bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Object detection is completed earlier than object categorization: Evidence from LRP and N200
Authors: Li You , Zhong Weifang , Chen Qi , Mo Lei
Published: August 2013

The classic account of object recognition, which proposes that object detection precedes categorization, was challenged by recent behavioral evidence. The present study investigated the temporal relation between object detection and categorization by employing ERP measures. Participants performed a dual‐choice go/no‐go task based on the outcomes of object detection and categorization. A no‐go lateralized readiness potential, which indexed motor preparation, was obtained only when detection determined responding hand and categorization determined go/no‐go, indicating that detection was completed earlier and thus activated preparation. Additionally, the N200 effect, which indicated the completion of go/no‐go, was obtained 70 ms earlier when detection determined go/no‐go than when categorization determined go/no‐go. Our ERP results indicate that object detection is completed earlier than categorization, which supports the traditional models of object recognition.
Comparison of Antral and Preantral Ovarian Follicle Populations Between Bos indicus and Bos indicus‐taurus Cows with High or Low Antral Follicles Counts
Authors: Silva‐Santos KC , Siloto LS , Santos GMG , Morotti F , Marcantonio TN , Seneda MM
Published: August 2013

Contents

The objective was to compare populations of antral and pre‐antral ovarian follicles in Bos indicus and Bos indicus‐taurus cows with high and low antral follicle counts. Nelore (Bos indicus, n = 20) and Nelore X Angus (1/2 Bos indicus‐taurus, n = 20) cows were subjected to follicular aspiration without regard to the stage of their oestrous cycle (day of aspiration = D0) to remove all follicles ≥3 mm and induce growth of a new follicular wave. Ovaries were examined by ultrasonography on D4, D19, D34, D49 and D64, and antral follicles ≥3 mm were counted. Thereafter, cows were assigned to one of two groups: high or low antral follicular count (AFC, ≥30 and ≤15 antral follicles, respectively). After D64, ovaries were collected after slaughter and processed for histological evaluation. There was high repeatability in the numbers of antral follicles for all groups (range 0.77–0.96). The mean (±SD) numbers of antral follicles were 35 ± 9 (Bos indicus) and 38 ± 6 (Bos indicus‐taurus) for the high AFC group and 10 ± 3 (Bos indicus) and 12 ± 2 (Bos indicus‐taurus) follicles for the low AFC. The mean number of preantral follicles in the ovaries of Bos indicus‐taurus cows with high AFC (116 226 ± 83 156 follicles) was greater (p < 0.05) than that of Bos indicus cows (63 032 ± 58 705 follicles) with high AFC. However, there was no significant correlation between numbers of antral and preantral follicles.
On AdrianJohnston's Materialist Psychoanalysis: Some Questions
Authors: Pluth Ed
Published: August 2013

In this commentary on Adrian Johnston's paper, “Drive Between Brain and Subject: An Immanent Critique of Lacanian Neuropsychoanalysis,” I consider whether his attempt to develop a materialist ground for psychoanalysis can avoid versions of reductionism and verificationism that would threaten any autonomy psychoanalysis might have as a science.
Survival of Cruelty
Authors: Morgan Wortham Simon
Published: August 2013

Through an attentive reading of his essay, “Psychoanalysis Searches the States of Its Soul,” it is possible to pursue Derrida's thinking about psychoanalysis and cruelty in terms of the distinction he makes between Nietzsche and Freud, whereby the latter maintains an “opposable term” to cruelty. This article explores the status and significance of such an “opposable term” as one possible source of a Freudian future beyond Freud, and in a postscript carries its reading into the question of the “side of life” and of death in Derrida's H.C. for Life.
Three Reflections on the Margins of Paul Moyaert, “The Death Drive and the Nucleus of the Ego: An Introduction to Freudian Metaphysics”
Authors: Bloechl Jeffrey
Published: August 2013

Paul Moyaert proposes to resolve persistent difficulties in Freud's theory of drive by appealing to a metaphysics of mutually irreducible forces. His argument is persuasive on many points, but raises questions about others. Three of them are mentioned here: one each pertaining to the implications of his position for the body and sexuality, the analytic relation, and ethics.
Raising the Stakes of Perversion: A Response to Tracy McNulty
Authors: Miller Steven
Published: August 2013

The work of Alain Badiou attempts to refound the project of Western philosophy by returning to the platonic celebration of mathematics as the basis for any transmissible knowledge. In “The New Man's Fetish,” Tracy McNulty shows that Badiou's return to Plato is secretly mediated by the French libertine tradition. Badiou derives the militant figure of mathematics less from Plato than from Lautréamont—in whose “Songs of Maldoror” she (mathematics) appears as a stern mistress. Reading McNulty, within the framework of psychoanalytic debates around the clinic of perversion, I show that McNulty's emphasis upon this mediation, despite appearances, functions less to undermine the authority of Badiou's philosophical project than to raise the stakes of perversion. Taking Badiou's libertinism seriously makes it possible to grasp how perversion strives to formalize the death drive and thus to open politics and philosophy to the future. At the same time, McNulty shows that Badiou's theory of number makes it possible to rethink the distinctions between number, trope, figure, and fetish; and thus to reopen a discussion of the relationships between philosophy, psychoanalysis, and literature.
Departures: The American Future of Psychoanalysis
Authors: McQuillan Martin
Published: August 2013

Taking Derrida's essay “Psychoanalysis Searches the States of Its Soul: the Impossible Beyond of a Sovereign Cruelty” as my point of departure I would like to discuss three exemplary moments in the performative history of psychoanalysis in America: Freud's 1909 “Introductory Lectures to Psychoanalysis” at Clark University, Lacan's visit to the Yale School in 1975, and Derrida's fictionalization of his travel to America in the “Envois” section of The Post Card. Throughout, I would like to keep at the forefront of our minds the question of cruelty and the unique and unusual place that cruelty plays in both American culture and the history of psychoanalysis in America.
The Death Drive and the Nucleus of the Ego: An Introduction to Freudian Metaphysics
Authors: Moyaert Paul
Published: August 2013

abstract

Bergson argues in his Creative Evolution that life has to be defined as an élan vital, that is, as a driving force that presses forward incessantly, overcoming obstacles to its progress and exploding in a variety of directions at once. In Beyond the Pleasure Principle, Freud elaborates a critique of such a vitalistic notion of the drives. For him, the drives are not only sources of excitation, but also forces that resist change and that cause the body's movements and activities to stagnate. Freud ascribes a remarkable name to these conservative and stubborn tendencies at work in the body, viz. the death drive. I argue that this drive is to be understood as a force in life that resists life and that, instead of following a course of progression and development, consists in a production of antiproductivity. I show how Freud is led to reconsider a vitalistic conception of the drives by means of a study of phenomena of repetition. One suggestion that Freud makes in Beyond the Pleasure Principle, which I examine in detail, is that the ego‐drives are the “myrmidons of death.” To clarify this claim, I consider a remark that he makes on the viscosity of the drives and melancholia in his short essay On Transience.
Humankind: A Sick Animal? On the Meaning and Importance of the Primacy of Sexuality in Freud, Fonagy, and Laplanche
Authors: Van Haute Philippe
Published: August 2013

In this article, I question the actuality of Freud's ideas on sexuality. First, I investigate why Freud thinks that the main psychopathological syndromes are determined by problems related to sexuality. I then show in what sense Freud's theories on sexuality make it impossible to simply think of psychoanalysis as yet another developmental psychology. Then, I turn to Fonagy's recent claim that sexual emotions cannot be mirrored and that this is the reason why sexuality can only be an imposed burden. Or, rather, this impossibility explains why sexuality belongs to the borderline spectrum. Fonagy further links this idea to Laplanche's theory of a generalized seduction that it is meant to explain. I argue that it is the other way around: the theory of a generalized seduction explains the lack of mirroring in the case of sexuality. In my conclusion, I state that although the metapsychological claims of both Fonagy and Laplanche allow us to reaffirm the special place sexuality has in understanding the human being, their theories fall short when it comes to defending an exclusive primacy of sexuality.
Doing supplements to improve performance in club cycling: a life‐course analysis
Authors: Stewart B. , Outram S. , Smith A.C.T.
Published: August 2013

Using qualitative life‐course and pathway analysis, this article explores the beliefs that serious club cyclists have about performance improvement, and what they think are appropriate and inappropriate ways of achieving it. We interviewed 11 cyclists from suburban clubs in Melbourne, Australia, and invited them to discuss their approach to training, racing, and supplementation. We found that each of the 11 cyclists were not only committed to the sport, but also paid a keen interest in bike technology and training regimes. In addition, they believed that supplement use was integral to meeting the physical and mental demands of their sport, even at club level. They also understood that supplement use, like training regimes, followed a sequential pathway where the accumulation of capacity, know–know, and knowledge, allowed progression to the next level of performance. And, like similar studies of club cycling in Europe, this cohort of cyclists balked at using banned substances, but also believed that in order to effectively transition to the elite – that is, professional – level, some additional supplement and drug‐use was essential.
AnOtherState of Mind is Possible: Anarchism and Psychology
Authors: Heckert Jamie
Published: August 2013

When order is presumed to rely upon centralised authority, anarchy is assumed to mean violent chaos. However, anarchists have long argued, and demonstrated, that other forms of order are both possible and beneficial: ecologically, socially and psychologically. While anarchism has been influential in the development of psychology and is currently being taken up in related disciplines, with the exception of Dennis Fox's body of work, anarchism has yet to be taken seriously in contemporary psychology. Drawing on anarchist, poststructuralist and feminist theory as well as personal experience, this paper offers an introduction to anarchism as not only a public social practice but also an inner state of mind. This is offered in contrast to the state of mind which underpins the state as institution. The statist state of mind is characterised by representation over and above direct experience, an attraction to domination and control, and a continual reliance on fear. Anotherstate of mind, necessary for and produced by anarchist(ic) social relations, is characterised by vitality (freedom–equality), non‐attachment to memory, and love. Such a state of mind, I argue, is cultivated through (spiritual) practice internally and through free, equal and loving relations with others. Such nano‐ and micro‐level processes networked together potentially result in macro‐level anarchist social relations more commonly associated with anarchist thought.
Empowerment and Advocacy for Domestic Violence Victims
Authors: Morgan Mandy , Coombes Leigh
Published: August 2013

Empowering women victims of domestic violence has been a goal of advocacy since its inception. The concept of empowerment is also widely shared in social science disciplines where the goal of applied research is to address the lived effects of social injustice. While in some fields, such as community psychology, there has been a long history of engaging theoretically with the concept of empowerment, elsewhere theory has received less attention. In the case of addressing domestic violence, victim advocacy has often been assumed to be empowering. Advocates worked to establish support services for individual women and participate in coordinating community responses to domestic violence that included the criminal justice system so as to improve women's safety. The question of whether this kind of social action is empowering domestic violence victims has been discussed in the literature for almost a decade. In this paper, we consider a proposed theory of empowerment and recommendations of advocacy practices by Kasturirangan (2008) to consider how her conceptualisation of empowerment processes has influenced the field and whether it provides a scaffold for bridging the theoretical gaps that have been identified.
Soil and weed management for enhancing arbuscular mycorrhiza colonization of wheat
Authors: Brito I. , Carvalho M. , Goss M. J.
Published: August 2013

Tillage and weed control are critical components of cropping systems that need to be combined such that crops benefit from reduced competition. However, weeds may also contribute to the biological diversity within the agro‐environment. This greenhouse study investigated whether common weeds of arable cropping systems were suitable host plants for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), allowing the development of extraradical mycelium (ERM) that can contribute to the early colonization of a following wheat crop, especially in the absence of soil disturbance. Weeds were allowed to grow for up to 2 months before being controlled by soil disturbance or herbicide application (glyphosate or paraquat). Pregerminated wheat seeds were then planted. Chemical control of the weeds prior to sowing enhanced the early arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) colonization rate of wheat roots, whereas mechanical disturbance was less acceptable as a method of weed control for rapid AM colonization. The type of herbicide (contact or systemic) had no impact on colonization of the wheat crop. Enhanced AM colonization promoted early P acquisition and growth of the crop. Appropriate management of weeds emerging between two consecutive cropping seasons coupled with no‐till soil management could ensure a quick and efficient AM colonization of the following wheat plants.
Phosphorus and aluminium solubility relationships in acidic lowbush blueberry barren soils in Maine
Authors: Ohno T. , Severy N. J.
Published: August 2013

Lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) is a native plant that is not cultivated, but managed in areas of sufficient plant density to provide commercial yields. A cropping systems study was initiated to compare how organic and three levels of conventional (low, medium and high input) management practices affected soil properties at 12 grower fields in the lowbush blueberry barrens of Maine. The fields under organic and low‐conventional treatments did not receive any fertilizer inputs. The high and medium conventional treatment fields received optimal and reduced diammonium phosphate inputs, respectively. Three measurements of soil P (modified‐Morgan soil test, oxalate extractable and total P) showed no significant effect of management treatment on the phosphorus status of the soils. This suggests that soil P may be leaching below the 0–10 cm rooting zone which was investigated in this study. Equilibrium chemical speciation of soil/water extracts showed that gibbsite was controlling the solubility of Al in these barren soils and that P was undersaturated with respect to amorphous Al(OH)2PO4. A laboratory one‐point P sorption study showed that dissolved organic matter derived from the organic pad sampled from the study sites did not inhibit the adsorption of the added P. This suggests that addition of carbon‐rich soil amendments such as compost may not increase P bioavailability of these acidic soils with high Al (oxy)hydroxide (gibbsite) mineral content.
Pescadillo plays an essential role in plant cell growth and survival by modulating ribosome biogenesis
Authors: Cho Hui Kyung , Ahn Chang Sook , Lee Ho‐Seok , Kim Ju‐Kon , Pai Hyun‐Sook
Published: August 2013

Pescadillo (PES) is involved in diverse cellular processes such as embryonic development, ribosomal biogenesis, cell proliferation, and gene transcription in yeast and metazoans. In this study, we characterized cellular functions of plant PES in Nicotiana benthamiana, Arabidopsis, and tobacco BY‐2 cells. A GFP fusion protein of PES is predominantly localized in the nucleolus, where its localization requires the N‐terminal domain of PES. Silencing of plant PES led to growth arrest and acute cell death. PES interacts with plant homologs of BOP1 and WDR12 in the nucleolus, which are also nucleolar proteins involved in ribosome biogenesis of yeast and mammals. PES, BOP1, and WDR12 cofractionated with ribosome subunits. Depletion of any of these proteins led to defective biogenesis of the 60S ribosome large subunits and disruption of nucleolar morphology. PES‐deficient plant cells also exhibited delayed maturation of 25S ribosomal RNA and suppressed global translation. During mitosis in tobacco BY‐2 cells, PES is associated with the mitotic microtubules, including spindles and phragmoplasts, and PES deficiency disrupted spindle organization and chromosome arrangement. Collectively, these results suggest that plant PES has an essential role in cell growth and survival through its regulation of ribosome biogenesis and mitotic progression.
Distinctive Conformation of Minor Site‐Specific Nuclear Localization Signals Bound to Importin‐α
Authors: Chang Chiung‐Wen , Couñago Rafael Miguez , Williams Simon J. , Bodén Mikael , Kobe Bostjan
Published: August 2013

Nuclear localization signals (NLSs) contain one or two clusters of basic residues and are recognized by the import receptor importin‐α. There are two NLS‐binding sites (major and minor) on importin‐α and the major NLS‐binding site is considered to be the primary binding site. Here, we used crystallographic and biochemical methods to investigate the binding between importin‐α and predicted ‘minor site‐specific’ NLSs: four peptide library‐derived peptides, and the NLS from mouse RNA helicase II/Guα. The crystal structures reveal that these atypical NLSs indeed preferentially bind to the minor NLS‐binding site. Unlike previously characterized NLSs, the C‐terminal residues of these NLSs form an α‐helical turn, stabilized by internal H‐bond and cation‐π interactions between the aromatic residues from the NLSs and the positively charged residues from importin‐α. This helical turn sterically hinders binding at the major NLS‐binding site, explaining the minor‐site preference. Our data suggest the sequence RXXKR[K/X][F/Y/W]XXAF as the optimal minor NLS‐binding site‐specific motif, which may help identify novel proteins with atypical NLSs.
Blood transfusion in cardiac surgery does increase the risk of 5‐year mortality: results from a contemporary series of 1714 propensity‐matched patients
Authors: Shaw Richard E. , Johnson Christopher K. , Ferrari Giovanni , Brizzio Mariano E. , Sayles Kathleen , Rioux Nancy , Zapolanski Alex , Grau Juan B.
Published: August 2013

Background

Studies have found that cardiac surgery patients receiving blood transfusions are at risk for increased mortality during the first year after surgery, but risk appears to decrease after the first year. This study compared 5‐year mortality in a propensity‐matched cohort of cardiac surgery patients.

Study Design and Methods

Between July 1, 2004, and June 30, 2011, 3516 patients had cardiac surgery with 1920 (54.6%) requiring blood transfusion. Propensity matching based on 22 baseline characteristics yielded two balanced groups (blood transfusion group [BTG] and nontransfused control group [NCG]) of 857 patients (1714 in total). The type and number of blood products were compared in the BTG.

Results

Operative mortality was higher in BTG versus NCG (2.3% vs. 0.4%; p < 0.0001). Kaplan‐Meier analysis of 5‐year survival demonstrated no difference between groups in the first 2 years (BTG 96.3% and 93.0% vs. NCG 96.4% and 93.9%, respectively). There was a significant divergence during Years 3 to 5 (BTG 82.0% vs. NCG 89.3% at 5 years; p < 0.007). Five‐year survival was significantly lower in patients who received at least 2 units of blood (79.6% vs. 88.0%; p < 0.0001). In multivariate Cox regression analyses, transfusion was independently associated with increased risk for 5‐year mortality. Patients receiving cryoprecipitate products had a twofold mortality risk increase (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.106; p = 0.002).

Conclusion

Blood transfusion, specifically cryoprecipitates, was independently associated with increased 5‐year mortality. Transfusion during cardiac surgery should be limited to patients who are in critical need of blood products.
Leukemic small cell lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukemia in a horse
Authors: Cian F. , Tyner G. , Martini V. , Comazzi S. , Archer J.
Published: August 2013

A 16‐year‐old, Irish Draft mare was admitted to the referring veterinarian for an annual health check. A mild generalized lymphadenomegaly was noted. Rectal palpation and transrectal ultrasonographic examination revealed prominent mesenteric lymph nodes. A transcutaneous abdominal ultrasonographic evaluation was unremarkable. ACBCrevealed a marked leukocytosis (63.06 × 103/μL) and lymphocytosis (58.2 × 103/μL) due to increased numbers of small lymphocytes. No evidence of anemia or thrombocytopenia was found and neutrophil counts were low‐normal. Cytologic examination of fine‐needle aspirates of multiple lymph nodes and a bone‐marrow aspirate revealed the presence of a monomorphic population of small lymphocytes similar to those observed in the peripheral blood, suggesting a leukemic small cell lymphoma (SCL) or chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). As the lymphadenomegaly and peripheral blood lymphocytosis were present simultaneously, the distinction between these 2 conditions was not possible. Immunophenotyping by immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry of the lymphoid cells in peripheral blood determined a T‐cell phenotype. As the horse was clinically stable, no treatment was initiated, but regular examinations were undertaken. ACBCrepeated 120 days after the diagnosis showed a marked lymphocytosis (157.6 × 103/μL) with no evidence of anemia or other cytopenias. The horse was euthanized 194 days after the initial diagnosis. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry of submandibular lymph nodes and bone marrow confirmed the diagnosis of leukemicSCLorCLL, and a T‐cell phenotype.SCLandCLLare rare in horses; previous immunohistochemical studies determined that the T‐cell phenotype is predominant. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of the combined use of immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry in a horse with leukemicSCLorCLL.
Diagnostic utility of aqueocentesis and aqueous humor analysis in dogs and cats with anterior uveitis
Authors: Wiggans K. Tomo , Vernau William , Lappin Michael R. , Thomasy Sara M. , Maggs David J.
Published: August 2013

Objective

To evaluate diagnostic utility of aqueous humor analysis in animals with anterior uveitis.

Animals

Client‐owned dogs (n = 12) and cats (n = 10).

Procedures

Examination findings and diagnostic test results including aqueous humor cytology were compared.

Results

Disease duration prior to aqueocentesis was not significantly different between dogs with idiopathic anterior uveitis and those with an etiologic diagnosis, but was shorter in cats with feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) than those with idiopathic uveitis. Microbial nucleic acids, antigens, or antibodies against them were seldom found in blood/serum; however, serum feline coronavirus titers ≥1:6400 were detected only in cats withFIP. Aqueous humor cytology was diagnostic in no cats and two dogs, both with neoplasia. Although aqueous humor contained predominantly neutrophils in cats withFIPand large reactive lymphocytes and plasma cells appeared more frequent in cats with idiopathic uveitis, neither clinical nor cytologic assessment of anterior chamber contents differed significantly between cats with idiopathic orFIP‐associated uveitis. Cytologically assessed plasma cell number was correlated with keratic precipitates and disease duration. Clinically detectable hyphema and cytologic erythrocyte number were correlated. However, cytologic cell grades and clinical grade of flare or cell numbers within the anterior chamber were not correlated.

Conclusions

Aqueous humor cytology permitted diagnosis of neoplasia in dogs with anterior uveitis but was generally not helpful in cats. Poor correlation between clinical and cytologic assessment of cell numbers and type within the anterior chamber dictates that clinical grading should not be the sole criterion for electing to perform aqueocentesis.
Evaluation of the conjunctival fungal flora and its susceptibility to antifungal agents in healthy horses in Switzerland
Authors: Voelter‐Ratson Katrin , Monod Michel , Unger Lucia , Spiess Bernhard M. , Pot Simon A.
Published: August 2013

Objective

To characterize the conjunctival fungal flora and to determine the susceptibility of 2 isolated molds to antifungal drugs in samples of 64 healthy horses from The National Stud in Switzerland.

Procedure

Conjunctival cytobrush samples were collected from both eyes of 64 ophthalmologically normal horses in August 2012 and subsequently cultured on Sabouraud's agar medium. Growing fungi were identified and counted. Etests or broth microdilution tests forAspergillus fumigatusandEurotium amstelodamiwere carried out to determine antifungal drug sensitivity. These species had previously been detected in samples from eyes with keratomycosis in Switzerland. Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for voriconazole, fluconazole, itraconazole, amphotericin B, and miconazole were recorded.

Results

Fifty‐nine of the horses were tested positive for fungal growth from at least one eye (92%). Eleven genera of fungi were identified. The most common fungal genera wereAlternaria,Eurotium, Rhizopus,andCladosporium.Aspergillusspp. andPenicilliumspp. were isolated frequently, while noFusariumspp. was found. In only 2 cases, yeasts were identified asCandida guilliermondii. For certain fungal species, the type of bedding and housing appeared to influence their prevalence. Susceptibility testing ofA. fumigatusshowed lowestMICs for voriconazole,E. amstelodamifor voriconazole and itraconazole. HighMICs for fluconazole were detected for all tested fungi whileMICs for amphotericin B and miconazole were variable.

Conclusions

A large range of fungal mold species was identified includingA. fumigatusandE. amstelodami, which have been causative agents of keratomycosis in Switzerland. Bestin vitrosusceptibility results for these two species were obtained for voriconazole.
Development of molecular beam epitaxy technology for III–V compound semiconductor heterostructure devices
Authors: Cheng K. Y.
Published: August 2013

Molecular beam epitaxy(MBE) is a versatile ultrahigh vacuum technique for growing multiple epitaxial layers of semiconductor crystals with high precision. The extreme control of the MBE technique over composition variation, interface sharpness, impurity doping profiles, and epitaxial layer thickness to the atomic level makes it possible to demonstrate a wide variety of novel semiconductor structures. Since its invention nearly 40 years ago, the MBE technique has evolved from a laboratory apparatus for exploring new materials and novel devices to a favored tool for the mass production of III–V high-speed devices. This paper will review some of the past developments in this technology and propose an outlook of future developments.
Flexible substrate and release layer for flexible MEMS devices
Authors: Ahmed Moinuddin , Butler Donald P.
Published: August 2013

In this letter, the authors report a process for flexible substrate fabrication on silicon carrier wafers and the subsequent release of the flexible substrate from the carrier wafer. Polyimides with relatively high glass transition temperatures (>400 °C) are employed for the flexible substrate. The fabrication steps utilize the low adhesion strength, high glass transition temperature (360 °C) HD Microsystems PI2611 as the release layer. The PI2611 release layer is protected from exposure to common solvents and "remover" used during lift-off or wafer cleaning processes by creating a seal with the HD Microsystems PI5878G substrate around the perimeter of the wafer. This flexible MEMS fabrication technique allows conventional fabrication equipment to be used.
Band offsets for mismatched interfaces: The special case of ZnO on CdTe (001)
Authors: Jaffe John E. , Kaspar Tiffany C. , Droubay Timothy C. , Varga Tamas
Published: August 2013

High-quality planar interfaces between ZnO and CdTe would be useful in optoelectronic applications. Although CdTe is zinc blende with cubic lattice constant a = 6.482 Å while ZnO is hexagonal wurtzite with a = 3.253 Å and c = 5.213 Å, (001)-oriented cubic zinc blende ZnO films could be stabilized epitaxially on a CdTe (001) surface in an √2 × √2 R45° configuration with a lattice mismatch of <0.5%. Modeling such a configuration allows density-functional total-energy electronic-structure calculations to be performed on several interface arrangements (varying terminations and in-plane fractional translations) to identify the most likely form of the interface, and to predict valence-band offsets between CdTe and ZnO in each case. Growth of ZnO on Te-terminated CdTe(001) is predicted to produce small or even negative (CdTe below ZnO) valence band offsets, resulting in a Type I band alignment. Growth on Cd-terminated CdTe is predicted to produce large positive offsets for a Type II alignment as needed, for example, in solar cells. To corroborate some of these predictions, thin layers of ZnO were deposited on CdTe(001) by pulsed laser deposition, and the band alignments of the resulting heterojunctions were determined from x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. Although zinc blende ZnO could not be confirmed, the measured valence band offset (2.0–2.2 eV) matched well with the predicted value.
Acoustic Doppler velocity measurement system using capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducer array technology
Authors: Shin Minchul , Krause Joshua S. , DeBitetto Paul , White Robert D.
Published: August 2013

This paper describes the design, fabrication, modeling, and characterization of a small (1 cm2 transducer chip) acoustic Doppler velocity measurement system using microelectromechanical systems capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducer (cMUT) array technology. The cMUT sensor has a 185 kHz resonant frequency to achieve a 13° beam width for a 1 cm aperture. A model for the cMUT and the acoustic system which includes electrical, mechanical, and acoustic components is provided. Furthermore, this paper shows characterization of the cMUT sensor with a variety of testing procedures including Laser Doppler Vibrometry (LDV), beampattern measurement, reflection testing, and velocity testing. LDV measurements demonstrate that the membrane displacement at the center point is 0.4 nm/V2 at 185 kHz. The maximum range of the sensor is 60 cm (30 cm out and 30 cm back). A velocity sled was constructed and used to demonstrate measureable Doppler shifts at velocities from 0.2 to 1.0 m/s. The Doppler shifts agree well with the expected frequency shifts over this range.
On the in situ impedance measurement with pu-probes—Simulation of the measurement setup
Authors: Müller-Trapet Markus , Dietrich Pascal , Aretz Marc , van Gemmeren Jan , Vorländer Michael
Published: August 2013

High-quality numerical simulations in room acoustics require a detailed knowledge of the acoustic reflection characteristics of the materials in the room, in order to realistically model the interferences between multiple sound reflections at the room boundaries. While different standardized measurement methods exist for the determination of the absorption coefficient and reflection factor these methods can generally not be applied in situ. Thus time-consuming laboratory measurements and the supply of material samples are required. Driven by the obvious demand for a reliable in situ measurement technique, a pu-probe based method has emerged during the last years, which derives the reflection factor based on the simultaneous measurement of sound pressure and velocity. However, previous investigations of the setup and publications by other authors have shown that the measurement results are affected by various uncertainty factors. The present study aims at the identification, separation, and quantitative assessment of the uncertainty factors related to reflection and diffraction effects at the loudspeaker, sensor, and the absorber geometry. Therefore, a purely simulative approach will be used that replicates the actual measurement situation in every detail, including the geometries of sensor, loudspeaker, and absorber. The simulation setup is validated by measurements and is used to systematically separate the different uncertainty factors.
Learning, worsening, and generalization in response to auditory perceptual training during adolescence
Authors: Huyck Julia Jones , Wright Beverly A.
Published: August 2013

While it is commonly held that the capacity to learn is greatest in the young, there have been few direct comparisons of the response to training across age groups. Here, adolescents (11–17 years, n = 20) and adults (≥18 years, n = 11) practiced detecting a backward-masked tone for ∼1 h/day for 10 days. Nearly every adult, but only half of the adolescents improved across sessions, and the adolescents who learned did so more slowly than adults. Nevertheless, the adolescent and adult learners showed the same generalization pattern, improving on untrained backward- but not forward- or simultaneous-masking conditions. Another subset of adolescents (n = 6) actually got worse on the trained condition. This worsening, unlike learning, generalized to an untrained forward-masking, but not backward-masking condition. Within sessions, both age groups got worse, but the worsening was greater for adolescents. These maturational changes in the response to training largely followed those previously reported for temporal-interval discrimination. Overall, the results suggest that late-maturing processes affect the response to perceptual training and that some of these processes may be shared between tasks. Further, the different developmental rates for learning and generalization, and different generalization patterns for learning and worsening imply that learning, generalization, and worsening may have different origins.
Increasing the modal density in plates for mono-element focusing in air
Authors: Etaix Nicolas , Dubois Jerôme , Fink Mathias , Ing Ros-Kiri
Published: August 2013

Acoustic focusing experiments usually require large arrays of transducers. It has been shown by Etaix et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 131, 395–399 (2012)] that the use of a cavity allows reducing this number of transducers. This paper presents experiments with Duralumin plates (the cavities) containing scatterers to improve the contrast of focusing. The use of a scatterer array in the plate allows increasing the modal density at given frequencies. The scatterers used are membranes and buttons that are manufactured in Duralumin plates. Their resonances are studied both experimentally and numerically. Such scatterers present the advantage of having a tunable frequency resonance, which allows controlling the frequencies at which the modal density increases. The dispersion relations of plates with scatterer array show high modal density at given frequencies. Finally acoustic focusing experiments in air, using these plates, are compared to the ones of simple duralumin plates demonstrating the improvement of contrast. Acoustic source localization is also realized using these plates.
Convolution formulations for non-negative intensity
Authors: Williams Earl G.
Published: August 2013

Previously unknown spatial convolution formulas for a variant of the active normal intensity in planar coordinates have been derived that use measured pressure or normal velocity near-field holograms to construct a positive-only (outward) intensity distribution in the plane, quantifying the areas of the vibrating structure that produce radiation to the far-field. This is an extension of the outgoing-only (unipolar) intensity technique recently developed for arbitrary geometries by Steffen Marburg. The method is applied independently to pressure and velocity data measured in a plane close to the surface of a point-driven, unbaffled rectangular plate in the laboratory. It is demonstrated that the sound producing regions of the structure are clearly revealed using the derived formulas and that the spatial resolution is limited to a half-wavelength. A second set of formulas called the hybrid-intensity formulas are also derived which yield a bipolar intensity using a different spatial convolution operator, again using either the measured pressure or velocity. It is demonstrated from the experiment results that the velocity formula yields the classical active intensity and the pressure formula an interesting hybrid intensity that may be useful for source localization. Computations are fast and carried out in real space without Fourier transforms into wavenumber space.
The effect of interaural-level-difference fluctuations on the externalization of sound
Authors: Catic Jasmina , Santurette Sébastien , Buchholz Jörg M. , Gran Fredrik , Dau Torsten
Published: August 2013

Real-world sound sources are usually perceived as externalized and thus properly localized in both direction and distance. This is largely due to (1) the acoustic filtering by the head, torso, and pinna, resulting in modifications of the signal spectrum and thereby a frequency-dependent shaping of interaural cues and (2) interaural cues provided by the reverberation inside an enclosed space. This study first investigated the effect of room reverberation on the spectro-temporal behavior of interaural level differences (ILDs) by analyzing dummy-head recordings of speech played at different distances in a standard listening room. Next, the effect of ILD fluctuations on the degree of externalization was investigated in a psychoacoustic experiment performed in the same listening room. Individual binaural impulse responses were used to simulate a distant sound source delivered via headphones. The ILDs were altered using a gammatone filterbank for analysis and resynthesis, where the envelopes of the left and right-ear signals were modified such that the naturally occurring fluctuations of the ILDs were restricted. This manipulation reduced the perceived degree of externalization. This was consistent with the analysis of short-term ILDs at different distances showing that a decreased distance to the sound source also reduced the ILD fluctuations.
Simulating the effect of interaural mismatch in the insertion depth of bilateral cochlear implants on speech perception
Authors: van Besouw Rachel M. , Forrester Lisa , Crowe Nicholas D. , Rowan Daniel
Published: August 2013

A bilateral advantage for diotically presented stimuli has been observed for cochlear implant (CI) users and is suggested to be dependent on symmetrical implant performance. Studies using CI simulations have not shown a true “bilateral” advantage, but a “better ear” effect and have demonstrated that performance decreases with increasing basalward shift in insertion depth. This study aimed to determine whether there is a bilateral advantage for CI simulations with interaurally matched insertions and the extent to which performance is affected by interaural insertion depth mismatch. Speech perception in noise and self-reported ease of listening were measured using matched bilateral, mismatched bilateral and unilateral CI simulations over four insertion depths for seventeen normal hearing listeners. Speech scores and ease of listening reduced with increasing basalward shift in (interaurally matched) insertion depth. A bilateral advantage for speech perception was only observed when the insertion depths were interaurally matched and deep. No advantage was observed for small to moderate interaural insertion-depth mismatches, consistent with a better ear effect. Finally, both measures were poorer than expected for a better ear effect for large mismatches, suggesting that misalignment of the electrode arrays may prevent a bilateral advantage and detrimentally affect perception of diotically presented speech.
Fabrication and performance of a single-crystal lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate cylindrical hydrophone
Authors: Brown Jeremy A. , Dunphy Kevin , Leadbetter Jeff R. , Adamson Robert B. A. , Beslin Olivier
Published: August 2013

The development of a piezoelectric hydrophone based on lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate [PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3-PbTiO3 (PMN-PT)] single-crystal piezoelectric as the hydrophone substrate is reported. Although PMN-PT can possess much higher piezoelectric sensitivity than traditional lead zirconate titanate (PZT) piezoelectrics, it is highly anisotropic and therefore there is a large gain in sensitivity only when the crystal structure is oriented in a specific direction. Because of this, simply replacing the PZT substrate with a PMN-PT cylinder is not an optimal solution because the crystal orientation does not uniformly align with the circumferential axis of the hydrophone. Therefore, a composite hydrophone that maintains the optimal crystal axis around the hydrophone circumference has been developed. An 11.3 mm diameter composite hydrophone cylinder was fabricated from a single 〈110〉 cut PMN-PT rectangular plate. Solid end caps were applied to the cylinder and the sensitivity was directly compared with a solid PZT-5A cylindrical hydrophone of equal dimensions in a hydrophone test tank. The charge sensitivity showed a 9.1 dB improvement over the PZT hydrophone and the voltage sensitivity showed a 3.5 dB improvement. This was in good agreement with the expected theoretical improvements of 10.1 and 4.5 dB, respectively.
Optical multi-point measurements of the acoustic particle velocity with frequency modulated Doppler global velocimetry
Authors: Fischer Andreas , König Jörg , Haufe Daniel , Schlüßler Raimund , Büttner Lars , Czarske Jürgen
Published: August 2013

To reduce the noise of machines such as aircraft engines, the development and propagation of sound has to be investigated. Since the applicability of microphones is limited due to their intrusiveness, contactless measurement techniques are required. For this reason, the present study describes an optical method based on the Doppler effect and its application for acoustic particle velocity (APV) measurements. While former APV measurements with Doppler techniques are point measurements, the applied system is capable of simultaneous measurements at multiple points. In its current state, the system provides linear array measurements of one component of the APV demonstrated by multi-tone experiments with tones up to 17 kHz for the first time.
Phonological theory informs the analysis of intonational exaggeration in Japanese infant-directed speech
Authors: Igarashi Yosuke , Nishikawa Ken'ya , Tanaka Kuniyoshi , Mazuka Reiko
Published: August 2013

To date, the intonation of infant-directed speech (IDS) has been analyzed without reference to its phonological structure. Intonational phonology should, however, inform IDS research, discovering important properties that have previously been overlooked. The present study investigated “intonational exaggeration” in Japanese IDS using the intonational phonological framework. Although intonational exaggeration, which is most often measured by pitch-range expansion, is one of the best-known characteristics of IDS, Japanese has been reported to lack such exaggeration. The present results demonstrated that intonational exaggeration is in fact present and observed most notably at the location of boundary pitch movements, and that the effects of lexical pitch accents in the remainder of the utterances superficially mask the exaggeration. These results not only reveal dynamic aspects of Japanese IDS, but also in turn contribute to the theory of intonational phonology, suggesting that paralinguistic pitch-range modifications most clearly emerge where the intonation system of a language allows maximum flexibility in varying intonational contours.
An eigenvalue correction due to scattering by a rough wall of an acoustic waveguide
Authors: Krynkin Anton , Horoshenkov Kirill V. , Tait Simon J.
Published: August 2013

In this paper a derivation of the attenuation factor in a waveguide with stochastic walls is presented. The perturbation method and Fourier analysis are employed to derive asymptotically consistent boundary-value problems at each asymptotic order. The derived approximation predicts the attenuation of the propagating mode in a rough waveguide through a correction to the eigenvalue corresponding to smooth walls. The proposed approach can be used to derive results that are consistent with those obtained by Bass et al. [IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag. 22, 278–288 (1974)]. The novelty of the method is that it does not involve the integral Dyson-type equation and, as a result, the large number of statistical moments included in the equation in the form of the mass operator of the volume scattering theory. The derived eigenvalue correction is described by the correlation function of the randomly rough surface. The averaged solution in the plane wave regime is approximated by the exponential function dependent on the derived eigenvalue correction. The approximations are compared with numerical results obtained using the finite element method (FEM). An approach to retrieve the correct deviation in roughness height and correlation length from multiple numerical realizations of the stochastic surface is proposed to account for the oversampling of the rough surface occurring in the FEM meshing procedure.
Efficient use of bandwidth for underwater acoustic communication
Authors: Song H. C. , Hodgkiss W. S.
Published: August 2013

In a recent shallow water experiment, acoustic communication transmissions were carried out over the 10 to 32 kHz band in ∼100 m deep water over a 3 km range. A natural question is how best to utilize that bandwidth. In one multiband approach discussed previously, the band was divided into four smaller subbands that were processed independently using time reversal decision-feedback equalizers (TR-DFEs). This letter presents a complementary wideband approach using data from the same experiment achieving a data rate of up to 60 kbits/s with 32 quadrature amplitude modulation. These results suggest that a wideband approach can be beneficial in terms of spectral efficiency with modest computational complexity using a TR-DFE.