Neural correlates of intelligibility in speech investigated with noise vocoded speech--a positron emission tomography study

Functional imaging studies of speech perception in the human brain have identified a key role for auditory association areas in the temporal lobes (bilateral superior temporal gyri and sulci) in the perceptual processing of the speech signal. This is extended to suggest some functional specialization within this bilateral system, with a particular role for the left anterior superior temporal sulcus (STS) in processing intelligible speech. In the current study, noise-vocoded speech was used to vary the intelligibility of speech parametrically. This replicated the finding of a selective response to intelligibility in speech in the left anterior superior temporal sulcus, in contrast to the posterior superior temporal sulcus, which showed a response profile insensitive to the degree of intelligibility. These results are related to theories of functional organization in the human auditory system, which have indicated that there are separate processing streams, with different functional roles, running anterior and posterior to primary auditory cortex. Specifically, it is suggested that an anterior stream processing intelligibility can be distinguished from a posterior stream associated with transient representations, important in spoken repetition and working memory.     

The neural correlates of calculation ability in children: an fMRI study

Most studies investigating mental numerical processing involve adult participants and little is known about the functioning of these systems in children. The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural correlates of numeracy and the influence of age on these correlates with a group of adults and a group of third graders who had average to above average mathematical ability. Participants performed simple and complex versions of exact and approximate calculation tasks while in the magnet. Like adults, children activated a network of brain regions in the frontal and parietal lobes during the calculation tasks, and they recruited additional brain regions for the more complex versions of the tasks. However, direct comparisons between adults and children revealed significant differences in level of activation across all tasks. In particular, patterns of activation in the parietal lobe were significantly different as a function of age. Findings support previous claims that the parietal lobe becomes more specialized for arithmetic tasks with age.     

Lattice properties in the vicinity of the martensitic transformation in TiNi

A pronounced peak in the thermal expansion coefficient — and thus in the Grüneisen parameter — has been found at the temperature corresponding to the martensitic transformation in TiNi. This finding, together with results of ultrasound wave propagation studies, attests to anomalous lattice-dynamical behaviour in the vicinity of the phase transition. Ultrasonic wave attenuation and velocity data are interpreted on the basis of Akhieser-type, phonon viscosity damping. Results obtained are consistent with the hypothesis that a soft phonon mode plays a dominant role in the lattice properties of TiNi near the transition.     

Numeric aspects in pitch identification: an fMRI study

Background  

Pitch identification had yielded unique response patterns compared to other auditory skills. Selecting one out of numerous pitches distinguished this task from detecting a pitch ascent. Encoding of numerous stimuli had activated the intraparietal sulcus in the visual domain. Therefore, we hypothesized that numerosity encoding during pitch identification activates the intraparietal sulcus as well.     

Development of vocal tract length during early childhood: a magnetic resonance imaging study

Speech development in children is predicated partly on the growth and anatomic restructuring of the vocal tract. This study examines the growth pattern of the various hard and soft tissue vocal tract structures as visualized by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and assesses their relational growth with vocal tract length (VTL). Measurements on lip thickness, hard- and soft-palate length, tongue length, naso-oro-pharyngeal length, mandibular length and depth, and distance of the hyoid bone and larynx from the posterior nasal spine were used from 63 pediatric cases (ages birth to 6 years and 9 months) and 12 adults. Results indicate (a) ongoing growth of all oral and pharyngeal vocal tract structures with no sexual dimorphism, and a period of accelerated growth between birth and 18 months; (b) vocal tract structure's region (oral/anterior versus pharyngeal/posterior) and orientation (horizontal versus vertical) determine its growth pattern; and (c) the relational growth of the different structures with VTL changes with development-while the increase in VTL throughout development is predominantly due to growth of pharyngeal/posterior structures, VTL is also substantially affected by the growth of oral/anterior structures during the first 18 months of life. Findings provide normative data that can be used for modeling the development of the vocal tract.     

具有层状晶状体的人眼模型的光学性质

为了更加符合眼睛的解剖学结构,用建立的层状结构晶状体模型代替了Hway-Lan Liou眼模型中的折射率连续变化的晶状体模型。从而建立了新的眼睛模型。在这个新的层状晶状体模型中,最外层前后表面的非球面系数与解剖学数据相符。由于层状结构使光线追迹具有特殊性。因此用C语言编制了光线追迹程序,并对此眼睛模型的光学性质进行了研究。结果表明,晶状体层数较少时,眼睛的球差曲线出现翼状结构．即层状晶状体的引入使眼睛具有多焦性．并对这种现象进行了解释;具有层状结构晶状体的眼睛和具有折射率连续变化的晶状体的眼睛能够给出等价的球差结果。     

Language specificity in the perception of voiceless sibilant fricatives in Japanese and English: implications for cross-language differences in speech-sound development

Both English and Japanese have two voiceless sibilant fricatives, an anterior fricative /s/ contrasting with a more posterior fricative /∫/. When children acquire sibilant fricatives, English children typically substitute [s] for /∫/, whereas Japanese children typically substitute [∫] for /s/. This study examined English- and Japanese-speaking adults' perception of children's productions of voiceless sibilant fricatives to investigate whether the apparent asymmetry in the acquisition of voiceless sibilant fricatives reported previously in the two languages was due in part to how adults perceive children's speech. The results of this study show that adult speakers of English and Japanese weighed acoustic parameters differently when identifying fricatives produced by children and that these differences explain, in part, the apparent cross-language asymmetry in fricative acquisition. This study shows that generalizations about universal and language-specific patterns in speech-sound development cannot be determined without considering all sources of variation including speech perception.     

基于时间序列符号化模式表征的有向加权复杂网络

时间序列复杂网络分析近些年已发展成为非线性信号分析领域的一个国际热点课题.为了能更有效地挖掘时间序列(特别是非线性时间序列)中的结构特征,同时简化时间序列分析的复杂度,提出了一种新的基于时间序列符号化结合滑窗技术模式表征的有向加权复杂网络建网方法.该方法首先按照等概率区段划分的方式将时间序列做符号化处理,结合滑窗技术确定不同时刻的符号化模式作为网络的节点;然后将待分析时间序列符号化模式的转换频次和方向作为网络连边的权重和方向,从而建立时间序列有向加权复杂网络.通过对Logistic系统不同参数设置对应的时间序列复杂网络建网测试结果表明,相比经典的可视图建网方法,本文方法的网络拓扑能更简洁、直观地展示时间序列的结构特征.进而,将本文方法应用于规则排列采集的自然风场信号分析,其网络特性指标能较准确地预测采集信号的排布规律,而可视图建网方法的网络特性指标没有任何规律性的结果.     

Neural correlates of a clinical continuous performance test

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed in 30 healthy adults to identify the location, magnitude, and extent of activation in brain regions that are engaged during the performance of Conners' Continuous Performance Test (CPT). Performance on the task during fMRI was highly correlated with performance on the standard Conners' CPT in the behavioral testing laboratory. An extensive neural network was activated during the task that included the frontal, cingulate, parietal, temporal, and occipital cortices; the cerebellum and the basal ganglia. There was also a network of brain regions which were more active during fixation than task. The magnitude of activation in several regions was correlated with reaction time. Among regions that were more active during task, the overall volume of supratentorial activation and cerebellar activation was greater in the left hemisphere. Frontal activation was greater in dorsal than in ventral regions, and dorsal frontal activation was bilateral. Ventral frontal region and parietal lobe activation were greater in the right hemisphere. The volume of clusters of activation in the extrastriate ventral visual pathway was greater in the left hemisphere. This network is consistent with existing models of motor control, visual object processing and attentional control and may serve as a basis for hypothesis-driven fMRI studies in clinical populations with deficits in Conners' CPT performance.     

Mirror Observation of Finger Action Enhances Activity in Anterior Intraparietal Sulcus: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

Mirror therapy can be used to promote recovery from paralysis in patients with post-stroke hemiplegia, There are a lot of reports that mirror-image observation of the unilateral moving hand enhanced the excitability of the primary motor area (M1) ipsilateral to the moving hand in healthy subjects. but the neural mechanisms underlying its therapeutic effects are currently unclear. To investigate this issue, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure activity in brain regions related to visual information processing during mirror image movement observation. Thirteen healthy subjects performed a finger-thumb opposition task with the left and right hands separately, with or without access to mirror observation. In the mirror condition, one hand was reflected in a mirror placed above the abdomen in the MRI scanner. In the masked mirror condition, subjects performed the same task but with the mirror obscured. In both conditions, the other hand was held at rest behind the mirror. A between-task comparison (mirror versus masked mirror) revealed significant activation in the ipsilateral hemisphere in the anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIP) while performing all tasks, regardless of which hand was used. The right aIP was significantly activated while moving the right hand. In contrast, in the left aIP, a small number of voxels showed a tendency toward activation during both left and right hand movement. The enhancement of ipsilateral aIP activity by the mirror image observation of finger action suggests that bimodal aIP neurons can be activated by visual information. We propose that activation in the M1 ipsilateral to the moving hand can be induced by information passing through the ventral premotor area from the aIP.     

Narrow band quantitative and multivariate electroencephalogram analysis of peri-adolescent period

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The peri-adolescent period is a crucial developmental moment of transition from childhood to emergent adulthood. The present report analyses the differences in Power Spectrum (PS) of the Electroencephalogram (EEG) between late childhood (24 children between 8 and 13 years old) and young adulthood (24 young adults between 18 and 23 years old). RESULTS: The narrow band analysis of the Electroencephalogram was computed in the frequency range of 0--20 Hz. The analysis of mean and variance suggested that six frequency ranges presented a different rate of maturation at these ages, namely: low delta, delta-theta, low alpha, high alpha, low beta and high beta. For most of these bands the maturation seems to occur later in anterior sites than posterior sites. Correlational analysis showed a lower pattern of correlation between different frequencies in children than in young adults, suggesting a certain asynchrony in the maturation of different rhythms. The topographical analysis revealed similar topographies of the different rhythms in children and young adults. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) demonstrated the same internal structure for the Electroencephalogram of both age groups. Principal Component Analysis allowed to separate four subcomponents in the alpha range. All these subcomponents peaked at a lower frequency in children than in young adults. CONCLUSIONS: The present approaches complement and solve some of the incertitudes when the classical brain broad rhythm analysis is applied. Children have a higher absolute power than young adults for frequency ranges between 0-20 Hz, the correlation of Power Spectrum (PS) with age and the variance age comparison showed that there are six ranges of frequencies that can distinguish the level of EEG maturation in children and adults. The establishment of maturational order of different frequencies and its possible maturational interdependence would require a complete series including all the different ages.     

Magnetic cellular nonlinear network with spin wave bus for image processing

We describe and analyze a cellular nonlinear network based on magnetic nanostructures for image processing. The network consists of magneto-electric cells integrated onto a common ferromagnetic film–spin wave bus. The magneto-electric cell is an artificial two-phase multiferroic structure comprising piezoelectric and ferromagnetic materials. A bit of information is assigned to the cell’s magnetic polarization, which can be controlled by the applied voltage. The information exchange among the cells is via the spin waves propagating in the spin wave bus. Each cell changes its state as a combined effect: magneto-electric coupling and the interaction with the spin waves. The distinct feature of a network with a spin wave bus is the ability to control the inter-cell communication by an external global parameter — magnetic field. The latter makes it possible to realize different image processing functions on the same template without rewiring or reconfiguration. We present the results of numerical simulations illustrating image filtering, erosion, dilation, horizontal and vertical line detection, inversion and edge detection accomplished on one template by the proper choice of the strength and direction of the external magnetic field. We also present numerical assets on the major network parameters such as cell density, power dissipation and functional throughput, and compare them with the parameters projected for other nano-architectures such as CMOL-CrossNet, Quantum-Dot Cellular Automata, and Quantum Dot-Image Processor. Potentially, the utilization of spin wave phenomena at the nanometer scale may provide a route to low-power consumption and functional logic circuits for special task data processing.     

Dynamics of snoring sounds and its connection with obstructive sleep apnea

Snoring is extremely common in the general population and when irregular may indicate the presence of obstructive sleep apnea. We analyze the overnight sequence of wave packets — the snore sound — recorded during full polysomnography in patients referred to the Sleep Laboratory due to suspected obstructive sleep apnea. We hypothesize that irregular snore, with duration in the range between 10 and 100 s, correlates with respiratory obstructive events. We find that the number of irregular snores — easily accessible, and quantified by what we call the snore time interval index (STII) — is in good agreement with the well-known apnea–hypopnea index, which expresses the severity of obstructive sleep apnea and is extracted only from polysomnography. In addition, the Hurst analysis of the snore sound itself, which calculates the fluctuations in the signal as a function of time interval, is used to build a classifier that is able to distinguish between patients with no or mild apnea and patients with moderate or severe apnea.     

Auditory temporal resolution in normal-hearing preschool children revealed by word recognition in continuous and interrupted noise

The purpose of this study was to examine temporal resolution in normal-hearing preschool children. Word recognition was evaluated in quiet and in spectrally identical continuous and interrupted noise at signal-to-noise ratios (S/Ns) of 10, 0, and -10 dB. Sixteen children 4 to 5 years of age and eight adults participated. Performance decreased with decreasing S/N. At poorer S/Ns, participants demonstrated superior performance or a release from masking in the interrupted noise. Adults performed better than children, yet the release from masking was equivalent. Collectively these findings are consistent with the notion that preschool children suffer from poorer processing efficiency rather than temporal resolution per se.     

Synthesis of nanoporous silicon carbide ceramics by thermal evaporation process

New nanoporous β-SiC ceramics were synthesized by a simple thermal evaporation method with commercial silicon powder and activated carbon fragments. The results of scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction indicated that the microstructure of the β-SiC nanoporous ceramics was uniform and consistent with the pore size of 50-100 nm. The β-SiC nanocrystal grains of 50-200 nm were accumulated together to form a nanopore network. The formation mechanism was attributed to a template synthesis process, in which activated carbon fragments were employed as the template and they reacted with vaporized silicon through a vapor-solid way.     

Melting curve of silicon to 15 GPa determined by two-dimensional angle-dispersive diffraction using a Kawai-type apparatus with X-ray transparent sintered diamond anvils

The melting curve of silicon has been determined up to 15 GPa using a miniaturized Kawai-type apparatus with second-stage cubic anvils made of X-ray transparent sintered diamond. Our results are in good agreement with the melting curve determined by electrical resistivity measurements [V.V. Brazhkin, A.G. Lyapin, S.V. Popova, R.N. Voloshin, Nonequilibrium phase transitions and amorphization in Si, Si/GaAs, Ge, and Ge/GaSb at the decompression of high-pressure phases, Phys. Rev. B 51 (1995) 7549] up to the phase I (diamond structure)—phase II (β-tin structure)—liquid triple point. The triple point of phase XI (orthorhombic, Imma)—phase V (simple hexagonal)—liquid has been constrained to be at 14.4(4) GPa and 1010(5) K. These results demonstrate that the combination of X-ray transparent anvils and monochromatic diffraction with area detectors offers a reliable technique to detect melting at high pressures in the multianvil press.     

Symbolic synchronization and the detection of global properties of coupled dynamics from local information

We study coupled dynamics on networks using symbolic dynamics. The symbolic dynamics is defined by dividing the state space into a small number of regions (typically 2), and considering the relative frequencies of the transitions between those regions. It turns out that the global qualitative properties of the coupled dynamics can be classified into three different phases based on the synchronization of the variables and the homogeneity of the symbolic dynamics. Of particular interest is the homogeneous unsynchronized phase, where the coupled dynamics is in a chaotic unsynchronized state, but exhibits qualitative similar symbolic dynamics at all the nodes in the network. We refer to this dynamical behavior as symbolic synchronization. In this phase, the local symbolic dynamics of any arbitrarily selected node reflects global properties of the coupled dynamics, such as qualitative behavior of the largest Lyapunov exponent and phase synchronization. This phase depends mainly on the network architecture, and only to a smaller extent on the local chaotic dynamical function. We present results for two model dynamics, iterations of the one-dimensional logistic map and the two-dimensional Henon map, as local dynamical function.     

Competing boundary interactions in a Josephson junction network with an impurity

We analyze a perturbation of the boundary Sine-Gordon model where two boundary terms of different periodicities and scaling dimensions are coupled to a Kondo-like spin degree of freedom. We show that, by pertinently engineering the coupling with the spin degree of freedom, a competition between the two boundary interactions may be induced, and that this gives rise to nonperturbative phenomena, such as the emergence of novel quantum phases: indeed, we demonstrate that the strongly coupled fixed point may become unstable as a result of the “deconfinement” of a new set of phase-slip operators — the short instantons — associated with the less relevant boundary operator. We point out that a Josephson junction network with a pertinent impurity located at its center provides a physical realization of this boundary double Sine-Gordon model. For this Josephson junction network, we prove that the competition between the two boundary interactions stabilizes a robust finite coupling fixed point and, at a pertinent scale, allows for the onset of 4e superconductivity.