Individual differences in the discrimination of novel speech sounds: effects of sex, temporal processing, musical and cognitive abilities

This study examined whether rapid temporal auditory processing, verbal working memory capacity, non-verbal intelligence, executive functioning, musical ability and prior foreign language experience predicted how well native English speakers (N = 120) discriminated Norwegian tonal and vowel contrasts as well as a non-speech analogue of the tonal contrast and a native vowel contrast presented over noise. Results confirmed a male advantage for temporal and tonal processing, and also revealed that temporal processing was associated with both non-verbal intelligence and speech processing. In contrast, effects of musical ability on non-native speech-sound processing and of inhibitory control on vowel discrimination were not mediated by temporal processing. These results suggest that individual differences in non-native speech-sound processing are to some extent determined by temporal auditory processing ability, in which males perform better, but are also determined by a host of other abilities that are deployed flexibly depending on the characteristics of the target sounds

WP2: Assessing multi-level activities in water and biodiversity governance. Report

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Understanding Concept Identification as Consistent Data Clustering Across Multiple Feature Spaces

Identifying meaningful concepts in large data sets can provide valuable insights into engineering design problems. Concept identification aims at identifying non-overlapping groups of design instances that are similar in a joint space of all features, but which are also similar when considering only subsets of features. These subsets usually comprise features that characterize a design with respect to one specific context, for example, constructive design parameters, performance values, or operation modes. It is desirable to evaluate the quality of design concepts by considering several of these feature subsets in isolation. In particular, meaningful concepts should not only identify dense, well separated groups of data instances, but also provide non-overlapping groups of data that persist when considering pre-defined feature subsets separately. In this work, we propose to view concept identification as a special form of clustering algorithm with a broad range of potential applications beyond engineering design. To illustrate the differences between concept identification and classical clustering algorithms, we apply a recently proposed concept identification algorithm to two synthetic data sets and show the differences in identified solutions. In addition, we introduce the mutual information measure as a metric to evaluate whether solutions return consistent clusters across relevant subsets. To support the novel understanding of concept identification, we consider a simulated data set from a decision-making problem in the energy management domain and show that the identified clusters are more interpretable with respect to relevant feature subsets than clusters found by common clustering algorithms and are thus more suitable to support a decision maker.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, to be published in proceedings of 2022 IEEE International Conference on Data Mining Workshops (ICDMW

Umbilical cord hemangioma and pseudocyst with favorable fetal outcome

Umbilical cord hemangiomas are rare neoplasms of vascular origin, commonly found in the free section of the umbilical cord proximal to placental insertion. They are associated with an increased risk of fetal mortality. We present a rare co- occurrence of an umbilical cord hemangioma and a pseudocyst managed conservatively, with favorable fetal outcome despite the interval increase in size, decreased caliber of the umbilical arteries, and fetal chest compression

Inclusive Business and Its Contribution to Employing People with Disabilities

The purpose of this research is to investigate how Kopi Sunyi's unique approach to inclusive employment and education influences customer perceptions and fosters inclusivity. Utilizing a comprehensive research methodology, including analysis of online reviews, direct visits, and observational data, this study offers valuable insights into Kopi Sunyi's role in fostering inclusivity and challenging societal norms. Results reveal that Kopi Sunyi's commitment to providing employment opportunities and inclusive education through the Sunyi Academy program has positively influenced customer perceptions, fostering a welcoming atmosphere and friendly service. The cafe's efforts in challenging societal stigmas have led to increased awareness and support for individuals with disabilities in the workforce. The findings underscore the transformative potential of inclusive business practices in promoting social inclusion and empowerment. Keyword:  Workplace Disabilities; Inclusive Environment; Equality in Workplace; Social Inclusion; Job OpportunitiesTujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menyelidiki bagaimana pendekatan unik Kopi Sunyi terhadap ketenagakerjaan inklusif dan pendidikan mempengaruhi persepsi pelanggan dan memupuk inklusi. Dengan menggunakan metodologi penelitian yang komprehensif, termasuk analisis ulasan online, kunjungan langsung, dan data observasional, penelitian ini memberikan wawasan berharga tentang peran Kopi Sunyi dalam memupuk inklusi dan menantang norma-norma sosial. Hasil penelitian mengungkapkan bahwa komitmen Kopi Sunyi dalam menyediakan peluang kerja dan pendidikan inklusif melalui program Sunyi Academy telah berdampak positif terhadap persepsi pelanggan, menciptakan suasana yang ramah dan layanan yang bersahabat. Upaya kafe dalam menantang stigma sosial telah meningkatkan kesadaran dan dukungan bagi individu dengan disabilitas di dunia kerja. Temuan tersebut menegaskan potensi transformatif dari praktik bisnis inklusif dalam mempromosikan inklusi sosial dan pemberdayaan. Kata Kunci: Disabilitas di Tempat Kerja; Lingkungan Inklusif; Kesetaraan di Tempat Kerja; Inklusi Sosial; Kesempatan Kerj

Explanation matters:An experimental study on explainable AI

Explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) is an important advance in the field of machine learning to shed light on black box algorithms and thus a promising approach to improving artificial intelligence (AI) adoption. While previous literature has already addressed the technological benefits of XAI, there has been little research on XAI from the user’s perspective. Building upon the theory of trust, we propose a model that hypothesizes that post hoc explainability (using Shapley Additive Explanations) has a significant impact on use-related variables in this context. To test our model, we designed an experiment using a randomized controlled trial design where participants compare signatures and detect forged signatures. Surprisingly, our study shows that XAI only has a small but significant impact on perceived explainability. Nevertheless, we demonstrate that a high level of perceived explainability has a strong impact on important constructs including trust and perceived usefulness. A post hoc analysis shows that hedonic factors are significantly related to perceived explainability and require more attention in future research. We conclude with important directions for academia and for organizations.</p

EEG Microstates During Resting Represent Personality Differences

We investigated the spontaneous brain electric activity of 13 skeptics and 16 believers in paranormal phenomena; they were university students assessed with a self-report scale about paranormal beliefs. 33-channel EEG recordings during no-task resting were processed as sequences of momentary potential distribution maps. Based on the maps at peak times of Global Field Power, the sequences were parsed into segments of quasi-stable potential distribution, the ‘microstates'. The microstates were clustered into four classes of map topographies (A-D). Analysis of the microstate parameters time coverage, occurrence frequency and duration as well as the temporal sequence (syntax) of the microstate classes revealed significant differences: Believers had a higher coverage and occurrence of class B, tended to decreased coverage and occurrence of class C, and showed a predominant sequence of microstate concatenations from A to C to B to A that was reversed in skeptics (A to B to C to A). Microstates of different topographies, putative "atoms of thought”, are hypothesized to represent different types of information processing.The study demonstrates that personality differences can be detected in resting EEG microstate parameters and microstate syntax. Microstate analysis yielded no conclusive evidence for the hypothesized relation between paranormal belief and schizophreni

Accesibilidad académica: un concepto en construcción

El proyecto Educación Virtual Superior Inclusiva para América Latina (ESVI-AL) tuvo por objeto sensibilizar a la comunidad académica acerca de los desafíos que supone la inclusión de personas con discapacidad en la universidad. Desde este proyecto se ofrecieron distintas propuestas formativas virtuales destinadas a docentes universitarios o funcionarios con responsabilidad en las políticas institucionales o en la gestión académica. A modo de cierre de una etapa e inicio de otras, se propone una reflexión sobre el trayecto recorrido y los aprendizajes-semilla de nuevas iniciativas. Uno de ellos surge de la necesidad de contar con un concepto operativo que dé cuenta de la accesibilidad en la mediación pedagógica.Fil: López, Alicia Beatriz. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata; Argentina.Fil: Restrepo Bustamante, Felix Andrés. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata; Argentina.Fil: Preciado, Yolanda Patricia. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata; Argentina

Projektberichte Schreiben. Ein Workshop zur Unterstützung bei einer autoethnografischen Textsorte

Das autoethnografische Schreiben ist auch in der Ethnologie eine seltene Art, Texte zu verfassen, welche Studierende daher herausfordert. Aufgrund seiner Seltenheit ist es aus schreibdidaktischer Perspektive zunächst bedeutsam, Genrewissen zu vermitteln. Dieser Erfahrungsbericht stellt einen in der ethnologischen Schreibberatung an der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main entwickelten Workshop vor, der das autoethnografische Genre des Projektberichts fokussiert. Zuerst schildern wir, wie der Writing-in-the-Disciplines-Gedanke die Konzeption des Workshops beeinflusste und in welchem institutionellen Rahmen sich unser Angebot bewegt. Anschließend wird der Aufbau des Workshops präsentiert und ein Fazit zu seiner Effektivität gezogen. (Herausgeber)Autoethnographic writing is also a rare way of writing texts in anthropology, which therefore challenges students. Due to its rarity, it is initially significant from a writing didactic perspective to impart genre knowledge. This field report presents a workshop developed in the ethnological writing consultancy at the Goethe-University Frankfurt am Main, focusing on the autoethnographic genre of the project report. First, we describe how writing-in-the-disciplines thought influenced the conception of the workshop and the institutional framework in which our offering operates. Then, we present the structure of the workshop and draw a conclusion on its effectiveness. (Editor