Coding strategy for surface luminance switches in the primary visual cortex of the awake monkey

Both surface luminance and edge contrast of an object are essential features for object identification. However, cortical processing of surface luminance remains unclear. In this study, we aim to understand how the primary visual cortex (V1) processes surface luminance information across its different layers. We report that edge-driven responses are stronger than surface-driven responses in V1 input layers, but luminance information is coded more accurately by surface responses. In V1 output layers, the advantage of edge over surface responses increased eight times and luminance information was coded more accurately at edges. Further analysis of neural dynamics shows that such substantial changes for neural responses and luminance coding are mainly due to non-local cortical inhibition in V1’s output layers. Our results suggest that non-local cortical inhibition modulates the responses elicited by the surfaces and edges of objects, and that switching the coding strategy in V1 promotes efficient coding for luminance.

Speech perception in various acoustic environments: Comparison of different sound coding strategies

Objectives to compare speech perception in a quiet and noisy environment using a basic audio coding strategy (CIS) and a modern strategy (ACE) over a period of 24 months. Material and methods. The study involved 30 patients who received hearing rehabilitation in the National Medical Research Center for Otorhinolaryngology of the Federal Medico-Biological Agency in the period of 2018 2021. The inclusion criteria were: implantation in the adult age (from 18 to 45 years), speaking fluent Russian, hearing loss after speech skills formation. After initialization and programming of the speech processor, the patients underwent speech audiometry in a free sound field using syllabic and speech tables in silence and noise. The results were collected in the special MS Excel templates and subjected to statistical analysis. Results. The intelligibility of syllables in patients with CIS and ACE strategies took comparable values and grew with experience within 24 months (from 52 7.00% at the beginning of the study to 72 7.25% at the end), the greatest increase in intelligibility was noted in the first 3 months after connecting the speech processor (from 52 7.00% to 66 7.87%). Using the Greenberg speech table in silence, the groups with the CIS strategy and the ACE strategy obtained similar results with a slight advantage of the ACE strategy up to 6 months of the study. Later, a significantly higher increase in speech perception was observed in the group with the ACE strategy compared to the group with CIS. After 12 months, the perception tests showed 67 8.62% in patients with CIS strategy and 71 7.54% in patients with ACE, after 24 months the results were 68 9.12%, and 72 8.62% respectively. Under noise conditions, we observed an increase of the difference between groups starting from 6 months (41 5.33% in patients with CIS versus 43.3 7.55% with ACE), the largest difference was registered after 24 months (51 5.50% versus 57 8.25% respectively). Conclusion. When compared to the basic strategy, a modern sound coding strategy with a higher resolution can improve speech perception especially with complex speech patterns and in a noisy environment.

An End-to-End Deep Learning Sound Coding Strategy for Cochlear Implants

Cochlear implant (CI) users struggle to understand speech in noisy conditions. In this work, we propose an end-to-end speech coding and denoising sound coding strategy that estimates the electrodograms from the raw audio captured by the microphone. We compared this approach to a classic Wiener filter and TasNet to assess its potential benefits in the context of electric hearing. The performance of the network is assessed by means of noise reduction performance (signal-to-noise-ratio improvement) and objective speech intelligibility measures. Furthermore, speech intelligibility was measured in 5 CI users to assess the potential benefits of each of the investigated algorithms. Results suggest that the speech performance of the tested group seemed to be equally good using our method compared to the front-end speech enhancement algorithm.

Taking a “Whole” Classroom Perspective: Theorizing Classroom Typologies Using a Video-Based Observational Protocol

Inspired by a “whole child” framing, the current study takes a “whole classroom” perspective to consider classroom practice. Study aims included: (1) presenting a systematic video-based observational coding strategy to concurrently consider practice domains that have implications for learning—cognitive instruction, classroom management, and teacher–student relational interactions; (2) identifying distinct and interrelated classroom typologies based upon this coding strategy. The framework was developed through coding and analysis of 58 purposively sampled urban 4th–9th grade classrooms from the Measures of Effective Teaching study. Analyses revealed three overarching typologies: task-focused (52%), low stimulation (43%), and optimal (5%). We conclude by discussing implications for urban education.

Eulogising the Dead: A Systemic Functional Exploration of Tributes Delivered by Ghanaian Presidents

Presidents are considered as caring and sensitive fathers of their nations whose words of condolences are usually needed in times of grief. One medium through which they express their condolences is through the delivery of tributes to eulogize the dead and sympathize with bereaved families. There is therefore the need to examine how presidents employ the faculties of language to eulogize the dead in their tributes. Premised on the transitivity framework postulated by Halliday and Matthiessen, the present study investigates the use of transitivity patterns in Ghanaian presidential tributes to unearth various experiences and also unveil the implicit relationships that exist between politicians and traditional rulers. The sample for the study is composed of four tributes delivered by Akuffo Addo, Mahama, Kufour and Rawlings to the late Queen Mother of the Ashanti Kingdom, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Apem II. The data were manually coded using the consensual coding strategy. The results indicate a preponderant use of relational processes to identify the unique qualities possessed by the late Queen Mother which further unveil the varied relationships between her and the presidents. Other process types such as material, mental, verbal and behavioural processes are used to construe the positive actions carried out by the late Queen Mother during her lifetime, activate the minds and emotions of mourners and sympathizers regarding the loss, posthumously project the late Queen Mother as a legend who needs to be modelled after and present a collective purgation of emotions of pain and agony. The study concludes that, despite the apolitical status of traditional rulers, they still have a latent but cordial relationship with politicians. Citation:Mwinwelle, P., Duah, I. and Ernest Mensah, S. (2021). Eulogising the Dead: A Systemic Functional Exploration of Tributes Delivered by Ghanaian Presidents. International Journal of Technology and Management Research (IJTMR), Vol. 6 (2): Pp.38-58. Received: April 15, 2020Accepted: September 1, 2021

Frequency-hiding order-preserving encryption with small client storage

The range query on encrypted databases is usually implemented using the order-preserving encryption (OPE) technique which preserves the order of plaintexts. Since the frequency leakage of plaintexts makes OPE vulnerable to frequency-analyzing attacks, some frequency-hiding order-preserving encryption (FH-OPE) schemes are proposed. However, existing FH-OPE schemes require either the large client storage of size O ( n ) or O (log n ) rounds of interactions for each query, where n is the total number of plaintexts. To this end, we propose a FH-OPE scheme that achieves the small client storage without additional client-server interactions. In detail, our scheme achieves O ( N ) client storage and 1 interaction per query, where N is the number of distinct plaintexts and N ≤ n . Especially, our scheme has a remarkable performance when N ≪ n . Moreover, we design a new coding tree for producing the order-preserving encoding which indicates the order of each ciphertext in the database. The coding strategy of our coding tree ensures that encodings update in the low frequency when inserting new ciphertexts. Experimental results show that the single round interaction and low-frequency encoding updates make our scheme more efficient than previous FH-OPE schemes.

MARKETISATION OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION: A STYLISTIC EXPLORATION OF GHANAIAN TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY ANTHEMS

Technical education is a major boost to national development because it helps in job creation. This makes technical universities important institutions. The upgrade of polytechnics to technical universities in Ghana has been an important milestone in the enhancement of technical and vocational education. Due to this upgrade, technical universities which were hitherto polytechnics had to compose new anthems to indicate and reflect their new status as universities. The present study focuses on how stylistically significant devices are used to construe the goals of technical and vocational education in anthems of Ghanaian technical universities. The study adopts the descriptive qualitative methodological approach which is theoretically framed by the linguistic and stylistic categories theory postulated by Leech and Short (2007). Anthems of six out of the ten technical universities in Ghana were homogenously sampled using the purposive sampling technique. The sampled anthems which served as data for the study were manually coded using the consensual coding strategy. The study identified the use of dominant stylistic devices such as repetition, parallelism, metaphor, personification and allusion in the sampled anthems. Repetition was used to emphasise the need for institutional solidarity. Parallelism was used to foreground the aims of the universities as well as create rhythmic effects to enhance the musicality in the anthems. Geographical and biblical allusions were used to establish religious and cultural hegemonies while personification and metaphor were also used to foreground the relevance and uniqueness of the institutions. The findings of the study have implications for research and practice. The study concludes that anthems of Ghanaian technical universities are not just construed as institutional symbols but also as mediums for marketing technical education. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0883/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>