ATHENA Research Book

The ATHENA European University is an alliance of nine Higher Education Institutions with the mission of fostering excellence in research and innovation by facilitating international cooperation. The ATHENA acronym stands for Advanced Technologies in Higher Education Alliance. The partner institutions are from France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, and Slovenia: the University of Orléans, the University of Siegen, the Hellenic Mediterranean University, the Niccolò Cusano University, the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, the Polytechnic Institute of Porto, and the University of Maribor. In 2022 institutions from Poland and Spain joined the alliance: the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University and the University of Vigo. This research book presents a selection of the ATHENA university partners' research activities. It incorporates peer-reviewed original articles, reprints and student contributions. The ATHENA Research Book provides a platform that promotes joint and interdisciplinary research projects of both advanced and early-career researchers

Multifaceted evaluation of a binaural cochlear‐ implant sound‐processing strategy inspired by the medial olivocochlear reflex

[ES]El objetivo de esta tesis es evaluar experimentalmente la audición de los usuarios de implantes cocleares con una estrategia de procesamiento binaural de sonidos inspirada en el reflejo olivococlear medial, denominada "estrategia MOC". La tesis describe cuatro estudios dirigidos a comparar la inteligibilidad del habla en ruido, la localización de fuentes sonoras y el esfuerzo auditivo con procesadores de sonido estándar y con diversos procesadores MOC diseñados para reflejar de forma más o menos realista el tiempo de activación del reflejo olivococlear medial natural y sus efectos sobre la comprensión coclear humana

Psychophysiological reactivity to auditory Binaural Beats stimulation in the alpha and theta EEG brain-wave frequency bands: A randomized, double–blind and placebo–controlled study in human healthy young adult subjects

Tesis doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Psicología, Departamento de Psicología Biológica y de la Salud. Fecha de lectura: 25-06-2014Binaural beats are an acoustical illusion of the perception of a “virtual” third tone, fluctuating (i.e. beating) in its volume evoked by two carrier–sinusoids of same amplitudes, but slightly different frequencies f1 and f2, presented by stereo-headphones. Although this illusion was discovered as early as 1839 by Dove and, after the discovery of the EEG, visual rhythmic stimulation by stroboscopic flicker was known to evoke photic driving, until today relatively few works with moreover contradictory results have been published searching for specific Binaural Beat effects on the organism. Objective The present investigation aimed, in a highly controlled laboratory study with multimodal measurements, for deciding on the question whether there is or there is not specific psychophysiological reactivity to Binaural Beats auditory stimulation in the EEG alpha and theta frequency bands, striving for the overcoming of unsatisfactory methodology of previous works. If efficacy to specifically decrease psychophysiological arousal levels would be proven, multiple applications in clinical contexts would be feasible. Moreover, the employed stimuli would be useful for basic research trying to better understand the underlying neurocircuitry of arousal, attention and consciousness regulation. Methods After rigorous psychometric screening for bio–psycho–social health, N = 12 young university students (5 females) entered in a within–subject randomized placebo–controlled design, with 50% of the subjects randomly assigned to the presentation order Placebo vs. Verum, and the remaining 50% vice versa. Placebo and Verum sessions took place with more than one week time interval. The 25 min Verum stimulus consisted of Binaural Beats carrier frequencies equivalent to a sweep from 10 Hz to 4 Hz embedded into a special dynamic noise mask, while under Placebo only this mask was presented without Binaural Beats for 25 min. 63–channel EEG, ECG and respiratory flow by nasal cannulae were continuously recorded at 1024 Hz common sample frequency. Pre– vs. post saliva samples were collected by passive drool technique and immediately flash frozen by immersion into liquid nitrogen. Hypnoidal state depth was measured by retrospective psychometry immediately after each experiment using the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI) of Pekala (1991). Results Logit–transformed EEG relative spectral powers showed only under Verum significant change over time with distinguishable scalp topographies, a linear increasing trend in slower vs. a linear decreasing trend in faster EEG frequency bands and meaningful correlations with the psychometric effects in hypnoidal state depth. Significant change over time in the parasympathetic parameter HRV–HF power derived from ECG was only found under Verum. These HRV findings are not confounded by changes in respiratory frequency which showed no significant change over time. Pre– vs. post saliva samples revealed significant increases only under Placebo in stress–related biomarkers (Cortisol, α–Amylase and Salivary Secretory Immunoglobulin A, SIgA), but not under Verum. Significant increases under Verum as compared to Placebo were observed in psychometric hypnoidal state depths with a large effect size of r = .513 and difference scores showed a significant and large Spearman’s rank order correlation of rho = .671 and pexact = .020 with hypnotizability as operationalized as psychometric hypnoidal state depths under Placebo. Hypnotizability is thus a predictor of reactivity magnitudes to Binaural Beat auditory stimulation. Presentation order effects could be excluded for all reported effects. Conclusions Multimodal evidence was found for the searched specific efficacy of Binaural Beats auditory stimulation in the EEG alpha and theta frequency range. Linear trends in EEG relative spectral powers suggest that only the Verum stimulus caused significant decreases in (cortical) arousal. The significant increase of stress–related biomarkers only under Placebo could be interpreted as a sign that the Verum stimulus inhibited processes which naturally occurred under Placebo. Both the Placebo and Verum of the present investigation should be used as a nonverbal culture–free paradigm for neurocientific basic laboratory studies on hypnosis and hypnotizability especially, but also on resting–state networks and related neurocircuitry generally. The ability of the Verum stimulus to decrease arousal levels and induce/boost altered states of consciousness (ASCs) implies applications in several practical–clinical contexts and calls for further field studies.Los pulsos binaurales o Binaural Beats son una ilusión acústica que consiste en la percepción de un tercer tono “virtual” que fluctúa (beating) en volumen, inducido por dos ondas portadoras (f1 y f2 ) de la misma amplitud, pero con frecuencias ligeramente distintas, presentadas en cada uno de los oídos mediante auriculares estéreo. Aunque esta ilusión fue descubierta por Dove en 1838 y después del descubrimiento del EEG se conoce que la estimulación visual por luz estroboscópica provoca photic driving, hasta ahora se han publicado pocos trabajos sobre los efectos de los Binaural Beats en el organismo, y además con resultados contradictorios. Objectivos La investigación en esta tesis tiene como objeto realizar un estudio de laboratorio en condiciones altamente controladas y con registros multimodales para averiguar si hay o no una respuesta psicofisológica a la estimulación auditiva con Binaural Beats en las frecuencias alfa y theta del EEG. La metodología empleada intenta resolver los problemas de investigaciones previas. La demostración de la eficacia de los Binaural Beats para disminuir específicamente los niveles de arousal psicofisiológico daría pie a muchas aplicaciones clínicas. Además, este paradigma de estimulación auditiva puede contribuir a la investigación básica de la neurocircuitería del arousal, de la atención y de la regulación de la consciencia. Métodos Se reclutaron N = 12 jóvenes estudiantes universitarios (5 mujeres) comprobando rigorosamente su salud bio–psico–social. El estudio siguió un diseño intrasujeto–aleatorizado y controlado por Placebo, en que se asignó aleatoriamente a la mitad de los voluntarios un orden de presentación Placebo vs. estímulo con Binaural Beats, mientras a la otra mitad el orden contrario. Estas dos sesiones experimentales se realizaron al menos con una semana de separación temporal. Los 25 minutos del estímulo con Binaural Beats contienen un barrido de 10 Hz a 4 Hz (decreciente) con enmascaramiento auditivo dinámico, mientras que los 25 minutos del Placebo contienen solamente la máscara auditiva. Se registró el EEG con 63 canales, el ECG y el flujo respiratorio mediante cánulas nasales a una frecuencia de muestreo común de 1024 Hz. Se tomaron muestras de saliva pre vs. post mediante la técnica de passive drool que fueron inmediatamente ultracongeladas por inmersión en nitrógeno líquido. El nivel del estado hipnótico se midió por psicometría retrospectiva inmediatamente después de cada sesión experimental con el test Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI) de Pekala (1991). Resultados El análisis de la potencia espectral relativa del EEG sometida a la transformación logit mostró que existen cambios significativos en su evolución temporal con topografías espaciales distinguibles solamente bajo la estimulación con Binaural Beats presentes y no bajo Placebo. Además, se observó un incremento de la pendiente de la tendencia lineal en las bandas del EEG más lentas y una bajada de la pendiente en frecuencias más rápidas. Se encuentraron correlaciones significativas y relevantes con los efectos psicométricos del nivel del estado hipnótico. En el parámetro parasimpático HRV–HF power derivado del ECG se encuentron también cambios significativos en su evolución temporal exclusivamente bajo el estímulo con Binaural Beats. Estos cambios no se deben a variaciones en la frecuencia respiratoria puesto que en ella no se apreciaron cambios significativos. En las muestras de la saliva pre vs. post se observaron incrementos significativos en los biomarcadores salivares de estrés (cortisol, α–amylasa e inmunoglobulina A secretora, SIgA) solamente bajo Placebo. Se encuentraron incrementos significativos de los niveles del estado hipnótico con un tamaño del efecto r =.513 solamente bajo el estímulo con Binaural Beats, pero no bajo Placebo. Con un rho de Spearman de .671 y pexact = .020, las puntuaciones de las diferencias de los niveles del estado hipnótico correlacionan altamente con la hipnotizabilidad operacionalizada como nivel del estado hipnótico bajo Placebo. Por tanto, el rasgo hipnotizabilidad se identificó como predictor de las magnitudes de las reacciones a la estimulación con Binaural Beats. Para todos los efectos mencionados, se pudo descartar la influencia del orden de presentación de los estímulos. Conclusiones Esta tesis proporciona evidencia multimodal de la eficacia de la estimulación auditiva con Binaural Beats en las bandas del EEG alfa y theta. Las pendientes de las tendencias lineales en las potencias espectrales relativas del EEG sugieren que esta estimulación causa una disminución del arousal (cortical). El incremento de los biomarcadores de saliva relacionados con el estrés solo en el caso de Placebo sugiere que la estimulación con Binaural Beats inhibe procesos que ocurren naturalmente bajo Placebo. Tanto el Placebo como el estímulo con Binaural Beats pueden emplearse como un paradigma no verbal culture–free en especial para estudios de neurociencia básica respecto a la hipnosis y la hipnotizabilidad, y, en general respecto a resting–state networks y la neurocircuitería relacionada. El hecho de que el estímulo con Binaural Beats puede disminuir el arousal e inducir estados alterados de la consciencia sugiere aplicaciones en múltiples contextos clínicos y futuros estudios de camp

Engineering data compendium. Human perception and performance. User's guide

The concept underlying the Engineering Data Compendium was the product of a research and development program (Integrated Perceptual Information for Designers project) aimed at facilitating the application of basic research findings in human performance to the design and military crew systems. The principal objective was to develop a workable strategy for: (1) identifying and distilling information of potential value to system design from the existing research literature, and (2) presenting this technical information in a way that would aid its accessibility, interpretability, and applicability by systems designers. The present four volumes of the Engineering Data Compendium represent the first implementation of this strategy. This is the first volume, the User's Guide, containing a description of the program and instructions for its use

CHORUS Deliverable 2.1: State of the Art on Multimedia Search Engines

Based on the information provided by European projects and national initiatives related to multimedia search as well as domains experts that participated in the CHORUS Think-thanks and workshops, this document reports on the state of the art related to multimedia content search from, a technical, and socio-economic perspective. The technical perspective includes an up to date view on content based indexing and retrieval technologies, multimedia search in the context of mobile devices and peer-to-peer networks, and an overview of current evaluation and benchmark inititiatives to measure the performance of multimedia search engines. From a socio-economic perspective we inventorize the impact and legal consequences of these technical advances and point out future directions of research

Graduate Catalog - The School Year 1979-1980

https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/pv-graduate-catalog/1011/thumbnail.jp

ATHENA Research Book, Volume 1

The ATHENA European University is an alliance of nine Higher Education Institutions with the mission of fostering excellence in research and innovation by facilitating international cooperation. The ATHENA acronym stands for Advanced Technologies in Higher Education Alliance. The partner institutions are from France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, and Slovenia: the University of Orléans, the University of Siegen, the Hellenic Mediterranean University, the Niccolò Cusano University, the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, the Polytechnic Institute of Porto, and the University of Maribor. In 2022 institutions from Poland and Spain joined the alliance: the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University and the University of Vigo. This research book presents a selection of the ATHENA university partners' research activities. It incorporates peer-reviewed original articles, reprints and student contributions. The ATHENA Research Book provides a platform that promotes joint and interdisciplinary research projects of both advanced and early-career researchers

Graduate Catalog - The School Year 1981-1982

https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/pv-graduate-catalog/1013/thumbnail.jp

The relationship of field dependent/field independent cognitive styles, stimuli variability and time factor on student achievement

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether the cognitive style of an individual had an effect on his/her achievement when visual instruction with variable stimuli was used. Another purpose was to examine whether or not cognitive style had any relationship with the experimental treatment to affect time taken to assimilate and process information;Eighty-five Iowa State University freshmen volunteered and completed all aspects of the study. The 85 students were randomly assigned to one of three programmed instruction treatment groups concerning parts and function of the human heart. Programmed instruction was enhanced with shaded drawings in color (n = 29), shaded drawings in black and white (n = 29), and the control group had no drawings (n = 27). Data for all subjects consisted of high school class rank obtained from Iowa State University Admissions Office, Group Embedded Figures Test, pretest and posttest over the parts and function of the human heart, and elapsed time to take the pretest and posttest. The pretest and posttest were taken on the Apple II microcomputer with answers and elapsed time being recorded;Pearson product-moment correlation was used to determine the relationship between field dependence/field independence, pretest, posttest scores and high school class rank. Analysis of variance was used to test the difference in posttest scores between field dependent and field independent subjects treated with color, black and white, and no illustrations. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to predict the relationship between posttest time and field dependence/field independence, treatment groups and pretest time;Findings indicated that individuals\u27 field dependence/field independence was not a significant factor in their performance in the pretest and posttest. High school class rank was not related to the subjects\u27 level of field dependence/field independence. Both the color and black and white subjects proved superior to the control group subjects in posttest scores. There was a significant relationship between pretest time and posttest time. Pretest time and treatment groups accounted for forty-three percent of the variability in posttest time