Constructing candidate word lists using acoustically similar wordgroups

A method for identifying a set of candidate words that matches well with a given utterance is discussed. The method uses precomputed groups of acoustically similar words. Given a vocabulary, for each word a short list of words that are acoustically similar to it is computed. These groups are constructed using training utterances recorded by several speakers and used in an isolated utterance recognition system to construct candidate word lists during recognition. Experiments show that the correct word appears on the short list of candidate words constructed during recognition using this scheme over 98% of the time     

New spectral estimate for SAR imaging of the ocean

On the basis of the theory of microwave scattering from the ocean surface the correlation function of the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) signal intensity was obtained as a sum of two items. The first item is the proper image correlation function, i.e. the correlation function free of speckle noise SAR signal intensity, which has been investigated in many works (mostly by Alpers et al.). The second item describes the speckle structure in the image. It has been shown that at sufficiently large values of the well‐known velocity bunching parameter the speckle energy is significant within the spectral interval, where the spectrum of large ocean waves is concentrated. In this case the speckle noise can not be suppressed efficiently by means of image filtering. Meanwhile, the mentioned second item is nothing other than half of the correlation function of the complex intensity, which is the square of the SAR signal complex amplitude (unlike the usual real intensity, i.e. the square of the modulus). Therefore, the unspeckled image correlation function can be presented as the difference between the real intensity correlation function and half of the complex intensity function. This leads to a new spectral estimate, free of speckle noise, for the SAR image. The corresponding expression for the new estimate is presented.     

Chernobyl experience of emergency data management

The use of the Chernobyl experience in emergency data management is presented. Information technologies for the generalization of practical experience in the protection of the population after the Chernobyl accident are described. The two main components of this work are the development of the administrative information system (AIS) and the creation of the central data bank. The current state of the AIS, the data bank and the bank of models is described. Data accumulated and models are used to estimate the consequences of radiation accidents and to provide different types of prognosis. Experience of accumulated analysis data allows special software to be developed for large-scale simulation of radiation consequences of major radiation accidents and to organize practical exercises. Some examples of such activity are presented.     

Semisynthetic flavocytochromes based on cytochrome P450 2B4: reductase and oxygenase activities

Endurance exercise training induces a rapid increase in the GLUT-4 isoform of the glucose transporter in muscle. In fasted rats, insulin-stimulated muscle glucose transport is increased in proportion to the increase in GLUT-4. There is evidence that high muscle glycogen may decrease insulin-stimulated glucose transport. This study was undertaken to determine whether glycogen supercompensation interferes with the increase in glucose transport associated with an exercise-induced increase in GLUT-4. Rats were trained by means of swimming for 6 h/day for 2 days. Rats fasted overnight after the last exercise bout had an approximately twofold increase in epitrochlearis muscle GLUT-4 and an associated approximately twofold increase in maximally insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity. Epitrochlearis muscles of rats fed rodent chow after exercise were glycogen supercompensated (86.4 +/- 4.8 micromol/g wet wt) and showed no significant increase in maximally insulin-stimulated glucose transport above the sedentary control value despite an approximately twofold increase in GLUT-4. Fasting resulted in higher basal muscle glucose transport rates in both sedentary and trained rats but did not significantly increase maximally insulin-stimulated transport in the sedentary group. We conclude that carbohydrate feeding that results in muscle glycogen supercompensation prevents the increase in maximally insulin-stimulated glucose transport associated with an exercise training-induced increase in muscle GLUT-4.     

Interactions of pluronic block copolymers with brain microvessel endothelial cells: evidence of two potential pathways for drug absorption

The effect of stimulus size on the pattern onset-offset visual evoked potential elicited with stimuli of two different wavelengths is studied under intensive yellow adaptation: (1) The onset response obtained with a 460 nm pattern is of negative polarity (N1) and saturates in amplitude with a stimulus radius of 7 deg. The onset response obtained with a 550 nm pattern is of positive polarity and continues to increase up to the maximum size (32.2 deg). (2) The peak time of N1 (460 nm) decreases with increasing stimulus size, that of P1 (550 nm) remains constant. These results are discussed as reflecting either varying retinal and brain anatomy, or cone activity, color-opponent activity, or luminance contrast activity.     

Electrosyntheses based on reactions of addition of electrochemically generated radicals to ethylene and its derivatives—II. Mechanism of the reaction

Adsorption of ethylene and its derivatives on a platinum electrode is investigated. Two adsorption regions are shown to exist: from 0 to 1.2 V—a region of adsorption (usually destructive) on pure platinum and from 1.5 to 3.0 V—a region of adsorption on the oxide layer. In the region of high anodic potentials, as well as for low ones, the dependence of surface coverage on the bulk concentration is described by Temkin's isotherm.Radicals R′, formed due to discharge of adsorbed anions of carboxylic acids or monoesters, can be dimerized, disproportionate and react with solvent in the surface layer, yielding ordinary products of Kolbe and Brown—Walker synthesis, or they can react with an acceptor, yielding different products of addition. It is shown, using a ring-disk electrode that radicals R′ react only in the surface layer and only with adsorbed ethylene. The acceptors are not directly involved in the electrode processes.     

Alpha-fetoprotein-mediated targeting--a new strategy to overcome multidrug resistance of tumour cells in vitro

The possibility of overcoming the multidrug resistance of human malignant cells by using doxorubicin conjugated to alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was studied. It was shown that this type of antitumour drugs, penetrating the cell by receptor-mediated endocytosis with AFP as a vehicle, raises the sensitivity of the tumour cells that are resistant due to the expression of the multidrug resistance gene mdr1. The sensitivity of antibiotic-resistant cell lines SKVLB (a human ovarian carcinoma) and MCF-7 AdrR (a human breast carcinoma) increased by 10- and 4-fold, respectively, when AFP-conjugated doxorubicin was used. The rationale of using human AFP-antitumour drug conjugates for the development of new chemotherapeutic approaches to cancer treatment is discussed.     

Scanning tunneling microscopy study of cytochrome P450 2B4 incorporated in proteoliposomes

In the present paper, the application of scanning tunneling microscopy in cytochrome P450s membrane topology is discussed. The method enables visualization of heme location in the lipid-bilayer-incorporated protein. It is supposed that the membrane-bound cytochrome P450 on the tunneling microscope substrate should behave as 'molecular diode'. A model explaining the liposome and the proteoliposome images observed is proposed.     

The Influence of a Flow of Low-Temperature Nitrogen Plasma on the Morphology,Electric Properties,and UV Photoconductivity of ZnO Films on Sapphire

Technical Physics Letters - We have studied the influence of a flow of high-enthalpy nitrogen plasma generated by a dc plasmatron on the morphology, electrical properties, and UV photoconductivity...     

Electrosyntheses based on reactions of addition of electrochemically generated radicals to ethylene and its derivatives—I. Electrosynthesis products and the influence of electrolysis conditions on the addition product yield

It is shown that radicals electrochemically generated under Kolbe and Brown—Walker syntheses can, in principle, be added to ethylene and is derivatives. Products formed under electrolysis of acetic, monochloroacetic, trichloroacetic, trifluoroacetic, propionic, oxalic and other acids, as well as monomethylglutarate and monomethyladipinate, in the presence of various acceptors, such as ethylene, propylene, fluoroolefins and dimethyl ester of maleic acid, are separated and identified. It is shown that products of type

The influence of electrolysis conditions on the addition product yield is investigated. An increase in the acceptor concentration is shown to increase the total yield of addition products and the yield of higher oligomers. An increase in the current density reduces the yield of addition products.