Tracking perception of the sounds of English

Contains fulltext : 127790.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Twenty American English listeners identified gated fragments of all 2288 possible English within-word and cross-word diphones, providing a total of 538 560 phoneme categorizations. The results show orderly uptake of acoustic information in the signal and provide a view of where information about segments occurs in time. Information locus depends on each speech sound's identity and phonological features. Affricates and diphthongs have highly localized information so that listeners' perceptual accuracy rises during a confined time range. Stops and sonorants have more distributed and gradually appearing information. The identity and phonological features (e. g., vowel vs consonant) of the neighboring segment also influences when acoustic information about a segment is available. Stressed vowels are perceived significantly more accurately than unstressed vowels, but this effect is greater for lax vowels than for tense vowels or diphthongs. The dataset charts the availability of perceptual cues to segment identity across time for the full phoneme repertoire of English in all attested phonetic context

Encouraging others to save water: Using definitions of the self to elucidate a social behavior in Florida, USA

The purpose of this study was to determine how social norms and definitions of the self in terms of individualism-collectivism related to engagement in a public-sphere behavior, encouraging others to conserve water. To achieve this, we examined the public sphere behavior of encouraging others to conserve water through the lens of the Theory of Planned behavior. Data were collected from residents in Florida, USA. Cluster analysis was used to assign respondents to individual subgroups according to five variables: horizontal individualism index, vertical individualism index, horizontal collectivism index, vertical collectivism index, and behavioral intent. Then, group membership was used as the independent variable to compare subjective and descriptive norms, personal norms, attitude, perceived behavioral control, demographic characteristics, past and current behavior. Of the resulting two clusters, the Interdependent Conservation Advocates had greater identification with collectivism indices and had stronger intent to encourage others to conserve water, as compared to the Unconnected Bystanders. The former subgroup also reported significantly more positive subjective norms, descriptive norms, personal norms, attitudes, and perceived behavioral control. Perceived behavioral control marked the greatest practical difference between the groups. Interventions targeting this public sphere behavior should foster values of collectivism and increase perceived behavioral control by improving people's ability to encourage others to conserve water

Boundary states, matrix factorisations and correlation functions for the E-models

The open string spectra of the B-type D-branes of the N=2 E-models are calculated. Using these results we match the boundary states to the matrix factorisations of the corresponding Landau-Ginzburg models. The identification allows us to calculate specific terms in the effective brane superpotential of E_6 using conformal field theory methods, thereby enabling us to test results recently obtained in this context.Comment: 20 pages, no figure

An Epidemiologic Study of Dental Caries in Preschool Children in the United States by Race and Socioeconomic Level

The prevalence of dental caries in 1,155 white and black preschool children was studied in the United States in 1969 and 1970. The results demonstrated that white children of the lower socioeconomic level had a significantly greater prevalence of dental caries than middle class white children, but a significantly lower prevalence than black children, most of whom represented the lower social class.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67244/2/10.1177_00220345740530023501.pd

Measuring Black Hole Spin using X-ray Reflection Spectroscopy

I review the current status of X-ray reflection (a.k.a. broad iron line) based black hole spin measurements. This is a powerful technique that allows us to measure robust black hole spins across the mass range, from the stellar-mass black holes in X-ray binaries to the supermassive black holes in active galactic nuclei. After describing the basic assumptions of this approach, I lay out the detailed methodology focusing on "best practices" that have been found necessary to obtain robust results. Reflecting my own biases, this review is slanted towards a discussion of supermassive black hole (SMBH) spin in active galactic nuclei (AGN). Pulling together all of the available XMM-Newton and Suzaku results from the literature that satisfy objective quality control criteria, it is clear that a large fraction of SMBHs are rapidly-spinning, although there are tentative hints of a more slowly spinning population at high (M>5*10^7Msun) and low (M<2*10^6Msun) mass. I also engage in a brief review of the spins of stellar-mass black holes in X-ray binaries. In general, reflection-based and continuum-fitting based spin measures are in agreement, although there remain two objects (GROJ1655-40 and 4U1543-475) for which that is not true. I end this review by discussing the exciting frontier of relativistic reverberation, particularly the discovery of broad iron line reverberation in XMM-Newton data for the Seyfert galaxies NGC4151, NGC7314 and MCG-5-23-16. As well as confirming the basic paradigm of relativistic disk reflection, this detection of reverberation demonstrates that future large-area X-ray observatories such as LOFT will make tremendous progress in studies of strong gravity using relativistic reverberation in AGN.Comment: 19 pages. To appear in proceedings of the ISSI-Bern workshop on "The Physics of Accretion onto Black Holes" (8-12 Oct 2012). Revised version adds a missing source to Table 1 and Fig.6 (IRAS13224-3809) and corrects the referencing of the discovery of soft lags in 1H0707-495 (which were in fact first reported in Fabian et al. 2009

Beyond awareness: the persuasion stage of decision-making explains urban residents’ compliance with landscape irrigation restrictions

Inadequate compliance with landscape irrigation restrictions poses a significant challenge for policymakers, environmental educators, and communicators working in urban water conservation as these policies are only effective if compliance is achieved. This study examined perceptions among Florida, USA residents to whom these policies apply using the Diffusion of Innovations Theory. Among the approximately half of these residents who were aware of these restrictions and had an opportunity to develop perceptions about them, perceptions were moderately positive with compatibility, observability, relative advantage, trialability, and complexity falling between 0.0 and 1.0 on a scale ranging from −2 to + 2. Hierarchical linear regression revealed complexity, compatibility, and relative advantage were significant predictors of intention to comply. Perceived complexity was found to be the biggest barrier to individuals’ intent to comply. Policymakers and others working in urban water conservation need to simplify both irrigation restrictions and education about them

Syzygies in equivariant cohomology for non-abelian Lie groups

We extend the work of Allday-Franz-Puppe on syzygies in equivariant cohomology from tori to arbitrary compact connected Lie groups G. In particular, we show that for a compact orientable G-manifold X the analogue of the Chang-Skjelbred sequence is exact if and only if the equivariant cohomology of X is reflexive, if and only if the equivariant Poincare pairing for X is perfect. Along the way we establish that the equivariant cohomology modules arising from the orbit filtration of X are Cohen-Macaulay. We allow singular spaces and introduce a Cartan model for their equivariant cohomology. We also develop a criterion for the finiteness of the number of infinitesimal orbit types of a G-manifold.Comment: 28 pages; minor change

A prospective phase I dose-escalation trial of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) as an alternative to cytoreductive nephrectomy for inoperable patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Background: Cytoreductive nephrectomy is thought to improve survival in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). As many patients are ineligible for major surgery, we hypothesized that SABR could be a safe alternative. Methods: In this dose-escalation trial, inoperable mRCC patients underwent SABR targeting the entire affected kidney. Toxicity (CTCAE v3.0), quality of life (QoL), renal function, and tumour response (RECIST v1.0) were assessed. Results: Twelve patients of mostly intermediate (67%) or poor (25%) International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC) prognostic class, median KPS of 70%, and median tumour size of 8.7 cm (range: 4.8-13.8) were enrolled in successive dose cohorts of 25 (n = 3), 30 (n = 6), and 35 Gy (n = 3) in 5 fractions. SABR was well tolerated with 3 grade 3 events: fatigue (2) and bone pain (1). QoL decreased for physical well-being (p = 0.016), but remained unchanged in other domains. SABR achieved a median tumour size reduction of - 17.3% (range: + 5.3 to - 54.4) at 5.3 months. All patients progressed systemically and median OS was 6.7 months. Crude median follow-up was 5.8 months. Conclusions: In non-operable mRCC patients, renal-ablative SABR to 35 Gy in 5 fractions yielded acceptable toxicity, renal function preservation, and stable QoL. SABR merits further prospective investigation as an alternative to cytoreductive nephrectomy

Hypoxia modulates platelet purinergic signalling pathways.

BACKGROUND:  Hypoxia resulting from ascent to high-altitude or pathological states at sea level is known to increase platelet reactivity. Previous work from our group has suggested that this may be adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-specific. Given the clinical importance of drugs targeting ADP pathways, research into the impact of hypoxia on platelet ADP pathways is highly important. METHODS:  Optimul aggregometry was performed on plasma from 29 lowland residents ascending to 4,700 m, allowing systematic assessment of platelet reactivity in response to several platelet agonists. Aggregometry was also performed in response to ADP in the presence of inhibitors of the two main ADP receptors, P2Y1 and P2Y12 (MRS2500 and cangrelor, respectively). Phosphorylation of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP), a key determinant of platelet aggregation, was analysed using the VASPFix assay. RESULTS:  Hypobaric hypoxia significantly reduced the ability of a fixed concentration of cangrelor to inhibit ADP-induced aggregation and increased basal VASP phosphorylation. However, in the absence of P2Y receptor inhibitors, we did not find evidence of increased platelet sensitivity to any of the agonists tested and found reduced sensitivity to thrombin receptor-activating peptide-6 amide. CONCLUSION:  Our results provide evidence of increased P2Y1 receptor activity at high altitude and suggest down-regulation of the P2Y12 pathway through increased VASP phosphorylation. These changes in ADP pathway activity are of potential therapeutic significance to high-altitude sojourners and hypoxic sea level patients prescribed platelet inhibitors and warrant further investigation

Counter-propagating radiative shock experiments on the Orion laser and the formation of radiative precursors

We present results from new experiments to study the dynamics of radiative shocks, reverse shocks and radiative precursors. Laser ablation of a solid piston by the Orion high-power laser at AWE Aldermaston UK was used to drive radiative shocks into a gas cell initially pressurised between $0.1$ and $1.0 \ bar with different noble gases. Shocks propagated at {80 \pm 10 \ km/s} and experienced strong radiative cooling resulting in post-shock compressions of { \times 25 \pm 2}. A combination of X-ray backlighting, optical self-emission streak imaging and interferometry (multi-frame and streak imaging) were used to simultaneously study both the shock front and the radiative precursor. These experiments present a new configuration to produce counter-propagating radiative shocks, allowing for the study of reverse shocks and providing a unique platform for numerical validation. In addition, the radiative shocks were able to expand freely into a large gas volume without being confined by the walls of the gas cell. This allows for 3-D effects of the shocks to be studied which, in principle, could lead to a more direct comparison to astrophysical phenomena. By maintaining a constant mass density between different gas fills the shocks evolved with similar hydrodynamics but the radiative precursor was found to extend significantly further in higher atomic number gases (\sim$$4$ times further in xenon than neon). Finally, 1-D and 2-D radiative-hydrodynamic simulations are presented showing good agreement with the experimental data.Comment: HEDLA 2016 conference proceeding