Masking Level Difference: avaliação da confiabilidade teste-reteste em estudantes universitárias normo-ouvintes

RESUMO Objetivo Verificar a confiabilidade teste-reteste do Masking Level Difference em estudantes universitárias normo-ouvintes. Método Estudo prospectivo descritivo com 78 adultos jovens do gênero feminino sem queixas auditivas, submetidas à versão, em compact disc, do Masking Level Difference da Auditec of Saint Louis. O Masking Level Difference foi determinado por meio da diferença entre as relações sinal-ruído nos limiares auditivos encontrados nas condições antifásica e homofásica. O teste foi aplicado pelo mesmo examinador em dois momentos (teste e reteste) com intervalo de sete a 14 dias entre eles. A análise estatística inferencial incluiu comparação das situações teste e reteste por meio do teste t de Student para amostras pareadas, cálculo do coeficiente de correlação intraclasse e dos intervalos de confiança de 95% para as relações sinal/ruído nos limiares auditivos nas condições antifásica e homofásica e para o cálculo do Masking Level Difference. Resultados A média da relação sinal-ruído no limiar auditivo na condição homofásica foi -12,59 dB e -12,46 dB nas situações teste e reteste, respectivamente, e -21,54 dB e -21,08 dB na condição antifásica. A média do Masking Level Difference foi 8,95 dB no teste e 8,74 dB no reteste. Os coeficientes de correlação intraclasse obtidos foram 0,436, 0,625 e 0,577 para as condições homofásica, antifásica e Masking Level Difference, respectivamente. Conclusão O teste Masking Level Difference mostrou grau moderado de confiabilidade teste-reteste em estudantes universitárias normo-ouvintes.

The Analysis of the Ski Slopes and the Degree of Economic Dependence Induced by Winter Sports Tourism. The Case of Romania

Winter sports are the main attraction for many tourist areas in Romania, contributing significantly to the development of local economies. Based on this, the study aims to analyze the ski areas in Romania, as well as the extent to which they contribute to the sustainable development of the local economy. This is particularly important as, in recent decades, climate change has significantly affected winter sports, especially skiing. Thus, an analysis of the physical characteristics of ski runs in Romania (number, length, width, level difference and slope) is accompanied with an analysis on the dynamics of the share of tourism in the local economy of winter sport locations, based on tourism turnover relative to total turnover in the local economy. Both graphic and cartographic methods were used in this study, based on an analysis of quantitative and qualitative data available for ski slopes in Romania and the host localities. We used ArcGIS 10.6 software for the preparation of graphical representations and other software to process large databases. The research results showed a great diversity regarding counties, localities and ski slopes depending on the characteristic features of ski slopes (number, length, width, level difference and slope). In our study, the evolution of the share of turnover in tourism in terms of total turnover presented several categories of localities based on their economic dependence on winter sports; the impact in this regard was found to be very differentiated between localities.

How Do Electoral Incentives Affect Legislator Behavior? Evidence from U.S. State Legislatures

A classic question about democratic elections is how much they are able to influence politician behavior by forcing them to anticipate future reelection attempts, especially in contexts where voters are not paying close attention and are not well informed. We compile a new dataset containing roughly 780,000 bills, combined with more than 16 million roll-call voting records for roughly 6,000 legislators serving in U.S. state legislatures with term limits. Using an individual-level difference-in-differences design, we find that legislators who can no longer seek reelection sponsor fewer bills, are less productive on committees, and are absent for more floor votes, on average. Building a new dataset of roll-call votes and interest-group ratings, we find little evidence that legislators who cannot run for reelection systematically shift their ideological platforms. In sum, elections appear to influence how legislators allocate their effort in important ways even in low-salience environments but may have less influence on ideological positioning.

Study on Vibration Damping Mechanism of Shoe Sole with Alternating Lattice Structure Using Vibration Level Difference

As one of the media of the ground and feet, the design of footwear products has lately received great attention, and the cushioning performance of the sole has become a key factor for the comfort and sportiness of the foot. In this paper, a new type of middle sole sports shoes with an alternating gradient lattice structure was proposed. The dynamic response of the structure was analyzed by ABAQUS software, and the model was validated by modal analysis. The effects of different kinds of alternating lattice and uniform lattice sole models on vibration isolation were analyzed by using the vibration level difference as the evaluation index of vibration characteristics. The analysis results are as follows: (a) We found that the mean of the vibration level difference of the alternating gradient structure is higher than that of the uniform lattice structure, which confirms the feasibility of the alternating gradient arrangement and its excellent buffering performance. (b) Two kinds of vibration stage drop values of the 24-series alternating lattice structure model are analyzed, and “C-G-X″ structure has the highest vibration stage drop value. In addition, the comprehensive analysis of the alternating gradient lattice structure of the soles shows that the four types of structures have good cushioning performance, and the C-series structure in the frequency range of 0–140 Hz vibration level difference value is higher than other series. The results show that the evaluation index of vibration level difference based on mechanical vibration characteristics can accurately analyze the response of different structure soles to vibration, which also provides a method for the future design of vibration reduction and exploration of the biomechanics of footwear.

Topographical Prominence of the Peaks from Făgăraș Mountains (Romania) with Relevance to the Mountain Activities. Methodological and Practical Aspects

ABSTRACT. The peaks of the mountains have aroused the interest of people since ancient times. The route to get there, the difficulty of climbing, the view that was visible to the eyes there were challenges for everyone. And these turmoils, generated, over time, a special activity that targeted the mountain tops, mountaineering. From the moment Mont Blanc was conquered (Balmat, Paccard, 1786), then Everest (Hillary, Tenzing, 1953), mountain lovers are constantly looking to reach the peaks, to get drunk with ephemeral success, and become conquerors of useless (Terray, 1961). But the peaks, in addition to being bastions that need to be attacked, are also distinguished by geomorphometric approaches, and one of these approaches is the prominence, a parameter that represents the level difference by which a peak jumps over its base from the surrounding regions. Therefore, the higher this jump, the more important the tip is for mountaineers, and the more it should be included in the list. In this context, this paper aims to analyze and establish the prominence of the peaks of the most coveted mountain massif in the Romanian Carpathians, namely Făgăraș Mountains, highlighting a practical side of the problem, materialized by the methodological approach included in the research.

Spectral Stability Conditions for an Explicit Three-Level Finite-Difference Scheme for a Multidimensional Transport Equation with Perturbations

We study difference schemes associated with a simplified linearized multidimensional hyperbolic quasi-gasdynamic system of differential equations. It is shown that an explicit two-level vector difference scheme with flux relaxation for a second-order hyperbolic equation with variable coefficients that is a perturbation of the transport equation with a parameter multiplying the highest derivatives can be reduced to an explicit three-level difference scheme. In the case of constant coefficients, the spectral condition for the time-uniform stability of this explicit three-level difference scheme is analyzed, and both sufficient and necessary conditions for this condition to hold are derived, in particular, in the form of Courant type conditions on the ratio of temporal and spatial steps.

Discrimination of 2D wall textures by passive echolocation for different reflected-to-direct level difference configurations

In this work, we study people’s ability to discriminate between different 2D textures of walls by passive listening to a pre-recorded tongue click in an auralized echolocation scenario. In addition, the impact of artificially enhancing the early reflection magnitude by 6dB and of removing the direct component while equalizing the loudness was investigated. Listening test results for different textures, ranging from a flat wall to a staircase, were assessed using a 2 Alternative-Forced-Choice (2AFC) method, in which 14 sighted, untrained participants were indicating 2 equally perceived stimuli out of 3 presented stimuli. The average performance of the listening subjects to discriminate between different textures was found to be significantly higher for walls at 5m distance, without overlap between the reflected and direct sound, compared to the same walls at 0.8m distance. Enhancing the reflections as well as removing the direct sound were found to be beneficial to differentiate textures. This finding highlights the importance of forward masking in the discrimination process. The overall texture discriminability was found to be larger for the walls reflecting with a higher spectral coloration.