bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Broadband impedance boundary conditions for the simulation of sound propagation in the time domain
Authors: Bin Jonghoon , Yousuff Hussaini M. , Lee Soogab
Published: February 2009

An accurate and practical surface impedance boundary condition in the time domain has been developed for application to broadband-frequency simulation in aeroacoustic problems. To show the capability of this method, two kinds of numerical simulations are performed and compared with the analytical/experimental results: one is acoustic wave reflection by a monopole source over an impedance surface and the other is acoustic wave propagation in a duct with a finite impedance wall. Both single-frequency and broadband-frequency simulations are performed within the framework of linearized Euler equations. A high-order dispersion-relation-preserving finite-difference method and a low-dissipation, low-dispersion Runge–Kutta method are used for spatial discretization and time integration, respectively. The results show excellent agreement with the analytical/experimental results at various frequencies. The method accurately predicts both the amplitude and the phase of acoustic pressure and ensures the well-posedness of the broadband time-domain impedance boundary condition.
A description of transversely isotropic sound absorbing porous materials by transfer matrices
Authors: Khurana P. , Boeckx L. , Lauriks W. , Leclaire P. , Dazel O. , Allard J. F.
Published: February 2009

A description of wave propagation in transversely isotropic porous materials saturated by air with a recent reformulation of the Biot theory is carried out. The description is performed in terms of a transfer matrix method (TMM). The anisotropy is taken into account in the mechanical parameters (elastic constants) and in the acoustical parameters (flow resistivity, tortuosity, and characteristic lengths). As an illustration, the normal surface impedance at normal and oblique incidences of transversely isotropic porous layers is predicted. Comparisons are performed with experimental results.
A generalized Cramér-Rao lower bound for moving arrays
Authors: Sullivan Edmund J.
Published: February 2009

By properly including the forward motion of the array in the signal model, improved bearing estimation performance for a towed line array can be obtained. The improvement is a consequence of utilizing the bearing information contained in the Doppler. In this paper, it is shown by use of the Cramér-Rao lower bound that, as the array moves forward, the variance on the bearing estimate for an array of pressure sensors decreases, and that if an array of pressure-vector sensors is used, a significant improvement over that obtained for the array using pressure sensors only is obtained.
Adaptive near-field beamforming techniques for sound source imaging
Authors: Cho Yong Thung , Roan Michael J.
Published: February 2009

Phased array signal processing techniques such as beamforming have a long history in applications such as sonar for detection and localization of far-field sound sources. Two sometimes competing challenges arise in any type of spatial processing; these are to minimize contributions from directions other than the look direction and minimize the width of the main lobe. To tackle this problem a large body of work has been devoted to the development of adaptive procedures that attempt to minimize side lobe contributions to the spatial processor output. In this paper, two adaptive beamforming procedures—minimum variance distorsionless response and weight optimization to minimize maximum side lobes—are modified for use in source visualization applications to estimate beamforming pressure and intensity using near-field pressure measurements. These adaptive techniques are compared to a fixed near-field focusing technique (both techniques use near-field beamforming weightings focusing at source locations estimated based on spherical wave array manifold vectors with spatial windows). Sound source resolution accuracies of near-field imaging procedures with different weighting strategies are compared using numerical simulations both in anechoic and reverberant environments with random measurement noise. Also, experimental results are given for near-field sound pressure measurements of an enclosed loudspeaker.
Blind inversion method using Lamb waves for the complete elastic property characterization of anisotropic plates
Authors: Vishnuvardhan J. , Krishnamurthy C. V. , Balasubramaniam Krishnan
Published: February 2009

A novel blind inversion method using Lamb wave S0 and A0 mode velocities is proposed for the complete determination of elastic moduli, material symmetries, as well as principal plane orientations of anisotropic plates. The approach takes advantage of genetic algorithm, introduces the notion of “statistically significant” elastic moduli, and utilizes their sensitivities to velocity data to reconstruct the elastic moduli. The unknown material symmetry and the principal planes are then evaluated using the method proposed by Cowin and Mehrabadi [Q. J. Mech. Appl. Math. 40, 451–476 (1987)]. The blind inversion procedure was verified using simulated ultrasonic velocity data sets on materials with transversely isotropic, orthotropic, and monoclinic symmetries. A modified double ring configuration of the single transmitter and multiple receiver compact array was developed to experimentally validate the blind inversion approach on a quasi-isotropic graphite-epoxy composite plate. This technique finds application in the area of material characterization and structural health monitoring of anisotropic platelike structures.
Effects of temporal uncertainty and temporal expectancy on infants’ auditory sensitivity
Authors: Werner Lynne A. , Parrish Heather K. , Holmer Nicole M.
Published: February 2009

Adults are more sensitive to a sound if they know when the sound will occur. In the present experiment, the effects of temporal uncertainty and temporal expectancy on infants’ and adults’ detection of a 1kHz tone in a broadband noise were examined. In one experiment, masked sensitivity was measured with an acoustic cue and without an acoustic cue to possible tone presentation times. Adults’ sensitivity was greater for the cue than for the no-cue condition, while infants’ sensitivity did not differ significantly between the cue and no-cue conditions. In a second experiment, the effect of temporal expectancy was investigated. The detection advantage for sounds occurring at an expected (most frequent) time, over sounds occurring at unexpected (less frequent) times, was examined. Both infants and adults detected a tone better when it occurred before or at an expected time following a cue than when it occurred at a later time. Thus, despite the fact that the auditory cue did not improve infants’ sensitivity, it nonetheless provided the basis for temporal expectancies. Infants, like adults, are more sensitive to sounds that are consistent with temporal expectancy.
Psychometric functions for pure tone intensity discrimination: Slope differences in school-aged children and adults
Authors: Buss Emily , Hall Joseph W. , Grose John H.
Published: February 2009

Previous work on pure tone intensity discrimination in school-aged children concluded that children might have higher levels of internal noise than adults for this task [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 120, 2777–2788 (2006)]. If true, this would imply that psychometric function slopes are shallower for children than adults, a prediction that was tested in the present experiment. Normal hearing children (5–9yr) and adults were tested in a two-stage protocol. The first stage used a tracking procedure to estimate 71% correct for intensity discrimination with a gated 500Hz pure tone and a 65dB sound pressure level standard level. The mean and standard deviation of these tracks were used to identify a set of five signal levels for each observer. In the second stage of the experiment percent correct was estimated at these five levels. Psychometric functions fitted to these data were significantly shallower for children than adults, as predicted by the internal noise hypothesis. Data from both stages of testing are consistent with a model wherein performance is based on a stable psychometric function, with sensitivity limited by psychometric function slope. Across observers the relationship between slope and threshold conformed closely to predictions of a simple signal detection model.
Functional bandwidth of an echolocating Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
Authors: Ibsen Stuart D. , Au Whitlow W. L. , Nachtigall Paul E. , Breese Marlee
Published: February 2009

The frequency band that an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) used to perform an echolocation target discrimination task was determined using computer simulated phantom targets. The dolphin was trained to discriminate frequency filtered phantom targets from unfiltered ones in a go/no-go paradigm. The dolphin’s performance indicated perception of echo alteration only when applied filters interfered with the frequency band between 29 and 42kHz. The dolphin did not behaviorally convey perception of applied filters that affected frequencies outside this functional bandwidth, such as a low pass 43kHz or a high pass 28kHz filter. The upper limit of the functional bandwidth at 42kHz corresponded with the dolphin’s upper hearing limit of 45kHz, as determined through auditory evoked potential measurements. The lower limit of the functional bandwidth corresponded to a drop in intensity below 30kHz within the dolphin’s echolocation clicks. The randomized presentation of different filters showed that the dolphin paid attention to the entire 29–42kHz band for each trial, not just subsets. The absence of temporal cues between some of the targets the dolphin could discriminate indicated that in these cases the target discrimination cues were based solely on the frequency content.
Tracking of geoacoustic parameters using Kalman and particle filters
Authors: Yardim Caglar , Gerstoft Peter , Hodgkiss William S.
Published: February 2009

This paper incorporates tracking techniques such as the extended Kalman, unscented Kalman, and particle (PF) filters into geoacoustic inversion problems. This enables spatial and temporal tracking of environmental parameters and their underlying probability densities, making geoacoustic tracking a natural extension to geoacoustic inversion techniques. Water column and seabed properties are tracked in simulation for both vertical (VLA) and horizontal (HLA) line arrays using the three tracking filters. Filter performances are compared in terms of filter efficiencies using the posterior Cramér–Rao lower bound. Tracking capabilities of the geoacoustic filters under slowly and quickly changing environments are studied in terms of divergence statistics. Geoacoustic tracking can provide continuously environmental estimates and their uncertainties using only a fraction of the computational power of classical geoacoustic inversion schemes. Interfilter comparison show that while a high-particle-number PF outperforms the Kalman filters, there are many cases where all three filters perform equally well depending on the inversion configuration (such as the HLA versus VLA and frequency) and the tracked parameters.
Characteristics of phonation onset in a two-layer vocal fold model
Authors: Zhang Zhaoyan
Published: February 2009

Characteristics of phonation onset were investigated in a two-layer body-cover continuum model of the vocal folds as a function of the biomechanical and geometric properties of the vocal folds. The analysis showed that an increase in either the body or cover stiffness generally increased the phonation threshold pressure and phonation onset frequency, although the effectiveness of varying body or cover stiffness as a pitch control mechanism varied depending on the body-cover stiffness ratio. Increasing body-cover stiffness ratio reduced the vibration amplitude of the body layer, and the vocal fold motion was gradually restricted to the medial surface, resulting in more effective flow modulation and higher sound production efficiency. The fluid-structure interaction induced synchronization of more than one group of eigenmodes so that two or more eigenmodes may be simultaneously destabilized toward phonation onset. At certain conditions, a slight change in vocal fold stiffness or geometry may cause phonation onset to occur as eigenmode synchronization due to a different pair of eigenmodes, leading to sudden changes in phonation onset frequency, vocal fold vibration pattern, and sound production efficiency. Although observed in a linear stability analysis, a similar mechanism may also play a role in register changes at finite-amplitude oscillations.
Demonstration of a wireless, self-powered, electroacoustic liner system
Authors: Phipps Alex , Liu Fei , Cattafesta Louis , Sheplak Mark , Nishida Toshikazu
Published: February 2009

This paper demonstrates the system operation of a self-powered active liner for the suppression of aircraft engine noise. The fundamental element of the active liner system is an electromechanical Helmholtz resonator (EMHR), which consists of a Helmholtz resonator with one of its rigid walls replaced with a circular piezoceramic composite plate. For this system demonstration, two EMHR elements are used, one for acoustic impedance tuning and one for energy harvesting. The EMHR used for acoustic impedance tuning is shunted with a variable resistive load, while the EMHR used for energy harvesting is shunted to a flyback power converter and storage element. The desired acoustic impedance conditions are determined externally, and wirelessly transmitted to the liner system. The power for the receiver and the impedance tuning circuitry in the liner are supplied by the harvested energy. Tuning of the active liner is demonstrated at three different sound pressure levels (148, 151, and 153dB) in order to show the robustness of the energy harvesting and storage system. An acoustic tuning range of approximately 200Hz is demonstrated for each of the three available power levels.
Reflection of plane elastic waves in tetragonal crystals with strong anisotropy
Authors: Voloshinov Vitaly B. , Polikarpova Nataliya V. , Declercq Nico F.
Published: February 2009

Propagation and reflection of plane elastic waves in the acousto-optic crystals tellurium dioxide, rutile, barium titanate, and mercury halides are examined in the paper. The reflection from a free and flat boundary separating the crystals and the vacuum is investigated in the (001) planes in the case of glancing acoustic incidence on the boundary. The analysis shows that two bulk elastic waves may be reflected from the crystal surface. The energy flow of one of the reflected waves in paratellurite and in the mercury compounds propagates in a quasi-back-direction with respect to the incident energy flow. It is proved that energy flows of the incident and reflected elastic waves are separated by a narrow angle of only a few degrees. It is also found that the relative intensity of the unusually reflected waves is close to a unit in a wide variety of crystal cuts. General conclusions related to acoustic propagation and reflection in crystals have been made based on the examined phenomena in the materials.
Inversion of spinning sound fields
Authors: Carley Michael
Published: February 2009

A method is presented for the reconstruction of rotating monopole source distributions using acoustic pressures measured on a sideline parallel to the source axis. The method requires no a priori assumptions about the source other than that its strength at the frequency of interest varies sinusoidally in azimuth on the source disk so that the radiated acoustic field is composed of a single circumferential mode. When multiple azimuthal modes are present, the acoustic field can be decomposed into azimuthal modes and the method applied to each mode in sequence. The method proceeds in two stages, first finding an intermediate line source derived from the source distribution and then inverting this line source to find the radial variation in source strength. A far-field form of the radiation integrals is derived, showing that the far-field pressure is a band-limited Fourier transform of the line source, establishing a limit on the quality of source reconstruction, which can be achieved using far-field measurements. The method is applied to simulated data representing wind-tunnel testing of a ducted rotor system (tip Mach number of 0.74) and to control of noise from an automotive cooling fan (tip Mach number of 0.14), studies which have appeared in the literature of source identification.
An acoustic survey of beaked whales at Cross Seamount near Hawaii
Authors: McDonald Mark A. , Hildebrand John A. , Wiggins Sean M. , Johnston David W. , Polovina Jeffrey J.
Published: February 2009

An acoustic record from Cross Seamount, southwest of Hawaii, revealed sounds characteristic of beaked whale echolocation at the same relative abundance year-around (270 of 356days), occurring almost entirely at night. The most common sound had a linear frequency upsweep from 35to100kHz (the bandwidth of recording), an interpulse interval of 0.11s, and duration of at least 932μs. A less common upsweep sound with shorter interpulse interval and slower sweep rate was also present. Sounds matching Cuvier’s beaked whale were not detected, and Blainville’s beaked whale sounds were detected on only one occasion.
Inferring the acoustic dead-zone volume by split-beam echo sounder with narrow-beam transducer on a noninertial platform
Authors: Patel Ruben , Pedersen Geir , Ona Egil
Published: February 2009

Acoustic measurement of near-bottom fish with a directional transducer is generally problematical because the powerful bottom echo interferes with weaker echoes from fish within the main lobe but at greater ranges than that of the bottom. The volume that is obscured is called the dead zone. This has already been estimated for the special case of a flat horizontal bottom when observed by an echo sounder with a stable vertical transducer beam [Ona, E., and Mitson, R. B. (1996). ICES J. Mar. Sci. 53, 677–690]. The more general case of observation by a split-beam echo sounder with a transducer mounted on a noninertial platform is addressed here. This exploits the capability of a split-beam echo sounder to measure the bottom slope relative to the beam axis and thence to allow the dead-zone volume over a flat but sloping bottom to be estimated analytically. The method is established for the Simrad EK60 scientific echo sounder, with split-beam transducers operating at 18, 38, 70, 120, and 200kHz. It is validated by comparing their estimates of seafloor slope near the Lofoten Islands, N67-70, with simultaneous measurements made by two hydrographic multibeam sonars, the Simrad EM1002∕95kHz and EM300∕30kHz systems working in tandem.
Experimental evaluation of the acoustic properties of stacked-screen regenerators
Authors: Ueda Yuki , Kato Toshihito , Kato Chisachi
Published: February 2009

The experimental evaluation of the wave number and characteristic impedance of stacked-screen regenerators is described. First, a two-by-two transfer matrix of a stacked-screen regenerator was estimated from pressure measurements performed at four different positions; then, the wave number and characteristic impedance of the regenerator were evaluated using a “capillary-tube-based” theory that models a stacked-screen regenerator as an array of pores having a uniform cross section. The evaluation was applied to seven types of stacked-screen regenerators. The experimental results show that these stacked-screen regenerators can be modeled as arrays of circular-cross-section tubes. Moreover, an empirical equation used to estimate the radius of the circular cross section of the tubes comprising the modeled stacked-screen regenerators was addressed.
Comparison of focalization and marginalization for Bayesian tracking in an uncertain ocean environment
Authors: Dosso Stan E. , Wilmut Michael J.
Published: February 2009

This paper compares focalization and marginalization approaches to source tracking when uncertain ocean environmental parameters are included, in addition to source locations, in a Bayesian inversion formulation. Focalization consists of determining the source track that maximizes the posterior probability density (PPD) over all source and environmental parameters. An efficient focalization approach is developed by applying the Viterbi algorithm to compute the optimal track from range-depth conditional probability distributions for each realization of the environmental parameters. This allows source locations to be treated implicitly and the optimization to be applied only to environmental parameters, substantially reducing the dimensionality and complexity of the problem. Marginalization consists of first integrating the PPD over the environmental unknowns to obtain a sequence of joint marginal probability distributions over source range and depth along the track. Applying the Viterbi algorithm to these marginal distributions defines the track estimate, and the distributions themselves quantify the track uncertainty. Monte Carlo analysis of the two approaches for a test case involving both geoacoustic and water-column uncertainties indicates that marginalization provides a significantly more reliable approach to tracking in an unknown environment.
Extensional edge modes in elastic plates and shells
Authors: Kaplunov J. , Pichugin A. V. , Zernov V.
Published: February 2009

The recently discovered undamped localized mode at the end of an elastic strip is demonstrated to be particularly relevant in the plane stress setting, where it exists for the Poisson ratio 0.29. This paper also emphasizes the difference between low-frequency edge modes, typically characterized by low variation across the plate (or shell) thickness, and high-frequency edge modes, whose natural frequencies are of the order of thickness resonance frequencies.
Transition scattering in stochastically inhomogeneous media
Authors: Pavlov V. , Tito E. P.
Published: February 2009

When a physical object (“a source”) without its own eigenfrequency moves through an acoustically homogeneous medium, the only possible form of acoustic radiation is the emission of Mach shock waves, which appear when the source velocity surpasses sonic speed. In nonhomogeneous media, in nonstationary media, or in the neighborhood of such media, the source motion is accompanied by the so-called “transition” radiation (diffraction or scattering), which has place even when the source moves with subsonic velocity. Key features pertaining to the formation of the acoustical transition scattering in media with fluctuating acoustical parameters are established. To analytically study the effect, the Green’s function method formulated in terms of functional derivatives is used. The relationship between the wave number and frequency, k=k(ω), for acoustic waves is found. The results serve to determine the phasing conditions necessary for opening the transition scattering and Cherenkov radiation channel and to establish the physical explanation for the phenomenon—scattering (transformation) on inhomogeneities of the accompanied source field; i.e., formation of radiation appears when the attached field readjusts back to the equilibrium state after being deformed while passing through the fluctuations of the medium.
Effect of bandwidth extension to telephone speech recognition in cochlear implant users
Authors: Liu Chuping , Fu Qian-Jie , Narayanan Shrikanth S.
Published: February 2009

The present study investigated a bandwidth extension method to enhance telephone speech understanding for cochlear implant (CI) users. The acoustic information above telephone speech transmission range (i.e., 3400Hz) was estimated based on trained models describing the relation between narrow-band and wide-band speech. The effect of the bandwidth extension method was evaluated with IEEE sentence recognition tests in seven CI users. Results showed a relatively modest but significant improvement in the speech recognition with the proposed method. The effect of bandwidth extension method was also observed to be highly dependent on individual CI users.
NOVEL BELL INEQUALITIES FOR n QUBITS DISTRIBUTED BETWEEN m < n PARTIES
Authors: CABELLO ADÁN
Published: February 2009

We describe a method for obtaining m-partite Bell inequalities that are maximally violated by n-qubit states by an amount that grows exponentially with n (n > m). These inequalities, derived for states with perfect correlations, are, however, valid for all local hidden variable theories.
NATURAL NUMBERS AND QUANTUM STATES IN FOCK SPACE
Authors: RAFFA FRANCESCO A. , RASETTI MARIO
Published: February 2009

We investigate the expression of natural numbers in any base from a quantum point of view. In particular, resorting to the one-to-one correspondence between natural numbers and Fock states, we construct a set of multiboson operators and a set of translation operators, whose action on the Fock states leads to the coefficients identifying a natural number in any base.
ANGULAR DISPERSION IN SPONTANEOUS PARAMETRIC DOWN CONVERSION: A TOOL TO GENERATE NARROW TEMPORAL BIPHOTONS AND PURE HERALDED SINGLE PHOTONS
Authors: VALENCIA ALEJANDRA , HENDRYCH MARTIN , SHI XIAOJUAN , TORRES JUAN P.
Published: February 2009

In this paper, we describe how introducing angular dispersion into the pump beam and the downconverted photons in spontaneous parametric downconversion allows us to manipulate the joint spectrum of the paired photons. In particular, when collinear geometries are used, we demonstrate an increase of the photons' bandwidth and discuss the implications of this method for the generation of narrow temporal Fourier transform limited biphotons. Additionally, we describe the situation in which angular dispersion is combined with noncollinear geometries. In this case, a full control of the joint spectrum is achieved and heralded pure single photons with controllable bandwidth can be obtained.
EXPERIMENTAL ENTANGLEMENT RESTORATION ON NOISY CHANNELS BY MEASURING ENVIRONMENT
Authors: NAGALI ELEONORA , SCIARRINO FABIO , DE MARTINI FRANCESCO , GAVENDA MIROSLAV , FILIP RADIM
Published: February 2009

In the last years, different procedures have been developed in order to recover entanglement after propagation over a noisy channel. However, above a certain amount of noise, entanglement is completely lost. In this case the channel is called "entanglement-breaking" and any multi-copy distillation methods cannot help to reveal even a bit of entanglement. We report the experimental realization of a new protocol which restores entanglement from a single photon entanglement-breaking channel by measuring the information leaking out into the environment. Such restoration entanglement procedure provides new elements to overcome decoherence effects, a subject of renowed interest in quantum communication in the last decade.
Antimicrobial Resistance Rates of Enterobacter spp.: A Seven-Year Surveillance Study
Authors: Al-Tawfiq Jaffar A. , Antony Amalraj , Abed Mahmoud S.
Published: February 2009

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the trends of antimicrobial resistance of Enterobacter spp. over time in a Saudi Arabian hospital. Materials and Methods: This is an in vitro surveillance study of the antibiotic susceptibility pattern among Enterobacter spp. recovered from outpatient and nosocomial isolates over a 7-year period from 2000 to 2006. Only a single isolate per patient was included. Results: A total of 1,394 nonrepetitive isolates were analyzed during the study period. Enterobactercloacae and Enterobacteraerogenes constituted 60 and 33% of the isolates, respectively. Overall, there was no statistically significant increase in the resistance rates over time for the outpatient and nosocomial isolates of Enterobacter. For E.cloacae, nosocomial isolates were statistically more resistant than outpatient isolates to ceftriaxone (17.5 vs. 5.5%), ciprofloxacin (9.5 vs. 4.7%), ticarcillin (42.8 vs. 25.4%) and ticarcillin-clavulanic acid (23 vs. 9.3%). For E.aerogenes, the nosocomial isolates were also more resistant to ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin than the outpatient isolates (9.2 vs. 2.4% and 9.6 vs. 3%, respectively). In addition, nosocomial isolates of E.aerogenes were more resistant to piperacillin (25 vs. 15.6%) and ticarcillin-clavulanic acid (32 vs. 10.2%) than outpatient isolates. The most active antimicrobial agents were imipenem, amikacin and gentamicin against Enterobacter. Resistance rate to ≥3 classes of antibiotics was present in 2.5% of nosocomial and 1.7% of outpatient isolates (p = 0.78). Conclusion: The resistance rate for the outpatient and nosocomial isolates of Enterobacter had remained relatively stable over the study period. The most active antimicrobial agents were imipenem, amikacin and gentamicin.
Predictive Value of Mild Cognitive Impairment for Dementia
Authors: Baars M.A.E. , van Boxtel M.P.J. , Dijkstra J.B. , Visser P.J. , van den Akker M. , Verhey F.R.J. , Jolles J.
Published: February 2009

Background/Aims: In population studies, different mild cognitive impairment (MCI) definitions have been used to predict dementia at a later stage. This study compared predictive values of different MCI definitions for dementia, and the effect of age on the predictive values was investigated. Methods: This study was conducted as part of an ongoing longitudinal study into the determinants of cognitive aging, the Maastricht Aging Study. Results: MCI best predicted dementia when multiple cognitive domains were considered and subjective complaints were not (sensitivity: 0.66, specificity: 0.78). Age had a strong influence on the sensitivity of MCI for dementia (age 60–70 years: sensitivity = 0.56; age 70–85 years: sensitivity = 0.70). Conclusion: The inclusion of multiple cognitive domains and participants aged 70 years and older leads to the best prediction of dementia, regardless of subjective complaints.
Self-Appraised, Informant-Reported, and Objective Memory and Cognitive Function in Mild Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Chung Jenny C.C. , Man David W.K.
Published: February 2009

Background/Aim: The current knowledge of how self-appraised memory and cognitive function relates to informant reports and neuropsychological performances in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is limited. Methods: Sixty-nine older community-dwelling subjects with MCI and 86 adults with normal cognition (NC) were evaluated on self-appraised (Multifactorial Memory Questionnaire) and objective performance of memory and cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Examination, Fuld Object Memory Evaluation, Digit Span tests, Rivermead Behavioral Memory Test). Informant ratings on the subjects’ cognitive and memory functioning (Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly) were also obtained. The two groups (MCI, NC) did not significantly differ in mean age (79 ± 5.29 vs. 77 ± 5.33) and mean years of education (2.8 ± 3.03 vs. 3.7 ± 4.18). Results: Self-appraised satisfaction and ability of memory and cognitive functions did not correlate with informant reports and neuropsychological performances, but self-reported strategy use correlated with list recall and everyday memory tests in MCI. Conclusion: Persons with MCI may show signs of diminished awareness towards their subtle impairments of memory and cognitive function, as indicated by informant reports and neuropsychological tests.
Hernia of the Umbilical Cord and Associated Ileal Prolapse through a Patent Omphalomesenteric Duct: Prenatal Ultrasound and MRI Findings
Authors: Ono Kyoko , Kikuchi Akihiko , Takikawa Keiko Miyachi , Hiroma Takehiko , Yoshizawa Katsumi , Sunagawa Sorahiro , Takagi Kimiyo , Momose Yoshitaka , Nakamura Tomohiko
Published: February 2009

Background: It is quite unusual for a fistula to communicate directly with the surface of the hernia sac, and associated prolapse of the ileum through a patent omphalomesenteric duct is also extremely rare. Objectives: We report a unique case of a fetus exposed to methimazole in utero, with a hernia of the umbilical cord and associated ileal prolapse through a patent omphalomesenteric duct. Methods and Results: In this case, the umbilical cord was attached to a small unruptured omphalocele, to the right of which a small everted loop of the ileum had evaginated. The hernia sac measured 2.5 cm and contained only ileum. The ileal prolapse was T shaped and had two visible mucosal ostia, and meconium was discharging from the ostium on the oral side. We confirmed that this loop of small bowel had prolapsed through a patent omphalomesenteric duct, which had a fistulous communication with the surface of the hernia sac. This resulted in the misleading prenatal findings on ultrasound and MRI, which were suggestive of a gastroschisis. Such a case with prenatal ultrasound and MRI findings has not been reported previously. Conclusion: The observed congenital anomaly in our fetus might be associated with prenatal exposure to methimazole.
Auditory-Perceptual Evaluation of Disordered Voice Quality
Authors: Oates Jennifer
Published: February 2009

Auditory-perceptual evaluation is the most commonly used clinical voice assessment method, and is often considered a gold standard for documentation of voice disorders. This view has arisen for many reasons, including the fact that voice quality is perceptual in nature and that the perceptual characteristics of voice have greater intuitive meaning and shared reality among listeners than do many instrumental measures. Other factors include limitations in the validity and reliability of instrumental methods and lack of agreement as to the most sensitive and specific instrumental measures of voice quality. Perceptual evaluation has, however, been heavily criticised because it is subjective. As a result, listener reliability is not always adequate and auditory-perceptual ratings can be confounded by factors such as the listener’s shifting internal standards, listener experience, type of rating scale used and the voice sample being evaluated. This paper discusses these pros and cons of perceptual evaluation, and outlines clinical strategies and research approaches that may lead to improvements in the assessment of voice quality. In particular, clinicians are advised to use multiple methods of voice quality evaluation, and to include both subjective and objective evaluation tools.
The Nonpsychotropic Cannabinoid Cannabidiol Modulates and Directly Activates Alpha-1 and Alpha-1-Beta Glycine Receptor Function
Authors: Ahrens Jörg , Demir Reyhan , Leuwer Martin , de la Roche Jeanne , Krampfl Klaus , Foadi Nilufar , Karst Matthias , Haeseler Gertrud
Published: February 2009

Loss of inhibitory synaptic transmission within the dorsal horn of the spinal cord plays a key role in the development of chronic pain following inflammation or nerve injury. Inhibitory postsynaptic transmission in the adult spinal cord involves mainly glycine. Cannabidiol is a nonpsychotropic plant constituent of Cannabis sativa. As we hypothesized that non-CB receptor mechanisms of cannabidiol might contribute to its anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects, we investigated the interaction of cannabidiol with strychnine-sensitive α1 and α1β glycine receptors by using the whole-cell patch clamp technique. Cannabidiol showed a positive allosteric modulating effect in a low micromolar concentration range (EC50 values: α1 = 12.3 ± 3.8 μmol/l and α1β = 18.1 ± 6.2 μmol/l). Direct activation of glycine receptors was observed at higher concentrations above 100 μmol/l (EC50 values: α1 = 132.4 ± 12.3 μmol/l and α1β = 144.3 ± 22.7 μmol/l). These in vitro results suggest that strychnine-sensitive glycine receptors may be a target for cannabidiol mediating some of its anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties.
Deterring Corruption by Prison Personnel
Authors: Souryal Sam S.
Published: February 2009

This article discusses corruption in U.S. prison institutions and proposes effective methods to deter its continuance. Unlike other research that has advocated increasing pain and brutality, this article presents a principle-based approach, not weak, spineless, or soft but indeed earnest, steadfast, and well disciplined. It balances the continuum between reinforcing rational and reasonable rules to control the behavior of inmates and mature and professional performance by enlightened correctional officers. This article is based on a solid assumption: The more civil the correctional institution is, the more civil, and the less violent, its residents will be. It questions the traditional belief that most prison inmates are subhumans who can be controlled only by violence, understand only the crunch of force, and detest the universal norms of fairness, dignity, and humanity. This article concludes by presenting a few practical propositions to better assist prison administrators in performing their duties more effectively and civilly.
The Importance of Responsivity Factors in Predicting Reductions in Antisocial Attitudes and Cognitive Distortions Among Adult Male Offenders
Authors: Hubbard Dana J. , Pealer Jennifer
Published: February 2009

The research has demonstrated that cognitive-behavioral treatment programs for offenders work to reduce recidivism. One reason these programs have been found to be effective is that they target one of the “number one” predictors of crime, antisocial attitudes and values. Unfortunately, these programs may not “work” for all offenders. The literature suggests that personal characteristics of offenders, although not directly related to recidivism, may in fact interfere or hinder the ability for the program to “work.” This is referred to in the literature as the “responsivity principle.” This study seeks to understand the role that personal or responsivity characteristics of offenders play in whether these attitudes and distortions were reduced. This study found that although individual responsivity characteristics alone were not related to whether the program was successful, individuals with a combination of the important responsivity characteristics (e.g., low intelligence, low self-esteem, and history of sexual abuse) were less likely to benefit from the program. In fact, their cognitive distortions were often made worse. Thus, it may be that responsivity should be seen as having a cumulative effect. The more “issues” an offender has, the less likely the treatment will accomplish what it is “supposed to do”—which in this case was to reduce antisocial or cognitive distortions.
Decoding Urban Land Governance: State Reconstruction in Contemporary Chinese Cities
Authors: Jiang Xu  , Yeh Anthony
Published: February 2009

In the rapidly growing literature on urban development in China, many authors have emphasised the salient features of economic decentralisation and the increasingly significant role of the local state. However, such arguments neglect a counter-trend in which the central state has deterritorialised and rehierarchised some key functions. Using the case of land governance, this paper argues that facing the complication of changing urban conditions, there is a resurgence of the state's regulatory power. The decentralisation of economic governance is now counter-balanced by the rise of state strategies to control the articulation of scales through which a more centrally consolidated power can be achieved. The central government still serves as an important level of economic regulation. In this sense, new interpretations of commoditised urban transformation, especially commoditised production of the built environment, should be understood by underscoring the interplay between trends of decentralisation and territorialisation and counter-trends of recentralisation and hierarchisation.
Children's `Place' in the Development of Neighbourhood Social Capital
Authors: Weller Susie , Bruegel Irene
Published: February 2009

The restrictions many parents place on children's spatial freedoms are often tied to concerns about `urban risk'. Concurrently, those children afforded greater spatial autonomy are often represented as threatening and disruptive to local social interaction. Little research has, however, explored the implications of children's spatial freedoms on social cohesion. Framed by the concept of social capital, this paper examines the role children play in developing the kinds of connection and relationship that build social networks, trust and neighbourliness. Focusing on children's lives in three inner-city and two suburban locations in England, the paper explores neighbourhood social capital in relation to two `critical interactions': first, between social policy, parenting values and children's autonomy and, secondly, between children's and parents' local engagement.
Social Polarisation or Professionalisation? Another Look at Theory and Evidence on Deindustrialisation and the Rise of the Service Sector
Authors: Borel-Saladin Jacqueline , Crankshaw Owen
Published: February 2009

The debate over whether or not the deindustrialisation of cities is accompanied by the occupational and income polarisation of their working populations has been characterised by some confusion over the relationship between incomes and occupations in the service sector. Specifically, many scholars have misunderstood the significance of middle-income service-sector occupations for their interpretations of the post-industrial class structure of cities. Through a comparative study of deindustrialisation in Cape Town, evidence is presented to show that the growth of service-sector employment can produce a large middle-income occupational class of clerks, sales and personal services workers. The growth of this class can offset the decline of middle-income jobs caused by the loss of artisans, machine operators and drivers in the declining manufacturing sector. These results therefore suggest that many studies have overestimated the extent of occupational polarisation and underestimated the extent of professionalisation.
Mental, Physical, and Behavioral Outcomes Associated With Perceived Work Stress in Police Officers
Authors: Gershon Robyn R.M. , Barocas Briana , Canton Allison N. , Xianbin Li  , Vlahov David
Published: February 2009

This study estimates the effects of perceived work stress in police officers and determines the impact of coping on both perceived work stress and health. Officers from a large, urban police department ( N = 1,072) completed detailed questionnaires. Exposure to critical incidents, workplace discrimination, lack of cooperation among coworkers, and job dissatisfaction correlated significantly with perceived work stress. Work stress was significantly associated with adverse outcomes, including depression and intimate partner abuse. Officers who relied on negative or avoidant coping mechanisms reported both higher levels of perceived work stress and adverse health outcomes. Results have implications for improving stress-reducing efforts among police officers. Interventions that address modifiable stressors and promote effective coping and resiliency will probably be most beneficial in minimizing police stress and associated outcomes.
Does Time Fly When You're Having Fun, or Do You?
Authors: McGlone Matthew S. , Pfiester R. Abigail
Published: February 2009

When describing the passage of time, people metaphorically assign the agency for temporal change to themselves (e.g., we are approaching the weekend) or an event ( the weekend is approaching). Embodiment theory suggests that temporal agency assignments reflect conceptual correspondences between time, motion, and emotion, whereby people symbolically move toward affectively positive events but passively observe the arrival of negative events. This article reports three studies testing these theoretical claims. Analyses of large spoken and written English corpora (Study 1) and solicited accounts of positive and negative experiences (Study 2) indicated that communicators prefer to assign temporal agency to themselves when describing positive events but to events when describing negative events. Study 3 demonstrated that temporal agency assignments have attributional consequences, in that they colored participants' perceptions of a fictitious speaker's affective orientation toward a described event. Implications of these findings for the study of temporal communication are discussed.
The Need for a Communicative Approach to Improve Environmental Policy Integration in Urban Land Use Planning
Authors: Simeonova Vanya , van der Valk Arnold
Published: February 2009

The debate on sustainable development emphasizes the importance of integrating environmental policy into all policy sectors. It is increasingly recognized that this integration is needed at both the national and the local levels of governance. The Environmental Policy Integration (EPI) principle agreed upon in a number of international and EU commitments is receiving the attention of more urban planning scholars. The EPI phenomenon is underresearched, and in many countries, its implementation, particularly subnationally as in urban planning, is hindered by organizational and administrative weaknesses. This article seeks to show how a communicative approach can be used to improve EPI in the urban planning context, based on a literature review of organization theory and communicative planning. The review sheds light on the relevance of the communicative approach to EPI by comparing it with existing EPI approaches. The authors conclude that a communicative approach to EPI is potentially illuminating in changing organizational structures and how individual actors interact in urban planning processes.
`Barter', `Deals', `Bribes' and `Threats'
Authors: McIntosh Ian , Punch Samantha
Published: February 2009

This article investigates forms of strategic interaction between siblings during childhood. The authors argue that these interactions, characterized by notions of reciprocity, equivalence and constructions of fairness, are worked out in relation to responsibility, power, knowledge and sibling status. Birth order and age are not experienced as fixed hierarchies as they can be subverted, contested, resisted and negotiated. To explore these issues, in-depth individual and group interviews were conducted with a sample of 90 children between the ages of 5 and 17, drawn from 30 families of mixed socioeconomic backgrounds in central Scotland with three siblings within this age range.
Child Poverty in Portugal
Authors: Bastos Amélia , Nunes Francisco
Published: February 2009

This article analyses the extent and persistence of child poverty in Portugal between 1995 and 2001. Data from the Portuguese component of the European Community Household Panel Survey (ECHP) are used to estimate child poverty rates and children's flows in and out of poverty. The article focuses upon an analysis based on family income and on a set of non-monetary indicators. This approach allows a comparison of changes in child income poverty and deprivation and, therefore, tests the consistency of child poverty from a dynamic perspective. Overall, relative child poverty rates in Portugal are among the highest in the EU. Children are a group particularly vulnerable to poverty and show a significant risk of poverty, compared to the population as a whole. Children living in households with three or more siblings, children in lone-parent families and in households headed by an unemployed person present a higher risk of income poverty. In terms of deprivation, the results obtained are, on average, consistent with the outcomes of the family income based analysis. This study of child poverty presents a portrait of child poverty in Portugal, and offers important indicators for social policy design.
Presentation and Representation
Authors: Faulkner Kathryn M.
Published: February 2009

This article draws on material from a case study of a group of young people involved in ongoing public decision-making in a local authority. The group of young people is compared to a political interest group and insights from the literature applied. It is argued that two of the strongest resources the group had to offer adult decision-makers were their ability to speak on behalf of other young people and to do this in acceptable ways. Looking in more depth at these two resources, it can be seen that both were actively constructed and contested by the adults and young people over time. Both resources can be seen as holding advantages for the young people while at the same time being continuously problematic for them.