Data Base Design with GIS in Ecosystem Based Multiple Use Forest Management in Artvin, Turkey: A Case Study in Balcı Forest Management Planning Unit

In Turkey, the understanding of planning focused on timber production has given its place on Multiple Use Management (MUM). Because the whole infrastructure of forestry with inventory system leading the way depends on timber production, some cases of bottle neck are expected during the transition period. Database design, probably the most important stage during the transition to MUM, together with the digital basic maps making up the basis of this infrastructure constitute the main point of this article. Firstly, the forest management philosophy of Turkey in the past was shortly touched upon in the article. Ecosystem Based Multiple Use Forest Management (EBMUFM) approaches was briefly introduced. The second stage of the process of EBMUFM, database design was described by examining the classical planning infrastructure and the coverage to be produced and consumed were suggested in the form of lists. At the application stage, two different geographical databases were established with GIS in Balcı Planning Unit of the years 1984 and 2006. Following that the related basic maps are produced. Timely diversity of the planning unit of 20 years is put forward comparatively with regard to the stand parameters such as tree types, age class, development stage, canopy closure, mixture, volume and increment

Phonological effects on the perceptual weighting of voice cues for voice gender categorization

Voice perception and speaker identification interact with linguistic processing. This study investigated whether lexicality and/or phonological effects alter the perceptual weighting of voice pitch (F0) and vocal-tract length (VTL) cues for perceived voice gender categorization. F0 and VTL of forward words and nonwords (for lexicality effect), and time-reversed nonwords (for phonological effect through phonetic alterations) were manipulated. Participants provided binary “man”/“woman” judgements of the different voice conditions. Cue weights for time-reversed nonwords were significantly lower than cue weights for both forward words and nonwords, but there was no significant difference between forward words and nonwords. Hence, voice cue utilization for voice gender judgements seems to be affected by phonological, rather than lexicality effects.</p

Differences in Processing Speech-on-Speech Between Musicians and Non-musicians: The Role of Prosodic Cues.

In the current study, we investigate the role of prosodic cues in speech-on-speech perception in musicians and non-musicians. Earlier studies have shown that musically experienced listeners may have an advantage in speech-on-speech performance in behavioral tasks (1,2). Previously, we have also shown in an eye-tracking study that musical experience has an effect on the timing of resolution of lexical competition when processing quiet vs masked speech (3). In particular, musicians were faster in lexical decision-making when a two-talker masker was added to target speech. However, the source of the difference observed between groups remained unclear. In the current study, by employing a visual world paradigm, we aim to clarify whether musicians make use of durational cues that contribute to prosodic boundaries in Dutch, in resolving lexical competition when processing quiet vs two-talker masked speech. If musical training preserves listeners' sensitivity to the acoustic correlates of prosodic boundaries when processing masked speech, we expect to observe more lexical competition and delayed lexical resolution in musicians. We will compare gaze-tracking and pupil data of both groups across conditions

Measure and model of vocal-tract length discrimination in cochlear implants

Voice discrimination is crucial to selectively listen to a particular talker in a crowded environment. In normalhearing listeners, it strongly relies on the perception of two dimensions: the fundamental frequency and the vocal-tract length. Yet, very little is known about the perception of the latter in cochlear implants. The present study reports discrimination thresholds for vocal-tract length in normal-hearing listeners and cochlear-implant users. The behavioral results were then used to determine the effective spectral resolution in a model of electric hearing: effective resolution in the implant was found to be poorer than previously suggested by psychophysical measurements. Such a model could be used for clinical purposes, or to facilitate the development of new strategies.</p

Early Deafened, Late Implanted Cochlear Implant Users Appreciate Music More Than and Identify Music as Well as Postlingual Users

Introduction: Typical cochlear implant (CI) users, namely postlingually deafened and implanted, report to not enjoy listening to music, and find it difficult to perceive music. Another group of CI users, the early-deafened (during language acquisition) and late-implanted (after a long period of auditory deprivation; EDLI), report a higher music appreciation, but is this related to a better music perception? Materials and Methods: Sixteen EDLI and fifteen postlingually deafened (control group) CI users participated in the study. The inclusion criteria for EDLI were: severe or profound hearing loss onset before the age of 6 years, implantation after the age of 16 years, and CI experience more than 1 year. Subjectively, music perception and appreciation was evaluated using the Dutch Musical Background Questionnaire. Behaviorally, music perception was measured with melodic contour identification (MCI), using two instruments (piano and organ), each tested with and without a masking contour. Semitone distance between successive tones of the target varied from 1 to 3 semitones. Results: Subjectively, the EDLI group reported to appreciate music more than postlingually deafened CI users. Behaviorally, while clinical phoneme recognition test score on average was lower in the EDLI group, melodic contour identification did not significantly differ between the two groups. There was, however, an effect of instrument and masker for both groups; the piano was the best-recognized instrument, and for both instruments, the masker with non-overlapping pitch was best recognized. Discussion: EDLI group reported higher appreciation of music than postlingual control group, even though behaviorally measured music perception did not differ significantly between the two groups. Both surprising findings since EDLI CI users would be expected to have lower outcomes based on the early deafness onset, long duration of auditory deprivation, and on average lower clinical speech scores. Perhaps, the music perception difficulty comes from similar electric hearing limitations in both groups. The higher subjective appreciation in EDLI might be due to the lack of a musical memory, with no ability to compare music heard via the CI to acoustic music perception. Overall, our findings support a benefit from implantation for a positive music experience in EDLI CI users

The relation between speaking-style categorization and speech recognition in adult cochlear implant users

The current study examined the relation between speaking-style categorization and speech recognition in post-lingually deafened adult cochlear implant users and normal-hearing listeners tested under 4- and 8-channel acoustic noise-vocoder cochlear implant simulations. Across all listeners, better speaking-style categorization of careful read and casual conversation speech was associated with more accurate recognition of speech across those same two speaking styles. Findings suggest that some cochlear implant users and normal-hearing listeners under cochlear implant simulation may benefit from stronger encoding of indexical information in speech, enabling both better categorization and recognition of speech produced in different speaking styles.</p

Self-reported music perception is related to quality of life and self-reported hearing abilities in cochlear implant users

Objectives To investigate the relationship between self-reported music perception and appreciation and (1) quality of life (QoL), and (2) self-assessed hearing ability in 98 post-lingually deafened cochlear implant (CI) users with a wide age range. Methods Participants filled three questionnaires: (1) the Dutch Musical Background Questionnaire (DMBQ), which measures the music listening habits, the quality of the sound of music and the self-assessed perception of elements of music; (2) the Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire (NCIQ), which measures health-related QoL; (3) the Speech, Spatial and Qualities (SSQ) of hearing scale, which measures self-assessed hearing ability. Additionally, speech perception was behaviorally measured with a phoneme-in-word identification. Results A decline in music listening habits and a low rating of the quality of music after implantation are reported in DMBQ. A significant relationship is found between the music measures and the NCIQ and SSQ; no significant relationships are observed between the DMBQ and speech perception scores. Conclusions The findings suggest some relationship between CI users' self-reported music perception ability and QoL and self-reported hearing ability. While the causal relationship is not currently evaluated, the findings may imply that music training programs and/or device improvements that improve music perception may improve QoL and hearing ability