Sound predictability as a higher-order cue in auditory scene analysis

A major challenge for the auditory system is to disentangle signals emitted by two or more sound sources that are active in a temporally interleaved manner (sequential stream segregation). Besides distinct characteristics of the individual signals (e.g., their timbre, location, and pitch), one important cue for distinguishing the sound sources is how their emitted signals unfold over time. It seems intuitively plausible that signals that unfold predictably with respect to their acoustic features and time-points of occurrence, such as the repetitive signature of a train moving on the rails, can be more readily identified as originating from one sound source. Based on this rationale, predictive elements have successfully been incorporated into computational models of auditory scene analysis for many years

Predictability effects in auditory scene analysis: a review

Many sound sources emit signals in a predictable manner. The idea that predictability can be exploited to support the segregation of one source's signal emissions from the overlapping signals of other sources has been expressed for a long time. Yet experimental evidence for a strong role of predictability within auditory scene analysis (ASA) has been scarce. Recently, there has been an upsurge in experimental and theoretical work on this topic resulting from fundamental changes in our perspective on how the brain extracts predictability from series of sensory events. Based on effortless predictive processing in the auditory system, it becomes more plausible that predictability would be available as a cue for sound source decomposition. In the present contribution, empirical evidence for such a role of predictability in ASA will be reviewed. It will be shown that predictability affects ASA both when it is present in the sound source of interest (perceptual foreground) and when it is present in other sound sources that the listener wishes to ignore (perceptual background). First evidence pointing toward age-related impairments in the latter capacity will be addressed. Moreover, it will be illustrated how effects of predictability can be shown by means of objective listening tests as well as by subjective report procedures, with the latter approach typically exploiting the multi-stable nature of auditory perception. Critical aspects of study design will be delineated to ensure that predictability effects can be unambiguously interpreted. Possible mechanisms for a functional role of predictability within ASA will be discussed, and an analogy with the old-plus-new heuristic for grouping simultaneous acoustic signals will be suggested

Fluvial and Sequence Stratigraphy Analysis of the Hell Creek and Fort Union Formations to Test Models for Sedimentation Across the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary in Makoshika State Park, Glendive, Montana

The Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary outcrops extensively throughout Makoshika State Park in Glendive, Montana. A distinct change in sedimentation style occurs across the Cretaceous- Paleogene in the Williston Basin deposits found in eastern Montana and western North Dakota. The well documented Hell Creek Formation of the Upper Cretaceous period consists of fresh and brackish water influenced deposits on the western low-lying coast of the Western Interior Seaway. The overlying Fort Union Formation consists of coals and fluvial sandstone deposits. Geologic explanations for the depositional shift include tectonic forces of the Sevier/Laramide Orogeny to the west, The Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event, and the advancement and retreat of the Cannonball Sea to the east. At several locations throughout Makoshika State Park in Glendive, Montana, the Hell Creek and Fort Union Formations are characterized by the incision of large paleovalleys. The appearance of the incised valleys and their channel fill suggests the change in sedimentation style is due to a change in base level associated with regression and transgression of the Western Interior Seaway. This study uses sequence stratigraphy to test the fundamental forces leading to a shift in the depositional environments of the Cretaceous- Paleogene and to add to a more complete record of the Williston Basin deposits of Eastern Montana and Western North Dakota

Campodorus paradiesensis sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Ctenopelmatinae), eine neue Art mit außergewöhnlicher Färbung aus Norddeutschland

Campodorus paradiesensis sp. nov., a new ctenopelmatine species (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) with a unique colour pattern within its genus, is described from Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and information on its biology is given.Campodorus paradiesensis sp. nov., eine neue Ctenopelmatine (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) aus Schleswig-Holstein mit einer innerhalb ihrer Gattung einzigartigen Färbung, wird beschrieben und Einzelheiten zu ihrer Biologie werden dargestellt

Fünf weitere Schlupfwespenarten (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) für die Checkliste Deutschlands

Five species of Ichneumonidae were found to be missing from the German checklist published by Riedel et al. in 2021: Anoncus zonifer (Heinrich 1951), Phobetes szepligetii (Kiss 1924), Cylloceria caligata (Gravenhorst 1829), Mesoleptus pronus (Förster 1876) and Gelanes gubarevae Khalaim 2002.Fünf Schlupfwespenarten wurden auf der 2021 von Riedel et al. veröffentlichten Checkliste der Ichneumoniden Deutschlands für fehlend befunden: Anoncus zonifer (Heinrich 1951), Phobetes szepligetii (Kiss 1924), Cylloceria caligata (Gravenhorst 1829), Mesoleptus pronus (Förster 1876) und Gelanes gubarevae Khalaim 2002

The Utilization of Lower Quarter Testing to Assess Return to Sport Readiness in an Athlete following Achilles Tendon Repair: A Case Report

Background: Acute Achilles tendon rupture is an injury that most commonly occurs in the male athletic population. The incidence of Achilles ruptures appears to be increasing globally while the ability to rehabilitate to prior level of function following rupture remains difficult despite surgical and therapeutic advances. While standardized return to sport tests are growing and improving, their validity remains in question. Purpose: The purpose of this case study is to investigate the utility of movement screens to assist in the decision to clear an athlete to return to competitive soccer following an Achilles tendon repair. Case Description: The patient was a 23-year-old male soccer player who ruptured his left Achilles tendon when starting a sprint during a game. The patient worked with physical therapy for over 5 months with the goal of returning to running and eventually playing soccer. Outcome Assessments: The return to sport tests that were utilized are as follows: AlterG Return to Running Testing, Lower Quarter Y-Balance Test (LQYBT), Ankle Hop Testing. Discussion: This case report describes the clinical application of numerous movement tests to guide the decision to allow an athlete to safely return to running and sport activity without putting them at risk for reinjury

Postal card from K. Bendixen

Postal card concerning a pamphlet from Utah Agricultural College

Modulation-frequency acts as a primary cue for auditory stream segregation

In our surrounding acoustic world sounds are produced by different sources and interfere with each other before arriving to the ears. A key function of the auditory system is to provide consistent and robust descriptions of the coherent sound groupings and sequences (auditory objects), which likely correspond to the various sound sources in the environment. This function has been termed auditory stream segregation. In the current study we tested the effects of separation in the frequency of amplitude modulation on the segregation of concurrent sound sequences in the auditory stream-segregation paradigm (van Noorden 1975). The aim of the study was to assess 1) whether differential amplitude modulation would help in separating concurrent sound sequences and 2) whether this cue would interact with previously studied static cues (carrier frequency and location difference) in segregating concurrent streams of sound. We found that amplitude modulation difference is utilized as a primary cue for the stream segregation and it interacts with other primary cues such as frequency and location difference