Music listening and cognitive abilities in 10 and 11 year-olds: The Blur effect

The spatial abilities of a large sample of 10- and 11-year-olds were tested after they listened to contemporary pop music, music composed by Mozart, or a discussion about the present experiment. After being assigned at random to one of the three listening experiences, each child completed two tests of spatial abilities. Performance on one of the tests (square completion) did not differ as a function of the listening experience, but performance on the other test (paper folding) was superior for children who listened to popular music compared to the other two groups. These findings are consistent with the view that positive benefits of music listening on cognitive abilities are most likely to be evident when the music is enjoyed by the listener

Commentary on "Effects of Early Musical Experience on Auditory Sequence Memory" by Adam Tierney, Tonya Bergeson-Dana, and David Pisoni

Tierney, Bergeson-Dana, and Pisoni (2008) conclude that their results “provide additional converging evidence that early musical experience and activity-dependent learning may selectively affect verbal rehearsal processes and the allocation of attention in sequence memory tasks”. Closer inspection of their methods and results, the methods and results of previous studies that reported similar findings and the literature as a whole makes it clear that these conclusions are unfounded

Coping and Psychological Hardiness and Their Relationship to Depression in Older Adults

The roles of coping strategies and psychological hardiness as these affect the relationships to depression in older adults were explored in a population of older adult residents who had recently relocated to long-term-care nursing home facilities. Older adults experience many losses and subsequent stressors as a result of normal aging; therefore, the additional stress that accompanies loss of familiar surroundings and support systems and the relocation to new and unfamiliar surroundings can have a significant impact on physical and psychological well being. A total of 91 residents participated in this study. Coping abilities were evaluated in terms of social problem-solving skills (Nezu, 1999), using the Social Problem-Solving Inventory – Revised (D\u27Zurilla, Nezu, & Maydeu-Olivares, 1996). Psychological hardiness (Kobasa & Maddi, 1977) was evaluated using the Personal Views Survey III-R (Maddi & Khoshaba, 2001). Depression was measured using the Geriatric Depression Scale (Yesavage & Brink, 1983). These variables were examined for the amount of variance that each contributes to depression that may be associated with the stress of relocation. Data were analyzed through correlational and hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Findings suggest that psychological hardiness (PVSII-R) was the best predictor of depression, accounting for 40.3% of the variance, followed by Negative Problem Orientation (SPSI-R); stress added another 03.8% and 04.2%, respectively. Significant correlations were noted between psychological hardiness (PVSIII-R) and Positive Problem Orientation (SPSI-R) (r = .42), and hardiness (PVSIII-R) and Negative Problem Orientation (r = -.43). Evaluating newly admitted residents for coping skills and psychological hardiness and implementation of subsequent psychological interventions to address any deficits could significantly improve depressive symptoms

Well-formed stimuli lead to perceptual asymmetries in discrimination: Evidence from musical chords and rhythms

In three experiments, listeners heard standard and comparison auditory sequences on each trial and judged whether they were the same or different. In Experiments 1 and 2, the sequences comprised chords (i.e., simultaneous combinations of pure tones) that were familiar (major), less familiar but with no sensory dissonance (diminished), or unfamiliar and dissonant. Performance was better in the major condition than in the other two conditions, but only when the major chord was the standard sequence. When it was the comparison, performance was poor. In Experiment 3, the stimuli were metrical or nonmetrical rhythms comprised of snaredrum beats. A discrimination advantage for metrical sequences was evident when the metrical sequence was the standard pattern but not when it was the comparison. In short, order of presentation determined whether well-formed stimuli facilitated discrimination. Well-formed auditory sequences led to advantages in discrimination when they were the standard (presented first), but this advantage was eliminated when the well-formed sequence was the comparison (presented second).info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Varying efficacy of intermittent preventive treatment for malaria in infants in two similar trials: public health implications.

BACKGROUND\ud \ud Intermittent preventive treatment (IPTi) with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) in infants resulted in different estimates of clinical malaria protection in two trials that used the same protocol in Ifakara, Tanzania, and Manhiça, Mozambique. Understanding the reasons for the discrepant results will help to elucidate the action mechanism of this intervention, which is essential for rational policy formulation.\ud \ud METHODS\ud \ud A comparative analysis of two IPTi trials that used the same study design, follow-up, intervention, procedures and assessment of outcomes, in Tanzania and Mozambique was undertaken. Children were randomised to receive either SP or placebo administered 3 times alongside routine vaccinations delivered through the Expanded Program on Immunisation (EPI). Characteristics of the two areas and efficacy on clinical malaria after each dose were compared.\ud \ud RESULTS\ud \ud The most relevant difference was in ITN's use ; 68% in Ifakara and zero in Manhiça. In Ifakara, IPTi was associated with a 53% (95% CI 14.0; 74.1) reduction in the risk of clinical malaria between the second and the third dose; during the same period there was no significant effect in Manhiça. Similarly, protection against malaria episodes was maintained in Ifakara during 6 months after dose 3, but no effect of IPTi was observed in Manhiça.\ud \ud CONCLUSION\ud \ud The high ITN coverage in Ifakara is the most likely explanation for the difference in IPTi efficacy on clinical malaria. Combination of IPTi and ITNs may be the most cost-effective tool for malaria control currently available, and needs to be explored in current and future studies.\ud \ud TRIAL REGISTRATION\ud \ud Manhiça study registration number: NCT00209795Ifakara study registration number: NCT88523834

Absolute Pitch: Effects of Timbre on Note-Naming Ability

Background: Absolute pitch (AP) is the ability to identify or produce isolated musical tones. It is evident primarily among individuals who started music lessons in early childhood. Because AP requires memory for specific pitches as well as learned associations with verbal labels (i.e., note names), it represents a unique opportunity to study interactions in memory between linguistic and nonlinguistic information. One untested hypothesis is that the pitch of voices may be difficult for AP possessors to identify. A musician’s first instrument may also affect performance and extend the sensitive period for acquiring accurate AP. Methods/Principal Findings: A large sample of AP possessors was recruited on-line. Participants were required to identity test tones presented in four different timbres: piano, pure tone, natural (sung) voice, and synthesized voice. Note-naming accuracy was better for non-vocal (piano and pure tones) than for vocal (natural and synthesized voices) test tones. This difference could not be attributed solely to vibrato (pitch variation), which was more pronounced in the natural voice than in the synthesized voice. Although starting music lessons by age 7 was associated with enhanced note-naming accuracy, equivalent abilities were evident among listeners who started music lessons on piano at a later age. Conclusions/Significance: Because the human voice is inextricably linked to language and meaning, it may be processed automatically by voice-specific mechanisms that interfere with note naming among AP possessors. Lessons on piano o

Inter-observer variation in the assessment of clinical signs in sick Tanzanian children

We assessed the inter-observer agreement in identification of a range of 24 clinical signs associated with disease presentation in 327 children aged 0·41) although there was only fair agreement (Kappa-score 0·21-0·40) in the detection of neck stiffness and chest indrawing and slight agreement in the detection of dehydration (Kappa-score 0·199). All objective neurological signs were less reliably assessed in infants than in older children. The difficulties surrounding the diagnosis of impaired consciousness in young children should increase vigilance in the diagnosis and management of neurological complications of illnesses in infanc

Long-term trends in heavy metal and metalloid levels in a Saskatchewan prairie soil

Non-Peer ReviewedGlobal heavy metal and metalloid pollution has increased during the last few decades accompanied by marked increases in global population and a rapid increase in metal production. Since the mid-1990s, higher-than-desired levels of some metals have been found in crops, increasingly so. Atmospheric deposition might play a role in these developments. We compared soil samples derived from within a shed that was erected in the 1950s in a semiarid, agricultural location within the Brown soil zone of south-western Saskatchewan with soil samples from the adjacent open prairie, simulating environmental conditions then and now. With this setup, we were able to examine long-term changes in soil heavy metals and metalloid concentrations. We found that chromium, strontium, and vanadium have significantly increased between 1950 and 2007, while cobalt has significantly decreased during this same time frame. With regards to soil parameters, alkalinity and conductivity have increased. Differences in all other heavy metals and metalloids remained insignificant

Diverse annual plantings and their contribution to forage yield and soil improvement

Non-Peer ReviewedMulti-species plantings, also known as polycultures, are expected to have several ecosystem benefits based on the varying contributions from different plants. Potential benefits include increased nutrient cycling, increased soil moisture retention, increased forage yield, decreased soil compaction, and decreased weed communities. Local Saskatchewan producers and groups have implemented multi-species plantings with great success, and this project attempts to build on this anecdotal evidence to not only quantify the impact of polycultures, but to also determine what makes a mixture more or less effective in a particular environment. Our preliminary results suggest that increased crop species richness and functional group richness have many benefits including increased biomass production and decreased weed and insect abundance

Ka-band Ga-As FET noise receiver/device development

The development of technology for a 30 GHz low noise receiver utilizing GaAs FET devices exclusively is discussed. This program required single and dual-gate FET devices, low noise FET amplifiers, dual-gate FET mixers, and FET oscillators operating at Ka-band frequencies. A 0.25 micrometer gate FET device, developed with a minimum noise figure of 3.3 dB at 29 GHz and an associated gain of 7.4 dB, was used to fabricate a 3-stage amplifier with a minimum noise figure and associated gain of 4.4 dB and 17 dB, respectively. The 1-dB gain bandwidth of this amplifier extended from below 26.5 GHz to 30.5 GHz. A dual-gate mixer with a 2 dB conversion loss and a minimum noise figure of 10 dB at 29 GHz as well as a dielectric resonator stabilized FET oscillator at 25 GHz for the receiver L0. From these components, a hybrid microwave integrated circuit receiver was constructed which demonstrates a minimum single-side band noise figure of 4.6 dB at 29 GHz with a conversion gain of 17 dB. The output power at the 1-dB gain compression point was -5 dBm