bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
RIVAL REGULATORY REGIMES IN INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS: THE CASE OF BIOSAFETY
Authors: SCHULZE KAI , TOSUN JALE
Published: May 2015

The literature on international regulatory regimes has highlighted how rival standards can create different points of convergence. Scholarly attention has also focused on how the European Union (EU) and the United States (USA) attempt to ‘export’ their environmental standards internationally. Here, we explore the effectiveness of these attempts by means of third states' decisions to ratify the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity, a multilateral environmental agreement regulating genetically modified organisms that is promoted by the EU but opposed by the USA. Our findings confirm that both rivals are able to influence the ratification decision of states, but they also suggest that these effects may have different origins. Countries relying more heavily on US markets for food exports tend to be less likely to ratify the Cartagena Protocol, while countries that have applied for EU membership are more likely to ratify the protocol.
Superficial and Deep Infiltrating Congenital Juvenile Xanthogranuloma Involving Multiple Skeletal Muscles and Associated with Ulceration and Generalized Postinvolution Atrophy
Authors: Moon Hye‐Rim , Won Chong Hyun , Chang Sung Eun , Lee Mi Woo , Choi Jee Ho , Moon Kee Chan
Published: May 2015

We present a 2‐day‐old boy with a deep‐seated giant juvenile xanthogranuloma infiltrating the skeletal muscles on his right lower limb. Unlike typical juvenile xanthogranuloma, the lesion has shown only partial spontaneous regression with large atrophic scar. However, despite the involvement multiple muscle on the right thigh, the patient has no evidence of orthopaedic sequelae.
Generalized infantile myofibromatosis with a monophasic primitive pattern
Authors: Iwafuchi Hideto , Tsuzuki Toyonori , Ito Rieko , Miyake Hiromu , Okita Hajime , Hamazaki Minoru
Published: May 2015

Infantile myofibromatosis (IM) is a rare disorder present at birth or in early infancy with a biphasic histological pattern. We present a neonatal‐onset case of generalized IM with visceral (central nervous system, heart, lungs, liver, spleen, small intestine, kidneys and bones) and placental involvement, showing a monophasic histological pattern through the lesions during the course of disease. Histologically, the tumor was composed of a solid proliferation of cytologically uniform, ‘primitive’ mesenchymal cells associated with a hemangiopericytoma‐like vascular pattern. Immunohistochemical analysis and ultrastructural study revealed that the tumor cells exhibited primitive features without mature myofibroblastic differentiation. Neither ETV6‐NTRK3 nor ACTB‐GLI fusion gene was identified. The patient died of cerebral hemorrhage and respiratory failure at four months of age despite intensive therapy. Generalized IM characterized by monophasic primitive pattern could be related to poor clinical outcome.
Involvement of NtERF3 in the cell death signalling pathway mediated by SIPK/WIPK and WRKY1 in tobacco plants
Authors: Ogata T. , Okada H. , Kawaide H. , Takahashi H. , Seo S. , Mitsuhara I. , Matsushita Y.
Published: May 2015

We previously reported that one of the ethylene response factors (ERFs), NtERF3, and other members of the subgroup VIII‐a ERFs of the AP2/ERF family exhibit cell death‐inducing ability in tobacco leaves. In this study, we focused on the involvement of NtERF3 in a cell death signalling pathway in tobacco plants, particularly downstream of NtSIPK/NtWIPK and NtWRKY1, which are mitogen‐activated protein kinases and a phosphorylation substrate of NtSIPK, respectively. An ERF‐associated amphiphilic repression (EAR) motif‐deficient NtERF3b mutant (NtERF3bΔEAR) that lacked cell death‐inducing ability suppressed the induction of cell death caused by NtERF3a. The transient co‐expression of NtERF3bΔEAR suppressed the hypersensitive reaction (HR)‐like cell death induced by NtSIPK and NtWRKY1. The induction of cell death by NtSIPK and NtWRKY1 was also inhibited in transgenic plants expressing NtERF3bΔEAR. Analysis of gene expression, ethylene production and cell death symptoms in salicylic acid‐deficient tobacco plants suggested the existence of some feedback regulation in the HR cell death signalling pathway mediated by SIPK/WIPK and WRKY1. Overall, these results suggest that NtERF3 functions downstream of NtSIPK/NtWIPK and NtWRKY1 in a cell death signalling pathway, with some feedback regulation.
Heterosides – compatible solutes occurring in prokaryotic and eukaryotic phototrophs
Authors: Hagemann M. , Pade N.
Published: May 2015

The acclimation to osmotic and/or salt stress conditions induces an integrated response at different cellular levels. One acclimation strategy relies on the massive accumulation of low molecular mass compounds, so‐called compatible solutes, to balance osmotic gradients and to directly protect critical macromolecules. Heterosides are compounds composed of a sugar and a polyol moiety that represent one chemical class of compatible solutes with interesting features. Well‐investigated examples are glucosylglycerol, which is found in many cyanobacteria, and galactosylglycerols (floridoside and isofloridoside), which are accumulated by eukaryotic algae under salt stress conditions. Here, we review knowledge on physiology, biochemistry and genetics of heteroside accumulation in pro‐ and eukaryotic photoautotrophic organisms.
Comparative Development of Embryonic Age by Organogenesis in Domestic Dogs and Cats
Authors: Pieri NCG , Souza AF , Casals JB , Roballo KCS , Ambrósio CE , Martins DS
Published: May 2015

Contents

The precise determination of the embryonic chronology is very important in reproductive biotechnologies, especially in estimating embryonic age. Thus, there is a need for greater knowledge and standardization for determining the chronology of embryonic development and functional morphology. We describe aspects of embryonic development in two domestic carnivores to add knowledge about organ peculiarities and for application in veterinary practice, in prenatal development and in the biotechnology fields. We found that the development of differential characteristics of embryonic organs occurs in the first trimester of pregnancy for both species. Thus, using the combination of the crown‐rump length, macroscopic analysis and optical microscopy, it is possible to predict gestational age more precisely in animals that lack a defined breed and establish an embryonic pattern.
Loss of biodiversity and hydrologic function in seasonal wetlands persists over 10 years of livestock grazing removal
Authors: Marty Jaymee T.
Published: May 2015

Ecological restoration provides a means to increase biodiversity in ecosystems degraded by natural and human‐induced changes. In some systems, disturbances such as grazing can be key factors in the successful restoration of biodiversity and ecological function, but few studies have addressed this experimentally, especially over long time periods and at landscape scales. In this study, we excluded livestock grazing from plots within a grassland landscape containing vernal pools in the Central Valley of California for 10 years and compared vernal pool hydrology and plant community composition with areas grazed under an historic regime. In all 10 years, the relative cover of native plant species remained between 5 and 20% higher in the grazed versus ungrazed plots. This effect was particularly prominent on the pool edges, though evidence of invasion into the pool basins was evident later in the study. Native species richness was lower in the ungrazed plots with 10–20% fewer native species found in ungrazed versus grazed plots in all years except the first year of treatment. Ungrazed pools held water for a shorter period of time than pools grazed under an historic regime. By the ninth year of the study, ungrazed pools took up to 2 weeks longer to fill and dried down 1–2 weeks sooner at the end of the rainy season compared to grazed pools. The results of this study confirm that livestock grazing plays a key role in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem function in vernal pools.
Food Demand Characteristics inUganda: Estimation and Policy Relevance
Authors: Boysen Ole
Published: May 2015

Uganda was highly successful in reducing poverty over the past two decades but made little progress towards household food security. This underlines the need for designing food security interventions customised for household‐specific needs and behaviours. This study estimatesUgandan household demand behaviour with a focus on food consumption paying particular attention to household‐specific characteristics. The results show that preferences to increase calorie‐dense staple consumption, likely associated with food energy deficiency, extend far beyond the percentage of ruralUgandans officially deemed poor. Price elasticities indicate that poor rural households are largely well positioned to compensate staple price increases by substitution as long as they are not already concentrated on the cheapest foods. This flexibility applies less to urban households. The estimated demand elasticities generally vary widely between rural and urban households and depend on expenditure levels. Household‐specific characteristics have significant, sometimes pronounced, influences on demand, as do seasons and regions. The results reflect highly differentiated demand behaviour, which can be utilised to improve the design and evaluation of food security interventions.
Interleukin‐6 and C‐reactive protein load in pre‐storage and post‐storage white blood cell‐filtered red blood cell transfusions in premature infants
Authors: Say B. , Sari F. N. , Oguz S. S. , Degirmencioglu H. , Arayici S. , Kadioglu Simsek G. , Ibrisim E. G. , Dilmen U.
Published: May 2015

Objective

Leukocyte contamination during blood transfusion can cause many adverse effects. Filtration can be performed either at bedside during the transfusion or as pre‐storage filtration. Pre‐storage filtration is superior to bedside filtration because leukocytes are removed prior to storage, thus preventing further adverse effects associated with the storage of these cells.

Methods and Materials

One hundred and six infants were randomised into two groups: pre‐storage filtration (group 1, n = 53) and bedside filtration (group 2, n = 53). C‐reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) levels were analysed within 24 h prior to the transfusion and 24 h after completion of the transfusion.

Results

In group 1, pre‐transfusion median CRP and IL‐6 levels were 2·95 (0·73–10·25) mg L−1 and 8·59 (3·45–20·55) pg L−1, respectively, and post‐transfusion median CRP and IL‐6 levels were 2·28 (0·44–12·87) mg L−1 and 6·62 (2·18–27·87) pg L−1, respectively. In group 2, pre‐transfusion median CRP and IL‐6 levels were 1·30 (0·40–7·84) mg L−1 and 4·40 (2–17·12) pg L−1, respectively, and post‐transfusion median CRP and IL‐6 levels were 3·50 (0·50–7·85) mg L−1 and 8·30 (3·48–23·75) pg L−1, respectively. There were no differences between pre‐storage and post‐storage leukoreduction average IL‐6 and CRP levels in either group (P > 0·05 for both). Packed red blood cell (PRBC)‐related necrotizing enterocolitis was detected in one infant in group 2.

Conclusions

Because leukocytes in PRBC transfusions can be associated with many undesirable effects, leukoreduction is the best choice to prevent those effects. However, this method is still controversial. We demonstrated that using pre‐storage and post‐storage leukoreduction methods in erythrocyte transfusions did not change CRP or IL‐6 levels, which are indicators of acute‐phase response.
Gene network analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana flower development through dynamic gene perturbations
Authors: Ó'Maoiléidigh Diarmuid S. , Thomson Bennett , Raganelli Andrea , Wuest Samuel E. , Ryan Patrick T. , Kwaśniewska Kamila , Carles Cristel C. , Graciet Emmanuelle , Wellmer Frank
Published: May 2015

Understanding how flowers develop from undifferentiated stem cells has occupied developmental biologists for decades. Key to unraveling this process is a detailed knowledge of the global regulatory hierarchies that control developmental transitions, cell differentiation and organ growth. These hierarchies may be deduced from gene perturbation experiments, which determine the effects on gene expression after specific disruption of a regulatory gene. Here, we tested experimental strategies for gene perturbation experiments during Arabidopsis thaliana flower development. We used artificial miRNAs (amiRNAs) to disrupt the functions of key floral regulators, and expressed them under the control of various inducible promoter systems that are widely used in the plant research community. To be able to perform genome‐wide experiments with stage‐specific resolution using the various inducible promoter systems for gene perturbation experiments, we also generated a series of floral induction systems that allow collection of hundreds of synchronized floral buds from a single plant. Based on our results, we propose strategies for performing dynamic gene perturbation experiments in flowers, and outline how they may be combined with versions of the floral induction system to dissect the gene regulatory network underlying flower development.
Pollen S–locus F–box proteins of Petunia involved in S–RNase‐based self‐incompatibility are themselves subject to ubiquitin‐mediated degradation
Authors: Sun Penglin , Li Shu , Lu Dihong , Williams Justin S. , Kao Teh‐Hui
Published: May 2015

Many flowering plants show self‐incompatibility, an intra‐specific reproductive barrier by which pistils reject self‐pollen to prevent inbreeding and accept non‐self pollen to promote out‐crossing. In Petunia, the polymorphic S–locus determines self/non‐self recognition. The locus contains a gene encoding an S–RNase, which controls pistil specificity, and multiple S‐locus F‐box (SLF) genes that collectively control pollen specificity. Each SLF is a component of an SCF (Skp1/Cullin/F‐box) complex that is responsible for mediating degradation of non‐self S‐RNase(s), with which the SLF interacts, via the ubiquitin–26S proteasome pathway. A complete set of SLFs is required to detoxify all non‐self S‐RNases to allow cross‐compatible pollination. Here, we show that SLF1 of Petunia inflata is itself subject to degradation via the ubiquitin–26S proteasome pathway, and identify an 18 amino acid sequence in the C‐terminal region of S2‐SLF1 (SLF1 of S2 haplotype) that contains a degradation motif. Seven of the 18 amino acids are conserved among all 17 SLF proteins of S2 haplotype and S3 haplotype involved in pollen specificity, suggesting that all SLF proteins are probably subject to similar degradation. Deleting the 18 amino acid sequence from S2‐SLF1 stabilized the protein but abolished its function in self‐incompatibility, suggesting that dynamic cycling of SLF proteins is an integral part of their function in self‐incompatibility.
The Development and Use of Evidence Summaries for Point of Care Information Systems: A Streamlined Rapid Review Approach
Authors: Munn Zachary , Lockwood Craig , Moola Sandeep
Published: May 2015

Background

A systematic review of evidence is the research method which underpins the traditional approach to evidence‐based health care. As systematic reviews follow a rigorous methodology, they can take a substantial amount of time to complete ranging in duration from 6 months to 2 years. Rapid reviews have been proposed as a method to provide summaries of the literature in a more timely fashion.

Aim

The aim of this paper is to outline our experience of developing evidence summaries in the context of a point of care resource as a contribution to the emerging field of rapid review methodologies.

Methods

Evidence summaries are defined as a synopsis that summarizes existing international evidence on healthcare interventions or activities. These summaries are based on structured searches of the literature and selected evidence‐based healthcare databases. Following the search, all studies are assessed for internal validity using an abridged set of critical appraisal tools. Once developed, they undergo three levels of peer review by internal and external experts.

Results

As of November 2014, there are 2458 evidence summaries that have been created across a range of conditions to inform evidence‐based healthcare practices. In addition, there is ongoing development of various new evidence summaries on a wide range of topics. Approximately 60–70 new evidence summaries are published every month, covering research in various medical specialty areas. All summaries are updated annually.

Linking Evidence to Action

Systematic reviews, although the ideal type of research to inform practice, often do not meet the needs of users at the point of care. This article describes the development framework for the creation of evidence summaries, a type of rapid review. Although evidence summaries may result in a less rigorous process of development, they can be useful for improving practice at the point of care.
Partial Stochastic Linearization of a Spherical Pendulum With Coriolis Damping Produced by Radial Spring and Damper
Authors: Viet L. D.
Published: May 2015

This study considers the stochastic analysis of a spherical pendulum, whose bidirectional vibration is reduced by spring and damper installed in the radial direction between the point mass and the cable. Under sway motion, the centrifugal force results in the radial motion, which in its turn produces the Coriolis force to reduce sway motion. In stochastic analysis and design, the problem is that the Monte Carlo simulation is time-consuming, while the full stochastic linearization totally fails to describe the effectiveness of the spring and damper. We propose the partial linearization applied to the Coriolis damping to overcome the disadvantages of two mentioned methods. Moreover, the proposed technique can give the analytical solution of partial linearized system. A numerical simulation is performed to verify the proposed approach.
Effect of Modes Inside or Outside the Studied Band on Accuracy of Decay Rate Method in Vibration Damping Test
Authors: Yin Banghui , Wang Minqing
Published: May 2015

The band-averaged damping is determined by modal damping of the modes inside/outside the frequency band. In this paper, the effect of modes inside/outside a frequency band on the accuracy of the decay rate method (DRM) in vibration damping test was studied. First, to study the effect of modes inside a frequency band on the accuracy of DRM, the relationship between the damping loss factors (DLFs) from DRM and that from statistical energy analysis (SEA) was deduced theoretically. As shown from the analytical results, the DLF from DRM is close to that from SEA when the differences of the modal loss factors of the modes in the band are small; while the DLF from DRM is much less than that from the SEA if the differences of the modal loss factors in the band are large. Second, the influence of energy leakage from modes outside a frequency band on damping test results was studied numerically. The study reveals that when there is no mode in a frequency band, the effect of the mode outside the band on the decay rate (DR) of DRM is only related with the DR of the mode instead of the location of the mode; while when the band contains modes, the DR of DRM is influenced by the DR, amplitude, and location of the modes outside the band and the influence has a positive variation with DR, amplitude, and distance from the mode to the band. Finally, plate's transient impact response data from finite element simulation were used to verify the relevant conclusions.
A Horizontal Diamagnetic Levitation Based Low Frequency Vibration Energy Harvester
Authors: Palagummi S. , Zou J. , Yuan F. G.
Published: May 2015

This paper investigates a horizontal diamagnetic levitation (HDL) system for vibration energy harvesting in contrast to the vertical diamagnetic levitation (VDL) system recently proposed by Wang et al. (2013, “A Magnetically Levitated Vibration Energy Harvester,” Smart Mater. Struct., 22(5), p. 055016). In this configuration, two large magnets, alias lifting magnets (LMs), are arranged co-axially at a distance such that in between them a magnet, alias floating magnet (FM), is passively levitated at a laterally offset equilibrium position. The levitation is stabilized in the horizontal direction by two diamagnetic plates (DPs) made of pyrolytic graphite placed on each side of the FM. This HDL configuration mitigates the limitation on the amplitude of the FM imposed in the VDL configuration and exploits the ability to tailor the geometry to meet specific applications due to its frequency tuning capability. A simple circular coil geometry is designed to replace a portion of the pyrolytic graphite plate without sacrificing the stability of the levitation for transduction. An experimental setup exhibits a weak softening frequency response and validates the theoretical findings; at an input root mean square (RMS) acceleration of 0.0434 m/s2 and at a resonant frequency of 1.2 Hz, the prototype generated a RMS power of 3.6 μW with an average system efficiency of 1.93%.
Stress engineering in GaN structures grown on Si(111) substrates by SiN masking layer application
Authors: Szymański Tomasz , Wośko Mateusz , Paszkiewicz Bogdan , Paszkiewicz Regina , Drzik Milan
Published: May 2015

GaN layers without and with an in-situ SiN mask were grown by using metal organic vapor phase epitaxy for three different approaches used in GaN on silicon(111) growth, and the physical and optical properties of the GaN layers were studied. For each approach applied, GaN layers of 1.4 μm total thickness were grown, using silan SiH4 as Si source in order to grow SixNx masking layer. The optical micrographs, scanning electron microscope images, and atomic force microscope images of the grown samples revealed cracks for samples without SiN mask, and micropits, which were characteristic for the samples grown with SiN mask. In situ reflectance signal traces were studied showing a decrease of layer coalescence time and higher degree of 3D growth mode for samples with SiN masking layer. Stress measurements were conducted by two methods—by recording micro-Raman spectra and ex-situ curvature radius measurement—additionally PLs spectra were obtained revealing blueshift of PL peak positions with increasing stress. The authors have shown that a SiN mask significantly improves physical and optical properties of GaN multilayer systems reducing stress in comparison to samples grown applying the same approaches but without SiN masking layer.
Video analysis of sliding chains: A dynamic model based on variable-mass systems
Authors: Moreno R. , Page A. , Riera J. , Hueso J. L.
Published: May 2015

This paper presents an experimental study of the dynamics of a chain sliding off of a table, using video analysis to test a theoretical model. The model consists of two variable-mass subsystems, with friction between the chain and the table and assumes that all links move at the same speed. In order to check the model, the chain position x(t) is obtained using video analysis. The smoothed function x(t) and its derivatives v(t) and a(t) are numerically computed using a local regression algorithm. In this way, the differential equation governing the motion can be directly tested, instead of comparing the position with the solution of the differential equation. Our procedure is very sensitive to deviations between the model and reality, so we can detect the point at which the chain ceases to be in tension and the model is no longer valid. This experiment shows students the limitations of simplified models and offers an opportunity to assess a model's range of validity.
Comparison of the lateral retention forces on sessile and pendant water drops on a solid surface
Authors: de la Madrid Rafael , Whitehead Taylor , Irwin George M.
Published: May 2015

We present a simple experiment that demonstrates how a water drop hanging from a Plexiglas surface (pendant drop) experiences a lateral retention force that is comparable to, and in some cases larger than, the lateral retention force on a drop resting on top of the surface (sessile drop). The experiment also affords a simple demonstration of the Coriolis effect in two dimensions.
A geometric method to determine the electric field due to a uniformly charged line segment
Authors: Zuo Fulin
Published: May 2015

A geometrical method to calculate the electric field due to a uniformly charged rod is presented. The result is surprisingly simple and elegant. Using only lengths and angles, the direction of the electric field at any point due to this charge configuration can be graphically determined. The method is not new but seems to have been all but forgotten. A full understanding of this result can lead to a deeper appreciation of symmetry in a seemingly un-symmetric system.
Analysis of off-axis solenoid fields using the magnetic scalar potential: An application to a Zeeman-slower for cold atoms
Authors: Muniz Sérgio R. , Bagnato Vanderlei S. , Bhattacharya M.
Published: May 2015

In a region free of currents, magnetostatics can be described by the Laplace equation of a scalar magnetic potential, and one can apply the same methods commonly used in electrostatics. Here, we show how to calculate the general vector field inside a real (finite) solenoid, using only the magnitude of the field along the symmetry axis. Our method does not require integration or knowledge of the current distribution and is presented through practical examples, including a nonuniform finite solenoid used to produce cold atomic beams via laser cooling. These examples allow educators to discuss the nontrivial calculation of fields off-axis using concepts familiar to most students, while offering the opportunity to introduce themes of current modern research.
Electromagnetic mirrors in the sky: Accessible applications of Maxwell's equations
Authors: Withers Paul
Published: May 2015

All too often, Maxwell's equations are taught as mathematical abstractions without any connections to students' personal experiences. However, the interaction of radio waves with Earth's ionosphere provides an opportunity to apply Maxwell's equations in scenarios that have some connections to students' daily lives. A description of how electromagnetic waves propagate through a plasma is derived from Maxwell's equations. This description is used to show how the reflection of radio waves by the ionosphere can be used to enable long range radio communications, to establish that the Sun's emission varies over the solar cycle, and to measure physical properties of the ionosphere.
The equivalence principle and the relative velocity of local inertial frames
Authors: Shojai F. , Shojai A.
Published: May 2015

In this paper, we explicitly show that in general relativity, the relative velocity of two local inertial frames is always less than the velocity of light. This fact is a by-product of the equivalence principle. The general result is then illustrated within two examples, the FLRW cosmological model and the Schwarzschild metric.
Two types of nonlinear wave equations for diffractive beams in bubbly liquids with nonuniform bubble number density
Authors: Kanagawa Tetsuya
Published: May 2015

This paper theoretically treats the weakly nonlinear propagation of diffracted sound beams in nonuniform bubbly liquids. The spatial distribution of the number density of the bubbles, initially in a quiescent state, is assumed to be a slowly varying function of the spatial coordinates; the amplitude of variation is assumed to be small compared to the mean number density. A previous derivation method of nonlinear wave equations for plane progressive waves in uniform bubbly liquids [Kanagawa, Yano, Watanabe, and Fujikawa (2010). J. Fluid Sci. Technol. 5(3), 351–369] is extended to handle quasi-plane beams in weakly nonuniform bubbly liquids. The diffraction effect is incorporated by adding a relation that scales the circular sound source diameter to the wavelength into the original set of scaling relations composed of nondimensional physical parameters. A set of basic equations for bubbly flows is composed of the averaged equations of mass and momentum, the Keller equation for bubble wall, and supplementary equations. As a result, two types of evolution equations, a nonlinear Schrödinger equation including dissipation, diffraction, and nonuniform effects for high-frequency short-wavelength case, and a Khokhlov–Zabolotskaya–Kuznetsov equation including dispersion and nonuniform effects for low-frequency long-wavelength case, are derived from the basic set.
Underwater sound radiation from an elastically coated plate with an embedded and distributed inhomogeneity
Authors: Zhang Yanni , Pan Jie
Published: May 2015

This paper studies the effects of an embedded and distributed inhomogeneity on the underwater sound radiation from an elastically coated plate. Embedding a signal conditioning plate (SCP) in the coating material provides an extra parameter for controlling the sound radiation of the plate, as compared with the previous design with an SCP on the coating surface [Y. Zhang and J. Pan, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 133(1), 173–185 (2013)]. For such a configuration, the vibration and sound responses of the coated plate to a point force excitation are described by three coupled Fredholm integral equations of the second kind. Its acoustical properties are examined by comparing the radiation powers from plates without an SCP, with a surface SCP, and with an embedded SCP. The differences in the sound powers are explained through resonance and scattering caused by the interaction of the embedded SCP with structural waves. The effects of the depth of the embedded SCP in the coating material on the sound radiation properties of the plate are discussed in detail.
The early maximum likelihood estimation model of audiovisual integration in speech perception
Authors: Andersen Tobias S.
Published: May 2015

Speech perception is facilitated by seeing the articulatory mouth movements of the talker. This is due to perceptual audiovisual integration, which also causes the McGurk−MacDonald illusion, and for which a comprehensive computational account is still lacking. Decades of research have largely focused on the fuzzy logical model of perception (FLMP), which provides excellent fits to experimental observations but also has been criticized for being too flexible, post hoc and difficult to interpret. The current study introduces the early maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) model of audiovisual integration to speech perception along with three model variations. In early MLE, integration is based on a continuous internal representation before categorization, which can make the model more parsimonious by imposing constraints that reflect experimental designs. The study also shows that cross-validation can evaluate models of audiovisual integration based on typical data sets taking both goodness-of-fit and model flexibility into account. All models were tested on a published data set previously used for testing the FLMP. Cross-validation favored the early MLE while more conventional error measures favored more complex models. This difference between conventional error measures and cross-validation was found to be indicative of over-fitting in more complex models such as the FLMP.
Numerical study of interparticle radiation force acting on rigid spheres in a standing wave
Authors: Sepehrirahnama Shahrokh , Lim Kian-Meng , Chau Fook Siong
Published: May 2015

Acoustic radiation force can be used to move micro-sized particles, such as cells, in microfluidic devices. Although the number of particles in a microfluidic device is large, typically 2.5% (weight/volume), the acoustic force acting on a particle is commonly calculated using an analytical formula for a single particle in infinite medium. The interparticle forces are typically ignored as these are not easily accounted for and calculated with simple closed-form solutions. Based on the isothermal theory for an ideal fluid, a numerical scheme is hereby proposed to calculate the total radiation force, including the interparticle forces. The method uses the multipole series expansion and the weighted residual method to solve the governing Helmholtz equation with the necessary boundary conditions on the particle surface. The effect of different parameters on the primary and interparticle forces is studied using the proposed numerical scheme. It is shown that, near the pressure node, the interparticle forces are dominant and configurations of the spheres are determined by the interparticle forces. The proposed numerical scheme can be used for various sizes of spherical particles.
Smoothness of an equation for the glottal flow rate versus the glottal area
Authors: Lucero Jorge C. , Schoentgen Jean
Published: May 2015

This letter proposes a correction to an equation by Titze [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 75, 570–580 (1984)] for the volume velocity of the glottal air flow given the glottal area and other laryngeal parameters. It shows that the equation produces non-differentiable waveforms at the instants of glottal closure and opening, if the glottal area is also not differentiable at those instants. By adding an air viscosity term to the equation, twice-differentiability is obtained. Also, the letter corrects a sign error in the original formulation.
Automated detection of broadband clicks of freshwater fish using spectro-temporal features
Authors: Kottege Navinda , Jurdak Raja , Kroon Frederieke , Jones Dean
Published: May 2015

Large scale networks of embedded wireless sensor nodes can passively capture sound for species detection. However, the acoustic recordings result in large amounts of data requiring in-network classification for such systems to be feasible. The current state of the art in the area of in-network bioacoustics classification targets narrowband or long-duration signals, which render it unsuitable for detecting species that emit impulsive broadband signals. In this study, impulsive broadband signals were classified using a small set of spectral and temporal features to aid in their automatic detection and classification. A prototype system is presented along with an experimental evaluation of automated classification methods. The sound used was recorded from a freshwater invasive fish in Australia, the spotted tilapia (Tilapia mariae). Results show a high degree of accuracy after evaluating the proposed detection and classification method for T. mariae sounds and comparing its performance against the state of the art. Moreover, performance slightly improves when the original signal was down-sampled from 44.1 to 16 kHz. This indicates that the proposed method is well-suited for detection and classification on embedded devices, which can be deployed to implement a large scale wireless sensor network for automated species detection.
Evoked-potential recovery during double click stimulation in a beluga whale: Implications for biosonar gain control
Authors: Supin Alexander Ya. , Popov Vladimir V.
Published: May 2015

Auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) were recorded in a beluga whale Delphinapterus leucas using a double-pulse stimulation paradigm, specifically measuring the recovery (release from masking) of the second (test) response as a function of delay after the first (conditioning) pulse at various levels of the conditioning and test stimuli. The conditioning/test stimulus level ratio influenced the recovery time (the higher the ratio, the longer the recovery). This interrelation was used to evaluate the intensity/time trade in release from forward masking. Trade was evaluated as 32.2 dB per time decade. Data were considered as simulating interactions between the transmitted pulse and echo during echolocation, assuming that a transmitted sonar pulse produces forward masking of the echo response. With increased target distance, the attenuation of the echo may be compensated by the release from masking. According to the model, the compensation results in substantial stabilization of the echo response even if the intensity/time trade of release from masking is not precisely equal to the rate of echo attenuation with distance.
Community response to noise in Vietnam: Exposure-response relationships based on the community tolerance level
Authors: Gjestland Truls , Nguyen Thu Lan , Yano Takashi
Published: May 2015

Social surveys on noise annoyance have been conducted in five different cities in Vietnam. The surveys included both aircraft noise (three airports) and road traffic noise (five cities). The main objective for these studies was to establish dose-response functions that were representative for Vietnam. The results have been compared with results from similar surveys from other regions. Dose-response functions for aircraft noise in Vietnam showing the percentage of highly annoyed people versus the noise level are nearly identical to those presented in the European Noise Directive [European Commission (2002). http://ec.europa.eu/environment/noise/directive.htm]. For road traffic noise, however, the results indicate that people in Vietnam are more tolerant. The noise levels can be increased by 5–10 dB in order to have a response similar to the curve recommended by the European Commission.
Self-synchronization and spatial diversity of passive time reversal communication
Authors: Song H. C. , Hodgkiss W. S.
Published: May 2015

Time reversal (TR) achieves spatial and temporal focusing in complex environments. In the context of communications, passive (uplink) TR is equivalent to active (downlink) TR with the communications link being in opposite directions but with the same theoretical performance. The benefit of passive TR, however, is its natural self-synchronization, making TR communications robust and readily extended to cases involving temporal diversity and synthetic aperture communications. Self-synchronization is examined analytically and demonstrated with shallow water experimental data. In addition, the impact of spatial diversity on communications performance is investigated in terms of the aperture and element spacing of the 64-element vertical receive array.
Far-field scattering model for wave propagation in random media
Authors: Rokhlin S. I. , Li J. , Sha G.
Published: May 2015

A simple approximate model is developed for ultrasonic wave propagation in a random elastic medium. The model includes second order multiple scattering and is applicable in all frequency ranges including geometric. It is based on the far field approximation of the reference medium Green's function and simplifications of the mass operator in addition to those of the first smooth approximation. In this approximation, the dispersion equation for the perturbed wave number is obtained; its solution yields the dispersive ultrasonic velocity and attenuation coefficients. The approximate solution is general and is suitable for nonequiaxed grains with arbitrary elastic symmetry. For equiaxed cubic grains, the solution is compared with the existing second order models and with the Born approximation. The comparison shows that the obtained solution has smaller error than the Born approximation and shows reasonably well the onset of multiple scattering and the applicability limit of the Born approximation at high frequency. The perturbed wave number in the developed model does not depend explicitly on the crystallite elastic properties even for arbitrary crystallographic symmetry; it depends on two nondimensional scattering elastic parameters and the macroscopic ultrasonic velocity (those are dependent on the crystallite moduli). This provides an advantage for potential schemes for inversion from attenuation to material microstructure.
Efficient modeling of range-dependent ray convergence effects in propagation and reverberation
Authors: Harrison Chris H.
Published: May 2015

In an earlier paper [Harrison (2013). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 133, 3777–3789] the computationally efficient energy flux approach to modeling sound propagation was modified to include focusing, ray convergence, and caustic-like behavior. The derivation started with the coherent normal mode sum but retained only terms that interfered on a scale of a ray cycle distance. Here, by starting with the adiabatic mode sum, the formulation is extended to a slowly varying range-dependent environment and applied to the target-echo and reverberation model, Artemis. Some examples are given.
Free and forced vibrations of hollow elastic cylinders of finite length
Authors: Ebenezer D. D. , Ravichandran K. , Padmanabhan Chandramouli
Published: May 2015

An analytical model of axisymmetric vibrations of hollow elastic circular cylinders with arbitrary boundary conditions is presented. Free vibrations of cylinders with free or fixed boundaries and forced vibrations of cylinders with specified non-uniform displacement or stress on the boundaries are considered. Three series solutions are used and each term in each series is an exact solution to the exact governing equations of motion. The terms in the expressions for components of displacement and stress are products of Bessel and sinusoidal functions and are orthogonal to each other. Complete sets of functions in the radial and axial directions are formed by terms in the first series and the other two, respectively. It is therefore possible to satisfy arbitrary boundary conditions. It is shown that just two terms in each series are sufficient to determine several resonance frequencies of cylinders with certain specified boundary conditions. The error is less than 1%. Numerical results are also presented for forced vibration of hollow steel cylinders of length 10 mm and outer diameter 10 mm with specified normal displacement or stress. Excellent agreement with finite element results is obtained at all frequencies up to 1 MHz. Convergence of the series is also discussed.
An ultrasound study of Canadian French rhotic vowels with polar smoothing spline comparisons
Authors: Mielke Jeff
Published: May 2015

This is an acoustic and articulatory study of Canadian French rhotic vowels, i.e., mid front rounded vowels /ø œ̃ œ/ produced with a rhotic perceptual quality, much like English [ɚ] or [ɹ], leading heureux, commun, and docteur to sound like [ɚʁɚ], [kɔmɚ̃], and [dɔktaɹʁ]. Ultrasound, video, and acoustic data from 23 Canadian French speakers are analyzed using several measures of mid-sagittal tongue contours, showing that the low F3 of rhotic vowels is achieved using bunched and retroflex tongue postures and that the articulatory-acoustic mapping of F1 and F2 are rearranged in systems with rhotic vowels. A subset of speakers' French vowels are compared with their English [ɹ]/[ɚ], revealing that the French vowels are consistently less extreme in low F3 and its articulatory correlates, even for the most rhotic speakers. Polar coordinates are proposed as a replacement for Cartesian coordinates in calculating smoothing spline comparisons of mid-sagittal tongue shapes, because they enable comparisons to be roughly perpendicular to the tongue surface, which is critical for comparisons involving tongue root position but appropriate for all comparisons involving mid-sagittal tongue contours.
Articulation and vocal tract acoustics at soprano subject's high fundamental frequencies
Authors: Echternach Matthias , Birkholz Peter , Traser Louisa , Flügge Tabea V. , Kamberger Robert , Burk Fabian , Burdumy Michael , Richter Bernhard
Published: May 2015

The role of the vocal tract for phonation at very high soprano fundamental frequencies (F0s) is not yet understood in detail. In this investigation, two experiments were carried out with a single professional high soprano subject. First, using two dimensional (2D) dynamic real-time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (24 fps) midsagittal and coronal vocal tract shapes were analyzed while the subject sang a scale from Bb5 (932 Hz) to G6 (1568 Hz). In a second experiment, volumetric vocal tract MRI data were recorded from sustained phonations (13 s) for the pitches C6 (1047 Hz) and G6 (1568 Hz). Formant frequencies were measured in physical models created by 3D printing, and calculated from area functions obtained from the 3D vocal tract shapes. The data showed that there were only minor modifications of the vocal tract shape. These changes involved a decrease of the piriform sinus as well as small changes of tongue position. Formant frequencies did not exhibit major differences between C6 and G6 for F1 and F3, respectively. Only F2 was slightly raised for G6. For G6, however, F2 is not excited by any voice source partial. Therefore, this investigation was not able to confirm that the analyzed professional soprano subject adjusted formants to voice source partials for the analyzed F0s.
ACOUSTICAL STANDARDS NEWS
Authors: Blaeser Susan B. , Schomer Paul D.
Published: May 2015

American National Standards (ANSI Standards) developed by Accredited Standards Committees S1, S2, S3, S3/SC 1, and S12 in the areas of acoustics, mechanical vibration and shock, bioacoustics, animal bioacoustics, and noise, respectively, are published by the Acoustical Society of America (ASA). In addition to these standards, ASA publishes catalogs of Acoustical Standards, both National and International. To receive copies of the latest Standards catalogs, please contact Susan B. Blaeser.

Comments are welcomed on all material in Acoustical Standards News.

This Acoustical Standards News section in JASA, as well as the National and International Catalogs of Acoustical Standards, and other information on the Standards Program of the Acoustical Society of America, are available via the ASA home page: http://acousticalsociety.org.
New blood: Creative funding of disease-specific research
Authors: Seaman William E. , Locksley Richard M. , Welsh Michael J.
Published: May 2015

A simple funding process attracts proven scientists who have never worked on asthma to study disease mechanisms and advance new targets for therapy.
The bitter price of sweetness
Authors: Lanza Ian R.
Published: May 2015

A study in human subjects links the obesogenic effects of fructose with hunger and appetite regulation in the brain.
More than just a fruit: Grapefruit-derived nanovectors deliver cancer drugs
Authors: Wang Andrew Z.
Published: May 2015

Grapefruit-derived nanoparticles coated with active leukocyte plasma membrane can target tumors and effectively deliver anticancer therapeutics.