scholarly journals Listening to birdsong reveals basic features of rate perception and aesthetic judgements

2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1923) ◽  
pp. 20193010
Author(s):  
Tina Roeske ◽  
Pauline Larrouy-Maestri ◽  
Yasuhiro Sakamoto ◽  
David Poeppel
Keyword(s):  
Implicit Memory ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Aesthetic Appreciation ◽  
Complex Sound ◽  
Human Speech ◽  
Default Time ◽  
Temporal Properties ◽  
Specific Preference ◽  
Basic Features ◽  
Event Rates

The timing of acoustic events is central to human speech and music. Tempo tends to be slower in aesthetic contexts: rates in poetic speech and music are slower than non-poetic, running speech. We tested whether a general aesthetic preference for slower rates can account for this, using birdsong as a stimulus: it structurally resembles human sequences but is unbiased by their production or processing constraints. When listeners selected the birdsong playback tempo that was most pleasing, they showed no bias towards any range of note rates. However, upon hearing a novel stimulus, listeners rapidly formed a robust, implicit memory of its temporal properties, and developed a stimulus-specific preference for the memorized tempo. Interestingly, tempo perception in birdsong stimuli was strongly determined by individual, internal preferences for rates of 1–2 Hz. This suggests that processing complex sound sequences relies on a default time window, while aesthetic appreciation appears flexible, experience-based and not determined by absolute event rates.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Feasibility of Screening Tau Radiotracers Using an Amyloid Biomathematical Screening Methodology

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Ying-Hwey Nai ◽  
Hiroshi Watabe
Keyword(s):  
Time Window ◽  
Standardized Uptake Value ◽  
Clinical Usefulness ◽  
Reference Region ◽  
Time Activity ◽  
Default Time ◽  
Single Target ◽  
Comparison Results

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of extending a previously developed amyloid biomathematical screening methodology to support the screening of tau radiotracers during compound development. 22 tau-related PET radiotracers were investigated. For each radiotracer, in silico MLogP, Vx, and in vitro KD were input into the model to predict the in vivo K1, k2, and BPND under healthy control (HC), mild cognitive impaired (MCI), and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) conditions. These kinetic parameters were used to simulate the time activity curves (TACs) in the target regions of HC, MCI, and AD and a reference region. Standardized uptake value ratios (SUVR) were determined from the integrated area under the TACs of the target region over the reference region within a default time window of 90–110 min. The predicted K1, k2, and BPND values were compared with the clinically observed values. The TACs and SUVR distributions were also simulated with population variations and noise. Finally, the clinical usefulness index (CUI) ranking was compared with clinical comparison results. The TACs and SUVR distributions differed for tau radiotracers with lower tau selectivity. The CUI values ranged from 0.0 to 16.2, with 6 out of 9 clinically applied tau radiotracers having CUI values higher than the recommend CUI value of 3.0. The differences between the clinically observed TACs and SUVR results showed that the evaluation of the clinical usefulness of tau radiotracer based on single target binding could not fully reflect in vivo tau binding. The screening methodology requires further study to improve the accuracy of screening tau radiotracers. However, the higher CUI rankings of clinically applied tau radiotracers with higher signal-to-noise ratio supported the use of the screening methodology in radiotracer development by allowing comparison of candidate radiotracers with clinically applied radiotracers based on SUVR, with respect to binding to a single target.

scholarly journals Divergent acoustic properties of gelada and baboon vocalizations and their implications for the evolution of human speech

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgan L. Gustison ◽  
Thore J. Bergman
Keyword(s):  
Acoustic Properties ◽  
Cycle Duration ◽  
Speech Rhythm ◽  
Call Type ◽  
Human Speech ◽  
Temporal Properties ◽  
Temporal Features ◽  
Vowel Space ◽  
Speech Evolution ◽  
Number Of Cycles

Abstract Human speech has many complex spectral and temporal features traditionally thought to be absent in the vocalizations of other primates. Recent explorations of the vocal capabilities of non-human primates are challenging this view. Here, we continue this trend by exploring the spectro-temporal properties of gelada (Theropithecus gelada) vocalizations. First, we made cross-species comparisons of geladas, chacma baboons, and human vowel space area. We found that adult male and female gelada exhaled grunts–a call type shared with baboons—have formant profiles that overlap more with human vowel space than do baboon grunts. These gelada grunts also contained more modulation of fundamental and formant frequencies than did baboon grunts. Second, we compared formant profiles and modulation of exhaled grunts to the derived call types (those not shared with baboons) produced by gelada males. These derived calls contained divergent formant profiles, and a subset of them, notably wobbles and vocalized yawns, were more modulated than grunts. Third, we investigated the rhythmic patterns of wobbles, a call type shown previously to contain cycles that match the 3–8 Hz tempo of speech. We use a larger dataset to show that the wobble rhythm overlaps more with speech rhythm than previously thought. We also found that variation in cycle duration depends on the production modality; specifically, exhaled wobbles were produced at a slower tempo than inhaled wobbles. Moreover, the variability in cycle duration within wobbles aligns with a linguistic property known as ‘Menzerath’s law’ in that there was a negative association between cycle duration and wobble size (i.e. the number of cycles). Taken together, our results add to growing evidence that non-human primates are anatomically capable of producing modulated sounds. Our results also support and expand on current hypotheses of speech evolution, including the ‘neural hypothesis’ and the ‘bimodal speech rhythm hypothesis’.

The Neurobiology of Sensory Valuation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Skov
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Behavior ◽  
Aesthetic Appreciation ◽  
Extrinsic Factors ◽  
Hedonic Valuation ◽  
Neural Processes ◽  
Basic Features ◽  
Functional Mechanisms ◽  
Intrinsic And Extrinsic Factors ◽  
Reward Circuit

This chapter introduces the reader to the basic features of the neurobiological system involved in forming a hedonic liking response for sensory objects. In this way it aims to provide nonneuroscientists working in empirical aesthetics with a first primer on the neurobiological mechanisms and computational principles that underlie aesthetic appreciation. It describes how hedonic valuation is primarily computed by neural processes in the mesocorticolimbic reward circuit, and reviews some of the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that modulate these processes, thereby influencing how likable or dislikable a stimulus is experienced to be. It is argued that the neuroscientific evidence presented here suggests that the computational principles driving aesthetic appreciation can only be understood if seen as fundamentally rooted in functional mechanisms that evolved to help regulate adaptive behavior.

Physical models for the analysis of acoustical systems in biology

1979 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. H. Fletcher ◽  
Suszanne Thwaites
Keyword(s):  
Information Content ◽  
Acoustic Signal ◽  
Ambient Noise ◽  
Acoustic Signals ◽  
Physical Models ◽  
The Other ◽  
Complex Sound ◽  
Human Speech

One of the important problems of biophysics is to understand in detail the mechanisms by which animals produce acoustic signals, and the ways in which other animals, of the same or different species, detect and process these signals, through the masking effects of ambient noise, to extract their information content. At a primitive level this information relates simply to the presence of the other animal and perhaps to its proximity and direction. At the next level we find some sort of coding in the acoustic signal which identifies the species and perhaps the sex, and finally there is the whole range of information content and emotional overtone contained in a complex sound like human speech or music.

scholarly journals Towards ideal time window for classifying motor imagery in brain-computer interfaces

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vitor Mendes Vilas-Boas ◽  
Vitor Da Silva Jorge ◽  
Cleison Daniel Silva
Keyword(s):  
Motor Imagery ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Classification Performance ◽  
Brain Computer Interfaces ◽  
Temporal Properties ◽  
Computer Interfaces ◽  
Motor Intention ◽  
Eeg Data ◽  
The Individual

Brain-Computer Interfaces (ICM) allow the control of devices by modulating brain activity. Commonly, when based on motor imagery (IM) these systems use the energy (de)synchronization in the electroencephalogram signal (EEG), voluntarily caused by the individual, to identify and classify their motor intention. Therefore, the EEG segment used in the training of the learning algorithms plays a fundamental role in the description of the characteristics and, consequently, in the recognition of patterns in the signal. In this context, the objective of this work is to demonstrate the correlation between the temporal properties of the input EEG segment and the classification performance of a ICM-IM system. An auxiliary sliding window was used in order to obtain the variation of performance in function of the variation in the time and to support the decision making about the appropriate window. Simulations based on public EEG data point to significant variability in the location and width of the ideal window and suggest the need for individualized selection according to the cognitive patterns of each subject.

A time window of 3 s in the aesthetic appreciation of poems

PsyCh Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Zhao ◽  
Dongxue Zhang ◽  
Yan Bao
Keyword(s):  
Time Window ◽  
Aesthetic Appreciation ◽  
The Aesthetic

Auditory Training to Improve Speech Perception and Self-Efficacy in Aging Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1270-1281
Author(s):  
Leah Fostick ◽  
Riki Taitelbaum-Swead ◽  
Shulamith Kreitler ◽  
Shelly Zokraut ◽  
Miriam Billig
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Temporal Order Judgment ◽  
Auditory Training ◽  
Intensity Discrimination ◽  
Training Design ◽  
Auditory Temporal Processing ◽  
Temporal Properties ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
Aging Adults

Purpose Difficulty in understanding spoken speech is a common complaint among aging adults, even when hearing impairment is absent. Correlational studies point to a relationship between age, auditory temporal processing (ATP), and speech perception but cannot demonstrate causality unlike training studies. In the current study, we test (a) the causal relationship between a spatial–temporal ATP task (temporal order judgment [TOJ]) and speech perception among aging adults using a training design and (b) whether improvement in aging adult speech perception is accompanied by improved self-efficacy. Method Eighty-two participants aged 60–83 years were randomly assigned to a group receiving (a) ATP training (TOJ) over 14 days, (b) non-ATP training (intensity discrimination) over 14 days, or (c) no training. Results The data showed that TOJ training elicited improvement in all speech perception tests, which was accompanied by increased self-efficacy. Neither improvement in speech perception nor self-efficacy was evident following non-ATP training or no training. Conclusions There was no generalization of the improvement resulting from TOJ training to intensity discrimination or generalization of improvement resulting from intensity discrimination training to speech perception. These findings imply that the effect of TOJ training on speech perception is specific and such improvement is not simply the product of generally improved auditory perception. It provides support for the idea that temporal properties of speech are indeed crucial for speech perception. Clinically, the findings suggest that aging adults can be trained to improve their speech perception, specifically through computer-based auditory training, and this may improve perceived self-efficacy.

The self and schizophrenia: a cognitive approach

2003 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Nieznanski
Keyword(s):  
Normal Subjects ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Cognitive Approach ◽  
Schizophrenic Patients ◽  
Self Schema ◽  
Persons With Schizophrenia ◽  
Basic Features ◽  
Trait Words ◽  
Patients Experience ◽  
Normal Controls

The aim of the study was to explore the basic features of self-schema in persons with schizophrenia. Thirty two schizophrenic patients and 32 normal controls were asked to select personality trait words from a check-list that described themselves, themselves as they were five years ago, and what most people are like. Compared with the control group, participants from the experimental group chose significantly more adjectives that were common to descriptions of self and others, and significantly less that were common to self and past-self descriptions. These results suggest that schizophrenic patients experience their personality as changing over time much more than do healthy subjects. Moreover, their self-representation seems to be less differentiated from others-representation and less clearly defined than in normal subjects.

Safety and efficacy of direct acting oral anticoagulants and vitamin K antagonists in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation – a network meta-analysis of real-world data

VASA ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirko Hirschl ◽  
Michael Kundi
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Vitamin K Antagonists ◽  
Oral Anticoagulants ◽  
Efficacy And Safety ◽  
Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Real World Data ◽  
Hazard Ratios ◽  
Direct Acting ◽  
Event Rates

Abstract. Background: In randomized controlled trials (RCTs) direct acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) showed a superior risk-benefit profile in comparison to vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) for patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Patients enrolled in such studies do not necessarily reflect the whole target population treated in real-world practice. Materials and methods: By a systematic literature search, 88 studies including 3,351,628 patients providing over 2.9 million patient-years of follow-up were identified. Hazard ratios and event-rates for the main efficacy and safety outcomes were extracted and the results for DOACs and VKAs combined by network meta-analysis. In addition, meta-regression was performed to identify factors responsible for heterogeneity across studies. Results: For stroke and systemic embolism as well as for major bleeding and intracranial bleeding real-world studies gave virtually the same result as RCTs with higher efficacy and lower major bleeding risk (for dabigatran and apixaban) and lower risk of intracranial bleeding (all DOACs) compared to VKAs. Results for gastrointestinal bleeding were consistently better for DOACs and hazard ratios of myocardial infarction were significantly lower in real-world for dabigatran and apixaban compared to RCTs. By a ranking analysis we found that apixaban is the safest anticoagulant drug, while rivaroxaban closely followed by dabigatran are the most efficacious. Risk of bias and heterogeneity was assessed and had little impact on the overall results. Analysis of effect modification could guide the clinical decision as no single DOAC was superior/inferior to the others under all conditions. Conclusions: DOACs were at least as efficacious as VKAs. In terms of safety endpoints, DOACs performed better under real-world conditions than in RCTs. The current real-world data showed that differences in efficacy and safety, despite generally low event rates, exist between DOACs. Knowledge about these differences in performance can contribute to a more personalized medicine.

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