A perceptual sound space for auditory displays based on sung-vowel synthesis

When designing displays for the human senses, perceptual spaces are of great importance to give intuitive access to physical attributes. Similar to how perceptual spaces based on hue, saturation, and lightness were constructed for visual color, research has explored perceptual spaces for sounds of a given timbral family based on timbre, brightness, and pitch. To promote an embodied approach to the design of auditory displays, we introduce the Vowel-Type-Pitch (VTP) space, a cylindrical sound space based on human sung vowels, whose timbres can be synthesized by the composition of acoustic formants and can be categorically labeled. Vowels are arranged along the circular dimension, while voice type and pitch of the vowel correspond to the remaining two axes of the cylindrical VTP space. The decoupling and perceptual effectiveness of the three dimensions of the VTP space are tested through a vowel labeling experiment, whose results are visualized as maps on circular slices of the VTP cylinder. We discuss implications for the design of auditory and multi-sensory displays that account for human perceptual capabilities

Secukinumab shows high efficacy irrespective of HLA-Cw6 status in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque-type psoriasis: SUPREME study

Background: Understanding genetic variations is important in predicting treatment response and forms the basis for identifying new pharmacogenetic and pharmacogenomic targets for psoriasis treatment. There are limited data on the efficacy of secukinumab in relation to genetic markers. Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of secukinumab 300 mg in HLA-Cw6-positive (Cw6-POS) and HLA-Cw6-negative (Cw6-NEG) patients with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque-type psoriasis. Methods: SUPREME was a 24-week, phase IIIb study with an extension period up to 72 weeks. Primary end point was Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) 90 response rate after 16 weeks. Results: In total, 434 patients were recruited: 185 (42·6%) were Cw6-POS and 246 (56·7%) were Cw6-NEG (three not assessed). Mean ± SD age was 45·2 ± 13·2 years (Cw6-POS 42·7 ± 13·1; Cw6-NEG 47·2 ± 12·9). The baseline PASI score was comparable between the cohorts [Cw6-POS 20·7 ± 8·99; Cw6-NEG 21·5 ± 9·99 (P = 0·777)]. At week 16, PASI 90 was achieved in 80·4% of Cw6-POS and 79·7% of Cw6-NEG patients (difference 0·76; 95% confidence interval −7·04 to 8·23). No differences in absolute PASI at week 16 (Cw6-POS 1·36 ± 3·58; Cw6-NEG 1·18 ± 2·29) were observed. The overall safety profile of secukinumab was consistent with that previously reported. No statistically significant difference was detected in the rate of treatment-emergent adverse events [Cw6-POS 42·7%; Cw6-NEG 49·6% (P = 0·295)]. A high PASI 90 response was achieved with secukinumab with a fast reduction in absolute PASI. Conclusions: Determination of HLA-Cw6 status for secukinumab therapy is unnecessary, as it is highly effective regardless of HLA-Cw6 status