scholarly journals Lightness induction enhancements and limitations at low frequency modulations across a variety of stimulus contexts

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e8918
Author(s):  
Louis Nicholas Vinke ◽  
Arash Yazdanbakhsh

Lightness illusions are often studied under static viewing conditions with figures varying in geometric design, containing different types of perceptual grouping and figure-ground cues. A few studies have explored the perception of lightness induction while modulating lightness illusions continuously in time, where changes in perceived lightness are often linked to the temporal modulation frequency, up to around 2–4 Hz. These findings support the concept of a cut-off frequency for lightness induction. However, another critical change (enhancement) in the magnitude of perceived lightness during slower temporal modulation conditions has not been addressed in previous temporal modulation studies. Moreover, it remains unclear whether this critical change applies to a variety of lightness illusion stimuli, and the degree to which different stimulus configurations can demonstrate enhanced lightness induction in low modulation frequencies. Therefore, we measured lightness induction strength by having participants cancel out any perceived modulation in lightness detected over time within a central target region, while the surrounding context, which ultimately drives the lightness illusion, was viewed in a static state or modulated continuously in time over a low frequency range (0.25–2 Hz). In general, lightness induction decreased as temporal modulation frequency was increased, with the strongest perceived lightness induction occurring at lower modulation frequencies for visual illusions with strong grouping and figure-ground cues. When compared to static viewing conditions, we found that slow continuous surround modulation induces a strong and significant increase in perceived lightness for multiple types of lightness induction stimuli. Stimuli with perceptually ambiguous grouping and figure-ground cues showed weaker effects of slow modulation lightness enhancement. Our results demonstrate that, in addition to the existence of a cut-off frequency, an additional critical temporal modulation frequency of lightness induction exists (0.25–0.5 Hz), which instead maximally enhances lightness induction and seems to be contingent upon the prevalence of figure-ground and grouping organization.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7971
Author(s):  
Xinfei Li ◽  
Baodong Cheng ◽  
Heng Xu

With the rapid development of the economy, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is receiving increasing attention from companies themselves, but also increasing attention from society as a whole. How to reasonably evaluate the performance of CSR is a current research hotspot. Existing corporate-social-responsibility evaluation methods mostly focus on the static evaluation of enterprises in the industry, and do not take the time factor into account, which cannot reflect the performance of long-term CSR. On this basis, this article proposes a time-based entropy method that can evaluate long-term changes in CSR. Studies have shown that the completion of CSR in a static state does not necessarily reflect the dynamic and increasing trend of CSR in the long term. Therefore, the assessment of CSR should consider both the static and dynamic aspects of a company. In addition, the research provides the focus of different types of forestry enterprises in fulfilling CSR in the long term, and provides a clearer information path for the standard identification and normative constraints of different types of forestry enterprises CSR.



2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1990
Author(s):  
Vinod Devaraj ◽  
Philipp Aichinger

The characterization of voice quality is important for the diagnosis of a voice disorder. Vocal fry is a voice quality which is traditionally characterized by a low frequency and a long closed phase of the glottis. However, we also observed amplitude modulated vocal fry glottal area waveforms (GAWs) without long closed phases (positive group) which we modelled using an analysis-by-synthesis approach. Natural and synthetic GAWs are modelled. The negative group consists of euphonic, i.e., normophonic GAWs. The analysis-by-synthesis approach fits two modelled GAWs for each of the input GAW. One modelled GAW is modulated to replicate the amplitude and frequency modulations of the input GAW and the other modelled GAW is unmodulated. The modelling errors of the two modelled GAWs are determined to classify the GAWs into the positive and the negative groups using a simple support vector machine (SVM) classifier with a linear kernel. The modelling errors of all vocal fry GAWs obtained using the modulating model are smaller than the modelling errors obtained using the unmodulated model. Using the two modelling errors as predictors for classification, no false positives or false negatives are obtained. To further distinguish the subtypes of amplitude modulated vocal fry GAWs, the entropy of the modulator’s power spectral density and the modulator-to-carrier frequency ratio are obtained.



2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (15) ◽  
pp. 3623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Bruegmann ◽  
Khira Deecke ◽  
Matthias Fladung

CRISPR/Cas9 has become one of the most promising techniques for genome editing in plants and works very well in poplars with an Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system. We selected twelve genes, including SOC1, FUL, and their paralogous genes, four NFP-like genes and TOZ19 for three different research topics. The gRNAs were designed for editing, and, together with a constitutively expressed Cas9 nuclease, transferred either into the poplar hybrid Populus × canescens or into P. tremula. The regenerated lines showed different types of editing and revealed several homozygous editing events which are of special interest in perennial species because of limited back-cross ability. Through a time series, we could show that despite the constitutive expression of the Cas9 nuclease, no secondary editing of the target region occurred. Thus, constitutive Cas9 expression does not seem to pose any risk to additional editing events. Based on various criteria, we obtained evidence for a relationship between the structure of gRNA and the efficiency of gene editing. In particular, the GC content, purine residues in the gRNA end, and the free accessibility of the seed region seemed to be highly important for genome editing in poplars. Based on our findings on nine different poplar genes, efficient gRNAs can be designed for future efficient editing applications in poplars.



2021 ◽  
Vol 263 (3) ◽  
pp. 3436-3447
Author(s):  
Dan Lin ◽  
Andrew Eng

Assumptions made on the ground types between sound sources and receivers can significantly impact the accuracy of environmental outdoor noise prediction. A guideline is provided in ISO 9613-2 and the value of ground factor ranges from 0 to 1, depending on the coverage of porous ground. For example, a ground absorption factor of 1 is suggested for grass ground covers. However, it is unclear if the suggested values are validated. The purpose of this study is to determine the sound absorption of different types of ground by measurements. Field noise measurements were made using an omnidirectional loudspeaker and two microphones on three different types of ground in a quiet neighborhood. One microphone was located 3ft from the loudspeaker to record near field sound levels in 1/3 and 1 octave bands every second. The other microphone was located a few hundred feet away to record far field sound in the same fashion as the near field microphone. The types of ground tested were concrete, grass, and grass with trees. Based on the measurement data, it was found that grass and trees absorb high frequency sound well and a ground factor of 1 may be used for 500Hz and up when using ISO 9613-2 methodology. However, at lower frequencies (125 Hz octave band and below), grassy ground reflects sound the same as concrete surfaces. Trees absorb more low frequency sound than grass, but less than ISO 9613-2 suggested.



2021 ◽  
pp. 106-114
Author(s):  
M.M. Zablodsky ◽  
◽  
P.B. Klendiy ◽  
O. P. Dudar ◽  
◽  
...  

The article considers the issue of studying the value of pH, substrate in the process of methane fermentation in the mesophilic regime and the influence of the electromagnetic field of industrial frequency. The aim is to investigate the influence of electromagnetic fields on the pH value of the substrate during fermentation. Different types of microorganisms are involved in the process of methanogenesis, and the decisive role in it is played by methane-forming archaea, which are most sensitive to pH and should be in the range of 6.5 - 8. Therefore, it is necessary to check the effect of low frequency electromagnetic field on substrate pH. The study was performed for 25 days on two substrates, one of which was exposed to a low-frequency electromagnetic field with an electromagnetic induction of 3.5 mT. The research results show that the pH value of the substrate exposed to the electromagnetic field during the methane fermentation process was within acceptable limits, and the second substrate decreased, that is, it was acidified. Key words: methane fermentation, substrate, pH value, electromagnetic field



2002 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 267-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. P. KUO

Extra and very low-frequency (ELF/VLF) wave generation by modulated polar electrojet currents is studied numerically. Through Ohmic heating by the amplitude-modulated high-frequency heating wave, the conductivity and thus the current of the electrojet are modulated accordingly to set up the ionospheric antenna current. Stimulated thermal instability, which can further enhance the electrojet current modulation, is studied. It is first analysed analytically to determine the threshold heating power for its excitation. The nonlinear evolutions of the generated ELF/VLF waves enhanced by the instability are then studied numerically. Their spectra are also evaluated. The field intensity of the emission at the fundamental modulation frequency is found to increase with the modulation frequency in agreement with the Tromso observations. The efficiency enhancement by the stimulated thermal instability is hampered by inelastic collisions of electrons with neutral particles (mainly due to vibration excitation of N2), which cause this instability to saturate at low levels. However, the electron inelastic collision loss rate drops rapidly to a low value in the energy regime from 3.5 to 6 eV. As the heating power exceeds a threshold level, significant electron heating enhanced by the instability is shown, which indeed causes a steep drop in the electron inelastic collision loss rate. Consequently, this instability saturates at a much higher level, resulting to a near step increase (of about 10–13 dB depending on the modulation wave form) in the spectral intensity of ELF radiation. The dependence of the threshold power of the HF heating wave on the modulation frequency is determined.



1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 1717-1734 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Cariani ◽  
B. Delgutte

1. The neural correlates of low pitches produced by complex tones were studied by analyzing temporal discharge patterns of auditory nerve fibers in Dial-anesthetized cats. In the previous paper it was observed that, for harmonic stimuli, the most frequent interspike interval present in the population of auditory nerve fibers always corresponded to the perceived pitch (predominant interval hypothesis). The fraction of these most frequent intervals relative to the total number of intervals qualitatively corresponded to strength (salience) of the low pitches that are heard. 2. This paper addresses the neural correlates of stimuli that produce more complex patterns of pitch judgments, such as shifts in pitch and multiple pitches. Correlates of pitch shift and pitch ambiguity were investigated with the use of harmonic and inharmonic amplitude-modulated (AM) tones varying either in carrier frequency or modulation frequency. Pitches estimated from the pooled interval distributions showed shifts corresponding to "the first effect of pitch shift" (de Boer's rule) that is observed psychophysically. Pooled interval distributions in response to inharmonic stimulus segments showed multiple maxima corresponding to the multiple pitches heard by human listeners (pitch ambiguity). 3. AM and quasi-frequency-modulated tones with low carrier frequencies produce very similar patterns of pitch judgments, despite great differences in their phase spectra and waveform envelopes. Pitches estimated from pooled interval distributions were remarkably similar for the two kinds of stimuli, consistent with the psychophysically observed phase invariance of pitches produced by sets of low-frequency components. 4. Trains of clicks having uniform and alternating polarities were used to investigate the relation between pitches associated with periodicity and those associated with click rate. For unipolar click trains, where periodicity and rate coincide, physiologically estimated pitches closely follow the fundamental period. This corresponds to the pitch at the fundamental frequency (F0) that is heard. For alternating click trains, where rate and periodicity do not coincide, physiologically estimated pitches always closely followed the fundamental period. Although these pitch estimates corresponded to periodicity pitches that are heard for F0s > 150 Hz, they did not correspond to the rate pitches that are heard for F0s < 150 Hz. The predominant interval hypothesis thus failed to predict rate pitch. 5. When alternating-polarity click trains are high-pass filtered, rate pitches are strengthened and can also be heard at F0s > 150 Hz. Pitches for high-pass-filtered alternating click trains were estimated from pooled responses of fibers with characteristic frequencies (CFs) > 2 kHz. Roughly equal numbers of intervals at 1/rate and 1/F0 were found for all F0s studied, from 80 to 160 Hz, producing pitch estimates consistent with the rate pitches that are heard after high-pass filtering. The existence region for rate pitch also coincided with the presence of clear periodicities related to the click rate in pooled peristimulus time histograms. These periodicities were strongest for ensembles of fibers with CFs > 2 kHz, where there is widespread synchrony of discharges across many fibers. 6. The "dominance region for pitch" was studied with the use of two harmonic complexes consisting of harmonics 3-5 of one F0 and harmonics 6-12 of another fundamental 20% higher in frequency. When the complexes were presented individually, pitch estimates were always close to the fundamental of the complex. When the complexes were presented concurrently, pitch estimates always followed the fundamental of harmonics 3-5 for F0s of 150-480 Hz. For F0s of 125-150 Hz, pitch estimates followed one or the other fundamental, and for F0s < 125 Hz, pitch estimates followed the fundamental of harmonics 6-12. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)



2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (06) ◽  
pp. 1850049
Author(s):  
S. E. Mkam Tchouobiap ◽  
J. E. Danga ◽  
R. M. Keumo Tsiaze ◽  
L. C. Fai

This paper presents nonlinear Landau–Zener (LZ) tunneling of an electron spin in an accelerating optical parabolic potential, manifested in a heterostructure quantum wire subjected to a periodic magnetic field comprising a spike and a homogeneous part. In this context, driving the two states of a pure nonlinear two-level quantum bit (qubit) system through an avoided level crossing can result in nontrivial dynamics, especially with and without considering a parabolic confinement potential characterized by a curvature confinement potential. We report two striking nonadiabatic and adiabatic scenarios in low modulation frequency limit which appear when such strength modulation occurs. Firstly, the changes of the amplitude of the driving field without considering a parabolic confinement potential act as a perturbation which mixes the spin states. Here, the dynamical evolution of the tunneling probabilities of the nonadiabatic populations under investigation is analyzed. Secondly, for strong fields and strong dependence of a parabolic confinement potential, the two diabatic states do not cross but present anti-crossing phenomenon as the time tends to infinity, describing an adiabatic transition. However, if the field strength in a wire is weak enough, the level separation of a qubit state switches abruptly around the crossing point, and LZ tunneling applies to the whole dynamical range, from adiabatic to fully nonadiabatic crossing. Locally, the tunneling process can be seen as a two-level system (TLS) undergoing a Rabi oscillation. These results open new prospects for the use of quantum interferences in spin–based devices.



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