88 research outputs found
What drives sound symbolism? Different acoustic cues underlie sound-size and sound-shape mappings
Sound symbolism refers to the non-arbitrary mappings that exist between phonetic properties of speech sounds and their meaning. Despite there being an extensive literature on the topic, the acoustic features and psychological mechanisms that give rise to sound symbolism are not, as yet, altogether clear. The present study was designed to investigate whether different sets of acoustic cues predict size and shape symbolism, respectively. In two experiments, participants judged whether a given consonant-vowel speech sound was large or small, round or angular, using a size or shape scale. Visual size judgments were predicted by vowel formant F1 in combination with F2, and by vowel duration. Visual shape judgments were, however, predicted by formants F2 and F3. Size and shape symbolism were thus not induced by a common mechanism, but rather were distinctly affected by acoustic properties of speech sounds. These findings portray sound symbolism as a process that is not based merely on broad categorical contrasts, such as round/unround and front/back vowels. Rather, individuals seem to base their sound-symbolic judgments on specific sets of acoustic cues, extracted from speech sounds, which vary across judgment dimensions
Measurement of Exclusive B Decays to Final States Containing a Charmed Baryon
Using data collected by the CLEO detector in the Upsilon(4S) region, we
report new measurements of the exclusive decays of B mesons into final states
of the type Lambda_c^+ p-bar n(pi), where n=0,1,2,3. We find signals in modes
with one, two and three pions and an upper limit for the two body decay
Lambda_c^+ pbar. We also make the first measurements of exclusive decays of B
mesons to Sigma_c p-bar n(pi), where n=0,1,2. We find signals in modes with one
and two pions and an upper limit for the two body decay Sigma_c p-bar.
Measurements of these modes shed light on the mechanisms involved in B decays
to baryons.Comment: 11 pages postscript, also available through
http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, submitted to PR
Measurement of the Masses and Widths of the Sigma_c^++ and Sigma_c^0 Charmed Baryons
Using data recorded by the CLEO II and CLEO II.V detector configurations at
CESR, we report new measurements of the masses of the Sigma_c^{++} and
Sigma_c^0 charmed baryons, and the first measurements of their intrinsic
widths. We find M(Sigma_c^{++}) - M(Lambda_c^+) = 167.4 +- 0.1 +- 0.2 MeV,
Gamma(Sigma_c^{++}) = 2.3 +- 0.2 +- 0.3 MeV, and M(Sigma_c^0) - M(Lambda_c^+) =
167.2 +- 0.1 +- 0.2 MeV, Gamma(Sigma_c^0) = 2.5 +- 0.2 +- 0.3 MeV, where the
uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively.Comment: 9 pages postscript, also available through
http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, submitted to PRD, Rapid
Communications. Reference [13] correcte
Observation of Exclusive barB --> D(*) K*- Decays
We report the first observation of the exclusive decays \bar B\to
D^{(*)}K^{*-}, using 9.66 x 10^{6} B\bar{B} pairs collected at the \Upsilon(4S)
with the CLEO detector. We measure the following branching fractions: {\cal
B}(B^- -> D^0 K^{*-})=(6.1 +- 1.6 +-1.7)x10^{-4}, {\cal B}(\bar{B^0} ->
D^+K^{*-})=(3.7 +- 1.5 +- 1.0) x 10^{-4}, {\cal B}(\bar{B^0} ->
D^{*+}K^{*-})=(3.8 +- 1.3 +- 0.8) x 10^{-4} and {\cal B}(B^- --> D^{*0}
K^{*-})=(7.7 +- 2.2 +- 2.6) x 10^{-4}. The \bar B ->D^*K^{*-} branching ratios
are the averages of those corresponding to the 00 and 11 helicity states. The
errors shown are statistical and systematic, respectively.Comment: 9 pages postscript, also available through
http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, Published in
Phys.Rev.Lett.88:101803,200
Search for the Decay
We report on a search for the radiative decay U(1S) -> gamma + eta' in 61.3
pb^-1 of data taken with the CLEO II detector at the Cornell Electron Storage
Ring. Three decay chains were investigated, all involving eta' -> pi+ pi- +
eta, followed by eta -> gamma + gamma, eta -> pi0 + pi0 + pi0, or eta -> pi+ +
pi- + pi0. We find no candidate events in any of the three cases and set a
combined upper limit of 1.6 x 10^-5 at 90% C.L., significantly smaller than the
previous limit. We compare our result to other radiative U(1S) decays, to
radiative J/psi decays, and to theoretical predictions.Comment: 9 pages postscript, also available through
http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, submitted to PR
Constraints on perception of information from obstacles during foot clearance in people with chronic stroke
The aim of this study was to examine effects of different types of task constraints on coupling of perception and action in people with chronic stroke when crossing obstacles during a walking task. Ten participants with hemiplegic chronic stroke volunteered to walk over a static obstacle under two distinct task constraints: simple and dual task. Under simple task constraints, without specific instructions, participants walked at their preferred speed and crossed over an obstacle. Under dual task constraints the same individuals were required to subtract numbers whilst walking. Under both distinct task constraints, we examined emergent values of foot distance when clearing a static obstacle in both affected and unaffected legs, measured by a 3D motion tracking system. Principal Component Analysis was used to quantify task performance and discriminant analysis was used to compare gait performance between task constraints. Results suggested that patients, regardless of affected body side, demonstrated differences in perception of distance information from the obstacle, which constrained gait differences in initial swing, mid-swing and crossing phases. Further, dual task constraints, rather than hemiplegic body side, was a significant discriminator in patients' perceptions of distance and height information to the obstacle. These findings suggested how performance of additional cognitive tasks might constrain perception of information from an obstacle in people with chronic stroke during different phases of obstacle crossing, and thus may impair their adaptive ability to successfully manoeuvre around objects
Measurement of the D+ --> K*0bar l+ nu_l Branching Fraction
Using 13.53/fb of CLEO data, we have measured the ratios of the branching
fractions R+(e) = BF(D+ --> K*0bar e+ nu_e) / BF(D+ --> K- pi+ pi+), R+(mu) =
BF(D+ --> K*0bar mu+ nu_mu) / BF(D+ --> K- pi+ pi+) and the combined branching
fraction ratio R+(l) = BF(D+ --> K*0bar l+ nu_l) / BF(D+ --> K- pi+ pi+). We
find R+(e) = 0.74 +- 0.04 +- 0.05, R+(mu) = 0.72 +- 0.10 +- 0.06 and R+(l) =
0.74 +- 0.04 +- 0.05, where the first and second errors are statistical and
systematic respectively. The known branching fraction BF(D+ --> K- pi+ pi+)
leads to: BF(D+ --> K*0bar e+ nu_e) = (6.7 +- 0.4 +- 0.5 +- 0.4)%, BF(D+ -->
K*0bar mu+ \nu_mu) = (6.5 +- 0.9 +- 0.5 +- 0.4)% and BF(D+ --> K*0bar l+ nu_l)
= (6.7 +- 0.4 +- 0.5 +- 0.4)%, where the third error is due to the uncertainty
in BF(D+ --> K- pi+ pi+).Comment: 10 pages postscript, also available through
http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS, Submitted to PR
Effects of circadian disruption on physiology and pathology: from bench to clinic (and back)
Nested within the hypothalamus, the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) represent a central biological clock that regulates daily and circadian (i.e., close to 24 h) rhythms in mammals. Besides the SCN, a number of peripheral oscillators throughout the body control local rhythms and are usually kept in pace by the central clock. In order to represent an adaptive value, circadian rhythms must be entrained by environmental signals or zeitgebers, the main one being the daily light?dark (LD) cycle. The SCN adopt a stable phase relationship with the LD cycle that, when challenged, results in abrupt or chronic changes in overt rhythms and, in turn, in physiological, behavioral, and metabolic variables. Changes in entrainment, both acute and chronic, may have severe consequences in human performance and pathological outcome. Indeed, animal models of desynchronization have become a useful tool to understand such changes and to evaluate potential treatments in human subjects. Here we review a number of alterations in circadian entrainment, including jet lag, social jet lag (i.e., desynchronization between body rhythms and normal time schedules), shift work, and exposure to nocturnal light, both in human subjects and in laboratory animals. Finally, we focus on the health consequences related to circadian/entrainment disorders and propose a number of approaches for the management of circadian desynchronization.Fil: Chiesa, Juan JosĂ©. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y TecnologĂa; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas; ArgentinaFil: Duhart, JosĂ© Manuel. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y TecnologĂa; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas; ArgentinaFil: Casiraghi, Leandro Pablo. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y TecnologĂa; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas; ArgentinaFil: Paladino, Natalia. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y TecnologĂa; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas; ArgentinaFil: Bussi, Ivana Leda. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y TecnologĂa; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas; ArgentinaFil: Golombek, Diego AndrĂ©s. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y TecnologĂa; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas; Argentin
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