The Discrimination of CV Synthetic Syllables as a Function of Phonetic Training and Noise Conditions

The aim of this preliminary study was to examine the effect of two signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) and formal phonetic training on auditory discrimination of just noticeable differences (JND) among consonant vowel (CV) synthetic syllables. Fine-grain auditory discrimination abilities of 16 young-adults with undergraduate studies that included phonetic training and 17 young-adults with no phonetic training were assessed using a same/different discrimination task in a +3 SNR and a +13 SNR listening condition. Subjects listened to pairs of CV contrasts presented in rapid succession and indicated whether the contrastive syllables were the same or different. Results revealed a significant difference in discrimination performance between acoustic conditions, with less discrimination errors made in the more favorable SNR condition. Two conclusions were drawn from this finding. First, it was inferred the use of a classroom audio distribution system, which typically provide a 10 dB relative advantage over unamplified listening conditions, may improve fine-grain auditory discrimination. Second, it was concluded that speech language pathologists who rely upon their perceptual abilities to perform speech sound analysis of speech sound disorders, might benefit in terms of diagnostic accuracy and precision from a SNR of at least 10 dB. Lastly, results revealed a greater than 4% difference in discrimination performance between subject groups in the +13 SNR condition; however, the difference was not statistically significant. Additional studies with larger samples sizes might yield more robust inferential data

Vallejo aporético: la individualización en La piedra cansada

A finales de 1937, César Vallejo regresa de Madrid a París donde escribe España, aparta de mí este cáliz, y rigurosamente corrige su más lograda obra teatral La piedra cansada, una tragedia sofocleana situada en el Imperio incaico del siglo XV. Si es en este momento de crisis social en que el peruano se muestra más comprometido que nunca con la causa republicana, ¿por qué retoma «la piedra cansada», un tropo precolombino de quinientos años atrás? ¿Por qué recurrir al topos andino frente a la inminente caída de la República española? Para contestar estas preguntas, hago hincapié en la contradicción principal del drama —en tanto que uno se individualiza plenamente se vuelve intercambiable en absoluto— con el objetivo de indagar en las múltiples modalidades de la ceguera que vienen a caracterizar al albañil y héroe de la tragedia, el obrero llamado Tolpor

Dentistry

The specialty of Dental Surgery has progressed from the "blood and acrylic" of the early seventies. Dentistry has undergone a quantum leap over the past twenty-five years, with improvements in both technique and technology, bringing us the sophisticated procedures used in today's practice.peer-reviewe

The balance of payments of the United States: a measure of the nation's economic well being.

http://www.archive.org/details/balanceofpayment00mullU.S. Navy (U.S.N.) author

Mechanism of transport modulation by an extracellular loop in an archaeal excitatory amino acid transporter (EAAT) homolog

Secondary transporters in the excitatory amino acid transporter family terminate glutamatergic synaptic transmission by catalyzing Na(+)-dependent removal of glutamate from the synaptic cleft. Recent structural studies of the aspartate-specific archaeal homolog, Glt(Ph), suggest that transport is achieved by a rigid body, piston-like movement of the transport domain, which houses the substrate-binding site, between the extracellular and cytoplasmic sides of the membrane. This transport domain is connected to an immobile scaffold by three loops, one of which, the 3-4 loop (3L4), undergoes substrate-sensitive conformational change. Proteolytic cleavage of the 3L4 was found to abolish transport activity indicating an essential function for this loop in the transport mechanism. Here, we demonstrate that despite the presence of fully cleaved 3L4, Glt(Ph) is still able to sample conformations relevant for transport. Optimized reconstitution conditions reveal that fully cleaved Glt(Ph) retains some transport activity. Analysis of the kinetics and temperature dependence of transport accompanied by direct measurements of substrate binding reveal that this decreased transport activity is not due to alteration of the substrate binding characteristics but is caused by the significantly reduced turnover rate. By measuring solute counterflow activity and cross-link formation rates, we demonstrate that cleaving 3L4 severely and specifically compromises one or more steps contributing to the movement of the substrate-loaded transport domain between the outward- and inward-facing conformational states, sparing the equivalent step(s) during the movement of the empty transport domain. These results reveal a hitherto unknown role for the 3L4 in modulating an essential step in the transport process

The FTC and Consumer Privacy in the Coming Decade

Large majorities of consumers believe that the term privacy policy conveys a baseline level of information practices that protect their privacy. In short, privacy, like free before it, has taken on normative meaning in the marketplace. When consumers see the term privacy policy, they believe that their privacy will be protected in specific ways. In particular, when consumers see the privacy policy they assume that a web site will not share their personal information. Of course, this is not the case. Privacy policies today come in all different flavors. Some companies make affirmative commitments not to share the personal information of their consumers. More frequently, however, privacy policies are used to inform consumers that unless they opt-out of certain information sharing, the company will communicate their personal information to other commercial entities. Given that consumers today associate the term privacy policy with specific practices that afford a normative level of privacy protection, the use of the term by a web site in the absence of adherence to these baseline practices can mislead consumers to expect privacy that, in reality, they are not afforded. This is not to suggest that companies are intending to mislead consumers, but rather that consumers today associate certain practices with privacy policy just as they associate certain terms and conditions with the word free. Because the term privacy policy has taken on a specific marketplace meaning and connotes a particular level of protection to consumers, the Federal Trade Commission should police the use of the term privacy policy to assure that companies using the term deliver a set of protections that meet consumers’ expectations, and that the term privacy policy doesn’t mislead consumers during marketplace transactions

User Choices and Regret: Understanding Users\u27 Decision Process about Consensually Acquired Spyware

Spyware is software which monitors user actions, gathers personal data, and/or displays advertisements to users. While some spyware is installed surreptitiously, a surprising amount is installed on users’ computers with their active participation. In some cases, users agree to accept spyware as part of a software bundle as a cost associated with gaining functionality they desire. In many other cases, however, users are unaware that they installed spyware, or of the consequences of that installation. This lack of awareness occurs even when the functioning of the spyware is explicitly declared in the end user license agreement (EULA). We argue and demonstrate that poor interface design contributes to the difficulty end users experience when trying to manage their computing environment. This paper reviews the legal, technical, and design issues related to the installation of spyware bundled with other software. It reports on results of an experiment in which thirty-one users were asked to configure computers, deciding which software to install from a set of software that included disclosed spyware. The results suggest that current EULA interfaces do little to encourage informed decision-making and that simpler interfaces with key terms highlighted have potential to improve informed decision-making

User Choices and Regret: Understanding Users\u27 Decision Process about Consensually Acquired Spyware

Spyware is software which monitors user actions, gathers personal data, and/or displays advertisements to users. While some spyware is installed surreptitiously, a surprising amount is installed on users’ computers with their active participation. In some cases, users agree to accept spyware as part of a software bundle as a cost associated with gaining functionality they desire. In many other cases, however, users are unaware that they installed spyware, or of the consequences of that installation. This lack of awareness occurs even when the functioning of the spyware is explicitly declared in the end user license agreement (EULA). We argue and demonstrate that poor interface design contributes to the difficulty end users experience when trying to manage their computing environment. This paper reviews the legal, technical, and design issues related to the installation of spyware bundled with other software. It reports on results of an experiment in which thirty-one users were asked to configure computers, deciding which software to install from a set of software that included disclosed spyware. The results suggest that current EULA interfaces do little to encourage informed decision-making and that simpler interfaces with key terms highlighted have potential to improve informed decision-making