bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Atorvastatin mediates increases in intralesional BAX and BAK expression in human end-stage abdominal aortic aneurysms
Authors: Schweitzer Morris , Mitmaker Benjamin , Obrand Daniel , Sheiner Nathan , Abraham Cherrie , Dostanic Stevan , Chalifour Lorraine E. 
Published: November 2009

Chronic apoptosis activation may participate in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) expansion. Statin treatment slows AAA progression independent of cholesterol lowering. We hypothesized that Atorvastatin treatment alters apoptosis protein expression and activation in AAAs. Protein was isolated from the central and distal portions of end-stage human AAA tissue obtained during surgical repair from non-statin (NST) and Atorvastatin-treated (AT) patients. Expression was compared using immunoblots. Bcl-2 expression was unchanged but Bak (4-fold, p < 0.013) and Bax (3-fold, p < 0.035) expression was increased in AT (n = 12) versus NST (n = 15) patients. No cytochrome c release or caspase 3 activation was detected and Clusterin, GRP78, and BNIP1 expression was similar in NST and AT samples. Bcl-2 and Bax cDNA sequences from AAA tissue (n = 10) and the general population were identical. Thus, the increase in Bax and Bak in AT-treated AAAs did not activate the mitochondria or endoplasmic reticulum mediated apoptosis pathways. Bcl-2, Bax, and Bak have non-apoptosis related functions that include maintenance of endoplasmic reticulum (ER), homeostasis, and adaptation to stress. We speculate that Atorvastatin-mediated increases in Bax and Bak may positively affect their non-apotosis related cell functions to account for the beneficial effect of statins to slow AAA expansion.
Behavioral avoidance of injured conspecific and predatory chemical stimuli by larvae of the aquatic caddisfly Hesperophylax occidentalis
Authors: Gall B. G. , Brodie, Jr. E. D. 
Published: November 2009

Prey animals often encounter situations that hinder their ability to conduct normal fitness-enhancing behaviors. Mating and foraging are frequently interrupted by predator vigilance and avoidance, and antipredator behavior. Many caddisfly larvae build protective cases that are carried with them throughout the aquatic life cycle. However, they are still vulnerable to predation, yet it is unknown the extent caddisflies use chemical cues for predator recognition and avoidance. We exposed larval caddisfly Hesperophylax occidentalis (Banks, 1908) to predatory, conspecific, and heterospecific chemical cues to determine if caddisfly larvae can use chemical stimuli alone for predator recognition and avoidance. Exposure to predator and injured conspecific chemicals elicited significant decreases in activity, while exposure to injured and uninjured heterospecific chemicals yielded no significant change in activity. The extended latency to move following exposure to predator kairomones indicates larval caddisflies utilize chemical cues for predator recognition and avoidance, and a similar decrease in movement associated with exposure to injured conspecifics suggests the presence of a chemical alarm cue.
Do territorial male three-spined sticklebacks have sperm with different characteristics than nonterritorial males?
Authors: Côté J. , Blier P. U. , Caron A. , Dufresne F. 
Published: November 2009

The three-spined stickleback ( Gasterosteus aculeatus aculeatus L., 1758) shows unequal energetic expenditure upon reproduction as some males defend territories and build nest (territorials: TM) where they spawn singly with females, whereas other males remain nonterritorial (NTM), do not build nests, and resort to sneaking fertilizations from nesting males. We examined the effects of reproductive strategy on various sperm parameters. Territorial status was assessed by introducing males in small wading pools and recording the number of males with a nest. Males from all pools were remixed and nesting status was reassessed. This allowed us to discriminate a group of males with repetitive territorial or nonterritorial behaviours (TM and NTM) or a “facultative” territorial behaviour (FM). TM had a significantly larger gonadosomatic index (GSI) than both FM and NTM. FM had a GSI that was significantly larger than NTM, but significantly smaller than TM. Sperm motility did not differ among males with different reproductive tactics. There were no significant differences in citrate synthase (CS) and pyruvate kinase (PK) activities among males with different status. Curiously, we found a significant negative relationship between CS and PK activities and total number of sperm.
FAITHFUL REPRESENTATIONS OF MINIMAL DIMENSION OF CURRENT HEISENBERG LIE ALGEBRAS
Authors: CAGLIERO LEANDRO , ROJAS NADINA 
Published: November 2009

Given a Lie algebra 𝔤 over a field of characteristic zero k, let μ(𝔤) = min{dim π : π is a faithful representation of 𝔤}. Let 𝔥m be the Heisenberg Lie algebra of dimension 2m + 1 over k and let k [t] be the polynomial algebra in one variable. Given m ∈ ℕ and p ∈ k [t], let 𝔥m, p = 𝔥m ⊗ k [t]/(p) be the current Lie algebra associated to 𝔥m and k [t]/(p), where (p) is the principal ideal in k [t] generated by p. In this paper we prove that [Formula: see text]. We also prove a result that gives information about the structure of a commuting family of operators on a finite dimensional vector space. From it is derived the well-known theorem of Schur on maximal abelian subalgebras of 𝔤𝔩(n, k ).
Visual passwords
Authors: Renaud Karen , De Angeli Antonella 
Published: November 2009

Introduction

Users of computer systems are accustomed to being asked for passwords -- it is as universal as it is frustrating. In the past there was little tolerance for the problems experienced remembering passwords, and many users still remember, with embarrassment, having to go hat-in-hand to request a password change and being treated with disdain by a lofty administrator. Latterly there is more understanding of the problems experienced by users, especially since the "
password conundrum
" has reached epidemic proportions for Web users, who are asked for passwords with unrelenting predictability.

The problems with passwords are clear -- users cannot remember numbers of meaningless alphanumeric strings with ease. Hence, they react by choosing simple and predictable words or numbers related to their everyday life, and engaging in insecure practices, such as writing passwords down or sharing them. These practices cause a breach affecting even the most secure and protected network system. Hence the user is often called the weakest link of the security chain, with system administrators despairing of trying to maintain security with the weak link so often reaching breaking point. Users forgetting passwords has serious economical consequences for organizations.
Both academia and industry have been investigating alternatives to passwords, with varying degrees of success. One of the most well-known solutions is the biometric -- measurement of either behavioral or physiological characteristics of the end-user. This is obviously superior to the password because it removes the burden on the user's memory. So why don't we just switch to biometrics and give the poor user a break? There are some valid and hard-to-overcome reasons for the slow uptake of biometrics, but before we can discuss them we need to consider the mechanics of authentication.
Infant Labial, Apical and Velar Stop Productions: A Voice Onset Time Analysis
Authors: Enstrom Daly H. 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
Initial prevocalic labial, apical and velar stops, as produced by eight 9- to 12-month-old Swiss-German infants, were examined spectrographically for voice onset time (VOT). Results indicate that VOTs for each place of articulation cluster in the 0- to + 30-ms voicing lag range. Comparisons of the present infant data with available results from adult Swiss-German stop productions show the VOT distributions to be very similar. The present infant data for apical stops are also compared with available data from 12-month-old American-English and Lebanese-Arabic infants. Since all three infant populations show similar VOT distributions, one might conclude that the forces of nature rather than nurture determine manner of infant apical stop production.
Interaction between Articulatory Movements and Vocal Pitch Control in Japanese Word Accent
Authors: Sawashima Masayuki , Hirose Hajime , Yoshioka Hirohide , Kiritani Shigeru 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
In order to investigate the interaction between articulatory and vocal pitch controls, EMGs of the cricothyroid (CT) and sternohyoid (SH) muscles were recorded during utterances of two-mora Japanese words with rising and falling accent types in the Tokyo dialects. The test words consisted of combinations of open and closed vowels. It was revealed that the changes in CT activity were consistently observed in correspondence with the F₀ shift according to the accent types, while the SH muscle was observed to be active both for jaw opening and F₀ lowering, with some subject-to-subject difference. It was also observed that the time lag between the decrease in CT activity and the F₀ fall varied with a shift in the relative timing of SH activity in one subject, but not in the other. Articulatory jaw opening with SH activation was considered to positively contribute to F₀ lowering, but the use of this mechanism appeared to be optional at least in the Tokyo accent.
Effects of Utterance Position on English Speech Timing
Authors: Flege J.E. , Brown, Jr. W.S. 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
8 speakers of American English produced utterances consisting of one to five disyllables ([bábÓ] or [pápÓ]). Vowel and stop closure intervals were defined by variations in supraglottal pressure, sensed through a thin tube inserted in the mouth. Closure was always longer for /p/ than /b/ in utterance-medial positions. In utterance-initial position, however, /b/ lengthened more than /p/ so that no duration difference between /p/ and /b/ was observed. Utterance-initial position did not influence vowel duration. In contrast, utterance-final position affected only vowel duration, lengthening both final-syllable unstressed vowels and stressed vowels in penultimate syllables.
Syllable Duration in Stress-, Syllable- and Mora-Timed Languages
Authors: Hoequist, Jr. Charles 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
Building on the results of a previous study, reiterant speech is used to test a number of durational characteristics of a stress-timed language (English), a syllable-timed language (Spanish) and a mora-timed language (Japanese). The results indicate that moras and stress feet do influence syllable duration in their respective languages, Japanese and English. Spanish, however, seems to show no language-specific durational characteristics which could be claimed to be indicative of syllable timing.
Consonant Clusters in Children’s Spontaneous and Imitative Speech
Authors: Bond Z.S. , Korte S. 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
The purpose of this study was to compare the phonological and acoustic-phonetic structure of spontaneous versus imitative speech. 10 children (2:3 to 3:8) were recorded producing words spontaneously and imitatively. Correct productions of consonant clusters and voice onset time were compared for the two speech modes. On these two measures, there were no differences between words produced imitatively and spontaneously.
Vowel Distortion in Traumatic Dysarthria: Lip Rounding versus Tongue Advancement
Authors: Ziegler W. , Cramon D.V. 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
Formant analysis of tense, high, German vowels was performed to the end of obtaining information about the role of insufficient lip rounding in distorted vowel production of 8 traumatic dysarthrics. A comparison was made between two allophones of /y/ in different consonantal contexts. Noticeable undershoot in lip rounding or protrusion proved to occur in a context of conflicting labial gestures. Where the articulatory realization of a CVC sequence required gross tongue movements, a lingual undershoot resulted as the prevailing deficit. No evidence for dyscoordinative defects was obtained from the results.
Variability and Invariance in Danish Stress Group Patterns
Authors: Thorsen Nina 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
Three aspects of the fundamental frequency (F₀) pattern associated with the prosodic stress group in Standard Danish are examined in acoustic analyses of recordings by 4 speakers. (1) Evidence is presented that short stress groups will have F₀ patterns which are truncated rather than compressed editions of those found with longer stress groups. (2) The shape of the F₀ pattern can be considered basically invariant (for a given speaker) and independent of the segmental structure of the stress group, but its surface manifestation is modified by intrinsic F₀ level differences between vowels of different tongue height, and by intonational context. (3) F₀ patterns in extremely long prosodic stress groups are investigated.
Is There a Valid Distinction between Voiceless Lateral Approximants and Fricatives?
Authors: Maddieson Ian , Emmorey Karen 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
It is possible that the distinction between voiceless lateral fricatives and approximants is actually due to different linguists’ terminology and transcription practices rather than to an actual phonetic distinction. This paper establishes that there is in fact a phonetic distinction between these sounds and that the phonetic difference has important phonological consequences. Several speakers of Zulu, Navajo, Taishan, Burmese, and Tibetan were recorded. Measures of duration, amplitude and spectral shape were made on the voiceless laterals. The voiceless lateral fricatives were found to have a significantly later onset of voicing, higher amplitude, and greater energy at higher frequencies than the approximants. A survey of 60 languages with voiceless laterals revealed distinguishing generalizations involving phonotactics, allophonic variation, and co-occurrence with other laterals in the inventory.
Phonetic Factors in Word Order
Authors: Oakeshott-Taylor John 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
Binomial expressions, of the form X
and Y, often prefer one sequence of elements over the other. This investigation examines the hypothesis that such preferences are due, in part at least, to phonetic properties of the conjoined words. Native speakers revealed highly significant preference patterns when asked to judge conjoined CVC syllables, in English, German and Afrikaans – patterns which could be associated with phonetic properties of the vowel segments. The prosodic structure of the binomial expression also appeared to play a role in determining order preferences.
Vocal Fold Adjustments in Aspirated and Unaspirated Stops in Danish
Authors: Hutters Birgit 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
Vocal fold adjustments in Danish aspirated and unaspirated stops were investigated by electromyography, photo-electric glottography, and fiberoptic stills. The results show that these two stop types are produced primarily by different types of glottal gesture, rather than by a different timing of the glottal and supraglottal articulations. Other, more general aspects of glottal behaviour in relation to aspiration and devoicing in stops are also discussed.
Perception of Speech Rate of Dutch and Italian Utterances
Authors: den Os Els 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
The speech signal contains many linguistic and prosodic cues which determine the perception of speech rate. We investigated which cues could optimally explain rate judgements of short Dutch and Italian utterances. For this, the correlation between an objective measure of speech rate (linguistic syllables per second, phonetic syllables per second, or phonetic segments per second) and perceived speech rate has been evaluated for rate judgements of normal, monotone, and unintelligible utterances. The effect of language background on speech rate perception was also studied, by using Dutch and Italian listeners.
Relationship between Semivowels and Vowels: Cross-Linguistic Investigations of Acoustic Difference and Coarticulation
Authors: Maddieson Ian , Emmorey Karen 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
Formant frequencies of the semivowels /j/ and /w/ in Amharic, Yoruba and Zuni were measured in three vowel environments. Cross-language differences were found between what are described as the same semivowels, i. e. different languages have different acoustic targets for /j/ and /w/. These cross-language differences in semivowels correlate with cross-language differences in the respective cognate vowels /i/ and /u/. Nonetheless, the semivowels differ in systematic ways from the vowels in directions that make them more ‘consonantal’. These languages also differ in their patterns of coarticulation between semivowels and adjacent vowels. This shows, inter alia, that palatal segments differ from language to language in their degree of resistance to coarticulation. Because of these language-specific coarticulatory patterns, cross-language differences in acoustic targets can only be established after careful consideration of the effect of context.
Interaction of Vowel F₀ and Prosody
Authors: Steele Shirley A. 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
In the experiment reported here, the intrinsic fundamental frequency (IF₀) difference between high and low vowels was investigated in controlled prosodic contexts. Findings do not support the hypothesis proposed elsewhere that IF₀ differences increase as a function of the speaker’s F₀. An explanation which includes the influence of both vocal fold tension and subglottal pressure accounts for the data better than current theories of IF₀ differences. IF₀ differences may be explained as a phonetic-level result of the implementation of pitch accent and prominence.
Orosensory Similarity of Vowels
Authors: Rietveld A.C.M. , Schils E.D.J. 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
Triadically collected judgments on the orosensory similarity of Dutch vowels were studied in terms of three phonological and phonetic descriptions of the Dutch vowel system, differing mainly in their respective treatments of vowel heights. A feature matrix using four vowel heights rather than three had the greatest resemblance with a three-dimensional representation of the vowels on the basis of orosensory judgments. A hierarchical representation of the data indicates that the feature front/back outweighs the features high/low and long/short as far as their relative impact is concerned. Roundedness appeared to play no dominant role in the judgment process.
Effects of Bite Block Speech on Intrinsic Segment Duration
Authors: Smith Bruce L. 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
The fact that low vowels tend to have longer intrinsic durations than high vowels is sometimes attributed to mechanical characteristics associated with the greater distance the jaw travels in producing low vowels. To investigate this tendency, 6 adult speakers of English each produced 72 [h]-vowel-consonant stimuli containing high and low vowels under ‘normal’ conditions and with their jaw fixed. If duration differences commonly observed between high and low vowels are a result of only mechanical effects of mandibular movement, it was hypothesized that stabilizing the jaw would eliminate these intrinsic vowel duration differences. Based on acoustic measurements that were made, it was found that the fixed-jaw conditions affected the intrinsic durational differences between high and low vowels to some extent, but the contrast was not entirely removed. In addition to the vowel duration changes, a number of systematic effects upon consonant closure duration were also observed as a result of the normal versus fixed-jaw conditions.
Frequency Code: Orofacial Correlates of Fundamental Frequency
Authors: Bauer Harold R. 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
In the human voice, lip retraction as in smiling can be associated with high fundamental (F₀) and formant frequencies. The aim of this study was to investigate under naturalistic conditions the cross-species generality of the frequency code hypothesis and related orofacial correlates in F₀. Digital spectral, spectrographic, and cinegraphic measurements were made of spontaneous chimpanzee vocalizations and orofacial movements produced and recorded in the field. A significant decline in F₀ was found in submissive scream-to-aggressive-waahbark transitions as predicted by the frequency code. Teeth and lip opening distances during sounds were positively correlated with their duration, F₀, frequency rise and tempo. These positive correlates and a trivariate regression between orofacial opening and F₀ give support to the coordination of these appeasing facial and vocal features proposed in the frequency code hypothesis.
Classification of Basic Fundamental Frequency Patterns Using Discriminant Functions
Authors: Demenko Grazyna , Jassem Wiktor , Krzyśko Mirosław 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
An attempt was made to see whether realizations of eight different pitch patterns can be classified automatically by subjecting fundamental frequency curves to statistical treatment using two kinds of discriminant functions. The materials consisted of 150 imitations of each of the eight prototypes (eight intonations of a short Polish phrase). Approximately 80% of the time the statistical procedures assigned the individual tokens to the appropriate classes. Most of the misassignments were due to wrong imitations. The discriminant functions also indicated similarities and dissimilarities among the pitch patterns. It is suggested that perceptually and linguistically, some differences between pitch patterns may not be quite categorical.
Paralinguistic Variation and Invariance in the Characteristic Frequencies of Vowels
Authors: Traunmüller Hartmut 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
It is shown that within-speaker variations in vocal effort and phonation affect fundamental frequency (F₀) and the formant frequencies of vowels in the sense of a linear compression/expansion of the spectral separations between them, given an adequate scaling of pitch. Between-speaker variations in size correspond to a translation of the spectral peaks shaped by F₀ and the formants if pitch is scaled tonotopically (in Bark). On the basis of these observations, invariant cues to vowel quality are suggested. It is further shown that vowels produced by adult women tend to be phonetically more explicit and, hence, more peripheral in ‘vowel space’ than those of men and children. It is also shown that the formant frequencies of vowels subjected to paralinguistic variation are related by power functions of frequency.
Perception of Indonesian Vowels Spoken in Context
Authors: van Zanten Ellen 
Published: November 2009

Abstract
The purpose of the present study is to test the perceptual reality of allophonic variation and harmony in Indonesian. Indonesian listeners with different regional backgrounds were asked to predict word identity (CVCV or CVCVC) based on the presence or absence of vowel allophony and harmony. The data show that listeners were sensitive to the spectrally different allophones, but were not in all cases able to use this information in predicting word identity, probably due to experimental artifact.