how to deconvolve the speech excitation function from the acoustic speech output to describe the transfer function each time frame. The formation of feature vectors defining all acoustic speech units over well defined time frames can be used formore » purposes of speech coding, speech compression, speaker identification, language-of-speech identification, speech recognition, speech synthesis, speech translation, speech telephony, and speech teaching. 35 figs.« less

Influence of source distribution and geochemical composition of aerosols on children exposure in the large polymetallic mining region of the Bolivian Altiplano.

PubMed

Goix, Sylvaine; Point, David; Oliva, Priscia; Polve, Mireille; Duprey, Jean Louis; Mazurek, Hubert; Guislain, Ludivine; Huayta, Carlos; Barbieri, Flavia L; Gardon, Jacques

2011-12-15

The Bolivian Altiplano (Highlands) region is subject to intense mining, tailing and smelting activities since centuries because of the presence of large and unique polymetallic ore deposits (Ag, Au, Cu, Pb, Sn, Sb, Zn). A large scale PM(10), PM(2.5) aerosol monitoring survey was conducted during the dry season in one of the largest mining cities of this region (Oruro, 200,000 inhabitants). Aerosol fractions, source distribution and transport were investigated for 23 elements at approximately 1 km(2) scale resolution, and compared to children exposure data obtained within the same geographical space. As, Cd, Pb, Sb, W and Zn in aerosols are present at relatively high concentrations when compared to studies from other mining regions. Arsenic exceeds the European council PM(10) guide value (6 ng/m(3)) for 90% of the samples, topping 200 ng/m(3). Ag, As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Sb are present at significantly higher levels in the district located in the vicinity of the smelter zone. At the city level, principal component analysis combined with the mapping of factor scores allowed the identification and deconvolution of four individual sources: i) a natural magmatic source (Co, Cs, Fe, K, Mn, Na, Rb and U) originating from soil dust, resuspended by the traffic activity; ii) a natural sedimentary source (Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba and Th) resulting from the suspension of evaporative salt deposits located South; iii) an anthropogenic source specifically enriched in mined elements (As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Sb and Zn) mainly in the smelting district of the city; and iv) a Ni-Cr source homogenously distributed between the different city districts. Enrichment factors for As, Cd and Sb clearly show the impact of smelting activities, particularly in the finest PM(2.5) fraction. Comparison to children's hair metal contents collected in five schools from different districts shows a direct exposure to smelting activity fingerprinted by a unique trace elements pattern (Ag, As, Cu, Pb, Sb). Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Studies of anisotropic in-plane aligned a-axis oriented YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-x) thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trajanovic, Zoran

1997-12-01

Due to their layered planar structure, cuprate oxide superconductors possess remarkable anisotropic properties which may be related to their high transition temperatures. In-plane aligned a-axis YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) films are good candidates for such anisotropic studies. Furthermore, the full advantage of favorable material characteristics can be then utilized in applications such as vertical SNS junctions with the leads along the b-direction of YBCO and other novel junction configurations. High quality, smooth, in-plane aligned films are obtained on (100) LaSrGaO4. Form x-ray data, the films show complete b- and c-axes separation for the measured a-axis orientation. The anisotropic resistivity ratio (ρ c/ρ b), measured along the two crystallographic axes of single films gives ρ c/ρ b of ≈20 near the transition, with T cs near 90 K. In such films the grain boundary effects can be decoupled from the intrinsic anisotropic properties of YBCO. From oxygen annealing studies it was estimated that the CuO chains supply about 60% of the carriers. From J c measurements it is determined that the orientation of magnetic field with respect to the crystallographic film axes is the primary factor governing the J c values. The angular dependence of J c on the applied magnetic field is compared against various theoretical models showing the best agreement with the modified Ginzburg-Landau's anisotropic mass model (at T ≈ T c) and Tinkham's thin film model (at T < T c). By utilizing the Co-dopant, the coupling between CuO2 planes and the resulting enhancement of the intrinsic anisotropy of YBCO can be studied. Deposition and cooling conditions are shown to be the primary factor that influence the quality of dopant incorporation and the resulting oxygen ordering within the YBCO lattice. Various complex structures and devices utilizing in-plane aligned, a-axis films are presented. Other materials exhibiting in-plane alignment and a-axis growth are described. Optional substrates for achieving such films are also discussed.

Kinetics of Cation and Oxyanion Adsorption and Desorption on Ferrihydrite: Roles of Ferrihydrite Binding Sites and a Unified Model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tian, Lei; Shi, Zhenqing; Lu, Yang

Understanding the kinetics of toxic ion reactions with ferrihydrite is crucial for predicting the dynamic behavior of contaminants in soil environments. In this study, the kinetics of As(V), Cr(VI), Cu, and Pb adsorption and desorption on ferrihydrite were investigated with a combination of laboratory macroscopic experiments, microscopic investigation and mechanistic modeling. The rates of As(V), Cr(VI), Cu, and Pb adsorption and desorption on ferrihydrite, as systematically studied using a stirred-flow method, was highly dependent on the reaction pH and metal concentrations and varied significantly among four metals. Spherical aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (Cs-STEM) showed, at sub-nano scales, all fourmore » metals were distributed within the ferrihydrite particle aggregates homogeneously after adsorption reactions, with no evidence of surface diffusion-controlled processes. Based on experimental results, we developed a unifying kinetics model for both cation and oxyanion adsorption/desorption on ferrihydrite based on the mechanistic-based equilibrium model CD-MUSIC. Overall, the model described the kinetic results well, and we quantitatively demonstrated how the equilibrium properties of the cation and oxyanion binding to various ferrihydrite sites affected the adsorption and desorption rates. Our results provided a unifying quantitative modeling method for the kinetics of both cation and oxyanion adsorption/desorption on iron minerals.« less

Biomonitoring of 30 trace elements in urine of children and adults by ICP-MS.

PubMed

Heitland, Peter; Köster, Helmut D

2006-03-01

The paper provides physicians and clinical chemists with statistical data (concentration ranges, geometric mean values, selected percentiles, etc.) about 30 urinary trace elements in order to determine whether people have trace element deficiencies or have been exposed to higher elemental concentrations. Morning urine samples of 72 children and 87 adults from two geographical areas of Germany were collected and the elements Li, Be, V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Co, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Mo, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Cs, Ba, Pt, Au, Pb, Tl, Bi and U were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) with a new octopole based collision/reaction cell. The urine samples were analysed directly after a simple 1/5 (V/V) dilution with deionised water and nitric acid. Information on exposure conditions of all human subjects were collected by questionnaire-based interviews. The described concentration data down to the ng/l range are very useful for the formulation of reference values. For some elements either new data are described (e.g., for V, Ga, In, Bi, Rh, Mn) or differences to earlier studies were found (e.g., for Be, As). For other elements (e.g., Sb, Se, Mo, Ba, Cu, Zn, Li) our results are in good correlation with previous studies and also complemented with urinary trace element concentrations for children.

Fractionation of elements by particle size of ashes ejected from Copahue Volcano, Argentina.

PubMed

Gómez, Dario; Smichowski, Patricia; Polla, Griselda; Ledesma, Ariel; Resnizky, Sara; Rosa, Susana

2002-12-01

The volcano Copahue, Neuquén province, Argentina has shown infrequent explosive eruptions since the 18th century. Recently, eruptive activity and seismicity were registered in the period July-October, 2000. As a consequence, ash clouds were dispersed by winds and affected Caviahue village located at about 9 km east of the volcano. Samples of deposited particles from this area were collected during this episode for their chemical analysis to determine elements of concern with respect to the health of the local population and its environment. Different techniques were used to evaluate the distribution of elements in four particle size ranges from 36 to 300 microm. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) was selected to detect major components namely, minerals, silicate glass, fragments of rocks and sulfurs. Major and minor elements (Al, Ca, Cl, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, S, Si and Ti), were detected by energy dispersive X ray analysis (EDAX). Trace element (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sb, U, V and Zn) content was quantified by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Nuclear activation analysis (NAA) was employed for the determination of Ce, Co, Cs, Eu, Hf, La, Lu, Rb, Sc, Sm, Ta and Yb. An enrichment was observed in the smallest size fraction of volcanic ashes for four elements (As, Cd, Cu and Sb) of particular interest from the environmental and human health point of view.

Angiotensin-(1-7)/Mas axis modulates fear memory and extinction in mice.

PubMed

Lazaroni, Thiago Luiz do Nascimento; Bastos, Cristiane Perácio; Moraes, Márcio Flávio Dutra; Santos, Robson Souza; Pereira, Grace Schenatto

2016-01-01

Inappropriate defense-alerting reaction to fear is a common feature of neuropsychiatric diseases. Therefore, impairments in brain circuits, as well as in molecular pathways underlying the neurovegetative adjustments to fear may play an essential role on developing neuropsychiatric disorders. Here we tested the hypothesis that interfering with angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang-(1-7)]/Mas receptor axis homeostasis, which appears to be essential to arterial pressure control, would affect fear memory and extinction. Mas knockout (MasKO) mice, in FVB/N background, showed normal cued fear memory and extinction, but increased freezing in response to context. Next, as FVB/N has poor performance in contextual fear memory, we tested MasKO in mixed 129xC57BL/6 background. MasKO mice behaved similarly to wild-type (WT), but memory extinction was slower in contextual fear conditioning to a weak protocol (1CS/US). In addition, delayed extinction in MasKO mice was even more pronounced after a stronger protocol (3CS/US). We showed previously that Angiotensin II receptor AT1 antagonist, losantan, rescued object recognition memory deficit in MasKO mice. Here, losartan was also effective. Memory extinction was accelerated in MasKO mice after treatment with losartan. In conclusion, we showed for the first time that Ang-(1-7)/Mas axis may modulate fear memory extinction. Furthermore, we suggest MasKO mice as an animal model to study post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Major, minor, trace and rare earth elements in sediments of the Bijagós archipelago, Guinea-Bissau.

PubMed

Carvalho, Lina; Figueira, Paula; Monteiro, Rui; Reis, Ana Teresa; Almeida, Joana; Catry, Teresa; Lourenço, Pedro Miguel; Catry, Paulo; Barbosa, Castro; Catry, Inês; Pereira, Eduarda; Granadeiro, José Pedro; Vale, Carlos

2018-04-01

Sixty sediment samples from four sites in the Bijagós archipelago were characterized for fine fraction, loss on ignition, major, minor and trace elemental composition (Al, Fe, Ca, Mg, Ti, P, Zr, Mn, Cr, Sr, Ba, B, V, Li, Zn, Ni, Pb, As, Co, U, Cu, Cs and Cd), and the elements of the La-Lu series. Element concentrations were largely explained by the Al content and the proportion of fine fraction content, with the exception of Ca and Sr. Sediments showed enhanced Ti, U, Cr, As and Cd concentrations with respect to estimated upper crust values, most likely mirroring a regional signature. Rare earth elements were in deficit relatively to the North American Shale Composite (NASC), mainly in coarser material. No pronounced Ce-anomaly was observed, while Eu-anomalies were positive in most analyzed sediments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The physics and chemistry of the L134N molecular core

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swade, Daryl A.

1989-01-01

The dark cloud L134N is studied in detail via millimeter- and centimeter-wavelength emission-line spectra. A high-density core of molecular gas exists in L134N which has a kinetic temperature of about 12 K, a peak molecular hydrogen density of about 10 exp 4.5/cu cm, and a mass of about 23 solar. The core may be the site of future star formation. Maps of emission from (C-18)O, CS, H(C-13)O(+), SO, NH3, and C3H2 reveal morphologically different distributions resulting in part from both varying physical conditions within the cloud and optical depth effects. Significant differences also exist which are probably due to chemical abundance variations. A consistent set of LTE chemical abundances has been estimated at as many as seven positions, which can be used to constrain chemical models of dark clouds.

Pressure driven topological semi metallic phase in SrTe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kunduru, Lavanya; Roshan, S. C. Rakesh; Yedukondalu, N.; Sainath, M.

2018-05-01

We have investigated the structural, electronic properties and Fermi surface topology of SrTe under high pressure up to 50 GPa based on density functional theory calculations. We predict that SrTe undergoes a structural phase transition from NaCl (B1) to CsCl (B2)-type structure at 14.7 GPa which is consistent with the experimental observations as well as with previous theoretical studies. The ambient (B1) and high pressure (B2) phases are found to be indirect band gap semiconductors and upon further compression B2 phase turns into a nontrivial topological semimetal. Interestingly, we have observed that B2 phase of SrTe has band inversion at Γ and M symmetry directions which lead to formation of 3D topological nodal line semimetal at high pressure which is analogous to CaTe and Cu3PdN due to nontrivial band topology.

Air Pollution Study in the Republic of Moldova Using Moss Biomonitoring Technique.

PubMed

Zinicovscaia, Inga; Hramco, Constantin; Duliu, Octavian G; Vergel, Konstantin; Culicov, Otilia A; Frontasyeva, Marina V; Duca, Gheorghe

2017-02-01

Moss biomonitoring using the species Hypnum cupressiforme (Hedw.) and Pleurocarpous sp was applied to study air pollution in the Republic of Moldova. A total of 41 elements (Na, Mg, Al, Cl, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Br, Rb, Sr, Zr, Cd, Sb, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Tm, Yb, Hf, Ta, W, Pb, Th, and U) were determined by instrumental epithermal neutron activation analysis and atomic absorption spectrometry. Principal component analysis was used to identify and characterize different pollution sources. Geographical distribution maps were prepared to point out the regions most affected by air pollution and relate this to potential sources of contamination. Median values of the elements studied were compared with data from the European moss biomonitoring program. The cities of Chisinau and Balti were determined to experience particular environmental stress.

Speech processing using maximum likelihood continuity mapping

DOEpatents

Hogden, John E.

2000-01-01

Speech processing is obtained that, given a probabilistic mapping between static speech sounds and pseudo-articulator positions, allows sequences of speech sounds to be mapped to smooth sequences of pseudo-articulator positions. In addition, a method for learning a probabilistic mapping between static speech sounds and pseudo-articulator position is described. The method for learning the mapping between static speech sounds and pseudo-articulator position uses a set of training data composed only of speech sounds. The said speech processing can be applied to various speech analysis tasks, including speech recognition, speaker recognition, speech coding, speech synthesis, and voice mimicry.

Speech processing using maximum likelihood continuity mapping

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hogden, J.E.

Speech processing is obtained that, given a probabilistic mapping between static speech sounds and pseudo-articulator positions, allows sequences of speech sounds to be mapped to smooth sequences of pseudo-articulator positions. In addition, a method for learning a probabilistic mapping between static speech sounds and pseudo-articulator position is described. The method for learning the mapping between static speech sounds and pseudo-articulator position uses a set of training data composed only of speech sounds. The said speech processing can be applied to various speech analysis tasks, including speech recognition, speaker recognition, speech coding, speech synthesis, and voice mimicry.

Characterization of three terpenoid glycosyltransferase genes in 'Valencia' sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck).

PubMed

Fan, Jing; Chen, Chunxian; Yu, Qibin; Li, Zheng-Guo; Gmitter, Frederick G

2010-10-01

Three putative terpenoid UDP-glycosyltransferase (UGT) genes, designated CsUGT1, CsUGT2, and CsUGT3, were isolated and characterized in 'Valencia' sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck). CsUGT1 consisted of 1493 nucleotides with an open reading frame encoding 492 amino acids, CsUGT2 consisted of 1727 nucleotides encoding 504 amino acids, and CsUGT3 consisted of 1705 nucleotides encoding 468 amino acids. CsUGT3 had a 145 bp intron at 730-874, whereas CsUGT1 and CsUGT2 had none. The three deduced glycosyltransferase proteins had a highly conserved plant secondary product glycosyltransferase motif in the C terminus. Phylogenetic analysis showed that CsUGT1 and CsUGT3 were classified into group L of glycosyltransferase family 1, and CsUGT2 was classified into group D. Through Southern blotting analysis, CsUGT1 was found to have two copies in the sweet orange genome, whereas CsUGT2 and CsUGT3 had at least seven and nine copies, respectively. CsUGT1, CsUGT2, and CsUGT3 were constitutively expressed in leaf, flower, and fruit tissues. The results facilitate further investigation of the function of terpenoid glycosyltransferases in citrus and the biosynthesis of terpenoid glycosides in vitro.

Amorphous solid dispersion of cyclosporine A prepared with fine droplet drying process: Physicochemical and pharmacokinetic characterization.

PubMed

Suzuki, Hiroki; Moritani, Tatsuru; Morinaga, Tadahiko; Seto, Yoshiki; Sato, Hideyuki; Onoue, Satomi

2017-03-15

The present study aimed to develop an amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) of cyclosporine A (CsA) by a fine droplet drying (FDD) process for improvement in oral absorption of CsA. CsA and hydroxypropyl cellulose-SSL were dissolved in 1,4-dioxane, and the solution was powdered by the FDD process to obtain the ASD formulation of CsA (ASD/CsA). The ASD/CsA was characterized in terms of morphology, particle size distribution, crystallinity, dissolution behavior, physicochemical stability, and pharmacokinetic behavior in rats. The ASD/CsA was obtained in the form of uniform spherical particles, and the span factor was calculated to be ca. 0.4. CsA in the formulation existed in an amorphous state. The ASD/CsA exhibited a higher dissolution behavior of CsA than amorphous CsA, whereas storage of the ASD/CsA under accelerated conditions led to impairment in the dissolution behavior. The constant release of CsA from non-aged ASD/CsA was observed during dissolution testing. After oral administration of CsA samples (10mg-CsA/kg) in rats, the ASD/CsA showed a high and sustained plasma concentration of CsA as evidenced by a 18-fold increase in the oral bioavailability of CsA compared with amorphous CsA. From these findings, the FDD process might be an efficacious option for the ASD formulation of CsA with enhanced biopharmaceutics properties. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chitosan/polyanion surface modification of styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer membrane for wound dressing.

PubMed

Yang, Jen Ming; Yang, Jhe-Hao; Huang, Huei Tsz

2014-01-01

The surface of styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer (SBS) membrane is modified with tri-steps in this study. At first, two step modified SBS membrane (MSBS) was prepared with epoxidation and ring opening reaction with maleated ionomer. Then chitosan was used as the polycation electrolyte and sodium alginate, poly(γ-glutamic acid) (PGA) and poly(aspartic acid) (PAsp) were selected as polyanion electrolytes to deposit on the surfaces of MSBS membrane by the layer-by-layer self-assembly (LbL) deposition technique to get three [chitosan/polyanion] LbL modified SBS membranes, ([CS/Alg], [CS/PGA] and [CS/PAsp]). From the quantitative XPS analysis and water contact angle measurement, it is found that the order of wettability and the content of functional group percentages of COO(-) and OCN on the three [CS/polyanion] systems are [CS/Alg]>[CS/PGA]>[CS/PAsp]. Performances of water vapor transmission rates, fibronectin adsorption, antibacterial assessment and 3T3 fibroblast cell growth on [CS/Alg], [CS/PGA] and [CS/PAsp] membranes were also evaluated. With the evaluation of water vapor transmission rate, these [CS/Alg], [CS/PGA] and [CS/PAsp] membranes are sterile semipermeable with water evaporation at about 82±8g/day·m(2). It is found that the amount of fibronectin adsorption on the three [CS/polyanion] systems is significantly determined by the sum of the functional group of COO(-) and OCN on the surfaces of [CS/Alg], [CS/PGA] and [CS/PAsp] systems. The results are inverse with the sum of the functional group of COO(-) and OCN on the three [CS/polyanion]. From the cytotoxicity test and cell adhesion and proliferation assay of 3T3 fibroblasts on the three [CS/polyanion] systems, it revealed that the cells not only remained viable but they also proliferated on the surfaces of [CS/Alg], [CS/PGA] and [CS/PAsp]. The bactericidal activity was found on [CS/Alg], [CS/PGA] and [CS/PAsp]. The transport of bacterial through these [CS/polyanion] membranes was also conducted. No bacterial transport was found. © 2013.

Schizophrenia alters intra-network functional connectivity in the caudate for detecting speech under informational speech masking conditions.

PubMed

Zheng, Yingjun; Wu, Chao; Li, Juanhua; Li, Ruikeng; Peng, Hongjun; She, Shenglin; Ning, Yuping; Li, Liang

2018-04-04

Speech recognition under noisy "cocktail-party" environments involves multiple perceptual/cognitive processes, including target detection, selective attention, irrelevant signal inhibition, sensory/working memory, and speech production. Compared to health listeners, people with schizophrenia are more vulnerable to masking stimuli and perform worse in speech recognition under speech-on-speech masking conditions. Although the schizophrenia-related speech-recognition impairment under "cocktail-party" conditions is associated with deficits of various perceptual/cognitive processes, it is crucial to know whether the brain substrates critically underlying speech detection against informational speech masking are impaired in people with schizophrenia. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), this study investigated differences between people with schizophrenia (n = 19, mean age = 33 ± 10 years) and their matched healthy controls (n = 15, mean age = 30 ± 9 years) in intra-network functional connectivity (FC) specifically associated with target-speech detection under speech-on-speech-masking conditions. The target-speech detection performance under the speech-on-speech-masking condition in participants with schizophrenia was significantly worse than that in matched healthy participants (healthy controls). Moreover, in healthy controls, but not participants with schizophrenia, the strength of intra-network FC within the bilateral caudate was positively correlated with the speech-detection performance under the speech-masking conditions. Compared to controls, patients showed altered spatial activity pattern and decreased intra-network FC in the caudate. In people with schizophrenia, the declined speech-detection performance under speech-on-speech masking conditions is associated with reduced intra-caudate functional connectivity, which normally contributes to detecting target speech against speech masking via its functions of suppressing masking-speech signals.

The metal content of molybdenum-mineralizing fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lerchbaumer, L.; Audétat, A.

2012-04-01

Molybdenum can be found in porphyry-type systems as well as in hydrothermal veins and breccias associated with granite systems. Up to now our knowledge on the metal content of fluids forming molybdenum ore deposits has been very limited. The only data available so far are from the porphyry Mo deposit at Questa, New Mexico, and from the Cave Peak porphyry Mo-Nb deposit in Texas. We have studied early, intermediate-density fluid inclusions in quartz crystals from miarolitic cavities in the Drammen and Glitrevann granites (Norway) and the Treasure Mountain Dome (Colorado/USA) to obtain more information about the bulk composition of magmatic-hydrothermal fluids exsolved from these plutons. The Treasure Mountain Dome contains weak Mo mineralization and is an apophysis of the Alma Batholith that produced also the famous Climax and Henderson porphyry Mo deposits; the Glitrevann granite hosts a sub-economic Mo stockwork, and the Drammen Granite contains numerous vein-type Mo mineralizations. As a preliminary result, based on analyses of fluid inclusions using optical microscopy, microthermometry, Raman spectroscopy, and LA-ICP-MS we conclude that the primordial fluid of the Drammen granite was of high acidity and carried certain amounts of metals at conditions of 650°C and 1.3-1.5 kbar. The total elemental budget is: 3 wt% Na, 1.8 wt% K, 0.5 wt% S, 0.4 wt% Fe, 0.3 wt% Cu, 0.2 wt% Mn, 40 ppm Mo, 800 ppm Zn, 600 ppm Rb, 300 ppm Cs, 180 ppm Pb, 150 ppm As, 40 ppm W, 15 ppm Bi, and minor amounts of Ag, Sn, and Ce. Striking is the fact, that all the metal concentrations show little variability except the one of Cu. In view of recent studies (Lerchbaumer & Audétat, 2011) showing that the Cu-values in quartz-hosted fluid inclusions are not always representative of the primary fluid and in fact can be too high, we want to check if this could be the case for the Cu-values measured in the samples from Norway and Colorado. The alteration of the original Cu-concentrations stems from post-entrapment diffusion of Cu+ through the host quartz into the fluid inclusions. The trigger for this process is the changing pH of the outer fluid due to rock-buffered cooling: As this fluid gets more and more basic, the increasing concentration gradient promotes the loss of H+ from existing fluid inclusions and the corresponding uptake of Cu+. In order to experimentally reconstruct this process we will put a well characterized trail of fluid inclusions from the Drammen granite into a gold capsule together with its original, acidic fluid (known from analyses mentioned above) and subject it to its forming conditions in rapid quench autoclaves. In the case of fluid inclusions with a diffusively altered elemental composition, the pH-difference between the fluid inclusions and the outer fluid would reverse the diffusion process and would lead to quite diminished concentrations of Cu after the run. Such a result would finally indicate that these Mo-mineralizing fluids hardly transported any Cu. Lerchbaumer L. & Audétat A. (2011): Preferential partitioning of copper into the vapor phase: An artifact? Mineralogical Magazine 75 (3), 1302.

Structural characterization of multimetallic nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukundan, Vineetha

Bimetallic and trimetallic alloy nanoparticles have enhanced catalytic activities due to their unique structural properties. Using in situ time-resolved synchrotron based x-ray diffraction, we investigated the structural properties of nanoscale catalysts undergoing various heat treatments. Thermal treatment brings about changes in particle size, morphology, dispersion of metals on support, alloying, surface electronic properties, etc. First, the mechanisms of coalescence and grain growth in PtNiCo nanoparticles supported on planar silica on silicon were examined in detail in the temperature range 400-900°C. The sintering process in PtNiCo nanoparticles was found to be accompanied by lattice contraction and L10 chemical ordering. The mass transport involved in sintering is attributed to grain boundary diffusion and its corresponding activation energy is estimated from the data analysis. Nanoscale alloying and phase transformations in physical mixtures of Pd and Cu ultrafine nanoparticles were also investigated in real time with in situ synchrotron based x-ray diffraction complemented by ex situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. PdCu nanoparticles are interesting because they are found to be more efficient as catalysts in ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) than monometallic Pd catalysts. The combination of metal support interaction and reactive/non-reactive environment was found to determine the thermal evolution and ultimate structure of this binary system. The composition of the as prepared Pd:Cu mixture in this study was 34% Pd and 66% Cu. At 300°C, the nanoparticles supported on silica and carbon black intermix to form a chemically ordered CsCl-type (B2) alloy phase. The B2 phase transforms into a disordered fcc alloy at higher temperature (>450°C). The alloy nanoparticles supported on silica and carbon black are homogeneous in volume, but evidence was found of Pd surface enrichment. In sharp contrast, when supported on alumina, the two metals segregated at 300°C to produce almost pure fcc Cu and Pd phases. Upon further annealing of the mixture on alumina above 600°C, the two metals interdiffused, forming two distinct disordered alloys of compositions 30% and 90% Pd. The annealing atmosphere also plays a major role in the structural evolution of these bimetallic nanoparticles. The nanoparticles annealed in forming gas are larger than the nanoparticles annealed in helium due to reduction of the surface oxides that promotes coalescence and sintering. The nanoscale composition and structure of alloy catalysts affect heterogeneous catalysis. We also studied Pd:Cu nanoparticle mixtures of different compositions. In Pd:Cu of composition ratio 1:1, ordered B2 phase is formed during annealing at 450C. During the ramped annealing from 450°C to 750°C, the B2 phase transforms into two different alloys, one alloy rich in copper and the other rich in Pd. This structural evolution is different from that of Pd-Cu system in bulk. In the 3:1 composition, the B2 phase dominates in the isothermal anneal at 450C but a disordered alloy fcc phase is also formed. On annealing to 750°C, the disordered fcc phase grows at the expense of the B2 phase. These findings have important applications for the thermal activation of Pd-Cu nanocatalysts for EOR reactions.

The Relationship Between Speech Production and Speech Perception Deficits in Parkinson's Disease.

PubMed

De Keyser, Kim; Santens, Patrick; Bockstael, Annelies; Botteldooren, Dick; Talsma, Durk; De Vos, Stefanie; Van Cauwenberghe, Mieke; Verheugen, Femke; Corthals, Paul; De Letter, Miet

2016-10-01

This study investigated the possible relationship between hypokinetic speech production and speech intensity perception in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Participants included 14 patients with idiopathic PD and 14 matched healthy controls (HCs) with normal hearing and cognition. First, speech production was objectified through a standardized speech intelligibility assessment, acoustic analysis, and speech intensity measurements. Second, an overall estimation task and an intensity estimation task were addressed to evaluate overall speech perception and speech intensity perception, respectively. Finally, correlation analysis was performed between the speech characteristics of the overall estimation task and the corresponding acoustic analysis. The interaction between speech production and speech intensity perception was investigated by an intensity imitation task. Acoustic analysis and speech intensity measurements demonstrated significant differences in speech production between patients with PD and the HCs. A different pattern in the auditory perception of speech and speech intensity was found in the PD group. Auditory perceptual deficits may influence speech production in patients with PD. The present results suggest a disturbed auditory perception related to an automatic monitoring deficit in PD.

Critical branching neural networks.

PubMed

Kello, Christopher T

2013-01-01

It is now well-established that intrinsic variations in human neural and behavioral activity tend to exhibit scaling laws in their fluctuations and distributions. The meaning of these scaling laws is an ongoing matter of debate between isolable causes versus pervasive causes. A spiking neural network model is presented that self-tunes to critical branching and, in doing so, simulates observed scaling laws as pervasive to neural and behavioral activity. These scaling laws are related to neural and cognitive functions, in that critical branching is shown to yield spiking activity with maximal memory and encoding capacities when analyzed using reservoir computing techniques. The model is also shown to account for findings of pervasive 1/f scaling in speech and cued response behaviors that are difficult to explain by isolable causes. Issues and questions raised by the model and its results are discussed from the perspectives of physics, neuroscience, computer and information sciences, and psychological and cognitive sciences.

Age-related differences in communication and audience design.

PubMed

Horton, William S; Spieler, Daniel H

2007-06-01

This article reports an experiment examining the extent to which younger and older speakers engage in audience design, the process of adapting one's speech for particular addresses. Through an initial card-matching task, pairs of younger adults and pairs of older adults established common ground for sets of picture cards. Subsequently, the same individuals worked separately on a computer-based picture-description task that involved a novel partner-cuing paradigm. Younger speakers' descriptions to the familiar partner were shorter and were initiated more quickly than were descriptions to an unfamiliar partner. In addition, younger speakers' descriptions to the familiar partner exhibited a higher proportion of lexical overlap with previous descriptions than did descriptions to an unfamiliar partner. Older speakers showed no equivalent evidence for audience design, which may reflect difficulties with retrieving partner-specific information from memory during conversation. ((c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).

Visual Context Enhanced: The Joint Contribution of Iconic Gestures and Visible Speech to Degraded Speech Comprehension.

PubMed

Drijvers, Linda; Özyürek, Asli

2017-01-01

This study investigated whether and to what extent iconic co-speech gestures contribute to information from visible speech to enhance degraded speech comprehension at different levels of noise-vocoding. Previous studies of the contributions of these 2 visual articulators to speech comprehension have only been performed separately. Twenty participants watched videos of an actress uttering an action verb and completed a free-recall task. The videos were presented in 3 speech conditions (2-band noise-vocoding, 6-band noise-vocoding, clear), 3 multimodal conditions (speech + lips blurred, speech + visible speech, speech + visible speech + gesture), and 2 visual-only conditions (visible speech, visible speech + gesture). Accuracy levels were higher when both visual articulators were present compared with 1 or none. The enhancement effects of (a) visible speech, (b) gestural information on top of visible speech, and (c) both visible speech and iconic gestures were larger in 6-band than 2-band noise-vocoding or visual-only conditions. Gestural enhancement in 2-band noise-vocoding did not differ from gestural enhancement in visual-only conditions. When perceiving degraded speech in a visual context, listeners benefit more from having both visual articulators present compared with 1. This benefit was larger at 6-band than 2-band noise-vocoding, where listeners can benefit from both phonological cues from visible speech and semantic cues from iconic gestures to disambiguate speech.

Comprehension of synthetic speech and digitized natural speech by adults with aphasia.

PubMed

Hux, Karen; Knollman-Porter, Kelly; Brown, Jessica; Wallace, Sarah E

2017-09-01

Using text-to-speech technology to provide simultaneous written and auditory content presentation may help compensate for chronic reading challenges if people with aphasia can understand synthetic speech output; however, inherent auditory comprehension challenges experienced by people with aphasia may make understanding synthetic speech difficult. This study's purpose was to compare the preferences and auditory comprehension accuracy of people with aphasia when listening to sentences generated with digitized natural speech, Alex synthetic speech (i.e., Macintosh platform), or David synthetic speech (i.e., Windows platform). The methodology required each of 20 participants with aphasia to select one of four images corresponding in meaning to each of 60 sentences comprising three stimulus sets. Results revealed significantly better accuracy given digitized natural speech than either synthetic speech option; however, individual participant performance analyses revealed three patterns: (a) comparable accuracy regardless of speech condition for 30% of participants, (b) comparable accuracy between digitized natural speech and one, but not both, synthetic speech option for 45% of participants, and (c) greater accuracy with digitized natural speech than with either synthetic speech option for remaining participants. Ranking and Likert-scale rating data revealed a preference for digitized natural speech and David synthetic speech over Alex synthetic speech. Results suggest many individuals with aphasia can comprehend synthetic speech options available on popular operating systems. Further examination of synthetic speech use to support reading comprehension through text-to-speech technology is thus warranted. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Unconditioned- and Conditioned- Stimuli Induce Differential Memory Reconsolidation and β-AR-Dependent CREB Activation

PubMed Central

Huang, Bing; Zhu, Huiwen; Zhou, Yiming; Liu, Xing; Ma, Lan

2017-01-01

Consolidated long-term fear memories become labile and reconsolidated upon retrieval by the presentation of conditioned stimulus (CS) or unconditioned stimulus (US). Whether CS-retrieval or US-retrieval will trigger different memory reconsolidation processes is unknown. In this study, we introduced a sequential fear conditioning paradigm in which footshock (FS) was paired with two distinct sounds (CS-A and CS-B). The treatment with propranolol, a β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) antagonist, after US (FS)-retrieval impaired freezing behavior evoked by either CS-A or CS-B. Betaxolol, a selective β1-AR antagonist, showed similar effects. However, propranolol treatment after retrieval by one CS (e.g., CS-A) only inhibited freezing behavior evoked by the same CS (i.e., CS-A), not the other CS (CS-B). These data suggest that β-AR is critically involved in reconsolidation of fear memory triggered by US- and CS-retrieval, whereas β-AR blockade after US-retrieval disrupts more CS-US associations than CS-retrieval does. Furthermore, significant CREB activation in almost the whole amygdala and hippocampus was observed after US-retrieval, but CS-retrieval only stimulated CREB activation in the lateral amygdala and the CA3 of hippocampus. In addition, propranolol treatment suppressed memory retrieval-induced CREB activation. These data indicate that US-retrieval activates more memory traces than CS-retrieval does, leading to memory reconsolidation of more CS-US associations. PMID:28848401

Epitaxy of mercury-based high temperature superconducting films on oxide and metal substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Yi-Yuan

High-Tc superconducting (HTS) cuprates are highly anisotropic thus epitaxy along certain crystalline directions is essential to realize high-current-carrying capability at temperatures above 77 K. Hg-based HTS (Hg-HTS) cuprates have the record-high Tc up to 135 K, therefore are of great interest for fundamental research and practical applications. However, growth Of epitaxial Hg-HTS films is extremely difficult in conventional thermal-reaction process since Hg is highly volatile. Motivated by this, we first developed a cation-exchange process for growing epitaxial Hg-HTS films, which involves two steps: selection of precursor matrices with predesigned structure and composition followed by cation-exchange processing. New materials are formed via "atomic surgery" on an existing structure rather than thermal reaction among amorphous oxides in conventional process, thus the structural features of the precursor are inherited by the new material. Using epitaxial Tl-based HTS films as precursor and annealing them in Hg-vapor, epitaxial Hg-HTS films with superior quality have been obtained. This success encouraged us to develop epitaxy on metal tapes for coated conductors and On large-area wafers for electronic devices. For coated conductors, we addressed three critical issues: epitaxy on metal substrates, enhancement of in-field Jcs and scale-up in thickness and length. First, using a fabrication scheme that combines two processes: cation-exchange and fast-temperature-ramping-annealing, epitaxial HgBa2CaCu2O6+delta films were grown on rolling-assisted-biaxially-textured Ni substrates buffered with CeO 2/YSZ/CeO2 for the first time. We fabricated HgBa2CaCu 2O6+delta coated conductors with Tc = 122--124 K and self-field Jc > 1 x 106A/cm2 at 92 K which are record-high for HTS coated conductors. Second, we demonstrated improved in-field J cs via overdoping HgBa2CaCu 2O6+delta films (by means Of charge "overdoped"), heavy-ion-irradiation and substrate engineering. Finally, thick HgBa 2CaCu2O6+delta films show high I c, and spool process also shows potential in middle-length tape fabrication. These results make Hg-HTS films good candidates as power transmission wires/tapes. For large-area epitaxy, ½ inch x ½ inch HgBa2CaCu 2O6+delta films were synthesized on LaAlO3(100) with uniform and high Tcs and Jc s. A new crucible Hg-annealing technique that requires neither vacuum nor torch-sealing has been invented, promising for large-area wafers and long tapes/wires. So far HgBa2CaCu2O6+delta films with good quality have been reproducibly fabricated using this new technique.

Non-fluent speech following stroke is caused by impaired efference copy.

PubMed

Feenaughty, Lynda; Basilakos, Alexandra; Bonilha, Leonardo; den Ouden, Dirk-Bart; Rorden, Chris; Stark, Brielle; Fridriksson, Julius

2017-09-01

Efference copy is a cognitive mechanism argued to be critical for initiating and monitoring speech: however, the extent to which breakdown of efference copy mechanisms impact speech production is unclear. This study examined the best mechanistic predictors of non-fluent speech among 88 stroke survivors. Objective speech fluency measures were subjected to a principal component analysis (PCA). The primary PCA factor was then entered into a multiple stepwise linear regression analysis as the dependent variable, with a set of independent mechanistic variables. Participants' ability to mimic audio-visual speech ("speech entrainment response") was the best independent predictor of non-fluent speech. We suggest that this "speech entrainment" factor reflects integrity of internal monitoring (i.e., efference copy) of speech production, which affects speech initiation and maintenance. Results support models of normal speech production and suggest that therapy focused on speech initiation and maintenance may improve speech fluency for individuals with chronic non-fluent aphasia post stroke.

Autistic traits and attention to speech: Evidence from typically developing individuals.

PubMed

Korhonen, Vesa; Werner, Stefan

2017-04-01

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder have a preference for attending to non-speech stimuli over speech stimuli. We are interested in whether non-speech preference is only a feature of diagnosed individuals, and whether we can we test implicit preference experimentally. In typically developed individuals, serial recall is disrupted more by speech stimuli than by non-speech stimuli. Since behaviour of individuals with autistic traits resembles that of individuals with autism, we have used serial recall to test whether autistic traits influence task performance during irrelevant speech sounds. The errors made on the serial recall task during speech or non-speech sounds were counted as a measure of speech or non-speech preference in relation to no sound condition. We replicated the serial order effect and found the speech to be more disruptive than the non-speech sounds, but were unable to find any associations between the autism quotient scores and the non-speech sounds. Our results may indicate a learnt behavioural response to speech sounds.

Electrophysiological evidence for speech-specific audiovisual integration.

PubMed

Baart, Martijn; Stekelenburg, Jeroen J; Vroomen, Jean

2014-01-01

Lip-read speech is integrated with heard speech at various neural levels. Here, we investigated the extent to which lip-read induced modulations of the auditory N1 and P2 (measured with EEG) are indicative of speech-specific audiovisual integration, and we explored to what extent the ERPs were modulated by phonetic audiovisual congruency. In order to disentangle speech-specific (phonetic) integration from non-speech integration, we used Sine-Wave Speech (SWS) that was perceived as speech by half of the participants (they were in speech-mode), while the other half was in non-speech mode. Results showed that the N1 obtained with audiovisual stimuli peaked earlier than the N1 evoked by auditory-only stimuli. This lip-read induced speeding up of the N1 occurred for listeners in speech and non-speech mode. In contrast, if listeners were in speech-mode, lip-read speech also modulated the auditory P2, but not if listeners were in non-speech mode, thus revealing speech-specific audiovisual binding. Comparing ERPs for phonetically congruent audiovisual stimuli with ERPs for incongruent stimuli revealed an effect of phonetic stimulus congruency that started at ~200 ms after (in)congruence became apparent. Critically, akin to the P2 suppression, congruency effects were only observed if listeners were in speech mode, and not if they were in non-speech mode. Using identical stimuli, we thus confirm that audiovisual binding involves (partially) different neural mechanisms for sound processing in speech and non-speech mode. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Inner Speech's Relationship With Overt Speech in Poststroke Aphasia.

PubMed

Stark, Brielle C; Geva, Sharon; Warburton, Elizabeth A

2017-09-18

Relatively preserved inner speech alongside poor overt speech has been documented in some persons with aphasia (PWA), but the relationship of overt speech with inner speech is still largely unclear, as few studies have directly investigated these factors. The present study investigates the relationship of relatively preserved inner speech in aphasia with selected measures of language and cognition. Thirty-eight persons with chronic aphasia (27 men, 11 women; average age 64.53 ± 13.29 years, time since stroke 8-111 months) were classified as having relatively preserved inner and overt speech (n = 21), relatively preserved inner speech with poor overt speech (n = 8), or not classified due to insufficient measurements of inner and/or overt speech (n = 9). Inner speech scores (by group) were correlated with selected measures of language and cognition from the Comprehensive Aphasia Test (Swinburn, Porter, & Al, 2004). The group with poor overt speech showed a significant relationship of inner speech with overt naming (r = .95, p < .01) and with mean length of utterance produced during a written picture description (r = .96, p < .01). Correlations between inner speech and language and cognition factors were not significant for the group with relatively good overt speech. As in previous research, we show that relatively preserved inner speech is found alongside otherwise severe production deficits in PWA. PWA with poor overt speech may rely more on preserved inner speech for overt picture naming (perhaps due to shared resources with verbal working memory) and for written picture description (perhaps due to reliance on inner speech due to perceived task difficulty). Assessments of inner speech may be useful as a standard component of aphasia screening, and therapy focused on improving and using inner speech may prove clinically worthwhile. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.5303542.

Atypical speech versus non-speech detection and discrimination in 4- to 6- yr old children with autism spectrum disorder: An ERP study.

PubMed

Galilee, Alena; Stefanidou, Chrysi; McCleery, Joseph P

2017-01-01

Previous event-related potential (ERP) research utilizing oddball stimulus paradigms suggests diminished processing of speech versus non-speech sounds in children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, brain mechanisms underlying these speech processing abnormalities, and to what extent they are related to poor language abilities in this population remain unknown. In the current study, we utilized a novel paired repetition paradigm in order to investigate ERP responses associated with the detection and discrimination of speech and non-speech sounds in 4- to 6-year old children with ASD, compared with gender and verbal age matched controls. ERPs were recorded while children passively listened to pairs of stimuli that were either both speech sounds, both non-speech sounds, speech followed by non-speech, or non-speech followed by speech. Control participants exhibited N330 match/mismatch responses measured from temporal electrodes, reflecting speech versus non-speech detection, bilaterally, whereas children with ASD exhibited this effect only over temporal electrodes in the left hemisphere. Furthermore, while the control groups exhibited match/mismatch effects at approximately 600 ms (central N600, temporal P600) when a non-speech sound was followed by a speech sound, these effects were absent in the ASD group. These findings suggest that children with ASD fail to activate right hemisphere mechanisms, likely associated with social or emotional aspects of speech detection, when distinguishing non-speech from speech stimuli. Together, these results demonstrate the presence of atypical speech versus non-speech processing in children with ASD when compared with typically developing children matched on verbal age.

Atypical speech versus non-speech detection and discrimination in 4- to 6- yr old children with autism spectrum disorder: An ERP study

PubMed Central

Stefanidou, Chrysi; McCleery, Joseph P.

2017-01-01

Previous event-related potential (ERP) research utilizing oddball stimulus paradigms suggests diminished processing of speech versus non-speech sounds in children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, brain mechanisms underlying these speech processing abnormalities, and to what extent they are related to poor language abilities in this population remain unknown. In the current study, we utilized a novel paired repetition paradigm in order to investigate ERP responses associated with the detection and discrimination of speech and non-speech sounds in 4- to 6—year old children with ASD, compared with gender and verbal age matched controls. ERPs were recorded while children passively listened to pairs of stimuli that were either both speech sounds, both non-speech sounds, speech followed by non-speech, or non-speech followed by speech. Control participants exhibited N330 match/mismatch responses measured from temporal electrodes, reflecting speech versus non-speech detection, bilaterally, whereas children with ASD exhibited this effect only over temporal electrodes in the left hemisphere. Furthermore, while the control groups exhibited match/mismatch effects at approximately 600 ms (central N600, temporal P600) when a non-speech sound was followed by a speech sound, these effects were absent in the ASD group. These findings suggest that children with ASD fail to activate right hemisphere mechanisms, likely associated with social or emotional aspects of speech detection, when distinguishing non-speech from speech stimuli. Together, these results demonstrate the presence of atypical speech versus non-speech processing in children with ASD when compared with typically developing children matched on verbal age. PMID:28738063

Correlations among steroid fear, acceptability, usage frequency, quality of life and disease severity in childhood eczema.

PubMed

Hon, Kam Lun; Tsang, Yin Ching K; Pong, Nga Hin; Luk, David C K; Lee, Vivian W; Woo, Wing Man; Lam, Chak Yiu Justin; Yeung, Yun Ting Eunice; Chau, Yiu Shing Sunny; Chui, Ka Kam Kenneth; Li, Ka Hin Gabriel; Leung, Ting Fan

2015-10-01

Topical corticosteroids (CSs) are the mainstay of treatment for eczema but CS phobia and fears are prevalent and influence therapeutic efficacy. To quantify if CS acceptability and fear affect patients' quality-of-life (QoL). Patients with eczema managed in the pediatric dermatology outpatient clinic of a university hospital were surveyed. Nottingham Eczema Severity Score (NESS) for severity, Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index (CDLQI) for QoL, CS fear, acceptability and reported frequency of CS use were measured with quantified questions. CS fears were prevalent among parents and caregivers of patients with eczema. Fifty-eight percent of parents reported general acceptability of CS as being very good or good, and many applied CS to their child regularly every week. However, >40% of parents reported CS fear "always" or "often", 41% reported that they "always" or "often" apply CS only when eczema got worse, 57% would discuss CS fear with their doctors, 30% would request CS-sparing medications and 14% "always" or "often" use traditional Chinese herbal medicine. Fears were predominantly interpersonal and less often iatrogenic in nature. Skin problems were the most concerned side effects of CS. CS acceptability, frequency of CS usage, CS fear and usage of alternative medications were independent domains in eczema management: CS fears correlated with CDLQI; CS usage frequency correlated with NESS and negatively with parental education; and CS acceptability correlated with parental education. Ordinal logistic regressions showed worse QoL was associated with more CS fear (odds ratio: 1.092 [95% CI: 1.023-1.165], p = 0.008). The extent of CS fears is independent of CS acceptability, but correlates with patients' QoL. Desensitization of parental CS fears should be integral part of eczema education and therapeutics in order to improve therapeutic efficacy and patients' QoL.

Comparative study of four interleukin 17 cytokines of tongue sole Cynoglossus semilaevis: Genomic structure, expression pattern, and promoter activity.

PubMed

Chi, Heng; Sun, Li

2015-11-01

The interleukin (IL)-17 cytokine family participates in the regulation of many cellular functions. In the present study, we analyzed the genomic structure, expression, and promoter activity of four IL-17 members from the teleost fish tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis), i.e. CsIL-17C CsIL-17D, CsIL-17F, and IL-17F like (IL-17Fl). We found that CsIL-17C, CsIL-17D, CsIL-17F, and CsIL-17Fl share 21.2%-28.6% overall sequence identities among themselves and 31.5%-71.2% overall sequence identities with their counterparts in other teleost. All four CsIL-17 members possess an IL-17 domain and four conserved cysteine residues. Phylogenetic analysis classified the four CsIL-17 members into three clusters. Under normal physiological conditions, the four CsIL-17 expressed in multiple tissues, especially non-immune tissues. Bacterial infection upregulated the expression of all four CsIL-17, while viral infection upregulated the expression of CsIL-17D and CsIL-17Fl but downregulated the expression of CsIL-17C and CsIL-17F. The 1.2 kb 5'-flanking regions of the four CsIL-17 exhibited apparent promoter activity and contain a number of putative transcription factor-binding sites. Furthermore, the promoter activities of CsIL-17C, CsIL-17D, and CsIL-17F, but not CsIL-17Fl, were modulated to significant extents by lipopolysaccharide, PolyI:C, and PMA. This study provides the first evidence that in teleost, different IL-17 members differ in expression pattern and promoter activity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Correlations between potassium, rubidium and cesium ((133)Cs and (137)Cs) in sporocarps of Suillus variegatus in a Swedish boreal forest.

PubMed

Vinichuk, M; Rosén, K; Johanson, K J; Dahlberg, A

2011-04-01

An analysis of sporocarps of ectomycorrhizal fungi Suillus variegatus assessed whether cesium ((133)Cs and (137)Cs) uptake was correlated with potassium (K) or rubidium (Rb) uptake. The question was whether intraspecific correlations of Rb, K and (133)Cs mass concentrations with (137)Cs activity concentrations in sporocarps were higher within, rather than among, different fungal species, and if genotypic origin of sporocarps within a population affected uptake and correlation. Sporocarps (n = 51) from a Swedish forest population affected by the fallout after the Chernobyl accident were studied. The concentrations were 31.9 ± 6.79 g kg(-1) for K (mean ± SD, dwt), 0.40 ± 0.09 g kg(-1) for Rb, 8.7 ± 4.36 mg kg(-1) for (133)Cs and 63.7 ± 24.2 kBq kg(-1) for (137)Cs. The mass concentrations of (133)Cs correlated with (137)Cs activity concentrations (r = 0.61). There was correlation between both (133)Cs concentrations (r = 0.75) and (137)Cs activity concentrations (r = 0.44) and Rb, but the (137)Cs/(133)Cs isotopic ratio negatively correlated with Rb concentration. Concentrations of K and Rb were weakly correlated (r = 0.51). The (133)Cs mass concentrations, (137)Cs activity concentrations and (137)Cs/(133)Cs isotopic ratios did not correlate with K concentrations. No differences between, within or, among genotypes in S. variegatus were found. This suggested the relationships between K, Rb, (133)Cs and (137)Cs in sporocarps of S. variegatus is similar to other fungal species. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preparation and Evaluation of Newly Developed Chitosan Salt Coating Dispersions for Colon Delivery without Requiring Overcoating.

PubMed

Yamada, Kyohei; Iwao, Yasunori; Bani-Jaber, Ahmad; Noguchi, Shuji; Itai, Shigeru

2015-01-01

Although chitosan (CS) has been recognized as a good material for colon-specific drug delivery systems, an overcoating with an enteric coating polymer on the surface of CS is absolutely necessary because CS is soluble in acidic conditions before reaching the colon. In the present study, to improve its stability in the presence of acid, a newly developed CS-laurate (CS-LA) material was evaluated as a coating dispersion for the development of colon-specific drug delivery systems. Two types of CS with different molecular weights, CS250 and CS600, were used to prepare CS-LA films by the casting method. The CS250-LA films had smooth surfaces, whereas the surfaces of the CS600-LA films were rough, indicating that the CS250-LA dispersion could form a denser film than CS600-LA. Both of these CS-LA films maintained a constant shape over 22 h in a pH 1.2 HCl/NaCl buffer, where the corresponding CS films rapidly disintegrated. In addition, the CS250-LA film showed specific colon degradability in a pH 6.0 phosphate buffered solution containing 1.0% (w/v) β-glucosidase. As a result of tensile strength and elongation at the break, both CS-LA films were found to have flexible film properties. Finally, the release of acetaminophen from disks coated with CS250-LA dispersions was significantly suppressed in fluids at pH 1.2 and 6.8, whereas disks coated with CS solution rapidly released the drug in pH 1.2 fluids. Taken together, this study shows that LA modification could be a useful approach in preparing CS films with acid stability and colonic degradability properties without requiring overcoating.

Electronic structure and optical properties of CsI, CsI(Ag), and CsI(Tl)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zheng; Zhao, Qiang; Li, Yang; Ouyang, Xiao-Ping

2016-05-01

The band structure, electronic density of states and optical properties of CsI and of CsI doped with silver or thallium are studied by using a first-principles calculation based on density functional theory (DFT). The exchange and the correlation potentials among the electrons are described by using the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). The results of our study show that the electronic structure changes somewhat when CsI is doped with silver or thallium. The band gaps of CsI(Ag) and CsI(Tl) are smaller than that of CsI, and the width of the conduction band of CsI is increased when CsI is doped with thallium or silver. Two peaks located in the conduction band of CsI(Ag) and CsI(Tl) are observed from their electronic densities of states. The absorption coefficients of CsI, CsI(Ag), and CsI(Tl) are zero when their photon energies are below 3.5 eV, 1.5 eV, and 3.1 eV, respectively. The results show that doping can improve the detection performance of CsI scintillators. Our study can explain why doping can improve the detection performance from a theoretical point of view. The results of our research provide both theoretical support for the luminescent mechanisms at play in scintillator materials when they are exposed to radiation and a reference for CsI doping from the point of view of the electronic structure.

135Cs activity and 135Cs/137Cs atom ratio in environmental samples before and after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

PubMed Central

Yang, Guosheng; Tazoe, Hirofumi; Yamada, Masatoshi

2016-01-01

135Cs/137Cs is a potential tracer for radiocesium source identification. However, due to the challenge to measure 135Cs, there were no 135Cs data available for Japanese environmental samples before the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident. It was only 3 years after the accident that limited 135Cs values could be measured in heavily contaminated environmental samples. In the present study, activities of 134Cs, 135Cs, and 137Cs, along with their ratios in 67 soil and plant samples heavily and lightly contaminated by the FDNPP accident were measured by combining γ spectrometry with ICP-MS/MS. The arithmetic means of the 134Cs/137Cs activity ratio (1.033 ± 0.006) and 135Cs/137Cs atom ratio (0.334 ± 0.005) (decay corrected to March 11, 2011), from old leaves of plants collected immediately after the FDNPP accident, were confirmed to represent the FDNPP derived radiocesium signature. Subsequently, for the first time, trace 135Cs amounts before the FDNPP accident were deduced according to the contribution of global and FDNPP accident-derived fallout. Apart from two soil samples with a tiny global fallout contribution, contributions of global fallout radiocesium in other soil samples were observed to be 0.338%–52.6%. The obtained 135Cs/137Cs database will be useful for its application as a geochemical tracer in the future. PMID:27052481

Characterization of antigen-presenting cells from the porcine respiratory system.

PubMed

López-Robles, Guadalupe; Silva-Campa, Erika; Burgara-Estrella, Alexel; Hernández, Jesús

2015-06-01

Antigen-presenting cells (APCs) are strategically placed in all anatomic sites with high antigen exposure such as the respiratory system. The aim of this study was to evaluate phenotypic and functional properties of APCs from the lung (L-Cs), mediastinal lymph node (LN-Cs) and bronchoalveolar lavage cells (BAL-Cs). The APCs were first analyzed based on forward scatter and side scatter profiles and the selection of MHC-II(high)CD172a(+) cells (referred to as APCs); then the expression of CD1a, CD163, CD206, CD16 and CD11R3 was evaluated in the APCs. The results showed that CD1a, CD163 and CD206 were differentially expressed among L-Cs, LN-Cs and BAL-Cs, suggesting the phenotype MHC-II(high)CD172a(+)CD1a(low/-)CD163(low)CD206(-) for L-Cs and MHC-II(high)CD172a(+)CD1a(+)CD163(low/-)CD206(+) for LN-Cs. BAL-Cs were MHC-II(high)CD172a(+)CD1a(-)CD163(high)CD206(+/-). The functional characteristics of L-Cs and LN-Cs were different from those of BAL-Cs, confirming that L-Cs and LN-Cs resemble specialized APCs. In conclusion, we present the characterization of APCs from L-Cs, LN-Cs and BAL-Cs of the porcine respiratory system. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The distribution of (137)Cs, K, Rb and Cs in plants in a Sphagnum-dominated peatland in eastern central Sweden.

PubMed

Vinichuk, M; Johanson, K J; Rydin, H; Rosén, K

2010-02-01

We record the distribution of (137)Cs, K, Rb and Cs within individual Sphagnum plants (down to 20cm depth) as well as (137)Cs in vascular plants growing on a peatland in eastern central Sweden. In Calluna vulgaris(137)Cs was mainly located within the green parts, whereas Andromeda polifolia, Eriophorum vaginatum and Vaccinium oxycoccos showed higher (137)Cs activity in roots. Carex rostrata and Menyanthes trifoliata showed variable distribution of (137)Cs within the plants. The patterns of (137)Cs activity concentration distribution as well as K, Rb and Cs concentrations within individual Sphagnum plants were rather similar and were usually highest in the capitula and/or in the subapical segments and lowest in the lower dead segments, which suggests continuous relocation of those elements to the actively growing apical part. The (137)Cs and K showed relatively weak correlations, especially in capitula and living green segments (0-10cm) of the plant (r=0.50). The strongest correlations were revealed between (137)Cs and Rb (r=0.89), and between (137)Cs and stable Cs (r=0.84). This suggests similarities between (137)Cs and Rb in uptake and relocation within the Sphagnum, but that (137)Cs differs from K. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Petrogenesis of the mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs) and their host granodiorites from the Zijinshan intrusion along the Middle-Lower Yangtze River Valley: Implications for geodynamic setting and mineralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Peng; Mao, Jingwen; Yao, Wei; Wang, Xiaoxia; Jia, Lihui; Yang, Hanwen

2017-09-01

The Zijinshan intrusion is located to the south of the Tongling ore cluster of the Middle-Lower Yangtze River Valley metallogenic belt (YRB) and even south to the Yangxing-Changzhou Fault (YCF), which separates the YRB and the Jiangnan Massif. It is an I-type high-K calc-alkaline granodiorite with abundant MMEs. Zircon LA-MC-ICP-MS U-Pb ages of 144.0 ± 1.0 Ma and 142.5 ± 1.0 Ma for the host granodiorite and MMEs indicate coeval formation. Biotites from the host granodiorites and MMEs have similar composition, with low FeOt/(FeOt + MgO) values of 0.60-0.65 and 0.60-0.65, and high MgO contents of 10.51-11.70 wt.% and 10.89-12.37 wt.%, respectively. All the biotite samples are between the NNO and the MH buffers. The host granodiorites are metaluminous (A/CNK = 0.94-0.95), enriched in Cs, Rb, U and Pb, depleted in Ba, Sr, Nb, Zr, P, and Ti, with moderate negative Eu anomalies of 0.80-0.87, (87Sr/86Sr)i of 0.70874 to 0.70887, εNd(t) of - 5.63 to - 5.36 and εHf(t) of - 8.68 to - 2.76. The MMEs have lower SiO2 and higher K2O, and they are also enriched in Cs, Rb, U, Ta and Pb, and depleted in Ba, Sr, Nb, Zr, P and Ti, with (87Sr/86Sr)i of 0.70889 to 0.70927, εNd(t) of - 5.52 to - 5.20 and εHf(t) of - 6.46 to - 3.59. All these characteristics demonstrate that partial melting of both the lower crust and an enriched lithospheric mantle metasomatized by subducted slab fluid and their subsequent mixing led to the origin of the I-type granodiorite magmas of the Zijinshan intrusion, which took place in the geodynamic context of the subduction of the Izanagi plate. Combined with the field investigations, we suggest that the Zijinshan intrusion has potential for porphyry Cu-Au mineralization and the Cu-Au metallogenic belt of the YRB may have extended to the south of the YCF.

Chemistry of Tertiary sediments in the surroundings of the Ries impact structure and moldavite formation revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Žák, Karel; Skála, Roman; Řanda, Zdeněk; Mizera, Jiří; Heissig, Kurt; Ackerman, Lukáš; Ďurišová, Jana; Jonášová, Šárka; Kameník, Jan; Magna, Tomáš

2016-04-01

Moldavites, tektites of the Central European strewn field, have been traditionally linked with the Ries impact structure in Germany. They are supposed to be derived mainly from the near-surface sediments of the Upper Freshwater Molasse of Miocene age that probably covered the target area before the impact. Comparison of the chemical composition of moldavites with that of inferred source materials requires recalculation of the composition of sediments to their water-, organic carbon- and carbon dioxide-free residuum. This recalculation reflects the fact that these compounds were lost almost completely from the target materials during their transformation to moldavites. Strong depletions in concentrations of many elements in moldavites relative to the source sediments (e.g., Mo, Cu, Ag, Sb, As, Fe) contrast with enrichments of several elements in moldavites (e.g., Cs, Ba, K, Rb). These discrepancies can be generally solved using two different approaches, either by involvement of a component of specific chemical composition, or by considering elemental fractionation during tektite formation. The proposed conceptual model of moldavite formation combines both approaches and is based on several steps: (i) the parent mixture (Upper Freshwater Molasse sediments as the dominant source) contained also a minor admixture of organic matter and soils; (ii) the most energetic part of the ejected matter was converted to vapor (plasma) and another part produced melt directly upon decompression; (iii) following further adiabatic decompression, the expanding vapor phase disintegrated the melt into small melt droplets and some elements were partially lost from the melt because of their volatility, or because of the volatility of their compounds, such as carbonyls of Fe and other transition metals (e.g., Ni, Co, Mo, Cr, and Cu); (iv) large positively charged ions such as Cs+, Ba2+, K+, Rb+ from the plasma portion were enriched in the late-stage condensation spherules or condensed directly onto negatively charged melt droplets; (v) simultaneously, the melt droplets coalesced into larger tektite bodies. Steps (iii)-(v) may have overlapped in time. The still melted moldavite bodies reaching their final size were reshaped by further melt flow. This melt flow was related to moldavite rotation and escape (bubbling off) of the last portion of gaseous volatiles during their flight in a low-pressure region above the dense layer of the atmosphere.

Nrf2/ARE-Mediated Antioxidant Actions of Pro-Electrophilic Drugs

PubMed Central

Satoh, Takumi; McKercher, Scott R.; Lipton, Stuart A.

2013-01-01

Living cells maintain a balance between oxidation and reduction, and perturbations of this redox balance are thought to contribute to various diseases. Recent attempts to regulate redox state have focused on electrophiles (EPs), which activate potent cellular defense systems against oxidative stress. One example of this approach is exemplified by carnosic acid (CA) and carnosol (CS), compounds that are found in the herb rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis). Importantly, CA and CS themselves are not electrophilic, but in response to oxidation, become electrophilic, and then activate the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE (antioxidant response element) transcription pathway to synthesize endogenous anti-oxidant ‘phase 2’ enzymes. As a result of our efforts to develop these compounds as therapeutics for brain health, we have formulated two innovative criteria for drug development: the first concept is the use of Pro-Electrophilic Drugs (PEDs) that are innocuous in and of themselves; and the second concept involves the use of compounds that are Pathologically-Activated Therapeutics (PATs), i.e., these small molecules are chemically converted to their active form by the very oxidative stress that they are designed to then combat. The chemical basis for PED and PAT drugs is embodied in the ortho- and para-hydroquinone electrophilic cores of the molecules, which are oxidized by the Cu2+/Cu+ cycling system (or potentially by other transition metals). Importantly, this cycling pathway is under stringent regulation by the cell redox state. We propose that redox-dependent quinone-formation is the predominant mechanism for formation of PED and PAT drugs from their precursor compounds. In fact, redox-dependent generation of the active form of drug from the “pro-form” distinguishes this therapeutic approach from traditional EPs such as curcumin, and results in a decrease in clinical side effects at therapeutic concentrations, e.g., lack of reaction with other thiols such as glutathione (GSH), which can result in lowering GSH and inducing oxidative stress in normal cells. We consider this pro-drug quality of PED/PAT compounds to be a key factor for generating drugs to be used to combat neurodegenerative diseases that will be clinically tolerated. Given the contribution of oxidative stress to the pathology of multiple neurodegenerative diseases, the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathway represents a promising drug target for these PED/PAT agents. PMID:23892355

Critical role of aldehydes in cigarette smoke-induced acute airway inflammation

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Cigarette smoking (CS) is the most important risk factor for COPD, which is associated with neutrophilic airway inflammation. We hypothesize, that highly reactive aldehydes are critical for CS-induced neutrophilic airway inflammation. Methods BALB/c mice were exposed to CS, water filtered CS (WF-CS) or air for 5 days. Levels of total particulate matter (TPM) and aldehydes in CS and WF-CS were measured. Six hours after the last exposure, inflammatory cells and cytokine levels were measured in lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Furthermore, Beas-2b bronchial epithelial cells were exposed to CS extract (CSE) or WF-CS extract (WF-CSE) in the absence or presence of the aldehyde acrolein and IL-8 production was measured after 24 hrs. Results Compared to CS, in WF-CS strongly decreased (CS; 271.1 ± 41.5 μM, WF-CS; 58.5 ± 8.2 μM) levels of aldehydes were present whereas levels of TPM were only slightly reduced (CS; 20.78 ± 0.59 mg, WF-CS; 16.38 ± 0.36 mg). The numbers of mononuclear cells in BALF (p<0.01) and lung tissue (p<0.01) were significantly increased in the CS- and WF-CS-exposed mice compared to air control mice. Interestingly, the numbers of neutrophils (p<0.001) in BALF and neutrophils and eosinophils (p<0.05) in lung tissue were significantly increased in the CS-exposed but not in WF-CS-exposed mice as compared to air control mice. Levels of the neutrophil and eosinophil chemoattractants KC, MCP-1, MIP-1α and IL-5 were all significantly increased in lung tissue from CS-exposed mice compared to both WF-CS-exposed and air control mice. Interestingly, depletion of aldehydes in WF-CS extract significantly reduced IL-8 production in Beas-2b as compared to CSE, which could be restored by the aldehyde acrolein. Conclusion Aldehydes present in CS play a critical role in inflammatory cytokine production and neutrophilic- but not mononuclear airway inflammation. PMID:23594194

Speech Clarity Index (Ψ): A Distance-Based Speech Quality Indicator and Recognition Rate Prediction for Dysarthric Speakers with Cerebral Palsy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kayasith, Prakasith; Theeramunkong, Thanaruk

It is a tedious and subjective task to measure severity of a dysarthria by manually evaluating his/her speech using available standard assessment methods based on human perception. This paper presents an automated approach to assess speech quality of a dysarthric speaker with cerebral palsy. With the consideration of two complementary factors, speech consistency and speech distinction, a speech quality indicator called speech clarity index (Ψ) is proposed as a measure of the speaker's ability to produce consistent speech signal for a certain word and distinguished speech signal for different words. As an application, it can be used to assess speech quality and forecast speech recognition rate of speech made by an individual dysarthric speaker before actual exhaustive implementation of an automatic speech recognition system for the speaker. The effectiveness of Ψ as a speech recognition rate predictor is evaluated by rank-order inconsistency, correlation coefficient, and root-mean-square of difference. The evaluations had been done by comparing its predicted recognition rates with ones predicted by the standard methods called the articulatory and intelligibility tests based on the two recognition systems (HMM and ANN). The results show that Ψ is a promising indicator for predicting recognition rate of dysarthric speech. All experiments had been done on speech corpus composed of speech data from eight normal speakers and eight dysarthric speakers.

Motor Speech Phenotypes of Frontotemporal Dementia, Primary Progressive Aphasia, and Progressive Apraxia of Speech.

PubMed

Poole, Matthew L; Brodtmann, Amy; Darby, David; Vogel, Adam P

2017-04-14

Our purpose was to create a comprehensive review of speech impairment in frontotemporal dementia (FTD), primary progressive aphasia (PPA), and progressive apraxia of speech in order to identify the most effective measures for diagnosis and monitoring, and to elucidate associations between speech and neuroimaging. Speech and neuroimaging data described in studies of FTD and PPA were systematically reviewed. A meta-analysis was conducted for speech measures that were used consistently in multiple studies. The methods and nomenclature used to describe speech in these disorders varied between studies. Our meta-analysis identified 3 speech measures which differentiate variants or healthy control-group participants (e.g., nonfluent and logopenic variants of PPA from all other groups, behavioral-variant FTD from a control group). Deficits within the frontal-lobe speech networks are linked to motor speech profiles of the nonfluent variant of PPA and progressive apraxia of speech. Motor speech impairment is rarely reported in semantic and logopenic variants of PPA. Limited data are available on motor speech impairment in the behavioral variant of FTD. Our review identified several measures of speech which may assist with diagnosis and classification, and consolidated the brain-behavior associations relating to speech in FTD, PPA, and progressive apraxia of speech.

System and method for characterizing voiced excitations of speech and acoustic signals, removing acoustic noise from speech, and synthesizing speech

DOEpatents

Burnett, Greg C.; Holzrichter, John F.; Ng, Lawrence C.

2002-01-01

Low power EM waves are used to detect motions of vocal tract tissues of the human speech system before, during, and after voiced speech. A voiced excitation function is derived. The excitation function provides speech production information to enhance speech characterization and to enable noise removal from human speech.

Inferring the chemical form of 137Cs deposited by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident by measuring (137)Cs incorporated into needle leaves and male cones of Japanese cedar trees.

PubMed

Kanasashi, Tsutomu; Takenaka, Chisato; Sugiura, Yuki

2016-05-15

We hypothesized that the water-soluble (ionic) and water-insoluble (stable) radiocesium from the initial fallout of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident was distributed in various proportions in the surrounding areas and that this distribution was reflected in the trees that suffered deposition from the initial fallout. This study attempted to evaluate local variations in the chemical form of (137)Cs derived from the initial fallout of the FDNPP accident and whether its chemical form affected the radiocesium concentration in the tissues currently growing in trees, even after the initial fallout ceased. For these estimations, the ratio between the (137)Cs concentration in Cryptomeria japonica needle leaves in the tree crown, which existed before the FDNPP accident and subsequently directly exposed to the initial fallout ((137)Cs pre-accident N), and the amount of (137)Cs in the initial fallout itself ((137)Cs fallout) was determined ((137)Cs pre-accident N/(137)Cs fallout) at 66 sites. In addition, the (137)Cs ratios between the male cones produced in 2012 ((137)Cs male cone) and needle leaves that had elongated in the spring of 2011 ((137)Cs 2011N) was determined at 82 sites ((137)Cs male cone/(137) Cs 2011N). Most of the sites with lower (137)Cs pre-accident N /(137)Cs fallout ratios were distributed in eastern Fukushima, relatively close to the Pacific Ocean coastline. Lower (137)Cs pre-accident N/(137)Cs fallout and higher (137)Cs malecone/(137)Cs 2011N were found to be associated with higher proportions of (137)Cs in ionic forms. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis, and likely reflect regional variations in the chemical form of the deposited radiocesium. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

One universal common endpoint in mouse models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

PubMed

Solomon, Jesse A; Tarnopolsky, Mark A; Hamadeh, Mazen J

2011-01-01

There is no consensus among research laboratories around the world on the criteria that define endpoint in studies involving rodent models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Data from 4 nutrition intervention studies using 162 G93A mice, a model of ALS, were analyzed to determine if differences exist between the following endpoint criteria: CS 4 (functional paralysis of both hindlimbs), CS 4+ (CS 4 in addition to the earliest age of body weight loss, body condition deterioration or righting reflex), and CS 5 (CS 4 plus righting reflex >20 s). The age (d; mean ± SD) at which mice reached endpoint was recorded as the unit of measurement. Mice reached CS 4 at 123.9±10.3 d, CS 4+ at 126.6±9.8 d and CS 5 at 127.6±9.8 d, all significantly different from each other (P<0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between CS 4 and CS 5 (r = 0.95, P<0.001), CS 4 and CS 4+ (r = 0.96, P<0.001), and CS 4+ and CS 5 (r = 0.98, P<0.001), with the Bland-Altman plot showing an acceptable bias between all endpoints. Logrank tests showed that mice reached CS 4 24% and 34% faster than CS 4+ (P = 0.046) and CS 5 (P = 0.006), respectively. Adopting CS 4 as endpoint would spare a mouse an average of 4 days (P<0.001) from further neuromuscular disability and poor quality of life compared to CS 5. Alternatively, CS 5 provides information regarding proprioception and severe motor neuron death, both could be important parameters in establishing the efficacy of specific treatments. Converging ethics and discovery, would adopting CS 4 as endpoint compromise the acquisition of insight about the effects of interventions in animal models of ALS?

Inner Speech and Clarity of Self-Concept in Thought Disorder and Auditory-Verbal Hallucinations

PubMed Central

de Sousa, Paulo; Sellwood, William; Spray, Amy; Fernyhough, Charles; Bentall, Richard P.

2016-01-01

Abstract Eighty patients and thirty controls were interviewed using one interview that promoted personal disclosure and another about everyday topics. Speech was scored using the Thought, Language and Communication scale (TLC). All participants completed the Self-Concept Clarity Scale (SCCS) and the Varieties of Inner Speech Questionnaire (VISQ). Patients scored lower than comparisons on the SCCS. Low scores were associated the disorganized dimension of TD. Patients also scored significantly higher on condensed and other people in inner speech, but not on dialogical or evaluative inner speech. The poverty of speech dimension of TD was associated with less dialogical inner speech, other people in inner speech, and less evaluative inner speech. Hallucinations were significantly associated with more other people in inner speech and evaluative inner speech. Clarity of self-concept and qualities of inner speech are differentially associated with dimensions of TD. The findings also support inner speech models of hallucinations. PMID:27898489

Inner Speech and Clarity of Self-Concept in Thought Disorder and Auditory-Verbal Hallucinations.

PubMed

de Sousa, Paulo; Sellwood, William; Spray, Amy; Fernyhough, Charles; Bentall, Richard P

2016-12-01

Eighty patients and thirty controls were interviewed using one interview that promoted personal disclosure and another about everyday topics. Speech was scored using the Thought, Language and Communication scale (TLC). All participants completed the Self-Concept Clarity Scale (SCCS) and the Varieties of Inner Speech Questionnaire (VISQ). Patients scored lower than comparisons on the SCCS. Low scores were associated the disorganized dimension of TD. Patients also scored significantly higher on condensed and other people in inner speech, but not on dialogical or evaluative inner speech. The poverty of speech dimension of TD was associated with less dialogical inner speech, other people in inner speech, and less evaluative inner speech. Hallucinations were significantly associated with more other people in inner speech and evaluative inner speech. Clarity of self-concept and qualities of inner speech are differentially associated with dimensions of TD. The findings also support inner speech models of hallucinations.

Perception of synthetic speech produced automatically by rule: Intelligibility of eight text-to-speech systems.

PubMed

Greene, Beth G; Logan, John S; Pisoni, David B

1986-03-01

We present the results of studies designed to measure the segmental intelligibility of eight text-to-speech systems and a natural speech control, using the Modified Rhyme Test (MRT). Results indicated that the voices tested could be grouped into four categories: natural speech, high-quality synthetic speech, moderate-quality synthetic speech, and low-quality synthetic speech. The overall performance of the best synthesis system, DECtalk-Paul, was equivalent to natural speech only in terms of performance on initial consonants. The findings are discussed in terms of recent work investigating the perception of synthetic speech under more severe conditions. Suggestions for future research on improving the quality of synthetic speech are also considered.

135Cs/ 137Cs isotopic composition of environmental samples across Europe: Environmental transport and source term emission applications

DOE PAGES

Snow, Mathew S.; Snyder, Darin C.

2015-11-02

135Cs/ 137Cs isotopic analyses represent an important tool for studying the fate and transport of radiocesium in the environment; in this work the 135Cs/ 137Cs isotopic composition in environmental samples taken from across Europe is reported. Surface soil and vegetation samples from western Russia, Ukraine, Austria, and Hungary show consistent aged thermal fission product 135Cs/ 137Cs isotope ratios of 0.58 ± 0.01 (age corrected to 1/1/15), with the exception of one sample of soil-moss from Hungary which shows an elevated 135Cs/ 137Cs ratio of 1.78 ± 0.12. With the exception of the outlier sample from Hungary, surface soil/vegetation data aremore » in quantitative agreement with values previously reported for soils within the Chernobyl exclusion zone, suggesting that radiocesium at these locations is primarily composed of homogenous airborne deposition from Chernobyl. Seawater samples taken from the Irish Sea show 135Cs/ 137Cs isotope ratios of 1.22 ± 0.11 (age corrected to 1/1/15), suggesting aged thermal fission product Cs discharged from Sellafield. Furthermore, the differences in 135Cs/ 137Cs isotope ratios between Sellafield, Chernobyl, and global nuclear weapons testing fallout indicate that 135Cs/ 137Cs isotope ratios can be utilized to discriminate between and track radiocesium transport from different nuclear production source terms, including major emission sources in Europe.« less

Searching for low-workfunction phases in the Cs-Te system: The case of Cs2Te5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruth, Anthony; Németh, Károly; Harkay, Katherine C.; Terdik, Joseph Z.; Spentzouris, Linda; Terry, Jeff

2013-05-01

We have computationally explored workfunction values of Cs2Te5 surfaces, an existing crystalline phase of the Cs-Te system and a small bandgap semiconductor, in order to search for reduced workfunction alternatives of Cs2Te that preserve the exceptionally high quantum efficiency of the Cs2Te seasoned photoemissive material. We have found that the Cs2Te5(010) surface exhibits a workfunction value of ≈1.9 eV when it is covered by Cs atoms. Cs2Te5 is analogous to our recently proposed low-workfunction materials, Cs2TeC2, and other ternary acetylides [J. Z. Terdik et al., Phys. Rev. B 86, 035142 (2012)], in as much as it also contains quasi one-dimensional substructures embedded in a Cs-matrix, forming the foundation for anomalous workfunction anisotropy and low workfunction values. The one-dimensional substructures in Cs2Te5 are polytelluride ions in a tetragonal rod-like packing. Cs2Te5 has the advantage of simpler composition and availability as compared to Cs2TeC2; however, its low workfunction surface is less energetically favored to the other surfaces than in Cs2TeC2. A significant and remarkable advantage of Cs2Te5 as compared to Cs2Te is its high optical absorption of visible photons that can allow for high quantum efficiency electron emission at visible photon energies.

CsMAP34, a teleost MAP with dual role: A promoter of MASP-assisted complement activation and a regulator of immune cell activity.

PubMed

Li, Mo-Fei; Li, Jun; Sun, Li

2016-12-23

In teleost fish, the immune functions of mannan-binding lectin (MBL) associated protein (MAP) and MBL associated serine protease (MASP) are scarcely investigated. In the present study, we examined the biological properties both MAP (CsMAP34) and MASP (CsMASP1) molecules from tongue sole (Cynoglossus semilaevis). We found that CsMAP34 and CsMASP1 expressions occurred in nine different tissues and were upregulated by bacterial challenge. CsMAP34 protein was detected in blood, especially during bacterial infection. Recombinant CsMAP34 (rCsMAP34) bound C. semilaevis MBL (rCsBML) when the latter was activated by bacteria, while recombinant CsMASP1 (rCsMASP1) bound activated rCsBML only in the presence of rCsMAP34. rCsMAP34 stimulated the hemolytic and bactericidal activities of serum complement, whereas anti-CsMAP34 antibody blocked complement activities. Knockdown of CsMASP1 in C. semilaevis resulted in significant inhibition of complement activities. Furthermore, rCsMAP34 interacted directly with peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) and enhanced the respiratory burst, acid phosphatase activity, chemotactic activity, and gene expression of PBL. These results indicate for the first time that a teleost MAP acts one hand as a regulator that promotes the lectin pathway of complement activation via its ability to recruit MBL to MASP, and other hand as a modulator of immune cell activity.

An attempt to condition flavour preference induced by oral and/or postoral administration of 16% sucrose in pigs.

PubMed

Clouard, Caroline; Loison, Florence; Meunier-Salaün, Marie-Christine; Val-Laillet, David

2014-01-30

The present study investigated the acquisition of conditioned flavour preferences in pigs using the caloric value and/or sweet taste of sucrose. Nine water-deprived juvenile pigs were given four three-day conditioning sessions during which they received flavoured solutions as conditioned stimuli (CS). The CS solutions were paired with three treatments that generated a gustatory and/or a caloric reinforcement (US). The CS++ solution was added with 16% sucrose and paired with an intraduodenal (ID) infusion of water, the CS+ solution was paired with an ID infusion of 16% sucrose and the CS- solution was paired with an ID infusion of water. One and two weeks after conditioning, the water-deprived pigs were subjected to two-choice preference tests with the unreinforced CS solutions. Solutions intake, behavioural activity and some drinking parameters were measured. Despite no difference in CS intake during conditioning, the animals spent less time inactive and more time standing during CS++ than CS+ conditioning. When receiving CS++, the pigs explored the drinking trough more than when receiving CS-. Compared to the CS- condition, the numbers of drinking episodes and intra-drinking episode (IDE) pauses were also 36% and 49% lesser in the CS++ condition, but these differences were not significant. During the two-choice tests, the pigs did not show significant preferences. Nevertheless, during the first session, the pigs seemed to show a slight preference for the CS++ (57% of total intake) compared to CS+. The duration of CS++ drinking episodes represented 64% of the total duration compared to CS+ and CS- . The total time spent drinking the CS++ also represented 57% of the total time in the CS++ vs. CS- test. To conclude, although no clear-cut preferences were found during two-choice tests, the oral perception of 16% sucrose during conditioning induced changes in behavioural activities, motivational responses and microstructure of CS intake, suggesting the importance of oral food perception for food selection processes in pigs. Further studies are needed to investigate the impact of water deprivation on the expression of flavour preferences in pigs. © 2013.

Neural pathways for visual speech perception

PubMed Central

Bernstein, Lynne E.; Liebenthal, Einat

2014-01-01

This paper examines the questions, what levels of speech can be perceived visually, and how is visual speech represented by the brain? Review of the literature leads to the conclusions that every level of psycholinguistic speech structure (i.e., phonetic features, phonemes, syllables, words, and prosody) can be perceived visually, although individuals differ in their abilities to do so; and that there are visual modality-specific representations of speech qua speech in higher-level vision brain areas. That is, the visual system represents the modal patterns of visual speech. The suggestion that the auditory speech pathway receives and represents visual speech is examined in light of neuroimaging evidence on the auditory speech pathways. We outline the generally agreed-upon organization of the visual ventral and dorsal pathways and examine several types of visual processing that might be related to speech through those pathways, specifically, face and body, orthography, and sign language processing. In this context, we examine the visual speech processing literature, which reveals widespread diverse patterns of activity in posterior temporal cortices in response to visual speech stimuli. We outline a model of the visual and auditory speech pathways and make several suggestions: (1) The visual perception of speech relies on visual pathway representations of speech qua speech. (2) A proposed site of these representations, the temporal visual speech area (TVSA) has been demonstrated in posterior temporal cortex, ventral and posterior to multisensory posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS). (3) Given that visual speech has dynamic and configural features, its representations in feedforward visual pathways are expected to integrate these features, possibly in TVSA. PMID:25520611

Corticosteroid treatment exacerbates bone osteopenia in mice with gonadal hormone deficiency-induced osteoporosis.

PubMed

Badraoui, Riadh; Amri, Nahed; Zammel, Nourhène; Chaabane, Rim; Rebai, Tarek

2017-07-15

Gonadic deficiency and corticotherapy are important risk factors in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. This study was outlined to assess the effects of combined orchidectomy (ORX) and corticosteroid (cortisol; CS) administration on bone remodeling and metabolism. Twenty-week-old male Swiss mice were randomized into four groups: either sham operated (sham), ORX, CS injected (CS), or ORX and CS injected (ORX+CS). After 28days, mice were euthanized. Both ORX and CS resulted in reduced trabecular volume, and mineral apposition rate and increased osteoclast number and activity. TRAcP levels were increased in ORX and CS mice, but reached highest values in ORX+CS. Bone and serum mineral content (calcium and phosphorus) were disrupted in ORX and CS groups when compared to Sham, and were more affected in ORX+CS group. Urinary calcium measures were increased in ORX, CS, and ORX+CS during the time course of the study. Increases were more prominent in ORX+CS. The differences between groups were generally more accentuated at ORX+CS group. Biochemical data showed a parallel extent to the histologic and histomorphometric changes. This study provides a valid pre-clinical model for severe and rapid osteopenia by ORX associated corticotherapy in which bone loss was significantly higher than either ORX or CS alones. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Hypothesis of Apraxia of Speech in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

PubMed Central

Shriberg, Lawrence D.; Paul, Rhea; Black, Lois M.; van Santen, Jan P.

2010-01-01

In a sample of 46 children aged 4 to 7 years with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and intelligible speech, there was no statistical support for the hypothesis of concomitant Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). Perceptual and acoustic measures of participants’ speech, prosody, and voice were compared with data from 40 typically-developing children, 13 preschool children with Speech Delay, and 15 participants aged 5 to 49 years with CAS in neurogenetic disorders. Speech Delay and Speech Errors, respectively, were modestly and substantially more prevalent in participants with ASD than reported population estimates. Double dissociations in speech, prosody, and voice impairments in ASD were interpreted as consistent with a speech attunement framework, rather than with the motor speech impairments that define CAS. Key Words: apraxia, dyspraxia, motor speech disorder, speech sound disorder PMID:20972615

Speech entrainment enables patients with Broca’s aphasia to produce fluent speech

PubMed Central

Hubbard, H. Isabel; Hudspeth, Sarah Grace; Holland, Audrey L.; Bonilha, Leonardo; Fromm, Davida; Rorden, Chris

2012-01-01

A distinguishing feature of Broca’s aphasia is non-fluent halting speech typically involving one to three words per utterance. Yet, despite such profound impairments, some patients can mimic audio-visual speech stimuli enabling them to produce fluent speech in real time. We call this effect ‘speech entrainment’ and reveal its neural mechanism as well as explore its usefulness as a treatment for speech production in Broca’s aphasia. In Experiment 1, 13 patients with Broca’s aphasia were tested in three conditions: (i) speech entrainment with audio-visual feedback where they attempted to mimic a speaker whose mouth was seen on an iPod screen; (ii) speech entrainment with audio-only feedback where patients mimicked heard speech; and (iii) spontaneous speech where patients spoke freely about assigned topics. The patients produced a greater variety of words using audio-visual feedback compared with audio-only feedback and spontaneous speech. No difference was found between audio-only feedback and spontaneous speech. In Experiment 2, 10 of the 13 patients included in Experiment 1 and 20 control subjects underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging to determine the neural mechanism that supports speech entrainment. Group results with patients and controls revealed greater bilateral cortical activation for speech produced during speech entrainment compared with spontaneous speech at the junction of the anterior insula and Brodmann area 47, in Brodmann area 37, and unilaterally in the left middle temporal gyrus and the dorsal portion of Broca’s area. Probabilistic white matter tracts constructed for these regions in the normal subjects revealed a structural network connected via the corpus callosum and ventral fibres through the extreme capsule. Unilateral areas were connected via the arcuate fasciculus. In Experiment 3, all patients included in Experiment 1 participated in a 6-week treatment phase using speech entrainment to improve speech production. Behavioural and functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected before and after the treatment phase. Patients were able to produce a greater variety of words with and without speech entrainment at 1 and 6 weeks after training. Treatment-related decrease in cortical activation associated with speech entrainment was found in areas of the left posterior-inferior parietal lobe. We conclude that speech entrainment allows patients with Broca’s aphasia to double their speech output compared with spontaneous speech. Neuroimaging results suggest that speech entrainment allows patients to produce fluent speech by providing an external gating mechanism that yokes a ventral language network that encodes conceptual aspects of speech. Preliminary results suggest that training with speech entrainment improves speech production in Broca’s aphasia providing a potential therapeutic method for a disorder that has been shown to be particularly resistant to treatment. PMID:23250889

Cigarette Smoking Impairs Adipose Stromal Cell Vasculogenic Activity and Abrogates Potency to Ameliorate Ischemia.

PubMed

Barwinska, Daria; Traktuev, Dmitry O; Merfeld-Clauss, Stephanie; Cook, Todd G; Lu, Hongyan; Petrache, Irina; March, Keith L

2018-06-01

Cigarette smoking (CS) adversely affects the physiologic function of endothelial progenitor, hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. However, the effect of CS on the ability of adipose stem/stromal cells (ASC) to promote vasculogenesis and rescue perfusion in the context of ischemia is unknown. To evaluate this, ASC from nonsmokers (nCS-ASC) and smokers (CS-ASC), and their activity to promote perfusion in hindlimb ischemia models, as well as endothelial cell (EC) survival and vascular morphogenesis in vitro were assessed. While nCS-ASC improved perfusion in ischemic limbs, CS-ASC completely lost this therapeutic effect. In vitro vasculogenesis assays revealed that human CS-ASC and ASC from CS-exposed mice showed compromised support of EC morphogenesis into vascular tubes, and the CS-ASC secretome was less potent in supporting EC survival/proliferation. Comparative secretome analysis revealed that CS-ASC produced lower amounts of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and stromal cell-derived growth factor 1 (SDF-1). Conversely, CS-ASC secreted the angiostatic/pro-inflammatory factor Activin A, which was not detected in nCS-ASC conditioned media (CM). Furthermore, higher Activin A levels were measured in EC/CS-ASC cocultures than in EC/nCS-ASC cocultures. CS-ASC also responded to inflammatory cytokines with 5.2-fold increase in Activin A secretion, whereas nCS-ASC showed minimal Activin A induction. Supplementation of EC/CS-ASC cocultures with nCS-ASC CM or with recombinant vascular endothelial growth factor, HGF, or SDF-1 did not rescue vasculogenesis, whereas inhibition of Activin A expression or activity improved network formation up to the level found in EC/nCS-ASC cocultures. In conclusion, ASC of CS individuals manifest compromised in vitro vasculogenic activity as well as in vivo therapeutic activity. Stem Cells 2018;36:856-867. © 2018 AlphaMed Press.

[Speech fluency developmental profile in Brazilian Portuguese speakers].

PubMed

Martins, Vanessa de Oliveira; Andrade, Claudia Regina Furquim de

2008-01-01

speech fluency varies from one individual to the next, fluent or stutterer, depending on several factors. Studies that investigate the influence of age on fluency patterns have been identified; however these differences were investigated in isolated age groups. Studies about life span fluency variations were not found. to verify the speech fluency developmental profile. speech samples of 594 fluent participants of both genders, with ages between 2:0 and 99:11 years, speakers of the Brazilian Portuguese language, were analyzed. Participants were grouped as follows: pre-scholars, scholars, early adolescence, late adolescence, adults and elderlies. Speech samples were analyzed according to the Speech Fluency Profile variables and were compared regarding: typology of speech disruptions (typical and less typical), speech rate (words and syllables per minute) and frequency of speech disruptions (percentage of speech discontinuity). although isolated variations were identified, overall there was no significant difference between the age groups for the speech disruption indexes (typical and less typical speech disruptions and percentage of speech discontinuity). Significant differences were observed between the groups when considering speech rate. the development of the neurolinguistic system for speech fluency, in terms of speech disruptions, seems to stabilize itself during the first years of life, presenting no alterations during the life span. Indexes of speech rate present variations in the age groups, indicating patterns of acquisition, development, stabilization and degeneration.

Perception of synthetic speech produced automatically by rule: Intelligibility of eight text-to-speech systems

PubMed Central

GREENE, BETH G.; LOGAN, JOHN S.; PISONI, DAVID B.

2012-01-01

We present the results of studies designed to measure the segmental intelligibility of eight text-to-speech systems and a natural speech control, using the Modified Rhyme Test (MRT). Results indicated that the voices tested could be grouped into four categories: natural speech, high-quality synthetic speech, moderate-quality synthetic speech, and low-quality synthetic speech. The overall performance of the best synthesis system, DECtalk-Paul, was equivalent to natural speech only in terms of performance on initial consonants. The findings are discussed in terms of recent work investigating the perception of synthetic speech under more severe conditions. Suggestions for future research on improving the quality of synthetic speech are also considered. PMID:23225916

Memory Is Not Extinguished along with CS Presentation but within a Few Seconds after CS-Offset

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perez-Cuesta, Luis Maria; Hepp, Yanil; Pedreira, Maria Eugenia; Maldonado, Hector

2007-01-01

Prior work with the crab's contextual memory model showed that CS-US conditioned animals undergoing an unreinforced CS presentation would either reconsolidate or extinguish the CS-US memory, depending on the length of the reexposure to the CS. Either memory process is only triggered once the CS is terminated. Based on these results, the following…

Estimation of average burnup of damaged fuels loaded in Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors by using the {sup 134}Cs/{sup 137}Cs ratio method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Endo, T.; Sato, S.; Yamamoto, A.

2012-07-01

Average burnup of damaged fuels loaded in Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors is estimated, using the {sup 134}Cs/{sup 137}Cs ratio method for measured radioactivities of {sup 134}Cs and {sup 137}Cs in contaminated soils within the range of 100 km from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plants. As a result, the measured {sup 134}Cs/{sup 137}Cs ratio from the contaminated soil is 0.996{+-}0.07 as of March 11, 2011. Based on the {sup 134}Cs/{sup 137}Cs ratio method, the estimated burnup of damaged fuels is approximately 17.2{+-}1.5 [GWd/tHM]. It is noted that the numerical results of various calculation codes (SRAC2006/PIJ, SCALE6.0/TRITON, and MVP-BURN) are almost themore » same evaluation values of {sup 134}Cs/ {sup 137}Cs ratio with same evaluated nuclear data library (ENDF-B/VII.0). The void fraction effect in depletion calculation has a major impact on {sup 134}Cs/{sup 137}Cs ratio compared with the differences between JENDL-4.0 and ENDF-B/VII.0. (authors)« less

Speech Motor Control in Fluent and Dysfluent Speech Production of an Individual with Apraxia of Speech and Broca's Aphasia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Lieshout, Pascal H. H. M.; Bose, Arpita; Square, Paula A.; Steele, Catriona M.

2007-01-01

Apraxia of speech (AOS) is typically described as a motor-speech disorder with clinically well-defined symptoms, but without a clear understanding of the underlying problems in motor control. A number of studies have compared the speech of subjects with AOS to the fluent speech of controls, but only a few have included speech movement data and if…

Detection of target phonemes in spontaneous and read speech.

PubMed

Mehta, G; Cutler, A

1988-01-01

Although spontaneous speech occurs more frequently in most listeners' experience than read speech, laboratory studies of human speech recognition typically use carefully controlled materials read from a script. The phonological and prosodic characteristics of spontaneous and read speech differ considerably, however, which suggests that laboratory results may not generalise to the recognition of spontaneous speech. In the present study listeners were presented with both spontaneous and read speech materials, and their response time to detect word-initial target phonemes was measured. Responses were, overall, equally fast in each speech mode. However, analysis of effects previously reported in phoneme detection studies revealed significant differences between speech modes. In read speech but not in spontaneous speech, later targets were detected more rapidly than targets preceded by short words. In contrast, in spontaneous speech but not in read speech, targets were detected more rapidly in accented than in unaccented words and in strong than in weak syllables. An explanation for this pattern is offered in terms of characteristic prosodic differences between spontaneous and read speech. The results support claims from previous work that listeners pay great attention to prosodic information in the process of recognising speech.

Relative Salience of Speech Rhythm and Speech Rate on Perceived Foreign Accent in a Second Language.

PubMed

Polyanskaya, Leona; Ordin, Mikhail; Busa, Maria Grazia

2017-09-01

We investigated the independent contribution of speech rate and speech rhythm to perceived foreign accent. To address this issue we used a resynthesis technique that allows neutralizing segmental and tonal idiosyncrasies between identical sentences produced by French learners of English at different proficiency levels and maintaining the idiosyncrasies pertaining to prosodic timing patterns. We created stimuli that (1) preserved the idiosyncrasies in speech rhythm while controlling for the differences in speech rate between the utterances; (2) preserved the idiosyncrasies in speech rate while controlling for the differences in speech rhythm between the utterances; and (3) preserved the idiosyncrasies both in speech rate and speech rhythm. All the stimuli were created in intoned (with imposed intonational contour) and flat (with monotonized, constant F0) conditions. The original and the resynthesized sentences were rated by native speakers of English for degree of foreign accent. We found that both speech rate and speech rhythm influence the degree of perceived foreign accent, but the effect of speech rhythm is larger than that of speech rate. We also found that intonation enhances the perception of fine differences in rhythmic patterns but reduces the perceptual salience of fine differences in speech rate.

Nanostructural organization in carbon disulfide/ionic liquid mixtures: Molecular dynamics simulations and optical Kerr effect spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Peng; Voth, Gregory A.; Xiao, Dong; Hines, Larry G.; Bartsch, Richard A.; Quitevis, Edward L.

2011-07-01

In this paper, the nanostructural organization and subpicosecond intermolecular dynamics in the mixtures of CS2 and the room temperature ionic liquid (IL) 1-pentyl-3-methylimidazolium bis{(trifluoromethane)sulfonyl}amide ([C5mim][NTf2]) were studied as a function of concentration using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and optical heterodyne-detected Raman-induced Kerr effect spectroscopy. At low CS2 concentrations (<10 mol.% CS2/IL), the MD simulations indicate that the CS2 molecules are localized in the nonpolar domains. In contrast, at higher concentrations (≥10 mol.% CS2/IL), the MD simulations show aggregation of the CS2 molecules. The optical Kerr effect (OKE) spectra of the mixtures are interpreted in terms of an additivity model with the components arising from the subpicosecond dynamics of CS2 and the IL. Comparison of the CS2-component with the OKE spectra of CS2 in alkane solvents is consistent with CS2 mainly being localized in the nonpolar domains, even at high CS2 concentrations, and the local CS2 concentration being higher than the bulk CS2 concentration.

Review of Visual Speech Perception by Hearing and Hearing-Impaired People: Clinical Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woodhouse, Lynn; Hickson, Louise; Dodd, Barbara

2009-01-01

Background: Speech perception is often considered specific to the auditory modality, despite convincing evidence that speech processing is bimodal. The theoretical and clinical roles of speech-reading for speech perception, however, have received little attention in speech-language therapy. Aims: The role of speech-read information for speech…

Electrophysiological Evidence for a Multisensory Speech-Specific Mode of Perception

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stekelenburg, Jeroen J.; Vroomen, Jean

2012-01-01

We investigated whether the interpretation of auditory stimuli as speech or non-speech affects audiovisual (AV) speech integration at the neural level. Perceptually ambiguous sine-wave replicas (SWS) of natural speech were presented to listeners who were either in "speech mode" or "non-speech mode". At the behavioral level, incongruent lipread…

Free Speech Yearbook: 1972.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tedford, Thomas L., Ed.

This book is a collection of essays on free speech issues and attitudes, compiled by the Commission on Freedom of Speech of the Speech Communication Association. Four articles focus on freedom of speech in classroom situations as follows: a philosophic view of teaching free speech, effects of a course on free speech on student attitudes,…

The Neural Bases of Difficult Speech Comprehension and Speech Production: Two Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) Meta-Analyses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adank, Patti

2012-01-01

The role of speech production mechanisms in difficult speech comprehension is the subject of on-going debate in speech science. Two Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) analyses were conducted on neuroimaging studies investigating difficult speech comprehension or speech production. Meta-analysis 1 included 10 studies contrasting comprehension…

Effect of the cross-linking agent on performances of NaCS-CS/WSC microcapsules.

PubMed

Wu, Qing-Xi; Xu, Xin; Wang, Zu-Li; Yao, Shan-Jing; Tong, Wang-Yu; Chen, Yan

2016-11-01

Based on the properties of oppositely charged natural polysaccharides, the polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) prepared with chitosan-related polycationic polyelectrolytes and cellulose-related polyanionic polyelectrolytes have been widely concerned for their potential applications as micro-drug-carriers for colon. However, the poor mechanical property of the PECs becomes the obstacle encountered in practical applications. This study investigated the effect of the cross-linking agent (sodium polyphosphate, PPS) on the performances of sodium cellulose sulfate -chitosan/water soluble chitosan (NaCS-CS/WSC) microcapsules. The results revealed that PPS could penetrate through the PEC film and form tighter interior structures compared with the microcapsules without the addition of cross-linking agent. The NaCS-CS microcapsules and NaCS-WSC microcapsules with or without PPS had distinct microstructures, which could be ascribed to the different physicochemical properties of CS and WSC. During the formation process, CS can be dissolved in water under acidic conditions, while WSC can be directly dissolved and protonated in acid-free aqueous providing NH3(+) groups quickly, which resulted in the microstructure's difference. Further analysis showed the NaCS-CS-PPS microcapsules and NaCS-WSC-PPS microcapsules had lower swelling ratios due to their tighter interior microstructures that formed. The cross-linking agent had important effect on the total mass of PECs that produced; moreover, the decline of zeta potential of NaCS-CS-PPS microcapsules was lower than that of NaCS-CS microcapsules, similar trend was found in the NaCS-WSC-PPS microcapsules compared with NaCS-WSC microcapsules, indicating the PPS participated in the interactions and played a role in the microcapsules' formation process. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Heterologous expression of three Camellia sinensis small heat shock protein genes confers temperature stress tolerance in yeast and Arabidopsis thaliana.

PubMed

Wang, Mingle; Zou, Zhongwei; Li, Qinghui; Xin, Huahong; Zhu, Xujun; Chen, Xuan; Li, Xinghui

2017-07-01

CsHSP17.7, CsHSP18.1, and CsHSP21.8 expressions are induced by heat and cold stresses, and CsHSP overexpression confers tolerance to heat and cold stresses in transgenic Pichia pastoris and Arabidopsis thaliana. Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are crucial for protecting plants against biotic and abiotic stresses, especially heat stress. However, knowledge concerning the functions of Camellia sinensis sHSP in heat and cold stresses remains poorly understood. In this study, three C. sinensis sHSP genes (i.e., CsHSP17.7, CsHSP18.1, and CsHSP21.8) were isolated and characterized using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) technology. The CsHSPs expression levels in C. sinensis leaves were significantly up-regulated by heat and cold stresses. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that CsHSP17.7, CsHSP18.1, and CsHSP21.8 belong to sHSP Classes I, II, and IV, respectively. Heterologous expression of the three CsHSP genes in Pichia pastoris cells enhanced heat and cold stress tolerance. When exposed to heat and cold treatments, transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants overexpressing CsHSP17.7, CsHSP18.1, and CsHSP21.8 had lower malondialdehyde contents, ion leakage, higher proline contents, and transcript levels of stress-related genes (e.g., AtPOD, AtAPX1, AtP5CS2, and AtProT1) compared with the control line. In addition, improved seed germination vigor was also observed in the CsHSP-overexpressing seeds under heat stress. Taken together, our results suggest that the three identified CsHSP genes play key roles in heat and cold tolerance.

Methods and apparatus for non-acoustic speech characterization and recognition

DOEpatents

Holzrichter, John F.

1999-01-01

By simultaneously recording EM wave reflections and acoustic speech information, the positions and velocities of the speech organs as speech is articulated can be defined for each acoustic speech unit. Well defined time frames and feature vectors describing the speech, to the degree required, can be formed. Such feature vectors can uniquely characterize the speech unit being articulated each time frame. The onset of speech, rejection of external noise, vocalized pitch periods, articulator conditions, accurate timing, the identification of the speaker, acoustic speech unit recognition, and organ mechanical parameters can be determined.

Methods and apparatus for non-acoustic speech characterization and recognition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Holzrichter, J.F.

By simultaneously recording EM wave reflections and acoustic speech information, the positions and velocities of the speech organs as speech is articulated can be defined for each acoustic speech unit. Well defined time frames and feature vectors describing the speech, to the degree required, can be formed. Such feature vectors can uniquely characterize the speech unit being articulated each time frame. The onset of speech, rejection of external noise, vocalized pitch periods, articulator conditions, accurate timing, the identification of the speaker, acoustic speech unit recognition, and organ mechanical parameters can be determined.

Voice technology and BBN

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolf, Jared J.

1977-01-01

The following research was discussed: (1) speech signal processing; (2) automatic speech recognition; (3) continuous speech understanding; (4) speaker recognition; (5) speech compression; (6) subjective and objective evaluation of speech communication system; (7) measurement of the intelligibility and quality of speech when degraded by noise or other masking stimuli; (8) speech synthesis; (9) instructional aids for second-language learning and for training of the deaf; and (10) investigation of speech correlates of psychological stress. Experimental psychology, control systems, and human factors engineering, which are often relevant to the proper design and operation of speech systems are described.

Cesium Platinide Hydride 4Cs 2 Pt-CsH: An Intermetallic Double Salt Featuring Metal Anions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smetana, Volodymyr; Mudring, Anja-Verena

2016-10-24

With Cs9Pt4H a new representative of ionic compounds featuring metal anions can be added to this rare-membered family. Cs 9Pt 4H exhibits a complex crystal structure containing Cs + cations, Pt 2- and H - anions. Being a red, transparent compound its band gap is in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum and the ionic type of bonding is confirmed by quantum chemical calculations. This cesium platinide hydride can formally be considered as a double salt of the “alloy” cesium–platinum, or better cesium platinide, Cs2Pt, and the salt cesium hydride CsH according to Cs 9Pt 4H≡4 Cs 2Pt∙CsH.

A functional speech impression used to fabricate a maxillary speech prosthesis for a partial glossectomy patient.

PubMed

Knowles, J C; Chalian, V A; Shanks, J C

1984-02-01

Surgery for cancer of the floor of the mouth often results in alteration of the muscles of the tongue and floor of the mouth. Both primary and secondary surgical procedures often result in scar formation with reduced mobility of the tongue during speech and deglutition. Speech is often used as a diagnostic tool in the placement of the anterior teeth during fabrication of a prosthesis. Speech can similarly be used to help determine the proper placement of a speech portion of the prosthesis. The prosthetic rehabilitation approach described lowers the palatal vault with a false palate to enable the tongue to function against it during speech (Fig. 15). Group studies have shown that the design and fabrication of speech prostheses for partial glossectomy patients have significantly improved speech and swallowing for these patients. A speech pathologist is helpful during diagnosis, and speech therapy is necessary for significant speech improvement. Prosthetic rehabilitation alone cannot be expected to improve speech.

Speech Rhythms and Multiplexed Oscillatory Sensory Coding in the Human Brain

PubMed Central

Gross, Joachim; Hoogenboom, Nienke; Thut, Gregor; Schyns, Philippe; Panzeri, Stefano; Belin, Pascal; Garrod, Simon

2013-01-01

Cortical oscillations are likely candidates for segmentation and coding of continuous speech. Here, we monitored continuous speech processing with magnetoencephalography (MEG) to unravel the principles of speech segmentation and coding. We demonstrate that speech entrains the phase of low-frequency (delta, theta) and the amplitude of high-frequency (gamma) oscillations in the auditory cortex. Phase entrainment is stronger in the right and amplitude entrainment is stronger in the left auditory cortex. Furthermore, edges in the speech envelope phase reset auditory cortex oscillations thereby enhancing their entrainment to speech. This mechanism adapts to the changing physical features of the speech envelope and enables efficient, stimulus-specific speech sampling. Finally, we show that within the auditory cortex, coupling between delta, theta, and gamma oscillations increases following speech edges. Importantly, all couplings (i.e., brain-speech and also within the cortex) attenuate for backward-presented speech, suggesting top-down control. We conclude that segmentation and coding of speech relies on a nested hierarchy of entrained cortical oscillations. PMID:24391472

Specific acoustic models for spontaneous and dictated style in indonesian speech recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vista, C. B.; Satriawan, C. H.; Lestari, D. P.; Widyantoro, D. H.

2018-03-01

The performance of an automatic speech recognition system is affected by differences in speech style between the data the model is originally trained upon and incoming speech to be recognized. In this paper, the usage of GMM-HMM acoustic models for specific speech styles is investigated. We develop two systems for the experiments; the first employs a speech style classifier to predict the speech style of incoming speech, either spontaneous or dictated, then decodes this speech using an acoustic model specifically trained for that speech style. The second system uses both acoustic models to recognise incoming speech and decides upon a final result by calculating a confidence score of decoding. Results show that training specific acoustic models for spontaneous and dictated speech styles confers a slight recognition advantage as compared to a baseline model trained on a mixture of spontaneous and dictated training data. In addition, the speech style classifier approach of the first system produced slightly more accurate results than the confidence scoring employed in the second system.

Molecular identification, immunolocalization, and characterization of Clonorchis sinensis triosephosphate isomerase.

PubMed

Zhou, Juanjuan; Liao, Hua; Li, Shan; Zhou, Chenhui; Huang, Yan; Li, Xuerong; Liang, Chi; Yu, Xinbing

2015-08-01

Clonorchis sinensis triosephosphate isomerase (CsTIM) is a key regulatory enzyme of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, which catalyzes the interconversion of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate to dihydroxyacetone phosphate. In this study, the biochemical characterizations of CsTIM have been examined. A full-length complementary DNA (cDNA; Cs105350) sequence encoding CsTIM was obtained from our C. sinensis cDNA library. The open reading frame of CsTIM contains 759 bp which encodes 252 amino acids. The amino acid sequence of CsTIM shares 60-65% identity with other species. Western blot analysis displayed that recombinant CsTIM (rCsTIM) can be probed by anti-rCsTIM rat serum and anti-C. sinensis excretory/secretory products (anti-CsESPs) rat serum. Quantitative reverse transcription (RT)-PCR and western blotting analysis revealed that CsTIM messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein were differentially expressed in development cycle stages of the parasite, including adult worm, metacercaria, excysted metacercaria, and egg. In addition, immunolocalization assay showed that CsTIM was located in the seminal vesicle, eggs, and testicle. Moreover, rCsTIM exhibited active enzyme activity in catalytic reactions. The Michaelis constant (K m) of rCsTIM was 0.33 mM, when using glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate as the substrate. The optimal temperature and pH of CsTIM were 37 °C and 7.5-9.5, respectively. Collectively, these results suggest that CsTIM is an important protein involved in glycometabolism, and CsTIM possibly take part in many biological functions in the growth and development of C. sinensis.

Severity-Based Adaptation with Limited Data for ASR to Aid Dysarthric Speakers

PubMed Central

Mustafa, Mumtaz Begum; Salim, Siti Salwah; Mohamed, Noraini; Al-Qatab, Bassam; Siong, Chng Eng

2014-01-01

Automatic speech recognition (ASR) is currently used in many assistive technologies, such as helping individuals with speech impairment in their communication ability. One challenge in ASR for speech-impaired individuals is the difficulty in obtaining a good speech database of impaired speakers for building an effective speech acoustic model. Because there are very few existing databases of impaired speech, which are also limited in size, the obvious solution to build a speech acoustic model of impaired speech is by employing adaptation techniques. However, issues that have not been addressed in existing studies in the area of adaptation for speech impairment are as follows: (1) identifying the most effective adaptation technique for impaired speech; and (2) the use of suitable source models to build an effective impaired-speech acoustic model. This research investigates the above-mentioned two issues on dysarthria, a type of speech impairment affecting millions of people. We applied both unimpaired and impaired speech as the source model with well-known adaptation techniques like the maximum likelihood linear regression (MLLR) and the constrained-MLLR(C-MLLR). The recognition accuracy of each impaired speech acoustic model is measured in terms of word error rate (WER), with further assessments, including phoneme insertion, substitution and deletion rates. Unimpaired speech when combined with limited high-quality speech-impaired data improves performance of ASR systems in recognising severely impaired dysarthric speech. The C-MLLR adaptation technique was also found to be better than MLLR in recognising mildly and moderately impaired speech based on the statistical analysis of the WER. It was found that phoneme substitution was the biggest contributing factor in WER in dysarthric speech for all levels of severity. The results show that the speech acoustic models derived from suitable adaptation techniques improve the performance of ASR systems in recognising impaired speech with limited adaptation data. PMID:24466004

High temperature redox reactions with uranium: Synthesis and characterization of Cs(UO{sub 2})Cl(SeO{sub 3}), Rb{sub 2}(UO{sub 2}){sub 3}O{sub 2}(SeO{sub 3}){sub 2}, and RbNa{sub 5}U{sub 2}(SO{sub 4}){sub 7}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Babo, Jean-Marie; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556; Albrecht-Schmitt, Thomas E., E-mail: talbrechtschmitt@gmail.com

2013-10-15

Cs(UO{sub 2})Cl(SeO{sub 3}) (1), Rb{sub 2}(UO{sub 2}){sub 3}O{sub 2}(SeO{sub 3}){sub 3} (2), and RbNa{sub 5}U{sub 2}(SO{sub 4}){sub 7} (3) single crystals were synthesized using CsCl, RbCl, and a CuCl/NaCl eutectic mixture as fluxes, respectively. Their lattice parameters and space groups are as follows: P2{sub 1}/n (a=6.548(1) Å, b=11.052(2) Å, c=10.666(2) Å and β=93.897(3)°), P1{sup ¯} (a=7.051(2) Å, b=7.198(2) Å, c=8.314(2) Å, α=107.897(3)°, β=102.687(3)° and γ=100.564(3)°) and C2/c (a=17.862(4) Å, b=6.931(1) Å, c=20.133(4) Å and β=109.737(6)°. The small anionic building units found in these compounds are SeO{sub 3}{sup 2−} and SO{sub 4}{sup 2−} tetrahedra, oxide, and chloride. The crystal structure ofmore » the first compound is composed of [(UO{sub 2}){sub 2}Cl{sub 2}(SeO{sub 3}){sub 2}]{sup 2−} chains separated by Cs{sup +} cations. The structure of (2) is constructed from [(UO{sub 2}){sub 3}O{sub 11}]{sup 16−} chains further connected through selenite units into layers stacked perpendicularly to the [0 1 0] direction, with Rb{sup +} cations intercalating between them. The structure of compound (3) is made of uranyl sulfate layers formed by edge and vertex connections between dimeric [U{sub 2}O{sub 16}] and [SO{sub 4}] polyhedra. These layers contain unusual sulfate–metal connectivity as well as large voids. - Graphical abstract: A new family of uranyl selenites and sulfates has been prepared by high-temperature redox reactions. This compounds display new bonding motifs. Display Omitted - Highlights: • Low-dimensional Uranyl Oxoanion compounds. • Conversion of U(IV) to U(VI) at high temperatures. • Dimensional reduction by both halides and stereochemically active lone-pairs.« less

Speech outcomes in Cantonese patients after glossectomy.

PubMed

Wong, Ripley Kit; Poon, Esther Sok-Man; Woo, Cynthia Yuen-Man; Chan, Sabina Ching-Shun; Wong, Elsa Siu-Ping; Chu, Ada Wai-Sze

2007-08-01

We sought to determine the major factors affecting speech production of Cantonese-speaking glossectomized patients. Error pattern was analyzed. Forty-one Cantonese-speaking subjects who had undergone glossectomy > or = 6 months previously were recruited. Speech production evaluation included (1) phonetic error analysis in nonsense syllable; (2) speech intelligibility in sentences evaluated by naive listeners; (3) overall speech intelligibility in conversation evaluated by experienced speech therapists. Patients receiving adjuvant radiotherapy had significantly poorer segmental and connected speech production. Total or subtotal glossectomy also resulted in poor speech outcomes. Patients having free flap reconstruction showed the best speech outcomes. Patients without lymph node metastasis had significantly better speech scores when compared with patients with lymph node metastasis. Initial consonant production had the worst scores, while vowel production was the least affected. Speech outcomes of Cantonese-speaking glossectomized patients depended on the severity of the disease. Initial consonants had the greatest effect on speech intelligibility.

Application of chitosan and chitosan nanoparticles for the control of Fusarium head blight of wheat (Fusarium graminearum) in vitro and greenhouse.

PubMed

Kheiri, A; Moosawi Jorf, S A; Malihipour, A; Saremi, H; Nikkhah, M

2016-12-01

Fusarium head blight (FHB) disease caused by Fusarium graminearum is one of the most important diseases of wheat in humid and warm areas. This disease significantly reduces yield as well as seed quality. The aim of this work was to evaluate the possibility of control of FHB by chitosan (CS) and chitosan nanoparticles (CS/NPs). In vitro, the application of various concentrations of CS and CS/NPs showed significant inhibition of both radial mycelial growth and number of colonies formed against F. graminearum. The application of 1000 and 5000ppm concentration of CS and CS/NPs produced maximum inhibition of radial mycelial growth in comparison to the control, respectively. The microscopic examination, of treated F. graminearum with the CS and CS/NPs, showed dehydration and deformation in mycelial growth and some hyphae were collapsed. The maximum percentage reduction number of colonies was observed in 5000ppm concentration of both CS and CS/NPs. To test the effect of CS and CS/NPs on spore germination, four concentrations were used for 4 and 24h incubation. The 24h incubation of F. graminearum spores with a 5000ppm solution of CS greatly reduced the number of germinating spores. In greenhouse trials, the disease severity percentage was low when CS and CS/NPs were applied before fungus inoculation on the plants and 1000ppm concentration. The spores of F. graminearum germinated on the anther, hyphae penetrated into anther and colonized the palea, lemma and glume after 24 and 72 hpi, respectively. Wherease, the spikelets treated with CS and CS/NPs were infected slowly. Light microscopy and TEM observations indicated that mycelium penetrated into the cells through stoma and transited to other cells by cell wall or plasmodesmata. Mycelial growth caused conidia into cells but CS and CS/NPs prevented of it's growth. Results showed that CS and CS/NPs could be a useful biological pesticide for controlling FHB. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Can you hear my age? Influences of speech rate and speech spontaneity on estimation of speaker age

PubMed Central

Skoog Waller, Sara; Eriksson, Mårten; Sörqvist, Patrik

2015-01-01

Cognitive hearing science is mainly about the study of how cognitive factors contribute to speech comprehension, but cognitive factors also partake in speech processing to infer non-linguistic information from speech signals, such as the intentions of the talker and the speaker’s age. Here, we report two experiments on age estimation by “naïve” listeners. The aim was to study how speech rate influences estimation of speaker age by comparing the speakers’ natural speech rate with increased or decreased speech rate. In Experiment 1, listeners were presented with audio samples of read speech from three different speaker age groups (young, middle aged, and old adults). They estimated the speakers as younger when speech rate was faster than normal and as older when speech rate was slower than normal. This speech rate effect was slightly greater in magnitude for older (60–65 years) speakers in comparison with younger (20–25 years) speakers, suggesting that speech rate may gain greater importance as a perceptual age cue with increased speaker age. This pattern was more pronounced in Experiment 2, in which listeners estimated age from spontaneous speech. Faster speech rate was associated with lower age estimates, but only for older and middle aged (40–45 years) speakers. Taken together, speakers of all age groups were estimated as older when speech rate decreased, except for the youngest speakers in Experiment 2. The absence of a linear speech rate effect in estimates of younger speakers, for spontaneous speech, implies that listeners use different age estimation strategies or cues (possibly vocabulary) depending on the age of the speaker and the spontaneity of the speech. Potential implications for forensic investigations and other applied domains are discussed. PMID:26236259

Emotionally conditioning the target-speech voice enhances recognition of the target speech under "cocktail-party" listening conditions.

PubMed

Lu, Lingxi; Bao, Xiaohan; Chen, Jing; Qu, Tianshu; Wu, Xihong; Li, Liang

2018-05-01

Under a noisy "cocktail-party" listening condition with multiple people talking, listeners can use various perceptual/cognitive unmasking cues to improve recognition of the target speech against informational speech-on-speech masking. One potential unmasking cue is the emotion expressed in a speech voice, by means of certain acoustical features. However, it was unclear whether emotionally conditioning a target-speech voice that has none of the typical acoustical features of emotions (i.e., an emotionally neutral voice) can be used by listeners for enhancing target-speech recognition under speech-on-speech masking conditions. In this study we examined the recognition of target speech against a two-talker speech masker both before and after the emotionally neutral target voice was paired with a loud female screaming sound that has a marked negative emotional valence. The results showed that recognition of the target speech (especially the first keyword in a target sentence) was significantly improved by emotionally conditioning the target speaker's voice. Moreover, the emotional unmasking effect was independent of the unmasking effect of the perceived spatial separation between the target speech and the masker. Also, (skin conductance) electrodermal responses became stronger after emotional learning when the target speech and masker were perceptually co-located, suggesting an increase of listening efforts when the target speech was informationally masked. These results indicate that emotionally conditioning the target speaker's voice does not change the acoustical parameters of the target-speech stimuli, but the emotionally conditioned vocal features can be used as cues for unmasking target speech.

Giving speech a hand: gesture modulates activity in auditory cortex during speech perception.

PubMed

Hubbard, Amy L; Wilson, Stephen M; Callan, Daniel E; Dapretto, Mirella

2009-03-01

Viewing hand gestures during face-to-face communication affects speech perception and comprehension. Despite the visible role played by gesture in social interactions, relatively little is known about how the brain integrates hand gestures with co-occurring speech. Here we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and an ecologically valid paradigm to investigate how beat gesture-a fundamental type of hand gesture that marks speech prosody-might impact speech perception at the neural level. Subjects underwent fMRI while listening to spontaneously-produced speech accompanied by beat gesture, nonsense hand movement, or a still body; as additional control conditions, subjects also viewed beat gesture, nonsense hand movement, or a still body all presented without speech. Validating behavioral evidence that gesture affects speech perception, bilateral nonprimary auditory cortex showed greater activity when speech was accompanied by beat gesture than when speech was presented alone. Further, the left superior temporal gyrus/sulcus showed stronger activity when speech was accompanied by beat gesture than when speech was accompanied by nonsense hand movement. Finally, the right planum temporale was identified as a putative multisensory integration site for beat gesture and speech (i.e., here activity in response to speech accompanied by beat gesture was greater than the summed responses to speech alone and beat gesture alone), indicating that this area may be pivotally involved in synthesizing the rhythmic aspects of both speech and gesture. Taken together, these findings suggest a common neural substrate for processing speech and gesture, likely reflecting their joint communicative role in social interactions.

Giving Speech a Hand: Gesture Modulates Activity in Auditory Cortex During Speech Perception

PubMed Central

Hubbard, Amy L.; Wilson, Stephen M.; Callan, Daniel E.; Dapretto, Mirella

2008-01-01

Viewing hand gestures during face-to-face communication affects speech perception and comprehension. Despite the visible role played by gesture in social interactions, relatively little is known about how the brain integrates hand gestures with co-occurring speech. Here we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and an ecologically valid paradigm to investigate how beat gesture – a fundamental type of hand gesture that marks speech prosody – might impact speech perception at the neural level. Subjects underwent fMRI while listening to spontaneously-produced speech accompanied by beat gesture, nonsense hand movement, or a still body; as additional control conditions, subjects also viewed beat gesture, nonsense hand movement, or a still body all presented without speech. Validating behavioral evidence that gesture affects speech perception, bilateral nonprimary auditory cortex showed greater activity when speech was accompanied by beat gesture than when speech was presented alone. Further, the left superior temporal gyrus/sulcus showed stronger activity when speech was accompanied by beat gesture than when speech was accompanied by nonsense hand movement. Finally, the right planum temporale was identified as a putative multisensory integration site for beat gesture and speech (i.e., here activity in response to speech accompanied by beat gesture was greater than the summed responses to speech alone and beat gesture alone), indicating that this area may be pivotally involved in synthesizing the rhythmic aspects of both speech and gesture. Taken together, these findings suggest a common neural substrate for processing speech and gesture, likely reflecting their joint communicative role in social interactions. PMID:18412134

Visual Speech Fills in Both Discrimination and Identification of Non-Intact Auditory Speech in Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jerger, Susan; Damian, Markus F.; McAlpine, Rachel P.; Abdi, Herve

2018-01-01

To communicate, children must discriminate and identify speech sounds. Because visual speech plays an important role in this process, we explored how visual speech influences phoneme discrimination and identification by children. Critical items had intact visual speech (e.g. baez) coupled to non-intact (excised onsets) auditory speech (signified…

Comparison between capillary electrophoresis and high performance liquid chromatography for detection and quantification of Hb constant spring [Hb CS; α142, Term→Gln (TAA>CAA IN α2)].

PubMed

Waneesorn, Jarurin; Panyasai, Sitthichai; Kongthai, Kanyakan; Singboottra, Panthong; Pornprasert, Sakorn

2011-01-01

Hb Constant Spring [Hb CS; α142, Term→Gln (TAA>CAA in α2)] is often missed by routine laboratory testing since its mRNA as well as gene product are unstable and presented at a low level in peripheral blood. This study aimed to analyze the efficacy of capillary electrophoresis (CE) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for detecting and quantifying Hb CS in 19 heterozygotes and 14 homozygotes with Hb CS as well as 10 Hb H-CS disease subjects who were detected by molecular analysis. In the CE electrophoregram, Hb CS was seen at zone 2 and was observed in all samples, while the chromatogram of Hb CS peaks was found in 26.32% heterozygotes, 42.86% homozygotes and 90% Hb H-CS disease subjects, respectively. In addition, the Hb CS levels in each group of subjects quantified by CE were significantly higher than those quantified by HPLC. Based on the CE method, the lowest Hb CS level was found in the heterozygotes, whereas the highest level was found in the Hb H-CS disease patients. Therefore, the CE method was superior to the HPLC method for detecting Hb CS. Furthermore, the level of Hb CS quantified by CE proved useful in screening heterozygotes and homozygotes with Hb CS as well as Hb H-CS disease.

Prognostic Analysis for Cardiogenic Shock in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction Receiving Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

PubMed Central

Lin, Mao-Jen; Chen, Chun-Yu; Lin, Hau-De

2017-01-01

Cardiogenic shock (CS) is uncommon in patients suffering from acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Long-term outcome and adverse predictors for outcomes in AMI patients with CS receiving percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) are unclear. A total of 482 AMI patients who received PCI were collected, including 53 CS and 429 non-CS. Predictors for AMI patients with CS including recurrent MI, cardiovascular (CV) mortality, all-cause mortality, and repeated-PCI were analyzed. The CS group had a lower central systolic pressure and central diastolic pressure (both P < 0.001). AMI patients with hypertension history were less prone to develop CS (P < 0.001). Calcium channel blockers and statins were less frequently used by the CS group than the non-CS group (both P < 0.05) after discharge. Synergy between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score, CV mortality, and all-cause mortality were higher in the CS group than the non-CS group (all P < 0.005). For patients with CS, stroke history was a predictor of recurrent MI (P = 0.036). CS, age, SYNTAX score, and diabetes were predictors of CV mortality (all P < 0.05). CS, age, SYNTAX score, and stroke history were predictors for all-cause mortality (all P < 0.05). CS, age, and current smoking were predictors for repeated-PCI (all P < 0.05). PMID:28251160

Early stages of Cs adsorption mechanism for GaAs nanowire surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diao, Yu; Liu, Lei; Xia, Sihao; Feng, Shu

2018-03-01

In this study, the adsorption mechanism of Cs adatoms on the (100) surface of GaAs nanowire with [0001] growth direction is investigated utilizing first principles method based on density function theory. The adsorption energy, work function, atomic structure and electronic property of clean surface and Cs-covered surfaces with different coverage are discussed. Results show that when only one Cs is adsorbed on the surface, the most favorable adsorption site is BGa-As. With increasing Cs coverage, work function gradually decreases and gets its minimum at 0.75 ML, then rises slightly when Cs coverage comes to 1 ML, indicating the existence of 'Cs-kill' phenomenon. According to further analysis, Cs activation process can effectively reduce the work function due to the formation of a downward band bending region and surface dipole moment directing from Cs adatom to the surface. As Cs coverage increases, the conduction band minimum and valence band maximum both shift towards lower energy side, contributed by the orbital hybridization between Cs-5s, Cs-5p states and Ga-4p, As-4s, As-4p states near Fermi level. The theoretical calculations and analysis in this study can improve the Cs activation technology for negative electron affinity optoelectronic devices based on GaAs nanowires, and also provide a reference for the further Cs/O or Cs/NF3 activation process.

Characterization of the secreted cathepsin B cysteine proteases family of the carcinogenic liver fluke Clonorchis sinensis.

PubMed

Chen, Wenjun; Wang, Xiaoyun; Lv, Xiaoli; Tian, Yanli; Xu, Yanquan; Mao, Qiang; Shang, Mei; Li, Xuerong; Huang, Yan; Yu, Xinbing

2014-09-01

Clonorchis sinensis excretory/secretory products (ESP) have gained high attentions because of their potential to be vaccine candidates and drug targets in C. sinensis prevention. In this study, we extensively profiled the characteristics of four C. sinensis cathepsin B cysteine proteases (CsCB1, CsCB2, CsCB3, and CsCB4). Bioinformatics analysis showed all CsCBs contained signal peptides at the N-terminal. Functional domains and residues were found in CsCB sequences. We expressed four CsCBs and profiled immune responses followed by vaccine trials. Recombinant CsCBs could induce high IgG titers, indicating high immunogenicity of CsCB family. Additionally, ELISA results showed that both IgG1 and IgG2a levels apparently increased post-immunization with all four CsCBs, showing that combined Th1/Th2 immune responses were triggered by CsCB family. Both Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting confirmed that four CsCBs have distinct expression patterns in C. sinensis life stages. More importantly, we validated our hypothesis that CsCBs were C. sinensis excretory/secretory products. CsCBs could be recognized by C. sinensis-infected sera throughout the infection period, indicating that secreted CsCBs are immune triggers during C. sinensis infection. The protective effect was assessed by comparing the worm burden and egg per gram (EPG) between CsCB group and control group, showing that worm burden (P < 0.01) and EPG (P < 0.01) in CsCB2 and CsCB3 groups were significantly lower than in control group. In conclusion, we profiled secreted cathepsin B cysteine proteases family for the first time and demonstrated that all CsCB family were C. sinensis excretory/secretory products that may regulate host immune responses.

Comparison of three different sample preparation procedures for the determination of traffic-related elements in airborne particulate matter collected on glass fiber filters.

PubMed

Castilho, Ivan N B; Welz, Bernhard; Vale, Maria Goreti R; de Andrade, Jailson B; Smichowski, Patricia; Shaltout, Abdallah A; Colares, Lígia; Carasek, Eduardo

2012-01-15

Three different procedures for sample preparation have been compared for the determination of Cu, Mo and Sb in airborne particulate matter (APM) collected on glass fiber filters using high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS GF AAS). Direct solid sample analysis of the ground filters was compared with microwave-assisted acid leaching with aqua regia and ultrasound-assisted extraction also using aqua regia. The main absorption line at 324.754 nm or the secondary line at 216.509 nm was used for the determination of Cu, depending on the analyte content in the samples. The primary absorption line at 313.259 nm was used for Mo and the secondary line at 212.739 nm for Sb determination. The limits of detection (LOD, 3σ) found for the direct solid sampling method, based on ten atomizations of an unused filter were 15 μg g(-1) for all three analytes, corresponding to 40 ng m(-3) for a typical air volume of 1,440 m(3) collected over a period of 24h. The LOD for the other two methods were less than a factor of two inferior, but the total time required for an analysis was significantly longer. The repeatability of the measurements was between 3 and 9% (n=5), and the results obtained with the three methods did not show any significant difference. The ratio between the three analytes on the filters from areas of intense traffic was found to be around Cu:Mo:Sb≈4:1:1.4, which suggests that the source of all three elements is brake linings, i.e., related to automobile traffic. When the ratio deviated significantly from the above values, the source of contamination was assumed to be of different origin. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The impact of urban expansion and agricultural legacies on trace metal accumulation in fluvial and lacustrine sediments of the lower Chesapeake Bay basin, USA.

PubMed

Coxon, T M; Odhiambo, B K; Giancarlo, L C

2016-10-15

The progressively declining ecological condition of the Chesapeake Bay is attributed to the influx of contaminants associated with sediment loads supplied by its largest tributaries. The continued urban expansion in the suburbs of Virginia cities, modern agricultural activities in the Shenandoah Valley, the anthropogenic and climate driven changes in fluvial system hydrodynamics and their potential associated impacts on trace metals enrichment in the bay's tributaries necessitate constant environmental monitoring of these important water bodies. Eight (210)Pb and (137)Cs dated sediment cores and seventy two sediment grab samples were used to analyze the spatial and temporal distributions of Al, Ca, Mg, Cr, Cd, As, Se, Pb, Cu, Zn, Mn, and Fe in the waterways of the Virginia portion of the Chesapeake Bay basin. The sediment cores for trace metal historical fluctuation analysis were obtained in lower fluvial-estuarine environments and reservoirs in the upper reaches of the basin. The trace metal profiles revealed high basal enrichment factors (EF) of between 0.05 and 40.24, which are interpreted to represent early nineteenth century agricultural activity and primary resource extraction. Surficial enrichment factors on both cores and surface grab samples ranged from 0.01 (Cu) to 1421 (Cd), with Pb, Cu, Zn, and Cd enrichments a plausible consequence of modern urban expansion and industrial development along major transportation corridors. Contemporary surficial enrichments of As, Se, and Cr also ranged between 0 and 137, with the higher values likely influenced by lithological and atmospheric sources. Pearson correlation analyses suggest mining and agricultural legacies, coupled with aerosol deposition, are responsible for high metal concentrations in western lakes and headwater reaches of fluvial systems, while metal accumulation in estuarine reaches of the major rivers can be attributed to urban effluence and the remobilization of legacy sediments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

CS Line Profiles in Hot Cores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bayet, E.; Yates, J.; Viti, S.

2011-02-01

We present a theoretical study of CS line profiles in archetypal hot cores. We provide estimates of line fluxes from the CS(1-0) to the CS(15-14) transitions and present the temporal variation of these fluxes. We find that (1) the CS(1-0) transition is a better tracer of the Envelope of the hot core whereas the higher-J CS lines trace the ultracompact core (UCC); (2) the peak temperature of the CS transitions is a good indicator of the temperature inside the hot core; (3) in the Envelope, the older the hot core the stronger the self-absorption of CS; (4) the fractional abundance of CS is highest in the innermost parts of the UCC, confirming the CS molecule as one of the best tracers of very dense gas.

Genetic variability in calving success in Aberdeen Angus cows under extensive recording.

PubMed

Urioste, J I; Chang, Y M; Naya, H; Gianola, D

2007-09-01

Data from 2032 Uruguayan Aberdeen Angus cows under extensive management and recording practices were analysed with Bayesian threshold-liability sire models, to assess genetic variability in calving success (CS), defined as a different binary trait for each of the second (CS2), third (CS3) and fourth (CS4) calving opportunities. Sire (herd) variances ranged from 0.08 to 0.11 (0.10 to 0.20) and heritability from 0.27 to 0.35, with large credibility intervals. Correlations between herd effects on CS at different calving opportunities were positive. Genetic correlation between CS2 and CS4 was positive (0.68), whereas those involving adjacent calving opportunities (CS2-CS3 and CS3-CS4) were negative, at -0.39 and -0.54, respectively. The residual correlation CS2-CS3 was negative (-0.32). The extent of uncertainty associated with the posterior estimates of the parameters was further evaluated through simulation, assuming different true values (-0.4, -0.2, +0.2 and +0.4) for the genetic correlations and changes in the degree of belief parameters of the inverse Wishart priors for the sire covariance matrix. Although inferences were not sharp enough, CS appears to be moderately heritable. The quality of data recording should be improved, in order to effect genetic improvement in female fertility.

Computational Exploration of the Surface Properties of Cs2Te5 Photoemissive Material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruth, Anthony; Nemeth, Karoly; Harkay, Katherine; Spentzouris, Linda; Terry, Jeff

2013-03-01

Cs2Te is a broadly used photoemissive material due to its exceptionally high quantum efficiency (~ 20%). Our group has recently predicted that the acetylation of this material (Cs2TeC2) would lower its workfunction down to about 2.4 eV from ~ 3 eV, and preserve its high quantum efficiency. Such a modification is advantageous because visible light can be used in the operation of such a photoemissive device instead of ultraviolet light. To explore other variants of Cs2Te, we conducted DFT-based computational analysis of the photoemissive properties of Cs2Te5 which is a known phase of Cs and Te. Cs2Te5 attracted our attention for its rod-like 1D Te substructures embedded in a Cs matrix. This structure is similar to Cs2TeC2 as Cs2TeC2 contains TeC2 polymeric rods in a Cs matrix. In addition to that, exploration of various Cesium Telluride phases is necessary to better understand the working of Cs2Te photocathodes. We have calculated surface energies, workfunctions, and optical absorption spectra of several different surfaces of Cs2Te5. A comparison of the properties of various Cs2Te5 surfaces and their utilization in photoemissive devices will be presented.

Exposure to neonatal cigarette smoke causes durable lung changes but does not potentiate cigarette smoke–induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adult mice

PubMed Central

McGrath-Morrow, Sharon; Malhotra, Deepti; Lauer, Thomas; Collaco, J. Michael; Mitzner, Wayne; Neptune, Enid; Wise, Robert; Biswal, Shyam

2016-01-01

The impact of early childhood cigarette smoke (CS) exposure on CS-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is unknown. This study was performed to evaluate the individual and combined effects of neonatal and adult CS exposure on lung structure, function, and gene expression in adult mice. To model a childhood CS exposure, neonatal C57/B6 mice were exposed to 14 days of CS (Neo CS). At 10 weeks of age, Neo CS and control mice were exposed to 4 months of CS. Pulmonary function tests, bronchoalveolar lavage, and lung morphometry were measured and gene expression profiling was performed on lung tissue. Mean chord lengths and lung volumes were increased in neonatal and/or adult CS-exposed mice. Differences in immune, cornified envelope protein, muscle, and erythrocyte genes were found in CS-exposed lung. Neonatal CS exposure caused durable structural and functional changes in the adult lung but did not potentiate CS-induced COPD changes. Cornified envelope protein gene expression was decreased in all CS-exposed mice, whereas myosin and erythrocyte gene expression was increased in mice exposed to both neonatal and adult CS, suggesting an adaptive response. Additional studies may be warranted to determine the utility of these genes as biomarkers of respiratory outcomes. PMID:21649527

Multilevel Analysis in Analyzing Speech Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guddattu, Vasudeva; Krishna, Y.

2011-01-01

The speech produced by human vocal tract is a complex acoustic signal, with diverse applications in phonetics, speech synthesis, automatic speech recognition, speaker identification, communication aids, speech pathology, speech perception, machine translation, hearing research, rehabilitation and assessment of communication disorders and many…

Speech communications in noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

The physical characteristics of speech, the methods of speech masking measurement, and the effects of noise on speech communication are investigated. Topics include the speech signal and intelligibility, the effects of noise on intelligibility, the articulation index, and various devices for evaluating speech systems.

The influence of visual and auditory information on the perception of speech and non-speech oral movements in patients with left hemisphere lesions.

PubMed

Schmid, Gabriele; Thielmann, Anke; Ziegler, Wolfram

2009-03-01

Patients with lesions of the left hemisphere often suffer from oral-facial apraxia, apraxia of speech, and aphasia. In these patients, visual features often play a critical role in speech and language therapy, when pictured lip shapes or the therapist's visible mouth movements are used to facilitate speech production and articulation. This demands audiovisual processing both in speech and language treatment and in the diagnosis of oral-facial apraxia. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in audiovisual perception of speech as compared to non-speech oral gestures. Bimodal and unimodal speech and non-speech items were used and additionally discordant stimuli constructed, which were presented for imitation. This study examined a group of healthy volunteers and a group of patients with lesions of the left hemisphere. Patients made substantially more errors than controls, but the factors influencing imitation accuracy were more or less the same in both groups. Error analyses in both groups suggested different types of representations for speech as compared to the non-speech domain, with speech having a stronger weight on the auditory modality and non-speech processing on the visual modality. Additionally, this study was able to show that the McGurk effect is not limited to speech.

The Levels of Speech Usage Rating Scale: Comparison of Client Self-Ratings with Speech Pathologist Ratings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gray, Christina; Baylor, Carolyn; Eadie, Tanya; Kendall, Diane; Yorkston, Kathryn

2012-01-01

Background: The term "speech usage" refers to what people want or need to do with their speech to fulfil the communication demands in their life roles. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) need to know about clients' speech usage to plan appropriate interventions to meet their life participation goals. The Levels of Speech Usage is a…

Speech Anxiety: The Importance of Identification in the Basic Speech Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mandeville, Mary Y.

A study investigated speech anxiety in the basic speech course by means of pre and post essays. Subjects, 73 students in 3 classes in the basic speech course at a southwestern multiuniversity, wrote a two-page essay on their perceptions of their speech anxiety before the first speaking project. Students discussed speech anxiety in class and were…

Automatic speech recognition (ASR) based approach for speech therapy of aphasic patients: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jamal, Norezmi; Shanta, Shahnoor; Mahmud, Farhanahani; Sha'abani, MNAH

2017-09-01

This paper reviews the state-of-the-art an automatic speech recognition (ASR) based approach for speech therapy of aphasic patients. Aphasia is a condition in which the affected person suffers from speech and language disorder resulting from a stroke or brain injury. Since there is a growing body of evidence indicating the possibility of improving the symptoms at an early stage, ASR based solutions are increasingly being researched for speech and language therapy. ASR is a technology that transfers human speech into transcript text by matching with the system's library. This is particularly useful in speech rehabilitation therapies as they provide accurate, real-time evaluation for speech input from an individual with speech disorder. ASR based approaches for speech therapy recognize the speech input from the aphasic patient and provide real-time feedback response to their mistakes. However, the accuracy of ASR is dependent on many factors such as, phoneme recognition, speech continuity, speaker and environmental differences as well as our depth of knowledge on human language understanding. Hence, the review examines recent development of ASR technologies and its performance for individuals with speech and language disorders.

Method for ultra-trace cesium isotope ratio measurements from environmental samples using thermal ionization mass spectrometry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Snow, Mathew S.; Snyder, Darin C.; Mann, Nick R.

2015-05-01

135Cs/ 137Cs isotope ratios can provide the age, origin and history of environmental Cs contamination. Relatively high precision 135Cs/ 137Cs isotope ratio measurements from samples containing femtogram quantities of 137Cs are needed to accurately track contamination resuspension and redistribution following environmental 137Cs releases; however, mass spectrometric analyses of environmental samples are limited by the large quantities of ionization inhibitors and isobaric interferences which are present at relatively high concentrations in the environment. We report a new approach for Cs purification from environmental samples. An initial ammonium molybdophosphate-polyacrylonitrile (AMP-PAN) column provides a robust method for extracting Cs under a wide varietymore » of sample matrices and mass loads. Cation exchange separations using a second AMP-PAN column result in more than two orders of magnitude greater Cs/Rb separation factors than commercially available strong cation exchangers. Coupling an AMP-PAN cation exchanging step to a microcation column (AG50W resin) enables consistent 2-4% (2σ) measurement errors for samples containing 3-6,000 fg 137Cs, representing the highest precision 135Cs/ 137Cs ratio measurements currently reported for soil samples at the femtogram level.« less