Tonal hierarchies in the music of North India.

Used the probe tone method to quantify the perceived hierarchy of tones of North Indian music. Indian music is tonal and has many features in common with Western music. However, the primary means of expressing tonality in Indian music is through melody, whereas in Western music it is through harmony (the use of chords). Probe tone ratings were given by Indian and Western listeners in the context of 10 North Indian rāgs (a standard set of melodic forms). These ratings confirmed the predicted hierarchical ordering. Both groups of listeners gave the highest ratings to the tonic and the 5th degree of the scale. The ratings of both groups of listeners generally reflected the pattern of tone durations in the musical contexts. This result suggests that the distribution of tones in music is a psychologically effective means of conveying the tonal hierarchy to listeners whether they are familiar with the musical tradition. Only the Indian listeners were sensitive to the scales (thāts) underlying the rāgs. There was little evidence that Western listeners assimilated the pitch materials to the major and minor diatonic system of Western music. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Copolymer of sucrose and naphthoquinone imine derivatives

Summary The purpose of the present work was to prepare a macromolecular prodrug with methacrylic esters of 2-hydroxy-N-(3,4-dimethyl-5-isoxazolyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone-4-imine(I) and those of suorose. The copolymer IV obtained by a bulk copolymerization reaction was purified by GPC and characterized by infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and hydrolysis studies. Its alkaline hydrolysis led to compound I which exhibited trypanocidal activity against T.cruzi.     

Gaucher''s disease suspected by abdominal echography findings

PURPOSE: To evaluate the contribution of embryo quality to preclinical loss rates after in vitro fertilization (IVF)/embryo transfer (ET) pregnancy, multiple gestation, and clinical loss rates were compared to preclinical pregnancy loss rates over a 3-year period. METHODS: The pregnancy outcomes after 1675 fresh ETs from 1994 to 1997 were studied. While establishment of a clinical pregnancy confirms uterine receptivity, multiple gestation rates reflect embryo quality. Because the majority of clinical losses are chromosomally abnormal, clinical loss rates serve as another indicator of embryo quality. RESULTS: The overall preclinical pregnancy loss rate was 5% (78/1675) of ETs and 17% (78/472) of pregnancies. During the 3-year period the pregnancy rates per ET increased from 19 to 36% (P < 0.0001), multiple gestation rates increased from 21 to 48% (P < 0.008), clinical loss rates decreased from 20 to 6% (P < 0.0001), and preclinical pregnancy loss rates remained unchanged from 13 to 19% (P = 0.1). CONCLUSIONS: Preclinical pregnancy loss more likely reflects abnormalities in uterine receptivity rather than embryo quality. If recurrent preclinical pregnancy loss occurs after IVF/ET, evaluation for abnormalities of uterine receptivity should be performed.     

The reaction occurring between gaseous CF4 and oxides dissolved in different molten fluorides. Some practical aspects

When CF₄ is bubbled through molten fluorides containing dissolved oxides within the range 900–1020° C, a chemical reaction takes place which decreases the oxide concentration and yields CO₂ and F^– ions. The possibility of the reaction between the CF₄ evolved at the anode and dissolved alumina, occurring during the anode effect in aluminium reduction cells, is discussed. This reaction provides a simple and convenient method for removing oxides and hydroxides from molten fluorides.     

Reactive ion beam sputtering of thin films of lead,zirconium and titanium

Thin films of lead, zirconium and titanium were reactively sputtered in an oxygen atmosphere by a focused ion beam sputtering technique. With this technique, the plasma is contained in the ion gun so that neither the target nor the substrate is in a plasma environment. As a result, several factors which can interfere with the interpretation of the mechanism of compound formation (high energy secondary electron bombardment, high substrate temperature, high deposition pressure) are virtually eliminated.Properties such as deposition rate, resistivity and internal stress as a function of the partial pressure of oxygen were investigated. A decrease in the deposition rate was observed as the partial pressure of oxygen was increased from 1 × 10^-6 to 2 × 10^-4 Torr. This decrease was attributed to a build-up of a surface layer of adsorbed oxygen on the target. A model is proposed to predict the partial pressure of oxygen at which a dielectric film forms, based on the thermodynamic properties of the compound formed. All films deposited are in tensile stress. This suggests that compound formation occurs at the target and that the oxide is sputtered in the collision process.     

Poly(ether ether ketone) solutions suitable for microfiltration membrane preparation

Poly(ether ether ketone) shows high stability against chemical and physical agents but is poorly soluble in most common solvents. We tested new solvents to obtain concentrated solutions that we used to prepare microfiltration membranes by the phase‐inversion technique. The prepared membranes were tested by the filtration of oily emulsions, and their structure was studied with scanning electron microscopy. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 81: 2550–2555, 2001     

Study of balance of images using visual weight

The purpose of this research is to analyze the factors that create a sensation of balance or unbalance when a color image is observed depending on the light transmitted, reflected, and/or emitted by the objects that appear in it. This study is carried out by calculating the center of gravity (CG) of each image. The weight and the CG are obtained by calculating the force resulting from the different visual weights that make up the visual image and its position on this. When the visual CG and the geometric center coincide, it is recognized that the image is balanced. The action that acts on the balance of the lightness of an image is labeled as the visual weight. The visual weight of a figure is defined from the amount of visible light coming from it and the space occupied by this in the visual image. The colors show us the amount of light coming from a figure, while the shape provides us with information about the space that it occupies. The study explores how the qualities of appearance of three‐dimensional objects affect visual weight and how it can vary due to changes in light, motion of objects or the perspective of the image. Since these calculations can be very complex, we have developed the software called “PesoVisual” that automatically performs these operations on digital color images. Similarly, this software enables the analysis of the variability of the visual image. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 41, 175–187, 2016     

A Tool for Interrogation of Macromolecular Structure

Our program BABELPDB allows browsing and interrogating the native and derived structural features of biomacromolecules using data obtained from the Protein Data Bank （PDB）. Major features of BABELPDB are： （1） convert from PDB to other formats, （2） add or remove H-atoms, （3） strip the crystallization water molecules and （4） separate the ct-carbons （Cα）. The co-ordinates obtained with BABELPDB permit characterizing the presence of H-bonds. The algorithm for detecting H-bonds is implemented in our program TOPO for the theoretical simulation of the molecular shape, An example is given to illustrate the capabilities of the software： the calculation of the fractal dimension of the lysozyme molecule with （1.908） and without （1.920） H-atoms. The figures compare well with reference calculations performed with our version of program GEPOL and results from Pfeifer et al. For proteins, Cα-skeleton extracted with BABELPDB allows drawing the ribbon image, which determines their secondary structure.     

Bis-naphthalimides 3: synthesis and antitumor activity of N,N''-bis[2-(1,8-naphthalimido)-ethyl] alkanediamines

Gap junctions regulate a variety of cell functions by creating a conduit between two apposing tissue cells. Gap junctions are unique among membrane channels. Not only do the constituent membrane channels span two cell membranes, but the intercellular channels pack into discrete cell-cell contact areas forming in vivo closely packed arrays. Gap junction membrane channels can be isolated either as two-dimensional crystals, individual intercellular channels, or individual hemichannels. The family of gap junction proteins, the connexins, create a family of gap junctions channels and structures. Each channel has distinct physiological properties but a similar overall structure. This review focuses on three aspects of gap junction structure: (1) the molecular structure of the gap junction membrane channel and hemichannel, (2) the packing of the intercellular channels into arrays, and (3) the ways that different connexins can combine into gap junction channel structures with distinct physiological properties. The physiological implications of the different structural forms are discussed.     

PIXE and PIGE techniques for the analysis of Antarctic ice dust and continental sediments

An analytical procedure has been implemented in this work for an accurate geochemical characterization and quantitative analysis of the fine dust (particles diameter < 5 μm) trapped in Antarctic ice cores and the fine fraction of potential source areas (PSA) sediments by size selection, filtering and PIXE-PIGE combined measurements. The underestimation of concentrations of the lighter elements, like Na, Mg, Al and Si, due to X-ray self-absorption inside each individual aerosol particle, was also evaluated and the analytical overall accuracy tested by means of measurements performed on size selected certified mineral standards.