Asymmetric discrimination of non-speech tonal analogues of vowels

Published in final edited form as: J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 2019 February ; 45(2): 285–300. doi:10.1037/xhp0000603.Directional asymmetries reveal a universal bias in vowel perception favoring extreme vocalic articulations, which lead to acoustic vowel signals with dynamic formant trajectories and well-defined spectral prominences due to the convergence of adjacent formants. The present experiments investigated whether this bias reflects speech-specific processes or general properties of spectral processing in the auditory system. Toward this end, we examined whether analogous asymmetries in perception arise with non-speech tonal analogues that approximate some of the dynamic and static spectral characteristics of naturally-produced /u/ vowels executed with more versus less extreme lip gestures. We found a qualitatively similar but weaker directional effect with two-component tones varying in both the dynamic changes and proximity of their spectral energies. In subsequent experiments, we pinned down the phenomenon using tones that varied in one or both of these two acoustic characteristics. We found comparable asymmetries with tones that differed exclusively in their spectral dynamics, and no asymmetries with tones that differed exclusively in their spectral proximity or both spectral features. We interpret these findings as evidence that dynamic spectral changes are a critical cue for eliciting asymmetries in non-speech tone perception, but that the potential contribution of general auditory processes to asymmetries in vowel perception is limited.Accepted manuscrip

A new R package and web application for detecting bilateral asymmetry in parasitic infections.

When parasites invade paired structures of their host non-randomly, the resulting asymmetry may have both pathological and ecological significance. To facilitate the detection and visualisation of asymmetric infections we have developed a free software tool, Analysis of Symmetry of Parasitic Infections (ASPI). This tool has been implemented as an R package (https://cran.r-project.org/package=aspi) and a web application (https://wayland.shinyapps.io/aspi). ASPI can detect both consistent bias towards one side, and inconsistent bias in which the left side is favoured in some hosts and the right in others. Application of ASPI is demonstrated using previously unpublished data on the distribution of metacercariae of species of Diplostomum von Nordmann, 1832 in the eyes of ruffe Gymnocephalus cernua (Linnaeus). Invasion of the lenses appeared to be random, with the proportion of metacercariae in the left and right lenses showing the pattern expected by chance. However, analysis of counts of metacercariae from the humors, choroid and retina revealed asymmetry between eyes in 38% of host fish

In the mind of the predator: the possibility of psychological distress in the drone pilot community

In light of the increasing use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), commonly known as drones, and the equally increasing prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among U.S. veterans of recent wars, this study investigated the possible effects of piloting a drone aircraft and PTSD. Using a simulated drone aircraft in a computer game, the results showed that participants who simulated a drone attack and viewed the post-drone attack video reported significantly higher distress than those who viewed only the post-drone attack video. Females also showed higher distress levels than males. These results suggest the potential risks of psychological trauma even among pilots who are apparently physically far removed from the battlefield

A retrospective study on the Maltese population of the outcome of retinal detachment repair after the removal of silicone oil

Background: Silicone oils of different viscosities are used in the treatment of retinal detachments of varying pathology. Method: Seventy-two cases of retinal detachments managed with silicone oil were reviewed in a retrospective chart analyses. Eighty nine patients were reviewed from which data on primary pathology, type of silicone oil, duration of oil “in situ” and complications (including emulsification, increased intraocular pressure (IOP), re-detachment, cataract and presence of CME) were compiled. Of this number, 72 patients with post- operative follow-up of two years or more and documentation of the above parameters were included. The data was carefully analysed in an effort to determine the primary factor or factors of the varying silicone oil substitutes utilized responsible for the successful or non-successful re- attachment of the retina. Results: Retinal re-detachment rate is greater when Silicone Oil (SO) is removed before 12 months. Complex vs non-complex retinal re- detachments in sub-group analysis indicates superiority of retention of SO for greater than 12 months. Emulsification is greater in low viscosity SO (1300cts). Conclusion: The complication rates witnessed in this retrospective study are comparable to the findings of published studies present in the ophthalmic literature on an international scale. The findings of this study support the hypothesis that it is the duration of the SO “in situ” as opposed to the viscosity or other SO attributes which ultimately influences the re-detachment rate.peer-reviewe

Price Discovery and the Accuracy of Consolidated Data Feeds in the U.S. Equity Markets

Both the scientific community and the popular press have paid much attention to the speed of the Securities Information Processor, the data feed consolidating all trades and quotes across the US stock market. Rather than the speed of the Securities Information Processor, or SIP, we focus here on its accuracy. Relying on Trade and Quote data, we provide various measures of SIP latency relative to high-speed data feeds between exchanges, known as direct feeds. We use first differences to highlight not only the divergence between the direct feeds and the SIP, but also the fundamental inaccuracy of the SIP. We find that as many as 60 percent or more of trades are reported out of sequence for stocks with high trade volume, therefore skewing simple measures such as returns. While not yet definitive, this analysis supports our preliminary conclusion that the underlying infrastructure of the SIP is currently unable to keep pace with the trading activity in today's stock market.Comment: 18 pages, 20 figures, 2 table

Toward understanding ambulatory activity decline in Parkinson disease

BACKGROUND: Declining ambulatory activity represents an important facet of disablement in Parkinson disease (PD). OBJECTIVE: The primary study aim was to compare the 2-year trajectory of ambulatory activity decline with concurrently evolving facets of disability in a small cohort of people with PD. The secondary aim was to identify baseline variables associated with ambulatory activity at 1- and 2-year follow-up assessments. DESIGN: This was a prospective, longitudinal cohort study. METHODS: Seventeen people with PD (Hoehn and Yahr stages 1-3) were recruited from 2 outpatient settings. Ambulatory activity data were collected at baseline and at 1- and 2-year annual assessments. Motor, mood, balance, gait, upper extremity function, quality of life, self-efficacy, and levodopa equivalent daily dose data and data on activities of daily living also were collected. RESULTS: Participants displayed significant 1- and 2-year declines in the amount and intensity of ambulatory activity concurrently with increasing levodopa equivalent daily dose. Worsening motor symptoms and slowing of gait were apparent only after 2 years. Concurrent changes in the remaining clinical variables were not observed. Baseline ambulatory activity and physical performance variables had the strongest relationships with 1- and 2-year mean daily steps. LIMITATIONS: The sample was small and homogeneous. CONCLUSIONS: Future research that combines ambulatory activity monitoring with a broader and more balanced array of measures would further illuminate the dynamic interactions among evolving facets of disablement and help determine the extent to which sustained patterns of recommended daily physical activity might slow the rate of disablement in PD.This study was funded primarily by the Davis Phinney Foundation and the Parkinson Disease Foundation. Additional funding was provided by Boston University Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health (K12 HD043444), the National Institutes of Health (R01NS077959), the Utah Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA), the Greater St Louis Chapter of the APDA, and the APDA Center for Advanced PD Research at Washington University. (Davis Phinney Foundation; Parkinson Disease Foundation; K12 HD043444 - Boston University Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health; R01NS077959 - National Institutes of Health; Utah Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA); Greater St Louis Chapter of the APDA; APDA Center for Advanced PD Research at Washington University

Quasisymmetry and rectifiability of quasispheres

We obtain Dini conditions with "exponent 2" that guarantee that an asymptotically conformal quasisphere is rectifiable. In particular, we show that for any e>0 integrability of (esssup_{1-t < |x| < 1+t} K_f(x)-1)^{2-e} dt/t implies that the image of the unit sphere under a global quasiconformal homeomorphism f is rectifiable. We also establish estimates for the weak quasisymmetry constant of a global K-quasiconformal map in neighborhoods with maximal dilatation close to 1.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figures (version 3: minor changes and typos fixed