Surface modification of pitch-based spherical activated carbon by CVD of NH3 to improve its adsorption to uric acid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Chaojun; Liang Xiaoyi; Liu Xiaojun; Wang Qin; Zhan Liang; Zhang Rui; Qiao Wenming; Ling Licheng

2008-01-01

Surface chemistry of pitch-based spherical activated carbon (PSAC) was modified by chemical vapor deposition of NH 3 (NH 3 -CVD) to improve the adsorption properties of uric acid. The texture and surface chemistry of PSAC were studied by N 2 adsorption, pH PZC (point of zero charge), acid-base titration and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). NH 3 -CVD has a limited effect on carbon textural characteristics but it significantly changed the surface chemical properties, resulting in positive effects on uric acid adsorption. After modification by NH 3 -CVD, large numbers of nitrogen-containing groups (especially valley-N and center-N) are introduced on the surface of PSAC, which is responsible for the increase of pH PZC , surface basicity and uric acid adsorption capacity. Pseudo-second-order kinetic model can be used to describe the dynamic adsorption of uric acid on PSAC, and the thermodynamic parameters show that the adsorption of uric acid on PSAC is spontaneous, endothermic and irreversible process in nature

Surface modification of pitch-based spherical activated carbon by CVD of NH 3 to improve its adsorption to uric acid

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chaojun; Liang, Xiaoyi; Liu, Xiaojun; Wang, Qin; Zhan, Liang; Zhang, Rui; Qiao, Wenming; Ling, Licheng

2008-08-01

Surface chemistry of pitch-based spherical activated carbon (PSAC) was modified by chemical vapor deposition of NH 3 (NH 3-CVD) to improve the adsorption properties of uric acid. The texture and surface chemistry of PSAC were studied by N 2 adsorption, pH PZC (point of zero charge), acid-base titration and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). NH 3-CVD has a limited effect on carbon textural characteristics but it significantly changed the surface chemical properties, resulting in positive effects on uric acid adsorption. After modification by NH 3-CVD, large numbers of nitrogen-containing groups (especially valley-N and center-N) are introduced on the surface of PSAC, which is responsible for the increase of pH PZC, surface basicity and uric acid adsorption capacity. Pseudo-second-order kinetic model can be used to describe the dynamic adsorption of uric acid on PSAC, and the thermodynamic parameters show that the adsorption of uric acid on PSAC is spontaneous, endothermic and irreversible process in nature.

On the use of mesophase pitch for the preparation of hierarchical porous carbon monoliths by nanocasting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philipp Adelhelm, Karin Cabrera and Bernd M Smarsly

2012-01-01

Full Text Available A detailed study is given on the synthesis of a hierarchical porous carbon, possessing both meso- and macropores, using a mesophase pitch (MP as the carbon precursor. This carbon material is prepared by the nanocasting approach involving the replication of a porous silica monolith (hard templating. While this carbon material has already been tested in energy storage applications, various detailed aspects of its formation and structure are addressed in this study. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM, Hg porosimetry and N2 physisorption are used to characterize the morphology and porosity of the carbon replica. A novel approach for the detailed analysis of wide-angle x-ray scattering (WAXS from non-graphitic carbons is applied to quantitatively compare the graphene microstructures of carbons prepared using MP and furfuryl alcohol (FA. This WAXS analysis underlines the importance of the carbon precursor in the synthesis of templated porous carbon materials via the nanocasting route. Our study demonstrates that a mesophase pitch is a superior precursor whenever a high-purity, low-micropore-content and well-developed graphene structure is desired.

PRODUCTION OF FOAMS, FIBERS AND PITCHES USING A COAL EXTRACTION PROCESS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chong Chen; Elliot B. Kennel; Liviu Magean; Pete G. Stansberry; Alfred H. Stiller; John W. Zondlo

2004-06-20

This Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory sponsored project developed processes for converting coal feedstocks to carbon products, including coal-derived pitch, coke foams and fibers based on solvent extraction processes. A key technology is the use of hydrogenation accomplished at elevated temperatures and pressures to obtain a synthetic coal pitch. Hydrogenation, or partial direct liquefaction of coal, is used to modify the properties of raw coal such that a molten synthetic pitch can be obtained. The amount of hydrogen required to produce a synthetic pitch is about an order of magnitude less than the amount required to produce synthetic crude oil. Hence the conditions for synthetic pitch production consume very little hydrogen and can be accomplished at substantially lower pressure. In the molten state, hot filtration or centrifugation can be used to separate dissolved coal chemicals from mineral matter and insolubles (inertinite), resulting in the production of a purified hydrocarbon pitch. Alternatively, if hydrogenation is not used, aromatic hydrocarbon liquids appropriate for use as precursors to carbon products can obtained by dissolving coal in a solvent. As in the case for partial direct liquefaction pitches, undissolved coal is removed via hot filtration or centrifugation. Excess solvent is boiled off and recovered. The resultant solid material, referred to as Solvent Extracted Carbon Ore or SECO, has been used successfully to produce artificial graphite and carbon foam.

Hierarchical porous carbon materials derived from petroleum pitch for high-performance supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Abudu, Patiman; Wang, Luxiang; Xu, Mengjiao; Jia, Dianzeng; Wang, Xingchao; Jia, Lixia

2018-06-01

In this work, a honeycomb-like carbon material derived from petroleum pitch was synthesized by a simple one-step carbonization/activation method using silica nanospheres as the hard templates. The obtained hierarchical porous carbon materials (HPCs) with a large specific surface area and uniform macropore distribution provide abundant active sites and sufficient ion migration channels. When used as an electrode material for supercapacitors, the HPCs exhibit a high specific capacitance of 341.0 F g-1 at 1 A g-1, excellent rate capability with a capacitance retention of 55.6% at 50 A g-1 (189.5 F g-1), and outstanding cycling performance in the three-electrode system.

Controllable growth of nanostructured carbon from coal tar pitch by chemical vapor deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Xuguang; Yang Yongzhen; Ji Weiyun; Liu Hongyan; Zhang Chunyi; Xu Bingshe

2007-01-01

The direct synthesis of vapor grown carbon fibers with different diameters was achieved by the pyrolysis of coal tar pitch by chemical vapor deposition. The products were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The experimental results demonstrated that ferrocene content, reaction temperature and Ar flow rate strongly influenced the yield and nature of nanostructured carbon materials, pure carbon microbeads, with diameter distribution ranging from 450 to 650 nm, were also obtained in the absence of catalyst, uniform and straight carbon nanofibers with the outer diameter of about 115 nm were obtained and curl and thick carbon fibers with narrow diameter distribution of 300-350 nm were produced

Surface modification of pitch-based spherical activated carbon by CVD of NH{sub 3} to improve its adsorption to uric acid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu Chaojun [State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST), Shanghai 200237 (China); Liang Xiaoyi [State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST), Shanghai 200237 (China)], E-mail: xyliang@ecust.edu.cn; Liu Xiaojun; Wang Qin; Zhan Liang; Zhang Rui; Qiao Wenming; Ling Licheng [State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST), Shanghai 200237 (China)

2008-08-30

Surface chemistry of pitch-based spherical activated carbon (PSAC) was modified by chemical vapor deposition of NH{sub 3} (NH{sub 3}-CVD) to improve the adsorption properties of uric acid. The texture and surface chemistry of PSAC were studied by N{sub 2} adsorption, pH{sub PZC} (point of zero charge), acid-base titration and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). NH{sub 3}-CVD has a limited effect on carbon textural characteristics but it significantly changed the surface chemical properties, resulting in positive effects on uric acid adsorption. After modification by NH{sub 3}-CVD, large numbers of nitrogen-containing groups (especially valley-N and center-N) are introduced on the surface of PSAC, which is responsible for the increase of pH{sub PZC}, surface basicity and uric acid adsorption capacity. Pseudo-second-order kinetic model can be used to describe the dynamic adsorption of uric acid on PSAC, and the thermodynamic parameters show that the adsorption of uric acid on PSAC is spontaneous, endothermic and irreversible process in nature.

The use of coal-tar pitches of very high softening point and low carcinogen content as binders for industrial carbon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-07-01

It has been demonstrated that the content of known carcinogenic polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in coal-tar pitches may be reduced to levels which comply with existing and/or proposed environmental legislation, typically by distillation at low pressures, and preferably using a form of thin-film evaporation apparatus. However, the immediate products of such distillations usually have very high softening points, typically above 200{degree}C, and are unsuitable for direct utilization in conventional commercial carbon manufacturing processes as a result of the need for very high mixing temperatures. Advantage has been taken of the of a low-PAH coal-tar pitch, supplied in powder form, which has a softening point above 200{degree}C. Methods were examined which might allow mixing and forming of the hard pitch and a petroleum coke aggregate blend either at room temperature or at conventional processing temperature, and hot-pressuring or sintering procedures in which mixtures of the hard pitch and petroleum coke aggregate were formed at or above the softening temperature of the pitch. All the formed products were baked to give carbons which were evaluated for the major properties of density, electrical resistivity and strength. A comparison was also made between the volatiles evolved during the baking of products made with the low-PAH pitch and those made with a conventional coal-tar binder pitch.

129Xe nuclear magnetic resonance study of pitch-based activated carbon modified by air oxidation/pyrolysis cycles: a new approach to probe the micropore size.

Science.gov (United States)

Romanenko, Konstantin V; Py, Xavier; d'Espinose de Lacaillerie, Jean-Baptiste; Lapina, Olga B; Fraissard, Jacques

2006-02-23

(129)Xe NMR has been used to study a series of homologous activated carbons obtained from a KOH-activated pitch-based carbon molecular sieve modified by air oxidation/pyrolysis cycles. A clear correlation between the pore size of microporous carbons and the (129)Xe NMR of adsorbed xenon is proposed for the first time. The virial coefficient delta(Xe)(-)(Xe) arising from binary xenon collisions varied linearly with the micropore size and appeared to be a better probe of the microporosity than the chemical shift extrapolated to zero pressure. This correlation was explained by the fact that the xenon collision frequency increases with increasing micropore size. The chemical shift has been shown to vary very little with temperature (less than 9 ppm) for xenon trapped inside narrow and wide micropores. This is indicative of a smooth xenon-surface interaction potential.

Discrete Element Method Modeling of the Rheological Properties of Coke/Pitch Mixtures

OpenAIRE

Majidi, Behzad; Taghavi, Seyed Mohammad; Fafard, Mario; Ziegler, Donald P.; Alamdari, Houshang

2016-01-01

Rheological properties of pitch and pitch/coke mixtures at temperatures around 150 °C are of great interest for the carbon anode manufacturing process in the aluminum industry. In the present work, a cohesive viscoelastic contact model based on Burger’s model is developed using the discrete element method (DEM) on the YADE, the open-source DEM software. A dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) is used to measure the viscoelastic properties of pitch at 150 °C. The experimental data obtained is then use...

Comparison of Two Independent LIDAR-Based Pitch Control Designs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dunne, F.; Schlipf, D.; Pao, L. Y.

2012-08-01

Two different lidar-based feedforward controllers have previously been designed for the NREL 5 MW wind turbine model under separate studies. Feedforward controller A uses a finite-impulse-response design, with 5 seconds of preview, and three rotating lidar measurements. Feedforward controller B uses a static-gain design, with the preview time defined by the pitch actuator dynamics, a simulation of a real nacelle-based scanning lidar system, and a lowpass filter defined by the lidar configuration. These controllers are now directly compared under the same lidar configuration, in terms of fatigue load reduction, rotor speed regulation, and power capture. The various differences in design choices are discussed and compared. We also compare frequency plots of individual pitch feedforward and collective pitch feedforward load reductions, and we see that individual pitch feedforward is effective mainly at the once-per-revolution and twice-per-revolution frequencies. We also explain how to determine the required preview time by breaking it down into separate parts, and we then compare it to the expected preview time available.

Silicon carbide modified carbon materials. Formation of nanocrystalline SiC from thermochemical processes in the system coal tar pitch/poly(carbosilane)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Czosnek, C.; Janik, J.F.; Olejniczak, Z. [Stanislaw Staszic University of Mining & Meterology, AGH, Krakow (Poland)

2002-12-01

Poly(carbosilane) or PCS, (-CH{sub 2}-SiH(CH{sub 3})-){sub n}, is used as a Si-bearing precursor in combination with a coal tar pitch to study thermally induced transformations toward SiC-modified carbon composites. Following mixing of the components in the molten pitch at 160{sup o}C, the mixture is heated under argon atmosphere at 500{sup o}C yielding a solid carbonizate that is further subjected to separate pyrolysis experiments at 1300{sup o}C or 1650{sup o}C. At temperatures up to 500{sup o}C, the PCS reacts with suitable pitch components as well as undergoing decomposition reactions. At higher temperatures, clusters of prevailingly nanocrystalline beta-SiC are confirmed after the 1650{sup o}C pyrolysis step with indications that the formation of the compound starts at 1300{sup o}C. Si-29 MAS NMR, XRD, FT-IR, XPS, and elemental analysis are used to characterize each pyrolysis step, especially, from the viewpoint of transformation of silicon species to silicon carbide in the carbon matrix evolved from the pitch.

Consonance and pitch.

Science.gov (United States)

McLachlan, Neil; Marco, David; Light, Maria; Wilson, Sarah

2013-11-01

To date, no consensus exists in the literature as to theories of consonance and dissonance. Experimental data collected over the last century have raised questions about the dominant theories that are based on frequency relationships between the harmonics of music chords. This study provides experimental evidence that strongly challenges these theories and suggests a new theory of dissonance based on relationships between pitch perception and recognition. Experiment 1 shows that dissonance does not increase with increasing numbers of harmonics in chords as predicted by Helmholtz's (1863/1954) roughness theory, nor does it increase with fewer pitch-matching errors as predicted by Stumpf's (1898) tonal fusion theory. Dissonance was strongly correlated with pitch-matching error for chords, which in turn was reduced by chord familiarity and greater music training. This led to the proposition that long-term memory templates for common chords assist the perception of pitches in chords by providing an estimate of the chord intervals from spectral information. When recognition mechanisms based on these templates fail, the spectral pitch estimate is inconsistent with the period of the waveform, leading to cognitive incongruence and the negative affect of dissonance. The cognitive incongruence theory of dissonance was rigorously tested in Experiment 2, in which nonmusicians were trained to match the pitches of a random selection of 2-pitch chords. After 10 training sessions, they rated the chords they had learned to pitch match as less dissonant than the unlearned chords, irrespective of their tuning, providing strong support for a cognitive mechanism of dissonance. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

179 Extraction of Coal-tar Pitch by Supercritical Carbon Dioxide ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Meyer

Several extractions of coal-tar pitch were performed using supercritical fluid ..... pressure and temperature, unlike exhaustive extraction, which involves a change in ... mechanism that is operative on extracting coal-tar pitch components with.

A rule-based backchannel prediction model using pitch and pause information

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Truong, Khiet Phuong; Poppe, Ronald Walter; Heylen, Dirk K.J.

We manually designed rules for a backchannel (BC) prediction model based on pitch and pause information. In short, the model predicts a BC when there is a pause of a certain length that is preceded by a falling or rising pitch. This model was validated against the Dutch IFADV Corpus in a

Thermosetting behavior of pitch-resin from heavy residue

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qingfang, Z.; Yansheng, G.; Baohua, H.; Yuzhen, Z. [China Univ. of Petroleum, Dongying, Shandong (China). State Key LAboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, Heavy Oil Research Inst.

2006-07-01

Thermosetting resins are widely employed as a basic matrix for c/c composites in carbon materials production. A new type of synthesized thermosetting resin is called pitch resin. Pitch resin is a cheaper resin and possesses a potential opportunity for future use. However, the thermosetting behavior of pitch resin is not very clear. The hardening process and conditions for thermosetting are very important for future use of pitch resin. B-stage pitch resin is a soluble and meltable inter-media condensed polymer, which is not fully reacted and is of a low molecular weight. The insoluble and unmelted pitch resin can only be obtained from synthesized B-stage resin after a hardening stage. This paper presented an experiment that synthesized B-stage pitch resin with a link agent (PXG) under catalyst action from fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) of the slurry's aromatic enriched component (FCCDF). The paper discussed the experiment, including the synthesis of pitch resin and thermosetting of pitch resin. Two kinds of thermosetting procedures were used in the study called one-step thermosetting and two-step thermosetting. It was concluded that the B-stage pitch resin could be hardened after a thermosetting procedure by heat treatment. The thermosetting pitch resin from 2-step thermosetting possesses was found to have better thermal resistant properties than that of the 1-step thermosetting pitch resin. 13 refs., 2 tabs., 6 figs.

Utilisation of the binders prepared from coal tar pitch and phenolic resins for the production metallurgical quality briquettes from coke breeze and the study of their high temperature carbonization behaviour

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Benk, Ayse [University of Erciyes, Faculty of Art and Science, Department of Chemistry, 38039, Kayseri (Turkey)

2010-09-15

To reduce the cost of the formed coke briquettes which can be used as a substitute fuel to the metallurgical coke for the blast furnace from the coke breeze alternative binders and their blends were used. The high temperature behavior was investigated. The binders tested were: the nitrogen blown, air blown coal tar pitch and the blend of air blown coal tar pitch with the phenolic resins blends. The phenolic resin blends were prepared by mixing equal amount of resole and novalac. From the results, nitrogen blowing resulted in the weakest briquettes. The air blowing procedure should be preferred in place of nitrogen blowing for this purpose. When the air blown coal tar pitch was used alone as a binder, the briquettes must be cured at 200 C for 2 h, then carbonized at a temperature above 670 C. Since it requires higher temperature at carbonization stage, using air blown coal tar pitch alone as a binder was not economical. Therefore, the briquettes were prepared from the blended binder, containing air blown coal tar pitch and phenolic resins blend. The optimum amount of air blown coal tar pitch was found to be 50% w/w in the blended binder. Curing the briquettes at 200 C for 2 h was found to be sufficient for producing strong briquettes with a tensile strength of 50.45 MN/m{sup 2}. When these cured briquettes were carbonized at temperatures 470 C, 670 C and 950 C, their strength were increasing continuously, reaching to 71.85 MN/m{sup 2} at the carbonization temperature of 950 C. These briquettes can be used as a substitute for the metallurgical coke after curing; the process might not require un-economical high temperature carbonization stage. (author)

DOA and Pitch Estimation of Audio Sources using IAA-based Filtering

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jesper Rindom; Christensen, Mads Græsbøll

2014-01-01

For decades, it has been investigated how to separately solve the problems of both direction-of-arrival (DOA) and pitch estimation. Recently, it was found that estimating these parameters jointly from multichannel recordings of audio can be extremely beneficial. Many joint estimators are based...... on knowledge of the inverse sample covariance matrix. Typically, this covariance is estimated using the sample covariance matrix, but for this estimate to be full rank, many temporal samples are needed. In cases with non-stationary signals, this is a serious limitation. We therefore investigate how a recent...... joint DOA and pitch filtering-based estimator can be combined with the iterative adaptive approach to circumvent this limitation in joint DOA and pitch estimation of audio sources. Simulations show a clear improvement compared to when using the sample covariance matrix and the considered approach also...

Self-optimizing Pitch Control for Large Scale Wind Turbine Based on ADRC

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Anjun; Hu, Guoqing; Li, Zheng; Huang, Dongxiao; Wang, Fengxiang

2018-01-01

Since wind turbine is a complex nonlinear and strong coupling system, traditional PI control method can hardly achieve good control performance. A self-optimizing pitch control method based on the active-disturbance-rejection control theory is proposed in this paper. A linear model of the wind turbine is derived by linearizing the aerodynamic torque equation and the dynamic response of wind turbine is transformed into a first-order linear system. An expert system is designed to optimize the amplification coefficient according to the pitch rate and the speed deviation. The purpose of the proposed control method is to regulate the amplification coefficient automatically and keep the variations of pitch rate and rotor speed in proper ranges. Simulation results show that the proposed pitch control method has the ability to modify the amplification coefficient effectively, when it is not suitable, and keep the variations of pitch rate and rotor speed in proper ranges

Discrete Element Method Modeling of the Rheological Properties of Coke/Pitch Mixtures.

Science.gov (United States)

Majidi, Behzad; Taghavi, Seyed Mohammad; Fafard, Mario; Ziegler, Donald P; Alamdari, Houshang

2016-05-04

Rheological properties of pitch and pitch/coke mixtures at temperatures around 150 °C are of great interest for the carbon anode manufacturing process in the aluminum industry. In the present work, a cohesive viscoelastic contact model based on Burger's model is developed using the discrete element method (DEM) on the YADE, the open-source DEM software. A dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) is used to measure the viscoelastic properties of pitch at 150 °C. The experimental data obtained is then used to estimate the Burger's model parameters and calibrate the DEM model. The DSR tests were then simulated by a three-dimensional model. Very good agreement was observed between the experimental data and simulation results. Coke aggregates were modeled by overlapping spheres in the DEM model. Coke/pitch mixtures were numerically created by adding 5, 10, 20, and 30 percent of coke aggregates of the size range of 0.297-0.595 mm (-30 + 50 mesh) to pitch. Adding up to 30% of coke aggregates to pitch can increase its complex shear modulus at 60 Hz from 273 Pa to 1557 Pa. Results also showed that adding coke particles increases both storage and loss moduli, while it does not have a meaningful effect on the phase angle of pitch.

Hybrid Carbon Fibers/Carbon Nanotubes Structures for Next Generation Polymeric Composites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Al-Haik

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Pitch-based carbon fibers are commonly used to produce polymeric carbon fiber structural composites. Several investigations have reported different methods for dispersing and subsequently aligning carbon nanotubes (CNTs as a filler to reinforce polymer matrix. The significant difficulty in dispersing CNTs suggested the controlled-growth of CNTs on surfaces where they are needed. Here we compare between two techniques for depositing the catalyst iron used toward growing CNTs on pitch-based carbon fiber surfaces. Electrochemical deposition of iron using pulse voltametry is compared to DC magnetron iron sputtering. Carbon nanostructures growth was performed using a thermal CVD system. Characterization for comparison between both techniques was compared via SEM, TEM, and Raman spectroscopy analysis. It is shown that while both techniques were successful to grow CNTs on the carbon fiber surfaces, iron sputtering technique was capable of producing more uniform distribution of iron catalyst and thus multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs compared to MWCNTs grown using the electrochemical deposition of iron.

Perfect pitch reconsidered.

Science.gov (United States)

Moulton, Calum

2014-10-01

Perfect pitch, or absolute pitch (AP), is defined as the ability to identify or produce the pitch of a sound without need for a reference pitch, and is generally regarded as a valuable asset to the musician. However, there has been no recent review of the literature examining its aetiology and its utility taking into account emerging scientific advances in AP research, notably in functional imaging. This review analyses the key empirical research on AP, focusing on genetic and neuroimaging studies. The review concludes that: AP probably has a genetic predisposition, although this is based on limited evidence; early musical training is almost certainly essential for AP acquisition; and, although there is evidence that it may be relevant to speech processing, AP can interfere with relative pitch, an ability on which humans rely to communicate effectively. The review calls into question the value of AP to musicians and non-musicians alike. © 2014 Royal College of Physicians.

Pitch memory and exposure effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Ben-Haim, Moshe Shay; Eitan, Zohar; Chajut, Eran

2014-02-01

Recent studies indicate that the ability to represent absolute pitch values in long-term memory, long believed to be the possession of a small minority of trained musicians endowed with "absolute pitch," is in fact shared to some extent by a considerable proportion of the population. The current study examined whether this newly discovered ability affects aspects of music and auditory cognition, particularly pitch learning and evaluation. Our starting points are two well-established premises: (1) frequency of occurrence has an influence on the way we process stimuli; (2) in Western music, some pitches and musical keys are much more frequent than others. Based on these premises, we hypothesize that if absolute pitch values are indeed represented in long-term memory, pitch frequency of occurrence in music would significantly affect cognitive processes, in particular pitch learning and evaluation. Two experiments were designed to test this hypothesis in participants with no absolute pitch, most with little or no musical training. Experiment 1 demonstrated a faster response and a learning advantage for frequent pitches over infrequent pitches in an identification task. In Experiment 2, participants evaluated infrequent pitches as more pleasing than frequent pitches when presented in isolation. These results suggest that absolute pitch representation in memory may play a substantial, hitherto unacknowledged role in auditory (and specifically musical) cognition. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Discrete Element Method Modeling of the Rheological Properties of Coke/Pitch Mixtures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Behzad Majidi

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Rheological properties of pitch and pitch/coke mixtures at temperatures around 150 °C are of great interest for the carbon anode manufacturing process in the aluminum industry. In the present work, a cohesive viscoelastic contact model based on Burger’s model is developed using the discrete element method (DEM on the YADE, the open-source DEM software. A dynamic shear rheometer (DSR is used to measure the viscoelastic properties of pitch at 150 °C. The experimental data obtained is then used to estimate the Burger’s model parameters and calibrate the DEM model. The DSR tests were then simulated by a three-dimensional model. Very good agreement was observed between the experimental data and simulation results. Coke aggregates were modeled by overlapping spheres in the DEM model. Coke/pitch mixtures were numerically created by adding 5, 10, 20, and 30 percent of coke aggregates of the size range of 0.297–0.595 mm (−30 + 50 mesh to pitch. Adding up to 30% of coke aggregates to pitch can increase its complex shear modulus at 60 Hz from 273 Pa to 1557 Pa. Results also showed that adding coke particles increases both storage and loss moduli, while it does not have a meaningful effect on the phase angle of pitch.

A kinetic study of pyrolysis in pitch impregnated electrodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kocaefe, D.; Charette, A.; Ferland, J.; Couderc, P.; Saint-Romain, J.L. (Universite du Quebec a Chicoutini, Chicoutini, PQ (Canada))

1990-12-01

A study was conducted on carbon electrodes which were impregnated with three different pitches. The focus of the study was to investigate the pyrolysis of pitch impregnated electrodes. For the purposes of the research an experimental technique and calculation procedure were developed. A kinetic model was used to interpret the data, comparison of model predictions and experimental data showed good agreement. 17 refs., 10 figs., 2 tabs.

Cortical processing of pitch: Model-based encoding and decoding of auditory fMRI responses to real-life sounds.

Science.gov (United States)

De Angelis, Vittoria; De Martino, Federico; Moerel, Michelle; Santoro, Roberta; Hausfeld, Lars; Formisano, Elia

2017-11-13

Pitch is a perceptual attribute related to the fundamental frequency (or periodicity) of a sound. So far, the cortical processing of pitch has been investigated mostly using synthetic sounds. However, the complex harmonic structure of natural sounds may require different mechanisms for the extraction and analysis of pitch. This study investigated the neural representation of pitch in human auditory cortex using model-based encoding and decoding analyses of high field (7 T) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data collected while participants listened to a wide range of real-life sounds. Specifically, we modeled the fMRI responses as a function of the sounds' perceived pitch height and salience (related to the fundamental frequency and the harmonic structure respectively), which we estimated with a computational algorithm of pitch extraction (de Cheveigné and Kawahara, 2002). First, using single-voxel fMRI encoding, we identified a pitch-coding region in the antero-lateral Heschl's gyrus (HG) and adjacent superior temporal gyrus (STG). In these regions, the pitch representation model combining height and salience predicted the fMRI responses comparatively better than other models of acoustic processing and, in the right hemisphere, better than pitch representations based on height/salience alone. Second, we assessed with model-based decoding that multi-voxel response patterns of the identified regions are more informative of perceived pitch than the remainder of the auditory cortex. Further multivariate analyses showed that complementing a multi-resolution spectro-temporal sound representation with pitch produces a small but significant improvement to the decoding of complex sounds from fMRI response patterns. In sum, this work extends model-based fMRI encoding and decoding methods - previously employed to examine the representation and processing of acoustic sound features in the human auditory system - to the representation and processing of a relevant

Two LQRI based Blade Pitch Controls for Wind Turbines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoonsu Nam

2012-06-01

Full Text Available As the wind turbine size has been increasing and their mechanical components are built lighter, the reduction of the structural loads becomes a very important task of wind turbine control in addition to maximum wind power capture. In this paper, we present a separate set of collective and individual pitch control algorithms. Both pitch control algorithms use the LQR control technique with integral action (LQRI, and utilize Kalman filters to estimate system states and wind speed. Compared to previous works in this area, our pitch control algorithms can control rotor speed and blade bending moments at the same time to improve the trade-off between rotor speed regulation and load reduction, while both collective and individual pitch controls can be designed separately. Simulation results show that the proposed collective and individual pitch controllers achieve very good rotor speed regulation and significant reduction of blade bending moments.

Measurement of the single 100 diffraction line and evaluation of the average crystallite sizes along the fiber axis for mesophase-pitch-based carbon fiber P100

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, Akira; Kaburagi, Yutaka; Hishiyama, Yoshihiro

2007-01-01

Mesophase-pitch-based carbon fiber P100 is known as a well-oriented carbon fiber in which the partially graphitized crystallites align along the fiber axis. The X-ray powder diffraction pattern for P100 measured by the X-ray diffractometer reveals the 100 diffraction line as a composite peak with the 101 diffraction line. The composite peak is usually not easy to separate into the component peaks of 100 and 101 lines. In the present article, a method to measure the single 100 diffraction line with the X-ray diffractometer using fiber samples of P100 has been developed. It has been found that there exist two types of crystallites oriented to their basal planes along the fiber axis in each of the P100 fibers; the Z-type crystallite with the zigzag boundary planes and the A-type crystallite with the armchair boundary planes, both of the boundary planes are perpendicular to the fiber axis. The average crystallite sizes along the fiber axis evaluated are 53 nm for the Z-type crystallites and 800 nm for the armchair crystallites. The average crystallite thickness for both types is about 120 nm. (author)

ADSORPTION OF PITCH AND STICKIES ON MAGNESIUM ALUMINUM HYDROXIDES TREATED AT DIFFERENT TEMPERAURES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guodong Li

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Magnesium aluminum hydroxides (MAH of nitrate and carbonate forms were prepared by co-precipitation, dried at different temperatures, and employed as an adsorbent for pitch and stickies in papermaking. Results indicated that MAH that had been heat-treated had higher adsorption capacity to model pitch and stickies at neutral pH. Low-temperature-dried magnesium aluminum hydroxides of nitrate form (MAH-NO3 had higher adsorption capacity to model pitch and model stickies than those of the carbonate form (MAH-CO3. Increasing the drying temperature of MAH reduced the difference of adsorption capacity between MAH-NO3 and MAH-CO3. Higher-temperature-dried magnesium aluminum hydroxides also showed higher adsorption capacity to model pitch and stickies when the drying temperature was lower than 550 oC. MAH displayed higher adsorption capacity while a lower initial adsorption rate of model stickies than of model pitch. The model pitch and stickies were adsorbed on MAH significantly by charge neutralization and distributed mainly on the surface of the platelets of magnesium aluminum hydroxides. The experimental isothermal adsorption data of model pitch and stickies on MAH dried at 500 oC fit well to the Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm equations.

Estimation of Multiple Pitches in Stereophonic Mixtures using a Codebook-based Approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Martin Weiss; Jensen, Jesper Rindom; Christensen, Mads Græsbøll

2017-01-01

In this paper, a method for multi-pitch estimation of stereophonic mixtures of multiple harmonic signals is presented. The method is based on a signal model which takes the amplitude and delay panning parameters of the sources in a stereophonic mixture into account. Furthermore, the method is based...... on the extended invariance principle (EXIP), and a codebook of realistic amplitude vectors. For each fundamental frequency candidate in each of the sources, the amplitude estimates are mapped to entries in the codebook, and the pitch and model order are estimated jointly. The performance of the proposed method...

Synthesis of nanoporous carbons from mixtures of coal tar pitch and furfural and their application as electrode materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petrova, B.; Tsyntsarski, B.; Budinova, T.; Petrov, N.; Ania, C.O.; Parra, J.B.; Mladenov, M.; Tzvetkov, P.

2010-11-15

Synthetic nanoporous carbons are prepared by polymerization of mixtures containing coal tar pitch and furfural in different proportions, followed by carbonization of obtained solid product and steam activation of the carbonizate. The chemical composition of the initial mixture significantly affects the physicochemical properties (surface area, pore structure, electro resistance and amount of oxygen-containing groups on the surface) of the obtained materials. The incorporation of oxygen in the precursor mixture by means of furfural, has a strong influence in the synthetic step; increasing the furfural content facilitates the formation of a solid product characterized by a large oxygen content. Moreover, the solid product is more reactive towards activation as the furfural content increases, giving rise to nanoporous carbons with large surface areas and unique chemical features (high density of oxygen functionalities of basic nature). These nanoporous carbons have been investigated as electrodes in electrochemical applications. (author)

Speech emotion recognition based on statistical pitch model

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

WANG Zhiping; ZHAO Li; ZOU Cairong

2006-01-01

A modified Parzen-window method, which keep high resolution in low frequencies and keep smoothness in high frequencies, is proposed to obtain statistical model. Then, a gender classification method utilizing the statistical model is proposed, which have a 98% accuracy of gender classification while long sentence is dealt with. By separation the male voice and female voice, the mean and standard deviation of speech training samples with different emotion are used to create the corresponding emotion models. Then the Bhattacharyya distance between the test sample and statistical models of pitch, are utilized for emotion recognition in speech.The normalization of pitch for the male voice and female voice are also considered, in order to illustrate them into a uniform space. Finally, the speech emotion recognition experiment based on K Nearest Neighbor shows that, the correct rate of 81% is achieved, where it is only 73.85%if the traditional parameters are utilized.

Memory for pitch in congenital amusia: beyond a fine-grained pitch discrimination problem.

Science.gov (United States)

Williamson, Victoria Jane; Stewart, Lauren

2010-08-01

Congenital amusia is a disorder that affects the perception and production of music. While amusia has been associated with deficits in pitch discrimination, several reports suggest that memory deficits also play a role. The present study investigated short-term memory span for pitch-based and verbal information in 14 individuals with amusia and matched controls. Analogous adaptive-tracking procedures were used to generate tone and digit spans using stimuli that exceeded psychophysically measured pitch perception thresholds. Individuals with amusia had significantly smaller tone spans, whereas their digits spans were a similar size to those of controls. An automated operation span task was used to determine working memory capacity. Working memory deficits were seen in only a small subgroup of individuals with amusia. These findings support the existence of a pitch-specific component within short-term memory and suggest that congenital amusia is more than a disorder of fine-grained pitch discrimination.

Adaptive pitch control for variable speed wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Kathryn E [Boulder, CO; Fingersh, Lee Jay [Westminster, CO

2012-05-08

An adaptive method for adjusting blade pitch angle, and controllers implementing such a method, for achieving higher power coefficients. Average power coefficients are determined for first and second periods of operation for the wind turbine. When the average power coefficient for the second time period is larger than for the first, a pitch increment, which may be generated based on the power coefficients, is added (or the sign is retained) to the nominal pitch angle value for the wind turbine. When the average power coefficient for the second time period is less than for the first, the pitch increment is subtracted (or the sign is changed). A control signal is generated based on the adapted pitch angle value and sent to blade pitch actuators that act to change the pitch angle of the wind turbine to the new or modified pitch angle setting, and this process is iteratively performed.

Risk-based Comparative Study of Fluid Power Pitch Concepts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liniger, Jesper; Pedersen, Henrik Clemmensen; N. Soltani, Mohsen

2017-01-01

Proper functioning of the pitch system is essential to both normal operation and safety critical shut down of modern multi megawatt wind turbines. Several studies on field failure rates for such turbines show that pitch systems are a major contributor to failures which entails an increased risk....... Thus, more reliable and safe concepts are needed. A review of patents and patent applications covering fluid power pitch concepts, reveals that many propose closed-type hydraulic systems. This paper proposes a closed-type concept with a bootstrap reservoir. In contrary to a conventional system where...

Catalytic oxidation of NO to NO2 on activated carbon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhancheng Guo; Yusheng Xie

2001-01-01

Catalytic oxidation of NO to NO 2 over activated carbons PAN-ACF, pitch-ACF and coconut-AC at room temperature (30 o C) were studied to develop a method based on oxidative removal of NO from flue gases. For a dry gas, under the conditions of a gas space flow rate 1500 h -1 in the presence of oxygen of 2-20% in volume concentration, the activated coconut carbon with a surface area 1200 m 2 /g converted about 81-94% of NO with increasing oxygen concentration, the pitch based activated carbon fiber with a surface area 1000 m 2 /g about 44-75%, and the polyacrylonitrile-based activated carbon fiber with a surface area 1810 m 2 /g about 25-68%. The order of activity of the activated carbons was PAN-ACF c P NO P O2 β (F/W), where β is 0.042, 0.16, 0.31 for the coconut-AC, the pitch-ACF and the PAN-ACF respectively, and k c is 0.94 at 30 o C. (author)

Manufacturing of Nanocomposite Carbon Fibers and Composite Cylinders

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Seng; Zhou, Jian-guo

2013-01-01

Pitch-based nanocomposite carbon fibers were prepared with various percentages of carbon nanofibers (CNFs), and the fibers were used for manufacturing composite structures. Experimental results show that these nanocomposite carbon fibers exhibit improved structural and electrical conductivity properties as compared to unreinforced carbon fibers. Composite panels fabricated from these nanocomposite carbon fibers and an epoxy system also show the same properties transformed from the fibers. Single-fiber testing per ASTM C1557 standard indicates that the nanocomposite carbon fiber has a tensile modulus of 110% higher, and a tensile strength 17.7% times higher, than the conventional carbon fiber manufactured from pitch. Also, the electrical resistance of the carbon fiber carbonized at 900 C was reduced from 4.8 to 2.2 ohm/cm. The manufacturing of the nanocomposite carbon fiber was based on an extrusion, non-solvent process. The precursor fibers were then carbonized and graphitized. The resultant fibers are continuous.

Tone language fluency impairs pitch discrimination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Isabelle ePeretz

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Here we present evidence that native speakers of a tone language, in which pitch contributes to word meaning, are impaired in the discrimination of falling pitches in tone sequences, as compared to speakers of a non-tone language. Both groups were presented with monotonic and isochronous sequences of five tones (i.e., constant pitch and intertone interval. They were required to detect when the fourth tone was displaced in pitch or time. While speakers of a tone language performed more poorly in the detection of downward pitch changes, they did not differ from non-tone language speakers in their perception of upward pitch changes or in their perception of subtle time changes. Moreover, this impairment cannot be attributed to low musical aptitude since the impairment remains unchanged when individual differences in musical pitch-based processing is taken into account. Thus, the impairment appears highly specific and may reflect the influence of statistical regularities of tone languages.

Vowel identity between note labels confuses pitch identification in non-absolute pitch possessors.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alfredo Brancucci

Full Text Available The simplest and likeliest assumption concerning the cognitive bases of absolute pitch (AP is that at its origin there is a particularly skilled function which matches the height of the perceived pitch to the verbal label of the musical tone. Since there is no difference in sound frequency resolution between AP and non-AP (NAP musicians, the hypothesis of the present study is that the failure of NAP musicians in pitch identification relies mainly in an inability to retrieve the correct verbal label to be assigned to the perceived musical note. The primary hypothesis is that, when asked to identify tones, NAP musicians confuse the verbal labels to be attached to the stimulus on the basis of their phonetic content. Data from two AP tests are reported, in which subjects had to respond in the presence or in the absence of visually presented verbal note labels (fixed Do solmization. Results show that NAP musicians confuse more frequently notes having a similar vowel in the note label. They tend to confuse e.g. a 261 Hz tone (Do more often with Sol than, e.g., with La. As a second goal, we wondered whether this effect is lateralized, i.e. whether one hemisphere is more responsible than the other in the confusion of notes with similar labels. This question was addressed by observing pitch identification during dichotic listening. Results showed that there is a right hemispheric disadvantage, in NAP but not AP musicians, in the retrieval of the verbal label to be assigned to the perceived pitch. The present results indicate that absolute pitch has strong verbal bases, at least from a cognitive point of view.

Vocal Pitch Shift in Congenital Amusia (Pitch Deafness)

Science.gov (United States)

Hutchins, Sean; Peretz, Isabelle

2013-01-01

We tested whether congenital amusics, who exhibit pitch perception deficits, nevertheless adjust the pitch of their voice in response to a sudden pitch shift applied to vocal feedback. Nine amusics and matched controls imitated their own previously-recorded speech or singing, while the online feedback they received was shifted mid-utterance by 25…

Evaluation of pitches and cokes from solvent-extracted coal materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McHenry, E.R.

1996-12-01

Three initial coal-extracted (C-E) samples were received from the West Virginia University (WVU) Chemical Engineering Department. Two samples had been hydrogenated to obtain pitches that satisfy Theological requirements. One of the hydrogenated (HC-E) samples had been extracted by toluene to remove ash and higher molecular weight aromatic compounds. We were unable to measure the softening point and viscosity of the non-hydro treated solid extract sample, Positive characteristics in the HC-E materials were softening points of 113-119{degrees}C, low sulfur and ash. The oxygen and nitrogen content of the HC-E samples may limit future usage in premium carbon and graphite products. Coking values were similar to petroleum pitches. Laboratory anode testing indicates that in combination with standard coal-tar pitch, the HC-E material can be used as a binder pitch.

Pitch-based carbon foam and composites and use thereof

Science.gov (United States)

Klett, James W.; Burchell, Timothy D.; Choudhury, Ashok

2006-07-04

A thermally conductive carbon foam is provided, normally having a thermal conductivity of at least 40 W/mK. The carbon foam usually has a specific thermal conductivity, defined as the thermal conductivity divided by the density, of at least about 75 Wcm.sup.3/m.degree. Kgm. The foam also has a high specific surface area, typically at least about 6,000 m.sup.2/m.sup.3. The foam is characterized by an x-ray diffraction pattern having "doublet" 100 and 101 peaks characterized by a relative peak split factor no greater than about 0.470. The foam is graphitic and exhibits substantially isotropic thermal conductivity. The foam comprises substantially ellipsoidal pores and the mean pore diameter of such pores is preferably no greater than about 340 microns. Other materials, such as phase change materials, can be impregnated in the pores in order to impart beneficial thermal properties to the foam. Heat exchange devices and evaporatively cooled heat sinks utilizing the foams are also disclosed.

Pitch perception prior to cortical maturation

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, Bonnie K.

Pitch perception plays an important role in many complex auditory tasks including speech perception, music perception, and sound source segregation. Because of the protracted and extensive development of the human auditory cortex, pitch perception might be expected to mature, at least over the first few months of life. This dissertation investigates complex pitch perception in 3-month-olds, 7-month-olds and adults -- time points when the organization of the auditory pathway is distinctly different. Using an observer-based psychophysical procedure, a series of four studies were conducted to determine whether infants (1) discriminate the pitch of harmonic complex tones, (2) discriminate the pitch of unresolved harmonics, (3) discriminate the pitch of missing fundamental melodies, and (4) have comparable sensitivity to pitch and spectral changes as adult listeners. The stimuli used in these studies were harmonic complex tones, with energy missing at the fundamental frequency. Infants at both three and seven months of age discriminated the pitch of missing fundamental complexes composed of resolved and unresolved harmonics as well as missing fundamental melodies, demonstrating perception of complex pitch by three months of age. More surprisingly, infants in both age groups had lower pitch and spectral discrimination thresholds than adult listeners. Furthermore, no differences in performance on any of the tasks presented were observed between infants at three and seven months of age. These results suggest that subcortical processing is not only sufficient to support pitch perception prior to cortical maturation, but provides adult-like sensitivity to pitch by three months.

Ion irradiation effects on tensile properties of carbon fibres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurumada, A.; Ishihara, M.; Baba, S.; Aihara, J.

2004-01-01

Carbon/carbon composite materials have high thermal conductivity and excellent mechanical properties at high temperatures. They have been used as structural materials at high temperatures in fission and experimental fusion reactors. The changes in the microstructures and the mechanical properties due to irradiation damage must be measured for the safety design and the life assessment of the materials. The purpose of this study is to obtain a basic knowledge of the development of new carbon composite materials having high thermal conductivity and excellent resistance to irradiation damage. Five kinds of carbon fibres were selected, including a vapour growth carbon fibre (VGCF; K1100X), a polyacrylonitrile-based fibre (PAN; M55JB by Toray Corp.), two meso-phase pitch-based fibres (YS-15-60S and YS-70-60S by Nippon Graphite Fiber Corp.) and a pitch-based fibre (K13C2U by Mitsubishi Chemical Co.). They were irradiated by high-energy carbon, nickel and argon ions. Irradiation damages in the carbon fibres are expected to be uniform across the cross-section, as the diameters of the carbon fibres are about 20 μm and are sufficiently smaller than the ranges of ions. The cross-sectional areas increased due to ion irradiation, with the exception of the K1100X of VGCF. One of the reasons for the increases is the swelling of carbon basal planes due to lattice defects in the graphite interlayer. The tensile strengths and the Young's moduli decreased due to ion irradiation except for the K1100X of VGCF and the YS-15-60S of meso-phase pitch-based fibres. One of the reasons for the decreases is thought to be that the microstructures of carbon fibres are damaged in the axial direction, as ions were irradiated vertically with respect to the longitudinal direction of carbon fibres. The results of this study indicate that the VGCF and the meso-phase pitch-based carbon fibres could be useful as reinforcement fibres of new carbon composite materials having high thermal conductivity and

A Neuronal Network Model for Pitch Selectivity and Representation

OpenAIRE

Huang, Chengcheng; Rinzel, John

2016-01-01

Pitch is a perceptual correlate of periodicity. Sounds with distinct spectra can elicit the same pitch. Despite the importance of pitch perception, understanding the cellular mechanism of pitch perception is still a major challenge and a mechanistic model of pitch is lacking. A multi-stage neuronal network model is developed for pitch frequency estimation using biophysically-based, high-resolution coincidence detector neurons. The neuronal units respond only to highly coincident input among c...

Pitch-based carbon foam and composites and uses thereof

Science.gov (United States)

Klett, James W.; Burchell, Timothy D.; Choudhury, Ashok

2004-01-06

A thermally conductive carbon foam is provided, normally having a thermal conductivity of at least 40 W/m.multidot.K. The carbon foam usually has a specific thermal conductivity, defined as the thermal conductivity divided by the density, of at least about 75 W.multidot.cm.sup.3 /m.multidot..degree.K.multidot.gm. The foam also has a high specific surface area, typically at least about 6,000 m.sup.2 /m.sup.3. The foam is characterized by an x-ray diffraction pattern having "doublet" 100 and 101 peaks characterized by a relative peak split factor no greater than about 0.470. The foam is graphitic and exhibits substantially isotropic thermal conductivity. The foam comprises substantially ellipsoidal pores and the mean pore diameter of such pores is preferably no greater than about 340 microns. Other materials, such as phase change materials, can be impregnated in the pores in order to impart beneficial thermal properties to the foam. Heat exchange devices and evaporatively cooled heat sinks utilizing the foams are also disclosed.

Difficulties with Pitch Discrimination Influences Pitch Memory Performance: Evidence from Congenital Amusia

OpenAIRE

Jiang, Cunmei; Lim, Vanessa K.; Wang, Hang; Hamm, Jeff P.

2013-01-01

Music processing is influenced by pitch perception and memory. Additionally these features interact, with pitch memory performance decreasing as the perceived distance between two pitches decreases. This study examined whether or not the difficulty of pitch discrimination influences pitch retention by testing individuals with congenital amusia. Pitch discrimination difficulty was equated by determining an individual's threshold with a two down one up staircase procedure and using this to crea...

Difficulties with pitch discrimination influences pitch memory performance: evidence from congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Cunmei; Lim, Vanessa K; Wang, Hang; Hamm, Jeff P

2013-01-01

Music processing is influenced by pitch perception and memory. Additionally these features interact, with pitch memory performance decreasing as the perceived distance between two pitches decreases. This study examined whether or not the difficulty of pitch discrimination influences pitch retention by testing individuals with congenital amusia. Pitch discrimination difficulty was equated by determining an individual's threshold with a two down one up staircase procedure and using this to create conditions where two pitches (the standard and the comparison tones) differed by 1x, 2x, and 3x the threshold setting. For comparison with the literature a condition that employed a constant pitch difference of four semitones was also included. The results showed that pitch memory performance improved as the discrimination between the standard and the comparison tones was made easier for both amusic and control groups, and more importantly, that amusics did not show any pitch retention deficits when the discrimination difficulty was equated. In contrast, consistent with previous literature, amusics performed worse than controls when the physical pitch distance was held constant at four semitones. This impaired performance has been interpreted as evidence for pitch memory impairment in the past. However, employing a constant pitch distance always makes the difference closer to the discrimination threshold for the amusic group than for the control group. Therefore, reduced performance in this condition may simply reflect differences in the perceptual difficulty of the discrimination. The findings indicate the importance of equating the discrimination difficulty when investigating memory.

Improvement in char formability of phenolic resin for development of Carbon/Carbon composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hajhosseini, M.; Payami, A.; Ghaffarian, S. R.; Rezadoust, A. M.

2008-01-01

In the processing of carbon/carbon composites using polymer resin as the matrix precursor, it is inevitable that a porous structure was formed after carbonization. As a result, densification by liquid phase impregnation followed by recarbonization is required to obtain a densified composite. Consequently, the char formability of resin is an important factor in reducing the number of densification cycles and hence the processing cost. In this study, a novel approach is adopted to improve the densification of carbon/carbon composites by using a new phenolic resin modified by pitch. For this purpose, soluble part of pitch was extracted and dispersed in resol type phenolic resin. The polymerization reaction was performed in presence of para-formaldehyde and a resol-pitch compound was obtained. The second compound was prepared by mixing novolac-furfural in 55:45 weight ratio containing 9% by weight hexamethylene tetramine. This compound was added to resol-pitch compound in 10,20,50 and 80 w %. The microstructure of carbonized resin was investigated by X-ray diffraction and char yield, and the linear and volumetric shrinkage were obtained. Results show that in 80:20 ratio of resol-pitch to novolac-furfural , the char yield would be maximized by 71% and volumetric shrinkage would be minimized at 16.4%. At the same time, XRD results indicate that the resin has a strong ability to graphitize carbon/carbon composites matrix as a necessary step for its processing

Investigation of thermochemical conversions of coal pitches using high resolution PMR and IR spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kekin, N.A.; Belkina, T.V.; Stepanenko, M.A.; Gordienko, V.G.

1982-01-01

The hydrogen bonds in organic compounds present in coal pitch and fractions were investigated by infrared spectroscopy and proton magnetic resonance. The investigation was extended to include pitch that was thermally treated at 360 degrees C to raise the softening point to 85-90 degrees C. The infrared spectra revealed hydrogen present in OH groups, NH groups, COOH groups, unsaturated carbon double bonds, and multiple carbon double bonds. It was also determined that thermal treating increased the hydrogen present in aromatic compounds and decreased hydrogen present in aliphatic forms. (JMT)

Difficulties with pitch discrimination influences pitch memory performance: evidence from congenital amusia.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cunmei Jiang

Full Text Available Music processing is influenced by pitch perception and memory. Additionally these features interact, with pitch memory performance decreasing as the perceived distance between two pitches decreases. This study examined whether or not the difficulty of pitch discrimination influences pitch retention by testing individuals with congenital amusia. Pitch discrimination difficulty was equated by determining an individual's threshold with a two down one up staircase procedure and using this to create conditions where two pitches (the standard and the comparison tones differed by 1x, 2x, and 3x the threshold setting. For comparison with the literature a condition that employed a constant pitch difference of four semitones was also included. The results showed that pitch memory performance improved as the discrimination between the standard and the comparison tones was made easier for both amusic and control groups, and more importantly, that amusics did not show any pitch retention deficits when the discrimination difficulty was equated. In contrast, consistent with previous literature, amusics performed worse than controls when the physical pitch distance was held constant at four semitones. This impaired performance has been interpreted as evidence for pitch memory impairment in the past. However, employing a constant pitch distance always makes the difference closer to the discrimination threshold for the amusic group than for the control group. Therefore, reduced performance in this condition may simply reflect differences in the perceptual difficulty of the discrimination. The findings indicate the importance of equating the discrimination difficulty when investigating memory.

Imperfect pitch: Gabor's uncertainty principle and the pitch of extremely brief sounds.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, I-Hui; Saberi, Kourosh

2016-02-01

How brief must a sound be before its pitch is no longer perceived? The uncertainty tradeoff between temporal and spectral resolution (Gabor's principle) limits the minimum duration required for accurate pitch identification or discrimination. Prior studies have reported that pitch can be extracted from sinusoidal pulses as brief as half a cycle. This finding has been used in a number of classic papers to develop models of pitch encoding. We have found that phase randomization, which eliminates timbre confounds, degrades this ability to chance, raising serious concerns over the foundation on which classic pitch models have been built. The current study investigated whether subthreshold pitch cues may still exist in partial-cycle pulses revealed through statistical integration in a time series containing multiple pulses. To this end, we measured frequency-discrimination thresholds in a two-interval forced-choice task for trains of partial-cycle random-phase tone pulses. We found that residual pitch cues exist in these pulses but discriminating them requires an order of magnitude (ten times) larger frequency difference than that reported previously, necessitating a re-evaluation of pitch models built on earlier findings. We also found that as pulse duration is decreased to less than two cycles its pitch becomes biased toward higher frequencies, consistent with predictions of an auto-correlation model of pitch extraction.

Fringing-field dielectrophoretic assembly of ultrahigh-density semiconducting nanotube arrays with a self-limited pitch

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Qing; Han, Shu-Jen; Tulevski, George S.

2014-09-01

One key challenge of realizing practical high-performance electronic devices based on single-walled carbon nanotubes is to produce electronically pure nanotube arrays with both a minuscule and uniform inter-tube pitch for sufficient device-packing density and homogeneity. Here we develop a method in which the alternating voltage-fringing electric field formed between surface microelectrodes and the substrate is utilized to assemble semiconducting nanotubes into well-aligned, ultrahigh-density and submonolayered arrays, with a consistent pitch as small as 21±6 nm determined by a self-limiting mechanism, based on the unique field focusing and screening effects of the fringing field. Field-effect transistors based on such nanotube arrays exhibit record high device transconductance (>50 μS μm-1) and decent on current per nanotube (~1 μA per tube) together with high on/off ratios at a drain bias of -1 V.

Pitch discrimination learning: specificity for pitch and harmonic resolvability, and electrophysiological correlates.

Science.gov (United States)

Carcagno, Samuele; Plack, Christopher J

2011-08-01

Multiple-hour training on a pitch discrimination task dramatically decreases the threshold for detecting a pitch difference between two harmonic complexes. Here, we investigated the specificity of this perceptual learning with respect to the pitch and the resolvability of the trained harmonic complex, as well as its cortical electrophysiological correlates. We trained 24 participants for 12 h on a pitch discrimination task using one of four different harmonic complexes. The complexes differed in pitch and/or spectral resolvability of their components by the cochlea, but were filtered into the same spectral region. Cortical-evoked potentials and a behavioral measure of pitch discrimination were assessed before and after training for all the four complexes. The change in these measures was compared to that of two control groups: one trained on a level discrimination task and one without any training. The behavioral results showed that learning was partly specific to both pitch and resolvability. Training with a resolved-harmonic complex improved pitch discrimination for resolved complexes more than training with an unresolved complex. However, we did not find evidence that training with an unresolved complex leads to specific learning for unresolved complexes. Training affected the P2 component of the cortical-evoked potentials, as well as a later component (250-400 ms). No significant changes were found on the mismatch negativity (MMN) component, although a separate experiment showed that this measure was sensitive to pitch changes equivalent to the pitch discriminability changes induced by training. This result suggests that pitch discrimination training affects processes not measured by the MMN, for example, processes higher in level or parallel to those involved in MMN generation.

Heavy vehicle pitch dynamics and suspension tuning

OpenAIRE

Cao, Dongpu; Rakheja, Subhash; Su, Chun-Yi

2008-01-01

The influence of suspension tuning of passenger cars on bounce and pitch ride performance has been explored in a number of studies, while only minimal efforts have been made for establishing similar rules for heavy vehicles. This study aims to explore pitch dynamics and suspension tunings of a two-axle heavy vehicle with unconnected suspension, which could also provide valuable information for heavy vehicles with coupled suspensions. Based on a generalised pitch-plane model of a two-axle heav...

Is there pre-attentive memory-based comparison of pitch?

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobsen, T; Schröger, E

2001-07-01

The brain's responsiveness to changes in sound frequency has been demonstrated by an overwhelming number of studies. Change detection occurs unintentionally and automatically. It is generally assumed that this brain response, the so-called mismatch negativity (MMN) of the event-related brain potential or evoked magnetic field, is based on the outcome of a memory-comparison mechanism rather than being due to a differential state of refractoriness of tonotopically organized cortical neurons. To the authors' knowledge, however, there is no entirely compelling evidence for this belief. An experimental protocol controlling for refractoriness effects was developed and a true memory-comparison-based brain response to pitch change was demonstrated.

A fundamental residue pitch perception bias for tone language speakers

Science.gov (United States)

Petitti, Elizabeth

A complex tone composed of only higher-order harmonics typically elicits a pitch percept equivalent to the tone's missing fundamental frequency (f0). When judging the direction of residue pitch change between two such tones, however, listeners may have completely opposite perceptual experiences depending on whether they are biased to perceive changes based on the overall spectrum or the missing f0 (harmonic spacing). Individual differences in residue pitch change judgments are reliable and have been associated with musical experience and functional neuroanatomy. Tone languages put greater pitch processing demands on their speakers than non-tone languages, and we investigated whether these lifelong differences in linguistic pitch processing affect listeners' bias for residue pitch. We asked native tone language speakers and native English speakers to perform a pitch judgment task for two tones with missing fundamental frequencies. Given tone pairs with ambiguous pitch changes, listeners were asked to judge the direction of pitch change, where the direction of their response indicated whether they attended to the overall spectrum (exhibiting a spectral bias) or the missing f0 (exhibiting a fundamental bias). We found that tone language speakers are significantly more likely to perceive pitch changes based on the missing f0 than English speakers. These results suggest that tone-language speakers' privileged experience with linguistic pitch fundamentally tunes their basic auditory processing.

A Neuronal Network Model for Pitch Selectivity and Representation.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Chengcheng; Rinzel, John

2016-01-01

Pitch is a perceptual correlate of periodicity. Sounds with distinct spectra can elicit the same pitch. Despite the importance of pitch perception, understanding the cellular mechanism of pitch perception is still a major challenge and a mechanistic model of pitch is lacking. A multi-stage neuronal network model is developed for pitch frequency estimation using biophysically-based, high-resolution coincidence detector neurons. The neuronal units respond only to highly coincident input among convergent auditory nerve fibers across frequency channels. Their selectivity for only very fast rising slopes of convergent input enables these slope-detectors to distinguish the most prominent coincidences in multi-peaked input time courses. Pitch can then be estimated from the first-order interspike intervals of the slope-detectors. The regular firing pattern of the slope-detector neurons are similar for sounds sharing the same pitch despite the distinct timbres. The decoded pitch strengths also correlate well with the salience of pitch perception as reported by human listeners. Therefore, our model can serve as a neural representation for pitch. Our model performs successfully in estimating the pitch of missing fundamental complexes and reproducing the pitch variation with respect to the frequency shift of inharmonic complexes. It also accounts for the phase sensitivity of pitch perception in the cases of Schroeder phase, alternating phase and random phase relationships. Moreover, our model can also be applied to stochastic sound stimuli, iterated-ripple-noise, and account for their multiple pitch perceptions.

Lung studies with spiral CT. pitch 1 versus pitch 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sartoni Galloni, S.; Miceli, M.; Lipparino, M.; Burzi, M.; Gigli, F.; Rossi, M.S.; Santoli, G.; Guidarelli, G.

1999-01-01

In Spiral CT, the pitch is the ratio of the distance to tabletop travels per 360 degrees rotation to nominal slice width, expressed in mm. Performing Spiral CT examination with pitch 2 allows to reduce examination time, exposure and contrast dose, and X-ray tube overload. The authors investigated the yield of pitch 2 in lung parenchyma studies, particular relative to diagnostic image quality [it

Pitch Discrimination Learning: Specificity for Pitch and Harmonic Resolvability, and Electrophysiological Correlates

OpenAIRE

Carcagno, Samuele; Plack, Christopher J.

2011-01-01

Multiple-hour training on a pitch discrimination task dramatically decreases the threshold for detecting a pitch difference between two harmonic complexes. Here, we investigated the specificity of this perceptual learning with respect to the pitch and the resolvability of the trained harmonic complex, as well as its cortical electrophysiological correlates. We trained 24 participants for 12 h on a pitch discrimination task using one of four different harmonic complexes. The complexes differed...

Pitch-verticality and pitch-size cross-modal interactions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bonetti, Leonardo; Costa, Marco

2017-01-01

Two studies were conducted on cross-modal matching between pitch and sound source localization on the vertical axis, and pitch and size. In the first study 100 Hz, 200 Hz, 600 Hz, and 800 Hz tones were emitted by a loudspeaker positioned 60 cm above or below to the participant’s ear level. Using...

Softball Pitching and Injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Lear, Aaron; Patel, Niraj

2016-01-01

The windmill softball pitch generates considerable forces about the athlete's shoulder and elbow. The injury pattern of softball pitchers seems to be primarily overuse injury, and they seem not to suffer the same volume of injury that baseball pitchers do. This article will explore softball pitching techniques, kinetics and kinematics of the windmill pitch, epidemiology of softball pitchers, and discuss possible etiologies of softball pitching injuries.

Factors affecting relative pitch perception

OpenAIRE

McClaskey, Carolyn Marie

2016-01-01

Sounds that evoke a sense of pitch are ubiquitous in our environment and important for speech, music, and auditory scene analysis. The frequencies of these sounds rarely remain constant, however, and the direction and extent of pitch change is often more important than the exact pitches themselves. This dissertation examines the mechanisms underlying how we perceive relative pitch distance, focusing on two types of stimuli: continuous pitch changes and discrete pitch changes. In a series of e...

Joint Pitch and DOA Estimation Using the ESPRIT method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wu, Yuntao; Amir, Leshem; Jensen, Jesper Rindom

2015-01-01

In this paper, the problem of joint multi-pitch and direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation for multi-channel harmonic sinusoidal signals is considered. A spatio-temporal matrix signal model for a uniform linear array is defined, and then the ESPRIT method based on subspace techniques that exploits...... the invariance property in the time domain is first used to estimate the multi pitch frequencies of multiple harmonic signals. Followed by the estimated pitch frequencies, the DOA estimations based on the ESPRIT method are also presented by using the shift invariance structure in the spatial domain. Compared...... to the existing stateof-the-art algorithms, the proposed method based on ESPRIT without 2-D searching is computationally more efficient but performs similarly. An asymptotic performance analysis of the DOA and pitch estimation of the proposed method are also presented. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed...

Perceptual pitch deficits coexist with pitch production difficulties in music but not Mandarin speech

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Wu-xia; Feng, Jie; Huang, Wan-ting; Zhang, Cheng-xiang; Nan, Yun

2014-01-01

Congenital amusia is a musical disorder that mainly affects pitch perception. Among Mandarin speakers, some amusics also have difficulties in processing lexical tones (tone agnosics). To examine to what extent these perceptual deficits may be related to pitch production impairments in music and Mandarin speech, eight amusics, eight tone agnosics, and 12 age- and IQ-matched normal native Mandarin speakers were asked to imitate music note sequences and Mandarin words of comparable lengths. The results indicated that both the amusics and tone agnosics underperformed the controls on musical pitch production. However, tone agnosics performed no worse than the amusics, suggesting that lexical tone perception deficits may not aggravate musical pitch production difficulties. Moreover, these three groups were all able to imitate lexical tones with perfect intelligibility. Taken together, the current study shows that perceptual musical pitch and lexical tone deficits might coexist with musical pitch production difficulties. But at the same time these perceptual pitch deficits might not affect lexical tone production or the intelligibility of the speech words that were produced. The perception-production relationship for pitch among individuals with perceptual pitch deficits may be, therefore, domain-dependent. PMID:24474944

Perceptual Pitch Deficits Coexist with Pitch Production Difficulties in Music but Not Mandarin Speech

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wu-xia eYang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Congenital amusia is a musical disorder that mainly affects pitch perception. Among Mandarin speakers, some amusics also have difficulties in processing lexical tones (tone agnosics. To examine to what extent these perceptual deficits may be related to pitch production impairments in music and Mandarin speech, 8 amusics, 8 tone agnosics, and 12 age- and IQ-matched normal native Mandarin speakers were asked to imitate music note sequences and Mandarin words of comparable lengths. The results indicated that both the amusics and tone agnosics underperformed the controls on musical pitch production. However, tone agnosics performed no worse than the amusics, suggesting that lexical tone perception deficits may not aggravate musical pitch production difficulties. Moreover, these three groups were all able to imitate lexical tones with perfect intelligibility. Taken together, the current study shows that perceptual musical pitch and lexical tone deficits might coexist with musical pitch production difficulties. But at the same time these perceptual pitch deficits might not affect lexical tone production or the intelligibility of the speech words that were produced. The perception-production relationship for pitch among individuals with perceptual pitch deficits may be, therefore, domain-dependent.

Perceiving pitch absolutely: Comparing absolute and relative pitch possessors in a pitch memory task

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Schlaug Gottfried

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The perceptual-cognitive mechanisms and neural correlates of Absolute Pitch (AP are not fully understood. The aim of this fMRI study was to examine the neural network underlying AP using a pitch memory experiment and contrasting two groups of musicians with each other, those that have AP and those that do not. Results We found a common activation pattern for both groups that included the superior temporal gyrus (STG extending into the adjacent superior temporal sulcus (STS, the inferior parietal lobule (IPL extending into the adjacent intraparietal sulcus (IPS, the posterior part of the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG, the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA, and superior lateral cerebellar regions. Significant between-group differences were seen in the left STS during the early encoding phase of the pitch memory task (more activation in AP musicians and in the right superior parietal lobule (SPL/intraparietal sulcus (IPS during the early perceptual phase (ITP 0–3 and later working memory/multimodal encoding phase of the pitch memory task (more activation in non-AP musicians. Non-significant between-group trends were seen in the posterior IFG (more in AP musicians and the IPL (more anterior activations in the non-AP group and more posterior activations in the AP group. Conclusion Since the increased activation of the left STS in AP musicians was observed during the early perceptual encoding phase and since the STS has been shown to be involved in categorization tasks, its activation might suggest that AP musicians involve categorization regions in tonal tasks. The increased activation of the right SPL/IPS in non-AP musicians indicates either an increased use of regions that are part of a tonal working memory (WM network, or the use of a multimodal encoding strategy such as the utilization of a visual-spatial mapping scheme (i.e., imagining notes on a staff or using a spatial coding for their relative pitch height for pitch

Hemispheric lateralization for early auditory processing of lexical tones: dependence on pitch level and pitch contour.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiao-Dong; Wang, Ming; Chen, Lin

2013-09-01

In Mandarin Chinese, a tonal language, pitch level and pitch contour are two dimensions of lexical tones according to their acoustic features (i.e., pitch patterns). A change in pitch level features a step change whereas that in pitch contour features a continuous variation in voice pitch. Currently, relatively little is known about the hemispheric lateralization for the processing of each dimension. To address this issue, we made whole-head electrical recordings of mismatch negativity in native Chinese speakers in response to the contrast of Chinese lexical tones in each dimension. We found that pre-attentive auditory processing of pitch level was obviously lateralized to the right hemisphere whereas there is a tendency for that of pitch contour to be lateralized to the left. We also found that the brain responded faster to pitch level than to pitch contour at a pre-attentive stage. These results indicate that the hemispheric lateralization for early auditory processing of lexical tones depends on the pitch level and pitch contour, and suggest an underlying inter-hemispheric interactive mechanism for the processing. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Binaural pitch perception in normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Santurette, Sébastien; Dau, Torsten

2007-01-01

The effects of hearing impairment on the perception of binaural-pitch stimuli were investigated. Several experiments were performed with normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners, including detection and discrimination of binaural pitch, and melody recognition using different types of binaural...... pitches. For the normal-hearing listeners, all types of binaural pitches could be perceived immediately and were musical. The hearing-impaired listeners could be divided into three groups based on their results: (a) some perceived all types of binaural pitches, but with decreased salience or musicality...... compared to normal-hearing listeners; (b) some could only perceive the strongest pitch types; (c) some were unable to perceive any binaural pitch at all. The performance of the listeners was not correlated with audibility. Additional experiments investigated the correlation between performance in binaural...

Effects of Game Pitch Count and Body Mass Index on Pitching Biomechanics in 9- to 10-Year-Old Baseball Athletes.

Science.gov (United States)

Darke, Jim D; Dandekar, Eshan M; Aguinaldo, Arnel L; Hazelwood, Scott J; Klisch, Stephen M

2018-04-01

Pitching while fatigued and body composition may increase the injury risk in youth and adult pitchers. However, the relationships between game pitch count, biomechanics, and body composition have not been reported for a study group restricted to 9- to 10-year-old athletes. During a simulated game with 9- to 10-year-old athletes, (1) participants will experience biomechanical signs of fatigue, and (2) shoulder and elbow kinetics will correlate with body mass index (BMI). Descriptive laboratory study. Thirteen 9- to 10-year-old youth baseball players pitched a simulated game (75 pitches). Range of motion and muscular output tests were conducted before and after the simulated game to quantify fatigue. Kinematic parameters at foot contact, maximum external rotation, and maximum internal rotation velocity (MIRV), as well as maximum shoulder and elbow kinetics between foot contact and MIRV were compared at pitches 1-5, 34-38, and 71-75. Multivariate analyses of variance were used to test the first hypothesis, and linear regressions were used to test the second hypothesis. MIRV increased from pitches 1-5 to 71-75 ( P = .007), and head flexion at MIRV decreased from pitches 1-5 to 34-38 ( P = .022). Maximum shoulder horizontal adduction, external rotation, and internal rotation torques increased from pitches 34-38 to 71-75 ( P = .031, .023, and .021, respectively). Shoulder compression force increased from pitches 1-5 to 71-75 ( P = .011). Correlations of joint torque/force with BMI were found at every pitch period: for example, shoulder internal rotation ( R 2 = 0.93, P biomechanics for 9- to 10-year-old baseball pitchers and may be used in future studies to improve evidence-based injury prevention guidelines.

Sensorimotor Mismapping in Poor-pitch Singing.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Hao; Zhang, Wei-Dong

2017-09-01

This study proposes that there are two types of sensorimotor mismapping in poor-pitch singing: erroneous mapping and no mapping. We created operational definitions for the two types of mismapping based on the precision of pitch-matching and predicted that in the two types of mismapping, phonation differs in terms of accuracy and the dependence on the articulation consistency between the target and the intended vocal action. The study aimed to test this hypothesis by examining the reliability and criterion-related validity of the operational definitions. A within-subject design was used in this study. Thirty-two participants identified as poor-pitch singers were instructed to vocally imitate pure tones and to imitate their own vocal recordings with the same articulation as self-targets and with different articulation from self-targets. Definitions of the types of mismapping were demonstrated to be reliable with the split-half approach and to have good criterion-related validity with findings that pitch-matching with no mapping was less accurate and more dependent on the articulation consistency between the target and the intended vocal action than pitch-matching with erroneous mapping was. Furthermore, the precision of pitch-matching was positively associated with its accuracy and its dependence on articulation consistency when mismapping was analyzed on a continuum. Additionally, the data indicated that the self-imitation advantage was a function of articulation consistency. Types of sensorimotor mismapping lead to pitch-matching that differs in accuracy and its dependence on the articulation consistency between the target and the intended vocal action. Additionally, articulation consistency produces the self-advantage. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Language-dependent changes in pitch-relevant neural activity in the auditory cortex reflect differential weighting of temporal attributes of pitch contours

Science.gov (United States)

Krishnan, Ananthanarayan; Gandour, Jackson T.; Xu, Yi; Suresh, Chandan H.

2016-01-01

There remains a gap in our knowledge base about neural representation of pitch attributes that occur between onset and offset of dynamic, curvilinear pitch contours. The aim is to evaluate how language experience shapes processing of pitch contours as reflected in the amplitude of cortical pitch-specific response components. Responses were elicited from three nonspeech, bidirectional (falling-rising) pitch contours representative of Mandarin Tone 2 varying in location of the turning point with fixed onset and offset. At the frontocentral Fz electrode site, Na–Pb and Pb–Nb amplitude of the Chinese group was larger than the English group for pitch contours exhibiting later location of the turning point relative to the one with the earliest location. Chinese listeners’ amplitude was also greater than that of English in response to those same pitch contours with later turning points. At lateral temporal sites (T7/T8), Na–Pb amplitude was larger in Chinese listeners relative to English over the right temporal site. In addition, Pb–Nb amplitude of the Chinese group showed a rightward asymmetry. The pitch contour with its turning point located about halfway of total duration evoked a rightward asymmetry regardless of group. These findings suggest that neural mechanisms processing pitch in the right auditory cortex reflect experience-dependent modulation of sensitivity to weighted integration of changes in acceleration rates of rising and falling sections and the location of the turning point. PMID:28713201

Pitch-to-Pitch Correlation in Location, Velocity, and Movement ant Its Role in Predicting Strikeout Rate

OpenAIRE

Zhao, Shiyuan

2015-01-01

We evaluate a model for pitch sequencing in baseball that is defined by pitch-to-pitch correlation in location, velocity, and movement. The correlations quantify the average similarity of consecutive pitches and provide a measure of the batter's ability to predict the properties of the upcoming pitch. We examine the characteristics of the model for a set of major league pitchers using PITCHf/x data for nearly three million pitches thrown over seven major league seasons. After partitioning the...

Analysis of pitch system data for condition monitoring

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jannie Sønderkær; van de Pieterman, René P.; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2014-01-01

with a theoretical model based on aeroelastic simulations. The blade moment is found to have only minor influence on the friction in the blade bearing. The main factors affecting the static friction are the temperature and time after the latest pitch movement. Pitch motor current and torque are proportional...

Active load reduction using individual pitch, based on local blade flow measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Torben J.; Aagaard Madsen, H.; Thomsen, K.

2005-01-01

-of-the-art load-reducing concepts. Since the new flow-based concept deviates significantly from previous published load-reducing strategies, a comparison of the performance based on aeroelastic simulations is included. Advantages and drawbacks of the systems are discussed. Copyright (C) 2004 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.......A new load-reducing control strategy for individual blade control of large pitch-controlled wind turbines is presented This control concept is based on local blade inflow measurements and offers the possibility of larger load reductions, without loss of power production, than seen in other state...

Left-hemisphere activation is associated with enhanced vocal pitch error detection in musicians with absolute pitch

Science.gov (United States)

Behroozmand, Roozbeh; Ibrahim, Nadine; Korzyukov, Oleg; Robin, Donald A.; Larson, Charles R.

2014-01-01

The ability to process auditory feedback for vocal pitch control is crucial during speaking and singing. Previous studies have suggested that musicians with absolute pitch (AP) develop specialized left-hemisphere mechanisms for pitch processing. The present study adopted an auditory feedback pitch perturbation paradigm combined with ERP recordings to test the hypothesis whether the neural mechanisms of the left-hemisphere enhance vocal pitch error detection and control in AP musicians compared with relative pitch (RP) musicians and non-musicians (NM). Results showed a stronger N1 response to pitch-shifted voice feedback in the right-hemisphere for both AP and RP musicians compared with the NM group. However, the left-hemisphere P2 component activation was greater in AP and RP musicians compared with NMs and also for the AP compared with RP musicians. The NM group was slower in generating compensatory vocal reactions to feedback pitch perturbation compared with musicians, and they failed to re-adjust their vocal pitch after the feedback perturbation was removed. These findings suggest that in the earlier stages of cortical neural processing, the right hemisphere is more active in musicians for detecting pitch changes in voice feedback. In the later stages, the left-hemisphere is more active during the processing of auditory feedback for vocal motor control and seems to involve specialized mechanisms that facilitate pitch processing in the AP compared with RP musicians. These findings indicate that the left hemisphere mechanisms of AP ability are associated with improved auditory feedback pitch processing during vocal pitch control in tasks such as speaking or singing. PMID:24355545

Measurement and investigation of effects of coal tar pitch fractions in nuclear graphite properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fatemi, K.; Fatoorehchian, S.; Ahari Hashemi, F.; Ahmadi, Sh.

2003-01-01

Coal tar pitch has a complex chemical structure. Determination of α, β, γ fractions, is one of the methods to get information about its properties. In graphite fabrication it plays a role as a binder for coke particles. During the thermal treatment it carbonizes and changes to a secondary coke. This has considerable affects on the graphite properties. In this paper, determination of α, β, γ-1 fraction in three different types of pitches have been carried out. Graphite specimens have been fabricated by using these pitches and anisotropy coke in laboratory scale. The graphite properties have been compared with the nuclear graphite prototype. The comparison of the results showed that the density and compression strength are appreciable while the anisotropy factor of properties is about one. The linear thermal expansion in graphite from Iranian pitch had a better, result, where it stands in the nuclear range of usage. As a result, our studies showed that the graphite properties are affected by properties of pitch fractions, where it can be used as a proper sample for the graphite fabrication

LQR pitch control strategy of AUVs based on the optimum of sailing resistance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

YAO Xuliang

2017-05-01

Full Text Available When an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle(AUV sails near the surface of the sea,it will inevitably be subjected to wave disturbance. The heave and pitch motion caused by wave disturbance not only affects the navigation attitude of the AUV,but also leads to an increase in sailing resistance. As such, its energy consumption is increased. In this paper,the six degrees of freedom model of AUVs is established and linearized in order to achieve the weighted optimization of the sailing attitude and the resistance of the AUVs. The drag force model of the AUV is derived using the theory of potential flow. The Q matrix and R matrix are determined in the controller based on research into the drag force model. The Linear Quadratic Regulator(LQRcontroller of the AUV is designed using the drag force model as the performance index. The simulation results show that after adding the LQR controller,the effects of reducing heave motion and pitch motion are 46.64% and 77.62% respectively, and the increased resistance caused by the pitch motion is reduced to 1/6 of its original value. The results show that the multiple optimum of attitude and sailing resistance is realized,the energy consumption is decreased and the endurance of the AUV is increased.

H-Darrieus Wind Turbine with Blade Pitch Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. Paraschivoiu

2009-01-01

Full Text Available A procedure for computing the optimal variation of the blades' pitch angle of an H-Darrieus wind turbine that maximizes its torque at given operational conditions is proposed and presented along with the results obtained on a 7 kW prototype. The CARDAAV code, based on the “Double-Multiple Streamtube” model developed by the first author, is used to determine the performances of the straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine. This was coupled with a genetic algorithm optimizer. The azimuthal variation of the blades' pitch angle is modeled with an analytical function whose coefficients are used as variables in the optimization process. Two types of variations were considered for the pitch angle: a simple sinusoidal one and one which is more general, relating closely the blades' pitch to the local flow conditions along their circular path. A gain of almost 30% in the annual energy production was obtained with the polynomial optimal pitch control.

Limitations of fixed pitch Darrieus hydrokinetic turbines and the challenge of variable pitch

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kirke, B.K. [Sustainable Energy Centre, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095 (Australia); Lazauskas, L. [Cyberiad, 25/65 King William Street, Adelaide, SA 5000 (Australia)

2011-03-15

Small Darrieus hydrokinetic turbines with fixed pitch blades typically suffer from poor starting torque, low efficiency and shaking due to large fluctuations in both radial and tangential force with azimuth angle. Efficiency improves as size increases, since adequate blade chord Reynolds numbers can be maintained with low solidity. Shaking can be eliminated by using helical blades, or reduced by using multiple blades. Starting torque can be marginally improved by the use of cambered blade profiles but may still be inadequate to overcome drive train friction for self-starting. Variable pitch can generate high starting torque, high efficiency and reduced shaking but active pitch control systems add considerably to complexity and cost, while passive systems must have effective pitch control to achieve higher efficiency than fixed pitch systems. (author)

PRODUCTION OF CARBON PRODUCTS USING A COAL EXTRACTION PROCESS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dady Dadyburjor; Philip R. Biedler; Chong Chen; L. Mitchell Clendenin; Manoj Katakdaunde; Elliot B. Kennel; Nathan D. King; Liviu Magean; Peter G. Stansberry; Alfred H. Stiller; John W. Zondlo

2004-08-31

This Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory sponsored project developed carbon products, using mildly hydrogenated solvents to extract the organic portion of coal to create synthetic pitches, cokes, carbon foam and carbon fibers. The focus of this effort was on development of lower cost solvents, milder hydrogenation conditions and improved yield in order to enable practical production of these products. This technology is needed because of the long-term decline in production of domestic feedstocks such as petroleum pitch and coal tar pitch. Currently, carbon products represents a market of roughly 5 million tons domestically, and 19 million tons worldwide. Carbon products are mainly derived from feedstocks such as petroleum pitch and coal tar pitch. The domestic supply of petroleum pitch is declining because of the rising price of liquid fuels, which has caused US refineries to maximize liquid fuel production. As a consequence, the long term trend has a decline in production of petroleum pitch over the past 20 years. The production of coal tar pitch, as in the case of petroleum pitch, has likewise declined significantly over the past two decades. Coal tar pitch is a byproduct of metallurgical grade coke (metcoke) production. In this industry, modern metcoke facilities are recycling coal tar as fuel in order to enhance energy efficiency and minimize environmental emissions. Metcoke production itself is dependent upon the production requirements for domestic steel. Hence, several metcoke ovens have been decommissioned over the past two decades and have not been replaced. As a consequence sources of coal tar are being taken off line and are not being replaced. The long-term trend is a reduction in coal tar pitch production. Thus import of feedstocks, mainly from Eastern Europe and China, is on the rise despite the relatively large transportation cost. To reverse this trend, a new process for producing carbon products is needed. The process must be

Fault Detection and Isolation for Wind Turbine Electric Pitch System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhu, Jiangsheng; Ma, Kuichao; Hajizadeh, Amin

2017-01-01

This paper presents a model-based fault detection and isolation scheme applied on electric pitch system of wind turbines. Pitch system is one of the most critical components due to its effect on the operational safety and the dynamics of wind turbines. Faults in this system should be precisely...... detected to prevent failures and decrease downtime. To detect faults of electric pitch actuators and sensors, an extended kalman filter (EKF) based multiple model adaptive estimation (MMAE) designed to estimate the states of the system. The proposed method is demonstrated in case studies. The simulation...

Analysis of Pitch Gear Deterioration using Indicators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jannie Jessen; Sørensen, John Dalsgaard

2011-01-01

This work concerns a case study in the context of risk-based operation and maintenance of offshore wind turbines. For wind turbines with electrical pitch systems, deterioration can generally be observed at the pitch gear teeth; especially at the point where the blades are located during normal...... of the damage, and can be used for Bayesian updating of a damage model used for risk-based decision making. For this decision problem, the risk of failure should be compared to the cost of preventive maintenance. The hypothesis that the maximum pitch motor torque is an indicator of the damage size is supported...... changes in the temperature are the primary cause of the decrease. A model is established to remove the effect of the explained variation, and it is investigated if deterioration can be detected as changes in the peak torque. A small increase could be detected after the maintenance, but before...

Coordinated Pitch & Torque Control of Large-Scale Wind Turbine Based on Pareto Eciency Analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lin, Zhongwei; Chen, Zhenyu; Wu, Qiuwei

2018-01-01

For the existing pitch and torque control of the wind turbine generator system (WTGS), further development on coordinated control is necessary to improve effectiveness for practical applications. In this paper, the WTGS is modeled as a coupling combination of two subsystems: the generator torque...... control subsystem and blade pitch control subsystem. Then, the pole positions in each control subsystem are adjusted coordinately to evaluate the controller participation and used as the objective of optimization. A two-level parameters-controllers coordinated optimization scheme is proposed and applied...... to optimize the controller coordination based on the Pareto optimization theory. Three solutions are obtained through optimization, which includes the optimal torque solution, optimal power solution, and satisfactory solution. Detailed comparisons evaluate the performance of the three selected solutions...

A Computationally Efficient Method for Polyphonic Pitch Estimation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruohua Zhou

2009-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a computationally efficient method for polyphonic pitch estimation. The method employs the Fast Resonator Time-Frequency Image (RTFI as the basic time-frequency analysis tool. The approach is composed of two main stages. First, a preliminary pitch estimation is obtained by means of a simple peak-picking procedure in the pitch energy spectrum. Such spectrum is calculated from the original RTFI energy spectrum according to harmonic grouping principles. Then the incorrect estimations are removed according to spectral irregularity and knowledge of the harmonic structures of the music notes played on commonly used music instruments. The new approach is compared with a variety of other frame-based polyphonic pitch estimation methods, and results demonstrate the high performance and computational efficiency of the approach.

Production of metal fullerene surface layer from various media in the process of steel carbonization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

KUZEEV Iskander Rustemovich

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Studies devoted to production of metal fullerene layer in steels when introducing carbon from organic and inorganic media were performed. Barium carbonate was used as an inorganic medium and petroleum pitch was used as an organic medium. In order to generate the required amount of fullerenes in the process of steel samples carbonization, optimal temperature mode was found. The higher temperature, absorption and cohesive effects become less important and polymeric carbon structures destruction processes become more important. On the bottom the temperature is limited by petroleum pitch softening temperature and its transition to low-viscous state in order to enhance molecular mobility and improve the possibility of their diffusion to metal surface. Identification of fullerenes in the surface modified layer was carried out following the methods of IR-Fourier spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography. It was found out that nanocarbon structures, formed during carbonization in barium carbonate and petroleum pitch mediums, possess different morphology. In the process of metal carbonization from carbonates medium, the main role in fullerenes synthesis is belonged to catalytic effect of surface with generation of endohedral derivatives in the surface layer; but in the process of carbonization from pitch medium fullerenes are formed during crystallization of the latter and crystallization centers are of fullerene type. Based on theoretical data and dataof spectral and chromatographic analysis, optimal conditions of metal fullerene layer formation in barium carbonate and petroleum pitch mediums were determined. Low cohesion of layer, modified in barium carbonate medium, with metal basis was discovered. That was caused by limited carbon diffusion in the volume of α-Fe. According to the detected mechanism of fullerenes formation on steel surface in gaseous medium, fullerenes are formed on catalytic centers – ferrum atoms, forming thin metal

Effects of Music and Tonal Language Experience on Relative Pitch Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Ngo, Mary Kim; Vu, Kim-Phuong L; Strybel, Thomas Z

2016-01-01

We examined the interaction between music and tone language experience as related to relative pitch processing by having participants judge the direction and magnitude of pitch changes in a relative pitch task. Participants' performance on this relative pitch task was assessed using the Cochran-Weiss-Shanteau (CWS) index of expertise, based on a ratio of discrimination over consistency in participants' relative pitch judgments. Testing took place in 2 separate sessions on different days to assess the effects of practice on participants' performance. Participants also completed the Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia (MBEA), an existing measure comprising subtests aimed at evaluating relative pitch processing abilities. Musicians outperformed nonmusicians on both the relative pitch task, as measured by the CWS index, and the MBEA, but tonal language speakers outperformed non-tonal language speakers only on the MBEA. A closer look at the discrimination and consistency component scores of the CWS index revealed that musicians were better at discriminating different pitches and more consistent in their assessments of the direction and magnitude of relative pitch change.

Major League Baseball pitch velocity and pitch type associated with risk of ulnar collateral ligament injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Keller, Robert A; Marshall, Nathan E; Guest, John-Michael; Okoroha, Kelechi R; Jung, Edward K; Moutzouros, Vasilios

2016-04-01

The number of Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers requiring ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstructions is increasing. Recent literature has attempted to correlate specific stresses placed on the throwing arm to risk for UCL injury, with limited results. Eighty-three MLB pitchers who underwent primary UCL reconstruction were evaluated. Pitching velocity and percent of pitch type thrown (fastball, curve ball, slider, and change-up) were evaluated 2 years before and after surgery. Data were compared with control pitchers matched for age, position, size, innings pitched, and experience. The evaluation of pitch velocity compared with matched controls found no differences in pre-UCL reconstruction pitch velocities for fastballs (91.5 vs. 91.2 miles per hour [mph], P = .69), curveballs (78.2 vs. 77.9 mph, P = .92), sliders (83.3 vs. 83.5 mph, P = .88), or change-ups (83.9 vs. 83.8 mph, P = .96). When the percentage of pitches thrown was evaluated, UCL reconstructed pitchers pitch significantly more fastballs than controls (46.7% vs. 39.4%, P = .035). This correlated to a 2% increase in risk for UCL injury for every 1% increase in fastballs thrown. Pitching more than 48% fastballs was a significant predictor of UCL injury, because pitchers over this threshold required reconstruction (P = .006). MLB pitchers requiring UCL reconstruction do not pitch at higher velocities than matched controls, and pitch velocity does not appear to be a risk factor for UCL reconstruction. However, MLB pitchers who pitch a high percentage of fastballs may be at increased risk for UCL injury because pitching a higher percent of fastballs appears to be a risk factor for UCL reconstruction. Copyright © 2016 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Coal tar pitch. Interrelations between properties and utilization of coal tar pitch

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Collin, G; Koehler, H [Ruetgerswerke A.G., Duisburg (Germany, F.R.)

1977-06-01

Coal tar pitch is won as a highly aromatic, thermoplastic residue by destillating coal tar. In this paper the structure as well as the chemical and physical data of this pitch are introduced. In addition to this the actual as well as possible applications are indicated. For example, the pitch can be used for the production of binders, e.g. for electrodes and road construction as well as in combination with plastics for the production of insulating material and corrosion protection material.

Study on transient stability of wind turbine with induction generator based on variable pitch control strategy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhao, B.; Li, H.; Han, L.

2011-01-01

In order to enhance and improve the transient stability of a grid-connected wind turbine generator system under the power grid fault, based on typical pitch control strategy of wind turbine, considering the wind turbine system oscillation caused by the drive-train shaft flexibility, Based on Matl...

The Effects of Lexical Pitch Accent on Infant Word Recognition in Japanese

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mitsuhiko Ota

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Learners of lexical tone languages (e.g., Mandarin develop sensitivity to tonal contrasts and recognize pitch-matched, but not pitch-mismatched, familiar words by 11 months. Learners of non-tone languages (e.g., English also show a tendency to treat pitch patterns as lexically contrastive up to about 18 months. In this study, we examined if this early-developing capacity to lexically encode pitch variations enables infants to acquire a pitch accent system, in which pitch-based lexical contrasts are obscured by the interaction of lexical and non-lexical (i.e., intonational features. Eighteen 17-month-olds learning Tokyo Japanese were tested on their recognition of familiar words with the expected pitch or the lexically opposite pitch pattern. In early trials, infants were faster in shifting their eyegaze from the distractor object to the target object than in shifting from the target to distractor in the pitch-matched condition. In later trials, however, infants showed faster distractor-to-target than target-to-distractor shifts in both the pitch-matched and pitch-mismatched conditions. We interpret these results to mean that, in a pitch-accent system, the ability to use pitch variations to recognize words is still in a nascent state at 17 months.

Pitch and time, tonality and meter: how do musical dimensions combine?

Science.gov (United States)

Prince, Jon B; Thompson, William F; Schmuckler, Mark A

2009-10-01

The authors examined how the structural attributes of tonality and meter influence musical pitch-time relations. Listeners heard a musical context followed by probe events that varied in pitch class and temporal position. Tonal and metric hierarchies contributed additively to the goodness-of-fit of probes, with pitch class exerting a stronger influence than temporal position (Experiment 1), even when listeners attempted to ignore pitch (Experiment 2). Speeded classification tasks confirmed this asymmetry. Temporal classification was biased by tonal stability (Experiment 3), but pitch classification was unaffected by temporal position (Experiment 4). Experiments 5 and 6 ruled out explanations based on the presence of pitch classes and temporal positions in the context, unequal stimulus quantity, and discriminability. The authors discuss how typical Western music biases attention toward pitch and distinguish between dimensional discriminability and salience. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

Pitch catch ultrasonic study on unidirectional CFRP composite laminates using rayleigh wave transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Je Woong; Yang, In Young; Im, Kwang Hee; Hsu, David K.; Jung, Jong An

2012-01-01

The importance of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) has been generally recognized, and CFRP composite laminates have become widely used. Thus, a nondestructive technique would be very useful for evaluating CF/epoxy composite laminates. A pitch catch UT signal is more sensitive than is a normal incidence backwall echo of a longitudinal wave in composites. The depth of the sampling volume where the pitch catch UT signal came from is relatively shallow, but the depth can be increased by increasing the separation distance of the transmitting and receiving probes. Moreover, a method is utilized to determine the porosity content of a composite lay up by processing micrograph images of the laminate. The porosity content of a composite structure is critical to the overall strength and performance of the structure. The image processing method developed utilizes software to process micrograph images of the test sample. The results from the image processing method are compared with existing data. Beam profile is characterized in unidirectional CFRP using pitch catch Rayleigh probes. The one sided and two sided pitch catch techniques are utilized to produce C scan images with the aid of an automatic scanner. The pitch catch ultrasonic signal corresponds with the simulated results of unidirectional CFRP composites

Switching between pitch surfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rago, Vincenzo; Silva, João R; Brito, João

2018-01-01

Soccer training and completion is conventionally practiced on natural grass (NG) or artificial turf (AT). Recently, AT pitches for training / competition, and of unstable surfaces for injury prevention training has increased. Therefore, soccer players are frequently exposed to variations in pitch...... surface during either training or competition. These ground changes may impact physical and physiological responses, adaptations as well as the injury. The aim of this review was to summarize the acute physical and physiological responses, chronic adaptations, and injury risk associated with exercising...... on different pitch surfaces in soccer. Eligible studies were published in English, had pitch surface as an independent variable, and had physical, physiological or epidemiological information as outcome variables. Specific data extracted from the articles included the training response, training adaptations...

Series pid pitch controller of large wind turbines generator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Micić Aleksandar D.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available For this stable process with oscillatory dynamics, characterized with small damping ratio and dominant transport delay, design of the series PID pitch controller is based on the model obtained from the open-loop process step response, filtered with the second-order Butterworth filter Fbw. Performance of the series PID pitch controller, with the filter Fbw, is analyzed by simulations of the set-point and input/output disturbance responses, including simulations with a colored noise added to the control variable. Excellent performance/robustness tradeoff is obtained, compared to the recently proposed PI pitch controllers and to the modified internal model pitch controller, developed here, which has a natural mechanism to compensate effect of dominant transport delay. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III 47016

Microstructural characteristics of toluene and quinoline-insolubles from coal-tar pitch and their cokes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Panaitescu, C. [University POLITEHNICA Bucharest, Faculty of Industrial Chemistry, Fuel Laboratory, Polizu St. 1, Sector 1, 011061, Bucharest (Romania); Predeanu, G. [Metallurgical Research Institute, Department of Raw Materials, Mehadia St. 39, Sector 6, 060543 Bucharest (Romania)

2007-08-01

The structural composition of coal-tar pitch used in the preparation of the special binder-pitch, was determined with special emphasis on the optical properties of the {beta}-resins, as typical components necessary to obtain electrodes of best quality through the pyrogenetic processes of baking and graphitization. In addition to raw toluene- and quinoline-insolubles (TI, QI), the corresponding cokes were analysed to evaluate, by structural composition and microtexture, the behaviour of pitch fractions during carbonization. The results suggest the dependence of the texture development on the type of toluene- and quinoline-insolubles and {beta}-resins during processing conditions, which influence the mesophase formation. An original and important result of the carbopetrographical study is represented by the identification and evaluation of {beta}-resins in the coke texture. (author)

Musical Activity Tunes Up Absolute Pitch Ability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dohn, Anders; Garza-Villarreal, Eduardo A.; Ribe, Lars Riisgaard

2014-01-01

Absolute pitch (AP) is the ability to identify or produce pitches of musical tones without an external reference. Active AP (i.e., pitch production or pitch adjustment) and passive AP (i.e., pitch identification) are considered to not necessarily coincide, although no study has properly compared...

High-pitch metal-on-glass technology for pad pitch adaptation between detectors and readout electronics

CERN Document Server

Ullán, Miguel; Campabadal, Francesca; Fleta, Celeste; Garcia, Carmen; Gonzalez, Francisco; Bernabeu, Jose

2004-01-01

Modern high-energy physics and astrophysics strip detectors have increased channel density to levels at which their connection with readout electronics has become very complex due to high pad pitch. Also, direct wire bonding is prevented by the fact that typically detector's pad pitch and electronics' pad pitch do not match. A high- pitch metal-on-glass technology is presented, that allows pad pitch adaptation between detectors and readout electronics. It consists of high-density metal lines on top of an insulating glass substrate. A photoresist layer is deposited covering the metal tracks for passivation and protection The technology is tested for conductivity, bondability, bonding pull force, peel off, and radiation hardness, and it is an established technology in the clean room of the CNM Institute in Barcelona. This technology has been chosen by the ATLAS Collaboration for the pad pitch adapters (PPA) of the SCT Endcap Modules, by a Compton camera project, and by other HEP groups for interconnection betwe...

Congenital amusics use a secondary pitch mechanism to identify lexical tones.

Science.gov (United States)

Bones, Oliver; Wong, Patrick C M

2017-09-01

Amusia is a pitch perception disorder associated with deficits in processing and production of both musical and lexical tones, which previous reports have suggested may be constrained to fine-grained pitch judgements. In the present study speakers of tone-languages, in which lexical tones are used to convey meaning, identified words present in chimera stimuli containing conflicting pitch-cues in the temporal fine-structure and temporal envelope, and which therefore conveyed two distinct utterances. Amusics were found to be more likely than controls to judge the word according to the envelope pitch-cues. This demonstrates that amusia is not associated with fine-grained pitch judgements alone, and is consistent with there being two distinct pitch mechanisms and with amusics having an atypical reliance on a secondary mechanism based upon envelope cues. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The influence of music-elicited emotions and relative pitch on absolute pitch memory for familiar melodies.

Science.gov (United States)

Jakubowski, Kelly; Müllensiefen, Daniel

2013-01-01

Levitin's findings that nonmusicians could produce from memory the absolute pitches of self-selected pop songs have been widely cited in the music psychology literature. These findings suggest that latent absolute pitch (AP) memory may be a more widespread trait within the population than traditional AP labelling ability. However, it has been left unclear what factors may facilitate absolute pitch retention for familiar pieces of music. The aim of the present paper was to investigate factors that may contribute to latent AP memory using Levitin's sung production paradigm for AP memory and comparing results to the outcomes of a pitch labelling task, a relative pitch memory test, measures of music-induced emotions, and various measures of participants' musical backgrounds. Our results suggest that relative pitch memory and the quality and degree of music-elicited emotions impact on latent AP memory.

Disorders of pitch production in tone deafness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simone eDalla Bella

2011-07-01

Full Text Available Singing is as natural as speaking for the majority of people. Yet some individuals (i.e., 10-15% are inaccurate singers, typically performing or imitating pitches and melodies inaccurately. This condition, commonly referred to as tone deafness, has been observed both in the presence and absence of deficient pitch perception. In this article we review the existing literature concerning normal singing, poor-pitch singing, and, briefly, the sources of this condition. Considering that pitch plays a prominent role in the structure of both music and speech we also focus on the possibility that pitch production (or imitation is similarly impaired in poor-pitch singers. Preliminary evidence from our laboratory on poor-pitch singing suggests that pitch imitation may be selectively inaccurate in the music domain without being affected in speech. This finding points to separability of mechanisms subserving pitch production in music and language.

Calculation and characteristics analysis of blade pitch loads for large scale wind turbines

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2010-01-01

Based on the electric pitch system of large scale horizontal-axis wind turbines,the blade pitch loads coming mainly from centrifugal force,aerodynamic force and gravity are analyzed,and the calculation models for them are established in this paper.For illustration,a 1.2 MW wind turbine is introduced as a practical sample,and its blade pitch loads from centrifugal force,aerodynamic force and gravity are calculated and analyzed separately and synthetically.The research results showed that in the process of rotor rotating 360o,the fluctuation of blade pitch loads is similar to cosine curve when the rotor rotational speed,in-flow wind speed and pitch angle are constant.Furthermore,the amplitude of blade pitch load presents quite a difference at a different pitch angle.The ways of calculation for blade pitch loads are of the universality,and are helpful for further research of the individual pitch control system.

Low–Cost Bio-Based Carbon Fiber for High-Temperature Processing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naskar, Amit K. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Akato, Kokouvi M. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Tran, Chau D. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Paul, Ryan M. [GrafTech International Holdings, Inc., Brooklyn Heights, OH (United States); Dai, Xuliang [GrafTech International Holdings, Inc., Brooklyn Heights, OH (United States)

2017-02-01

GrafTech International Holdings Inc. (GTI), worked with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) under CRADA No. NFE-15-05807 to develop lignin-based carbon fiber (LBCF) technology and to demonstrate LBCF performance in high-temperature products and applications. This work was unique and different from other reported LBCF work in that this study was application-focused and scalability-focused. Accordingly, the executed work was based on meeting criteria based on technology development, cost, and application suitability. The focus of this work was to demonstrate lab-scale LBCF from at least 4 different precursor feedstock sources that could meet the estimated production cost of $5.00/pound and have ash level of less than 500 ppm in the carbonized insulation-grade fiber. Accordingly, a preliminary cost model was developed based on publicly available information. The team demonstrated that 4 lignin samples met the cost criteria, as highlighted in Table 1. In addition, the ash level for the 4 carbonized lignin samples were below 500 ppm. Processing asreceived lignin to produce a high purity lignin fiber was a significant accomplishment in that most industrial lignin, prior to purification, had greater than 4X the ash level needed for this project, and prior to this work there was not a clear path of how to achieve the purity target. The lab scale development of LBCF was performed with a specific functional application in mind, specifically for high temperature rigid insulation. GTI is currently a consumer of foreignsourced pitch and rayon based carbon fibers for use in its high temperature insulation products, and the motivation was that LBCF had potential to decrease costs and increase product competitiveness in the marketplace through lowered raw material costs, lowered energy costs, and decreased environmental footprint. At the end of this project, the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) remained at 5 for LBCF in high temperature insulation.

Pitch Sequence Complexity and Long-Term Pitcher Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joel R. Bock

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Winning one or two games during a Major League Baseball (MLB season is often the difference between a team advancing to post-season play, or “waiting until next year”. Technology advances have made it feasible to augment historical data with in-game contextual data to provide managers immediate insights regarding an opponent’s next move, thereby providing a competitive edge. We developed statistical models of pitcher behavior using pitch sequences thrown during three recent MLB seasons (2011–2013. The purpose of these models was to predict the next pitch type, for each pitcher, based on data available at the immediate moment, in each at-bat. Independent models were developed for each player’s most frequent four pitches. The overall predictability of next pitch type is 74:5%. Additional analyses on pitcher predictability within specific game situations are discussed. Finally, using linear regression analysis, we show that an index of pitch sequence predictability may be used to project player performance in terms of Earned Run Average (ERA and Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP over a longer term. On a restricted range of the independent variable, reducing complexity in selection of pitches is correlated with higher values of both FIP and ERA for the players represented in the sample. Both models were significant at the α = 0.05 level (ERA: p = 0.022; FIP: p = 0.0114. With further development, such models may reduce risk faced by management in evaluation of potential trades, or to scouts assessing unproven emerging talent. Pitchers themselves might benefit from awareness of their individual statistical tendencies, and adapt their behavior on the mound accordingly. To our knowledge, the predictive model relating pitch-wise complexity and long-term performance appears to be novel.

Synthesis and stability of Br2, ICl and IBr intercalated pitch-based graphite fibers

Science.gov (United States)

Wessbecher, Dorothy E.; Forsman, William C.; Gaier, James R.

1988-01-01

The intercalation of halogens in pitch-based fiber is studied as well as the stability of the resultant intercalation compounds. It is found that IBr intercalates P-100 to yield a high-sigma GIC with attractive stability properties. During ICl intercalation, the presence of O2 interferes with the reaction and necessitates a higher threshold pressure for intercalation.

Optimal Tuning of Multivariable Disturbance-Observer-Based Control for Flicker Mitigation Using Individual Pitch Control of Wind Turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Raja, Muhammad Imran; Hussain, Dil muhammed Akbar; Soltani, Mohsen

2017-01-01

Multivariable disturbance accommodated observer based control (DOBC) scheme is presented to mitigate loads generated due to wind shear and tower shadow using individual blade pitch for above-rated wind speed condition of wind turbine. Wind shear and tower shadow add flickers as 1p, 3p, 6p and so on......, (p is the rotor rotational frequency) for three-bladed wind turbine. Novel DOBC with individual pitch control (IPC) to mitigate the flickers is presented and linear state-space model of wind turbine with tower dynamics is developed. The proposed controller is tuned using optimal control theory...... density of generator speed, drive-train torsion and tower fore-aft moment shows better mitigation to the flickers by proposed controller as compared with proportional–integral (PI) and disturbance accommodation control (DAC) with collective pitch control. Furthermore, it shows less degradation...

TH-E-17A-02: High-Pitch and Sparse-View Helical 4D CT Via Iterative Image Reconstruction Method Based On Tensor Framelet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, M; Nam, H; Li, R; Xing, L; Gao, H

2014-01-01

Purpose: 4D CT is routinely performed during radiation therapy treatment planning of thoracic and abdominal cancers. Compared with the cine mode, the helical mode is advantageous in temporal resolution. However, a low pitch (∼0.1) for 4D CT imaging is often required instead of the standard pitch (∼1) for static imaging, since standard image reconstruction based on analytic method requires the low-pitch scanning in order to satisfy the data sufficient condition when reconstructing each temporal frame individually. In comparison, the flexible iterative method enables the reconstruction of all temporal frames simultaneously, so that the image similarity among frames can be utilized to possibly perform high-pitch and sparse-view helical 4D CT imaging. The purpose of this work is to investigate such an exciting possibility for faster imaging with lower dose. Methods: A key for highpitch and sparse-view helical 4D CT imaging is the simultaneous reconstruction of all temporal frames using the prior that temporal frames are continuous along the temporal direction. In this work, such a prior is regularized through the sparsity transform based on spatiotemporal tensor framelet (TF) as a multilevel and high-order extension of total variation transform. Moreover, GPU-based fast parallel computing of X-ray transform and its adjoint together with split Bregman method is utilized for solving the 4D image reconstruction problem efficiently and accurately. Results: The simulation studies based on 4D NCAT phantoms were performed with various pitches (i.e., 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, and 1) and sparse views (i.e., 400 views per rotation instead of standard >2000 views per rotation), using 3D iterative individual reconstruction method based on 3D TF and 4D iterative simultaneous reconstruction method based on 4D TF respectively. Conclusion: The proposed TF-based simultaneous 4D image reconstruction method enables high-pitch and sparse-view helical 4D CT with lower dose and faster speed

DEVELOPMENT OF CONTINUOUS SOLVENT EXTRACTION PROCESSES FOR COAL DERIVED CARBON PRODUCTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elliot B. Kennel; Philip L. Biedler; Chong Chen; Dady Dadyburjor; Liviu Magean; Peter G. Stansberry; Alfred H. Stiller; John W. Zondlo

2005-04-13

The purpose of this DOE-funded effort is to develop continuous processes for solvent extraction of coal for the production of carbon products. These carbon products include materials used in metals smelting, especially in the aluminum and steel industries, as well as porous carbon structural material referred to as ''carbon foam'' and carbon fibers. A process has been developed which results in high quality binder pitch suitable for use in graphite electrodes or carbon anodes. A detailed description of the protocol is given by Clendenin. Briefly, aromatic heavy oils are hydro-treated under mild conditions in order to increase their ability to dissolve coal. An example of an aromatic heavy oil is Koppers Carbon Black Base (CBB) oil. CBB oil has been found to be an effective solvent and acceptably low cost (i.e., significantly below the market price for binder pitch, or about $280 per ton at the time of this writing). It is also possible to use solvents derived from hydrotreated coal and avoid reliance on coke oven recovery products completely if so desired.

Attending to pitch information inhibits processing of pitch information: the curious case of amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Zendel, Benjamin Rich; Lagrois, Marie-Élaine; Robitaille, Nicolas; Peretz, Isabelle

2015-03-04

In normal listeners, the tonal rules of music guide musical expectancy. In a minority of individuals, known as amusics, the processing of tonality is disordered, which results in severe musical deficits. It has been shown that the tonal rules of music are neurally encoded, but not consciously available in amusics. Previous neurophysiological studies have not explicitly controlled the level of attention in tasks where participants ignored the tonal structure of the stimuli. Here, we test whether access to tonal knowledge can be demonstrated in congenital amusia when attention is controlled. Electric brain responses were recorded while asking participants to detect an individually adjusted near-threshold click in a melody. In half the melodies, a note was inserted that violated the tonal rules of music. In a second task, participants were presented with the same melodies but were required to detect the tonal deviation. Both tasks required sustained attention, thus conscious access to the rules of tonality was manipulated. In the click-detection task, the pitch deviants evoked an early right anterior negativity (ERAN) in both groups. In the pitch-detection task, the pitch deviants evoked an ERAN and P600 in controls but not in amusics. These results indicate that pitch regularities are represented in the cortex of amusics, but are not consciously available. Moreover, performing a pitch-judgment task eliminated the ERAN in amusics, suggesting that attending to pitch information interferes with perception of pitch. We propose that an impaired top-down frontotemporal projection is responsible for this disorder. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/353815-10$15.00/0.

Reliability Based Design of Fluid Power Pitch Systems for Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liniger, Jesper; N. Soltani, Mohsen; Pedersen, Henrik Clemmensen

2017-01-01

Priority Number. The Failure Mode and Effect Criticality Analysis is based on past research concerning failure analysis of wind turbine drive trains. Guidelines are given to select the severity, occurrence and detection score that make up the risk priority number. The usability of the method is shown...... in a case study of a fluid power pitch system applied to wind turbines. The results show a good agreement to recent field failure data for offshore turbines where the dominating failure modes are related to valves, accumulators and leakage. The results are further used for making design improvements...

Detection of pitch failures in wind turbines using environmental noise recognition techniques

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skrimpas, Georgios Alexandros; Marhadi, Kun S.; Gomez, Robert

2015-01-01

Modern wind turbines employ pitch regulated control strategies in order to optimise the yielded power production. Pitch systems can be subjected to various failure modes related to cylinders, bearings and loose mounting, leading to poor pitching and aerodynamic imbalance. Early stage pitch....... The proposed method is built upon the following three processes. Firstly, the impacts are identified using envelope analysis, followed by the extraction of 12 features, such as energy, crest factor and peak to peak amplitude and finally the classification of the events based on the above features. Eighty nine...

Pitch-Responsive Cortical Regions in Congenital Amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Norman-Haignere, Sam V; Albouy, Philippe; Caclin, Anne; McDermott, Josh H; Kanwisher, Nancy G; Tillmann, Barbara

2016-03-09

Congenital amusia is a lifelong deficit in music perception thought to reflect an underlying impairment in the perception and memory of pitch. The neural basis of amusic impairments is actively debated. Some prior studies have suggested that amusia stems from impaired connectivity between auditory and frontal cortex. However, it remains possible that impairments in pitch coding within auditory cortex also contribute to the disorder, in part because prior studies have not measured responses from the cortical regions most implicated in pitch perception in normal individuals. We addressed this question by measuring fMRI responses in 11 subjects with amusia and 11 age- and education-matched controls to a stimulus contrast that reliably identifies pitch-responsive regions in normal individuals: harmonic tones versus frequency-matched noise. Our findings demonstrate that amusic individuals with a substantial pitch perception deficit exhibit clusters of pitch-responsive voxels that are comparable in extent, selectivity, and anatomical location to those of control participants. We discuss possible explanations for why amusics might be impaired at perceiving pitch relations despite exhibiting normal fMRI responses to pitch in their auditory cortex: (1) individual neurons within the pitch-responsive region might exhibit abnormal tuning or temporal coding not detectable with fMRI, (2) anatomical tracts that link pitch-responsive regions to other brain areas (e.g., frontal cortex) might be altered, and (3) cortical regions outside of pitch-responsive cortex might be abnormal. The ability to identify pitch-responsive regions in individual amusic subjects will make it possible to ask more precise questions about their role in amusia in future work. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/362986-09$15.00/0.

VLSI implementation of an AMDF pitch detector

OpenAIRE

Smith, Tony; Gittel, Falko; Schwarzbacher, Andreas; Hilt, E.; Timoney, Joseph

2003-01-01

Pitch detectors are used in a variety of speech processing applications such as speech recognition systems where the pitch of the speaker is used as one parameter for identification purposes. Furthermore, pitch detectors are also sued with adaptive filters to achieve high quality adaptive noise cancellation of speech signals. In voice conversion systems, pitch detection is an essential step since the pitch of the modified signal is altered to model the target voice. This paper describes a ...

Development of carbon/carbon composite control rod for HTTR. 1. Preparation of elements and their fracture tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eto, Motokuni; Ishiyama, Shintaro; Ugachi, Hirokazu

1996-08-01

For the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor(HTTR) the control rod sleeve is made of Alloy 800H for which a particular process is imposed when the reactor needs to be scrammed. The less restricted operation of the reactor would be attained if there would be the control rod more resistant to high temperature and neutron irradiation. This report summarizes the results which have been obtained as of March 1996 in the course of the development of the C/C composite control rod. Materials used were pitch- or PAN-based fiber-reinforced 2-dimensional carbon composites, from which preforms of the elements of a control rod were fabricated. The preforms were carbonized at 1000degC after being impregnated with pitch. Then they were graphitized at 3000degC, followed by a purification treatment with halogen. The elements included the pellet holder, lace truck and pin. The pin was fabricated by the fiber laminating technique. A control rod is to consist of pellet holders which are connected by the lace trucks with pins. Various strength tests were carried out on these elements. An irradiation of the elements made of PAN-based material was performed in JRR-3 at 900±50degC to a neutron fluence of 1x10 25 n/m 2 (E>29fJ). As for the strength tests on the elements, there were some differences between PAN- and pitch-based composites: In general, elements made of PAN-based composite showed the more plastic behavior before they fractured, whereas those of pitch-based material behaved in the more brittle manner. Fracture tests of the irradiated elements showed that fracture load and fracture displacement enough for assuring the integrity of the control rod structure were maintained even after the irradiation. It was also found that if the applied load was parallel to the fiber felt plane both fracture load and strain increased, whereas the load increase and strain decrease were observed for the applied load against the plane. (J.P.N.)

Development of carbon/carbon composite control rod for HTTR. 1. Preparation of elements and their fracture tests

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eto, Motokuni; Ishiyama, Shintaro; Ugachi, Hirokazu [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

1996-08-01

For the High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor(HTTR) the control rod sleeve is made of Alloy 800H for which a particular process is imposed when the reactor needs to be scrammed. The less restricted operation of the reactor would be attained if there would be the control rod more resistant to high temperature and neutron irradiation. This report summarizes the results which have been obtained as of March 1996 in the course of the development of the C/C composite control rod. Materials used were pitch- or PAN-based fiber-reinforced 2-dimensional carbon composites, from which preforms of the elements of a control rod were fabricated. The preforms were carbonized at 1000degC after being impregnated with pitch. Then they were graphitized at 3000degC, followed by a purification treatment with halogen. The elements included the pellet holder, lace truck and pin. The pin was fabricated by the fiber laminating technique. A control rod is to consist of pellet holders which are connected by the lace trucks with pins. Various strength tests were carried out on these elements. An irradiation of the elements made of PAN-based material was performed in JRR-3 at 900{+-}50degC to a neutron fluence of 1x10{sup 25} n/m{sup 2} (E>29fJ). As for the strength tests on the elements, there were some differences between PAN- and pitch-based composites: In general, elements made of PAN-based composite showed the more plastic behavior before they fractured, whereas those of pitch-based material behaved in the more brittle manner. Fracture tests of the irradiated elements showed that fracture load and fracture displacement enough for assuring the integrity of the control rod structure were maintained even after the irradiation. It was also found that if the applied load was parallel to the fiber felt plane both fracture load and strain increased, whereas the load increase and strain decrease were observed for the applied load against the plane. (J.P.N.)

Measurement of pitch in speech : an implementation of Goldstein's theory of pitch perception

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Duifhuis, H.; Willems, L.F.; Sluyter, R.J.

1982-01-01

Recent developments in hearing theory have resulted in the rather general acceptance of the idea that the perception of pitch of complex sounds is the result of the psychological pattern recognition process. The pitch is supposedly mediated by the fundamental of the harmonic spectrum which fits the

Disorders of pitch production in tone deafness.

Science.gov (United States)

Bella, Simone Dalla; Berkowska, Magdalena; Sowiński, Jakub

2011-01-01

Singing is as natural as speaking for the majority of people. Yet some individuals (i.e., 10-15%) are poor singers, typically performing or imitating pitches and melodies inaccurately. This condition, commonly referred to as "tone deafness," has been observed both in the presence and absence of deficient pitch perception. In this article we review the existing literature concerning normal singing, poor-pitch singing, and, briefly, the sources of this condition. Considering that pitch plays a prominent role in the structure of both music and speech we also focus on the possibility that speech production (or imitation) is similarly impaired in poor-pitch singers. Preliminary evidence from our laboratory suggests that pitch imitation may be selectively inaccurate in the music domain without being affected in speech. This finding points to separability of mechanisms subserving pitch production in music and language.

Pitch memory and exposure effects.

OpenAIRE

Ben-Haim, Moshe Shay; Eitan, Zohar; Chajut, Eran

2014-01-01

Recent studies indicate that the ability to represent absolute pitch values in long-term memory (LTM), long believed to be the possession of a small minority of trained musicians endowed with "absolute pitch" (AP), is in fact shared to some extent by a considerable proportion of the population. The current study examined whether this newly-discovered ability affects aspects of music and auditory cognition, particularly pitch learning and evaluation. Our starting points are two well establishe...

Disorders of Pitch Production in Tone Deafness

Science.gov (United States)

Bella, Simone Dalla; Berkowska, Magdalena; Sowiński, Jakub

2011-01-01

Singing is as natural as speaking for the majority of people. Yet some individuals (i.e., 10–15%) are poor singers, typically performing or imitating pitches and melodies inaccurately. This condition, commonly referred to as “tone deafness,” has been observed both in the presence and absence of deficient pitch perception. In this article we review the existing literature concerning normal singing, poor-pitch singing, and, briefly, the sources of this condition. Considering that pitch plays a prominent role in the structure of both music and speech we also focus on the possibility that speech production (or imitation) is similarly impaired in poor-pitch singers. Preliminary evidence from our laboratory suggests that pitch imitation may be selectively inaccurate in the music domain without being affected in speech. This finding points to separability of mechanisms subserving pitch production in music and language. PMID:21811479

Discovery of carbon nanotubes. Sara ni carbon nanotube e

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iijima, S

1994-01-20

This paper describes the following matters on carbon nanotubes (CNt): CNt is discovered in carbon deposits generated in the tip of a negative electrode during DC arc discharge between carbon electrodes. CNt has a construction in which cylinders made of normally several layers are superposed, based on cylindrical crystals in a single layer with six-member rings of carbon atoms laid out. Spiral arrangement of carbon six-member rings has been discovered in the single-layered crystals. Five-member rings exist in a location where the CNt tip is closed, and seven-member rings in a location where the CNt presents a saddle-like curve, without exceptions. It is introduced theoretically that the electronic structure of the single-layered CNt depends on the cylinder diameter and spiral pitch. Replacing part of the carbon negative electrode with iron, and vaporizing iron and carbon simultaneously through arc discharge can result in a single-layered CNt with a diameter of 1 nm. Heating the CNt deposited with metallic lead in an oxygen atmosphere can form CNt containing lead compounds. 19 refs., 9 figs.

Electrically tuned photoluminescence in large pitch cholesteric liquid crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Middha, Manju; Kumar, Rishi; Raina, K. K.

2014-01-01

Cholesteric liquid crystals are known as 1-D photonic band gap materials due to their periodic helical supramolecular structure and larger birefringence. Depending upon the helical twisted pitch length, they give the characteristic contrast due to selective Bragg reflections when viewed through the polarizing optical microscope and hence affect the electro-optic properties. So the optimization of chiral dopant concentration in nematic liquid crystal leads to control the transmission of polarized light through the microscope. Hence transmission based polarizing optical microscope is used for the characterization of helical pitch length in the optical texture. The unwinding of helical pitch was observed with the application of electric field which affects the intensity of photoluminescence

Norwegian Pitched Roof Defects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lars Gullbrekken

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The building constructions investigated in this work are pitched wooden roofs with exterior vertical drainpipes and wooden load-bearing system. The aim of this research is to further investigate the building defects of pitched wooden roofs and obtain an overview of typical roof defects. The work involves an analysis of the building defect archive from the research institute SINTEF Building and Infrastructure. The findings from the SINTEF archive show that moisture is a dominant exposure factor, especially in roof constructions. In pitched wooden roofs, more than half of the defects are caused by deficiencies in design, materials, or workmanship, where these deficiencies allow moisture from precipitation or indoor moisture into the structure. Hence, it is important to increase the focus on robust and durable solutions to avoid defects both from exterior and interior moisture sources in pitched wooden roofs. Proper design of interior ventilation and vapour retarders seem to be the main ways to control entry from interior moisture sources into attic and roof spaces.

Ideomotor effects of pitch on continuation tapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Ammirante, Paolo; Thompson, William F; Russo, Frank A

2011-02-01

The ideomotor principle predicts that perception will modulate action where overlap exists between perceptual and motor representations of action. This effect is demonstrated with auditory stimuli. Previous perceptual evidence suggests that pitch contour and pitch distance in tone sequences may elicit tonal motion effects consistent with listeners' implicit awareness of the lawful dynamics of locomotive bodies. To examine modulating effects of perception on action, participants in a continuation tapping task produced a steady tempo. Auditory tones were triggered by each tap. Pitch contour randomly and persistently varied within trials. Pitch distance between successive tones varied between trials. Although participants were instructed to ignore them, tones systematically affected finger dynamics and timing. Where pitch contour implied positive acceleration, the following tap and the intertap interval (ITI) that it completed were faster. Where pitch contour implied negative acceleration, the following tap and the ITI that it completed were slower. Tempo was faster with greater pitch distance. Musical training did not predict the magnitude of these effects. There were no generalized effects on timing variability. Pitch contour findings demonstrate how tonal motion may elicit the spontaneous production of accents found in expressive music performance.

Modelling of structure and properties of soft carbons with application to carbon anode baking

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gundersen, Oeyvind

1998-11-01

This work deals with topics related to modelling and control of ring furnaces for the baking of carbon anodes used in aluminium electrolysis. Anodes made of a granular coke and coal tar pitch are used in aluminium electrolysis. The anode properties are imperative for successful operation of the aluminium smelters. After mixing and forming the anode paste, heat treatment of the carbon blocks takes place in so-called ring furnaces. A ring furnace consists of a series of heat treatment sections where each section is loaded with a batch of anodes. The heat treatment of the anodes in a section consumes a lot of energy, and the anode properties partly depend on the heat treatment program. Previous work in the field of ring furnace modelling, operation and control is shortly reviewed. Both petroleum coke and coal tar pitch belong to the group of soft carbons. Models for structural parameters and porosity of soft carbons are developed. Furthermore, a new model for pyrolysis of coal tar pitch is proposed. Based on the models for pyrolysis, structure and porosity, new models for properties of single phase carbons and composite anodes are developed. These models are suitable for use in optimization of the baking process. A detailed mathematical model of a part of the heat treatment process is formulated in three spatial dimensions. The model is based on first principle descriptions of fundamental physical and chemical phenomena and the resulting model appears as a set of partial differential equations. The spatial differential operators are discretized by using the finite volume approach. In this way, a high dimensional nonlinear state space model is obtained. The model has been simulated using the method of lines. A vector of quantities which describes the anode properties is defined. This property vector constitutes a systematic definition of anode quality where the quality parameters are calculated as nonlinear transformations of the state space vector. Models are derived

Modelling of structure and properties of soft carbons with application to carbon anode baking

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gundersen, Oeyvind

1998-11-01

This work deals with topics related to modelling and control of ring furnaces for the baking of carbon anodes used in aluminium electrolysis. Anodes made of a granular coke and coal tar pitch are used in aluminium electrolysis. The anode properties are imperative for successful operation of the aluminium smelters. After mixing and forming the anode paste, heat treatment of the carbon blocks takes place in so-called ring furnaces. A ring furnace consists of a series of heat treatment sections where each section is loaded with a batch of anodes. The heat treatment of the anodes in a section consumes a lot of energy, and the anode properties partly depend on the heat treatment program. Previous work in the field of ring furnace modelling, operation and control is shortly reviewed. Both petroleum coke and coal tar pitch belong to the group of soft carbons. Models for structural parameters and porosity of soft carbons are developed. Furthermore, a new model for pyrolysis of coal tar pitch is proposed. Based on the models for pyrolysis, structure and porosity, new models for properties of single phase carbons and composite anodes are developed. These models are suitable for use in optimization of the baking process. A detailed mathematical model of a part of the heat treatment process is formulated in three spatial dimensions. The model is based on first principle descriptions of fundamental physical and chemical phenomena and the resulting model appears as a set of partial differential equations. The spatial differential operators are discretized by using the finite volume approach. In this way, a high dimensional nonlinear state space model is obtained. The model has been simulated using the method of lines. A vector of quantities which describes the anode properties is defined. This property vector constitutes a systematic definition of anode quality where the quality parameters are calculated as nonlinear transformations of the state space vector. Models are derived

Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Pitch Memory

Science.gov (United States)

Trehub, Sandra E.; Schellenberg, E. Glenn; Nakata, Takayuki

2008-01-01

We examined effects of age and culture on children's memory for the pitch level of familiar music. Canadian 9- and 10-year-olds distinguished the original pitch level of familiar television theme songs from foils that were pitch-shifted by one semitone, whereas 5- to 8-year-olds failed to do so (Experiment 1). In contrast, Japanese 5- and…

A Novel Degradation Identification Method for Wind Turbine Pitch System

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Hui-Dong

2018-04-01

It’s difficult for traditional threshold value method to identify degradation of operating equipment accurately. An novel degradation evaluation method suitable for wind turbine condition maintenance strategy implementation was proposed in this paper. Based on the analysis of typical variable-speed pitch-to-feather control principle and monitoring parameters for pitch system, a multi input multi output (MIMO) regression model was applied to pitch system, where wind speed, power generation regarding as input parameters, wheel rotation speed, pitch angle and motor driving currency for three blades as output parameters. Then, the difference between the on-line measurement and the calculated value from the MIMO regression model applying least square support vector machines (LSSVM) method was defined as the Observed Vector of the system. The Gaussian mixture model (GMM) was applied to fitting the distribution of the multi dimension Observed Vectors. Applying the model established, the Degradation Index was calculated using the SCADA data of a wind turbine damaged its pitch bearing retainer and rolling body, which illustrated the feasibility of the provided method.

Adaptive sliding mode back-stepping pitch angle control of a variable-displacement pump controlled pitch system for wind turbines.

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Xiu-xing; Lin, Yong-gang; Li, Wei; Liu, Hong-wei; Gu, Ya-jing

2015-09-01

A variable-displacement pump controlled pitch system is proposed to mitigate generator power and flap-wise load fluctuations for wind turbines. The pitch system mainly consists of a variable-displacement hydraulic pump, a fixed-displacement hydraulic motor and a gear set. The hydraulic motor can be accurately regulated by controlling the pump displacement and fluid flows to change the pitch angle through the gear set. The detailed mathematical representation and dynamic characteristics of the proposed pitch system are thoroughly analyzed. An adaptive sliding mode pump displacement controller and a back-stepping stroke piston controller are designed for the proposed pitch system such that the resulting pitch angle tracks its desired value regardless of external disturbances and uncertainties. The effectiveness and control efficiency of the proposed pitch system and controllers have been verified by using realistic dataset of a 750 kW research wind turbine. Copyright © 2015 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

64nm pitch metal1 double patterning metrology: CD and OVL control by SEMCD, image based overlay and diffraction based overlay

Science.gov (United States)

Ducoté, Julien; Dettoni, Florent; Bouyssou, Régis; Le-Gratiet, Bertrand; Carau, Damien; Dezauzier, Christophe

2015-03-01

Patterning process control of advanced nodes has required major changes over the last few years. Process control needs of critical patterning levels since 28nm technology node is extremely aggressive showing that metrology accuracy/sensitivity must be finely tuned. The introduction of pitch splitting (Litho-Etch-Litho-Etch) at 14FDSOInm node requires the development of specific metrologies to adopt advanced process control (for CD, overlay and focus corrections). The pitch splitting process leads to final line CD uniformities that are a combination of the CD uniformities of the two exposures, while the space CD uniformities are depending on both CD and OVL variability. In this paper, investigations of CD and OVL process control of 64nm minimum pitch at Metal1 level of 14FDSOI technology, within the double patterning process flow (Litho, hard mask etch, line etch) are presented. Various measurements with SEMCD tools (Hitachi), and overlay tools (KT for Image Based Overlay - IBO, and ASML for Diffraction Based Overlay - DBO) are compared. Metrology targets are embedded within a block instanced several times within the field to perform intra-field process variations characterizations. Specific SEMCD targets were designed for independent measurement of both line CD (A and B) and space CD (A to B and B to A) for each exposure within a single measurement during the DP flow. Based on those measurements correlation between overlay determined with SEMCD and with standard overlay tools can be evaluated. Such correlation at different steps through the DP flow is investigated regarding the metrology type. Process correction models are evaluated with respect to the measurement type and the intra-field sampling.

Binaural fusion and the representation of virtual pitch in the human auditory cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Pantev, C; Elbert, T; Ross, B; Eulitz, C; Terhardt, E

1996-10-01

The auditory system derives the pitch of complex tones from the tone's harmonics. Research in psychoacoustics predicted that binaural fusion was an important feature of pitch processing. Based on neuromagnetic human data, the first neurophysiological confirmation of binaural fusion in hearing is presented. The centre of activation within the cortical tonotopic map corresponds to the location of the perceived pitch and not to the locations that are activated when the single frequency constituents are presented. This is also true when the different harmonics of a complex tone are presented dichotically. We conclude that the pitch processor includes binaural fusion to determine the particular pitch location which is activated in the auditory cortex.

How Well Does Carbon Handle Stress? - A Brief Overview of Carbons in Structural Applications

Science.gov (United States)

2004-06-09

strong-- PAN fibers… or weak-- aerogel be stiff—pitch carbon fibers...or flexible--Grafoil 4 A2705V2004. Approved for public release; distribution...distribution unlimited Carbon Fiber Reinforcement Aeronautics • Carbon-epoxy and carbon-phenolic are used in military aircraft . 39 A2705V2004. Approved...performance aircraft Gossamer Albatross Gossamer Penguin Voyager 40 A2705V2004. Approved for public release; distribution unlimited Carbon Fiber

Low-Cost Bio-Based Carbon Fibers for High Temperature Processing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paul, Ryan Michael [GrafTech International, Brooklyn Heights, OH (United States); Naskar, Amit [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2017-08-03

lignin, prior to purification, had greater than 4X the ash level needed for this project, and prior to this work there was not a clear path of how to achieve the purity target. The lab scale development of LBCF was performed with a specific functional application in mind, specifically for high temperature rigid insulation. GTI is a consumer of foreign-sourced pitch and rayon based carbon fibers for use in its high temperature insulation products, and the motivation was that LBCF had potential to decrease costs and increase product competitiveness in the marketplace through lowered raw material costs, lowered energy costs, and decreased environmental footprint. At the end of this project, the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) remained at 5 for LBCF in high temperature insulation.

Pitch Motion Stabilization by Propeller Speed Control Using Statistical Controller Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nakatani, Toshihiko; Blanke, Mogens; Galeazzi, Roberto

2006-01-01

This paper describes dynamics analysis of a small training boat and a possibility of ship pitch stabilization by control of propeller speed. After upgrading the navigational system of an actual small training boat, in order to identify the model of the ship, the real data collected by sea trials...... were used for statistical analysis and system identification. This analysis shows that the pitching motion is indeed influenced by engine speed and it is suggested that there exists a possibility of reducing the pitching motion by properly controlling the engine throttle. Based on this observation...

Evidence for shared cognitive processing of pitch in music and language.

Science.gov (United States)

Perrachione, Tyler K; Fedorenko, Evelina G; Vinke, Louis; Gibson, Edward; Dilley, Laura C

2013-01-01

Language and music epitomize the complex representational and computational capacities of the human mind. Strikingly similar in their structural and expressive features, a longstanding question is whether the perceptual and cognitive mechanisms underlying these abilities are shared or distinct--either from each other or from other mental processes. One prominent feature shared between language and music is signal encoding using pitch, conveying pragmatics and semantics in language and melody in music. We investigated how pitch processing is shared between language and music by measuring consistency in individual differences in pitch perception across language, music, and three control conditions intended to assess basic sensory and domain-general cognitive processes. Individuals' pitch perception abilities in language and music were most strongly related, even after accounting for performance in all control conditions. These results provide behavioral evidence, based on patterns of individual differences, that is consistent with the hypothesis that cognitive mechanisms for pitch processing may be shared between language and music.

The musical environment and auditory plasticity: Hearing the pitch of percussion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neil M Mclachlan

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Although musical skills clearly improve with training, pitch processing has generally been believed to be biologically determined by the behavior of brain stem neural mechanisms. Two main classes of pitch models have emerged over the last 50 years. Harmonic template models have been used to explain cross-channel integration of frequency information, and waveform periodicity models have been used to explain pitch discrimination that is much finer than the resolution of the auditory nerve. It has been proposed that harmonic templates are learnt from repeated exposure to voice, and so it may also be possible to learn inharmonic templates from repeated exposure to inharmonic music instruments. This study investigated whether pitch-matching accuracy for inharmonic percussion instruments was better in people who have trained on these instruments and could reliably recognize their timbre. We found that adults who had trained with Indonesian gamelan instruments were better at recognizing and pitch-matching gamelan instruments than people with similar levels of music training, but no prior exposure to these instruments. These findings suggest that gamelan musicians were able to use inharmonic templates to support accurate pitch processing for these instruments. We suggest that recognition mechanisms based on spectrotemporal patterns of afferent auditory excitation in the early stages of pitch processing allow rapid priming of the lowest frequency partial of inharmonic timbres, explaining how music training can adapt pitch processing to different musical genres and instruments.

Politeness, emotion, and gender: A sociophonetic study of voice pitch modulation

Science.gov (United States)

Yuasa, Ikuko

The present dissertation is a cross-gender and cross-cultural sociophonetic exploration of voice pitch characteristics utilizing speech data derived from Japanese and American speakers in natural conversations. The roles of voice pitch modulation in terms of the concepts of politeness and emotion as they pertain to culture and gender will be investigated herein. The research interprets the significance of my findings based on the acoustic measurements of speech data as they are presented in the ERB-rate scale (the most appropriate scale for human speech perception). The investigation reveals that pitch range modulation displayed by Japanese informants in two types of conversations is closely linked to types of politeness adopted by those informants. The degree of the informants' emotional involvement and expressions reflected in differing pitch range widths plays an important role in determining the relationship between pitch range modulation and politeness. The study further correlates the Japanese cultural concept of enryo ("self-restraint") with this phenomenon. When median values were examined, male and female pitch ranges across cultures did not conspicuously differ. However, sporadically occurring women's pitch characteristics which culturally differ in width and height of pitch ranges may create an 'emotional' perception of women's speech style. The salience of these pitch characteristics appears to be the source of the stereotypically linked sound of women's speech being identified as 'swoopy' or 'shrill' and thus 'emotional'. Such women's salient voice characteristics are interpreted in light of camaraderie/positive politeness. Women's use of conspicuous paralinguistic features helps to create an atmosphere of camaraderie. These voice pitch characteristics promote the establishment of a sense of camaraderie since they act to emphasize such feelings as concern, support, and comfort towards addressees, Moreover, men's wide pitch ranges are discussed in view

COAL DERIVED MATRIX PITCHES FOR CARBON-CARBON COMPOSITE MANUFACTURE/PRODUCTION OF FIBERS AND COMPOSITES FROM COAL-BASED PRECURSORS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peter G. Stansberry; John W. Zondlo

2001-07-01

The Consortium for premium Carbon Products from Coal, with funding from the US Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory continue with the development of innovative technologies that will allow coal or coal-derived feedstocks to be used in the production of value-added carbon materials. In addition to supporting eleven independent projects during budget period 3, three meetings were held at two separate locations for the membership. The first was held at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort on May 15-16, 2000. This was followed by two meetings at Penn State, a tutorial on August 11, 2000 and a technical progress meeting on October 26-27.

[Factors influencing the pitch and loudness of tinnitus].

Science.gov (United States)

Ueda, S; Asoh, S; Watanabe, Y

1992-11-01

Pitch match and loudness balance tests were given to 397 cases with tinnitus. The factors which influenced tinnitus pitch and loudness were analyzed statistically from the clinical point of view. The results obtained were as follows: 1) Onomatopoeia of tinnitus, either [Keeeen] or [Jeeeen], were observed in a majority of cases. 2) Significantly sharp sounding onomatopoeia such as [Keeeen] or [Meeeen] had high pitches, over 4kHz, and dull sounds like [Gooooh] or [Buuuun] had low pitches, below 500Hz. 3) Acute stage tinnitus, within one month of onset, had a significantly depressed pitch and walked loudness, above 6dB. 4) The pitches observed in cases with Meniere's disease and chronic otitis media were distributed evenly from low frequencies to high. In other cases, especially presbyacusis and noise deafness, high pitch tinnitus (above 4kHz) was frequently noted. The loudness of tinnitus without hearing loss was significantly greater than in other diseases. 5) As a rule the more deteriorated the hearing level was, the lower the frequency of the pitch, and the smaller the loudness in tinnitus. 6) A high pitch of tinnitus nearly corresponded with hearing type, that is, the pitch of tinnitus was also in accordance with the disturbed frequency in the hearing threshold.

Effect of the polymerization with formaldehyde on the thermal reactivity of a low-temperature coal tar pitch

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jose L. Crespo; Ana Arenillas; Jose A. Vin; Roberto Garcia; Colin E. Snape; Sabino R. Moinelo [Instituto Nacional del Carbon (CSIC), Oviedo (Spain)

2005-04-01

The influence of polymerization with formaldehyde on the thermal reactivity of a low-temperature coal tar pitch has been investigated. The mechanism and extent of the polymerization depends on the catalyst used, the greatest extent of polymerization being achieved under basic catalytic conditions. After the polymerization treatment, samples were carbonized at 420{sup o}C and the products were characterized by optical microscopy. According to the results, polymerization with formaldehyde increases the reactivity of the pitch, giving rise to increased carbonization yields and leading to the formation of the mesophase with milder conditions. The polymerization process also affects the morphology of the resultant anisotropic material, giving rise to the formation of irregularly shaped mesophase particles and reducing the optical texture size of the anisotropic domains, giving mosaic texture, especially when basic catalysis is used. 36 refs., 11 figs., 5 tabs.

Investigation of habitual pitch during free play activities for preschool-aged children.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yang; Kimelman, Mikael D Z; Micco, Katie

2009-01-01

This study is designed to compare the habitual pitch measured in two different speech activities (free play activity and traditionally used structured speech activity) for normally developing preschool-aged children to explore to what extent preschoolers vary their vocal pitch among different speech environments. Habitual pitch measurements were conducted for 10 normally developing children (2 boys, 8 girls) between the ages of 31 months and 71 months during two different activities: (1) free play; and (2) structured speech. Speech samples were recorded using a throat microphone connected with a wireless transmitter in both activities. The habitual pitch (in Hz) was measured for all collected speech samples by using voice analysis software (Real-Time Pitch). Significantly higher habitual pitch is found during free play in contrast to structured speech activities. In addition, there is no showing of significant difference of habitual pitch elicited across a variety of structured speech activities. Findings suggest that the vocal usage of preschoolers appears to be more effortful during free play than during structured activities. It is recommended that a comprehensive evaluation for young children's voice needs to be based on the speech/voice samples collected from both free play and structured activities.

Long-term pitch memory for music recordings is related to auditory working memory precision.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Hedger, Stephen C; Heald, Shannon Lm; Nusbaum, Howard C

2018-04-01

Most individuals have reliable long-term memories for the pitch of familiar music recordings. This pitch memory (1) appears to be normally distributed in the population, (2) does not depend on explicit musical training and (3) only seems to be weakly related to differences in listening frequency estimates. The present experiment was designed to assess whether individual differences in auditory working memory could explain variance in long-term pitch memory for music recordings. In Experiment 1, participants first completed a musical note adjustment task that has been previously used to assess working memory of musical pitch. Afterward, participants were asked to judge the pitch of well-known music recordings, which either had or had not been shifted in pitch. We found that performance on the pitch working memory task was significantly related to performance in the pitch memory task using well-known recordings, even when controlling for overall musical experience and familiarity with each recording. In Experiment 2, we replicated these findings in a separate group of participants while additionally controlling for fluid intelligence and non-pitch-based components of auditory working memory. In Experiment 3, we demonstrated that participants could not accurately judge the pitch of unfamiliar recordings, suggesting that our method of pitch shifting did not result in unwanted acoustic cues that could have aided participants in Experiments 1 and 2. These results, taken together, suggest that the ability to maintain pitch information in working memory might lead to more accurate long-term pitch memory.

Singing with yourself: evidence for an inverse modeling account of poor-pitch singing.

Science.gov (United States)

Pfordresher, Peter Q; Mantell, James T

2014-05-01

Singing is a ubiquitous and culturally significant activity that humans engage in from an early age. Nevertheless, some individuals - termed poor-pitch singers - are unable to match target pitches within a musical semitone while singing. In the experiments reported here, we tested whether poor-pitch singing deficits would be reduced when individuals imitate recordings of themselves as opposed to recordings of other individuals. This prediction was based on the hypothesis that poor-pitch singers have not developed an abstract "inverse model" of the auditory-vocal system and instead must rely on sensorimotor associations that they have experienced directly, which is true for sequences an individual has already produced. In three experiments, participants, both accurate and poor-pitch singers, were better able to imitate sung recordings of themselves than sung recordings of other singers. However, this self-advantage was enhanced for poor-pitch singers. These effects were not a byproduct of self-recognition (Experiment 1), vocal timbre (Experiment 2), or the absolute pitch of target recordings (i.e., the advantage remains when recordings are transposed, Experiment 3). Results support the conceptualization of poor-pitch singing as an imitative deficit resulting from a deficient inverse model of the auditory-vocal system with respect to pitch. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Structural Load Analysis of a Wind Turbine under Pitch Actuator and Controller Faults

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Etemaddar, Mahmoud; Gao, Zhen; Moan, Torgeir

2014-01-01

In this paper, we investigate the characteristics of a wind turbine under blade pitch angle and shaft speed sensor faults as well as pitch actuator faults. A land-based NREL 5MW variable speed pitch reg- ulated wind turbine is considered as a reference. The conventional collective blade pitch angle controller strategy with independent pitch actuators control is used for load reduction. The wind turbine class is IEC-BII. The main purpose is to investigate the severity of end effects on structural loads and responses and consequently identify the high-risk components according to the type and amplitude of fault using a servo-aero-elastic simulation code, HAWC2. Both transient and steady state effects of faults are studied. Such information is useful for wind turbine fault detection and identification as well as system reliability analysis. Results show the effects of faults on wind turbine power output and responses. Pitch sensor faults mainly affects the vibration of shaft main bearing, while generator power and aerodynamic thrust are not changed significantly, due to independent pitch actuator control of three blades. Shaft speed sensor faults can seriously affect the generator power and aerodynamic thrust. Pitch actuator faults can result in fully pitching of the blade, and consequently rotor stops due to negative aerodynamic torque

A Model Based Control methodology combining Blade Pitch and Adaptive Trailing Edge Flaps in a common framework

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Henriksen, Lars Christian; Bergami, Leonardo; Andersen, Peter Bjørn

2013-01-01

This work investigates how adaptive trailing edge flaps and classical blade pitch can work in concert using a model-based state space control formulation. The trade-off between load reduction and actuator activity is decided by setting different weights in the objective function used by the model...

A Model Based Control methodology combining Blade Pitch and Adaptive Trailing Edge Flaps in a common framework

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

This work investigates how adaptive trailing edge flaps and classical blade pitch can work in concert using a model-based state space control formulation. The trade-off between load reduction and actuator activity is decided by setting different weights in the objective function used by the model...

Decoding the dynamic representation of musical pitch from human brain activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Sankaran, N; Thompson, W F; Carlile, S; Carlson, T A

2018-01-16

In music, the perception of pitch is governed largely by its tonal function given the preceding harmonic structure of the music. While behavioral research has advanced our understanding of the perceptual representation of musical pitch, relatively little is known about its representational structure in the brain. Using Magnetoencephalography (MEG), we recorded evoked neural responses to different tones presented within a tonal context. Multivariate Pattern Analysis (MVPA) was applied to "decode" the stimulus that listeners heard based on the underlying neural activity. We then characterized the structure of the brain's representation using decoding accuracy as a proxy for representational distance, and compared this structure to several well established perceptual and acoustic models. The observed neural representation was best accounted for by a model based on the Standard Tonal Hierarchy, whereby differences in the neural encoding of musical pitches correspond to their differences in perceived stability. By confirming that perceptual differences honor those in the underlying neuronal population coding, our results provide a crucial link in understanding the cognitive foundations of musical pitch across psychological and neural domains.

Memory for vocal tempo and pitch.

Science.gov (United States)

Boltz, Marilyn G

2017-11-01

Two experiments examined the ability to remember the vocal tempo and pitch of different individuals, and the way this information is encoded into the cognitive system. In both studies, participants engaged in an initial familiarisation phase while attending was systematically directed towards different aspects of speakers' voices. Afterwards, they received a tempo or pitch recognition task. Experiment 1 showed that tempo and pitch are both incidentally encoded into memory at levels comparable to intentional learning, and no performance deficit occurs with divided attending. Experiment 2 examined the ability to recognise pitch or tempo when the two dimensions co-varied and found that the presence of one influenced the other: performance was best when both dimensions were positively correlated with one another. As a set, these findings indicate that pitch and tempo are automatically processed in a holistic, integral fashion [Garner, W. R. (1974). The processing of information and structure. Potomac, MD: Erlbaum.] which has a number of cognitive implications.

Individual Pitch Control Using LIDAR Measurements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mirzaei, Mahmood; Henriksen, Lars Christian; Poulsen, Niels Kjølstad

2012-01-01

In this work the problem of individual pitch control of a variable-speed variable-pitch wind turbine in the full load region is considered. Model predictive control (MPC) is used to solve the problem. However as the plant is nonlinear and time varying, a new approach is proposed to simplify......-of-plane blade root bending moments and a better transient response compared to a benchmark PI individual pitch controller....

Pitch memory, labelling and disembedding in autism.

Science.gov (United States)

Heaton, Pamela

2003-05-01

Autistic musical savants invariably possess absolute pitch ability and are able to disembed individual musical tones from chords. Enhanced pitch discrimination and memory has been found in non-savant individuals with autism who also show superior performance on visual disembedding tasks. These experiments investigate the extent that enhanced disembedding ability will be found within the musical domain in autism. High-functioning children with autism, together with age- and intelligence-matched controls, participated in three experiments testing pitch memory, labelling and chord disembedding. The findings from experiment 1 showed enhanced pitch memory and labelling in the autism group. In experiment 2, when subjects were pre-exposed to labelled individual tones, superior chord segmentation was also found. However, in experiment 3, when disembedding performance was less reliant on pitch memory, no group differences emerged and the children with autism, like controls, perceived musical chords holistically. These findings indicate that pitch memory and labelling is superior in autism and can facilitate performance on musical disembedding tasks. However, when task performance does not rely on long-term pitch memory, autistic children, like controls, succumb to the Gestalt qualities of chords.

Physicochemical characterization of pitches by differential scanning calorimetry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lahaye, J.; Ehrburger, P.; Saint-Romain, J.L.; Couderc, P.

1987-11-01

The glass transition characterization of pitches has been studied by differential scanning calorimetry (d.s.c.). Experimental results and theoretical considerations indicate that: (1) the average molecular mass of pitches can be characterized by the apparent activation energy of the relaxation phenomenon of pitch molecules; (2) the molecular polydispersity is correlated with the width of the glass transition. Characterization of pitch by d.s.c. is well adapted to follow pitch transformation during heat treatment. 6 refs., 6 figs., 4 tabs.

The investment strategies of sovereign wealth funds: A reverse engineered pitch

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanislav Martínek

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This letter describes personal reflection based on the utilization of the Faff’s (2017, Pitching Research pitch template for a reverse engineering technique in order to summarize, evaluate and properly interpret information from articles in respected scientific journals which represents key or seminal scientific research work upon which a researcher built his/her scientific work.

HTGR fuel rods: carbon-carbon composites designed for high weight and low strength

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bullock, R.E.

1977-01-01

The evolution of the process for fabricating fuel rods for the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) by injection and carbonization of a thermoplastic matrix that bonds close-packed beds of pyrocarbon-coated fuel particles together is reviewed for the fresh-fuel cycle, and a variant process involving a thermosetting matrix that would allow free-standing carbonization of refabricated fuel is discussed. Previous attempts to fabricate such injection-bonded fuel rods from undiluted thermosetting binders filled with powdered graphite were unsuccessful, because of damage to coatings on fuel particles that resulted from strong particle-to-matrix bonding in conjunction with large matrix shrinkage on carbonization and subsequent irradiation. These problems have now been overcome through the use of a diluted thermosetting matrix with a low-char-yield additive (fugitive), which produces a more porous char similar to that from the pitch-based thermoplastic used in fabrication of fresh fuel. A 1-to-1 dilution of resin with fugitive produced the optimum binder for injection and carbonization, where the fired matrix in such rods contained about 20 wt% binder char and 80 wt% powdered graphite. Thermosetting fuel rods diluted with various amounts of fugitive to give binder chars that range from 12 to 48 wt% of the fired matrix have been subjected to irradiation screening tests, and rods with no more than 32 wt% binder char appear to perform about as well under irradiation as do pitch-based rods. However, particle damage does begin to occur in those lightly diluted rods in which the less-stable binder char constitutes more than 32 wt% of the fired matrix. (author)

Base Carbone. Documentation about the emission factors of the Base CarboneR database

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

The Base Carbone R is a public database of emission factors as required for carrying out carbon accounting exercises. It is administered by ADEME, but its governance involves many stakeholders and it can be added to freely. The articulation and convergence of environmental regulations requires data homogenization. The Base Carbone R proposes to be this centralized data source. Today, it is the reference database for article 75 of the Grenelle II Act. It is also entirely consistent with article L1341-3 of the French Transport Code and the default values of the European emission quotas exchange system. The data of the Base Carbone R can be freely consulted by all. Furthermore, the originality of this tool is that it enables third parties to propose their own data (feature scheduled for February 2015). These data are then assessed for their quality and transparency, then validated or refused for incorporation in the Base Carbone R . Lastly, a forum (planned for February 2015) will enable users to ask questions about the data, or to contest the data. The administration of the Base Carbone R is handled by ADEME. However, its orientation and the data that it contains are validated by a governance committee incorporating various public and private stakeholders. Lastly, transparency is one of the keystones of the Base Carbone R . Documentation details the hypotheses underlying the construction of all the data in the base, and refers to the studies that have enabled their construction. This document brings together the different versions of the Base Carbone R documentation: the most recent version (v11.5) and the previous versions (v11.0) which is shared in 2 parts dealing with the general case and with the specific case of overseas territories

Auditory working memory predicts individual differences in absolute pitch learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Hedger, Stephen C; Heald, Shannon L M; Koch, Rachelle; Nusbaum, Howard C

2015-07-01

Absolute pitch (AP) is typically defined as the ability to label an isolated tone as a musical note in the absence of a reference tone. At first glance the acquisition of AP note categories seems like a perceptual learning task, since individuals must assign a category label to a stimulus based on a single perceptual dimension (pitch) while ignoring other perceptual dimensions (e.g., loudness, octave, instrument). AP, however, is rarely discussed in terms of domain-general perceptual learning mechanisms. This is because AP is typically assumed to depend on a critical period of development, in which early exposure to pitches and musical labels is thought to be necessary for the development of AP precluding the possibility of adult acquisition of AP. Despite this view of AP, several previous studies have found evidence that absolute pitch category learning is, to an extent, trainable in a post-critical period adult population, even if the performance typically achieved by this population is below the performance of a "true" AP possessor. The current studies attempt to understand the individual differences in learning to categorize notes using absolute pitch cues by testing a specific prediction regarding cognitive capacity related to categorization - to what extent does an individual's general auditory working memory capacity (WMC) predict the success of absolute pitch category acquisition. Since WMC has been shown to predict performance on a wide variety of other perceptual and category learning tasks, we predict that individuals with higher WMC should be better at learning absolute pitch note categories than individuals with lower WMC. Across two studies, we demonstrate that auditory WMC predicts the efficacy of learning absolute pitch note categories. These results suggest that a higher general auditory WMC might underlie the formation of absolute pitch categories for post-critical period adults. Implications for understanding the mechanisms that underlie the

Characterization of pitches by differential scanning calorimetry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ehrburger, P.; Martin, C.; Lahaye, J.; Saint-Romain, J.L.; Couderc, P.

1988-12-01

Pitch materials have generally a very complex composition with molecular mass ranging from a few hundred to several thousands units. In order to characterize these materials their properties related to the glassy transformation, in particular to enthalpy relaxation, have been investigated. Solvent soluble fractions have been characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). As with polymeric materials, enthalpy relaxation can provide information about pitches and the interactions occurring between the different types of molecules present in the pitch: mean molecular size, structural factor, molecular-size distribution. The determination of glass transition properties provides a useful means for the characterization of pitch and of their solvent extracts. It also permits insight into the complex reactions which occur when pitch materials are heat-treated. 7 refs., 2 figs., 3 tabs.

Method of producing pitch (distillation residue)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stepanenko, M.A.; Belkina, T.V.; Krysin, V.P.

1979-08-15

A method is proposed for producing pitch by mixing hard coal pitch with anthracene fraction and thermal treatment of the mixture. The method is distinguished in that in order to increase the quality of the pitch, the anthracene fraction is subjected to thermal treatment at 250-300/sup 0/ for 10-13 hours in the presence of air. This duration of heat treatment allows one to build up in the anthracene fraction up to 20-24% of material which is not soluble and toluene, without the formation of products which are not soluble in quinoline. The fraction prepared in this manner is inserted into the initial pitch in the ratio 1:2 up to 1:9, the mixture is subject to heat treatment at temperature 360-380/sup 0/ and air consumption 7-91/kgX hours until the production of pitch with softening temperature of 85-90/sup 0/. As the initial raw material we used pitch with softening temperature of 60/sup 0/, content of substances which are not soluble in quinoline, 2.0% which are not soluble and toluene 20.6% and coking residue of 49.2%. Example. 80 grams of anthracene fraction is added to 320 grams of pitch. The anthracene fraction is subjected previously to heat treatment at 300/sup 0/ for 13 hours in the presence of air, supplied in the amount of 9 liters per hour. As a result of the heat treatment of the content of materials which are not soluble in toluence in the anthracene fraction is 24.0%, in quinoline it is 0.1%. The ratio of a pitch and thermally treated anthracene fraction in the mixture was 4:l. The produced mixture was subjected to heat treatment at 360/sup 0/ for 1.5 hours with air supply in the amount of 7 liters/ kilograms/hours. Pitch is produced with the following characteristics: softening temperature 88/sup 0/, content of substances which are not soluble in toluene 32.5%, in quinilone, 6.0%, coking residue, 56.7%. The invention can be used in the chemical coking and petrochemical industry.

Prospective Player-Reported Injuries in Female Youth Fast-Pitch Softball Players.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Matthew V; Davis, Randi; Brophy, Robert H; Prather, Heidi; Garbutt, Jane; Wright, Rick W

2015-01-01

There is a scarcity of literature evaluating injuries in youth fast-pitch softball players. To perform a descriptive analysis of player-reported injuries in youth fast-pitch softball position players and pitchers during a single select-level season. Prospective observation cohort study. Level 3. Ninety-eight athletes (48 pitchers, 50 position players) were followed for a single select fast-pitch softball season. Study participants completed web-based surveys every 3 weeks reporting injuries related to participation in fast-pitch softball. Injury was defined as pain causing cessation of participation in the current game or practice that prevents the player's return to that session or any pain that causes cessation of a player's customary participation on the day after the day of onset. The median age of the study participants was 14 years (range, 9-18 years). There were 49 reported injuries in 98 athletes. The average age was 13 years for those not injured and 14 years for those who were injured (P softball players. Better off-season and preseason conditioning may be a key factor for reducing pitching injuries. Recognition of injury patterns in fast-pitch softball players is critical to developing strategies to keep these athletes competing safely. © 2015 The Author(s).

Prospective Player-Reported Injuries in Female Youth Fast-Pitch Softball Players

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Matthew V.; Davis, Randi; Brophy, Robert H.; Prather, Heidi; Garbutt, Jane; Wright, Rick W.

2015-01-01

Background: There is a scarcity of literature evaluating injuries in youth fast-pitch softball players. Purpose: To perform a descriptive analysis of player-reported injuries in youth fast-pitch softball position players and pitchers during a single select-level season. Study Design: Prospective observation cohort study. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Methods: Ninety-eight athletes (48 pitchers, 50 position players) were followed for a single select fast-pitch softball season. Study participants completed web-based surveys every 3 weeks reporting injuries related to participation in fast-pitch softball. Injury was defined as pain causing cessation of participation in the current game or practice that prevents the player’s return to that session or any pain that causes cessation of a player’s customary participation on the day after the day of onset. Results: The median age of the study participants was 14 years (range, 9-18 years). There were 49 reported injuries in 98 athletes. The average age was 13 years for those not injured and 14 years for those who were injured (P softball players. Better off-season and preseason conditioning may be a key factor for reducing pitching injuries. Clinical Relevance: Recognition of injury patterns in fast-pitch softball players is critical to developing strategies to keep these athletes competing safely. PMID:26502442

Servo-Elastic Dynamics of a Hydraulic Actuator Pitching a Blade with Large Deflections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansen, M H; Kallesoee, B S

2007-01-01

This paper deals with the servo-elastic dynamics of a hydraulic pitch actuator acting on a largely bend wind turbine blade. The compressibility of the oil and flexibility of the hoses introduce a dynamic mode in the pitch bearing degree of freedom. This mode may obtain negative damping if the proportional gain on the actuator position error is defined too large relative to the viscous forces in the hydraulic system and the total rotational inertia of the pitch bearing degree of freedom. A simple expression for the stability limit of this proportional gain is derived for tuning the gain based on the Ziegler-Nichols method. Computed transfer functions from reference to actual pitch angles indicate that the actuator can be approximated as a low-pass filter with some appropriate limitations on pitching speed and acceleration. The structural blade model includes the geometrical coupling of edgewise bending and torsion for large flapwise deflections. This coupling is shown to introduce edgewise bending response for pitch reference oscillations around the natural frequency of the edgewise bending mode, in which frequency range the transfer function from reference to actual pitch angle cannot be modeled as a simple low-pass filter. The pitch bearing is assumed to be frictionless as a first approximation

Experimental Adsorption Isotherm of Methane onto Activated Carbon at Sub- and Supercritical Temperatures

KAUST Repository

Rahman, Kazi Afzalur; Loh, Wai Soong; Yanagi, Hideharu; Chakraborty, Anutosh; Saha, Bidyut Baran; Chun, Won Gee; Ng, Kim Choon

2010-01-01

This paper presents the experimentally measured adsorption isotherm data for methane onto the pitch-based activated carbon type Maxsorb III for temperatures ranging from (120 to 220) K and pressures up to 1.4 MPa. These data are useful to study

Complex-tone pitch representations in the human auditory system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bianchi, Federica

in listeners with SNHL, it is likely that HI listeners rely on the enhanced envelope cues to retrieve the pitch of unresolved harmonics. Hence, the relative importance of pitch cues may be altered in HI listeners, whereby envelope cues may be used instead of TFS cues to obtain a similar performance in pitch......Understanding how the human auditory system processes the physical properties of an acoustical stimulus to give rise to a pitch percept is a fascinating aspect of hearing research. Since most natural sounds are harmonic complex tones, this work focused on the nature of pitch-relevant cues...... that are necessary for the auditory system to retrieve the pitch of complex sounds. The existence of different pitch-coding mechanisms for low-numbered (spectrally resolved) and high-numbered (unresolved) harmonics was investigated by comparing pitch-discrimination performance across different cohorts of listeners...

Effect of Pitching Consecutive Days in Youth Fast-Pitch Softball Tournaments on Objective Shoulder Strength and Subjective Shoulder Symptoms.

Science.gov (United States)

Skillington, S Andrew; Brophy, Robert H; Wright, Rick W; Smith, Matthew V

2017-05-01

The windmill pitching motion has been associated with risk for shoulder injury. Because there are no pitching limits on youth fast-pitch softball pitchers, these athletes often pitch multiple games across consecutive days. Strength changes, fatigue levels, and shoulder pain that develop among female fast-pitch pitchers over the course of consecutive days of pitching have not been investigated. Over the course of 2- and 3-day fast-pitch softball tournaments, pitchers will develop progressive objective weakness and increased subjective shoulder fatigue and pain without complete recovery between days. Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Fourteen female fast-pitch softball pitchers between the ages of 14 and 18 years were evaluated for strength and fatigue changes across 2- and 3-day tournaments. At the beginning and end of each day of tournament play, pitchers were asked to quantify shoulder fatigue and shoulder pain levels of their dominant throwing arm using a 10-point visual analog scale (VAS). Shoulder abduction, flexion, external rotation, internal rotation, elbow flexion, and elbow extension strength measurements were gathered using a handheld dynamometer. Over the course of an average single day of tournament participation, pitchers developed significant increases in VAS scores for shoulder fatigue (median, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.3-3.0) and pain (median, 1.3; 95% CI, 0.5-2.3) and significant strength loss in all tested motions. Pitchers also developed significant increases in VAS shoulder fatigue (median, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.5-5.5), VAS shoulder pain (median, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.0-4.5), and strength loss in all tested motions over the entire tournament. Shoulder pain, fatigue, and strength do not fully recover between days. The accumulation of subjective shoulder pain and fatigue over the course of tournament play were closely correlated. Among youth female fast-pitch softball pitchers, there is a progressive increase in shoulder fatigue, pain, and weakness over the

A developmental study of latent absolute pitch memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Jakubowski, Kelly; Müllensiefen, Daniel; Stewart, Lauren

2017-03-01

The ability to recall the absolute pitch level of familiar music (latent absolute pitch memory) is widespread in adults, in contrast to the rare ability to label single pitches without a reference tone (overt absolute pitch memory). The present research investigated the developmental profile of latent absolute pitch (AP) memory and explored individual differences related to this ability. In two experiments, 288 children from 4 to12 years of age performed significantly above chance at recognizing the absolute pitch level of familiar melodies. No age-related improvement or decline, nor effects of musical training, gender, or familiarity with the stimuli were found in regard to latent AP task performance. These findings suggest that latent AP memory is a stable ability that is developed from as early as age 4 and persists into adulthood.

THE BEHAVIOR OF THE PITCH ANGLE OF SPIRAL ARMS DEPENDING ON OPTICAL WAVELENGTH

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martínez-García, Eric E.; Puerari, Ivânio; Rosales-Ortega, F. F.; Luna, A. [Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica (INAOE), Aptdo. Postal 51 y 216, 72000 Puebla, Pue. (Mexico); González-Lópezlira, Rosa A. [Centro de Radioastronomía y Astrofísica, UNAM, Campus Morelia, Michoacán, México, C.P. 58089 (Mexico); Fuentes-Carrera, Isaura, E-mail: ericmartinez@inaoep.mx [Escuela Superior de Física y Matemáticas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, U. P. Adolfo López Mateos, Zacatenco, 07730 México, D.F. (Mexico)

2014-09-20

Based on integral field spectroscopy data from the CALIFA survey, we investigate the possible dependence of spiral arm pitch angle with optical wavelength. For three of the five studied objects, the pitch angle gradually increases at longer wavelengths. This is not the case for two objects where the pitch angle remains constant. This result is confirmed by the analysis of SDSS data. We discuss the possible physical mechanisms to explain this phenomenon, as well as the implications of the results.

Pitch modelling for the Nguni languages

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Govender, N

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Govender ngovender@csir.co.za, Etienne Barnard ebarnard@csir.co.za, Marelie Davel mdavel@csir.co.za by varying the levels of pitch, intensity and duration in the voice. An overview of intonation as observed in a variety of languages is provided in [1... nature of laryngograph data in voiced speech) and thus either could be used as the basis for the experiments. The pitch values extracted by Yin for all the laryngograph databases was consequently used as the basis for our comparisons. Pitch...

A method for automatic control of the process of producing electrode pitch

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rozenman, E.S.; Bugaysen, I.M.; Chernyshov, Yu.A.; Klyusa, M.D.; Krysin, V.P.; Livshits, B.Ya.; Martynenko, V.V.; Meniovich, B.I.; Sklyar, M.G.; Voytenko, B.I.

1983-01-01

A method is proposed for automatic control of the process for producing electride pitch through regulation of the feeding of the starting raw material with correction based on the pitch level in the last apparatus of the technological line and change in the feeding of air into the reactors based on the flow rates of the starting raw material and the temperature of the liquid phase in the reactors. In order to increase the stability of the quality of the electrode pitch with changes in the properties of the starting resin, the heating temperature of the dehydrated resin is regulated in the pipe furnace relative to the quality of the mean temperature pitch produced from it, while the level of the liquid phase in the reactor is regulated relative to the quality of the final product. The proposed method provides for an improvement in the quality of process regulation, which makes it possible to improve the properties of the anode mass and to reduce its expenditure for the production of Aluminum.

Language experience enhances early cortical pitch-dependent responses

Science.gov (United States)

Krishnan, Ananthanarayan; Gandour, Jackson T.; Ananthakrishnan, Saradha; Vijayaraghavan, Venkatakrishnan

2014-01-01

Pitch processing at cortical and subcortical stages of processing is shaped by language experience. We recently demonstrated that specific components of the cortical pitch response (CPR) index the more rapidly-changing portions of the high rising Tone 2 of Mandarin Chinese, in addition to marking pitch onset and sound offset. In this study, we examine how language experience (Mandarin vs. English) shapes the processing of different temporal attributes of pitch reflected in the CPR components using stimuli representative of within-category variants of Tone 2. Results showed that the magnitude of CPR components (Na-Pb and Pb-Nb) and the correlation between these two components and pitch acceleration were stronger for the Chinese listeners compared to English listeners for stimuli that fell within the range of Tone 2 citation forms. Discriminant function analysis revealed that the Na-Pb component was more than twice as important as Pb-Nb in grouping listeners by language affiliation. In addition, a stronger stimulus-dependent, rightward asymmetry was observed for the Chinese group at the temporal, but not frontal, electrode sites. This finding may reflect selective recruitment of experience-dependent, pitch-specific mechanisms in right auditory cortex to extract more complex, time-varying pitch patterns. Taken together, these findings suggest that long-term language experience shapes early sensory level processing of pitch in the auditory cortex, and that the sensitivity of the CPR may vary depending on the relative linguistic importance of specific temporal attributes of dynamic pitch. PMID:25506127

Wing-pitching mechanism of hovering Ruby-throated hummingbirds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Jialei; Luo, Haoxiang; Hedrick, Tyson L

2015-01-01

In hovering flight, hummingbirds reverse the angle of attack of their wings through pitch reversal in order to generate aerodynamic lift during both downstroke and upstroke. In addition, the wings may pitch during translation to further enhance lift production. It is not yet clear whether these pitching motions are caused by the wing inertia or actuated through the musculoskeletal system. Here we perform a computational analysis of the pitching dynamics by incorporating the realistic wing kinematics to determine the inertial effects. The aerodynamic effect is also included using the pressure data from a previous three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics simulation of a hovering hummingbird. The results show that like many insects, pitch reversal of the hummingbird is, to a large degree, caused by the wing inertia. However, actuation power input at the root is needed in the beginning of pronation to initiate a fast pitch reversal and also in mid-downstroke to enable a nose-up pitching motion for lift enhancement. The muscles on the wing may not necessarily be activated for pitching of the distal section. Finally, power analysis of the flapping motion shows that there is no requirement for substantial elastic energy storage or energy absorption at the shoulder joint. (paper)

Wing-pitching mechanism of hovering Ruby-throated hummingbirds.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Jialei; Luo, Haoxiang; Hedrick, Tyson L

2015-01-19

In hovering flight, hummingbirds reverse the angle of attack of their wings through pitch reversal in order to generate aerodynamic lift during both downstroke and upstroke. In addition, the wings may pitch during translation to further enhance lift production. It is not yet clear whether these pitching motions are caused by the wing inertia or actuated through the musculoskeletal system. Here we perform a computational analysis of the pitching dynamics by incorporating the realistic wing kinematics to determine the inertial effects. The aerodynamic effect is also included using the pressure data from a previous three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics simulation of a hovering hummingbird. The results show that like many insects, pitch reversal of the hummingbird is, to a large degree, caused by the wing inertia. However, actuation power input at the root is needed in the beginning of pronation to initiate a fast pitch reversal and also in mid-downstroke to enable a nose-up pitching motion for lift enhancement. The muscles on the wing may not necessarily be activated for pitching of the distal section. Finally, power analysis of the flapping motion shows that there is no requirement for substantial elastic energy storage or energy absorption at the shoulder joint.

Estimates of pitch strength for musicians and nonmusicians

Science.gov (United States)

Clarkson, Marsha G.; Zettler, Cynthia M.; Follmer, Michelle J.; Faulk, Margaret; Takagi, Michael J.

2003-04-01

To measure the strength of the pitch of iterated rippled noise (IRN), 19 adults were tested in an operant conditioning procedure. Seven adults had music training and currently played an instrument; 12 adults had no training and did not currently play an instrument. To generate IRN, a 500-ms Gaussian noise stimulus was delayed by 5 or 6 ms (pitches of 200 or 166 Hz) and added to the original for 16 iterations. IRN stimuli having one delay were presented repeatedly. On signal trials the delay changed for 6 s. Stimulus level roved from 63-67 dBA (background of 28 dBA). Adults learned to press a button when the stimulus changed. Testing started with IRN stimuli having 0-dB attenuation (i.e., maximal pitch strength). Stimuli having weaker pitches (i.e., progressively greater attenuation applied to the delayed noise) followed. Strength of pitch was quantified as the maximum attenuation for which pitch was discerned. For each subject, threshold attenuation for pitch strength was extrapolated as the 71% point on a psychometric function depicting percent correct performance as a function of attenuation. Mean thresholds revealed that the pitch percept was similar for both nonmusically trained (18.70 dB) and musically trained adults (18.73 dB).

Localizing pre-attentive auditory memory-based comparison: magnetic mismatch negativity to pitch change.

Science.gov (United States)

Maess, Burkhard; Jacobsen, Thomas; Schröger, Erich; Friederici, Angela D

2007-08-15

Changes in the pitch of repetitive sounds elicit the mismatch negativity (MMN) of the event-related brain potential (ERP). There exist two alternative accounts for this index of automatic change detection: (1) A sensorial, non-comparator account according to which ERPs in oddball sequences are affected by differential refractory states of frequency-specific afferent cortical neurons. (2) A cognitive, comparator account stating that MMN reflects the outcome of a memory comparison between a neuronal model of the frequently presented standard sound with the sensory memory representation of the changed sound. Using a condition controlling for refractoriness effects, the two contributions to MMN can be disentangled. The present study used whole-head MEG to further elucidate the sensorial and cognitive contributions to frequency MMN. Results replicated ERP findings that MMN to pitch change is a compound of the activity of a sensorial, non-comparator mechanism and a cognitive, comparator mechanism which could be separated in time. The sensorial part of frequency MMN consisting of spatially dipolar patterns was maximal in the late N1 range (105-125 ms), while the cognitive part peaked in the late MMN-range (170-200 ms). Spatial principal component analyses revealed that the early part of the traditionally measured MMN (deviant minus standard) is mainly due to the sensorial mechanism while the later mainly due to the cognitive mechanism. Inverse modeling revealed sources for both MMN contributions in the gyrus temporales transversus, bilaterally. These MEG results suggest temporally distinct but spatially overlapping activities of non-comparator-based and comparator-based mechanisms of automatic frequency change detection in auditory cortex.

Performance Demands in Softball Pitching: A Comprehensive Muscle Fatigue Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Corben, Jeffrey S; Cerrone, Sara A; Soviero, Julie E; Kwiecien, Susan Y; Nicholas, Stephen J; McHugh, Malachy P

2015-08-01

Monitoring pitch count is standard practice in minor league baseball but not in softball because of the perception that fast-pitch softball pitching is a less stressful motion. To examine muscle fatigue after fast-pitch softball performances to provide an assessment of performance demand. Descriptive laboratory study. Bilateral strength measurements (handheld dynamometer) were made on 19 female softball pitchers (mean age [±SD], 15.2 ± 1.2 years) before and after pitching a game (mean number of pitches, 99 ± 21; mean innings pitched, 5 ± 1). A total of 20 tests were performed on the dominant and nondominant sides: forearm (grip, wrist flexion/extension, pronation/supination, elbow flexion/extension), shoulder (flexion, abduction/adduction, external/internal rotation, empty can test), scapula (middle/lower trapezius, rhomboid), and hip (hip flexion/extension, abduction/adduction). Fatigue (percentage strength loss) was categorized based on bilateral versus unilateral presentation using paired t tests: bilateral symmetric (significant on dominant and nondominant and not different between sides), bilateral asymmetric (significant on dominant and nondominant but significantly greater on dominant), unilateral asymmetric (significant on dominant only and significantly greater than nondominant), or unilateral equivocal (significant on dominant only but not different from nondominant). Bilateral symmetric fatigue was evident for all hip (dominant, 19.3%; nondominant, 15.2%) and scapular tests (dominant, 19.2%; nondominant, 19.3%). In general, shoulder tests exhibited bilateral asymmetric fatigue (dominant, 16.9%; nondominant, 11.6%). Forearm tests were more variable, with bilateral symmetric fatigue in the elbow flexors (dominant, 22.5%; nondominant, 19.2%), and wrist flexors (dominant, 21.6%; nondominant, 19.0%), bilateral asymmetric fatigue in the supinators (dominant, 21.8%; nondominant, 15.5%), unilateral asymmetric fatigue in the elbow extensors (dominant, 22

Relating binaural pitch perception to the individual listener's auditory profile.

Science.gov (United States)

Santurette, Sébastien; Dau, Torsten

2012-04-01

The ability of eight normal-hearing listeners and fourteen listeners with sensorineural hearing loss to detect and identify pitch contours was measured for binaural-pitch stimuli and salience-matched monaurally detectable pitches. In an effort to determine whether impaired binaural pitch perception was linked to a specific deficit, the auditory profiles of the individual listeners were characterized using measures of loudness perception, cognitive ability, binaural processing, temporal fine structure processing, and frequency selectivity, in addition to common audiometric measures. Two of the listeners were found not to perceive binaural pitch at all, despite a clear detection of monaural pitch. While both binaural and monaural pitches were detectable by all other listeners, identification scores were significantly lower for binaural than for monaural pitch. A total absence of binaural pitch sensation coexisted with a loss of a binaural signal-detection advantage in noise, without implying reduced cognitive function. Auditory filter bandwidths did not correlate with the difference in pitch identification scores between binaural and monaural pitches. However, subjects with impaired binaural pitch perception showed deficits in temporal fine structure processing. Whether the observed deficits stemmed from peripheral or central mechanisms could not be resolved here, but the present findings may be useful for hearing loss characterization.

Timing matters: The processing of pitch relations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Annekathrin eWeise

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The human central auditory system can automatically extract abstract regularities from a variant auditory input. To this end, temporarily separated events need to be related. This study tested whether the timing between events, falling either within or outside the temporal window of integration (~350 ms, impacts the extraction of abstract feature relations. We utilized tone pairs for which tones within but not across pairs revealed a constant pitch relation (e.g. pitch of 2nd tone of a pair higher than pitch of 1st tone, while absolute pitch values varied across pairs. We measured the Mismatch Negativity (MMN; the brain’s error signal to auditory regularity violations to 2nd tones that rarely violated the pitch relation (e.g. pitch of 2nd tone lower. A Short condition in which tone duration (90 ms and stimulus onset asynchrony between the tones of a pair were short (110 ms was compared to two conditions, where this onset asynchrony was long (510 ms. In the Long Gap condition the tone durations were identical to Short (90 ms, but the silent interval was prolonged by 400 ms. In Long Tone the duration of the first tone was prolonged by 400 ms, while the silent interval was comparable to Short (20 ms. Results show a frontocentral MMN of comparable amplitude in all conditions. Thus, abstract pitch relations can be extracted even when the within-pair timing exceeds the integration period. Source analyses indicate MMN generators in the supratemporal cortex. Interestingly, they were located more anterior in Long Gap than in Short and Long Tone. Moreover, frontal generator activity was found for Long Gap and Long Tone. Thus, the way in which the system automatically registers irregular abstract pitch relations depends on the timing of the events to be linked. Pending that the current MMN data mirror established abstract rule representations coding the regular pitch relation, neural processes building these templates vary with timing.

Timing matters: the processing of pitch relations

Science.gov (United States)

Weise, Annekathrin; Grimm, Sabine; Trujillo-Barreto, Nelson J.; Schröger, Erich

2014-01-01

The human central auditory system can automatically extract abstract regularities from a variant auditory input. To this end, temporarily separated events need to be related. This study tested whether the timing between events, falling either within or outside the temporal window of integration (~350 ms), impacts the extraction of abstract feature relations. We utilized tone pairs for which tones within but not across pairs revealed a constant pitch relation (e.g., pitch of second tone of a pair higher than pitch of first tone, while absolute pitch values varied across pairs). We measured the mismatch negativity (MMN; the brain’s error signal to auditory regularity violations) to second tones that rarely violated the pitch relation (e.g., pitch of second tone lower). A Short condition in which tone duration (90 ms) and stimulus onset asynchrony between the tones of a pair were short (110 ms) was compared to two conditions, where this onset asynchrony was long (510 ms). In the Long Gap condition, the tone durations were identical to Short (90 ms), but the silent interval was prolonged by 400 ms. In Long Tone, the duration of the first tone was prolonged by 400 ms, while the silent interval was comparable to Short (20 ms). Results show a frontocentral MMN of comparable amplitude in all conditions. Thus, abstract pitch relations can be extracted even when the within-pair timing exceeds the integration period. Source analyses indicate MMN generators in the supratemporal cortex. Interestingly, they were located more anterior in Long Gap than in Short and Long Tone. Moreover, frontal generator activity was found for Long Gap and Long Tone. Thus, the way in which the system automatically registers irregular abstract pitch relations depends on the timing of the events to be linked. Pending that the current MMN data mirror established abstract rule representations coding the regular pitch relation, neural processes building these templates vary with timing. PMID:24966823

Effect of carbon microfiber materials on sensitivity of adenosine and hydroxyadenine at carbon microfiber sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K.M.M. Abou El-Nour

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The relationship between the sensitivity measurements and microfiber electrodes made from different carbon microfiber materials, such as polyacrylonitrile (PAN T650 and PAN HCB and Pitch P25 was established in this work. The different microfiber electrodes were nanostructured by an electrochemical pretreatment method. Sensitivity of adenosine (ADO and 2,8-dihydroxyadenine (2,8-DHA was measured at different carbon microfiber sensors made from different carbon microfiber materials. Sensitivity of PAN microfiber electrodes for ADO and 2,8-DHA determinations measured at 500 V s−1 vs. SCE is higher than that measured at Pitch P25 microfiber electrodes due to more defects in PAN microfiber electrodes. Adsorption of ADO and 2,8-DHA is greater at PAN HCB electrodes. High conductivity of PAN fibers correlates with sensitivity determinations of the investigated analytes.

DEVELOPMENT OF CONTINUOUS SOLVENT EXTRACTION PROCESSES FOR COAL DERIVED CARBON PRODUCTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dady B. Dadyburjor; Mark E. Heavner; Manoj Katakdaunde; Liviu Magean; J. Joshua Maybury; Alfred H. Stiller; Joseph M. Stoffa; John W. Zondlo

2006-08-01

The purpose of this DOE-funded effort is to develop continuous processes for solvent extraction of coal for the production of carbon products. The largest applications are those which support metals smelting, such as anodes for aluminum smelting and electrodes for arc furnaces. Other carbon products include materials used in creating fuels for the Direct Carbon Fuel Cell, and porous carbon structural material referred to as ''carbon foam'' and carbon fibers. During this reporting period, hydrotreatment of solvent was completed in preparation for pitch fabrication for graphite electrodes. Coal digestion has lagged but is expected to be complete by next quarter. Studies are reported on coal dissolution, pitch production, foam synthesis using physical blowing agents, and alternate coking techniques.

Cast Steel Filtration Trials Using Ceramic-Carbon Filters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lipowska B.

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Trials of cast steel filtration using two types of newly-developed foam filters in which carbon was the phase binding ceramic particles have been conducted. In one of the filters the source of carbon was flake graphite and coal-tar pitch, while in the other one graphite was replaced by a cheaper carbon precursor. The newly-developed filters are fired at 1000°C, i.e. at a much lower temperature than the currently applied ZrO2-based filters. During filtration trials the filters were subjected to the attack of a flowing metal stream having a temperature of 1650°C for 30 seconds.

Carbon-based catalytic briquettes for the reduction of NO: Effect of H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} and HNO{sub 3} carbon support treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A. Boyano; M.E. Galvez; R. Moliner; M.J. Lazaro [Instituto de Carboquimica CSIC, Zaragoza (Spain)

2008-08-15

The influence of treating carbon with sulphuric and nitric acids on the activity of a carbon-based briquette catalyst for NO reduction with NH{sub 3} was examined in a fixed-bed reactor at low temperature (150{sup o}C). The briquette catalysts were prepared from a low-rank coal and a commercial tar pitch. The active phase was impregnated from a suspension of ashes of petroleum coke by means of an equilibrium adsorption method. The catalytic behaviour of NO reduction over acid treated briquettes was found to vary with the surface characteristics of the carbon support. This suggests that the number of oxygen-containing sites as well as vanadium load and dispersion affect the reaction activity. In the presence of oxygen, the SCR activity is enhanced with a nitric acid treatment, activity is promoted by the presence of acidic surface groups such as carboxyl and lactone, which can help not only to create a reservoir of reactants on the catalysts surface but also to improve the dispersion or even increase the amount of vanadium loading. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that the formation of acidic sites on the surface is an important step for NO reduction with NH{sub 3} over carbon-based catalysts. Additional techniques such as XPS and TPD to characterize the oxygen surface and those such as N{sub 2} adsorption to characterize the textural properties were also used in this study. 46 refs., 6 figs., 5 tabs.

Effects of Culture on Musical Pitch Perception

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Patrick C. M.; Ciocca, Valter; Chan, Alice H. D.; Ha, Louisa Y. Y.; Tan, Li-Hai; Peretz, Isabelle

2012-01-01

The strong association between music and speech has been supported by recent research focusing on musicians' superior abilities in second language learning and neural encoding of foreign speech sounds. However, evidence for a double association—the influence of linguistic background on music pitch processing and disorders—remains elusive. Because languages differ in their usage of elements (e.g., pitch) that are also essential for music, a unique opportunity for examining such language-to-music associations comes from a cross-cultural (linguistic) comparison of congenital amusia, a neurogenetic disorder affecting the music (pitch and rhythm) processing of about 5% of the Western population. In the present study, two populations (Hong Kong and Canada) were compared. One spoke a tone language in which differences in voice pitch correspond to differences in word meaning (in Hong Kong Cantonese, /si/ means ‘teacher’ and ‘to try’ when spoken in a high and mid pitch pattern, respectively). Using the On-line Identification Test of Congenital Amusia, we found Cantonese speakers as a group tend to show enhanced pitch perception ability compared to speakers of Canadian French and English (non-tone languages). This enhanced ability occurs in the absence of differences in rhythmic perception and persists even after relevant factors such as musical background and age were controlled. Following a common definition of amusia (5% of the population), we found Hong Kong pitch amusics also show enhanced pitch abilities relative to their Canadian counterparts. These findings not only provide critical evidence for a double association of music and speech, but also argue for the reconceptualization of communicative disorders within a cultural framework. Along with recent studies documenting cultural differences in visual perception, our auditory evidence challenges the common assumption of universality of basic mental processes and speaks to the domain generality of culture

Effects of culture on musical pitch perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Patrick C M; Ciocca, Valter; Chan, Alice H D; Ha, Louisa Y Y; Tan, Li-Hai; Peretz, Isabelle

2012-01-01

The strong association between music and speech has been supported by recent research focusing on musicians' superior abilities in second language learning and neural encoding of foreign speech sounds. However, evidence for a double association--the influence of linguistic background on music pitch processing and disorders--remains elusive. Because languages differ in their usage of elements (e.g., pitch) that are also essential for music, a unique opportunity for examining such language-to-music associations comes from a cross-cultural (linguistic) comparison of congenital amusia, a neurogenetic disorder affecting the music (pitch and rhythm) processing of about 5% of the Western population. In the present study, two populations (Hong Kong and Canada) were compared. One spoke a tone language in which differences in voice pitch correspond to differences in word meaning (in Hong Kong Cantonese, /si/ means 'teacher' and 'to try' when spoken in a high and mid pitch pattern, respectively). Using the On-line Identification Test of Congenital Amusia, we found Cantonese speakers as a group tend to show enhanced pitch perception ability compared to speakers of Canadian French and English (non-tone languages). This enhanced ability occurs in the absence of differences in rhythmic perception and persists even after relevant factors such as musical background and age were controlled. Following a common definition of amusia (5% of the population), we found Hong Kong pitch amusics also show enhanced pitch abilities relative to their Canadian counterparts. These findings not only provide critical evidence for a double association of music and speech, but also argue for the reconceptualization of communicative disorders within a cultural framework. Along with recent studies documenting cultural differences in visual perception, our auditory evidence challenges the common assumption of universality of basic mental processes and speaks to the domain generality of culture

Effects of culture on musical pitch perception.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrick C M Wong

Full Text Available The strong association between music and speech has been supported by recent research focusing on musicians' superior abilities in second language learning and neural encoding of foreign speech sounds. However, evidence for a double association--the influence of linguistic background on music pitch processing and disorders--remains elusive. Because languages differ in their usage of elements (e.g., pitch that are also essential for music, a unique opportunity for examining such language-to-music associations comes from a cross-cultural (linguistic comparison of congenital amusia, a neurogenetic disorder affecting the music (pitch and rhythm processing of about 5% of the Western population. In the present study, two populations (Hong Kong and Canada were compared. One spoke a tone language in which differences in voice pitch correspond to differences in word meaning (in Hong Kong Cantonese, /si/ means 'teacher' and 'to try' when spoken in a high and mid pitch pattern, respectively. Using the On-line Identification Test of Congenital Amusia, we found Cantonese speakers as a group tend to show enhanced pitch perception ability compared to speakers of Canadian French and English (non-tone languages. This enhanced ability occurs in the absence of differences in rhythmic perception and persists even after relevant factors such as musical background and age were controlled. Following a common definition of amusia (5% of the population, we found Hong Kong pitch amusics also show enhanced pitch abilities relative to their Canadian counterparts. These findings not only provide critical evidence for a double association of music and speech, but also argue for the reconceptualization of communicative disorders within a cultural framework. Along with recent studies documenting cultural differences in visual perception, our auditory evidence challenges the common assumption of universality of basic mental processes and speaks to the domain generality of

Impaired short-term memory for pitch in congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Tillmann, Barbara; Lévêque, Yohana; Fornoni, Lesly; Albouy, Philippe; Caclin, Anne

2016-06-01

Congenital amusia is a neuro-developmental disorder of music perception and production. The hypothesis is that the musical deficits arise from altered pitch processing, with impairments in pitch discrimination (i.e., pitch change detection, pitch direction discrimination and identification) and short-term memory. The present review article focuses on the deficit of short-term memory for pitch. Overall, the data discussed here suggest impairments at each level of processing in short-term memory tasks; starting with the encoding of the pitch information and the creation of the adequate memory trace, the retention of the pitch traces over time as well as the recollection and comparison of the stored information with newly incoming information. These impairments have been related to altered brain responses in a distributed fronto-temporal network, associated with decreased connectivity between these structures, as well as in abnormalities in the connectivity between the two auditory cortices. In contrast, amusic participants׳ short-term memory abilities for verbal material are preserved. These findings show that short-term memory deficits in congenital amusia are specific to pitch, suggesting a pitch-memory system that is, at least partly, separated from verbal memory. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Auditory working memory. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A perceptual pitch boundary in a non-human primate

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Olivier eJoly

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Pitch is an auditory percept critical to the perception of music and speech, and for these harmonic sounds, pitch is closely related to the repetition rate of the acoustic wave. This paper reports a test of the assumption that non-human primates and especially rhesus monkeys perceive the pitch of these harmonic sounds much as humans do. A new procedure was developed to train macaques to discriminate the pitch of harmonic sounds and thereby demonstrate that the lower limit for pitch perception in macaques is close to 30 Hz, as it is in humans. Moreover, when the phases of successive harmonics are alternated to cause a pseudo-doubling of the repetition rate, the lower pitch boundary in macaques decreases substantially, as it does in humans. The results suggest that both species use neural firing times to discriminate pitch, at least for sounds with relatively low repetition rates.

Forced pitch motion of wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Leble, V.; Barakos, G.

2016-09-01

The possibility of a wind turbine entering vortex ring state during pitching oscillations is explored in this paper. The aerodynamic performance of the rotor was computed using the Helicopter Multi-Block flow solver. This code solves the Navier-Stokes equations in integral form using the arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian formulation for time-dependent domains with moving boundaries. A 10-MW wind turbine was put to perform yawing and pitching oscillations suggesting the partial vortex ring state during pitching motion. The results also show the strong effect of the frequency and amplitude of oscillations on the wind turbine performance.

Forced pitch motion of wind turbines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leble, V; Barakos, G

2016-01-01

The possibility of a wind turbine entering vortex ring state during pitching oscillations is explored in this paper. The aerodynamic performance of the rotor was computed using the Helicopter Multi-Block flow solver. This code solves the Navier-Stokes equations in integral form using the arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian formulation for time-dependent domains with moving boundaries. A 10-MW wind turbine was put to perform yawing and pitching oscillations suggesting the partial vortex ring state during pitching motion. The results also show the strong effect of the frequency and amplitude of oscillations on the wind turbine performance. (paper)

Auditory deficits in amusia extend beyond poor pitch perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Whiteford, Kelly L; Oxenham, Andrew J

2017-05-01

Congenital amusia is a music perception disorder believed to reflect a deficit in fine-grained pitch perception and/or short-term or working memory for pitch. Because most measures of pitch perception include memory and segmentation components, it has been difficult to determine the true extent of pitch processing deficits in amusia. It is also unclear whether pitch deficits persist at frequencies beyond the range of musical pitch. To address these questions, experiments were conducted with amusics and matched controls, manipulating both the stimuli and the task demands. First, we assessed pitch discrimination at low (500Hz and 2000Hz) and high (8000Hz) frequencies using a three-interval forced-choice task. Amusics exhibited deficits even at the highest frequency, which lies beyond the existence region of musical pitch. Next, we assessed the extent to which frequency coding deficits persist in one- and two-interval frequency-modulation (FM) and amplitude-modulation (AM) detection tasks at 500Hz at slow (f m =4Hz) and fast (f m =20Hz) modulation rates. Amusics still exhibited deficits in one-interval FM detection tasks that should not involve memory or segmentation. Surprisingly, amusics were also impaired on AM detection, which should not involve pitch processing. Finally, direct comparisons between the detection of continuous and discrete FM demonstrated that amusics suffer deficits in both coding and segmenting pitch information. Our results reveal auditory deficits in amusia extending beyond pitch perception that are subtle when controlling for memory and segmentation, and are likely exacerbated in more complex contexts such as musical listening. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tinnitus pitch and acoustic trauma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cahani, M; Paul, G; Shahar, A

1983-01-01

Fifty-six subjects complaining of tinnitus underwent an audiometric test and a test for identifying the analogous pitch of their tinnitus. All of the subjects reported that they had been exposed to noise in the past. The subjects were divided into two groups on the basis of their audiometric test results. Group P was composed of subjects who showed a sensorineural hearing loss typical of acoustic trauma. Group N was composed of subjects whose hearing was within normal limits. The pitch of the tinnitus in group P was concentrated in the high-frequency range, whereas in group N tinnitus pitch values were distributed over the low and mid-audiometric frequency spectrum. It was deduced that different processes are involved in the generation of tinnitus in the two groups.

Binaural Pitch Fusion in Bilateral Cochlear Implant Users.

Science.gov (United States)

Reiss, Lina A J; Fowler, Jennifer R; Hartling, Curtis L; Oh, Yonghee

Binaural pitch fusion is the fusion of stimuli that evoke different pitches between the ears into a single auditory image. Individuals who use hearing aids or bimodal cochlear implants (CIs) experience abnormally broad binaural pitch fusion, such that sounds differing in pitch by as much as 3-4 octaves are fused across ears, leading to spectral averaging and speech perception interference. The goal of this study was to determine if adult bilateral CI users also experience broad binaural pitch fusion. Stimuli were pulse trains delivered to individual electrodes. Fusion ranges were measured using simultaneous, dichotic presentation of reference and comparison stimuli in opposite ears, and varying the comparison stimulus to find the range that fused with the reference stimulus. Bilateral CI listeners had binaural pitch fusion ranges varying from 0 to 12 mm (average 6.1 ± 3.9 mm), where 12 mm indicates fusion over all electrodes in the array. No significant correlations of fusion range were observed with any subject factors related to age, hearing loss history, or hearing device history, or with any electrode factors including interaural electrode pitch mismatch, pitch match bandwidth, or within-ear electrode discrimination abilities. Bilateral CI listeners have abnormally broad fusion, similar to hearing aid and bimodal CI listeners. This broad fusion may explain the variability of binaural benefits for speech perception in quiet and in noise in bilateral CI users.

Carbon dioxide conversion over carbon-based nanocatalysts.

Science.gov (United States)

Khavarian, Mehrnoush; Chai, Siang-Piao; Mohamed, Abdul Rahman

2013-07-01

The utilization of carbon dioxide for the production of valuable chemicals via catalysts is one of the efficient ways to mitigate the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. It is known that the carbon dioxide conversion and product yields are still low even if the reaction is operated at high pressure and temperature. The carbon dioxide utilization and conversion provides many challenges in exploring new concepts and opportunities for development of unique catalysts for the purpose of activating the carbon dioxide molecules. In this paper, the role of carbon-based nanocatalysts in the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide and direct synthesis of dimethyl carbonate from carbon dioxide and methanol are reviewed. The current catalytic results obtained with different carbon-based nanocatalysts systems are presented and how these materials contribute to the carbon dioxide conversion is explained. In addition, different strategies and preparation methods of nanometallic catalysts on various carbon supports are described to optimize the dispersion of metal nanoparticles and catalytic activity.

Statistically Efficient Methods for Pitch and DOA Estimation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jesper Rindom; Christensen, Mads Græsbøll; Jensen, Søren Holdt

2013-01-01

, it was recently considered to estimate the DOA and pitch jointly. In this paper, we propose two novel methods for DOA and pitch estimation. They both yield maximum-likelihood estimates in white Gaussian noise scenar- ios, where the SNR may be different across channels, as opposed to state-of-the-art methods......Traditionally, direction-of-arrival (DOA) and pitch estimation of multichannel, periodic sources have been considered as two separate problems. Separate estimation may render the task of resolving sources with similar DOA or pitch impossible, and it may decrease the estimation accuracy. Therefore...

Wind turbine pitch control using ICPSO-PID algorithm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xu, Chang; Tian, Qiangqiang; Shen, Wen Zhong

2013-01-01

For the traditional simplified first-order pitch-control system model, it is difficult to describe a real dynamic characteristic of a variable pitch action system, thus a complete high order mathematical model has to be developed for the pitch control of wind turbine generation (WTG). In the paper...... controller parameters quickly; and the feed-forward controller for wind speed can improve dynamics of a pitch-control system; additionally the power controller can allow a wind turbine to have a constant power output as a wind speed is over the rated one. Compared with a conventional PID, the controller...... with ICPSO-PID algorithm has a smaller overshoot, a shorter tuning time and better robustness. The design method proposed in the paper can be applied in a practical electro-hydraulic pitch control system for WTG....

Effect of Blade Pitch Angle on the Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Straight-bladed Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Based on Experiments and Simulations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanzhao Yang

2018-06-01

Full Text Available The blade pitch angle has a significant influence on the aerodynamic characteristics of horizontal axis wind turbines. However, few research results have revealed its impact on the straight-bladed vertical axis wind turbine (Sb-VAWT. In this paper, wind tunnel experiments and CFD simulations were performed at the Sb-VAWT to investigate the effect of different blade pitch angles on the pressure distribution on the blade surface, the torque coefficient, and the power coefficient. In this study, the airfoil type was NACA0021 with two blades. The Sb-VAWT had a rotor radius of 1.0 m with a spanwise length of 1.2 m. The simulations were based on the k-ω Shear Stress Transport (SST turbulence model and the wind tunnel experiments were carried out using a high-speed multiport pressure device. As a result, it was found that the maximum pressure difference on the blade surface was obtained at the blade pitch angle of β = 6° in the upstream region. However, the maximum pressure coefficient was shown at the blade pitch angle of β = 8° in the downstream region. The torque coefficient acting on a single blade reached its maximum value at the blade pitch angle of β = 6°. As the tip speed ratio increased, the power coefficient became higher and reached the optimum level. Subsequently, further increase of the tip speed ratio only led to a quick reversion of the power coefficient. In addition, the results from CFD simulations had also a good agreement with the results from the wind tunnel experiments. As a result, the blade pitch angle did not have a significant influence on the aerodynamic characteristics of the Sb-VAWT.

Do Musicians with Perfect Pitch Have More Autism Traits than Musicians without Perfect Pitch? An Empirical Study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dohn, Anders; Garza-Villarreal, Eduardo A.; Heaton, Pamela

2012-01-01

Perfect pitch, also known as absolute pitch (AP), refers to the rare ability to identify or produce a musical tone correctly without the benefit of an external reference. AP is often considered to reflect musical giftedness, but it has also been associated with certain disabilities due to increas...

You Can’t Think and Hit at the Same Time: Neural Correlates of Baseball Pitch Classification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jason eSherwin

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Hitting a baseball is often described as the most difficult thing to do in sports. A key aptitude of a good hitter is the ability to determine which pitch is coming. This rapid decision requires the batter to make a judgment in a fraction of a second based largely on the trajectory and spin of the ball. When does this decision occur relative to the ball’s trajectory and is it possible to identify neural correlates that represent how the decision evolves over a split second? Using single-trial analysis of electroencephalography (EEG we address this question within the context of subjects discriminating three types of pitches (fastball, curveball, slider based on pitch trajectories. We find clear neural signatures of pitch classification and, using signal detection theory, we identify the times of discrimination on a trial-to-trial basis. Based on these neural signatures we estimate neural discrimination distributions as a function of the distance the ball is from the plate. We find all three pitches yield unique distributions, namely the timing of the discriminating neural signatures relative to the position of the ball in its trajectory. For instance, fastballs are discriminated at the earliest points in their trajectory, relative to the two other pitches, which is consistent with the need for some constant time to generate and execute the motor plan for the swing (or inhibition of the swing. We also find incorrect discrimination of a pitch (errors yields neural sources in Brodmann Area 10 (BA 10, which has been implicated in prospective memory, recall and task difficulty. In summary, we show that single-trial analysis of EEG yields informative distributions of the relative point in a baseball’s trajectory when the batter makes a decision on which pitch is coming.

Servo-elastic dynamics of a hydraulic actuator pitching a blade with large deflections

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Morten Hartvig; Kallesøe, Bjarne Skovmose

2007-01-01

This paper deals with the servo-elastic dynamics of a hydraulic pitch actuator acting on a largely bend wind turbine blade. The compressibility of the oil and flexibility of the hoses introduce a dynamic mode in the pitch bearing degree of freedom. This mode may obtain negative damping...... if the proportional gain on the actuator position error is defined too large relative to the viscous forces in the hydraulic system and the total rotational inertia of the pitch bearing degree of freedom. A simple expression for the stability limit of this proportional gain is derived for tuning the gain based...

Discriminating male and female voices: differentiating pitch and gender.

Science.gov (United States)

Latinus, Marianne; Taylor, Margot J

2012-04-01

Gender is salient, socially critical information obtained from faces and voices, yet the brain processes underlying gender discrimination have not been well studied. We investigated neural correlates of gender processing of voices in two ERP studies. In the first, ERP differences were seen between female and male voices starting at 87 ms, in both spatial-temporal and peak analyses, particularly the fronto-central N1 and P2. As pitch differences may drive gender differences, the second study used normal, high- and low-pitch voices. The results of these studies suggested that differences in pitch produced early effects (27-63 ms). Gender effects were seen on N1 (120 ms) with implicit pitch processing (study 1), but were not seen with manipulations of pitch (study 2), demonstrating that N1 was modulated by attention. P2 (between 170 and 230 ms) discriminated male from female voices, independent of pitch. Thus, these data show that there are two stages in voice gender processing; a very early pitch or frequency discrimination and a later more accurate determination of gender at the P2 latency.

Processing of Binaural Pitch Stimuli in Hearing-Impaired Listeners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Santurette, Sébastien; Dau, Torsten

2009-01-01

Binaural pitch is a tonal sensation produced by introducing a frequency-dependent interaural phase shift in binaurally presented white noise. As no spectral cues are present in the physical stimulus, binaural pitch perception is assumed to rely on accurate temporal fine structure coding and intact...... binaural integration mechanisms. This study investigated to what extent basic auditory measures of binaural processing as well as cognitive abilities are correlated with the ability of hearing-impaired listeners to perceive binaural pitch. Subjects from three groups (1: normal-hearing; 2: cochlear...... hearingloss; 3: retro-cochlear impairment) were asked to identify the pitch contour of series of five notes of equal duration, ranging from 523 to 784 Hz, played either with Huggins’ binaural pitch stimuli (BP) or perceptually similar, but monaurally detectable, pitches (MP). All subjects from groups 1 and 2...

Kinematics and kinetics of elite windmill softball pitching.

Science.gov (United States)

Werner, Sherry L; Jones, Deryk G; Guido, John A; Brunet, Michael E

2006-04-01

A significant number of time-loss injuries to the upper extremity in elite windmill softball pitchers has been documented. The number of outings and pitches thrown in 1 week for a softball pitcher is typically far in excess of those seen in baseball pitchers. Shoulder stress in professional baseball pitching has been reported to be high and has been linked to pitching injuries. Shoulder distraction has not been studied in an elite softball pitching population. The stresses on the throwing shoulder of elite windmill pitchers are similar to those found for professional baseball pitchers. Descriptive laboratory study. Three-dimensional, high-speed (120 Hz) video data were collected on rise balls from 24 elite softball pitchers during the 1996 Olympic Games. Kinematic parameters related to pitching mechanics and resultant kinetics on the throwing shoulder were calculated. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to relate shoulder stress and pitching mechanics. Shoulder distraction stress averaged 80% of body weight for the Olympic pitchers. Sixty-nine percent of the variability in shoulder distraction can be explained by a combination of 7 parameters related to pitching mechanics. Excessive distraction stress at the throwing shoulder is similar to that found in baseball pitchers, which suggests that windmill softball pitchers are at risk for overuse injuries. Normative information regarding upper extremity kinematics and kinetics for elite softball pitchers has been established.

Pitch discrimination associated with phonological awareness: Evidence from congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Yanan; Lu, Xuejing; Ho, Hao Tam; Thompson, William Forde

2017-03-13

Research suggests that musical skills are associated with phonological abilities. To further investigate this association, we examined whether phonological impairments are evident in individuals with poor music abilities. Twenty individuals with congenital amusia and 20 matched controls were assessed on a pure-tone pitch discrimination task, a rhythm discrimination task, and four phonological tests. Amusic participants showed deficits in discriminating pitch and discriminating rhythmic patterns that involve a regular beat. At a group level, these individuals performed similarly to controls on all phonological tests. However, eight amusics with severe pitch impairment, as identified by the pitch discrimination task, exhibited significantly worse performance than all other participants in phonological awareness. A hierarchical regression analysis indicated that pitch discrimination thresholds predicted phonological awareness beyond that predicted by phonological short-term memory and rhythm discrimination. In contrast, our rhythm discrimination task did not predict phonological awareness beyond that predicted by pitch discrimination thresholds. These findings suggest that accurate pitch discrimination is critical for phonological processing. We propose that deficits in early-stage pitch discrimination may be associated with impaired phonological awareness and we discuss the shared role of pitch discrimination for processing music and speech.

Pitch Correlogram Clustering for Fast Speaker Identification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nitin Jhanwar

2004-12-01

Full Text Available Gaussian mixture models (GMMs are commonly used in text-independent speaker identification systems. However, for large speaker databases, their high computational run-time limits their use in online or real-time speaker identification situations. Two-stage identification systems, in which the database is partitioned into clusters based on some proximity criteria and only a single-cluster GMM is run in every test, have been suggested in literature to speed up the identification process. However, most clustering algorithms used have shown limited success, apparently because the clustering and GMM feature spaces used are derived from similar speech characteristics. This paper presents a new clustering approach based on the concept of a pitch correlogram that captures frame-to-frame pitch variations of a speaker rather than short-time spectral characteristics like cepstral coefficient, spectral slopes, and so forth. The effectiveness of this two-stage identification process is demonstrated on the IVIE corpus of 110 speakers. The overall system achieves a run-time advantage of 500% as well as a 10% reduction of error in overall speaker identification.

Effect of particulate matrix inhibitors on microstructure and properties of 2-D carbon-carbon composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tlomak, P.; Takano, Shigeru; Wright, M.A.; Ju, Chien-Ping.

1991-01-01

Extended-life applications of structural carbon-carbon (C-C) composites involve multiple periods of operation in high-temperature oxidizing environments and as such require a reliable oxidation protection system (OPS). Advanced OPS's generally consist of an external ceramic coating combined with an in-depth matrix inhibitor. This work investigated the effects produced by particulate inhibitors doped on the matrix on the microstructure of 2D, PAN fiber-pitch matrix C-C's. Boron and zirconium-based particulate inhibitors were added to the matrix material prior to heat treatment. A process was developed to assure a uniform distribution of the inhibitors. Oxidation behavior of such matrix-inhibited composites was evaluated using isothermal oxidation tests. 5 refs

Spatial Rack Drives Pitch Configurations: Essence and Content

Science.gov (United States)

Abadjieva, Emilia; Abadjiev, Valentin; Naganawa, Akihiro

2018-03-01

The practical realization of all types of mechanical motions converters is preceded by solving the task of their kinematic synthesis. In this way, the determination of the optimal values of the constant geometrical parameters of the chosen structure of the created mechanical system is achieved. The searched result is a guarantee of the preliminary defined kinematic characteristics of the synthesized transmission and in the first place, to guarantee the law of motions transformation. The kinematic synthesis of mechanical transmissions is based on adequate mathematical modelling of the process of motions transformation and on the object, realizing this transformation. Basic primitives of the mathematical models for synthesis upon a pitch contact point are geometric and kinematic pitch configurations. Their dimensions and mutual position in space are the input parameters for the processes of design and elaboration of the synthesized mechanical device. The study presented here is a brief review of the theory of pitch configurations. It is an independent scientific branch of the spatial gearing theory (theory of hyperboloid gears). On this basis, the essence and content of the corresponding primitives, applicable to the synthesis of spatial rack drives, are defined.

Pitch Counts in Youth Baseball and Softball: A Historical Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Feeley, Brian T; Schisel, Jessica; Agel, Julie

2018-07-01

Pitching injuries are getting increased attention in the mass media. Many references are made to pitch counts and the role they play in injury prevention. The original purpose of regulating the pitch count in youth baseball was to reduce injury and fatigue to pitchers. This article reviews the history and development of the pitch count limit in baseball, the effect it has had on injury, and the evidence regarding injury rates on softball windmill pitching. Literature search through PubMed, mass media, and organizational Web sites through June 2015. Pitch count limits and rest recommendations were introduced in 1996 after a survey of 28 orthopedic surgeons and baseball coaches showed injuries to baseball pitchers' arms were believed to be from the number of pitches thrown. Follow-up research led to revised recommendations with more detailed guidelines in 2006. Since that time, data show a relationship between innings pitched and upper extremity injury, but pitch type has not clearly been shown to affect injury rates. Current surveys of coaches and players show that coaches, parents, and athletes often do not adhere to these guidelines. There are no pitch count guidelines currently available in softball. The increase in participation in youth baseball and softball with an emphasis on early sport specialization in youth sports activities suggests that there will continue to be a rise in injury rates to young throwers. The published pitch counts are likely to positively affect injury rates but must be adhered to by athletes, coaches, and parents.

Subcortical plasticity following perceptual learning in a pitch discrimination task.

Science.gov (United States)

Carcagno, Samuele; Plack, Christopher J

2011-02-01

Practice can lead to dramatic improvements in the discrimination of auditory stimuli. In this study, we investigated changes of the frequency-following response (FFR), a subcortical component of the auditory evoked potentials, after a period of pitch discrimination training. Twenty-seven adult listeners were trained for 10 h on a pitch discrimination task using one of three different complex tone stimuli. One had a static pitch contour, one had a rising pitch contour, and one had a falling pitch contour. Behavioral measures of pitch discrimination and FFRs for all the stimuli were measured before and after the training phase for these participants, as well as for an untrained control group (n = 12). Trained participants showed significant improvements in pitch discrimination compared to the control group for all three trained stimuli. These improvements were partly specific for stimuli with the same pitch modulation (dynamic vs. static) and with the same pitch trajectory (rising vs. falling) as the trained stimulus. Also, the robustness of FFR neural phase locking to the sound envelope increased significantly more in trained participants compared to the control group for the static and rising contour, but not for the falling contour. Changes in FFR strength were partly specific for stimuli with the same pitch modulation (dynamic vs. static) of the trained stimulus. Changes in FFR strength, however, were not specific for stimuli with the same pitch trajectory (rising vs. falling) as the trained stimulus. These findings indicate that even relatively low-level processes in the mature auditory system are subject to experience-related change.

Singing ability is rooted in vocal-motor control of pitch.

Science.gov (United States)

Hutchins, Sean; Larrouy-Maestri, Pauline; Peretz, Isabelle

2014-11-01

The inability to vocally match a pitch can be caused by poor pitch perception or by poor vocal-motor control. Although previous studies have tried to examine the relationship between pitch perception and vocal production, they have failed to control for the timbre of the target to be matched. In the present study, we compare pitch-matching accuracy with an unfamiliar instrument (the slider) and with the voice, designed such that the slider plays back recordings of the participant's own voice. We also measured pitch accuracy in singing a familiar melody ("Happy Birthday") to assess the relationship between single-pitch-matching tasks and melodic singing. Our results showed that participants (all nonmusicians) were significantly better at matching recordings of their own voices with the slider than with their voice, indicating that vocal-motor control is an important limiting factor on singing ability. We also found significant correlations between the ability to sing a melody in tune and vocal pitch matching, but not pitch matching on the slider. Better melodic singers also tended to have higher quality voices (as measured by acoustic variables). These results provide important evidence about the role of vocal-motor control in poor singing ability and demonstrate that single-pitch-matching tasks can be useful in measuring general singing abilities.

Facial Expression and Vocal Pitch Height: Evidence of an Intermodal Association

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Huron

2009-11-01

Full Text Available Forty-four participants were asked to sing moderate, high, and low pitches while their faces were photographed. In a two-alternative forced choice task, independent judges selected the high-pitch faces as more friendly than the low-pitch faces. When photographs were cropped to show only the eye region, judges still rated the high-pitch faces friendlier than the low-pitch faces. These results are consistent with prior research showing that vocal pitch height is used to signal aggression (low pitch or appeasement (high pitch. An analysis of the facial features shows a strong correlation between eyebrow position and sung pitch—consistent with the role of eyebrows in signaling aggression and appeasement. Overall, the results are consistent with an inter-modal linkage between vocal and facial expressions.

Perception of the pitch of unresolved harmonics by 3- and 7-month-old human infants.

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, Bonnie K; Werner, Lynne A

2014-08-01

Three-month-olds discriminate resolved harmonic complexes on the basis of missing fundamental (MF) pitch. In view of reported difficulty in discriminating unresolved complexes at 7 months and striking changes in the organization of the auditory system during early infancy, infants' ability to discriminate unresolved complexes is of some interest. This study investigated the ability of 3-month-olds, 7-month-olds, and adults to discriminate the pitch of unresolved harmonic complexes using an observer-based method. Stimuli were MF complexes bandpass filtered with a -12 dB/octave slope, combined in random phase, presented at 70 dB sound pressure level (SPL) for 650 ms with a 50 ms rise/fall with a pink noise at 65 dB SPL. The conditions were (1) "LOW" unresolved harmonics (2500-4500 Hz) based on MFs of 160 and 200 Hz and (2) "HIGH" unresolved harmonics (4000-6000 Hz) based on MFs of 190 and 200 Hz. To demonstrate MF discrimination, participants had to ignore spectral changes in complexes with the same fundamental and respond only when the fundamental changed. Nearly all infants tested categorized complexes by MF pitch suggesting discrimination of pitch extracted from unresolved harmonics by 3 months. Adults also categorized the complexes by MF pitch, although musically trained adults were more successful than musically untrained adults.

Unsteady force characteristics on foils undergoing pitching motion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Chang Jo

2006-01-01

In the present study the unsteady forces acting on the pitching foils such as a flat plate, NACA0010, NACA0020, NACA65-0910 and BTE have been measured by using a six-axis sensor in a circulating water tunnel at a low Reynolds number region. The unsteady characteristics of the dynamic drag and lift have been compared to the quasi-steady ones which are measured under the stationary condition. The pitching motion is available for keeping the lift higher after the separation occurs. Especially, the characteristics of the dynamic lift are quite different from the quasi-steady one at high pitching frequency regions. As the pitching frequency deceases, the amplitude of the dynamic lift becomes closer to the quasi-steady one. However, the phase remains different between the steady and unsteady conditions even at low pitching frequencies. On the other hand, the dynamic drag is governed strongly by the angle of attack

Analysis of the Microstructure and Oxidation Behavior of Some Commercial Carbon Fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Dae Ho; Kim, Bohye; Yang, Kap Seung; Im, Hun Kook; Bang, Yun Hyuk; Kim, Sung Ryong

2011-01-01

The relationship between the microstructure, mechanical properties, and oxidation behavior of pitch-, polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-, and Rayon-based carbon fibers (CFs) has been studied in detail. Three types of carbon fiber were exposed to isothermal oxidation in air and the weight change was measured by thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) apparatus. After activation energy was gained according to the conversion at reacting temperature, the value of specific surface area and the surface morphology was compared, and the reaction mechanism of oxidation affecting development of pores of carbon fibers was examined. This study will lead to a new insight into the relationship between the microstructure and mechanical properties of carbon fibers

Fine-grained pitch processing of music and speech in congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Tillmann, Barbara; Rusconi, Elena; Traube, Caroline; Butterworth, Brian; Umiltà, Carlo; Peretz, Isabelle

2011-12-01

Congenital amusia is a lifelong disorder of music processing that has been ascribed to impaired pitch perception and memory. The present study tested a large group of amusics (n=17) and provided evidence that their pitch deficit affects pitch processing in speech to a lesser extent: Fine-grained pitch discrimination was better in spoken syllables than in acoustically matched tones. Unlike amusics, control participants performed fine-grained pitch discrimination better for musical material than for verbal material. These findings suggest that pitch extraction can be influenced by the nature of the material (music vs speech), and that amusics' pitch deficit is not restricted to musical material, but extends to segmented speech events. © 2011 Acoustical Society of America

Noise and pitch interact during the cortical segregation of concurrent speech.

Science.gov (United States)

Bidelman, Gavin M; Yellamsetty, Anusha

2017-08-01

Behavioral studies reveal listeners exploit intrinsic differences in voice fundamental frequency (F0) to segregate concurrent speech sounds-the so-called "F0-benefit." More favorable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the environment, an extrinsic acoustic factor, similarly benefits the parsing of simultaneous speech. Here, we examined the neurobiological substrates of these two cues in the perceptual segregation of concurrent speech mixtures. We recorded event-related brain potentials (ERPs) while listeners performed a speeded double-vowel identification task. Listeners heard two concurrent vowels whose F0 differed by zero or four semitones presented in either clean (no noise) or noise-degraded (+5 dB SNR) conditions. Behaviorally, listeners were more accurate in correctly identifying both vowels for larger F0 separations but F0-benefit was more pronounced at more favorable SNRs (i.e., pitch × SNR interaction). Analysis of the ERPs revealed that only the P2 wave (∼200 ms) showed a similar F0 x SNR interaction as behavior and was correlated with listeners' perceptual F0-benefit. Neural classifiers applied to the ERPs further suggested that speech sounds are segregated neurally within 200 ms based on SNR whereas segregation based on pitch occurs later in time (400-700 ms). The earlier timing of extrinsic SNR compared to intrinsic F0-based segregation implies that the cortical extraction of speech from noise is more efficient than differentiating speech based on pitch cues alone, which may recruit additional cortical processes. Findings indicate that noise and pitch differences interact relatively early in cerebral cortex and that the brain arrives at the identities of concurrent speech mixtures as early as ∼200 ms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Studi Sintesis Metil Ester Asam Lemak Dari Pitch Cair Melalui Tahap Reaksi Esterifikasi Dan Transesterifikasi

OpenAIRE

Turnip, Roselprida

2015-01-01

Pitch liquid having high Free Fatty Acid (FFA) derived from by product of process Palm Kernel Oil (PKO) became Fatty acid & Glycerine. The Reaction of making fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) from Pitch liquid having high FFA min 25,60% was investigated in two step. The acid-catalyzed (H2SO4(p)) esterification follow to Transesterification by the base catalyzed (KOH) methanolysis with mol ratio of methanol and TG of Pitch liquid 6 : 1, The first step reduced the FFA 1.01% with reaction time ...

Perception of words and pitch patterns in song and speech

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julia eMerrill

2012-03-01

Full Text Available This fMRI study examines shared and distinct cortical areas involved in the auditory perception of song and speech at the level of their underlying constituents: words, pitch and rhythm. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed on the brain activity patterns of six conditions, arranged in a subtractive hierarchy: sung sentences including words, pitch and rhythm; hummed speech prosody and song melody containing only pitch patterns and rhythm; as well as the pure musical or speech rhythm.Systematic contrasts between these balanced conditions following their hierarchical organization showed a great overlap between song and speech at all levels in the bilateral temporal lobe, but suggested a differential role of the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG and intraparietal sulcus (IPS in processing song and speech. The left IFG was involved in word- and pitch-related processing in speech, the right IFG in processing pitch in song.Furthermore, the IPS showed sensitivity to discrete pitch relations in song as opposed to the gliding pitch in speech. Finally, the superior temporal gyrus and premotor cortex coded for general differences between words and pitch patterns, irrespective of whether they were sung or spoken. Thus, song and speech share many features which are reflected in a fundamental similarity of brain areas involved in their perception. However, fine-grained acoustic differences on word and pitch level are reflected in the activity of IFG and IPS.

Kinematics changes in technique of a softball pitch

OpenAIRE

Tomášek, Petr

2007-01-01

Headline: Kinematic changes in technique of a softball pitch. Aims of thesis: I will compare the pitches ofprofessinal european softball wonam pitchers and then I will compare their technique with professional czech woman pitcher. Methods: Results: Key words: For examination of different techniques, I choosed thease professinal european softball wonam pitchers 3 Italians and 2 Greeks. Videotape was taken on European championship 2005 in Prague. For description of softball pitch I used a metho...

Tune That Beer! Listening for the Pitch of Beer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felipe Reinoso Carvalho

2016-11-01

Full Text Available We report two experiments designed to assess the key sensory drivers underlying people’s association of a specific auditory pitch with Belgian beer. In particular, we assessed if people would rely mostly on the differences between beers in terms of their relative alcohol strength, or on the contrast between the most salient taste attributes of the different beers. In Experiment 1, the participants rated three bitter beers (differing in alcohol content, using a narrow range of pitch choices (50–500 Hz. The results revealed that the beers were all rated around the same pitch (Mean = 232 Hz, SD = 136 Hz. In Experiment 2, a wider range of pitch choices (50–1500 Hz, along with the addition of a much sweeter beer, revealed that people mostly tend to match beers with bitter-range profiles at significantly lower pitch ranges when compared to the average pitch of a much sweeter beer. These results therefore demonstrate that clear differences in taste attributes lead to distinctly different matches in terms of pitch. Having demonstrated the robustness of the basic crossmodal matching, future research should aim to uncover the basis for such matches and better understand the perceptual effects of matching/non-matching tones on the multisensory drinking experience.

Obtenção de piches mesofásicos em dois estágios a partir de piche de petróleo Preparation in two stages of mesophase pitches from petroleum pitch

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos H. M. C. Dutra

2008-01-01

Full Text Available A obtenção de piches mesofásicos para a produção de fibras de carbono de alta performance foi investigada por meio de tratamento térmico de três piches de petróleo, em dois estágios em um reator com agitação magnética e capacidade de 700 g. O primeiro estágio consistiu de um pré-tratamento sob agitação e atmosfera de nitrogênio a 0,9 MPa, a 390, 410 e 430 °C, durante três horas. No segundo estágio, o tratamento térmico foi realizado por mais três horas, sob pressão atmosférica. Durante os experimentos, amostras foram recolhidas e analisadas por meio de medidas de solubilidade em tolueno e quinolina, ponto de amolecimento e o percentual de mesofase. Foi verificado que, para todos os piches produzidos, nas temperaturas de 390 e 410 °C a variação dos parâmetros físico-químicos foi muito pequena e que os tratamentos térmicos no patamar de 430 °C produziram piches com pontos de amolecimento acima de 300 °C, e percentual de mesofase próximo a 70%.Mesophase pitches, precursors of high-performance carbon fibers, were prepared from petroleum pitch by a two-stage heat treatment, in a reactor capable of heat treating 700 g of petroleum pitch under stirring. The process consisted of a pretreatment under pressure at 390, 410 and 430 °C under nitrogen atmosphere, at 0.9 MPa, for three hours, as the first stage, followed by another heat treatment under atmospheric pressure, as the second stage. To study the properties of the petroleum pitch samples, during the experiment, they were removed from the system. Quinoline insolubles, toluene insolubles, mesophase content and softening point of the samples were used to follow the pyrolysis process. The results revealed slight variations in the properties for the pitches produced at 390 and 410 °C. However, the pitch samples produced at 430 °C had softening points higher than 300 °C, and mesophase contents of around 70%.

Relating the absence of binaural pitch percept to retro-cochlear impairment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Santurette, Sébastien; Dau, Torsten

Binaural pitch stimuli, created by introducing an interaural phase difference over a narrow band of otherwise diotic white noise, produce an immediate tonal sensation with a pitch close to the centre of the phase-shifted band. In Santurette and Dau [Hear. Res. 223(1-2):29-47, 2007], it was shown...... that the salience of binaural pitch was affected by hearing impairment. Specifically, for subjects with a sensorineural impairment, binaural pitch perception was weaker than the normal-hearing average but the pitch sensation was immediately present. In contrast, no binaural pitch sensation at all was found...... for the (only) two subjects with damage at central stages. The aim of the present study is to clarify whether such a sharp distinction between levels of impairment can be made using binaural pitch stimuli. A pitch detection test was performed by three groups of subjects with: 1) normal hearing; 2) a cochlear...

Characterization of pitches by liquid chromatography using cellulose 3,5-dinitrobenzoate as the packing material

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arai, K.; Judo, R.; Ota, E. [Gunma University, Gunma (Japan). Dept. of Chemistry

1997-08-01

Characterization of coal tar, petroleum and PVC pitches by a liquid chromatography using cellulose 3,5-dinitrobenzoate (DNB-cellulose) as the packing material was investigated. Separation mechanism based on charge-transfer interaction between the dinitrobenzoyl group and polyaromatic compounds was expected to be useful for separation of the constituents of the pitches. First, 26 model polyaromatic compounds were tested to examine the characteristic feature of the packing material by liquid chromatography. The compounds were found to be classified roughly into four groups with different retention volume, principally according to the number of condensed rings. The nonplanar structure and aliphatic side chain of the polyaromatic compounds also affected the separation behavior. Both benzene soluble-hexane soluble and benzene soluble-hexane insoluble fractions of the three pitches were separated on DNB-cellulose. It was found that coal tar pitch contains relatively large amounts of some highly condensed polyaromatic compounds with condensed rings of 4 to 5; petroleum pitch has small amounts of such specific highly condensed polyaromatic compounds, while PVC pitch has large amounts of less condensed polyaromatic compounds and there is no significant amount of highly condensed compound in it. Thus DNB-cellulose was useful as the convenient packing material for liquid chromatography to characterize pitches.

Relationship of radiation dose and spiral pitch for multi-slice CT system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song Shaojuan; Wang Wei; Liu Chuanya

2006-01-01

Objective: To study the relations of radiation dose and spiral pitch for multi-slice CT system. Methods: 16 mm dose phantom with solidose 300/400 pen-style ion chamber inserted into each of five holes in turn was scanned with different spiral pitch by LightSpeed 16-slice CT and Sensation 16-slice and 64-slice CT and radiation dose. Results: CTDI vol of axial scan and spiral scan for the three types of CT system are: (1) LightSpeed 16-slice CT: 28.9 (axial), 51.4 (pitch 0.562), 30.8 (pitch 0.938) and 16.5 ( pitch 1.75 ); (2) Sensation 16-slice CT: 41.2(axial) and 40.3(pitch 0.5) ,41.5(pitch 1) and 43.2(pitch 1.5); (3) Sensation 64- slice CT: 41.2(axial) and 40.3(pitch 0.5),41.5(pitch 1),43.2(pitch 1.5). Conclusions: For LightSpeed 16-slice CT, the measured radiation dose decreased with the increase of spiral pitch, the image quality could keep constant only if we increase mAs. While for Sensation 16-slice and 64-slice CT system, the measured radiation dose was identical for different pitch, and the image quality was identical because of the use of mAs auto control technique The mAs should be adjusted in different way according to the type of CT system when the pitch is changed in daily operation. (authors)

Impaired Pitch Production and Preserved Rhythm Production in a Right Brain-Damaged Patient with Amusia

Science.gov (United States)

Murayama, Junko; Kashiwagi, Toshihiro; Kashiwagi, Asako; Mimura, Masaru

2004-01-01

Pre- and postmorbid singing of a patient with amusia due to a right-hemispheric infarction was analyzed acoustically. This particular patient had a premorbid tape recording of her own singing without accompaniment. Appropriateness of pitch interval and rhythm was evaluated based on ratios of pitch and duration between neighboring notes. The…

Hydrogen storage of catalyst-containing activated carbon fibers and effect of surface modification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikpyo Hong; Seong Young Lee; Kyung Hee Lee; Sei Min Park

2005-01-01

Introduction: The hydrogen storage capacities of many kind of carbon nano materials have been reported with possibility and improbability. It is reported that specific surface area of carbon nano material has not a close relation to hydrogen storage capacity. This result shows that there is difference between specific surface area measured by isothermal nitrogen adsorption and direct measurement of adsorption with hydrogen and suggests that the carbon material with relatively low specific surface area can have high hydrogen storage capacity when they have effective nano pore. In this study, petroleum based isotropic pitch was hybridized with several kinds of transitional metal base organometallic compound solved with organic solvent and spun by electro-spinning method. The catalyst-dispersed ACFs were prepared and characterized and hydrogen storage capacity was measured. The effect of surface modification of ACFs by physical and chemical treatment was also investigated. Experimental: The isotropic precursor pitch prepared by nitrogen blowing from naphtha cracking bottom oil was hybridized with transitional metal based acetyl acetonates and spun by solvent electro-spinning. Tetrahydrofuran and quinoline were used as solvent with various mixing ratio. High voltage DC power generator which could adjust in the range of 0-60000 V and 2 mA maximum current was used to supply electrostatic force. At the solvent electro-spinning, solvent mixing ratio and pitch concentration, voltage and spinning distance were varied and their influences were investigated. The catalyst-dispersed electro-spun pitch fibers were thermal stabilized, carbonized and activated by conventional heat treatment for activated carbon fiber. Prepared fibers were observed by high resolution SEM and pore properties were characterized by Micromeritics ASAP2020 model physi-sorption analyzer. Hydrogen storage capacities were measured by equipment modified from Thermo Cahn TherMax 500 model high pressure

Multi-pitch Estimation using Semidefinite Programming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Tobias Lindstrøm; Vandenberghe, Lieven

2017-01-01

assuming a Nyquist sampled signal by adding an additional semidefinite constraint. We show that the proposed estimator has superior performance compared to state- of-the-art methods for separating two closely spaced fundamentals and approximately achieves the asymptotic Cramér-Rao lower bound.......Multi-pitch estimation concerns the problem of estimating the fundamental frequencies (pitches) and amplitudes/phases of multiple superimposed harmonic signals with application in music, speech, vibration analysis etc. In this paper we formulate a complex-valued multi-pitch estimator via...... a semidefinite programming representation of an atomic decomposition over a continuous dictionary of complex exponentials and extend this to real-valued data via a real semidefinite pro-ram with the same dimensions (i.e. half the size). We further impose a continuous frequency constraint naturally occurring from...

Conceptual design of a fixed-pitch wind turbine generator system rated at 400 kilowatts

Science.gov (United States)

Pintz, A.; Kasuba, R.; Spring, J.

1984-01-01

The design and cost aspects of a fixed pitch, 400 kW Wind Turbine Generator (WTG) concept are presented. Improvements in reliability and cost reductions were achieved with fixed pitch operation and by incorporating recent advances in WTG technology. The specifications for this WTG concept were as follows: (1) A fixed pitch, continuous wooden rotor was to be provided by the Gougeon Bros. Co. (2) An 8 leg hyperboloid tower that showed promise as a low cost structure was to be used. (3) Only commercially available components and parts that could be easily fabricated were to be considered. (4) Design features deemed desirable based on recent NASA research efforts were to be incorporated. Detailed costs and weight estimates were prepared for the second machine and a wind farm of 12 WTG's. The calculated cost of energy for the fixed pitch, twelve unit windfarm is 11.5 cents/kW hr not including the cost of land and access roads. The study shows feasibility of fixed pitch, intermediate power WTG operation.

Routine chest and abdominal high-pitch CT: An alternative low dose protocol with preserved image quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amacker, Nadja A.; Mader, Caecilia; Alkadhi, Hatem; Leschka, Sebastian; Frauenfelder, Thomas

2012-01-01

Objective: To investigate the radiation dose and image quality of the high-pitch dual source computer tomography (DSCT) for routine chest and abdominal scans. Methods: 130 consecutive patients (62 female, 68 male, median age 55 years) were included. All patients underwent 128-slice high-pitch DSCT (chest n = 99; abdomen n = 84) at a pitch of 3.2. Two observers independently rated image quality using a 4-point score (1: excellent to 4: non-diagnostic). Image noise was measured and operational radiation dose quantities were recorded. An additional group of 132 patients (chest, n = 80; abdomen n = 52) scanned with standard-pitch CT matched for age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) served as control group. Results: Interobserver agreement for image quality rating was good (k = 0.74). Subjective image quality of high-pitch CT was diagnostic in all patients (median score chest; 2, median score abdomen: 2). Image noise of high-pitch CT was comparable to standard-pitch for the chest (p = 0.32) but increased in the abdomen (p < 0.0001). For high-pitch CT radiation dose was 4.4 ± 0.9 mSv (chest) and 6.5 ± 1.2 mSv (abdomen). These values were significantly lower compared to standard-pitch CT (chest: 5.5 ± 1.2 mSv; abdomen: 11.3 ± 3.8 mSv). Conclusion: Based on the technical background high-pitch dual source CT may serve as an alternative scan mode for low radiation dose routine chest and abdominal CT.

Optimal pitching axis location of flapping wings for efficient hovering flight.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Q; Goosen, J F L; van Keulen, F

2017-09-01

Flapping wings can pitch passively about their pitching axes due to their flexibility, inertia, and aerodynamic loads. A shift in the pitching axis location can dynamically alter the aerodynamic loads, which in turn changes the passive pitching motion and the flight efficiency. Therefore, it is of great interest to investigate the optimal pitching axis for flapping wings to maximize the power efficiency during hovering flight. In this study, flapping wings are modeled as rigid plates with non-uniform mass distribution. The wing flexibility is represented by a linearly torsional spring at the wing root. A predictive quasi-steady aerodynamic model is used to evaluate the lift generated by such wings. Two extreme power consumption scenarios are modeled for hovering flight, i.e. the power consumed by a drive system with and without the capacity of kinetic energy recovery. For wings with different shapes, the optimal pitching axis location is found such that the cycle-averaged power consumption during hovering flight is minimized. Optimization results show that the optimal pitching axis is located between the leading edge and the mid-chord line, which shows close resemblance to insect wings. An optimal pitching axis can save up to 33% of power during hovering flight when compared to traditional wings used by most of flapping wing micro air vehicles (FWMAVs). Traditional wings typically use the straight leading edge as the pitching axis. With the optimized pitching axis, flapping wings show higher pitching amplitudes and start the pitching reversals in advance of the sweeping reversals. These phenomena lead to higher lift-to-drag ratios and, thus, explain the lower power consumption. In addition, the optimized pitching axis provides the drive system higher potential to recycle energy during the deceleration phases as compared to their counterparts. This observation underlines the particular importance of the wing pitching axis location for energy-efficient FWMAVs when

Long-term memory for pitch in six-month-old infants.

Science.gov (United States)

Plantinga, Judy; Trainor, Laurel J

2003-11-01

We examined 6-month-old infants' long-term memory representations for the pitch of familiar melodies. Infants remembered the relative pitch of the melodies, but the absolute pitch was either not remembered or not a particularly salient attribute.

Fiscal 1993 achievement outline. Research and development of advanced materials for extreme environments (Advanced composite material); Chotaikankyosei senshin zairyo no kenkyu kaihatsu (senshin fukugo zairyo). 1993 nendo seika gaiyo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1994-03-01

Efforts were made to develop technologies for C/C (carbon/carbon) composite materials and SiC fiber reinforced intermetallic compound composite materials. The efforts involved (1) creation of carbon based composite materials, (2) advanced composite materials, (3) fiber reinforced intermetallic compound composite materials, and (4) comprehensive research activities. In the research, coordination was established between the three technological fields, test standards common to the three were worked out, and relevant technologies were investigated. Studied for development under item (1) were coal pitch derived carbon fiber/carbon based matrix composite materials, PAN (polyacrylonitrile) based carbon fiber/carbon based matrix composite materials, and oxidation resistance enhancement technology. Studied for development under item (2) were oil pitch derived random structure carbon fiber, oil pitch derived onion structure carbon fiber, and oil pitch derived double structure carbon fiber/carbon based matrix composite materials. Studied for development under item (3) were SiC/SiMC (M=metal) silicon carbide based fibers and complexation of intermetallic compounds and the developed silicon carbide based fibers. (NEDO)

Light and dark adaptation of visually perceived eye level controlled by visual pitch.

Science.gov (United States)

Matin, L; Li, W

1995-01-01

The pitch of a visual field systematically influences the elevation at which a monocularly viewing subject sets a target so as to appear at visually perceived eye level (VPEL). The deviation of the setting from true eye level average approximately 0.6 times the angle of pitch while viewing a fully illuminated complexly structured visual field and is only slightly less with one or two pitched-from-vertical lines in a dark field (Matin & Li, 1994a). The deviation of VPEL from baseline following 20 min of dark adaptation reaches its full value less than 1 min after the onset of illumination of the pitched visual field and decays exponentially in darkness following 5 min of exposure to visual pitch, either 30 degrees topbackward or 20 degrees topforward. The magnitude of the VPEL deviation measured with the dark-adapted right eye following left-eye exposure to pitch was 85% of the deviation that followed pitch exposure of the right eye itself. Time constants for VPEL decay to the dark baseline were the same for same-eye and cross-adaptation conditions and averaged about 4 min. The time constants for decay during dark adaptation were somewhat smaller, and the change during dark adaptation extended over a 16% smaller range following the viewing of the dim two-line pitched-from-vertical stimulus than following the viewing of the complex field. The temporal course of light and dark adaptation of VPEL is virtually identical to the course of light and dark adaptation of the scotopic luminance threshold following exposure to the same luminance. We suggest that, following rod stimulation along particular retinal orientations by portions of the pitched visual field, the storage of the adaptation process resides in the retinogeniculate system and is manifested in the focal system as a change in luminance threshold and in the ambient system as a change in VPEL. The linear model previously developed to account for VPEL, which was based on the interaction of influences from the

RBF neural network based PI pitch controller for a class of 5-MW wind turbines using particle swarm optimization algorithm.

Science.gov (United States)

Poultangari, Iman; Shahnazi, Reza; Sheikhan, Mansour

2012-09-01

In order to control the pitch angle of blades in wind turbines, commonly the proportional and integral (PI) controller due to its simplicity and industrial usability is employed. The neural networks and evolutionary algorithms are tools that provide a suitable ground to determine the optimal PI gains. In this paper, a radial basis function (RBF) neural network based PI controller is proposed for collective pitch control (CPC) of a 5-MW wind turbine. In order to provide an optimal dataset to train the RBF neural network, particle swarm optimization (PSO) evolutionary algorithm is used. The proposed method does not need the complexities, nonlinearities and uncertainties of the system under control. The simulation results show that the proposed controller has satisfactory performance. Copyright © 2012 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An investigation of spatial representation of pitch in individuals with congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Xuejing; Sun, Yanan; Thompson, William Forde

2017-09-01

Spatial representation of pitch plays a central role in auditory processing. However, it is unknown whether impaired auditory processing is associated with impaired pitch-space mapping. Experiment 1 examined spatial representation of pitch in individuals with congenital amusia using a stimulus-response compatibility (SRC) task. For amusic and non-amusic participants, pitch classification was faster and more accurate when correct responses involved a physical action that was spatially congruent with the pitch height of the stimulus than when it was incongruent. However, this spatial representation of pitch was not as stable in amusic individuals, revealed by slower response times when compared with control individuals. One explanation is that the SRC effect in amusics reflects a linguistic association, requiring additional time to link pitch height and spatial location. To test this possibility, Experiment 2 employed a colour-classification task. Participants judged colour while ignoring a concurrent pitch by pressing one of two response keys positioned vertically to be congruent or incongruent with the pitch. The association between pitch and space was found in both groups, with comparable response times in the two groups, suggesting that amusic individuals are only slower to respond to tasks involving explicit judgments of pitch.

Pitch Angle Control for Variable Speed Wind Turbines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mouna Ben Smida

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract.Pitch control is a practical technique for power regulation above the rated wind speed it is considered as the most efficient and popular power control method. As conventional pitch control usually use PI controller, the mathematical model of the system should be known well.This paper deals with the operation and the control of the direct driven permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG.Different conventional strategies of pitch angle control are described and validated through simulation results under Matlab\\Simulink.

Selective attention to sound location or pitch studied with fMRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Degerman, Alexander; Rinne, Teemu; Salmi, Juha; Salonen, Oili; Alho, Kimmo

2006-03-10

We used 3-T functional magnetic resonance imaging to compare the brain mechanisms underlying selective attention to sound location and pitch. In different tasks, the subjects (N = 10) attended to a designated sound location or pitch or to pictures presented on the screen. In the Attend Location conditions, the sound location varied randomly (left or right), while the pitch was kept constant (high or low). In the Attend Pitch conditions, sounds of randomly varying pitch (high or low) were presented at a constant location (left or right). Both attention to location and attention to pitch produced enhanced activity (in comparison with activation caused by the same sounds when attention was focused on the pictures) in widespread areas of the superior temporal cortex. Attention to either sound feature also activated prefrontal and inferior parietal cortical regions. These activations were stronger during attention to location than during attention to pitch. Attention to location but not to pitch produced a significant increase of activation in the premotor/supplementary motor cortices of both hemispheres and in the right prefrontal cortex, while no area showed activity specifically related to attention to pitch. The present results suggest some differences in the attentional selection of sounds on the basis of their location and pitch consistent with the suggested auditory "what" and "where" processing streams.

Variable Pitch Darrieus Water Turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Kirke, Brian; Lazauskas, Leo

In recent years the Darrieus wind turbine concept has been adapted for use in water, either as a hydrokinetic turbine converting the kinetic energy of a moving fluid in open flow like an underwater wind turbine, or in a low head or ducted arrangement where flow is confined, streamtube expansion is controlled and efficiency is not subject to the Betz limit. Conventional fixed pitch Darrieus turbines suffer from two drawbacks, (i) low starting torque and (ii) shaking due to cyclical variations in blade angle of attack. Ventilation and cavitation can also cause problems in water turbines when blade velocities are high. Shaking can be largely overcome by the use of helical blades, but these do not produce large starting torque. Variable pitch can produce high starting torque and high efficiency, and by suitable choice of pitch regime, shaking can be minimized but not entirely eliminated. Ventilation can be prevented by avoiding operation close to a free surface, and cavitation can be prevented by limiting blade velocities. This paper summarizes recent developments in Darrieus water turbines, some problems and some possible solutions.

Subcortical plasticity following perceptual learning in a pitch discrimination task

OpenAIRE

Carcagno, Samuele; Plack, Christopher J.

2011-01-01

Practice can lead to dramatic improvements in the discrimination of auditory stimuli. In this study, we investigated changes of the frequency-following response (FFR), a subcortical component of the auditory evoked potentials, after a period of pitch discrimination training. Twenty-seven adult listeners were trained for 10 h on a pitch discrimination task using one of three different complex tone stimuli. One had a static pitch contour, one had a rising pitch contour, and one had a falling pi...

Illusory conjunctions of pitch and duration in unfamiliar tone sequences.

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, W F; Hall, M D; Pressing, J

2001-02-01

In 3 experiments, the authors examined short-term memory for pitch and duration in unfamiliar tone sequences. Participants were presented a target sequence consisting of 2 tones (Experiment 1) or 7 tones (Experiments 2 and 3) and then a probe tone. Participants indicated whether the probe tone matched 1 of the target tones in both pitch and duration. Error rates were relatively low if the probe tone matched 1 of the target tones or if it differed from target tones in pitch, duration, or both. Error rates were remarkably high, however, if the probe tone combined the pitch of 1 target tone with the duration of a different target tone. The results suggest that illusory conjunctions of these dimensions frequently occur. A mathematical model is presented that accounts for the relative contribution of pitch errors, duration errors, and illusory conjunctions of pitch and duration.

New SOFRADIR 10μm pixel pitch infrared products

Science.gov (United States)

Lefoul, X.; Pere-Laperne, N.; Augey, T.; Rubaldo, L.; Aufranc, Sébastien; Decaens, G.; Ricard, N.; Mazaleyrat, E.; Billon-Lanfrey, D.; Gravrand, Olivier; Bisotto, Sylvette

2014-10-01

Recent advances in miniaturization of IR imaging technology have led to a growing market for mini thermal-imaging sensors. In that respect, Sofradir development on smaller pixel pitch has made much more compact products available to the users. When this competitive advantage is mixed with smaller coolers, made possible by HOT technology, we achieved valuable reductions in the size, weight and power of the overall package. At the same time, we are moving towards a global offer based on digital interfaces that provides our customers simplifications at the IR system design process while freeing up more space. This paper discusses recent developments on hot and small pixel pitch technologies as well as efforts made on compact packaging solution developed by SOFRADIR in collaboration with CEA-LETI.

Children’s identification of familiar songs from pitch and timing cues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna eVolkova

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The goal of the present study was to ascertain whether children with normal hearing and prelingually deaf children with cochlear implants could use pitch or timing cues alone or in combination to identify familiar songs. Children 4-7 years of age were required to identify the theme songs of familiar TV shows in a simple task with excerpts that preserved (1 the relative pitch and timing cues of the melody but not the original instrumentation, (2 the timing cues only (rhythm, meter, and tempo, and (3 the relative pitch cues only (pitch contour and intervals. Children with normal hearing performed at high levels and comparably across the three conditions. The performance of child implant users was well above chance levels when both pitch and timing cues were available, marginally above chance with timing cues only, and at chance with pitch cues only. This is the first demonstration that children can identify familiar songs from monotonic versions—timing cues but no pitch cues—and from isochronous versions—pitch cues but no timing cues. The study also indicates that, in the context of a very simple task, young implant users readily identify songs from melodic versions that preserve pitch and timing cues.

Pitch perception and production in congenital amusia: Evidence from Cantonese speakers.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Fang; Chan, Alice H D; Ciocca, Valter; Roquet, Catherine; Peretz, Isabelle; Wong, Patrick C M

2016-07-01

This study investigated pitch perception and production in speech and music in individuals with congenital amusia (a disorder of musical pitch processing) who are native speakers of Cantonese, a tone language with a highly complex tonal system. Sixteen Cantonese-speaking congenital amusics and 16 controls performed a set of lexical tone perception, production, singing, and psychophysical pitch threshold tasks. Their tone production accuracy and singing proficiency were subsequently judged by independent listeners, and subjected to acoustic analyses. Relative to controls, amusics showed impaired discrimination of lexical tones in both speech and non-speech conditions. They also received lower ratings for singing proficiency, producing larger pitch interval deviations and making more pitch interval errors compared to controls. Demonstrating higher pitch direction identification thresholds than controls for both speech syllables and piano tones, amusics nevertheless produced native lexical tones with comparable pitch trajectories and intelligibility as controls. Significant correlations were found between pitch threshold and lexical tone perception, music perception and production, but not between lexical tone perception and production for amusics. These findings provide further evidence that congenital amusia is a domain-general language-independent pitch-processing deficit that is associated with severely impaired music perception and production, mildly impaired speech perception, and largely intact speech production.

Carbon Based Nanotechnology: Review

Science.gov (United States)

Srivastava, Deepak; Saini, Subhash (Technical Monitor)

1999-01-01

This presentation reviews publicly available information related to carbon based nanotechnology. Topics covered include nanomechanics, carbon based electronics, nanodevice/materials applications, nanotube motors, nano-lithography and H2O storage in nanotubes.

Structural characterization of heat treated pitch by solid state /sup 13/C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sfihi, H.; Tougne, P.; Legrand, A.P.; Couderc, P.; Saint-Romain, J.L.

1988-12-01

The objective of this paper is to determine structural parameters (aromaticity factor, fractions of protonated and non-protonated aromatic carbons) of some pitches, and to follow their evolution as a function of the heat treatment duration. For such a determination, /sup 13/C-/sup 1/H cross polarization combined with magic angle spinning and dipolar dephasing (CP/MAS/DD) NMR was used. 15 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.

Effects of harmonic roving on pitch discrimination

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Santurette, Sébastien; de Kérangal, Mathilde le Gal; Joshi, Suyash Narendra

2015-01-01

Performance in pitch discrimination tasks is limited by variability intrinsic to listeners which may arise from peripheral auditory coding limitations or more central noise sources. The present study aimed at quantifying such “internal noise” by estimating the amount of harmonic roving required...... to impair pitch discrimination performance. Fundamental-frequency difference limens (F0DLs) were obtained in normal-hearing listeners with and without musical training for complex tones filtered between 1.5 and 3.5 kHz with F0s of 300 Hz (resolved harmonics) and 75 Hz (unresolved harmonics). The harmonicity...... that could be used to quantify the internal noise and provide strong constraints for physiologically inspired models of pitch perception....

Investors prefer entrepreneurial ventures pitched by attractive men.

Science.gov (United States)

Brooks, Alison Wood; Huang, Laura; Kearney, Sarah Wood; Murray, Fiona E

2014-03-25

Entrepreneurship is a central path to job creation, economic growth, and prosperity. In the earliest stages of start-up business creation, the matching of entrepreneurial ventures to investors is critically important. The entrepreneur's business proposition and previous experience are regarded as the main criteria for investment decisions. Our research, however, documents other critical criteria that investors use to make these decisions: the gender and physical attractiveness of the entrepreneurs themselves. Across a field setting (three entrepreneurial pitch competitions in the United States) and two experiments, we identify a profound and consistent gender gap in entrepreneur persuasiveness. Investors prefer pitches presented by male entrepreneurs compared with pitches made by female entrepreneurs, even when the content of the pitch is the same. This effect is moderated by male physical attractiveness: attractive males were particularly persuasive, whereas physical attractiveness did not matter among female entrepreneurs.

Abnormal speech spectrum and increased pitch variability in young autistic children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoram S Bonneh

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD who can speak often exhibit abnormal voice quality and speech prosody, but the exact nature and underlying mechanisms of these abnormalities, as well as their diagnostic power are currently unknown. Here we quantified speech abnormalities in terms of the properties of the long-term average spectrum (LTAS and pitch variability in speech samples of 83 children (41 with ASD, 42 controls ages 4-6.5 years, recorded while they named a sequence of daily-life pictures for 60 sec. We found a significant difference in the group’s average spectra, with ASD spectra being shallower and exhibiting less harmonic structure. Contrary to the common impression of monotonic speech in autism, the ASD children had a significantly larger pitch range and variability across time. A measure of this variability, optimally tuned for the sample, yielded 86% success (90% specificity, 80% sensitivity in classifying ASD in the sample. These results indicate that speech abnormalities in ASD are reflected in its spectral content and pitch variability. This variability could imply abnormal processing of auditory feedback or elevated noise and instability in the mechanisms that control pitch. The current results are a first step towards developing speech-spectrum-based bio-markers for early diagnosis of ASD.

Controlled Aerodynamic Loads on an Airfoil in Coupled Pitch/Plunge by Transitory Regulation of Trapped Vorticity

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Yuehan; Crittenden, Thomas; Glezer, Ari

2017-11-01

The aerodynamic loads on an airfoil moving in coupled, time-periodic pitch-plunge beyond the static stall margin are controlled using transitory regulation of trapped vorticity concentrations. Actuation is effected by a spanwise array of integrated miniature chemical (combustion based) impulse actuators that are triggered intermittently during the airfoil's motion and have a characteristic time scale that is an order of magnitude shorter than the airfoil's convective time scale. Each actuation pulse effects momentary interruption and suspension of the vorticity flux with sufficient control authority to alter the airfoil's global aerodynamic characteristics throughout its motion cycle. The effects of the actuation are assessed using time-dependent measurements of the lift and pitching moment coupled with time-resolved particle image velocimetry over the airfoil and in its near wake that is acquired phased-locked to its motion. It is shown that while the presence of the pitch-coupled plunge delays lift and moment stall during upstroke, it also delays flow reattachment during the downstroke and results in significant degradation of the pitch stability. These aerodynamic shortcomings are mitigated using superposition of a limited number of pulses that are staged during the pitch/plunge cycle and lead to enhancement of cycle lift and pitch stability, and reduces the cycle hysteresis and peak pitching moment.

Fast pitch softball injuries.

Science.gov (United States)

Meyers, M C; Brown, B R; Bloom, J A

2001-01-01

The popularity of fast pitch softball in the US and throughout the world is well documented. Along with this popularity, there has been a concomitant increase in the number of injuries. Nearly 52% of cases qualify as major disabling injuries requiring 3 weeks or more of treatment and 2% require surgery. Interestingly, 75% of injuries occur during away games and approximately 31% of traumas occur during nonpositional and conditioning drills. Injuries range from contusions and tendinitis to ligamentous disorders and fractures. Although head and neck traumas account for 4 to 12% of cases, upper extremity traumas account for 23 to 47% of all injuries and up to 19% of cases involve the knee. Approximately 34 to 42% of injuries occur when the athlete collides with another individual or object. Other factors involved include the quality of playing surface, athlete's age and experience level, and the excessive physical demands associated with the sport. Nearly 24% of injuries involve base running and are due to poor judgement, sliding technique, current stationary base design, unorthodox joint and extremity position during ground impact and catching of cleats. The increasing prevalence of overtraining syndrome among athletes has been attributed to an unclear definition of an optimal training zone, poor communication between player and coach, and the limited ability of bone and connective tissue to quickly respond to match the demands of the sport. This has led routinely to arm, shoulder and lumbar instability, chronic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use and time loss injuries in 45% of pitching staff during a single season. Specific attention to a safer playing environment, coaching and player education, and sport-specific training and conditioning would reduce the risk, rate and severity of fast pitch traumas. Padding of walls, backstops, rails and dugout areas, as well as minimising use of indoor facilities, is suggested to decrease the number of collision

DIAGNOSIS OF PITCH AND LOAD DEFECTS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2009-01-01

The invention relates to a method, system and computer readable code for diagnosis of pitch and/or load defects of e.g. wind turbines as well as wind turbines using said diagnosis method and/or comprising said diagnosis system.......The invention relates to a method, system and computer readable code for diagnosis of pitch and/or load defects of e.g. wind turbines as well as wind turbines using said diagnosis method and/or comprising said diagnosis system....

Co-pyrolysis behaviour and kinetic of two typical solid wastes in China and characterisation of activated carbon prepared from pyrolytic char.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Yuhui; Niu, Ruxuan; Wang, Xiaona; Wang, Qunhui; Wang, Xiaoqiang; Sun, Xiaohong

2014-11-01

This is the first study on the co-pyrolysis of spent substrate of Pleurotus ostreatus and coal tar pitch, and the activated carbon prepared from the pyrolytic char. Thermogravimetry (TG) analysis was carried out taking spent substrate, coal tar pitch and spent substrate-coal tar pitch mixture. The activation energies of pyrolysis reactions were obtained via the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose methods. The kinetic models were determined by the master-plots method. The activated carbons were characterised by N2-adsorption, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Experimental results demonstrated a synergistic effect happened during co-pyrolysis, which was characterised by a decreased maximum decomposition rate and an enhanced char yield. The average activation energies of the pyrolysis reactions of spent substrate, coal tar pitch and the mixture were 115.94, 72.92 and 94.38 kJ mol(-1) for the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa method, and 112.17, 65.62 and 89.91 kJ mol(-1) for the Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose method. The reaction model functions were f(α) = (1-α)(3.42), (1-α)(1.72) and (1-α)(3.07) for spent substrate, coal tar pitch and the mixture, respectively. The mixture char-derived activated carbon had a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area up to 1337 m(2) g(-1) and a total pore volume of 0.680 cm(3) g(-1). Mixing spent substrate with coal tar pitch led to the creation of more micropores and a higher surface area compared with the single spent substrate and coal tar pitch char. Also, the mixture char-derived activated carbon had a higher proportion of aromatic stacking. This study provides a reference for the utilisation of spent substrate and coal tar pitch via co-pyrolysis, and their pyrolytic char as a promising precursor of activated carbon. © The Author(s) 2014.

Shoulder and Scapular Kinematics during the Windmill Softball Pitch

OpenAIRE

Backus, Sherry I.; Kraszewski, Andrew; Kontaxis, Andreas; Gibbons, Mandi; Bido, Jennifer; Graziano, Jessica; Hafer, Jocelyn; Jones, Kristofer J.; Hillstrom, Howard; Fealy, Stephen

2013-01-01

Objectives: Pitch count has been studied extensively in the overhand throwing athlete. However, pitch count and fatigue have not been systematically evaluated in the female windmill (underhand) throwing athlete. Direct kinematic measurements of the glenohumeral and scapulo-thoracic joint have not to be correlated and determined. The purpose is to measure scapular kinematics for the high school female windmill softball pitcher and identify kinematic adaptions and changes in pitching performanc...

Impact of muscle tension dysphonia on tonal pitch target implementation in vietnamese female teachers.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Duong Duy; Kenny, Dianna T

2009-11-01

Muscle tension dysphonia (MTD) is a voice disorder with deteriorated vocal quality, particularly pitch problems. Because pitch is mainly controlled by the laryngeal muscles, and because MTD is characterized by increased laryngeal muscle tension, we hypothesized that it may result in problems in pitch target implementation in tonal languages. We examined tonal samples of 42 Vietnamese female primary school teachers diagnosed with MTD and compared them with 30 vocally healthy female teachers who spoke the same dialect. Tonal data were analyzed using Computerized Speech Lab (CSL-4300B) for Windows. From tonal sampling bases, fundamental frequency (F0) was measured at target points specified by contour examination. Parameters representing pitch movement including time, size, and speed of movement were measured for the falling tone and rising tone. We found that F0 at target points in MTD group was lowered in most tones, especially tones with extensive F0 variation. In MTD group, target F0 of the broken tone in isolation was 37.5 Hz lower (P<0.01) and target F0 of rising tone in isolation was 46 Hz lower (P<0.01) than in control group. In MTD group, speed of pitch fall of the falling tone in isolation was faster than control group by 2.2 semitones/second (st/s) (P<0.05) and speed of pitch rise in the rising tone in isolation was slower than control group by 7.2 st/s (P<0.01). These results demonstrate that MTD is associated with problems in tonal pitch variation.

On the possibility of a place code for the low pitch of high-frequency complex tones

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Santurette, Sébastien; Dau, Torsten; Oxenham, Andrew J.

2012-01-01

on pitch matches, and (3) listeners’ ability to hear out the individual components. No effects of relative component phase or dichotic presentation on pitch matches were found in the tested conditions. Large individual differences were found in listeners’ ability to hear out individual components. Overall......, the results are consistent with the coding of individual harmonic frequencies, based on the tonotopic activity pattern or phase locking to individual harmonics, rather than with temporal coding of single-channel interactions. However, they are also consistent with more general temporal theories of pitch...

Multi-Layer Artificial Neural Networks Based MPPT-Pitch Angle Control of a Tidal Stream Generator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khaoula Ghefiri

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Artificial intelligence technologies are widely investigated as a promising technique for tackling complex and ill-defined problems. In this context, artificial neural networks methodology has been considered as an effective tool to handle renewable energy systems. Thereby, the use of Tidal Stream Generator (TSG systems aim to provide clean and reliable electrical power. However, the power captured from tidal currents is highly disturbed due to the swell effect and the periodicity of the tidal current phenomenon. In order to improve the quality of the generated power, this paper focuses on the power smoothing control. For this purpose, a novel Artificial Neural Network (ANN is investigated and implemented to provide the proper rotational speed reference and the blade pitch angle. The ANN supervisor adequately switches the system in variable speed and power limitation modes. In order to recover the maximum power from the tides, a rotational speed control is applied to the rotor side converter following the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT generated from the ANN block. In case of strong tidal currents, a pitch angle control is set based on the ANN approach to keep the system operating within safe limits. Two study cases were performed to test the performance of the output power. Simulation results demonstrate that the implemented control strategies achieve a smoothed generated power in the case of swell disturbances.

Biomimetic propulsion under random heaving conditions, using active pitch control

Science.gov (United States)

Politis, Gerasimos; Politis, Konstantinos

2014-05-01

Marine mammals travel long distances by utilizing and transforming wave energy to thrust through proper control of their caudal fin. On the other hand, manmade ships traveling in a wavy sea store large amounts of wave energy in the form of kinetic energy for heaving, pitching, rolling and other ship motions. A natural way to extract this energy and transform it to useful propulsive thrust is by using a biomimetic wing. The aim of this paper is to show how an actively pitched biomimetic wing could achieve this goal when it performs a random heaving motion. More specifically, we consider a biomimetic wing traveling with a given translational velocity in an infinitely extended fluid and performing a random heaving motion with a given energy spectrum which corresponds to a given sea state. A formula is invented by which the instantaneous pitch angle of the wing is determined using the heaving data of the current and past time steps. Simulations are then performed for a biomimetic wing at different heave energy spectra, using an indirect Source-Doublet 3-D-BEM, together with a time stepping algorithm capable to track the random motion of the wing. A nonlinear pressure type Kutta condition is applied at the trailing edge of the wing. With a mollifier-based filtering technique, the 3-D unsteady rollup pattern created by the random motion of the wing is calculated without any simplifying assumptions regarding its geometry. Calculated unsteady forces, moments and useful power, show that the proposed active pitch control always results in thrust producing motions, with significant propulsive power production and considerable beneficial stabilizing action to ship motions. Calculation of the power required to set the pitch angle prove it to be a very small percentage of the useful power and thus making the practical application of the device very tractable.

Thorium Fuel Performance in a Tight-Pitch Light Water Reactor Lattice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Taek Kyum; Downar, Thomas J.

2002-01-01

Research on the utilization of thorium-based fuels in the intermediate neutron spectrum of a tight-pitch light water reactor (LWR) lattice is reported. The analysis was performed using the Studsvik/Scandpower lattice physics code HELIOS. The results show that thorium-based fuels in the intermediate spectrum of tight-pitch LWRs have considerable advantages in terms of conversion ratio, reactivity control, nonproliferation characteristics, and a reduced production of long-lived radiotoxic wastes. Because of the high conversion ratio of thorium-based fuels in intermediate spectrum reactors, the total fissile inventory required to achieve a given fuel burnup is only 11 to 17% higher than that of 238 U fertile fuels. However, unlike 238 U fertile fuels, the void reactivity coefficient with thorium-based fuels is negative in an intermediate spectrum reactor. This provides motivation for replacing 238 U with 232 Th in advanced high-conversion intermediate spectrum LWRs, such as the reduced-moderator reactor or the supercritical reactor

Control of variable speed variable pitch wind turbine based on a disturbance observer

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Haijun; Lei, Xin

2017-11-01

In this paper, a novel sliding mode controller based on disturbance observer (DOB) to optimize the efficiency of variable speed variable pitch (VSVP) wind turbine is developed and analyzed. Due to the highly nonlinearity of the VSVP system, the model is linearly processed to obtain the state space model of the system. Then, a conventional sliding mode controller is designed and a DOB is added to estimate wind speed. The proposed control strategy can successfully deal with the random nature of wind speed, the nonlinearity of VSVP system, the uncertainty of parameters and external disturbance. Via adding the observer to the sliding mode controller, it can greatly reduce the chattering produced by the sliding mode switching gain. The simulation results show that the proposed control system has the effectiveness and robustness.

Development of Static Balance Measurement and Correction Compound Platform for Single Blade of Controllable Pitch Propeller

Science.gov (United States)

Chao, Zhang; Shijie, Su; Yilin, Yang; Guofu, Wang; Chao, Wang

2017-11-01

Aiming at the static balance of the controllable pitch propeller (CPP), a high efficiency static balance method based on the double-layer structure of the measuring table and gantry robot is adopted to realize the integration of torque measurement and corrected polish for controllable pitch propeller blade. The control system was developed by Microsoft Visual Studio 2015, and a composite platform prototype was developed. Through this prototype, conduct an experiment on the complete process of torque measurement and corrected polish based on a 300kg class controllable pitch propeller blade. The results show that the composite platform can correct the static balance of blade with a correct, efficient and labor-saving operation, and can replace the traditional method on static balance of the blade.

Pitch Angle Control for Variable Speed Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Zhe; Zhang, Jianzhong; Cheng, M

2008-01-01

Pitch angle control is the most common means for adjusting the aerodynamic torque of the wind turbine when wind speed is above rated speed and various controlling variables may be chosen, such as wind speed, generator speed and generator power. As conventional pitch control usually use PI...... controller, the mathematical model of the system should be known well. A fuzzy logic pitch angle controller is developed in this paper, in which it does not need well known about the system and the mean wind speed is used to compensate the non-linear sensitivity. The fuzzy logic control strategy may have...... the potential when the system contains strong non-linearity, such as wind turbulence is strong, or the control objectives include fatigue loads. The design of the fuzzy logic controller and the comparisons with conversional pitch angle control strategies with various controlling variables are carried out...

Impaired encoding of rapid pitch information underlies perception and memory deficits in congenital amusia

OpenAIRE

Philippe Albouy; Marion Cousineau; Anne Caclin; Barbara Tillmann; Isabelle Peretz

2016-01-01

Recent theories suggest that the basis of neurodevelopmental auditory disorders such as dyslexia or specific language impairment might be a low-level sensory dysfunction. In the present study we test this hypothesis in congenital amusia, a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by severe deficits in the processing of pitch-based material. We manipulated the temporal characteristics of auditory stimuli and investigated the influence of the time given to encode pitch information on participa...

Kinematics of a vertical axis wind turbine with a variable pitch angle

Science.gov (United States)

Jakubowski, Mateusz; Starosta, Roman; Fritzkowski, Pawel

2018-01-01

A computational model for the kinematics of a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) is presented. A H-type rotor turbine with a controlled pitch angle is considered. The aim of this solution is to improve the VAWT productivity. The discussed method is related to a narrow computational branch based on the Blade Element Momentum theory (BEM theory). The paper can be regarded as a theoretical basis and an introduction to further studies with the application of BEM. The obtained torque values show the main advantage of using the variable pitch angle.

Anomalous capillary flow of coal tar pitches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saint Romain, J.L.; Lahaye, J.; Ehrburger, P.; Couderc, P.

1986-06-01

Capillary flow of liquid coal tar pitch into a coke bed was studied. Anomalies in the flow could not be attributed to a plugging effect for mesophase content lower than 20 wt%. The flow behaviour of small pitch droplets can be correlated with the change in physicochemical properties, as measured by the glass transition temperature, on penetration into the coke bed. 4 references.

Detection and identification of monaural and binaural pitch contours in dyslexic listeners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Santurette, Sébastien; Dau, Torsten; Poelmans, Hanne

2010-01-01

found that a majority of dyslexic subjects were unable to hear binaural pitch, the latter obtained a clear response of dyslexic listeners to Huggins’ pitch (HP) (Cramer and Huggins, 1958). The present study clarified whether impaired binaural pitch perception is found in dyslexia. Results from a pitch...

Neural mechanisms underlying melodic perception and memory for pitch.

Science.gov (United States)

Zatorre, R J; Evans, A C; Meyer, E

1994-04-01

The neural correlates of music perception were studied by measuring cerebral blood flow (CBF) changes with positron emission tomography (PET). Twelve volunteers were scanned using the bolus water method under four separate conditions: (1) listening to a sequence of noise bursts, (2) listening to unfamiliar tonal melodies, (3) comparing the pitch of the first two notes of the same set of melodies, and (4) comparing the pitch of the first and last notes of the melodies. The latter two conditions were designed to investigate short-term pitch retention under low or high memory load, respectively. Subtraction of the obtained PET images, superimposed on matched MRI scans, provides anatomical localization of CBF changes associated with specific cognitive functions. Listening to melodies, relative to acoustically matched noise sequences, resulted in CBF increases in the right superior temporal and right occipital cortices. Pitch judgments of the first two notes of each melody, relative to passive listening to the same stimuli, resulted in right frontal-lobe activation. Analysis of the high memory load condition relative to passive listening revealed the participation of a number of cortical and subcortical regions, notably in the right frontal and right temporal lobes, as well as in parietal and insular cortex. Both pitch judgment conditions also revealed CBF decreases within the left primary auditory cortex. We conclude that specialized neural systems in the right superior temporal cortex participate in perceptual analysis of melodies; pitch comparisons are effected via a neural network that includes right prefrontal cortex, but active retention of pitch involves the interaction of right temporal and frontal cortices.

Absolute pitch: a case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Vernon, P E

1977-11-01

The auditory skill known as 'absolute pitch' is discussed, and it is shown that this differs greatly in accuracy of identification or reproduction of musical tones from ordinary discrimination of 'tonal height' which is to some extent trainable. The present writer possessed absolute pitch for almost any tone or chord over the normal musical range, from about the age of 17 to 52. He then started to hear all music one semitone too high, and now at the age of 71 it is heard a full tone above the true pitch. Tests were carried out under controlled conditions, in which 68 to 95 per cent of notes were identified as one semitone or one tone higher than they should be. Changes with ageing seem more likely to occur in the elasticity of the basilar membrane mechanisms than in the long-term memory which is used for aural analysis of complex sounds. Thus this experience supports the view that some resolution of complex sounds takes place at the peripheral sense organ, and this provides information which can be incorrect, for interpretation by the cortical centres.

Singing Video Games May Help Improve Pitch-Matching Accuracy

Science.gov (United States)

Paney, Andrew S.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of singing video games on the pitch-matching skills of undergraduate students. Popular games like "Rock Band" and "Karaoke Revolutions" rate players' singing based on the correctness of the frequency of their sung response. Players are motivated to improve their…

Trunk Muscle Function Deficit in Youth Baseball Pitchers With Excessive Contralateral Trunk Tilt During Pitching.

Science.gov (United States)

Oyama, Sakiko; Waldhelm, Andrew G; Sosa, Araceli R; Patel, Ravina R; Kalinowski, Derick L

2017-09-01

Pitching technique is one of many factors that affect injury risk. Exhibiting excessive contralateral trunk tilt (CLT) during pitching has been linked to higher ball speed but also to increased joint loading. Deficit in trunk muscle strength has been suggested as an underlying cause of this movement pattern. The purpose of the study was to compare trunk muscle strength between youth baseball pitchers with varying degree of CLT during pitching. Cross-sectional study. Baseball practice fields. Twenty-eight youth baseball pitchers. Pitching technique was captured using a video camera. Based on the 2-dimensional trunk contralateral flexion angle, pitchers were categorized into low (30 degrees) CLT groups. Maximum isometric strength tests for trunk flexion, extension, and bilateral rotation, measured using a dynamometer. The pitchers with high CLT (n = 10) had longer pitching experience (P = 0.014), produced higher ball speed (P = 0.003) compared with the pitchers with moderate (n = 10) and low (n = 8) CLT, but demonstrated greater asymmetry in trunk rotation strength (relative weakness in rotation strength toward dominant side) compared with the pitchers with low CLT (P = 0.015). Excessive CLT may be a strategy that young pitchers learn to achieve higher ball velocity but also may be associated with imbalance between the oblique muscles on dominant and nondominant side, which may be acquired from repetitive pitching. Strengthening and emphasizing the use of dominant side oblique muscles may keep pitchers from leaning excessively during pitching and thus decrease joint loading.

Intelligent control for large-scale variable speed variable pitch wind turbines

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Xinfang ZHANG; Daping XU; Yibing LIU

2004-01-01

Large-scale wind turbine generator systems have strong nonlinear multivariable characteristics with many uncertain factors and disturbances.Automatic control is crucial for the efficiency and reliability of wind turbines.On the basis of simplified and proper model of variable speed variable pitch wind turbines,the effective wind speed is estimated using extended Kalman filter.Intelligent control schemes proposed in the paper include two loops which operate in synchronism with each other.At below-rated wind speed,the inner loop adopts adaptive fuzzy control based on variable universe for generator torque regulation to realize maximum wind energy capture.At above-rated wind speed, a controller based on least square support vector machine is proposed to adjust pitch angle and keep rated output power.The simulation shows the effectiveness of the intelligent control.

The intensity-pitch relation revisited: monopolar versus bipolar cochlear stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnoldner, Christoph; Riss, Dominik; Kaider, Alexandra; Mair, Alois; Wagenblast, Jens; Baumgartner, Wolf-Dieter; Gstöttner, Wolfgang; Hamzavi, Jafar-Sasan

2008-09-01

The very high speech perception scores now being achieved with cochlear implants have led to demands for similar levels of achievement in music perception and perception in noisy environments. One of the crucial factors in these fields is pitch perception. The aim of the present study was to investigate the extent to which pitch perception is influenced by the intensity of the stimulus, through the use of different stimulation modes (monopolar, bipolar) and different electrodes (lateral and perimodiolar). Sixteen postlingually deafened patients with an average implant use of 3.1 years were included in this study. All patients were using a Cochlear (CI24M, CI24R, CI24RE) cochlear implant. Subjects were asked to compare the pitch of an intensity-constant reference tone with the pitch of a test tone of varying intensity. The test was repeated for apical, mediocochlear, and basal channel locations, and also for monopolar and bipolar stimulation. It was found that in monopolar stimulation 87.5% and in bipolar stimulation 85.7% of the patients perceived a clear pitch change with changing intensity of the stimulus (Spearman correlation coefficients r 0.3, respectively). A total of 73.1% of these patients perceived lower pitches with increasing intensity, 26.9% reported the opposite effect. No statistically significant difference in the intensity-pitch correlation could be found between mono- and bipolar stimulation. Neither the mean dynamic range nor the type of electrode used was found to be related to the correlation coefficient. Although the majority of today's cochlear implant recipients perform well and the intensity-pitch relation in cochlear implant recipients is still poorly understood, rising demands on speech-coding strategies may soon make a compensation of the pitch shifts desirable. Although the results of our study tend to argue against a peripheral mechanism, the exact origin of this phenomenon remains unclear.

Dynamics of fluidic devices with applications to rotor pitch links

Science.gov (United States)

Scarborough, Lloyd H., III

Coupling a Fluidic Flexible Matrix Composite (F2MC) to an air-pressurized fluid port produces a fundamentally new class of tunable vibration isolator. This fluidlastic device provides significant vibration reduction at an isolation frequency that can be tuned over a broad frequency range. The material properties and geometry of the F2MC element, as well as the port inertance, determine the isolation frequency. A unique feature of this device is that the port inertance depends on pressure so the isolation frequency can be adjusted by changing the air pressure. For constant port inertance, the isolation frequency is largely independent of the isolated mass so the device is robust to changes in load. A nonlinear model is developed to predict isolator length and port inertance. The model is linearized and the frequency response calculated. Experiments agree with theory, demonstrating a tunable isolation range from 9 Hz to 36 Hz and transmitted force reductions of up to 60 dB at the isolation frequency. Replacing rigid pitch links on rotorcraft with coupled fluidic devices has the potential to reduce the aerodynamic blade loads transmitted through the pitch links to the swashplate. Analytical models of two fluidic devices coupled with three different fluidic circuits are derived. These passive fluidlastic systems are tuned, by varying the fluid inertances and capacitances of each fluidic circuit, to reduce the transmitted pitch-link loads. The different circuit designs result in transmitted pitch link loads reduction at up to three main rotor harmonics. The simulation results show loads reduction at the targeted out-of-phase and in-phase harmonics of up to 88% and 93%, respectively. Experimental validation of two of the fluidic circuits demonstrates loads reduction of up to 89% at the out-of-phase isolation frequencies and up to 81% at the in-phase isolation frequencies. Replacing rigid pitch links on rotorcraft with fluidic pitch links changes the blade torsional

Relationship between noise, dose, and pitch in cardiac multi-detector row CT.

Science.gov (United States)

Primak, Andrew N; McCollough, Cynthia H; Bruesewitz, Michael R; Zhang, Jie; Fletcher, Joel G

2006-01-01

In spiral computed tomography (CT), dose is always inversely proportional to pitch. However, the relationship between noise and pitch (and hence noise and dose) depends on the scanner type (single vs multi-detector row) and reconstruction mode (cardiac vs noncardiac). In single detector row spiral CT, noise is independent of pitch. Conversely, in noncardiac multi-detector row CT, noise depends on pitch because the spiral interpolation algorithm makes use of redundant data from different detector rows to decrease noise for pitch values less than 1 (and increase noise for pitch values > 1). However, in cardiac spiral CT, redundant data cannot be used because such data averaging would degrade the temporal resolution. Therefore, the behavior of noise versus pitch returns to the single detector row paradigm, with noise being independent of pitch. Consequently, since faster rotation times require lower pitch values in cardiac multi-detector row CT, dose is increased without a commensurate decrease in noise. Thus, the use of faster rotation times will improve temporal resolution, not alter noise, and increase dose. For a particular application, the higher dose resulting from faster rotation speeds should be justified by the clinical benefits of the improved temporal resolution. RSNA, 2006

Lower extremity muscle activation during baseball pitching.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Brian M; Stodden, David F; Nixon, Megan K

2010-04-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate muscle activation levels of select lower extremity muscles during the pitching motion. Bilateral surface electromyography data on 5 lower extremity muscles (biceps femoris, rectus femoris, gluteus maximus, vastus medialis, and gastrocnemius) were collected on 11 highly skilled baseball pitchers and compared with individual maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) data. The pitching motion was divided into 4 distinct phases: phase 1, initiation of pitching motion to maximum stride leg knee height; phase 2, maximum stride leg knee height to stride foot contact (SFC); phase 3, SFC to ball release; and phase 4, ball release to 0.5 seconds after ball release (follow-through). Results indicated that trail leg musculature elicited moderate to high activity levels during phases 2 and 3 (38-172% of MVIC). Muscle activity levels of the stride leg were moderate to high during phases 2-4 (23-170% of MVIC). These data indicate a high demand for lower extremity strength and endurance. Specifically, coaches should incorporate unilateral and bilateral lower extremity exercises for strength improvement or maintenance and to facilitate dynamic stabilization of the lower extremities during the pitching motion.

Determination of pitch rotation in a spherical birefringent microparticle

Science.gov (United States)

Roy, Basudev; Ramaiya, Avin; Schäffer, Erik

2018-03-01

Rotational motion of a three dimensional spherical microscopic object can happen either in pitch, yaw or roll fashion. Among these, the yaw motion has been conventionally studied using the intensity of scattered light from birefringent microspheres through crossed polarizers. Up until now, however, there is no way to study the pitch motion in spherical microspheres. Here, we suggest a new method to study the pitch motion of birefringent microspheres under crossed polarizers by measuring the 2-fold asymmetry in the scattered signal either using video microscopy or with optical tweezers. We show a couple of simple examples of pitch rotation determination using video microscopy for a microsphere attached with a kinesin molecule while moving along a microtubule and of a particle diffusing freely in water.

An Adjoint-Based Approach to Study a Flexible Flapping Wing in Pitching-Rolling Motion

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Kun; Wei, Mingjun; Xu, Min; Li, Chengyu; Dong, Haibo

2017-11-01

Flapping-wing aerodynamics, with advantages in agility, efficiency, and hovering capability, has been the choice of many flyers in nature. However, the study of bio-inspired flapping-wing propulsion is often hindered by the problem's large control space with different wing kinematics and deformation. The adjoint-based approach reduces largely the computational cost to a feasible level by solving an inverse problem. Facing the complication from moving boundaries, non-cylindrical calculus provides an easy extension of traditional adjoint-based approach to handle the optimization involving moving boundaries. The improved adjoint method with non-cylindrical calculus for boundary treatment is first applied on a rigid pitching-rolling plate, then extended to a flexible one with active deformation to further increase its propulsion efficiency. The comparison of flow dynamics with the initial and optimal kinematics and deformation provides a unique opportunity to understand the flapping-wing mechanism. Supported by AFOSR and ARL.

Absolute Pitch: Effects of Timbre on Note-Naming Ability

OpenAIRE

Vanzella, Patr?cia; Schellenberg, E. Glenn

2010-01-01

Background Absolute pitch (AP) is the ability to identify or produce isolated musical tones. It is evident primarily among individuals who started music lessons in early childhood. Because AP requires memory for specific pitches as well as learned associations with verbal labels (i.e., note names), it represents a unique opportunity to study interactions in memory between linguistic and nonlinguistic information. One untested hypothesis is that the pitch of voices may be difficult for AP poss...

Shoulder joint velocity during fastball pitching in baseball

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gasparutto, X.; van der Graaff, E; van der Helm, F.C.T.; Veeger, H.E.J.; Colloud, F.; Domalain, M.; Monnet, T.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the rotation and translation velocity of the shoulder complex during fastball pitching in baseball. 8 pitchers from the Dutch AAA team performed each 3 fastball pitches. Their motion was recorded by an opto-electronic device. Kinematic computation was

Fiscal 1989 achievement report on next-generation industrial structure technology. Research and development of advanced materials for extreme environments (Research and development of advanced composite materials using oil as raw material); 1989 nendo chotaikankyosei senshin zairyo no kenkyu kaihatsu seika hokokusho. Sekiyu genryokei senshin fukugo zairyo no kenkhyu kaihatsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1990-03-01

The research and development of advanced composite materials succeeds the composite material development project initiated in fiscal 1981, and activities were conducted in the two domains of advanced composite material development and comprehensive survey implementation. In the comprehensive survey, trends of associated technologies were investigated, and technical tasks were studied relative to the development of advanced materials. In the effort to develop advanced composite materials, activities were conducted in the three fields of (1) oil pitch derived random structure carbon fiber/carbon based matrix composite materials, (2) oil pitch derived onion structure carbon fiber/carbon based matrix composite materials, and (3) oil pitch derived double structure carbon fiber/carbon based matrix composite materials. In Field (1), relations between conditions of forming carbon fibers out of pitch and carbon fiber random structure were elucidated, and development was started of technologies for providing fibers with oxidation resisting surface coatings. In Field (2), relations between conditions of forming carbon fibers out of pitch and carbon fiber onion structure were elucidated, and development was started of technologies for providing fibers with oxidation resisting surface coatings. In Field (3), efforts were started to elucidate oxidation resistance governing factors. (NEDO)

A study on the nondestructive evaluation of carbon/carbon disk using ultrasonics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Im, Kwang Hee; Yang, In Young; Jeong, Hyun Jo

1998-01-01

It is useful to perform nondestructive evaluation (NDE) to assess material properties and part homogeneity for carbon/carbon (C/C) composites because the manufacturing of C/C brake disks requires complicated and costly processes. In this work several ultrasonic techniques were applied to attributable to the manufacturing process. In a carbon/carbon brake disk manufactured by a combination of pitch impregnation and CVI(Vapor infiltration method), the spatial variation of ultrasonic velocity was measured and found to be consistent with the nonuniform densification behavior in the manufacturing process. Low frequency(5 MHz) through-transmission scans based on both amplitude and time-of-flight of the ultrasonic pulse were used for mapping out the material property inhomogeneity. These results were compared with those obtained by dry-coupling ultrasonics. A good correlation was found between ultrasonic velocity and material density on a set of small blocks cut out of the disk. Pulse-echo C-scans at higher frequency (25 MHz) were used to image near-sulfate material property anomalies associated with certain steps in the manufacturing process, such as the placement of spacers between disks during the final CVI.

Generation of the pitch moment during the controlled flight after takeoff of fruitflies.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mao Wei Chen

Full Text Available In the present paper, the controlled flight of fruitflies after voluntary takeoff is studied. Wing and body kinematics of the insects after takeoff are measured using high-speed video techniques, and the aerodynamic force and moment are calculated by the computational fluid dynamics method based on the measured data. How the control moments are generated is analyzed by correlating the computed moments with the wing kinematics. A fruit-fly has a large pitch-up angular velocity owing to the takeoff jump and the fly controls its body attitude by producing pitching moments. It is found that the pitching moment is produced by changes in both the aerodynamic force and the moment arm. The change in the aerodynamic force is mainly due to the change in angle of attack. The change in the moment arm is mainly due to the change in the mean stroke angle and deviation angle, and the deviation angle plays a more important role than the mean stroke angle in changing the moment arm (note that change in deviation angle implies variation in the position of the aerodynamic stroke plane with respect to the anatomical stroke plane. This is unlike the case of fruitflies correcting pitch perturbations in steady free flight, where they produce pitching moment mainly by changes in mean stroke angle.

Generation of the pitch moment during the controlled flight after takeoff of fruitflies.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Mao Wei; Wu, Jiang Hao; Sun, Mao

2017-01-01

In the present paper, the controlled flight of fruitflies after voluntary takeoff is studied. Wing and body kinematics of the insects after takeoff are measured using high-speed video techniques, and the aerodynamic force and moment are calculated by the computational fluid dynamics method based on the measured data. How the control moments are generated is analyzed by correlating the computed moments with the wing kinematics. A fruit-fly has a large pitch-up angular velocity owing to the takeoff jump and the fly controls its body attitude by producing pitching moments. It is found that the pitching moment is produced by changes in both the aerodynamic force and the moment arm. The change in the aerodynamic force is mainly due to the change in angle of attack. The change in the moment arm is mainly due to the change in the mean stroke angle and deviation angle, and the deviation angle plays a more important role than the mean stroke angle in changing the moment arm (note that change in deviation angle implies variation in the position of the aerodynamic stroke plane with respect to the anatomical stroke plane). This is unlike the case of fruitflies correcting pitch perturbations in steady free flight, where they produce pitching moment mainly by changes in mean stroke angle.

Optical buffer based on monolithic InP phased-array 1×16 switch with silica-PLC pitch converter and ultra-compact coiled fiber delay lines

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tanemura, T.; Soganci, I. M.; Oyama, T.; Ohyama, T.; Mino, S.; Williams, K. A.; Calabretta, N.; Dorren, H. J S; Nakano, Y.

2010-01-01

We demonstrate large-capacity high-resolution optical buffer, comprising 1×16 InP switch and ultra-compact delay lines based on thin-cladding highly nonlinear fibers. Silica-PLC-based pitch converter is employed to realize uniform coupling from all 16 switch ports simultaneously.

The effect of pitch in multislice spiral/helical CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, G.; Vannier, M.W.

2000-01-01

The purpose of this study is to understand the effect of pitch on raw data interpolation in multislice spiral/helical computed tomography (CT) and provide guidelines for scanner design and protocol optimization. Multislice spiral CT is mainly characterized by the three parameters: the number of detector arrays, the detector collimation, and the table increment per x-ray source rotation. The pitch in multislice spiral CT is defined as the ratio of the table increment over the detector collimation in this study. In parallel to the current framework for studying longitudinal image resolution, the central fan-beam rays of direct and opposite directions are considered, assuming a narrow cone-beam angle. Generally speaking, sampling in the Radon domain by the direct and opposite central rays is nonuniform along the longitudinal axis. Using a recently developed methodology for quantifying the sensibility of signal reconstruction from non-uniformly sampled finite points, the effect of pitch on raw data interpolation is analyzed in multislice spiral CT. Unlike single-slice spiral CT, in which image quality decreases monotonically as the pitch increases, the sensibility of raw data interpolation in multislice spiral CT increases, suggesting that image quality does not decrease monotonically in this case. The most favorable pitch can be found from the sensitivity-slice spiral CT is provided. The study on the effect of pitch using the sensitivity analysis approach reveals the fundamental characteristics of raw data interpolation in multislice spiral CT, and gives insights into interaction between pitch and image quality. These results may be valuable for design of multislice spiral CT scanners and imaging protocol optimization in clinical applications. (authors)

Pulping Variables, Storage Time and Pitch Deposit | Ogunwusi ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Pulp resin is also influenced by effective alkali concentration of the pulping medium. With increase in effective alkali concentration from 13% to 15%, pulp pitch is reduced. The interaction effect of storage and effective alkali concentration was not significant indicating that reduction in pulp pitch caused by effective alkali ...

The Influence of Second Harmonic Phase and Amplitude Variation in Cyclically Pitching Wings

Science.gov (United States)

Culler, Ethan; Farnsworth, John

2017-11-01

From wind tunnel testing of a cyber-physical wing model, it has been found that the pitch trajectory for stall flutter is described by an array of higher harmonic frequencies with decaying energy content. These frequencies distort the stall flutter motion from that of a pure sinusoidal oscillation in pitch and can have a significant effect on the resulting force production. In order to understand how these higher harmonic frequencies contribute to the overall pitching moment characteristics of a wing in stall flutter, a rigid finite span wing model, with aspect ratio four, was pitched in the wind tunnel. The prescribed motion of the pitch cycle was varied by changing the amplitude ratio and phase of the second harmonic of the oscillation frequency. The second harmonic represents the second highest energy mode in the pitching cycle spectra. Pitching moment and planar particle image velocimetry data was collected. From these pitching trajectories, a significant dependence of pitching moment on both the phase and amplitude of the prescribed waveforms was found. Specifically, for the same amplitude ratio, variations in the phase produced changes of approximately 30 percent in the phase averaged pitching moment.

Spectral Envelope Transformation in Singing Voice for Advanced Pitch Shifting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José L. Santacruz

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The aim of the present work is to perform a step towards more natural pitch shifting techniques in singing voice for its application in music production and entertainment systems. In this paper, we present an advanced method to achieve natural modifications when applying a pitch shifting process to singing voice by modifying the spectral envelope of the audio excerpt. To this end, an all-pole model has been selected to model the spectral envelope, which is estimated using a constrained non-linear optimization. The analysis of the global variations of the spectral envelope was carried out by identifying changes of the parameters of the model along with the changes of the pitch. With the obtained spectral envelope transformation functions, we applied our pitch shifting scheme to some sustained vowels in order to compare results with the same transformation made by using the Flex Pitch plugin of Logic Pro X and pitch synchronous overlap and add technique (PSOLA. This comparison has been carried out by means of both an objective and a subjective evaluation. The latter was done with a survey open to volunteers on our website.

The Impact of Roof Pitch and Ceiling Insulation on Cooling Load of Naturally-Ventilated Attics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Linxia Gu

2012-07-01

Full Text Available A 2D unsteady computational fluid dynamics (CFD model is employed to simulate buoyancy-driven turbulent ventilation in attics with different pitch values and ceiling insulation levels under summer conditions. The impacts of roof pitch and ceiling insulation on the cooling load of gable-roof residential buildings are investigated based on the simulation of turbulent air flow and natural convection heat transfer in attic spaces with roof pitches from 3/12 to 18/12 combined with ceiling insulation levels from R-1.2 to R-40. The modeling results show that the air flows in the attics are steady and exhibit a general streamline pattern that is qualitatively insensitive to the investigated variations of roof pitch and ceiling insulation. Furthermore, it is predicted that the ceiling insulation plays a control role on the attic cooling load and that an increase of roof pitch from 3/12 to 8/12 results in a decrease in the cooling load by around 9% in the investigated cases. The results suggest that the increase of roof pitch alone, without changing other design parameters, has limited impact on attics cooling load and airflow pattern. The research results also suggest both the predicted ventilating mass flow rate and attic cooling load can be satisfactorily correlated by simple relationships in terms of appropriately defined Rayleigh and Nusselt numbers.

Crackle Pitch Rises Progressively during Inspiration in Pneumonia, CHF, and IPF Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Vyshedskiy, Andrey; Murphy, Raymond

2012-01-01

Objective. It is generally accepted that crackles are due to sudden opening of airways and that larger airways produce crackles of lower pitch than smaller airways do. As larger airways are likely to open earlier in inspiration than smaller airways and the reverse is likely to be true in expiration, we studied crackle pitch as a function of crackle timing in inspiration and expiration. Our goal was to see if the measurement of crackle pitch was consistent with this theory. Methods. Patients with a significant number of crackles were examined using a multichannel lung sound analyzer. These patients included 34 with pneumonia, 38 with heart failure, and 28 with interstitial fibrosis. Results. Crackle pitch progressively increased during inspirations in 79% of all patients. In these patients crackle pitch increased by approximately 40 Hz from the early to midinspiration and by another 40 Hz from mid to late-inspiration. In 10% of patients, crackle pitch did not change and in 11% of patients crackle pitch decreased. During expiration crackle pitch progressively decreased in 72% of patients and did not change in 28% of patients. Conclusion. In the majority of patients, we observed progressive crackle pitch increase during inspiration and decrease during expiration. Increased crackle pitch at larger lung volumes is likely a result of recruitment of smaller diameter airways. An alternate explanation is that crackle pitch may be influenced by airway tension that increases at greater lung volume. In any case improved understanding of the mechanism of production of these common lung sounds may help improve our understanding of pathophysiology of these disorders.

Multi-Channel Maximum Likelihood Pitch Estimation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Mads Græsbøll

2012-01-01

In this paper, a method for multi-channel pitch estimation is proposed. The method is a maximum likelihood estimator and is based on a parametric model where the signals in the various channels share the same fundamental frequency but can have different amplitudes, phases, and noise characteristics....... This essentially means that the model allows for different conditions in the various channels, like different signal-to-noise ratios, microphone characteristics and reverberation. Moreover, the method does not assume that a certain array structure is used but rather relies on a more general model and is hence...

Rapid area change in pitch-up manoeuvres of small perching birds.

Science.gov (United States)

Polet, D T; Rival, D E

2015-10-26

Rapid pitch-up has been highlighted as a mechanism to generate large lift and drag during landing manoeuvres. However, pitching rates had not been measured previously in perching birds, and so the direct applicability of computations and experiments to observed behaviour was not known. We measure pitch rates in a small, wild bird (the black-capped chickadee; Poecile atricapillus), and show that these rates are within the parameter range used in experiments. Pitching rates were characterized by the shape change number, a metric comparing the rate of frontal area increase to acceleration. Black-capped chickadees increase the shape change number during perching in direct proportion to their total kinetic and potential energy at the start of the manoeuvre. The linear relationship between dissipated energy and shape change number is in accordance with a simple analytical model developed for two-dimensional pitching and decelerating airfoils. Black-capped chickadees use a wing pitch-up manoeuvre during perching to dissipate energy quickly while maintaining lift and drag through rapid area change. It is suggested that similar pitch-and-decelerate manoeuvres could be used to aid in the controlled, precise landings of small manoeuvrable air vehicles.

LQG Controller Design for Pitch Regulated Variable Speed Wind Turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Imran, Raja Muhammed; Hussain, Dil Muhammad Akbar; Chen, Zhe

2014-01-01

Variable speed wind turbine is a complex and nonlinear system, a sophisticated control is required to meet the challenges posed by these systems. This paper is presenting a pitch regulation strategy based on LQG (Linear Quadratic Gaussian) to regulate turbine at its rated power and to reject...

Effect of zirconium addition on the microstructure and performance of carbon foam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li Wanqian [State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha 410083 (China); Zhang Hongbo, E-mail: wanqian20089@126.com [State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha 410083 (China); Xiong Xiang; Xiao Feng [State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha 410083 (China)

2010-05-15

A novel carbon foam was prepared from mixtures of mesophase pitch and dopant (zirconium), followed by foaming, carbonization and graphitization. The influence of Zr on the microstructure and properties of these foams was analyzed. Results have shown that Zr can promote the graphitization degree of carbon foams, which lead to an increase of thermal conductivity. The high bulk thermal conductivity of 63 W/m K was achieved with an addition of 3 wt% at heat treatment temperature of 2573 K. The d{sub 002} spacings of graphitic foams are found to decrease with the increase of dopant concentration in the pitch. SEM analysis also showed micro-cracks at the ligament of the doped graphitic foam, which might be responsible for the decrease of the compressive strength.

Efficiency enhancement of a self-propelled pitching profile using non-sinusoidal trajectories

Science.gov (United States)

Mekadem, M.; Chihani, E.; Oualli, H.; Hanchi, S.; Bouabdallah, A.; Gad-El-Hak, M.

2017-11-01

A symmetrical profile is subjected to non-sinusoidal pitching motion. The airfoil has a chord length c = 0.006 m and a semi-circular leading edge with a diameter of D = 0.001 m. The extrados and intrados are two straight lines that intersect at a tapered trailing edge, and the pitching pivot point is positioned at the leading edge. The pitching frequency is in the range of 1 based upon the maximum profile thickness D varies in the range of 35 <= Re <= 210 , which matches insect's Reynolds numbers. The foil movement is executed using the dynamic mesh technique and a user defined function (UDF). The adopted mesh has 70,445 nodes with 5,1960 quadrilateral cells. The results are in good agreement with prior experiments, and, compared to sinusoidal oscillations, show that non-sinusoidal flapping trajectories lead to advancing velocity increase of 550%. Additionally, if improved propulsive efficiency is sought, non-sinusoidal flapping lead to better thrust.

Prediction of HS Soderberg plant PAH emissions from a laboratory evaluation of a pitch

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Castonguay, L.; Mirtchi, A. A.; Proulx, A. L.; Savard, G.; Simard, E.; Steward, N.; Tremblay, C. [Alcan International Ltd., Arvida Research and Development Centre, Jonquiere, PQ (Canada)

1998-12-31

The presence of certain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in coal tar pitch has been identified as a possible limit to the long-term viability of horizontal stud (HS) Soderberg technology, a technology of importance in the aluminum industry. This paper presents the results of a comparative study of pitch PAH content and HS Soderberg cell emissions. Laboratory results are compared with plant emissions for two regular and low PAH pitches with the same softening points. The results indicate the existence of a correlation between pitch PAH content and cell emission, which is valid for regular tar pitches, low tar pitches, as well as for hybrid pitches. These findings make it possible to predict the quantity and distribution of HS Soderberg cell PAH emissions from the analysis of PAHs in the pitch. The results also justify the conclusion that the emission of genotoxic compounds from pitch in the HS Soderberg technology can be decreased by using a pitch with low PAH content. 4 refs., 5 tabs., 5 figs.

Crackle Pitch Rises Progressively during Inspiration in Pneumonia, CHF, and IPF Patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrey Vyshedskiy

2012-01-01

Methods. Patients with a significant number of crackles were examined using a multichannel lung sound analyzer. These patients included 34 with pneumonia, 38 with heart failure, and 28 with interstitial fibrosis. Results. Crackle pitch progressively increased during inspirations in 79% of all patients. In these patients crackle pitch increased by approximately 40 Hz from the early to midinspiration and by another 40 Hz from mid to late-inspiration. In 10% of patients, crackle pitch did not change and in 11% of patients crackle pitch decreased. During expiration crackle pitch progressively decreased in 72% of patients and did not change in 28% of patients. Conclusion. In the majority of patients, we observed progressive crackle pitch increase during inspiration and decrease during expiration. Increased crackle pitch at larger lung volumes is likely a result of recruitment of smaller diameter airways. An alternate explanation is that crackle pitch may be influenced by airway tension that increases at greater lung volume. In any case improved understanding of the mechanism of production of these common lung sounds may help improve our understanding of pathophysiology of these disorders.

Experimental Studies of Carbon Nanotube Materials for Space Radiators

Science.gov (United States)

SanSoucie, MIchael P.; Rogers, Jan R.; Craven, Paul D.; Hyers, Robert W.

2012-01-01

Game ]changing propulsion systems are often enabled by novel designs using advanced materials. Radiator performance dictates power output for nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) systems. Carbon nanotubes (CNT) and carbon fiber materials have the potential to offer significant improvements in thermal conductivity and mass properties. A test apparatus was developed to test advanced radiator designs. This test apparatus uses a resistance heater inside a graphite tube. Metallic tubes can be slipped over the graphite tube to simulate a heat pipe. Several sub ]scale test articles were fabricated using CNT cloth and pitch ]based carbon fibers, which were bonded to a metallic tube using an active braze material. The test articles were heated up to 600 C and an infrared (IR) camera captured the results. The test apparatus and experimental results are presented here.

arXiv Signal coupling to embedded pitch adapters in silicon sensors

CERN Document Server

Artuso, M.; Bezshyiko, I.; Blusk, S.; Bruendler, R.; Bugiel, S.; Dasgupta, R.; Dendek, A.; Dey, B.; Ely, S.; Lionetto, F.; Petruzzo, M.; Polyakov, I.; Rudolph, M.; Schindler, H.; Steinkamp, O.; Stone, S.

2018-01-01

We have examined the effects of embedded pitch adapters on signal formation in n-substrate silicon microstrip sensors with data from beam tests and simulation. According to simulation, the presence of the pitch adapter metal layer changes the electric field inside the sensor, resulting in slowed signal formation on the nearby strips and a pick-up effect on the pitch adapter. This can result in an inefficiency to detect particles passing through the pitch adapter region. All these effects have been observed in the beam test data.

Variability of a "force signature" during windmill softball pitching and relationship between discrete force variables and pitch velocity.

Science.gov (United States)

Nimphius, Sophia; McGuigan, Michael R; Suchomel, Timothy J; Newton, Robert U

2016-06-01

This study assessed reliability of discrete ground reaction force (GRF) variables over multiple pitching trials, investigated the relationships between discrete GRF variables and pitch velocity (PV) and assessed the variability of the "force signature" or continuous force-time curve during the pitching motion of windmill softball pitchers. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for all discrete variables was high (0.86-0.99) while the coefficient of variance (CV) was low (1.4-5.2%). Two discrete variables were significantly correlated to PV; second vertical peak force (r(5)=0.81, p=0.03) and time between peak forces (r(5)=-0.79; p=0.03). High ICCs and low CVs support the reliability of discrete GRF and PV variables over multiple trials and significant correlations indicate there is a relationship between the ability to produce force and the timing of this force production with PV. The mean of all pitchers' curve-average standard deviation of their continuous force-time curves demonstrated low variability (CV=4.4%) indicating a repeatable and identifiable "force signature" pattern during this motion. As such, the continuous force-time curve in addition to discrete GRF variables should be examined in future research as a potential method to monitor or explain changes in pitching performance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Oxidation behaviour of ribbon shape carbon fibers and their composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manocha, L.M.; Warrier, Ashish; Manocha, S.; Edie, D.D.; Ogale, A.A.

2006-01-01

Carbon fibers, though important constituent as reinforcements for high performance carbon/carbon composites, are shadowed by their oxidation in air at temperatures beginning 450 deg. C. Owing to tailorable properties of carbon fibers, efforts are underway to explore structural modification possibilities to improve the oxidation resistance of the fibers and their composites. The pitch based ribbon shape carbon fibers are found to have highly preferential oriented graphitic structure resulting in high mechanical properties and thermal conductivity. In the present work oxidation behaviour of ribbon shape carbon fibers and their composites heat treated to 1000-2700 deg. C has been studied. SEM examination of these composites exhibits development of graphitic texture and ordering within the fibers with increase in heat treatment temperature. Oxidation studies made by thermogravimetric analysis in air show that matrix has faster rate of oxidation and in the initial stages the matrix gets oxidized at faster rate with slower rate of oxidation of the fibers depending on processing conditions of fibers and composites

Sensory Processing: Advances in Understanding Structure and Function of Pitch-Shifted Auditory Feedback in Voice Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charles R Larson

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The pitch-shift paradigm has become a widely used method for studying the role of voice pitch auditory feedback in voice control. This paradigm introduces small, brief pitch shifts in voice auditory feedback to vocalizing subjects. The perturbations trigger a reflexive mechanism that counteracts the change in pitch. The underlying mechanisms of the vocal responses are thought to reflect a negative feedback control system that is similar to constructs developed to explain other forms of motor control. Another use of this technique requires subjects to voluntarily change the pitch of their voice when they hear a pitch shift stimulus. Under these conditions, short latency responses are produced that change voice pitch to match that of the stimulus. The pitch-shift technique has been used with magnetoencephalography (MEG and electroencephalography (EEG recordings, and has shown that at vocal onset there is normally a suppression of neural activity related to vocalization. However, if a pitch-shift is also presented at voice onset, there is a cancellation of this suppression, which has been interpreted to mean that one way in which a person distinguishes self-vocalization from vocalization of others is by a comparison of the intended voice and the actual voice. Studies of the pitch shift reflex in the fMRI environment show that the superior temporal gyrus (STG plays an important role in the process of controlling voice F0 based on auditory feedback. Additional studies using fMRI for effective connectivity modeling show that the left and right STG play critical roles in correcting for an error in voice production. While both the left and right STG are involved in this process, a feedback loop develops between left and right STG during perturbations, in which the left to right connection becomes stronger, and a new negative right to left connection emerges along with the emergence of other feedback loops within the cortical network tested.

Surface Electromyography of the Forearm Musculature During the Windmill Softball Pitch

Science.gov (United States)

Remaley, D. Trey; Fincham, Bryce; McCullough, Bryan; Davis, Kirk; Nofsinger, Charles; Armstrong, Charles; Stausmire, Julie M.

2015-01-01

Background: Previous studies investigating the windmill softball pitch have focused primarily on shoulder musculature and function, collecting limited data on elbow and forearm musculature. Little information is available in the literature regarding the forearm. This study documents forearm muscle electromyographic (EMG) activity that has not been previously published. Purpose: Elbow and upper extremity overuse injuries are on the rise in fast-pitch softball pitchers. This study attempts to describe forearm muscle activity in softball pitchers during the windmill softball pitch. Overuse injuries can be prevented if a better understanding of mechanics is defined. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: Surface EMG and high-speed videography was used to study forearm muscle activation patterns during the windmill softball pitch on 10 female collegiate-level pitchers. Maximum voluntary isometric contraction of each muscle was used as a normalizing value. Each subject was tested during a single laboratory session per pitcher. Data included peak muscle activation, average muscle activation, and time to peak activation for 6 pitch types: fastball, changeup, riseball, curveball, screwball, and dropball. Results: During the first 4 phases, muscle activity (seen as signal strength on the EMG recordings) was limited and static in nature. The greatest activation occurred in phases 5 and 6, with increased signal strength, evidence of stretch-shortening cycle, and different muscle characteristics with each pitch style. These 2 phases of the windmill pitch are where the arm is placed in the 6 o’clock position and then at release of the ball. The flexor carpi ulnaris signal strength was significantly greater than the other forearm flexors. Timing of phases 1 through 5 was successively shorter for each pitch. There was a secondary pattern of activation in the flexor carpi ulnaris in phase 4 for all pitches except the fastball and riseball. Conclusion: During the 6

Surface Electromyography of the Forearm Musculature During the Windmill Softball Pitch.

Science.gov (United States)

Remaley, D Trey; Fincham, Bryce; McCullough, Bryan; Davis, Kirk; Nofsinger, Charles; Armstrong, Charles; Stausmire, Julie M

2015-01-01

Previous studies investigating the windmill softball pitch have focused primarily on shoulder musculature and function, collecting limited data on elbow and forearm musculature. Little information is available in the literature regarding the forearm. This study documents forearm muscle electromyographic (EMG) activity that has not been previously published. Elbow and upper extremity overuse injuries are on the rise in fast-pitch softball pitchers. This study attempts to describe forearm muscle activity in softball pitchers during the windmill softball pitch. Overuse injuries can be prevented if a better understanding of mechanics is defined. Descriptive laboratory study. Surface EMG and high-speed videography was used to study forearm muscle activation patterns during the windmill softball pitch on 10 female collegiate-level pitchers. Maximum voluntary isometric contraction of each muscle was used as a normalizing value. Each subject was tested during a single laboratory session per pitcher. Data included peak muscle activation, average muscle activation, and time to peak activation for 6 pitch types: fastball, changeup, riseball, curveball, screwball, and dropball. During the first 4 phases, muscle activity (seen as signal strength on the EMG recordings) was limited and static in nature. The greatest activation occurred in phases 5 and 6, with increased signal strength, evidence of stretch-shortening cycle, and different muscle characteristics with each pitch style. These 2 phases of the windmill pitch are where the arm is placed in the 6 o'clock position and then at release of the ball. The flexor carpi ulnaris signal strength was significantly greater than the other forearm flexors. Timing of phases 1 through 5 was successively shorter for each pitch. There was a secondary pattern of activation in the flexor carpi ulnaris in phase 4 for all pitches except the fastball and riseball. During the 6 pitches, the greatest muscular activity was in phases 5 and 6

DEVELOPMENT OF CONTINUOUS SOLVENT EXTRACTION PROCESSES FOR COAL DERIVED CARBON PRODUCTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elliot B. Kennel; R. Michael Bergen; Stephen P. Carpenter; Dady Dadyburjor; Manoj Katakdaunde; Liviu Magean; Alfred H. Stiller; W. Morgan Summers; John W. Zondlo

2006-05-12

The purpose of this DOE-funded effort is to develop continuous processes for solvent extraction of coal for the production of carbon products. The largest applications are those which support metals smelting, such as anodes for aluminum smelting and electrodes for arc furnaces. Other carbon products include materials used in creating fuels for the Direct Carbon Fuel Cell, metals smelting, especially in the aluminum and steel industries, as well as porous carbon structural material referred to as ''carbon foam'' and carbon fibers. During this reporting period, coking and composite fabrication continued using coal-derived samples. These samples were tested in direct carbon fuel cells. Methodology was refined for determining the aromatic character of hydro treated liquid, based on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). Tests at GrafTech International showed that binder pitches produced using the WVU solvent extraction protocol can result in acceptable graphite electrodes for use in arc furnaces. These tests were made at the pilot scale.

Half pitch lower sound perception caused by carbamazepine.

Science.gov (United States)

Konno, Shyu; Yamazaki, Etsuko; Kudoh, Masako; Abe, Takashi; Tohgi, Hideo

2003-09-01

We report a 16-year-old woman with secondary generalization of partial seizure, who complained of an auditory disturbance after carbamazepine (CBZ) administration. She had been taking sodium valproate (VPA) from the age of 15. However, her seizures remained poorly controlled. We changed her antiepileptic drug from VPA to CBZ. At 1 week after CBZ administration, she noticed that electone musical performances were heard as a semitone lower. When oral administration of CBZ was stopped, her pitch perception returned to normal. If she had not been able to discern absolute pitch, she might have been unable to recognize her lowered pitch perception. Auditory disturbance caused by CBZ is reversible and very rare.

Pitch and Time, Tonality and Meter: How Do Musical Dimensions Combine?

Science.gov (United States)

Prince, Jon B.; Thompson, William F.; Schmuckler, Mark A.

2009-01-01

The authors examined how the structural attributes of tonality and meter influence musical pitch-time relations. Listeners heard a musical context followed by probe events that varied in pitch class and temporal position. Tonal and metric hierarchies contributed additively to the goodness-of-fit of probes, with pitch class exerting a stronger…

29 CFR 1910.1002 - Coal tar pitch volatiles; interpretation of term.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 6 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Coal tar pitch volatiles; interpretation of term. 1910.1002... Hazardous Substances § 1910.1002 Coal tar pitch volatiles; interpretation of term. As used in § 1910.1000 (Table Z-1), coal tar pitch volatiles include the fused polycyclic hydrocarbons which volatilize from the...

Deposition of additives onto surface of carbon materials by blending method--general conception

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Przepiorski, Jacek

2005-01-01

Carbon fibers loaded with potassium carbonate and with metallic copper were prepared by applying a blending method. Raw isotropic coal pitch was blended with KOH or CuBr 2 and obtained mixtures were subjected to spinning. In this way KOH and copper salt-blended fiber with uniform distribution of potassium and copper were spun. The raw fibers were exposed to stabilization with a mixture of CO 2 and air or air only through heating to 330 deg. C and next to treatment with carbon dioxide or hydrogen at higher temperatures. Electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA) analyses showed presence of potassium carbonate or metallic copper predominantly in peripheral regions of the obtained fibers. Basing on the mechanisms of potassium and copper diffusion over the carbon volume, generalized method for the deposition of additives onto surface of carbon materials is proposed

Petrographic characterization of the solid products of coal- pitch coprocessing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Potter, J.; Kybett, B.D.; McDougall, W.J.; Nambudiri, E.M.V.; Rahimi, P.; Price, J.T.

1986-06-01

Petrographic studies were conducted on four solid residues resulting from the hydrogenation process of 1) Forestburg sub- bituminous coal alone, 2) the coal with a non-coking solvent (anthracene oil), 3) pitch (Cold Lake vacuum-bottom deposits), and 4) a mixture of coal and pitch. The purpose was to determine the amounts of coal and pitch-derived solids in the residues. All the residues were produced under identical severe conditions of liquefaction to promote the formation of solids. The coal processed with anthracene oil gives a residue consisting mainly of isotropic huminitic solids. If the coal is hydrogenated under similar conditions but without a solvent, the predominant residual solids are anisotropic semicokes displaying coarse mosaic textures, which form from vitroplast. The residual products from the hydrogenated Cold Lake vacuum- bottom deposits are also dominantly anisotropic semicokes; these display coarse mosaics and flow textures, and form by the growth and coalescence of mesophase spherules. Both coal- and pitch-derived solids are identified in a residue produced by coprocessing the Forestburg coal with the pitch from the Cold Lake vacuum-bottom deposits. It is concluded that the huminite macerals in the coal generate the fine-grained, mosaic-textured semicokes, whereas the pitch produces the coarse mosaics and flow-textured semicokes.

Study of Pumping Capacity of Pitched Blade Impellers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. Fořt

2002-01-01

Full Text Available A study was made of the pumping capacity of pitched blade impellers in a cylindrical pilot plant vessel with four standard radial baffles at the wall under a turbulent regime of flow. The pumping capacity was calculated from the radial profile of the axial flow, under the assumption of axial symmetry of the discharge flow. The mean velocity was measured using laser Doppler anemometry in a transparent vessel of diameter T = 400 mm, provided with a standard dished bottom. Three and six blade pitched blade impellers (the pitch angle varied within the interval a Îá24°; 45°ń of impeller/vessel diameter ratio D/T = 0.36, as well as a three blade pitched blade impeller with folded blades of the same diameter, were tested. The calculated results were compared with the results of experiments mentioned in the literature, above all in cylindrical vessels with a flat bottom. Both arrangements of the agitated system were described by the impeller energetic efficiency, i.e, a criterion including in dimensionless form both the impeller energy consumption (impeller power input and the impeller pumping effect (impeller pumping capacity. It follows from the results obtained with various geometrical configurations that the energetic efficiency of pitched blade impellers is significantly lower for configurations suitable for mixing solid-liquid suspensions (low impeller off bottom clearances than for blending miscible liquids in mixing (higher impeller off bottom clearances.

Carbon in condensed hydrocarbon phases, steels and cast irons

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

GAFAROVA Victoria Alexandrovna

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The article presents a review of studies carried out mainly by the researchers of the Ufa State Petroleum Technological University, which are aimed at detection of new properties of carbon in such condensed media as petroleum and coal pitches, steels and cast irons. Carbon plays an important role in the industry of construction materials being a component of road and roof bitumen and setting the main mechanical properties of steels. It was determined that crystal-like structures appear in classical glass-like substances – pitches which contain several thousands of individual hydrocarbons of various compositions. That significantly extends the concept of crystallinity. In structures of pitches, the control parameter of the staged structuring process is paramagnetism of condensed aromatic hydrocarbons. Fullerenes were detected in steels and cast irons and identified by various methods of spectrometry and microscopy. Fullerene С60, which contains 60 carbon atoms, has diameter of 0,7 nm and is referred to the nanoscale objects, which have a significant influence on the formation of steel and cast iron properties. It was shown that fullerenes appear at all stages of manufacture of cast irons; they are formed during introduction of carbon from the outside, during crystallization of metal in welded joints. Creation of modified fullerene layers in steels makes it possible to improve anticorrosion and tribological properties of structural materials. At the same time, outside diffusion of carbon from the carbon deposits on the metal surface also leads to formation of additional amount of fullerenes. This creates conditions for occurrence of local microdistortions of the structure, which lead to occurrence of cracks. Distribution of fullerenes in iron matrix is difficult to study as the method is labor-intensive, it requires dissolution of the matrix in the hydrofluoric acid and stage fullerene separation with further identification by spectral methods.

Unaccounted Workload Factor: Game-Day Pitch Counts in High School Baseball Pitchers—An Observational Study

Science.gov (United States)

Zaremski, Jason L.; Zeppieri, Giorgio; Jones, Deborah L.; Tripp, Brady L.; Bruner, Michelle; Vincent, Heather K.; Horodyski, MaryBeth

2018-01-01

Background: Throwing injuries are common in high school baseball. Known risk factors include excessive pitch counts, year-round pitching, and pitching with arm pain and fatigue. Despite the evidence, the prevalence of pitching injuries among high school players has not decreased. One possibility to explain this pattern is that players accumulate unaccounted pitch volume during warm-up and bullpen activity, but this has not yet been examined. Hypotheses: Our primary hypothesis was that approximately 30% to 40% of pitches thrown off a mound by high school pitchers during a game-day outing are unaccounted for in current data but will be revealed when bullpen sessions and warm-up pitches are included. Our secondary hypothesis was that there is wide variability among players in the number of bullpen pitches thrown per outing. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Researchers counted all pitches thrown off a mound during varsity high school baseball games played by 34 high schools in North Central Florida during the 2017 season. Results: We recorded 13,769 total pitches during 115 varsity high school baseball starting pitcher outings. The mean ± SD pitch numbers per game were calculated for bullpen activity (27.2 ± 9.4), warm-up (23.6 ±8.0), live games (68.9 ±19.7), and total pitches per game (119.7 ± 27.8). Thus, 42.4% of the pitches performed were not accounted for in the pitch count monitoring of these players. The number of bullpen pitches thrown varied widely among players, with 25% of participants in our data set throwing fewer than 22 pitches and 25% throwing more than 33 pitches per outing. Conclusion: In high school baseball players, pitch count monitoring does not account for the substantial volume of pitching that occurs during warm-up and bullpen activity during the playing season. These extra pitches should be closely monitored to help mitigate the risk of overuse injury. PMID:29662911

Unaccounted Workload Factor: Game-Day Pitch Counts in High School Baseball Pitchers-An Observational Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Zaremski, Jason L; Zeppieri, Giorgio; Jones, Deborah L; Tripp, Brady L; Bruner, Michelle; Vincent, Heather K; Horodyski, MaryBeth

2018-04-01

Throwing injuries are common in high school baseball. Known risk factors include excessive pitch counts, year-round pitching, and pitching with arm pain and fatigue. Despite the evidence, the prevalence of pitching injuries among high school players has not decreased. One possibility to explain this pattern is that players accumulate unaccounted pitch volume during warm-up and bullpen activity, but this has not yet been examined. Our primary hypothesis was that approximately 30% to 40% of pitches thrown off a mound by high school pitchers during a game-day outing are unaccounted for in current data but will be revealed when bullpen sessions and warm-up pitches are included. Our secondary hypothesis was that there is wide variability among players in the number of bullpen pitches thrown per outing. Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Researchers counted all pitches thrown off a mound during varsity high school baseball games played by 34 high schools in North Central Florida during the 2017 season. We recorded 13,769 total pitches during 115 varsity high school baseball starting pitcher outings. The mean ± SD pitch numbers per game were calculated for bullpen activity (27.2 ± 9.4), warm-up (23.6 ±8.0), live games (68.9 ±19.7), and total pitches per game (119.7 ± 27.8). Thus, 42.4% of the pitches performed were not accounted for in the pitch count monitoring of these players. The number of bullpen pitches thrown varied widely among players, with 25% of participants in our data set throwing fewer than 22 pitches and 25% throwing more than 33 pitches per outing. In high school baseball players, pitch count monitoring does not account for the substantial volume of pitching that occurs during warm-up and bullpen activity during the playing season. These extra pitches should be closely monitored to help mitigate the risk of overuse injury.

Absence of modulatory action on haptic height perception with musical pitch

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michele eGeronazzo

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Although acoustic frequency is not a spatial property of physical objects, in common language, pitch, i.e., the psychological correlated of frequency, is often labeled spatially (i.e., high in pitch or low in pitch. Pitch-height is known to modulate (and interact with the response of participants when they are asked to judge spatial properties of non-auditory stimuli (e.g., visual in a variety of behavioral tasks. In the current study we investigated whether the modulatory action of pitch-height extended to the haptic estimation of height of a virtual step.We implemented a HW/SW setup which is able to render virtual 3D objects (stair-steps haptically through a PHANTOM device, and to provide real-time continuous auditory feedback depending on the user interaction with the object. The haptic exploration was associated with a sinusoidal tone whose pitch varied as a function of the interaction point’s height within (i a narrower and (ii a wider pitch range, or (iii a random pitch variation acting as a control audio condition. Explorations were also performed with no sound (haptic only. Participants were instructed to explore the virtual step freely, and to communicate height estimation by opening their thumb and index finger to mimic the step riser height, or verbally by reporting the height in centimeters of the step riser. We analyzed the role of musical expertise by dividing participants into non musicians and musicians. Results showed no effects of musical pitch on high-realistic haptic feedback. Overall there is no difference between the two groups in the proposed multimodal conditions. Additionally, we observed a different haptic response distribution between musicians and non musicians when estimations of the auditory conditions are matched with estimations in the no sound condition.

Pitch Discrimination and Melodic Memory in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Science.gov (United States)

Stanutz, Sandy; Wapnick, Joel; Burack, Jacob A.

2014-01-01

Background: Pitch perception is enhanced among persons with autism. We extended this finding to memory for pitch and melody among school-aged children. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate pitch memory in musically untrained children with autism spectrum disorders, aged 7-13 years, and to compare it to that of age- and…

Human vertical eye movement responses to earth horizontal pitch

Science.gov (United States)

Wall, C. 3rd; Petropoulos, A. E.

1993-01-01

The vertical eye movements in humans produced in response to head-over-heels constant velocity pitch rotation about a horizontal axis resemble those from other species. At 60 degrees/s these are persistent and tend to have non-reversing slow components that are compensatory to the direction of rotation. In most, but not all subjects, the slow component velocity was well characterized by a rapid build-up followed by an exponential decay to a non-zero baseline. Super-imposed was a cyclic or modulation component whose frequency corresponded to the time for one revolution and whose maximum amplitude occurred during a specific head orientation. All response components (exponential decay, baseline and modulation) were larger during pitch backward compared to pitch forward runs. Decay time constants were shorter during the backward runs, thus, unlike left to right yaw axis rotation, pitch responses display significant asymmetries between paired forward and backward runs.

Development in children's interpretation of pitch cues to emotions.

Science.gov (United States)

Quam, Carolyn; Swingley, Daniel

2012-01-01

Young infants respond to positive and negative speech prosody (A. Fernald, 1993), yet 4-year-olds rely on lexical information when it conflicts with paralinguistic cues to approval or disapproval (M. Friend, 2003). This article explores this surprising phenomenon, testing one hundred eighteen 2- to 5-year-olds' use of isolated pitch cues to emotions in interactive tasks. Only 4- to 5-year-olds consistently interpreted exaggerated, stereotypically happy or sad pitch contours as evidence that a puppet had succeeded or failed to find his toy (Experiment 1) or was happy or sad (Experiments 2, 3). Two- and 3-year-olds exploited facial and body-language cues in the same task. The authors discuss the implications of this late-developing use of pitch cues to emotions, relating them to other functions of pitch. © 2011 The Authors. Child Development © 2011 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Faster decline of pitch memory over time in congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Williamson, Victoria J; McDonald, Claire; Deutsch, Diana; Griffiths, Timothy D; Stewart, Lauren

2010-04-26

Congenital amusia (amusia, hereafter) is a developmental disorder that impacts negatively on the perception of music. Psychophysical testing suggests that individuals with amusia have above average thresholds for detection of pitch change and pitch direction discrimination; however, a low-level auditory perceptual problem cannot completely explain the disorder, since discrimination of melodies is also impaired when the constituent intervals are suprathreshold for perception. The aim of the present study was to test pitch memory as a function of (a) time and (b) tonal interference, in order to determine whether pitch traces are inherently weaker in amusic individuals. Memory for the pitch of single tones was compared using two versions of a paradigm developed by Deutsch (1970a). In both tasks, participants compared the pitch of a standard (S) versus a comparison (C) tone. In the time task, the S and C tones were presented, separated in time by 0, 1, 5, 10, and 15 s (blocked presentation). In the interference task, the S and C tones were presented with a fixed time interval (5 s) but with a variable number of irrelevant tones in between 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 tones (blocked presentation). In the time task, control performance remained high for all time intervals, but amusics showed a performance decrement over time. In the interference task, controls and amusics showed a similar performance decrement with increasing number of irrelevant tones. Overall, the results suggest that the pitch representations of amusic individuals are less stable and more prone to decay than those of matched non-amusic individuals.

Comparison of individual pitch and smart rotor control strategies for load reduction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plumley, C; Leithead, W; Jamieson, P; Bossanyi, E; Graham, M

2014-01-01

Load reduction is increasingly seen as an essential part of controller and wind turbine design. On large multi-MW wind turbines that experience high levels of wind shear and turbulence across the rotor, individual pitch control and smart rotor control are being considered. While individual pitch control involves adjusting the pitch of each blade individually to reduce the cyclic loadings on the rotor, smart rotor control involves activating control devices distributed along the blades to alter the local aerodynamics of the blades. Here we investigate the effectiveness of using a DQ-axis control and a distributed (independent) control for both individual pitch and trailing edge flap smart rotor control. While load reductions are similar amongst the four strategies across a wide range of variables, including blade root bending moments, yaw bearing and shaft, the pitch actuator requirements vary. The smart rotor pitch actuator has reduced travel, rates, accelerations and power requirements than that of the individual pitch controlled wind turbines. This benefit alone however would be hard to justify the added design complexities of using a smart rotor, which can be seen as an alternative to upgrading the pitch actuator and bearing. In addition, it is found that the independent control strategy is apt at roles that the collective pitch usually targets, such as tower motion and speed control, and it is perhaps here, in supplementing other systems, that the future of the smart rotor lies

Comparison of individual pitch and smart rotor control strategies for load reduction

Science.gov (United States)

Plumley, C.; Leithead, W.; Jamieson, P.; Bossanyi, E.; Graham, M.

2014-06-01

Load reduction is increasingly seen as an essential part of controller and wind turbine design. On large multi-MW wind turbines that experience high levels of wind shear and turbulence across the rotor, individual pitch control and smart rotor control are being considered. While individual pitch control involves adjusting the pitch of each blade individually to reduce the cyclic loadings on the rotor, smart rotor control involves activating control devices distributed along the blades to alter the local aerodynamics of the blades. Here we investigate the effectiveness of using a DQ-axis control and a distributed (independent) control for both individual pitch and trailing edge flap smart rotor control. While load reductions are similar amongst the four strategies across a wide range of variables, including blade root bending moments, yaw bearing and shaft, the pitch actuator requirements vary. The smart rotor pitch actuator has reduced travel, rates, accelerations and power requirements than that of the individual pitch controlled wind turbines. This benefit alone however would be hard to justify the added design complexities of using a smart rotor, which can be seen as an alternative to upgrading the pitch actuator and bearing. In addition, it is found that the independent control strategy is apt at roles that the collective pitch usually targets, such as tower motion and speed control, and it is perhaps here, in supplementing other systems, that the future of the smart rotor lies.

Testbed of a novel robotic pitch-roll wrist parameter identification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ma, Xiao Qing; Chopra, Vikram; Angeles, Jorge

2010-01-01

The paper reports work in progress on the development of an innovative gearless pitch-roll wrist (PRW)for robotic applications. The PRW bears the morphology of a bevel-gear differential, its novelty lying in the absence of gears. Indeed, the PRW motivating this study is based on cams and rollers,...

Oxidation kinetics and mechanisms of four-direction carbon/carbon composites and their components in carbon dioxide at high temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin, Fei; Peng, Li-na; He, Guo-qiang; Li, Jiang

2013-01-01

Highlights: •Four-direction C/C composite was fabricated using carbon fibres and coal tar pitches. •Large-sized bulk matrix was prepared using same process as matrix of C/C composites. •A and E a of C/C, bulk matrix and fibres in CO 2 were determined, respectively. •Pressure exponent n was 0.62 in C/C–CO 2 . -- Abstract: Thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy were used to study the oxidation kinetics of four-direction carbon/carbon composites and their components (fibres and matrix) in a CO 2 atmosphere at high temperature. The ablation processes were restricted to reaction-limited oxidation. The mass loss rate was estimated for the four-direction carbon/carbon composites and their components within the temperature of range of 600–1400 °C. The pressure exponent for the reaction of carbon/carbon composites and CO 2 was 0.62, and the pre-exponential factor and activation energy for the reactions of CO 2 and the carbon/carbon composites, carbon fibres and matrix were determined, respectively

Uncovering phenotypes of poor-pitch singing: the Sung Performance Battery (SPB)

Science.gov (United States)

Berkowska, Magdalena; Dalla Bella, Simone

2013-01-01

Singing is as natural as speaking for humans. Increasing evidence shows that the layman can carry a tune (e.g., when asked to sing a well-known song or to imitate single pitches, intervals and short melodies). Yet, important individual differences exist in the general population with regard to singing proficiency. Some individuals are particularly inaccurate or imprecise in producing or imitating pitch information (poor-pitch singers), thus showing a variety of singing phenotypes. Unfortunately, so far there is not a standard set of tasks for assessing singing proficiency in the general population, allowing to uncover and characterize individual profiles of poor-pitch singing. Different tasks and analysis methods are typically used in various experiments, making the comparison of the results across studies arduous. To fill this gap we propose here a new tool for assessing singing proficiency (the Sung Performance Battery, SPB). The SPB starts from the assessment of participants' vocal range followed by five tasks: (1) single-pitch matching, (2) pitch-interval matching, (3) novel-melody matching, (4) singing from memory of familiar melodies (with lyrics and on a syllable), and (5) singing of familiar melodies (with lyrics and on a syllable) at a slow tempo indicated by a metronome. Data analysis via acoustical methods provides objective measures of pitch accuracy and precision in terms of absolute and relative pitch. The SPB has been tested in a group of 50 occasional singers. The results indicate that the battery is useful for characterizing proficient singing and for detecting cases of inaccurate and/or imprecise singing. PMID:24151475

Learning of pitch and time structures in an artificial grammar setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Prince, Jon B; Stevens, Catherine J; Jones, Mari Riess; Tillmann, Barbara

2018-04-12

Despite the empirical evidence for the power of the cognitive capacity of implicit learning of structures and regularities in several modalities and materials, it remains controversial whether implicit learning extends to the learning of temporal structures and regularities. We investigated whether (a) an artificial grammar can be learned equally well when expressed in duration sequences as when expressed in pitch sequences, (b) learning of the artificial grammar in either duration or pitch (as the primary dimension) sequences can be influenced by the properties of the secondary dimension (invariant vs. randomized), and (c) learning can be boosted when the artificial grammar is expressed in both pitch and duration. After an exposure phase with grammatical sequences, learning in a subsequent test phase was assessed in a grammaticality judgment task. Participants in both the pitch and duration conditions showed incidental (not fully implicit) learning of the artificial grammar when the secondary dimension was invariant, but randomizing the pitch sequence prevented learning of the artificial grammar in duration sequences. Expressing the artificial grammar in both pitch and duration resulted in disproportionately better performance, suggesting an interaction between the learning of pitch and temporal structure. The findings are relevant to research investigating the learning of temporal structures and the learning of structures presented simultaneously in 2 dimensions (e.g., space and time, space and objects). By investigating learning, the findings provide further insight into the potential specificity of pitch and time processing, and their integrated versus independent processing, as previously debated in music cognition research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Contributions of pitch contour, tonality, rhythm, and meter to melodic similarity.

Science.gov (United States)

Prince, Jon B

2014-12-01

The identity of a melody resides in its sequence of pitches and durations, both of which exhibit surface details as well as structural properties. In this study, pitch contour (pattern of ups and downs) served as pitch surface information, and tonality (musical key) as pitch structure; in the temporal dimension, surface information was the ordinal duration ratios of adjacent notes (rhythm), and meter (beat, or pulse) comprised the structure. Factorially manipulating the preservation or alteration of all of these forms of information in 17 novel melodies (typifying Western music) enabled measuring their effect on perceived melodic similarity. In Experiment 1, 34 participants (varied musical training) rated the perceived similarity of melody pairs transposed to new starting pitches. Rhythm was the largest contributor to perceived similarity, then contour, meter, and tonality. Experiment 2 used the same melodies but varied the tempo within a pair, and added a prefix of 3 chords, which oriented the listener to the starting pitch and tempo before the melody began. Now contour was the strongest influence on similarity ratings, followed by tonality, and then rhythm; meter was not significant. Overall, surface features influenced perceived similarity more than structural, but both had observable effects. The primary theoretical advances in melodic similarity research are that (a) the relative emphasis on pitch and temporal factors is flexible; (b) pitch and time functioned independently when factorially manipulated, regardless of which dimension is more influential; and (c) interactions between surface and structural information were unreliable and never occurred between dimensions. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Uncovering phenotypes of poor-pitch singing: The Sung Performance Battery (SPB

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Magdalena eBerkowska

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Singing is as natural as speaking for humans. Increasing evidence shows that the layman can carry a tune (e.g., when asked to sing a well-known song or to imitate single pitches, intervals and short melodies. Yet, important individual differences exist in the general population with regard to singing proficiency. Some individuals are particularly inaccurate or imprecise in producing or imitating pitch information (poor-pitch singers, thus showing a variety of singing phenotypes. Unfortunately, so far there is not a standard set of tasks for assessing singing proficiency in the general population, allowing to uncover and characterize individual profiles of poor-pitch singing. Different tasks and analysis methods are typically used in various experiments, making the comparison of the results across studies arduous. To fill this gap we propose here a new tool for assessing singing proficiency (the Sung Performance Battery, SPB. The SPB starts from the assessment of participants’ vocal range followed by five tasks: 1 single-pitch matching, 2 pitch-interval matching, 3 novel-melody matching, 4 singing from memory of familiar melodies (with lyrics and on a syllable, and 5 singing of familiar melodies (with lyrics and on a syllable at a slow tempo indicated by a metronome. Data analysis via acoustical methods provides objective measures of pitch accuracy and precision in terms of absolute and relative pitch. The SPB has been tested in a group of 50 occasional singers. The results indicate that the battery is useful for characterizing proficient singing and for detecting cases of inaccurate and/or imprecise singing.

SU-C-206-01: Impact of Charge Sharing Effect On Sub-Pitch Resolution for CZT-Based Photon Counting CT Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zheng, X; Cheng, Z; Deen, J; Peng, H [McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario (Canada); Xing, L [Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA (United States)

2016-06-15

Purposes: Photon counting CT is a new imaging technology that can provide tissue composition information such as calcium/iodine content quantification. Cadmium zinc telluride CZT is considered a good candidate the photon counting CT due to its relatively high atomic number and band gap. One potential challenge is the degradation of both spatial and energy resolution as the fine electrode pitch is deployed (<50 µm). We investigated the extent of charge sharing effect as functions of gap width, bias voltage and depth-of-interaction (DOI). Methods: The initial electron cloud size and diffusion process were modeled analytically. The valid range of charge sharing effect refers to the range over which both signals of adjacent electrodes are above the triggering threshold (10% of the amplitude of 60keV X-ray photons). The intensity ratios of output in three regions (I1/I2/I3: left pixel, gap area and right pixel) were calculated. With Gaussian white noises modeled (a SNR of 5 based upon the preliminary experiments), the sub-pitch resolution as a function of the spatial position in-between two pixels was studied. Results: The valid range of charge sharing increases linearly with depth-of-interaction (DOI) but decreases with gap width and bias voltage. For a 1.5mm thickness CZT detector (pitch: 50µm, bias: 400 V), the range increase from ∼90µm up to ∼110µm. Such an increase can be attributed to a longer travel distance and the associated electron cloud broadening. The achievable sub-pitch resolution is in the range of ∼10–30µm. Conclusion: The preliminary results demonstrate that sub-pixel spatial resolution can be achieved using the ratio of amplitudes of two neighboring pixels. Such ratio may also be used to correct charge loss and help improve energy resolution of a CZT detector. The impact of characteristic X-rays hitting adjacent pixels (i.e., multiple interaction) on charge sharing is currently being investigated.

The Association Between Pitch Conditions and the Incidence of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

shown to influence incidence of rugby injuries. Harsh weather conditions and detrimental effect on poor Kenyan rugby pitches create a unique environment for injury exposure. We conducted a whole population prospective cohort study to determine the association of pitch conditions with injury incidence and severity.

Pointed and plateau-shaped pitch accents in North Frisian

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Niebuhr, Oliver; Hoekstra, Jarich

2015-01-01

for language documentation and conservation purposes. We selected a small part of this corpus – interviews of 10 elderly speakers – and conducted multiparametric F0 and duration measurements, focusing on nuclear rising-falling pitch accent patterns. We found strong evidence for a phonological pitch...

LANGUAGE EXPERIENCE SHAPES PROCESSING OF PITCH RELEVANT INFORMATION IN THE HUMAN BRAINSTEM AND AUDITORY CORTEX: ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE.

Science.gov (United States)

Krishnan, Ananthanarayan; Gandour, Jackson T

2014-12-01

Pitch is a robust perceptual attribute that plays an important role in speech, language, and music. As such, it provides an analytic window to evaluate how neural activity relevant to pitch undergo transformation from early sensory to later cognitive stages of processing in a well coordinated hierarchical network that is subject to experience-dependent plasticity. We review recent evidence of language experience-dependent effects in pitch processing based on comparisons of native vs. nonnative speakers of a tonal language from electrophysiological recordings in the auditory brainstem and auditory cortex. We present evidence that shows enhanced representation of linguistically-relevant pitch dimensions or features at both the brainstem and cortical levels with a stimulus-dependent preferential activation of the right hemisphere in native speakers of a tone language. We argue that neural representation of pitch-relevant information in the brainstem and early sensory level processing in the auditory cortex is shaped by the perceptual salience of domain-specific features. While both stages of processing are shaped by language experience, neural representations are transformed and fundamentally different at each biological level of abstraction. The representation of pitch relevant information in the brainstem is more fine-grained spectrotemporally as it reflects sustained neural phase-locking to pitch relevant periodicities contained in the stimulus. In contrast, the cortical pitch relevant neural activity reflects primarily a series of transient temporal neural events synchronized to certain temporal attributes of the pitch contour. We argue that experience-dependent enhancement of pitch representation for Chinese listeners most likely reflects an interaction between higher-level cognitive processes and early sensory-level processing to improve representations of behaviorally-relevant features that contribute optimally to perception. It is our view that long

Pitching Emotions: The Interpersonal Effects of Emotions in Professional Baseball

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Arik eCheshin

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Sports games are inherently emotional situations, but surprisingly little is known about the social consequences of these emotions. We examined the interpersonal effects of emotional expressions in professional baseball. Specifically, we investigated whether pitchers' facial displays influence how pitches are assessed and responded to. Using footage from MLB World Series finals, we isolated incidents where the pitcher's face was visible before a pitch. A pre-study indicated that participants consistently perceived anger, happiness, and worry in pitchers' facial displays. An independent sample then predicted pitch characteristics and batter responses based on the same perceived emotional displays. Participants expected pitchers perceived as happy to throw more accurate balls, pitchers perceived as angry to throw faster and more difficult balls, and pitchers perceived as worried to throw slower and less accurate balls. Batters were expected to approach (swing when faced with a pitcher perceived as happy and to avoid (no swing when faced with a pitcher perceived as worried. Whereas previous research focused on using emotional expressions as information regarding past and current situations, our work suggests that people also use perceived emotional expressions to predict future behavior. Our results attest to the impact perceived emotional expressions can have on professional sports.

Pitching Emotions: The Interpersonal Effects of Emotions in Professional Baseball.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheshin, Arik; Heerdink, Marc W; Kossakowski, Jolanda J; Van Kleef, Gerben A

2016-01-01

Sports games are inherently emotional situations, but surprisingly little is known about the social consequences of these emotions. We examined the interpersonal effects of emotional expressions in professional baseball. Specifically, we investigated whether pitchers' facial displays influence how pitches are assessed and responded to. Using footage from the Major League Baseball World Series finals, we isolated incidents where the pitcher's face was visible before a pitch. A pre-study indicated that participants consistently perceived anger, happiness, and worry in pitchers' facial displays. An independent sample then predicted pitch characteristics and batter responses based on the same perceived emotional displays. Participants expected pitchers perceived as happy to throw more accurate balls, pitchers perceived as angry to throw faster and more difficult balls, and pitchers perceived as worried to throw slower and less accurate balls. Batters were expected to approach (swing) when faced with a pitcher perceived as happy and to avoid (no swing) when faced with a pitcher perceived as worried. Whereas previous research focused on using emotional expressions as information regarding past and current situations, our work suggests that people also use perceived emotional expressions to predict future behavior. Our results attest to the impact perceived emotional expressions can have on professional sports.

Contribution to the study of the reactivity of pre-graphitic carbons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barrillon, Eric

1963-01-01

This research thesis relates to studies of the gasification of solid fuels. After having reported the study of raw materials used for the production of graphite, the author reports the study of a mixing of petroleum coke and coal tar pitch. The author focuses of the intermediary stage of graphite elaboration which is used as an anode in the production of aluminium by electrolytic process. Pitch cokes and petroleum cokes are used as raw materials to study the order of reaction of carbon with carbon dioxide. After having shown that the shape of curves giving the gasification rate related to carbon anhydride with respect to wear was a characteristic of a given type of coke, the author reports some measurements of oxi-reactivity in order to check whether the shape of these curves remains the same when changing the reaction gas

Thermal transformations of pitch and its compositions with thermoanthracite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belkina, T.V.; Ulanovskii, M.L.; Krysin, V.P.

1983-01-01

Derivatogrphy is used to investigate the character of thermal transformations of hard coal pitch in compositions with thermoanthracite. It was shown that losses in mass during thermal transformations of hard coal pitch in the temperature interval 200-1000 C occur in two stages, at a varying rate in the 200-600 C range and at a constant rate in the 600-1000 C range. The rate of loss in the 200-600 C range is determined primarily by the rate of diffusion of volatile components and products of pitch conversion and in the 600-1000 C range mainly by the rate of the elemental chemical event. The thermal transformation is essentially unchanged in the presence of thermoanthracite. Silica intensifies the synthesis and increases the solid residue yield. Increasing the rate of heating of the pitch-thermoanthracite brings about incomplete separation of volatile products and a corresponding increase in the solid residue yield. (9 refs.)

Embedded pitch adapters for the ATLAS Tracker Upgrade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ullan, Miguel; Benitez, Victor; Pellegrini, Giulio; Fleta, Celeste; Lozano, Manuel; Lacasta, Carlos; Soldevila, Urmila; Garcia, Carmen

2013-01-01

In the current ATLAS tracker modules, sensor bonding pads are placed on their corresponding strips and oriented along the strips. This creates a difference in pitch and orientation between sensor bond pads and readout electronics bond pads. Therefore, a pitch adapter (PA), or “fan-in”, is needed. The purpose of these PA is the electrical interconnection of every channel from the detector bonding pads to the read-out chips, adapting the different pad pitch. Our new approach is to build those PAs inside the sensor; this is what we call Embedded Pitch Adapters. The idea is to use an additional metal layer in order to define a new group of pads, connected to the strips via tracks with the second metal. The embedded PAs have been fabricated on 4-in. prototype sensors for the ATLAS-Upgrade Endcap Tracker to test their performance and suitability. The tests confirm proper fabrication of the second metal tracks, and no effects on detector performance. No indication of cross-talk between first and second metal channels has been observed. A small indication of possible signal pick-up from the bulk has been observed in a few channels, which needs to be further investigated

Learning for pitch and melody discrimination in congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Whiteford, Kelly L; Oxenham, Andrew J

2018-03-23

Congenital amusia is currently thought to be a life-long neurogenetic disorder in music perception, impervious to training in pitch or melody discrimination. This study provides an explicit test of whether amusic deficits can be reduced with training. Twenty amusics and 20 matched controls participated in four sessions of psychophysical training involving either pure-tone (500 Hz) pitch discrimination or a control task of lateralization (interaural level differences for bandpass white noise). Pure-tone pitch discrimination at low, medium, and high frequencies (500, 2000, and 8000 Hz) was measured before and after training (pretest and posttest) to determine the specificity of learning. Melody discrimination was also assessed before and after training using the full Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia, the most widely used standardized test to diagnose amusia. Amusics performed more poorly than controls in pitch but not localization discrimination, but both groups improved with practice on the trained stimuli. Learning was broad, occurring across all three frequencies and melody discrimination for all groups, including those who trained on the non-pitch control task. Following training, 11 of 20 amusics no longer met the global diagnostic criteria for amusia. A separate group of untrained controls (n = 20), who also completed melody discrimination and pretest, improved by an equal amount as trained controls on all measures, suggesting that the bulk of learning for the control group occurred very rapidly from the pretest. Thirty-one trained participants (13 amusics) returned one year later to assess long-term maintenance of pitch and melody discrimination. On average, there was no change in performance between posttest and one-year follow-up, demonstrating that improvements on pitch- and melody-related tasks in amusics and controls can be maintained. The findings indicate that amusia is not always a life-long deficit when using the current standard

Auditory processing in absolute pitch possessors

Science.gov (United States)

McKetton, Larissa; Schneider, Keith A.

2018-05-01

Absolute pitch (AP) is a rare ability in classifying a musical pitch without a reference standard. It has been of great interest to researchers studying auditory processing and music cognition since it is seldom expressed and sheds light on influences pertaining to neurodevelopmental biological predispositions and the onset of musical training. We investigated the smallest frequency that could be detected or just noticeable difference (JND) between two pitches. Here, we report significant differences in JND thresholds in AP musicians and non-AP musicians compared to non-musician control groups at both 1000 Hz and 987.76 Hz testing frequencies. Although the AP-musicians did better than non-AP musicians, the difference was not significant. In addition, we looked at neuro-anatomical correlates of musicianship and AP using structural MRI. We report increased cortical thickness of the left Heschl's Gyrus (HG) and decreased cortical thickness of the inferior frontal opercular gyrus (IFO) and circular insular sulcus volume (CIS) in AP compared to non-AP musicians and controls. These structures may therefore be optimally enhanced and reduced to form the most efficient network for AP to emerge.

Individual blade pitch for yaw control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Navalkar, S T; Van Wingerden, J W; Van Kuik, G A M

2014-01-01

Individual pitch control (IPC) for reducing blade loads has been investigated and proven successful in recent literature. For IPC, the multi-blade co-ordinate (MBC) transformation is used to process the blade load signals from the rotating to a stationary frame of reference. In the stationary frame of reference, the yaw error of a turbine can be appended to generate IPC actions that are able to achieve turbine yaw control for a turbine in free yaw. In this paper, IPC for yaw control is tested on a high-fidelity numerical model of a commercially produced wind turbine in free yaw. The tests show that yaw control using IPC has the distinct advantage that the yaw system loads and support structure loading are substantially reduced. However, IPC for yaw control also shows a reduction in IPC blade load reduction potential and causes a slight increase in pitch activity. Thus, the key contribution of this paper is the concept demonstration of IPC for yaw control. Further, using IPC for yaw as a tuning parameter, it is shown how the best trade-off between blade loading, pitch activity and support structure loading can be achieved for wind turbine design

Detection and identification of monaural and binaural pitch contours in dyslexic listeners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Santurette, Sébastien; Poelmans, Hanne; Luts, Heleen

2010-01-01

of dyslexic listeners to Huggins' pitch (HP). The present study clarified whether impaired binaural pitch perception is found in dyslexia. Results from a pitch contour identification test, performed in 31 dyslexic listeners and 31 matched controls, clearly showed that dyslexics perceived HP as well...

Full field image reconstruction is suitable for high-pitch dual-source computed tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahnken, Andreas H; Allmendinger, Thomas; Sedlmair, Martin; Tamm, Miriam; Reinartz, Sebastian D; Flohr, Thomas

2012-11-01

The field of view (FOV) in high-pitch dual-source computed tomography (DSCT) is limited by the size of the second detector. The goal of this study was to develop and evaluate a full FOV image reconstruction technique for high-pitch DSCT. For reconstruction beyond the FOV of the second detector, raw data of the second system were extended to the full dimensions of the first system, using the partly existing data of the first system in combination with a very smooth transition weight function. During the weighted filtered backprojection, the data of the second system were applied with an additional weighting factor. This method was tested for different pitch values from 1.5 to 3.5 on a simulated phantom and on 25 high-pitch DSCT data sets acquired at pitch values of 1.6, 2.0, 2.5, 2.8, and 3.0. Images were reconstructed with FOV sizes of 260 × 260 and 500 × 500 mm. Image quality was assessed by 2 radiologists using a 5-point Likert scale and analyzed with repeated-measure analysis of variance. In phantom and patient data, full FOV image quality depended on pitch. Where complete projection data from both tube-detector systems were available, image quality was unaffected by pitch changes. Full FOV image quality was not compromised at pitch values of 1.6 and remained fully diagnostic up to a pitch of 2.0. At higher pitch values, there was an increasing difference in image quality between limited and full FOV images (P = 0.0097). With this new image reconstruction technique, full FOV image reconstruction can be used up to a pitch of 2.0.

Development of advanced blade pitching kinematics for cycloturbines and cyclorotors

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Zachary Howard

Cycloturbines and cyclorotors are established concepts for extracting freesteam fluid energy and producing thrust which promise to exceed the performance of traditional horizontal axis turbines and rotors while maintaining unique operational advantages. However, their potential is not yet realized in widespread applications. A central barrier to their proliferation is the lack of fundamental understanding of the aerodynamic interaction between the turbine and the freestream flow. In particular, blade pitch must be precisely actuated throughout the revolution to achieve the proper blade angle of attack and maximize performance. So far, there is no adequate method for determining or implementing the optimal blade pitching kinematics for cyclorotors or cycloturbines. This dissertation bridges the pitching deficiency by introducing a novel low order model to predict improved pitch kinematics, experimentally demonstrating improved performance, and evaluating flow physics with a high order Navier-Stokes computational code. The foundation for developing advanced blade pitch motions is a low order model named Fluxline Theory. Fluid calculations are performed in a coordinate system fixed to streamlines whose spatial locations are not pre-described in order to capture the flow expansion/contraction and bending through the turbine. A transformation then determines the spatial location of streamlines through the rotor disk and finally blade element method integrations determine the power and forces produced. Validation against three sets of extant cycloturbine experimental data demonstrates improvement over other existing streamtube models. Fluxline Theory was extended by removing dependence on a blade element model to better understand how turbine-fluid interaction impacts thrust and power production. This pure momentum variation establishes a cycloturbine performance limit similar to the Betz Limit for horizontal axis wind turbines, as well as the fluid deceleration required

Enhancing the stabilization of aircraft pitch motion control via intelligent and classical method

Science.gov (United States)

Lukman, H.; Munawwarah, S.; Azizan, A.; Yakub, F.; Zaki, S. A.; Rasid, Z. A.

2017-12-01

The pitching movement of an aircraft is very important to ensure passengers are intrinsically safe and the aircraft achieve its maximum stability. The equations governing the motion of an aircraft are a complex set of six nonlinear coupled differential equations. Under certain assumptions, it can be decoupled and linearized into longitudinal and lateral equations. Pitch control is a longitudinal problem and thus, only the longitudinal dynamics equations are involved in this system. It is a third order nonlinear system, which is linearized about the operating point. The system is also inherently unstable due to the presence of a free integrator. Because of this, a feedback controller is added in order to solve this problem and enhance the system performance. This study uses two approaches in designing controller: a conventional controller and an intelligent controller. The pitch control scheme consists of proportional, integral and derivatives (PID) for conventional controller and fuzzy logic control (FLC) for intelligent controller. Throughout the paper, the performance of the presented controllers are investigated and compared based on the common criteria of step response. Simulation results have been obtained and analysed by using Matlab and Simulink software. The study shows that FLC controller has higher ability to control and stabilize the aircraft's pitch angle as compared to PID controller.

Sparse Multi-Pitch and Panning Estimation of Stereophonic Signals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kronvall, Ted; Jakobsson, Andreas; Hansen, Martin Weiss

2016-01-01

In this paper, we propose a novel multi-pitch estimator for stereophonic mixtures, allowing for pitch estimation on multi-channel audio even if the amplitude and delay panning parameters are unknown. The presented method does not require prior knowledge of the number of sources present in the mix...

Frogs Call at a Higher Pitch in Traffic Noise

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kirsten M. Parris

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Male frogs call to attract females for mating and to defend territories from rival males. Female frogs of some species prefer lower-pitched calls, which indicate larger, more experienced males. Acoustic interference occurs when background noise reduces the active distance or the distance over which an acoustic signal can be detected. Birds are known to call at a higher pitch or frequency in urban noise, decreasing acoustic interference from low-frequency noise. Using Bayesian linear regression, we investigated the effect of traffic noise on the pitch of advertisement calls in two species of frogs, the southern brown tree frog (Litoria ewingii and the common eastern froglet (Crinia signifera. We found evidence that L. ewingii calls at a higher pitch in traffic noise, with an average increase in dominant frequency of 4.1 Hz/dB of traffic noise, and a total effect size of 123 Hz. This frequency shift is smaller than that observed in birds, but is still large enough to be detected by conspecific frogs and confer a significant benefit to the caller. Mathematical modelling predicted a 24% increase in the active distance of a L. ewingii call in traffic noise with a frequency shift of this size. Crinia signifera may also call at a higher pitch in traffic noise, but more data are required to be confident of this effect. Because frog calls are innate rather than learned, the frequency shift demonstrated by L. ewingii may represent an evolutionary adaptation to noisy conditions. The phenomenon of frogs calling at a higher pitch in traffic noise could therefore constitute an intriguing trade-off between audibility and attractiveness to potential mates.

Fine-pitch glass GEM for high-resolution X-ray imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujiwara, T.; Toyokawa, H.; Mitsuya, Y.

2016-01-01

We have developed a fine-pitch glass gas electron multiplier (G-GEM) for high-resolution X-ray imaging. The fine-pitch G-GEM is made of a 400 μm thick photo-etchable glass substrate with 150 μm pitch holes. It is fabricated using the same wet etching technique as that for the standard G-GEM. In this work, we present the experimental results obtained with a single fine-pitch G-GEM with a 50 × 50 mm 2 effective area. We recorded an energy resolution of 16.2% and gas gain up to 5,500 when the detector was irradiated with 5.9 keV X-rays. We present a 50 × 50 mm 2 X-ray radiograph image acquired with a scintillation gas and optical readout system.

Ablation resistance and mechanical/conductive properties of ZrB{sub 2} reinforced carbon based composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, X.T.; Shi, J.L.; Zhang, H.; Zhang, G.B.; Guo, Q.G.; Liu, L. [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Taiyuan (China)

2007-02-15

Zirconium diboride reinforced carbon (ZrB{sub 2}/C) particulate composites are prepared from petroleum coke, coal tar pitch, and ZrB{sub 2} powder by hot-pressing. The ablation, mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of the composites are studied. Results show that the composites have excellent flexural strength and thermal conductivity, with highest values reaching 131 MPa and 161 W/mK for a 10% ZrB{sub 2} addition in raw materials. The electrical resistivity reduces rapidly with increasing amount of ZrB{sub 2}. The values of mass and linear ablation rates are lower in the composites than those measured for pure carbon, decreasing with increasing ZrB{sub 2} content, confirming that these materials are promising for ultrahigh temperature materials. Correlations between properties and microstructure of the composites are also discussed.

Congenital amusia (or tone-deafness interferes with pitch processing in tone languages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Barbara eTillmann

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Congenital amusia is a neurogenetic disorder that affects music processing and that is ascribed to a deficit in pitch processing. We investigated whether this deficit extended to pitch processing in speech, notably the pitch changes used to contrast lexical tones in tonal languages. Congenital amusics and matched controls, all non-tonal language speakers, were tested for lexical tone discrimination in Mandarin Chinese (Experiment 1 and in Thai (Experiment 2. Tones were presented in pairs and participants were required to make same/different judgments. Experiment 2 additionally included musical analogs of Thai tones for comparison. Performance of congenital amusics was inferior to that of controls for all materials, suggesting a domain-general pitch-processing deficit. The pitch deficit of amusia is thus not limited to music, but may compromise the ability to process and learn tonal languages. Combined with acoustic analyses of the tone material, the present findings provide new insights into the nature of the pitch-processing deficit exhibited by amusics.

Congenital Amusia (or Tone-Deafness) Interferes with Pitch Processing in Tone Languages.

Science.gov (United States)

Tillmann, Barbara; Burnham, Denis; Nguyen, Sebastien; Grimault, Nicolas; Gosselin, Nathalie; Peretz, Isabelle

2011-01-01

Congenital amusia is a neurogenetic disorder that affects music processing and that is ascribed to a deficit in pitch processing. We investigated whether this deficit extended to pitch processing in speech, notably the pitch changes used to contrast lexical tones in tonal languages. Congenital amusics and matched controls, all non-tonal language speakers, were tested for lexical tone discrimination in Mandarin Chinese (Experiment 1) and in Thai (Experiment 2). Tones were presented in pairs and participants were required to make same/different judgments. Experiment 2 additionally included musical analogs of Thai tones for comparison. Performance of congenital amusics was inferior to that of controls for all materials, suggesting a domain-general pitch-processing deficit. The pitch deficit of amusia is thus not limited to music, but may compromise the ability to process and learn tonal languages. Combined with acoustic analyses of the tone material, the present findings provide new insights into the nature of the pitch-processing deficit exhibited by amusics.

Fundamental study on aerodynamic force of floating offshore wind turbine with cyclic pitch mechanism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Qing'an; Kamada, Yasunari; Maeda, Takao; Murata, Junsuke; Iida, Kohei; Okumura, Yuta

2016-01-01

Wind turbines mounted on floating platforms are subjected to completely different and soft foundation properties, rather than onshore wind turbines. Due to the flexibility of their mooring systems, floating offshore wind turbines are susceptible to large oscillations such as aerodynamic force of the wind and hydrodynamic force of the wave, which may compromise their performance and structural stability. This paper focuses on the evaluation of aerodynamic forces depending on suppressing undesired turbine's motion by a rotor thrust control which is controlled by pitch changes with wind tunnel experiments. In this research, the aerodynamic forces of wind turbine are tested at two kinds of pitch control system: steady pitch control and cyclic pitch control. The rotational speed of rotor is controlled by a variable speed generator, which can be measured by the power coefficient. Moment and force acts on model wind turbine are examined by a six-component balance. From cyclic pitch testing, the direction and magnitude of moment can be arbitrarily controlled by cyclic pitch control. Moreover, the fluctuations of thrust coefficient can be controlled by collective pitch control. The results of this analysis will help resolve the fundamental design of suppressing undesired turbine's motion by cyclic pitch control. - Highlights: • Offshore wind offers additional options in regions with low onshore potential. • Two kinds of pitch control system: Steady pitch control and Cyclic pitch control. • Performance curves and unsteady aerodynamics are investigated in wind tunnel. • Fluctuations of thrust coefficient can be controlled by collective pitch control.

A Fröhlich effect and representational gravity in memory for auditory pitch.

Science.gov (United States)

Hubbard, Timothy L; Ruppel, Susan E

2013-08-01

Memory for the initial pitch of an auditory target that increased or decreased in auditory frequency was examined. Memory was displaced forward in the direction of pitch motion, and this is consistent with the Fröhlich effect previously observed for visual targets moving in visual physical space. The Fröhlich effect for pitch increased with faster target velocity and decreased if an auditory cue with the same pitch as the initial pitch of the target was presented before the target was presented. The Fröhlich effect was larger for descending pitch motion than for ascending pitch motion, and this is consistent with an influence of representational gravity. The data suggest that representation of auditory frequency space exhibits some of the same biases as representation of visual physical space, and implications for theories of attention in displacement and for crossmodal and multisensory representation of space are discussed. 2013 APA, all rights reserved

The effects of medial ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction on Major League pitching performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Keller, Robert A; Steffes, Matthew J; Zhuo, David; Bey, Michael J; Moutzouros, Vasilios

2014-11-01

Medial ulnar collateral ligament (MUCL) reconstruction is commonly performed on Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers. Previous studies have reported that most pitchers return to presurgical statistical performance levels after MUCL reconstruction. Pitching performance data--specifically, earned run average (ERA), walks and hits per inning pitched (WHIP), winning percentage, and innings pitched--were acquired for 168 MLB pitchers who had undergone MUCL reconstruction. These data were averaged over the 3 years before surgery and the 3 years after surgery and also acquired from 178 age-matched, uninjured MLB pitchers. Of the pitchers who had MUCL reconstruction surgery, 87% returned to MLB pitching. However, compared with presurgical data, pitching performance declined in terms of ERA (P = .001), WHIP (P = .011), and innings pitched (P = .026). Pitching performance also declined in the season before the surgery compared with previous years (ERA, P = .014; WHIP, P = .036; innings pitched, P risk factor for requiring surgery. In addition, there is an increased risk of MUCL reconstruction for pitchers who enter the major leagues at a younger age. Copyright © 2014 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pitch Perception, Working Memory, and Second-Language Phonological Production

Science.gov (United States)

Posedel, James; Emery, Lisa; Souza, Benjamin; Fountain, Catherine

2012-01-01

Previous research has suggested that training on a musical instrument is associated with improvements in working memory and musical pitch perception ability. Good working memory and musical pitch perception ability, in turn, have been linked to certain aspects of language production. The current study examines whether working memory and/or pitch…

TRUNK LEAN DURING A SINGLE-LEG SQUAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH TRUNK LEAN DURING PITCHING.

Science.gov (United States)

Plummer, Hillary A; Oliver, Gretchen D; Powers, Christopher M; Michener, Lori A

2018-02-01

Impaired trunk motion during pitching may be a risk factor for upper extremity injuries. Specifically, increased forces about the shoulder and elbow have been observed in pitchers with excessive contralateral trunk lean during pitching. Because of the difficulty in identifying abnormal trunk motions during a high-speed task such as pitching, a clinical screening test is needed to identify pitchers who have impaired trunk motion during pitching. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the degree of lateral trunk lean during the single-leg squat and amount of trunk lean during pitching and if trunk lean during pitching can be predicted from lean during the single-leg squat. Controlled Laboratory Study; Cross-sectional. Seventy-three young baseball pitchers (11.4 ± 1.7 years; 156.3 ± 11.9 cm; 50.5 ± 8.8 kg) participated. An electromagnetic tracking system was used to obtain trunk kinematic data during a single-leg squat task (lead leg) and at maximum shoulder external rotation of a fastball pitch. Pearson correlation coefficients for trunk lean during the single-leg squat and pitching were calculated. A linear regression analysis was performed to determine if trunk lean during pitching can be predicted from lean during the single-leg squat. There was a positive correlation between trunk lean during the single-leg squat and trunk lean during pitching (r = 0.53; plean during the single-leg squat predicted the amount of lateral trunk lean during pitching (R 2 = 0.28; p lean during an SLS and pitching. Trunk lean during the single-leg squat explained 28% of the variance in trunk lean during pitching. Diagnosis, level 3.

Control design for a pitch-regulated, variable speed wind turbine

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, M.H.; Hansen, Anca Daniela; Larsen, Torben J.

2005-01-01

The three different controller designs presented herein are similar and all based on PI-regulation of rotor speed and power through the collective blade pitch angle and generator moment. The aeroelastic and electrical modelling used for the time-domainanalysis of these controllers are however...... different, which makes a directly quantitative comparison difficult. But there are some observations of similar behaviours should be mentioned: • Very similar step responses in rotor speed, pitch angle, and powerare seen for simulations with steps in wind speed. • All controllers show a peak in power...... for wind speed step-up over rated wind speed, which can be almost removed by changing the parameters of the frequency converter. • Responses of rotor speed, pitchangle, and power for different simulations with turbulent inflow are similar for all three controllers. Again, there seems to be an advantage...

Meta-analytic evidence for the non-modularity of pitch processing in congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Vuvan, Dominique T; Nunes-Silva, Marilia; Peretz, Isabelle

2015-08-01

A major theme driving research in congenital amusia is related to the modularity of this musical disorder, with two possible sources of the amusic pitch perception deficit. The first possibility is that the amusic deficit is due to a broad disorder of acoustic pitch processing that has the effect of disrupting downstream musical pitch processing, and the second is that amusia is specific to a musical pitch processing module. To interrogate these hypotheses, we performed a meta-analysis on two types of effect sizes contained within 42 studies in the amusia literature: the performance gap between amusics and controls on tasks of pitch discrimination, broadly defined, and the correlation between specifically acoustic pitch perception and musical pitch perception. To augment the correlation database, we also calculated this correlation using data from 106 participants tested by our own research group. We found strong evidence for the acoustic account of amusia. The magnitude of the performance gap was moderated by the size of pitch change, but not by whether the stimuli were composed of tones or speech. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between an individual's acoustic and musical pitch perception. However, individual cases show a double dissociation between acoustic and musical processing, which suggests that although most amusic cases are probably explainable by an acoustic deficit, there is heterogeneity within the disorder. Finally, we found that tonal language fluency does not influence the performance gap between amusics and controls, and that there was no evidence that amusics fare worse with pitch direction tasks than pitch discrimination tasks. These results constitute a quantitative review of the current literature of congenital amusia, and suggest several new directions for research, including the experimental induction of amusic behaviour through transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and the systematic exploration of the developmental

Directed graph based carbon flow tracing for demand side carbon obligation allocation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sun, Tao; Feng, Donghan; Ding, Teng

2016-01-01

In order to achieve carbon emission abatement, some researchers and policy makers have cast their focus on demand side carbon abatement potentials. This paper addresses the problem of carbon flow calculation in power systems and carbon obligation allocation at demand side. A directed graph based...... method for tracing carbon flow is proposed. In a lossy network, matrices such as carbon losses, net carbon intensity (NCI) and footprint carbon intensity (FCI) are obtained with the proposed method and used to allocate carbon obligation at demand side. Case studies based on realistic distribution...... and transmission systems are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method....

Create a Consortium and Develop Premium Carbon Products from Coal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frank Rusinko; John Andresen; Jennifer E. Hill; Harold H. Schobert; Bruce G. Miller

2006-01-01

The objective of these projects was to investigate alternative technologies for non-fuel uses of coal. Special emphasis was placed on developing premium carbon products from coal-derived feedstocks. A total of 14 projects, which are the 2003 Research Projects, are reported herein. These projects were categorized into three overall objectives. They are: (1) To explore new applications for the use of anthracite in order to improve its marketability; (2) To effectively minimize environmental damage caused by mercury emissions, CO{sub 2} emissions, and coal impounds; and (3) To continue to increase our understanding of coal properties and establish coal usage in non-fuel industries. Research was completed in laboratories throughout the United States. Most research was performed on a bench-scale level with the intent of scaling up if preliminary tests proved successful. These projects resulted in many potential applications for coal-derived feedstocks. These include: (1) Use of anthracite as a sorbent to capture CO{sub 2} emissions; (2) Use of anthracite-based carbon as a catalyst; (3) Use of processed anthracite in carbon electrodes and carbon black; (4) Use of raw coal refuse for producing activated carbon; (5) Reusable PACs to recycle captured mercury; (6) Use of combustion and gasification chars to capture mercury from coal-fired power plants; (7) Development of a synthetic coal tar enamel; (8) Use of alternative binder pitches in aluminum anodes; (9) Use of Solvent Extracted Carbon Ore (SECO) to fuel a carbon fuel cell; (10) Production of a low cost coal-derived turbostratic carbon powder for structural applications; (11) Production of high-value carbon fibers and foams via the co-processing of a low-cost coal extract pitch with well-dispersed carbon nanotubes; (12) Use of carbon from fly ash as metallurgical carbon; (13) Production of bulk carbon fiber for concrete reinforcement; and (14) Characterizing coal solvent extraction processes. Although some of the

Testbeam Studies on Pick-Up in Sensors with Embedded Pitch Adapters

CERN Document Server

Rehnisch, Laura; The ATLAS collaboration

2018-01-01

Embedded pitch adapters are an alternative solution to external pitch adapters widely used to facilitate the wire-bonding step when connecting silicon strip sensors and readout electronics of different pitch. The pad-pitch adaption can be moved into the sensor fabrication step by implementing a second layer of metal tracks, connected by vias to the primary metal layer of sensor strips. Such a solution, however, might bear the risk of performance losses introduced by various phenomena. One of these effects, the undesired capacitive coupling between the silicon bulk and this second metal layer (pick-up) has been investigated in photon testbeam measurements. For a worst-case embedded pitch adapter design, expected to be maximally susceptible to pick-up, a qualitative analysis has visualized the effect as a function of the location on the second metal layer structure. It was further found that the unwanted effect decreases towards expected values for operating thresholds of the binary readout used. Suggestions fo...

Pitch perception and production in congenital amusia: Evidence from Cantonese speakers

OpenAIRE

Liu, Fang; Chan, Alice H. D.; Ciocca, Valter; Roquet, Catherine; Peretz, Isabelle; Wong, Patrick C. M.

2016-01-01

This study investigated pitch perception and production in speech and music in individuals with congenital amusia (a disorder of musical pitch processing) who are native speakers of Cantonese, a tone language with a highly complex tonal system. Sixteen Cantonese-speaking congenital amusics and 16 controls performed a set of lexical tone perception, production, singing, and psychophysical pitch threshold tasks. Their tone production accuracy and singing proficiency were subsequently judged by ...

Influence of Pitch Height on the Perception of Submissiveness and Threat in Musical Passages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Huron

2006-09-01

Full Text Available Bolinger, Ohala, Morton and others have established that vocal pitch height is perceived to be associated with social signals of dominance and submissiveness: higher vocal pitch is associated with submissiveness, whereas lower vocal pitch is associated with social dominance. An experiment was carried out to test this relationship in the perception of non-vocal melodies. Results show a parallel situation in music: higher-pitched melodies sound more submissive (less threatening than lower-pitched melodies.

Major League pitching workload after primary ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction and risk for revision surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Keller, Robert A; Mehran, Nima; Marshall, Nathan E; Okoroha, Kelechi R; Khalil, Lafi; Tibone, James E; Moutzouros, Vasilios

2017-02-01

Literature has attempted to correlate pitching workload with risk of ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injury; however, limited data are available in evaluating workload and its relationship with the need for revision reconstruction in Major League Baseball (MLB) pitchers. We identified 29 MLB pitchers who underwent primary UCL reconstruction surgery and subsequently required revision reconstruction and compared them with 121 MLB pitchers who underwent primary reconstruction but did not later require revision surgery. Games pitched, pitch counts, and innings pitched were evaluated and compared for the seasons after returning from primary reconstruction and for the last season pitched before undergoing revision surgery. The difference in workload between pitchers who did and did not require revision reconstruction was not statistically significant in games pitched, innings pitched, and MLB-only pitch counts. The one significant difference in workload was in total pitch counts (combined MLB and minor league), with the pitchers who required revision surgery pitching less than those who did not (primary: 1413.6 pitches vs. revision: 959.0 pitches, P = .04). In addition, pitchers who required revision surgery underwent primary reconstruction at an early age (22.9 years vs. 27.3 years, P risk for injury after primary UCL reconstruction. However, correlations of risk may be younger age and less MLB experience at the time of the primary reconstruction. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Exploring the Effects of Pitch Layout on Learning a New Musical Instrument

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer MacRitchie

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Although isomorphic pitch layouts are proposed to afford various advantages for musicians playing new musical instruments, this paper details the first substantive set of empirical tests on how two fundamental aspects of isomorphic pitch layouts affect motor learning: shear, which makes the pitch axis vertical, and the adjacency (or nonadjacency of pitches a major second apart. After receiving audio-visual training tasks for a scale and arpeggios, performance accuracies of 24 experienced musicians were assessed in immediate retention tasks (same as the training tasks, but without the audio-visual guidance and in a transfer task (performance of a previously untrained nursery rhyme. Each participant performed the same tasks with three different pitch layouts and, in total, four different layouts were tested. Results show that, so long as the performance ceiling has not already been reached (due to ease of the task or repeated practice, adjacency strongly improves performance accuracy in the training and retention tasks. They also show that shearing the layout, to make the pitch axis vertical, worsens performance accuracy for the training tasks but, crucially, it strongly improves performance accuracy in the transfer task when the participant needs to perform a new, but related, task. These results can inform the design of pitch layouts in new musical instruments.

Pitch structure, but not selective attention, affects accent weightings in metrical grouping.

Science.gov (United States)

Prince, Jon B

2014-10-01

Among other cues, pitch and temporal accents contribute to grouping in musical sequences. However, exactly how they combine remains unclear, possibly because of the role of structural organization. In 3 experiments, participants rated the perceived metrical grouping of sequences that either adhered to the rules of tonal Western musical pitch structure (musical key) or did not (atonal). The tonal status of sequences did not provide any grouping cues and was irrelevant to the task. Experiment 1 established equally strong levels of pitch leap accents and duration accents in baseline conditions, which were then recombined in subsequent experiments. Neither accent type was stronger or weaker for tonal and atonal contexts. In Experiment 2, pitch leap accents dominated over duration accents, but the extent of this advantage was greater when sequences were tonal. Experiment 3 ruled out an attentional origin of this effect by replicating this finding while explicitly manipulating attention to pitch or duration accents between participant groups. Overall, the presence of tonal pitch structure made the dimension of pitch more salient at the expense of time. These findings support a dimensional salience framework in which the presence of organizational structure prioritizes the processing of the more structured dimension regardless of task relevance, independent from psychophysical difficulty, and impervious to attentional allocation.

Boosting pitch encoding with audiovisual interactions in congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Albouy, Philippe; Lévêque, Yohana; Hyde, Krista L; Bouchet, Patrick; Tillmann, Barbara; Caclin, Anne

2015-01-01

The combination of information across senses can enhance perception, as revealed for example by decreased reaction times or improved stimulus detection. Interestingly, these facilitatory effects have been shown to be maximal when responses to unisensory modalities are weak. The present study investigated whether audiovisual facilitation can be observed in congenital amusia, a music-specific disorder primarily ascribed to impairments of pitch processing. Amusic individuals and their matched controls performed two tasks. In Task 1, they were required to detect auditory, visual, or audiovisual stimuli as rapidly as possible. In Task 2, they were required to detect as accurately and as rapidly as possible a pitch change within an otherwise monotonic 5-tone sequence that was presented either only auditorily (A condition), or simultaneously with a temporally congruent, but otherwise uninformative visual stimulus (AV condition). Results of Task 1 showed that amusics exhibit typical auditory and visual detection, and typical audiovisual integration capacities: both amusics and controls exhibited shorter response times for audiovisual stimuli than for either auditory stimuli or visual stimuli. Results of Task 2 revealed that both groups benefited from simultaneous uninformative visual stimuli to detect pitch changes: accuracy was higher and response times shorter in the AV condition than in the A condition. The audiovisual improvements of response times were observed for different pitch interval sizes depending on the group. These results suggest that both typical listeners and amusic individuals can benefit from multisensory integration to improve their pitch processing abilities and that this benefit varies as a function of task difficulty. These findings constitute the first step towards the perspective to exploit multisensory paradigms to reduce pitch-related deficits in congenital amusia, notably by suggesting that audiovisual paradigms are effective in an appropriate

Pitch and Loudness Tinnitus in Individuals with Presbycusis.

Science.gov (United States)

Seimetz, Bruna Macangnin; Teixeira, Adriane Ribeiro; Rosito, Leticia Petersen Schmidt; Flores, Leticia Sousa; Pappen, Carlos Henrique; Dall'igna, Celso

2016-10-01

Introduction  Tinnitus is a symptom that is often associated with presbycusis. Objective  This study aims to analyze the existence of association among hearing thresholds, pitch, and loudness of tinnitus in individuals with presbycusis, considering the gender variable. Methods  Cross-sectional, descriptive, and prospective study, whose sample consisted of individuals with tinnitus and diagnosis of presbycusis. For the evaluation, we performed anamnesis along with otoscopy, pure tone audiometry, and acuphenometry to analyze the psychoacoustic characteristics of tinnitus individuals. Results  The sample consisted of 49 subjects, with a mean age of 69.57 ± 6.53 years, who presented unilateral and bilateral tinnitus, therefore, a sample of 80 ears. In analyzing the results, as for acuphenometry, the loudness of tinnitus was more present at 0dB and the pitch was 6HKz and 8HKz. Regarding the analysis of the association between the frequency of greater hearing threshold and tinnitus pitch, no statistical significance ( p  = 0.862) was found. As for the association between the intensity of greater hearing threshold and tinnitus loudness, no statistical significance ( p  = 0.115) was found. Conclusion  There is no significant association between the hearing loss of patients with presbycusis and the pitch and loudness of tinnitus.

Pitch and Loudness Tinnitus in Individuals with Presbycusis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seimetz, Bruna Macangnin

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Introduction Tinnitus is a symptom that is often associated with presbycusis. Objective This study aims to analyze the existence of association among hearing thresholds, pitch, and loudness of tinnitus in individuals with presbycusis, considering the gender variable. Methods Cross-sectional, descriptive, and prospective study, whose sample consisted of individuals with tinnitus and diagnosis of presbycusis. For the evaluation, we performed anamnesis along with otoscopy, pure tone audiometry, and acuphenometry to analyze the psychoacoustic characteristics of tinnitus individuals. Results The sample consisted of 49 subjects, with a mean age of 69.57 ± 6.53 years, who presented unilateral and bilateral tinnitus, therefore, a sample of 80 ears. In analyzing the results, as for acuphenometry, the loudness of tinnitus was more present at 0dB and the pitch was 6HKz and 8HKz. Regarding the analysis of the association between the frequency of greater hearing threshold and tinnitus pitch, no statistical significance (p = 0.862 was found. As for the association between the intensity of greater hearing threshold and tinnitus loudness, no statistical significance (p = 0.115 was found. Conclusion There is no significant association between the hearing loss of patients with presbycusis and the pitch and loudness of tinnitus.

Impaired encoding of rapid pitch information underlies perception and memory deficits in congenital amusia.

Science.gov (United States)

Albouy, Philippe; Cousineau, Marion; Caclin, Anne; Tillmann, Barbara; Peretz, Isabelle

2016-01-06

Recent theories suggest that the basis of neurodevelopmental auditory disorders such as dyslexia or specific language impairment might be a low-level sensory dysfunction. In the present study we test this hypothesis in congenital amusia, a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by severe deficits in the processing of pitch-based material. We manipulated the temporal characteristics of auditory stimuli and investigated the influence of the time given to encode pitch information on participants' performance in discrimination and short-term memory. Our results show that amusics' performance in such tasks scales with the duration available to encode acoustic information. This suggests that in auditory neuro-developmental disorders, abnormalities in early steps of the auditory processing can underlie the high-level deficits (here musical disabilities). Observing that the slowing down of temporal dynamics improves amusics' pitch abilities allows considering this approach as a potential tool for remediation in developmental auditory disorders.

Hydrodynamics of a flexible plate between pitching rigid plates

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Junyoung; Kim, Daegyoum

2017-11-01

The dynamics of a flexible plate have been studied as a model problem in swimming and flying of animals and fluid-structure interaction of plants and flags. Motivated by fish schooling and an array of sea grasses, we investigate the dynamics of a flexible plate closely placed between two pitching rigid plates. In most studies on passive deformation of the flexible plate, the plate is immersed in a uniform flow or a wavy flow. However, in this study, the flexible plate experiences periodic deformation by the oscillatory flow generated by the prescribed pitching motion of the rigid plates. In our model, the pitching axes of the rigid plates and the clamping position of the flexible plate are aligned on the same line. The flexible plate shows various responses depending on length and pitching frequency of rigid plates, thickness of a flexible plate, and free-stream velocity. To find the effect of each variable on the response of the flexible plate, amplitude of a trailing edge and modal contribution of a flapping motion are compared, and flow structure around the flexible plate is examined.

Multilingual evaluation of voice disability index using pitch rate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shuji Shinohara

2017-06-01

Full Text Available We propose the use of the pitch rate of free-form speech recorded by smartphones as an index of voice disability. This research compares the effectiveness of pitch rate, jitter, shimmer, and harmonic-to-noise ratio (HNR as indices of voice disability in English, German, and Japanese. Normally, the evaluation of these indices is performed using long-vowel sounds; however, this study included the recitation of a set passage, which is more similar to free-form speech. The results showed that for English, the jitter, shimmer, and HNR were very effective indices for long-vowel sounds, but the shimmer and HNR for read speech were considerably worse. Although the effectiveness of jitter as an index was maintained for read speech, the pitch rate was better in distinguishing between healthy individuals and patients with illnesses affecting their voice. The read speech results in German, Japanese, and English were similar, and the pitch rate showed the greatest efficiency for identification. Nevertheless, compared to English, the identification efficiency for the other two languages was lower.

Unsteady aerodynamics of a pitching-flapping-perturbed revolving wing at low Reynolds number

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Long; Wu, Jianghao; Zhou, Chao; Hsu, Shih-Jung; Cheng, Bo

2018-05-01

Due to adverse viscous effects, revolving wings suffer universally from low efficiency at low Reynolds number (Re). By reciprocating wing revolving motion, natural flyers flying at low Re successfully exploit unsteady effects to augment force production and efficiency. Here we investigate the aerodynamics of an alternative, i.e., a revolving wing with concomitant unsteady pitching and vertical flapping perturbations (a pitching-flapping-perturbed revolving wing). The current work builds upon a previous study on flapping-perturbed revolving wings (FP-RWs) and focuses on combined effects of pitching-flapping perturbation on force generation and vortex behaviors. The results show that, compared with a FR-RW, pitching motion further (1) reduces the external driving torque for rotating at 0° angle of attack (α0) and (2) enhances lift and leads to a self-rotating equilibrium at α0 = 20°. The power loading of a revolving wing at α0 = 20° can be improved using pitching-flapping perturbations with large pitching amplitude but small Strouhal number. Additionally, an advanced pitching improves the reduction of external driving torque, whereas a delayed pitching weakens both the lift enhancement and the reduction of external driving torque. Further analysis shows that pitching effects can be mainly decomposed into the Leading-Edge-Vortex (LEV)-mediated pressure component and geometric projection component, together they determine the force performance. LEV circulation is found to be determined by the instantaneous effective angle of attack but could be affected asymmetrically between upstroke and downstroke depending on the nominal angle of attack. Pitching-flapping perturbation thus can potentially inspire novel mechanisms to improve the aerodynamic performance of rotary wing micro air vehicles.

Pitch Fork

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Williams, Peter Leslie; Overholt, Daniel

2017-01-01

Pitch Fork is a prototype of an alternate, actuated digital musical instrument (DMI). It uses 5 infra-red and 4 piezoelectric sensors to control an additive synthesis engine. Iron bars are used as the physical point of contact in interaction with the aim of using this materials natural acoustic p...... properties as a control signal for aspects of the digitally produced sound. This choice of material was also chosen to affect player experience. Sensor readings are relayed to a Macbook via an Arduino Mega. Mappings and audio output signal is carried out with Pure Data Extended....

Pitch Angle Scattering of Energetic Electrons by Plasmaspheric Hiss Emissions

Science.gov (United States)

Tobita, M.; Omura, Y.; Summers, D.

2017-12-01

We study scattering of energetic electrons in pitch angles and kinetic energies through their resonance with plasmaspheric hiss emissions consisting of many coherent discrete whistler-mode wave packets with rising and falling frequencies [1,2,3]. Using test particle simulations, we evaluate the efficiency of scattering, which depends on the inhomogeneity ratio S of whistler mode wave-particle interaction [4]. The value of S is determined by the wave amplitude, frequency sweep rate, and the gradient of the background magnetic field. We first modulate those parameters and observe variations of pitch angles and kinetic energies of electrons with a single wave under various S values so as to obtain basic understanding. We then include many waves into the system to simulate plasmaspheric hiss emissions. As the wave packets propagate away from the magnetic equator, the nonlinear trapping potential at the resonance velocity is deformed, making a channel of gyrophase for untrapped electrons to cross the resonance velocity, and causing modulations in their pitch angles and kinetic energies. We find efficient scattering of pitch angles and kinetic energies because of coherent nonlinear wave-particle interaction, resulting in electron precipitations into the polar atmosphere. We compare the results with the bounce averaged pitch angle diffusion coefficient based on quasi-linear theory, and show that the nonlinear wave model with many coherent packets can cause scattering of resonant electrons much faster than the quasi-linear diffusion process. [1] Summers, D., Omura, Y., Nakamura, S., and C. A. Kletzing (2014), Fine structure of plasmaspheric hiss, J. Geophys. Res., 119, 9134-9149. [2] Omura, Y., Y. Miyashita, M. Yoshikawa, D. Summers, M. Hikishima, Y. Ebihara, and Y. Kubota (2015), Formation process of relativistic electron flux through interaction with chorus emissions in the Earth's inner magnetosphere, J. Geophys. Res. Space Physics, 120, 9545-9562. [3] Nakamura, S., Y

Pitched Blade Turbine Efficiency at Particle Suspension

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Ceres

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Mixing suspensions is a very important hydraulic operation. The pitched six-blade turbine is a widely-used axial-flow impeller. This paper deals with effect relative impeller size and particle content on theefficiency of a pitched six-blade turbine at particle suspension. Two pitched six-blade turbines were used in model measurements of just suspension impeller speed. The ratios of the vessel to agitator diameter D/d were 3 and 4.5. The measurements were carried out in a dish-bottomed vessel 300 mm in diameter. The just suspension impeller speeds were measured using an electrochemical method, and were checked visually. A 2.5 % NaCl water solution was used as the liquid phase, and glass particles with four equivalent diameters between 0.18 and 0.89 mmand volumetric concentration from 2.5 % to 40% were usedasthesolid phase. The criterion values πs=Po√Fr'3(d/D7 were calculated from the particle suspension and power consumption measurements. The dependencies of πs on particle content cv show that larger agitators are more efficient for higher particle content.

Pitch control margin at high angle of attack - Quantitative requirements (flight test correlation with simulation predictions)

Science.gov (United States)

Lackey, J.; Hadfield, C.

1992-01-01

Recent mishaps and incidents on Class IV aircraft have shown a need for establishing quantitative longitudinal high angle of attack (AOA) pitch control margin design guidelines for future aircraft. NASA Langley Research Center has conducted a series of simulation tests to define these design guidelines. Flight test results have confirmed the simulation studies in that pilot rating of high AOA nose-down recoveries were based on the short-term response interval in the forms of pitch acceleration and rate.

Activated, coal-based carbon foam

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, Darren Kenneth; Plucinski, Janusz Wladyslaw

2004-12-21

An ablation resistant, monolithic, activated, carbon foam produced by the activation of a coal-based carbon foam through the action of carbon dioxide, ozone or some similar oxidative agent that pits and/or partially oxidizes the carbon foam skeleton, thereby significantly increasing its overall surface area and concurrently increasing its filtering ability. Such activated carbon foams are suitable for application in virtually all areas where particulate or gel form activated carbon materials have been used. Such an activated carbon foam can be fabricated, i.e. sawed, machined and otherwise shaped to fit virtually any required filtering location by simple insertion and without the need for handling the "dirty" and friable particulate activated carbon foam materials of the prior art.

Understanding the thermal instability of fluoroethylene carbonate in LiPF6-based electrolytes for lithium ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Koeun; Park, Inbok; Ha, Se-Young; Kim, Yeonkyoung; Woo, Myung-Heuio; Jeong, Myung-Hwan; Shin, Woo Cheol; Ue, Makoto; Hong, Sung You; Choi, Nam-Soon

2017-01-01

Highlights: • The FEC in LiPF 6 -based electrolytes thermally decomposes at elevated temperatures. • Lewis acids in the electrolyte promote de-fluorination of the FEC to form HF. • The HF causes the SEI destruction and severe metal ion dissolution from the cathode. - Abstract: The cycling and storage performances of LiCoO 2 (LCO)-LiNi 0.5 Co 0.2 Mn 0.3 O 2 (NCM)/pitch-coated silicon alloy-graphite (Si-C) full cells with ethylene carbonate (EC)–based and fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC)–based electrolytes are investigated at elevated temperatures. Excess FEC (used as a co-solvent in LiPF 6 -based electrolytes), which is not completely consumed during the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer on the electrodes, is prone to defluorination in the presence of Lewis acids such as PF 5 ; this reaction can generate unwanted HF and various acids (H 3 OPF 6 , HPO 2 F 2 , H 2 PO 3 F, H 3 PO 4 ) at elevated temperatures. Our investigation reveals that the HF and acid compounds that are formed by FEC decomposition causes significant dissolution of transition metal ions (from the LCO-NCM cathode) into the electrolyte at elevated temperatures; as a result, the reversible capacity of the full cells reduces because of the deposition of the dissolved metal ions onto the anode. Moreover, we demonstrate possible mechanisms that account for the thermal instability of FEC in LiPF 6 -based electrolytes at elevated temperatures using model experiments.

A Dynamical Model of Pitch Memory Provides an Improved Basis for Implied Harmony Estimation

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Ji Chul

2017-01-01

Tonal melody can imply vertical harmony through a sequence of tones. Current methods for automatic chord estimation commonly use chroma-based features extracted from audio signals. However, the implied harmony of unaccompanied melodies can be difficult to estimate on the basis of chroma content in the presence of frequent nonchord tones. Here we present a novel approach to automatic chord estimation based on the human perception of pitch sequences. We use cohesion and inhibition between pitches in auditory short-term memory to differentiate chord tones and nonchord tones in tonal melodies. We model short-term pitch memory as a gradient frequency neural network, which is a biologically realistic model of auditory neural processing. The model is a dynamical system consisting of a network of tonotopically tuned nonlinear oscillators driven by audio signals. The oscillators interact with each other through nonlinear resonance and lateral inhibition, and the pattern of oscillatory traces emerging from the interactions is taken as a measure of pitch salience. We test the model with a collection of unaccompanied tonal melodies to evaluate it as a feature extractor for chord estimation. We show that chord tones are selectively enhanced in the response of the model, thereby increasing the accuracy of implied harmony estimation. We also find that, like other existing features for chord estimation, the performance of the model can be improved by using segmented input signals. We discuss possible ways to expand the present model into a full chord estimation system within the dynamical systems framework. PMID:28522983

A Dynamical Model of Pitch Memory Provides an Improved Basis for Implied Harmony Estimation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Ji Chul

2017-01-01

Tonal melody can imply vertical harmony through a sequence of tones. Current methods for automatic chord estimation commonly use chroma-based features extracted from audio signals. However, the implied harmony of unaccompanied melodies can be difficult to estimate on the basis of chroma content in the presence of frequent nonchord tones. Here we present a novel approach to automatic chord estimation based on the human perception of pitch sequences. We use cohesion and inhibition between pitches in auditory short-term memory to differentiate chord tones and nonchord tones in tonal melodies. We model short-term pitch memory as a gradient frequency neural network, which is a biologically realistic model of auditory neural processing. The model is a dynamical system consisting of a network of tonotopically tuned nonlinear oscillators driven by audio signals. The oscillators interact with each other through nonlinear resonance and lateral inhibition, and the pattern of oscillatory traces emerging from the interactions is taken as a measure of pitch salience. We test the model with a collection of unaccompanied tonal melodies to evaluate it as a feature extractor for chord estimation. We show that chord tones are selectively enhanced in the response of the model, thereby increasing the accuracy of implied harmony estimation. We also find that, like other existing features for chord estimation, the performance of the model can be improved by using segmented input signals. We discuss possible ways to expand the present model into a full chord estimation system within the dynamical systems framework.

A Dynamical Model of Pitch Memory Provides an Improved Basis for Implied Harmony Estimation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ji Chul Kim

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Tonal melody can imply vertical harmony through a sequence of tones. Current methods for automatic chord estimation commonly use chroma-based features extracted from audio signals. However, the implied harmony of unaccompanied melodies can be difficult to estimate on the basis of chroma content in the presence of frequent nonchord tones. Here we present a novel approach to automatic chord estimation based on the human perception of pitch sequences. We use cohesion and inhibition between pitches in auditory short-term memory to differentiate chord tones and nonchord tones in tonal melodies. We model short-term pitch memory as a gradient frequency neural network, which is a biologically realistic model of auditory neural processing. The model is a dynamical system consisting of a network of tonotopically tuned nonlinear oscillators driven by audio signals. The oscillators interact with each other through nonlinear resonance and lateral inhibition, and the pattern of oscillatory traces emerging from the interactions is taken as a measure of pitch salience. We test the model with a collection of unaccompanied tonal melodies to evaluate it as a feature extractor for chord estimation. We show that chord tones are selectively enhanced in the response of the model, thereby increasing the accuracy of implied harmony estimation. We also find that, like other existing features for chord estimation, the performance of the model can be improved by using segmented input signals. We discuss possible ways to expand the present model into a full chord estimation system within the dynamical systems framework.

Application of the matching law to pitch selection in professional baseball.

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, David J; Sosine, Jacob; Dallery, Jesse

2017-04-01

This study applied the generalized matching equation (GME) to pitch selection in professional baseball. The GME was fitted to the relation between pitch selection and hitter outcomes for five professional baseball pitchers during the 2014 Major League Baseball season. The GME described pitch selection well. Pitch allocation varied across different game contexts such as inning, count, and number of outs in a manner consistent with the GME. Finally, within games, bias decreased for four of the five pitchers and the sensitivity parameter increased for three of the five pitchers. The results extend the generality of the GME to multialternative natural sporting contexts, and demonstrate the influence of context on behavior in natural environments. © 2017 Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior.

Pitch Tracking and Voiced/Unvoiced Detection in Noisy Environment using Optimat Sequence Estimation

OpenAIRE

Wasserblat, Moshe; Gainza, Mikel; Dorran, David; Domb, Yuval

2008-01-01

This paper addresses the problem of pitch tracking and voiced/unvoiced detection in noisy speech environments. An algorithm is presented which uses a number of variable thresholds to track pitch contour with minimal error. This is achieved by modeling the pitch tracking problem in such a way that allows the use of optimal estimation methods, such MLSE. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated using the Keele pitch detection database with realistic background noise. Results show best perf...

Pitch Synchronous Segmentation of Speech Signals

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Pitch Synchronous Segmentation (PSS) that accelerates speech without changing its fundamental frequency method could be applied and evaluated for use at NASA....

Developmental trajectories of pitch-related music skills in children with Williams syndrome.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez-Castilla, Pastora; Rodríguez, Manuel; Campos, Ruth

2016-01-01

The study of music cognition in Williams syndrome (WS) has resulted in theoretical debates regarding cognitive modularity and development. However, no research has previously investigated the development of music skills in this population. In this study, we used the cross-sectional developmental trajectories approach to assess the development of pitch-related music skills in children with WS compared with typically developing (TD) peers. Thus, we evaluated the role of change over time on pitch-related music skills and the developmental relationships between music skills and different cognitive areas. In the TD children, the pitch-related music skills improved with chronological age and cognitive development. In the children with WS, developmental relationships were only found between several pitch-related music skills and specific cognitive processes. We also found non-systematic relationships between chronological age and the pitch-related music skills, stabilization in the level reached in music when cognitive development was considered, and uneven associations between cognitive and music skills. In addition, the TD and WS groups differed in their patterns of pitch-related music skill development. These results suggest that the development of pitch-related music skills in children with WS is atypical. Our findings stand in contrast with the views that claim innate modularity for music in WS; rather, they are consistent with neuroconstructivist accounts. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modeling unsteady forces and pressures on a rapidly pitching airfoil

Science.gov (United States)

Schiavone, Nicole K.; Dawson, Scott T. M.; Rowley, Clarence W.; Williams, David R.

2014-11-01

This work develops models to quantify and understand the unsteady aerodynamic forces arising from rapid pitching motion of a NACA0012 airfoil at a Reynolds number of 50 000. The system identification procedure applies a generalized DMD-type algorithm to time-resolved wind tunnel measurements of the lift and drag forces, as well as the pressure at six locations on the suction surface of the airfoil. Models are identified for 5-degree pitch-up and pitch-down maneuvers within the overall range of 0-20 degrees. The identified models can accurately capture the effects of flow separation and leading-edge vortex formation and convection. We demonstrate that switching between different linear models can give accurate prediction of the nonlinear behavior that is present in high-amplitude maneuvers. The models are accurate for a wide-range of motions, including pitch-and-hold, sinusoidal, and pseudo-random pitching maneuvers. Providing the models access to a subset of the measured data channels can allow for improved estimates of the remaining states via the use of a Kalman filter, suggesting that the modeling framework could be useful for aerodynamic control applications. This work was supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, under Award No. FA9550-12-1-0075.

The shoulder in baseball pitching: biomechanics and related injuries-part 1.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Samuel S; Loebenberg, Mark L; Rokito, Andrew S; Zuckerman, Joseph D

The extreme range of motion at the shoulder, the high angular velocities and torques, and the repetitious nature of the pitching motion combine to make the shoulder vulnerable to injury during the baseball pitch. An understanding of the biomechanics that contribute to shoulder injuries during each phase of the pitching motion can facilitate the athlete's diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Common injuries that occur during the late cocking and acceleration phases of the pitch include anterior instability and impingement, bicipital tendinitis, and subacromial impingement. Nonoperative treatment consisting of an initial period of rest and NSAIDS, followed by physical therapy and a gradual return to activity, is usually successful. When this approach fails, surgical intervention, either arthroscopic or open, may be necessary. Physical therapy and rehabilitation are directed toward restoring the integrity and strength of the dynamic and static stabilizers of the shoulder joint, yet preserving the range of motion necessary for performance. Through rehabilitation, the dedicated athlete can often return to the pitching mound at his previous level of performance.

Pitch, roll, and yaw variations in patient positioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaiser, Adeel; Schultheiss, Timothy E.; Wong, Jeffrey Y.C.; Smith, David D.; Han, Chunhui; Vora, Nayana L.; Pezner, Richard D.; Chen Yijen; Radany, Eric H.

2006-01-01

Purpose: To use pretreatment megavoltage-computed tomography (MVCT) scans to evaluate positioning variations in pitch, roll, and yaw for patients treated with helical tomotherapy. Methods and Materials: Twenty prostate and 15 head-and-neck cancer patients were selected. Pretreatment MVCT scans were performed before every treatment fraction and automatically registered to planning kilovoltage CT (KVCT) scans by bony landmarks. Image registration data were used to adjust patient setups before treatment. Corrections for pitch, roll, and yaw were recorded after bone registration, and data from fractions 1-5 and 16-20 were used to analyze mean rotational corrections. Results: For prostate patients, the means and standard deviations (in degrees) for pitch, roll, and yaw corrections were -0.60 ± 1.42, 0.66 ± 1.22, and -0.33 ± 0.83. In head-and-neck patients, the means and standard deviations (in degrees) were -0.24 ± 1.19, -0.12 ± 1.53, and 0.25 ± 1.42 for pitch, roll, and yaw, respectively. No significant difference in rotational variations was observed between Weeks 1 and 4 of treatment. Head-and-neck patients had significantly smaller pitch variation, but significantly larger yaw variation, than prostate patients. No difference was found in roll corrections between the two groups. Overall, 96.6% of the rotational corrections were less than 4 deg. Conclusions: The initial rotational setup errors for prostate and head-and-neck patients were all small in magnitude, statistically significant, but did not vary considerably during the course of radiotherapy. The data are relevant to couch hardware design for correcting rotational setup variations. There should be no theoretical difference between these data and data collected using cone beam KVCT on conventional linacs

Template-directed synthesis of pillared-porous carbon nanosheet architectures: High-performance electrode materials for supercapacitors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fan, Zhuangjun; Liu, Yang; Yan, Jun; Wang, Qian; Wei, Tong [Key Laboratory of Superlight Materials and Surface Technology, Ministry of Education College of Material Science and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin (China); Ning, Guoqing [State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, China University of Petroleum, Beijing, Changping (China); Zhi, Linjie [National Center for Nanoscience and Technology of China, Zhongguancun, Beijing (China); Wei, Fei [Beijing Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Reaction Engineering and Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing (China)

2012-04-15

3D pillared-porous carbon nanosheets with supporting carbon pillars between the carbon layers is prepared by the carbonization of pitch on porous MgO templates. This unique structure endows the high-rate transportation of electrolyte ions and electrons throughout the electrode matrix, resulting in excellent electrochemical performance. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Sorbents based on carbonized rice peel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mansurova, R. M.; Taipova, R. A.; Zhylybaeva, N. K.; Mansurov, Z. A.; Bijsenbaev, M. A.

2004-01-01

The process receiving of sorbents based on carbonized rice peel (RP) was received and their sorption properties were investigated. Processing carbonization of samples leading on station, this was developed in laboratory of hybrid technology. Carbonization of samples was realized in nitric atmosphere on 400-8000 deg. C. On raising temperature of carbonization content of carbon in samples is rice, hydrogen and oxygen is reduce as a result isolation of volatility products is discover. The samples carbonized on 650 deg. C (910 m 2 /g) owners with maximum removed surface is discover. On carbonization temperature 600-800 deh. C the sorption of ions, which carbonized by sorbents based on rice peel is run to 95-100 %. Electron-microscopic investigation of samples leaded on EM-125 mechanism by accelerating pressure 100 kV. From electron-microscopic print of original samples of RP it is evident, that sample consists of carbonic fractions of different species: carbonic fiber of rounded fractions, fractions of ellipsoid form and of more thickly carbonic structure. Increasing sizes of pores and modification structure of synthesized sorbent is occur during carbonization process. The RP-samples, which carbonized by 650 deg. C has the higher specific surface. Samples consist of thin carbonic scum and reducing specific surface, by higher temperature

Pitch identification and discrimination for complex tones with many harmonics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Houtsma, A.J.M.; Smurzyński, J.

1990-01-01

Four experiments are reported that deal with pitch perception of harmonic complex tones containing up to 11 successive harmonics. In particular, the question is raised whether the pitch percept of the missing fundamental is mediated only by low-order resolvable harmonics, or whether it can also be

Pitch discrimination and melodic memory in children with autism spectrum disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Stanutz, Sandy; Wapnick, Joel; Burack, Jacob A

2014-02-01

Pitch perception is enhanced among persons with autism. We extended this finding to memory for pitch and melody among school-aged children. The purpose of this study was to investigate pitch memory in musically untrained children with autism spectrum disorders, aged 7-13 years, and to compare it to that of age- and IQ-matched typically developing children. The children were required to discriminate isolated tones in two differing contexts as well to remember melodies after a period of 1 week. The tasks were designed to employ both short- and long-term memory for music. For the pitch discrimination task, the children first had to indicate whether two isolated tones were the same or different when the second was the same or had been altered to be 25, 35, or 45 cents sharp or flat. Second, the children discriminated the tones within the context of melody. They were asked whether two melodies were the same or different when the leading tone of the second melody was the same or had been altered to be 25, 35, or 45 cents sharp or flat. Long-term memory for melody was also investigated, as the children attempted to recall four different two-bar melodies after 1 week. The children with autism spectrum disorders demonstrated elevated pitch discrimination ability in the single-tone and melodic context as well as superior long-term memory for melody. Pitch memory correlated positively with scores on measures of nonverbal fluid reasoning ability. Superior short- and long-term pitch memory was found among children with autism spectrum disorders. The results indicate an aspect to cognitive functioning that may predict both enhanced nonverbal reasoning ability and atypical language development.

The role of the auditory brainstem in processing musically-relevant pitch

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gavin M. Bidelman

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Neuroimaging work has shed light on the cerebral architecture involved in processing the melodic and harmonic aspects of music. Here, recent evidence is reviewed illustrating that subcortical auditory structures contribute to the early formation and processing of musically-relevant pitch. Electrophysiological recordings from the human brainstem and population responses from the auditory nerve reveal that nascent features of tonal music (e.g., consonance/dissonance, pitch salience, harmonic sonority are evident at early, subcortical levels of the auditory pathway. The salience and harmonicity of brainstem activity is strongly correlated with listeners’ perceptual preferences and perceived consonance for the tonal relationships of music. Moreover, the hierarchical ordering of pitch intervals/chords described by the Western music practice and their perceptual consonance is well-predicted by the salience with which pitch combinations are encoded in subcortical auditory structures. While the neural correlates of consonance can be tuned and exaggerated with musical training, they persist even in the absence of musicianship or long-term enculturation. As such, it is posited that the structural foundations of musical pitch might result from innate processing performed by the central auditory system. A neurobiological predisposition for consonant, pleasant sounding pitch relationships may be one reason why these pitch combinations have been favored by composers and listeners for centuries. It is suggested that important perceptual dimensions of music emerge well before the auditory signal reaches cerebral cortex and prior to attentional engagement. While cortical mechanisms are no doubt critical to the perception, production, and enjoyment of music, the contribution of subcortical structures implicates a more integrated, hierarchically organized network underlying music processing within the brain.

Independent Blade Pitch Controller Design for a Three-Bladed Turbine Using Disturbance Accommodating Control

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Na; Wright, Alan D.; Johnson, Kathryn E.

2016-08-01

Two independent pitch controllers (IPCs) based on the disturbance accommodating control (DAC) algorithm are designed for the three-bladed Controls Advanced Research Turbine to regulate rotor speed and to mitigate blade root flapwise bending loads in above-rated wind speed. One of the DAC-based IPCs is designed based on a transformed symmetrical-asymmetrical (TSA) turbine model, with wind disturbances being modeled as a collective horizontal component and an asymmetrical linear shear component. Another DAC-based IPC is designed based on a multiblade coordinate (MBC) transformed turbine model, with a horizontal component and a vertical shear component being modeled as step waveform disturbance. Both of the DAC-based IPCs are found via a regulation equation solved by Kronecker product. Actuator dynamics are considered in the design processes to compensate for actuator phase delay. The simulation study shows the effectiveness of the proposed DAC-based IPCs compared to a proportional-integral (PI) collective pitch controller (CPC). Improvement on rotor speed regulation and once-per-revolution and twice-per-revolution load reductions has been observed in the proposed IPC designs.

Cross-Sensory Correspondences: Heaviness is Dark and Low-Pitched.

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Peter; Scallon, Gabrielle; Francis, Brian

2017-07-01

Everyday language reveals how stimuli encoded in one sensory feature domain can possess qualities normally associated with a different domain (e.g., higher pitch sounds are bright, light in weight, sharp, and thin). Such cross-sensory associations appear to reflect crosstalk among aligned (corresponding) feature dimensions, including brightness, heaviness, and sharpness. Evidence for heaviness being one such dimension is very limited, with heaviness appearing primarily as a verbal associate of other feature contrasts (e.g., darker objects and lower pitch sounds are heavier than their opposites). Given the presumed bidirectionality of the crosstalk between corresponding dimensions, heaviness should itself induce the cross-sensory associations observed elsewhere, including with brightness and pitch. Taking care to dissociate effects arising from the size and mass of an object, this is confirmed. When hidden objects varying independently in size and mass are lifted, objects that feel heavier are judged to be darker and to make lower pitch sounds than objects feeling less heavy. These judgements track the changes in perceived heaviness induced by the size-weight illusion. The potential involvement of language, natural scene statistics, and Bayesian processes in correspondences, and the effects they induce, is considered.

A nonmusical paradigm for identifying absolute pitch possessors

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, David A.; Olson, Ingrid R.; Marks, Lawrence E.; Gore, John C.

2004-09-01

The ability to identify and reproduce sounds of specific frequencies is remarkable and uncommon. The etiology and defining characteristics of this skill, absolute pitch (AP), have been very controversial. One theory suggests that AP requires a specific type of early musical training and that the ability to encode and remember tones depends on these learned musical associations. An alternate theory argues that AP may be strongly dependent on hereditary factors and relatively independent of musical experience. To date, it has been difficult to test these hypotheses because all previous paradigms for identifying AP have required subjects to employ knowledge of musical nomenclature. As such, these tests are insensitive to the possibility of discovering AP in either nonmusicians or musicians of non-Western training. Based on previous literature in pitch memory, a paradigm is presented that is intended to distinguish between AP possessors and nonpossessors independent of the subjects' musical experience. The efficacy of this method is then tested with 20 classically defined AP possessors and 22 nonpossessors. Data from these groups strongly support the validity of the paradigm. The use of a nonmusical paradigm to identify AP may facilitate research into many aspects of this phenomenon.

Advances in dual-tone development for pitch frequency doubling

Science.gov (United States)

Fonseca, Carlos; Somervell, Mark; Scheer, Steven; Kuwahara, Yuhei; Nafus, Kathleen; Gronheid, Roel; Tarutani, Shinji; Enomoto, Yuuichiro

2010-04-01

Dual-tone development (DTD) has been previously proposed as a potential cost-effective double patterning technique1. DTD was reported as early as in the late 1990's2. The basic principle of dual-tone imaging involves processing exposed resist latent images in both positive tone (aqueous base) and negative tone (organic solvent) developers. Conceptually, DTD has attractive cost benefits since it enables pitch doubling without the need for multiple etch steps of patterned resist layers. While the concept for DTD technique is simple to understand, there are many challenges that must be overcome and understood in order to make it a manufacturing solution. Previous work by the authors demonstrated feasibility of DTD imaging for 50nm half-pitch features at 0.80NA (k1 = 0.21) and discussed challenges lying ahead for printing sub-40nm half-pitch features with DTD. While previous experimental results suggested that clever processing on the wafer track can be used to enable DTD beyond 50nm halfpitch, it also suggest that identifying suitable resist materials or chemistries is essential for achieving successful imaging results with novel resist processing methods on the wafer track. In this work, we present recent advances in the search for resist materials that work in conjunction with novel resist processing methods on the wafer track to enable DTD. Recent experimental results with new resist chemistries, specifically designed for DTD, are presented in this work. We also present simulation studies that help and support identifying resist properties that could enable DTD imaging, which ultimately lead to producing viable DTD resist materials.

Autistic Traits and Enhanced Perceptual Representation of Pitch and Time

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Mary E.; Griffiths, Timothy D.; Grube, Manon

2018-01-01

Enhanced basic perceptual discrimination has been reported for pitch in individuals with autism spectrum conditions. We test whether there is a correlational pattern of enhancement across the broader autism phenotype and whether this correlation occurs for the discrimination of pitch, time and loudness. Scores on the Autism-Spectrum Quotient…

Preparation and evaluation of coal extracts as precursors for carbon and graphite products

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zondlo, J.W.; Stiller, A.W.; Stansberry, P.G. [West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, WV (United States)] [and others

1996-08-01

A coal extraction process coupled with coal hydrotreatment has been shown capable of producing suitable precursors for a variety of commercially important carbon and graphite products. The N-methylpyrolidone (NMP) extracts of hydrotreated coals have been analytically and chemically characterized and shown to have properties acceptable for use as binder and impregnation pitch. Mesophase formation studies have demonstrated their capability for producing both needle and anode grade coke as well as precursors for mesophase pitch fibers. A graphite artifact has been produced using a coal extract as a binder and coke derived from the extract as a filler. Further evaluation of the extract materials is being carried out by industrial members of the Carbon Products Consortium.

Polarity-Specific Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Disrupts Auditory Pitch Learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reiko eMatsushita

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS is attracting increasing interest because of its potential for therapeutic use. While its effects have been investigated mainly with motor and visual tasks, less is known in the auditory domain. Past tDCS studies with auditory tasks demonstrated various behavioural outcomes, possibly due to differences in stimulation parameters or task measurements used in each study. Further research using well-validated tasks are therefore required for clarification of behavioural effects of tDCS on the auditory system. Here, we took advantage of findings from a prior functional magnetic resonance imaging study, which demonstrated that the right auditory cortex is modulated during fine-grained pitch learning of microtonal melodic patterns. Targeting the right auditory cortex with tDCS using this same task thus allowed us to test the hypothesis that this region is causally involved in pitch learning. Participants in the current study were trained for three days while we measured pitch discrimination thresholds using microtonal melodies on each day using a psychophysical staircase procedure. We administered anodal, cathodal, or sham tDCS to three groups of participants over the right auditory cortex on the second day of training during performance of the task. Both the sham and the cathodal groups showed the expected significant learning effect (decreased pitch threshold over the three days of training; in contrast we observed a blocking effect of anodal tDCS on auditory pitch learning, such that this group showed no significant change in thresholds over the three days. The results support a causal role for the right auditory cortex in pitch discrimination learning.

Absolute pitch: effects of timbre on note-naming ability.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanzella, Patrícia; Schellenberg, E Glenn

2010-11-11

Absolute pitch (AP) is the ability to identify or produce isolated musical tones. It is evident primarily among individuals who started music lessons in early childhood. Because AP requires memory for specific pitches as well as learned associations with verbal labels (i.e., note names), it represents a unique opportunity to study interactions in memory between linguistic and nonlinguistic information. One untested hypothesis is that the pitch of voices may be difficult for AP possessors to identify. A musician's first instrument may also affect performance and extend the sensitive period for acquiring accurate AP. A large sample of AP possessors was recruited on-line. Participants were required to identity test tones presented in four different timbres: piano, pure tone, natural (sung) voice, and synthesized voice. Note-naming accuracy was better for non-vocal (piano and pure tones) than for vocal (natural and synthesized voices) test tones. This difference could not be attributed solely to vibrato (pitch variation), which was more pronounced in the natural voice than in the synthesized voice. Although starting music lessons by age 7 was associated with enhanced note-naming accuracy, equivalent abilities were evident among listeners who started music lessons on piano at a later age. Because the human voice is inextricably linked to language and meaning, it may be processed automatically by voice-specific mechanisms that interfere with note naming among AP possessors. Lessons on piano or other fixed-pitch instruments appear to enhance AP abilities and to extend the sensitive period for exposure to music in order to develop accurate AP.

Absolute pitch: effects of timbre on note-naming ability.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrícia Vanzella

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Absolute pitch (AP is the ability to identify or produce isolated musical tones. It is evident primarily among individuals who started music lessons in early childhood. Because AP requires memory for specific pitches as well as learned associations with verbal labels (i.e., note names, it represents a unique opportunity to study interactions in memory between linguistic and nonlinguistic information. One untested hypothesis is that the pitch of voices may be difficult for AP possessors to identify. A musician's first instrument may also affect performance and extend the sensitive period for acquiring accurate AP.A large sample of AP possessors was recruited on-line. Participants were required to identity test tones presented in four different timbres: piano, pure tone, natural (sung voice, and synthesized voice. Note-naming accuracy was better for non-vocal (piano and pure tones than for vocal (natural and synthesized voices test tones. This difference could not be attributed solely to vibrato (pitch variation, which was more pronounced in the natural voice than in the synthesized voice. Although starting music lessons by age 7 was associated with enhanced note-naming accuracy, equivalent abilities were evident among listeners who started music lessons on piano at a later age.Because the human voice is inextricably linked to language and meaning, it may be processed automatically by voice-specific mechanisms that interfere with note naming among AP possessors. Lessons on piano or other fixed-pitch instruments appear to enhance AP abilities and to extend the sensitive period for exposure to music in order to develop accurate AP.

Jet meandering by a foil pitching in quiescent fluid

Science.gov (United States)

Shinde, Sachin Y.; Arakeri, Jaywant H.

2013-04-01

The flow produced by a rigid symmetric NACA0015 airfoil purely pitching at a fixed location in quiescent fluid (the limiting case of infinite Strouhal number) is studied using visualizations and particle image velocimetry. A weak jet is generated whose inclination changes continually with time. This meandering is observed to be random and independent of the initial conditions, over a wide range of pitching parameters.

Pitch range variations improve cognitive processing of audio messages

OpenAIRE

Rodero Antón, Emma; Potter, Rob F.; Prieto Vives, Pilar, 1965-

2017-01-01

This study explores the effect of different speaker intonation strategies in audio messages on attention, autonomic arousal, and memory. An experiment was conducted in which participants listened to 16 radio commercials produced to vary in pitch range across sentences. Dependent variables were self-reported effectiveness and adequacy, psychophysiological arousal and attention, immediate word recall and recognition of information. Results showed that messages conveyed with pitch variations ach...

Parametric study on off-design aerodynamic performance of a horizontal axis wind turbine blade and proposed pitch control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Najafian Ashrafi, Z.; Ghaderi, M.; Sedaghat, A.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • A pitch controlled 200 kW HAWT blade is designed with BEM for off-design conditions. • Parametric study conducted on power coefficient, axial and angular induction factors. • The optimal pitch angles were determined at off-design operating conditions. - Abstract: In this paper, a 200 kW horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) blade is designed using an efficient iterative algorithm based on the blade element momentum theory (BEM) on aerodynamic of wind turbines. The effects of off-design variations of wind speed are investigated on the blade performance parameters according to constant rotational speed of the rotor. The performance parameters considered are power coefficient, axial and angular induction factors, lift and drag coefficients on the blade, angle of attack and angle of relative wind. At higher or lower wind speeds than the designed rated speed, the power coefficient is reduced due to considerable changes in the angle of attacks. Therefore, proper pitch control angles were calculated to extract maximum possible power at various off-design speeds. The results showed a considerable improvement in power coefficient for the pitch controlled blade as compared with the baseline design in whole operating range. The present approach can be equally employed for determining pitch angles to design pitch control system of medium and large-scale wind turbines

Tonal Scales and Minimal Simple Pitch Class Cycles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meredith, David

2011-01-01

Numerous studies have explored the special mathematical properties of the diatonic set. However, much less attention has been paid to the sets associated with the other scales that play an important rôle in Western tonal music, such as the harmonic minor scale and ascending melodic minor scale....... This paper focuses on the special properties of the class, T, of sets associated with the major and minor scales (including the harmonic major scale). It is observed that T is the set of pitch class sets associated with the shortest simple pitch class cycles in which every interval between consecutive pitch...... classes is either a major or a minor third, and at least one of each type of third appears in the cycle. Employing Rothenberg’s definition of stability and propriety, T is also the union of the three most stable inversional equivalence classes of proper 7-note sets. Following Clough and Douthett’s concept...

Blade pitch optimization methods for vertical-axis wind turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Kozak, Peter

Vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) offer an inherently simpler design than horizontal-axis machines, while their lower blade speed mitigates safety and noise concerns, potentially allowing for installation closer to populated and ecologically sensitive areas. While VAWTs do offer significant operational advantages, development has been hampered by the difficulty of modeling the aerodynamics involved, further complicated by their rotating geometry. This thesis presents results from a simulation of a baseline VAWT computed using Star-CCM+, a commercial finite-volume (FVM) code. VAWT aerodynamics are shown to be dominated at low tip-speed ratios by dynamic stall phenomena and at high tip-speed ratios by wake-blade interactions. Several optimization techniques have been developed for the adjustment of blade pitch based on finite-volume simulations and streamtube models. The effectiveness of the optimization procedure is evaluated and the basic architecture for a feedback control system is proposed. Implementation of variable blade pitch is shown to increase a baseline turbine's power output between 40%-100%, depending on the optimization technique, improving the turbine's competitiveness when compared with a commercially-available horizontal-axis turbine.

Numerical Prediction of Hydromechanical Behaviour of Controllable Pitch Propeller

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saman Tarbiat

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The research described in this paper was carried out to predict hydrodynamic and frictional forces of controllable pitch propeller (CPP that bring about fretting problems in a blade bearing. The governing equations are Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS and are solved by OpenFOAM solver for hydrodynamic forces behind the ship’s wake. Frictional forces are calculated by practical mechanical formulae. Different advance velocities with constant rotational speed for blades are used to achieve hydrodynamic coefficients in open water and the wake behind the propeller. Results are compared at four different pitches. Detailed numerical results of 3D modelling of the propeller, hydrodynamic characteristics, and probability of the fretting motion in the propeller are presented. Results show that the probability of the fretting movement is related to the pitch.

Bolus timing in high-pitch CT angiography of the aorta

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beeres, Martin; Loch, Matthias; Schulz, Boris; Kerl, Matthias; Al-Butmeh, Firas; Bodelle, Boris; Herrmann, Eva; Gruber-Rouh, Tatjana; Lee, Clara; Jacobi, Volkmar; Vogl, Thomas J.

2013-01-01

Objective: To investigate the bolus geometry in high-pitch CT angiography (CTA) of the aorta without ECG synchronisation in comparison to single-source CT. Methods: Overall 160 consecutive patients underwent CTA either in conventional single-source mode with a pitch of 1.2 (group 1), or in dual-source mode with a pitch of 3.0 (groups 2, 3 and 4) using different contrast media timings with bolus triggering at 140 HU (5 s, group 1; 10 s, group 2; 12 s, group 3; 14 s, group 4). Contrast material, saline flush, flow rate and kV/mAs settings were kept equal for optimum comparability. Aortic attenuation was measured along the z-axis of the patient at different anatomic landmarks and subjective image quality was compared. Results: The most homogeneous enhancement of the aorta was reached with a delay of 10 s after reaching the trigger threshold. The imaging length was not significantly different, but the examination time was significantly (p < 0.001) shorter in the high-pitch group (7.7 s vs. 1.7 s for group 1 vs. 2, 3 and 4). Conclusion: In high-pitch CT angiography using a start delay of 10 s after a trigger threshold of 140 HU in the descending aorta is reached, a homogenous contrast along the z-axis is accomplished

Satellite Based Cropland Carbon Monitoring System

Science.gov (United States)

Bandaru, V.; Jones, C. D.; Sedano, F.; Sahajpal, R.; Jin, H.; Skakun, S.; Pnvr, K.; Kommareddy, A.; Reddy, A.; Hurtt, G. C.; Izaurralde, R. C.

2017-12-01

Agricultural croplands act as both sources and sinks of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2); absorbing CO2 through photosynthesis, releasing CO2 through autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration, and sequestering CO2 in vegetation and soils. Part of the carbon captured in vegetation can be transported and utilized elsewhere through the activities of food, fiber, and energy production. As well, a portion of carbon in soils can be exported somewhere else by wind, water, and tillage erosion. Thus, it is important to quantify how land use and land management practices affect the net carbon balance of croplands. To monitor the impacts of various agricultural activities on carbon balance and to develop management strategies to make croplands to behave as net carbon sinks, it is of paramount importance to develop consistent and high resolution cropland carbon flux estimates. Croplands are typically characterized by fine scale heterogeneity; therefore, for accurate carbon flux estimates, it is necessary to account for the contribution of each crop type and their spatial distribution. As part of NASA CMS funded project, a satellite based Cropland Carbon Monitoring System (CCMS) was developed to estimate spatially resolved crop specific carbon fluxes over large regions. This modeling framework uses remote sensing version of Environmental Policy Integrated Climate Model and satellite derived crop parameters (e.g. leaf area index (LAI)) to determine vertical and lateral carbon fluxes. The crop type LAI product was developed based on the inversion of PRO-SAIL radiative transfer model and downscaled MODIS reflectance. The crop emergence and harvesting dates were estimated based on MODIS NDVI and crop growing degree days. To evaluate the performance of CCMS framework, it was implemented over croplands of Nebraska, and estimated carbon fluxes for major crops (i.e. corn, soybean, winter wheat, grain sorghum, alfalfa) grown in 2015. Key findings of the CCMS framework will be presented