A SMARC Effect for Loudness

Various reports suggest that the pitch height of musical tones may be represented along a mental space, with lower pitch heights represented on the left or lower sectors and higher pitch heights represented on the right or upper sectors of the mental space. Given that in Western languages the loudness of tones is often addressed spatially, with loud sounds referred to as \u201chigh\u201d and quiet sounds referred to as \u201clow,\u201d here we investigated whether loudness might also have a spatial representation. Participants judged whether a tone was louder or quieter than a reference tone, by pressing two keys: one at the top and the other at the bottom of a response box. Participants were faster in a situation where they pressed the key at the top to report louder sounds, and the key at the bottom to report quieter sounds, than vice versa. This result supports the view that loudness, like other types of magnitudes, might be represented spatially

Normal and impaired reflexive orienting of attention after central nonpredictive cues

Recent studies suggest that stimuli with directional meaning can trigger lateral shifts of visuospatial attention when centrally presented as noninformative cues. We investigated covert orienting in healthy participants and in a group of 17 right braindamaged patients (9 with hemispatial neglect) comparing arrows, eye gaze, and digits as central nonpredictive cues in a detection task. Orienting effects elicited by arrows and eye gaze were overall consistent in healthy participants and in right brain-damaged patients, whereas digit cues were ineffective. Moreover, patients with neglect showed, at the shortest delay between cue and target, a disengage deficit for arrow cueing whose magnitude was predicted by neglect severity. We conclude that the peculiar form of attentional orienting triggered by the directional meaning of arrow cues presents some features previously thought to characterize only the stimulus-driven (exogenous) orienting to noninformative peripheral cues

Extra-powerful on the visuo-perceptual space, but variable on the number space: Different effects of optokinetic stimulation in neglect patients

We studied the effects of optokinetic stimulation (OKS; leftward, rightward, control) on the visuo-perceptual and number space, in the same sample, during line bisection and mental number interval bisection tasks. To this end, we tested six patients with right-hemisphere damage and neglect, six patients with right-hemisphere damage but without neglect, and six neurologically healthy participants. In patients with neglect, we found a strong effect of leftward OKS on line bisection, but not on mental number interval bisection. We suggest that OKS influences the number space only under specific conditions

Space-based and object-centered gaze cuing of attention in right hemisphere-damaged patients

Gaze cuing of attention is a well established phenomenon consisting of the tendency to shift attention to the location signaled by the averted gaze of other individuals. Evidence suggests that such phenomenon might follow intrinsic object-centered features of the head containing the gaze cue. In the present exploratory study, we aimed to investigate whether such object-centered component is present in neuropsychological patients with a lesion involving the right hemisphere, which is known to play a critical role both in orienting of attention and in face processing. To this purpose, we used a modified gaze-cuing paradigm in which a centrally placed head with averted gaze was presented either in the standard upright position or rotated 90° clockwise or anti-clockwise. Afterward, a to-be-detected target was presented either in the right or in the left hemifield. The results showed that gaze cuing of attention was present only when the target appeared in the left visual hemifield and was not modulated by head orientation. This suggests that gaze cuing of attention in right hemisphere-damaged patients can operate within different frames of reference

Parametric design and holistic optimisation of post-panamax containerships

The fluctuation of fuel price levels, along with the continuous endeavour of the shipping industry for economic growth and profits has led the shipbuilding industry to explore new designs for various types of merchant ships. Moreover, the introduction of new regulations by the IMO has added further constraints to the ship design process. In this respect, proper use of modern CAD/CAE systems extends the design space, while generating competitive designs in short lead time. This study deals with the parametric design and holistic optimisation of a post-panamax containership. The methodology includes a complete parametric model of a containership’s external and internal geometry, as well as the development and coding of all tools required for the determination of both the design constraints and the efficiency indicators, which are used for evaluating the parametrically generated designs. The second-generation intact stability criteria are taken into consideration in the optimisation process. The set-up multi-objective optimisation problem is solved by use of the genetic algorithms and clear Pareto fronts are generated

Parametric design and multiobjective optimization of containerships

The introduction of the energy efficiency design index (EEDI) and ballast water treatment regulations by the International Maritime Organization, the fluctuation of fuel price levels, along with the continuous endeavor of the shipping industry for economic growth and profits has led the shipbuilding industry to explore new and cost-efficient designs for various types of merchant ships. In this respect, proper use of modern computer-aided design/computer-aided engineering systems (CAD/CAE) extends the design space, while generating competitive designs with innovative features in short lead time. The present article deals with the parametric design and optimization of containerships. The developed methodology, which is based on the CAESES/Friendship-Framework software system, is demonstrated by the conceptual design and multiobjective optimization of a midsized, 6500-TEU containership. The methodology includes a complete parametric model of the ship’s external and internal geometry and the development and coding of all models necessary for the determination of the design constraints and the design efficiency indicators, which are used for the evaluation of parametrically generated designs. Such indicators defining the objective functions of a multiobjective optimization problem are herein the EEDI, the required freight rate, the ship’s zero ballast container box capacity, and the ratio of the above to below deck number of containers.The set-up multiobjective optimization problem is solved by use of the genetic algorithms, and clear Pareto fronts are generated. Identified optimal design proves very competitive compared with the standard containership designs in the market