Machine-learning applied to classify flow-induced sound parameters from simulated human voice

Disorders of voice production have severe effects on the quality of life of the affected individuals. A simulation approach is used to investigate the cause-effect chain in voice production showing typical characteristics of voice such as sub-glottal pressure and of functional voice disorders as glottal closure insufficiency and left-right asymmetry. Therewith, 24 different voice configurations are simulated in a parameter study using a previously published hybrid aeroacoustic simulation model. Based on these 24 simulation configurations, selected acoustic parameters (HNR, CPP, ...) at simulation evaluation points are correlated with these simulation configuration details to derive characteristic insight in the flow-induced sound generation of human phonation based on simulation results. Recently, several institutions studied experimental data, of flow and acoustic properties and correlated it with healthy and disordered voice signals. Upon this, the study is a next step towards a detailed dataset definition, the dataset is small, but the definition of relevant characteristics are precise based on the existing simulation methodology of simVoice. The small datasets are studied by correlation analysis, and a Support Vector Machine classifier with RBF kernel is used to classify the representations. With the use of Linear Discriminant Analysis the dimensions of the individual studies are visualized. This allows to draw correlations and determine the most important features evaluated from the acoustic signals in front of the mouth. The GC type can be best discriminated based on CPP and boxplot visualizations. Furthermore and using the LDA-dimensionality-reduced feature space, one can best classify subglottal pressure with 91.7\% accuracy, independent of healthy or disordered voice simulation parameters.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures, v0.1, work in progress, working pape

A method of laser ultrasound tomography for solid surfaces mapping

Surface control is an important problem for production inspection in industry. Traditionally it is solved using mechanical and optical profilometry, providing high spatial resolution. However, such methods are inappropriate for bodies immersed in opaque liquids and require preliminary preparation of samples. Current work focuses on an application of a method of laser ultrasound tomography to mapping of solid surfaces. The suggested approach combines high acoustical resolution, high performance and allows profilometry of contaminated and immersed samples. An automated prototype for real-time surface profile measurements is constructed and tested on several bodies of revolution. Linear approximation of a cylinder profile obtained by the prototype shows maximum approximation inconsistency of 15 μm. The results are verified by those obtained by the conventional x-ray method

Verschneidungen zwischen Ornithologie und verwandten Wissensräumen anhand der Entwicklung des Vereines Birdlife Österreich von 1953 bis heute

Anhand der bis dahin unaufgearbeiteten Archivalien des Vereins „BirdLife Österreich“ wurde die Geschichte des Vereins (seit seiner Gründung 1953 in Wien als „Österreichische Vogelwarte, Verband für Vogelkunde und Vogelschutz“) in seinen Wechselbeziehungen und Verflechtungen mit der Gesellschaft dargestellt. Fokussiert wurden dabei in erster Linie Umbrüche und Kontinuitäten, sowohl innerhalb des Vereins, als auch in der österreichischen Gesellschaft der 2. Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts. Es konnte festgestellt werden, dass zwischen den Wechselfällen im Verein und den Veränderungen in der Gesellschaft, insbesondere hinsichtlich Politik, Wissenschaft und Medien, weitgehend korrelieren. Die Arbeit gliedert sich in 3 Teile, die jeweils entscheidende Phasen des Vereins beschreiben. Die erste Phase ist jene eines typischen bildungsbürgerlich ausgerichteten Vereins der Nachkriegsgesellschaft. Internes Vereinsleben, Kommunikation unter Gleichgesinnten und Wissenstranfer in klar abgegrenzten sozialen Strukturen sind kennzeichnet. Der erste Umbruch erfolgt 1970 mit einer Neubenennung und mit dem Aufbegehren der jungen Generation innerhalb des Vereins, einer Gruppe von Biologiestudenten, die sowohl den wissenschaftlichen Zugang, als auch die Autoritätsstrukturen im Verein in Frage stellen. Im Zeitraum von 1970 bis 1993 professionalisiert sich der Verein in Bezug auf seine wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten (der österreichische Brutvogelatlas wird erstellt) und auch hinsichtlich seiner internen Prozesse. Ein eigenes Büro, bezahlte Kräfte, wie auch die Umstellung auf EDV sind die wesentlichen Neuerungen in der Vereinsgebarung. In diesen Zeitraum fällt auch das Entstehen von Umweltbewegungen und deren politischem Instrument, der Bürgerinitiative. Zentrale Ereignisse in Österreich wie das Referendum zum Atomkraftwerk Zwentendorf (1978) oder die Verhinderung des Donaukraftwerkbaus in Hainburg werden auch für den Verein und seine Ziele bestimmend. Die dritte Phase schließlich beginnt 1993, als der Verein zur österreichischen „lead organisation“ der englischen und international agierenden NGO „BirdLife International“ wird. Ab da sind Vogelschutz, seine Durchsetzung und Überwachung sowie die Erstellung einschlägige Gutachten für Wirtschaft und Politik zum hauptsächlichen Betätigungsfeld geworden

The role of Ca2+ dependent protein kinase 3 in Arabidopsis thaliana during salt stress acclimation

Pflanzen müssen sich an ständig ändernde Umweltverhältnisse anpassen um erfolgreich wachsen zu können. Viele Umwelteinflüsse wie zum Beispiel Salzstress, Trockenstress oder durch Pathogene hervorgerufener Stress führen zu spezifischen Änderungen in der intrazellulären Konzentration freier Ca2+ Ionen. Verschiedene "Kalziumsensoren" dekodieren diese Kalziumsignale entweder durch post-translationale Modifikation von Enzymen oder führen zur Änderung des Transkriptionsmusters der einzelnen Pflanzenzellen, was schließlich eine physiologische Anpassung der ganzen Pflanze an die geänderten Umweltbedingungen zur Folge hat. Kalzium abhängige Proteinkinasen (CPKs) sind eine Gruppe von Proteinkinasen die durch Bindung von Ca2+ Ionen aktiviert werden. Die bisherigen Daten aus Genomsequenzierungen legen nahe, dass CPKs nur in Genomen von Pflanzen und einigen Protozoen kodiert sind. Für einzelne CPKs konnte durch reverse Genetik eine Rolle in der abiotischen oder in der biotischen Stressantwort nachgewiesen werden. Zum Beginn dieser Dissertation war jedoch wenig über spezifische Substrate und die Regulation jener durch CPKs bekannt. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es A.thaliana CPK3 eine physiologische Funktion zuzuordnen und etwaige Substrate von AtCPK3 zu identifizieren. Verschiedene cpk3 knock out, Überexpressor und wild Typ Allele wurden unter unter-schiedlichen Wachstumsbedingungen getestet. Es wurde beobachtet dass die CPK3 Proteinkonzentration positiv mit der Keimungsrate von A.thaliana Samen unter Salzstress-bedingungen korreliert was zur Annahme führte, dass CPK3 eine Rolle in der Akklimatisierung von A.thaliana an Salzstress zu tun hat. In Experimenten, wie zum Beispiel in vivo Crosslinking und Kinase Essays mit rekombinanter CPK3 und mikrosomalen Membranfraktionen wurden "global" Substrate von CPK3 identifiziert. Parallel dazu wurden potentielle Substrate von CPK3 die zuvor in in vitro Experimenten identifiziert wurden auch in in vivo Interaktionsessays getestet. Des Weiteren konnte gezeigt mit Hilfe von BIFC werden, dass TPK1, ein vakuolärer Kalium Kanal, spezifisch mit CPK3 in vivo interagiert, und das für die Interaktion zwei positiv geladene Arginine neben der regulatorischen 14-3-3 Konsensussequenz von TPK1 wichtig sind. Biochemische Fraktionierung der subzellulären Kompartimente einer Pflanzenzelle und der anschließende Nachweis von CPK3 ergab, dass ein Teil des CPK3 Proteins in Blättern an der vakuolären Membrane assoziiert ist. Zusätzlich verhielten sich die entsprechenden cpk3 und tpk1 Mutanten in Keimungsessays unter Salzstress ähnlich. Berücksichtigt man außerdem, dass die Bindung von 14-3-3 Proteinen an die phosphorylierte 14-3-3 Konsensussequenz von TPK1 zu einer Aktivierung des Kaliumkanals führt (Dirk Becker, Universität Würzburg), erlauben es die Daten ein Model zu erstellen, welches die Rolle von CPK3 in der Akklimatisierung an Salzstress durch Regulation der intrazellulären Ionenhomöostase beschreibt. Außerdem konnte gezeigt werden, dass CPK3 spezifisch mit der Nitratreduktase aus A.thaliana interagiert. Ähnlich wie im Fall der Interaktion zwischen CPK3 und TPK1, stabilisieren auch zwei positiv geladene Lysine die Interaktion zwischen CPK3 und TPK1. Ein Vergleich aller Nitratreduktasesequenzen in 22 unterschiedlichen Pflanzenspezies ergab dass 14-3-3 Konsensussequenzen, welche zur posttraslationalen Regulation durch 14-3-3 Proteine nötig sind, nur in Nitratreduktasesequenzen der Gefäß pflanzen vorhanden sind. Zusätzlich wurden noch in einem neuen Ansatz, welcher In-gel Kinaseessays mit Massen-spektrometrie zur Identifikation von Proteinen verbindet, die Proteinkinase AKIN10/11 und CK2 (Casein Kinase 2) als Interaktionspartner des Transkriptionsfaktors AtbZIP63 identifiziert werden. Diese Interaktionen konnten ebenfalls in vivo in BIFC-Essays bestätigt werden.In order to successfully grow, plants have to adapt to their continuously changing environment. Many of these environmental stimuli like salt and drought stress or pathogen attack, lead to distinct Ca2+ signals in the plant cell. So called "Ca2+ sensors" are then involved in translating these Ca2+ signals into a physiological response by either directly or indirectly changing the transcriptional state of the cell, or regulating enzymes on a post translational level. CPKs (calcium dependent protein kinases), which were found to be present in plants and some protozoa only, are one versatile group of Ca2+ activated protein kinases acting as Ca2+ sensors. Through reverse genetic experiments CPKs were found to be involved in abiotic as well as in biotic stress signalling. However, at the time starting this thesis, little was known about specific substrates for CPKs and the physiological consequences of regulation of these substrates by CPKs. The aim of this thesis was to determine a physiological function of AtCPK3 and identify specific substrates of AtCPK3 in A.thaliana. In screens, testing cpk3 knock out, cpk3 over expresser and wild type plants under different growth conditions, a positive correlation between CPK3 protein amount and the germination rate of the respective seeds was observed, indicating that CPK3 is involved in acclimation to salt stress. In different unbiased approaches, like in vivo cross-linking or kinase assays on total membrane fractions, targets of CPK3 were identified. In parallel potential targets of CPK3, which had been identified earlier in in vitro assays, were tested for specificity in in vivo interaction assays. For TPK1, a vacuolar K+ channel, specific interaction with CPK3 via two positively charged arginines adjacent to the regulatory 14-3-3 consensus site of TPK1 was determined in quantitative BIFC assays. In biochemical fractionation assays, a fraction of endogenous CPK3 was found to localize at the vacuolar membrane. Similar phenotypes between tpk1 and cpk3 mutant lines were observed in germination assays under salt stress. Together with the observation that binding of 14-3-3 proteins to the phosphorylated 14-3-3 consensus sequence of TPK1 activates the K+ channel (Dirk Becker, University of Würzburg), these data indicate a role of CPK3 in regulating the cellular ion homeostasis, which can, explain the role of CPK3 in salt stress acclimation. Furthermore CPK3 was demonstrated to specifically interact with nitrate reductase, in a similar way as with TPK1. The two positively charged lysines adjacent to the regulatory 14-3-3 site of nitrate reductase were found to stabilise the interaction between CPK3 and nitrate reductase. Comparison of nitrate reductase sequences revealed that regulation of nitrate reductase by 14-3-3 proteins binding to phosphorylated 14-3-3 consensus sequences seems to be restricted to vascular plants. In addition, the protein kinases AKIN10/11 and CK2 (casein kinase 2) were identified as the kinases phosphorylating the transcription factor AtbZIP63 in a novel approach combining in-gel kinase assays with mass spectrometry for protein identification. Interaction between the kinases and AtbZIP63 was furthermore confirmed in vivo, using BIFC and yeast two hybrid assays

Two-pion production in deuteron-deuteron collisions at low energies

The cross section for the dd -> 4He pi pi reaction is estimated near threshold in a two-step model where a pion created in a first interaction produces a second pion in a subsequent interaction. This approach, which describes well the rates of 2pi and eta production in the pd -> 3He pi pi and dd -> 4He eta reactions, leads to predictions that are much too low compared to experiment. Alternatives to this and the double-Delta model will have to be sought to explain these data.Comment: 5 pages with 4 postscript figure

Characterization of Awassi lamb fattening systems: a Syrian case study

Intensive lamb fattening systems are evolving in developing Middle Eastern countries due to high demand for lambs at favorable prices; however, little is known about their characteristics and constraints. A survey was conducted in Syria involving 241 farmers to characterize the fattening production systems and main constraints, with emphasis on feeding, management, labor, and marketing. Most farmers (90%) considered the income from fattening to be from medium to high, and 57% expressed that lamb fattening along with alternative income sources compose the family's livelihood strategies. Fattening systems offer employment to family members. Market price was the main decision factor to buy and sell lambs, but this was only part of various marketing aspects. Male lambs usually bought at markets at the mean age of 4 months (mean weight of 31 kg) are sold after fattening at a 50–60 kg weight range. The average yearly fattening cycle was 2.7 batches, and the average number of lambs per batch was 232. For 65% (n = 241) of the farmers the major constraint to fattening was feeding cost, and for about a half of farmers (51%, n = 241), disease outbreaks and prices for veterinarian services constituted the second important constraint. Research on least-cost fattening diets and curbing disease problems to increase farmer's income margins is needed. It is expected that due to existing commonalities, the information emerging from this study regarding major constraints to Awassi lamb fattening systems could be useful for an across-synthesis on Awassi fattening production in the regionFil: Wiedemann Hartwell, Birgitte. International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas; Siria. University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences. Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems. Division of Livestock Sciences; Austria. Fredensborg; DinamarcaFil: Iñiguez, Luis. International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas; SiriaFil: Mueller, Joaquin Pablo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche; ArgentinaFil: Wurzinger, Maria. University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences. Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems. Division of Livestock Sciences; AustriaFil: Knaus, W.F. University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences. Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems. Division of Livestock Sciences; Austri

Near-Threshold Production of omega Mesons in the pp -> pp omega Reaction

The total cross section for omega production in the pp -> pp omega reaction has been measured at five c.m. excess energies from 3.8 to 30 MeV. The energy dependence is easily understood in terms of a strong proton-proton final state interaction combined with a smearing over the width of the state. The ratio of near-threshold phi and omega production is consistent with the predictions of a one-pion-exchange model and the degree of violation of the OZI rule is similar to that found in the pi-p -> n omega/phi reactions.Comment: Report in LaTeX2e. 12 pages with 2 eps figure

Cross-breeding cattle for milk production in the tropics: achievements, challenges and opportunities

This paper reviews experiences with cross-breeding for milk production in the tropics. Data were compiled from 23 different studies evaluating the performance of different grades of cross-bred animals as well as local breeds. Relative performance of indigenous breeds compared with different grades of cross-breeds was calculated for three climatic zones. Traits considered were milk yield per lactation, age at first calving, services per conception, lifetime milk yield and total number of lactations completed. At 50 percent Bos taurus blood, lactation milk yields were 2.6, 2.4 and 2.2 times higher than those of local cattle in the highland, tropical wet and dry, and semi-arid climatic zones, respectively; lactation lengths increased by 1.2, 1.2 and 1.9 months in the above-mentioned climatic zones, respectively; there was a reduction in calving interval by 0.8 times and in age at first calving by 0.9 times. Similarly, cross-breds with 50 percent B. taurus genes had 1.8 times higher lifetime milk yields and a 1.2 times higher number of total lactations. Although cross-breeding faces a number of challenges such as better infrastructure, higher demand for health care, there are many advantages of using it. These are higher production per animal, higher income for the families and provision of high-value food. It is therefore likely to continue to be an important livestock improvement tool in the tropics in the future, where farmers can provide sufficient management for maintaining animals with higher input requirements and access to the milk market can be secured