Synchrony in the periphery: inter-subject correlation of physiological responses during live music concerts

While there is an increasing shift in cognitive science to study perception of naturalistic stimuli, this study extends this goal to naturalistic contexts by assessing physiological synchrony across audience members in a concert setting. Cardiorespiratory, skin conductance, and facial muscle responses were measured from participants attending live string quintet performances of full-length works from Viennese Classical, Contemporary, and Romantic styles. The concert was repeated on three consecutive days with different audiences. Using inter-subject correlation (ISC) to identify reliable responses to music, we found that highly correlated responses depicted typical signatures of physiological arousal. By relating physiological ISC to quantitative values of music features, logistic regressions revealed that high physiological synchrony was consistently predicted by faster tempi (which had higher ratings of arousing emotions and engagement), but only in Classical and Romantic styles (rated as familiar) and not the Contemporary style (rated as unfamiliar). Additionally, highly synchronised responses across all three concert audiences occurred during important structural moments in the music—identified using music theoretical analysis—namely at transitional passages, boundaries, and phrase repetitions. Overall, our results show that specific music features induce similar physiological responses across audience members in a concert context, which are linked to arousal, engagement, and familiarity.

Correlated Response on Growth Traits and Their Variabilities to Selection for Ovulation Rate in Rabbits Using Genetic Trends and a Cryopreserved Control Population

The aim of this work was to estimate correlated responses in growth traits and their variabilities in an experiment of selection for ovulation rate during 10 generations in rabbits. Individual weight at 28 days old (IW28, kg) and at 63 days old (IW63, kg) was analyzed, as well as individual growth rate (IGR = IW63 − IW28, kg). The variability of each growth trait was calculated as the absolute value of the difference between the individual value and the mean value of their litter. Data were analyzed using Bayesian methodology. The estimated heritabilities of IW28, IW63 and IGR were low, whereas negligible heritabilities were obtained for growth variability traits. The common litter effect was high for all growth traits, around 30% of the phenotypic variance, whereas low maternal effect for all growth traits was obtained. Low genetic correlations between ovulation rate and growth traits were found, and also between ovulation rate and the variability of growth traits. Therefore, genetic trends methods did not show correlated responses in growth traits. A similar result was also obtained using a cryopreserved control population.

Signs of the "one-mode" response forces in linear spectral method: comparison of conventional and standard approaches

Two variants of linear-spectral method (LSM) are compared in the paper: the conventional one, prescribed in several foreign standards, and "Standard" one prescribed in the Russian Standard SP 14.13330. "One-component one-mode" responses, obtained by static analysis in the conventional LSM are combined twice: first for different modes but for each single excitation component, then for different excitation components. In the "standard" alternative LSM variant first one chooses the "most dangerous" direction of the one-component excitation for each mode, then one obtains the "one-mode" response for this excitation, and finally these responses are combined. In both cases the combination is performed using the complete quadratic combination (CQC) rule, accounting for the correlation between one-mode responses. "Standard" variant leaves some uncertainty: the "dangerous" direction can be changed for the opposite one. Such a change leads to the sign change in the one-mode response. This is of no importance for the non-correlated responses, which are combined using the SRSS rule. However, for the correlated responses as it is shown in the paper using sample problem the uncertainty in the signs can lead to the incorrect results, and the error can be significant.

CORRELATED RESPONSES IN WEIGHTS OF IMPROVED INDIGENOUS PIGS - NIGERHYB - IN NIGERIA

Data collected on the weight of 1681 offsprings of improved indigenous pigs from 1984 to 1990 were used to obtain heritability estimates; genetic, environmental and phenotypic correlations among weights and gains from birth to mature and yearling weights. The estimates were used to predict expected change from correlated responses from single trait selection. Heritability estimates obtained from paternal half-sib analysis were birth weight 0.90 ±0. 08; gain from birth to weaning 0.14±0.11; 150 days weight 0.49±18; gain from weaning to 150 days 0.49±0.15; weight gain from.150 days to yearling weight 0.41 ± 026 and yearling weight 0.66±. Genetic correlations among all weights and gains were fairly high, ranging from 0.25 to 0.81. Selection for individual pig weight at 56 days appear to be a single good criterion for selection for growth at other ages with coheritabilities of 0.669 for 56 and 150 days weight and 0,856 for 56 days versus yearling weight.

Phenotypic correlations between body weight and morphometric traits in progenies of mongrel rabbits

One of the pre-requisites for genetic improvement is knowledge of genetic parameters for important economic traits A research was conducted with progenies of mongrel rabbits to investigate the phenotypic correlations between body weight and morphometric traits. Rabbits were managed intensively for six months, and fed ad libitum proprietary feed (15% CP and 2300 kcal/kg ME), supplemented with forages. Progenies were identified with their dams for data collection. Body weight, and linear body measurements of head and neck circumferences, body, ear and face lengths, hind and forelimbs were analyzed. Measurements were taken once weekly for 10 weeks (70 days old). Body weights were taken from 7 days old whereas linear body parameters were taken from 14 days old. Phenotypic correlations between pairs of traits, estimated were positive, showed weak and very strong relationships. Values ranged between 0.455 and 0.986 (1 to 28 days old), 0.288 and 0.841 (29 to 49 days old), 0.174 and 0.781 (50 to 70 days old). The weakest relationship (0.174) existed between neck and head circumferences (50 to 70 days old) whereas the strongest relationship (0.986) existed between body and ear lengths (1 to 28 days old). Higher values (0.539 to 0.917) indicating strong relationships were obtained when estimates were not age specific. Correlated responses in body weight in progenies of mongrel rabbits are expected at varying strengths by selecting and improving any of the linear body parameters. Further breeding researches should investigate phenotypic correlations between body weight and morphometric traits in progenies of mongrel rabbits beyond 70 days of age. Phenotypic correlations involving more parameters should be investigated.