Effects of phoneme repertoire on phoneme decision

In three experiments, listeners detected vowel or consonant targets in lists of CV syllables constructed from five vowels and five consonants. Responses were faster in a predictable context (e.g., listening for a vowel target in a list of syllables all beginning with the same consonant) than in an unpredictable context (e.g., listening for a vowel target in a list of syllables beginning with different consonants). In Experiment 1, the listeners' native language was Dutch, in which vowel and consonant repertoires are similar in size. The difference between predictable and unpredictable contexts was comparable for vowel and consonant targets. In Experiments 2 and 3, the listeners' native language was Spanish, which has four times as many consonants as vowels; here effects of an unpredictable consonant context on vowel detection were significantly greater than effects of an unpredictable vowel context on consonant detection. This finding suggests that listeners' processing of phonemes takes into account the constitution of their language's phonemic repertoire and the implications that this has for contextual variability.     

Thermal Stress Analysis in Particulate Composite Components

Abstract: Thermal stresses resulting from flow of hot and cold water were obtained in sinks manufactured with acrylic casting dispersions by both experimental and numerical analysis. The experimental work was performed in two poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) -silica based particulate composites, compositions of which are different by the volume fraction of filler and the particle size. The thermal stresses in sinks were obtained using strain gauges. The alternate flow of cold and hot water using a mixed tap, results in the formation of thermal gradients, leading to the occurrence of thermal stresses . The experimental results were compared with the numerical results obtained with a commercial finite element software. For this analysis, some thermal parameters such as the convective heat transfer coefficient, the density, the thermal conductivity and the specific heat were experimentally obtained. In general, a good agreement between experimental and numerical results was observed. The results of this study, together with the results of fatigue and fracture tests, will be used in a tolerance analysis of defects in the products manufactured with these composites.     

Isotope and Impurity Content in Water Triple-Point Cells Manufactured at NMi VSL

The isotopic and impurity content of 15 water triple-point cells, manufactured at NMi VSL in the past three years, were investigated. The isotopic analyses were performed on water specimens sampled at three different stages of the manufacturing process. This allowed us to separate and quantify the influence of the source water and of the manufacturing process (distillation, degassing) on the final isotopic composition of the water in the cells. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) was conducted on selected water samples to investigate the potential contamination of the source water during the manufacturing process, and to evaluate the impact of impurities on the water triple-point temperature. The temperature differences among the manufactured cells were measured, and correlations between the observed differences and the results of isotope and chemical analysis were studied.     

Stability of quinoa flour proteins (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) during storage

The amino acid composition and the physicochemical and functional properties of quinoa flour proteins (QFP) were evaluated during storage (at 20, 30 and 40 °C). Quinoa flour showed a protein content of 14.2 ± 0.1 g 100 g⁻¹ and high levels of essential amino acids as lysine. SDS–PAGE of the QFP presented ten major band, and native-PAGE of the QFP showed similar banding; there was a little variation due to time-temperature. TCA-protein solubility variation (%) was small and the values of water activity were low, a non-significant endogenous hydrolysis was observed. Differential scanning calorimetry flour analysis allowed determining two endotherms, starch and protein. Important structural changes of protein soluble fractions were not detected by UV and fluorescence spectroscopy due to temperature and time of storage. It was found during storage time loss of protein solubility and water absorption. These changes could be to influence in the manufacture of quinoa flour based products. For avoid changes in these functional properties (solubility and water holding capacity), quinoa flour can be stored at ambient temperature (between 20 and 30 °C) and packed in double kraft paper bags (2 months).     

A laminar flow superfusion technique with much increased sensitivity for the detection of smooth muscle-stimulating substances

The classical superfusion technique was modified by immersing the isolated assay tissues in mineral oil, making it possible to superfuse the preparations through the oil with a drip of Krebs solution at very low flow rates (0.1 - 0.2 ml/min). In this way the sensitivity of the preparation for the detection and quantitation of endogenous biologically active substances was extended to the picogram level.     

From Profs to Profits: How Italian Academics Generate High Technology Ventures

This article examines the motivations which induce academic researchers to found their own business and reports on the advantages and disadvantages that such an entrepreneurial form presents for an efficient transfer of creativity and innovation from public research laboratories to the marketplace. In the Italian situation it shows that academic spin-offs can be very efficient in doing this although there are specific and crucial moments which generate tension within the first stages of the firm's life cycle.     

Analysis of microstrip antennas on circular-cylindrical substrateswith a dielectric overlay

The use of dyadic Green's functions and the moment method is explored for the solution of microstrip antenna problems on circular cylindrical substrates. The dyadic Green's functions of the electric type are obtained for a medium consisting of three cylindrical dielectric layers concentric with a perfectly conducting cylinder, and integral equations are developed for the evaluation of the electromagnetic fields. The effect of a dielectric overlay on the resonant frequency of a cylindrical-rectangular microstrip antenna is analyzed. The patch is directly fed by means of a microstripline printed along the cylinder axial direction. The results show that the effect of the dielectric overlay is substantial when its relative permittivity and thickness are increased, such that this effect has to be very carefully considered in the design of microstrip antennas     

A Fast XPS Study of Propene Decomposition over Clean and Sulphated Pt{111}

The thermal decomposition of propene over clean and sulphate precovered Pt{111} has been followed by Fast XPS. The saturation propene coverage over the clean surface is 0.21 mL at 90 K. Propene is stable up to 200 K, above which molecular desorption and dehydrogenation result in the formation of a stable propylidyne intermediate adlayer at 300 K. Propylidyne decomposes above 400 K eventually forming graphitic carbon above 800 K. Preadsorbed surface sulphate promotes room temperature propene combustion associated with the decomposition of a thermally unstable alkyl--sulphate complex. Propylidyne also forms as on clean Pt{111}, but is less reactive, its decomposition above 450 K triggering partial oxidation with residual surface oxygen to liberate gas phase CO.