Rhythm Characteristics Research Articles

Re-exploring the relationship between skull thickness and alpha asymmetry: A CT/MR imaging correlation study

ObjectiveThe alpha rhythm has been a subject of research for the past few decades. Right-left alpha amplitude asymmetry is a common phenomenon. Several explanations have been proposed to explain this asymmetry, including differences in skull thickness. Our research aims to improve our understanding of the relationship between alpha asymmetry and skull thickness as measured by CT/MRI images. MethodsWe analyzed EEGs to study alpha rhythm characteristics. Alpha rhythm amplitude was measured using peak-to-peak values in O1 and O2 reference channels. Significant alpha asymmetry was defined as exceeding 20%. Skull thickness differences at corresponding locations were determined through CT/MRI scans. We examined the correlation between alpha and skull thickness asymmetry using Kruskal-Wallis, Spearman correlation, and median regression. ResultsWe examined 401 EEGs and images, categorizing patients into three groups based on alpha asymmetry. Group 1(n= 211) had less than 20 percent alpha asymmetry, Group 2(n=107) showed higher right-side alpha amplitudes, and Group 3(n= 83) displayed higher left-side alpha amplitudes. Our analysis revealed a significant association between groups with asymmetry and skull thickness differences (p<0.001), with a Spearman correlation (Rs) of −0.25 (p<0.001), indicating a significant negative correlation. After adjusting for age, sex, and handedness, Median Regression confirmed a statistically significant variation in skull thickness difference among the groups. SignificanceThe present study involving a large cohort, the first of its kind, demonstrated a significant relationship between alpha amplitude asymmetry and skull thickness.

Oscillatory and non-oscillatory features of the magnetoencephalic sensorimotor rhythm in Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with changes in neural activity in the sensorimotor alpha and beta bands. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), we investigated the role of spontaneous neuronal activity within the somatosensory cortex in a large cohort of early- to mid-stage PD patients (N = 78) on Parkinsonian medication and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (N = 60) using source reconstructed resting-state MEG. We quantified features of the time series data in terms of oscillatory alpha power and central alpha frequency, beta power and central beta frequency, and 1/f broadband characteristics using power spectral density. Furthermore, we characterised transient oscillatory burst events in the mu-beta band time-domain signals. We examined the relationship between these signal features and the patients’ disease state, symptom severity, age, sex, and cortical thickness. PD patients and healthy controls differed on PSD broadband characteristics, with PD patients showing a steeper 1/f exponential slope and higher 1/f offset. PD patients further showed a steeper age-related decrease in the burst rate. Out of all the signal features of the sensorimotor activity, the burst rate was associated with increased severity of bradykinesia, whereas the burst duration was associated with axial symptoms. Our study shows that general non-oscillatory features (broadband 1/f exponent and offset) of the sensorimotor signals are related to disease state and oscillatory burst rate scales with symptom severity in PD.

Using Electroencephalogram-Extracted Nonlinear Complexity and Wavelet-Extracted Power Rhythm Features during the Performance of Demanding Cognitive Tasks (Aristotle's Syllogisms) in Optimally Classifying Patients with Anorexia Nervosa.

Anorexia nervosa is associated with impaired cognitive flexibility and central coherence, i.e., the ability to provide an overview of complex information. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate EEG features elicited from patients with anorexia nervosa and healthy controls during mental tasks (valid and invalid Aristotelian syllogisms and paradoxes). Particularly, we examined the combination of the most significant syllogisms with selected features (relative power of the time-frequency domain and wavelet-estimated EEG-specific waves, Higuchi fractal dimension (HFD), and information-oriented approximate entropy (AppEn)). We found that alpha, beta, gamma, theta waves, and AppEn are the most suitable measures, which, when combined with specific syllogisms, form a powerful tool for efficiently classifying healthy subjects and patients with AN. We assessed the performance of triadic combinations of "feature-classifier-syllogism" via machine learning techniques in correctly classifying new subjects in these two groups. The following triads attain the best classifications: (a) "AppEn-invalid-ensemble BT classifier" (accuracy 83.3%), (b) "Higuchi FD-valid-linear discriminant" (accuracy 75%), (c) "alpha amplitude-valid-SVM" (accuracy 83.3%), (d) "alpha RP-paradox-ensemble BT" (accuracy 85%), (e) "beta RP-valid-ensemble" (accuracy 85%), (f) "gamma RP-valid-SVM" (accuracy 85%), and (g) "theta RP-valid-KNN" (accuracy 80%). Our findings suggest that anorexia nervosa has a specific information-processing style across reasoning tasks in the brain as measured via EEG activity. Our findings also contribute to further supporting the view that entropy-oriented, i.e., information-based features (the AppEn measure used in this study) are promising diagnostic tools (biomarkers) in clinical applications related to medical classification problems. Furthermore, the main EEG-specific frequency waves are extremely enhanced and become powerful classification tools when combined with Aristotle's syllogisms.

Влияние систематической холодовой нагрузки на спектральные характеристики тета- и альфа-ритмов ЭЭГ курсантов военного вуза

The study was focused on the features of spectral characteristics of the EEG alpha and theta ranges in the military academy cadets undergoing specific training to improve cold resistance (cold exposure training). The study was aimed to assess the impact of the military academy cadets’ incremental exposure to the graduated cold stress (cold exposure training) on spectral characteristics of the EEG alpha and theta rhythms. Students of the civil higher educational institution and military academy cadets were assessed (58 individuals in total). Cadets underwent a specific program focused on improving cold resistance (cold exposure training). Background EEG in the alpha and theta frequency ranges was recorded. Statistical data processing involved nonparametric comparison using the Mann–Whitney U test. The results were obtained suggesting that there were significant differences in spectral characteristics of alpha and theta rhythms between the group of foreign cadets and the controls. The cold exposure training program was effective in the group of Russian cadets, which had an effect on the cerebral homeostasis stability with some degree of instability of neurodynamic processes in the CNS. In foreign cadets, regular cold exposure training resulted in the pronounced disintegration of cortical-subcortical and intracortical interactions, as well as in the formation of binary alpha-theta structure of background EEG.

Accuracy and reliability of wristband smartwatch-based estimation of circadian rhythm of heart rate in stroke patients

Background &amp; Objective: Stroke has a high incidence, disability, and mortality rate, which has a serious impact on the patients’ quality of life. Heart rate (HR) is valuable in the prognostic assessment of stroke patients. Continuous HR tracking helps to detect abnormal indicators and provide interventions timely to avoid disease progression. However, the cuff-based or electrode-based HR monitoring tools commonly used in clinic are not suitable for continuous monitoring in daily life. The aim of this study was to verify the accuracy and reliability of a wristband smartwatch in monitoring HR over 24-hour in stroke patients, including in terms of the circadian rhythm characteristics of HR. Methods: 25 stroke patients underwent 24-hour HR monitoring by wearing a smartwatch and a clinical monitor. We use ambulatory blood pressure monitors and bedside monitors as the gold standard for clinical HR monitoring. The degree of association between the two measurements was compared using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Bland-Altman analysis showed the accuracy of the smartwatch in HR monitoring. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and coefficients of variation (CV) were used to verify the reliability of the wristband smartwatch for repeated measurements. Results: A total of 625 heart rate pairs were acquired. The smartwatches had an average error of 0.816 bpm in 24-hour, with no difference from standard monitors (P&gt;0.05), indicating good accuracy. The intraday repeated measures ICC was 0.969 and the interday repeated measures ICC was 0.788, indicating good reliability. Conclusions: The smartwatch is acceptable in detecting 24-hour ambulatory HR in stroke patients, and in the future, long-term HR monitoring with diurnal variations can be performed in daily life.

Age Is Associated With Dampened Circadian Patterns of Rest and Activity: The Study of Muscle, Mobility, and Aging (SOMMA).

The effects of aging on circadian patterns of behavior are insufficiently described. To address this, we characterized age-specific features of rest-activity rhythms (RAR) in community-dwelling older adults both overall, and in relation, to sociodemographic characteristics. We examined cross-sectional associations between RAR and age, sex, race, education, multimorbidity burden, financial, work, martial, health, and smoking status using assessments of older adults with wrist-worn free-living actigraphy data (N = 820, age = 76.4 years, 58.2% women) participating in the Study of Muscle, Mobility, and Aging (SOMMA). RAR parameters were determined by mapping an extension to the traditional cosine curve to activity data. Functional principal component analysis determined variables accounting for variance. Age was associated with several metrics of dampened RAR; women had stronger and more robust RAR versus men (all p < .05). Total activity (56%) and time of activity (20%) accounted for most of the RAR variance. Compared to the latest decile of acrophase, those in the earliest decile had higher average amplitude (p < .001). Compared to the latest decile of acrophase, those in the earliest and midrange categories had more total activity (p = .02). Being in a married-like relationship and a more stable financial situation were associated with stronger rhythms; higher education was associated with less rhythm strength (all p < .05). Older age was associated with dampened circadian behavior; behaviors were sexually dimorphic. Some sociodemographic characteristics were associated with circadian behavior. We identified a behavioral phenotype characterized by early time of day of peak activity, high rhythmic amplitude, and more total activity.

Integrated Metabolome and Transcriptome Analysis of Gibberellins Mediated the Circadian Rhythm of Leaf Elongation by Regulating Lignin Synthesis in Maize.

Plant growth exhibits rhythmic characteristics, and gibberellins (GAs) are involved in regulating cell growth, but it is still unclear how GAs crosstalk with circadian rhythm to regulate cell elongation. The study analyzed growth characteristics of wild-type (WT), zmga3ox and zmga3ox with GA3 seedlings. We integrated metabolomes and transcriptomes to study the interaction between GAs and circadian rhythm in mediating leaf elongation. The rates of leaf growth were higher in WT than zmga3ox, and zmga3ox cell length was shorter when proliferated in darkness than light, and GA3 restored zmga3ox leaf growth. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between WT and zmga3ox were mainly enriched in hormone signaling and cell wall synthesis, while DEGs in zmga3ox were restored to WT by GA3. Moreover, the number of circadian DEGs that reached the peak expression in darkness was more than light, and the upregulated circadian DEGs were mainly enriched in cell wall synthesis. The differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) were mainly attributed to flavonoids and phenolic acid. Twenty-two DAMs showed rhythmic accumulation, especially enriched in lignin synthesis. The circadian DEGs ZmMYBr41/87 and ZmHB34/70 were identified as regulators of ZmHCT8 and ZmBM1, which were enzymes in lignin synthesis. Furthermore, GAs regulated ZmMYBr41/87 and ZmHB34/70 to modulate lignin biosynthesis for mediating leaf rhythmic growth.

Frontal and cerebellar contributions to pitch and rhythm processing: a TMS study.

Music represents a salient stimulus for the brain with two key features: pitch and rhythm. Few data are available on cognitive analysis of music listening in musically naïve healthy participants. Beyond auditory cortices, neuroimaging data showed the involvement of prefrontal cortex in pitch and of cerebellum in rhythm. The present study is aimed at investigating the role of prefrontal and cerebellar cortices in both pitch and rhythm processing. The performance of fifteen participants without musical expertise was investigated in a listening discrimination task. The task required to decide whether two eight-element melodic sequences were equal or different according to pitch or rhythm characteristics. Before the task, we applied a protocol of continuous theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation interfering with the activity of the left cerebellar hemisphere (lCb), right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG), or vertex (Cz-control site), in a within cross-over design. Our results showed that participants were more accurate in pitch than rhythm tasks. Importantly, the reaction times were slower following rIFG or lCb stimulations in both tasks. Notably, frontal and cerebellar stimulations did not induce any motor effect in right and left hand. The present findings point to the role of the fronto-cerebellar network in music processing with a single mechanism for both pitch and rhythm patterns.

Circadian characteristics of term and preterm labors

The labor is a physiological event considered to have its own circadian (diurnal) rhythm, but some of the data remain conflicting, especially for preterm births. In this retrospective study, we analyzed the circadian trends of labor onset times in the Slovenian birth cohort from 1990 to 2018 with over 550,000 cases of singleton births. The number of term and preterm labor onsets was calculated for each hour in a day and circadian trends were evaluated for each of the study groups by modeling with a generalized Poisson distribution linked with the cosinor regression model using logarithmic link function. The induced labors were taken as the control group since the timing of labor depends mostly on the working schedule of personnel and not on the intrinsic rhythmic characteristics. For induced labors, the main peak in the number of labor cases was observed in the late morning hours (around 10 AM) for all gestational ages. The prominence of this peak becomes smaller in spontaneous premature labors with gradually disrupting rhythmicity in very preterm and extremely preterm cases. Labors starting with spontaneous contractions peak between 6 and 7 AM and lose the rhythmicity at 35 weeks of gestation while labors starting with a spontaneous rupture of membranes peak at 1 AM and lose the rhythmicity at 31 weeks of gestation, suggesting differences in underlying mechanisms. According to our knowledge, this is the first study that shows differences of circadian trends between different types of spontaneous labors, i.e., labors initiated with contraction and labors initiated with a spontaneous rupture of membranes. Moreover, the obtained results represent evidence of gradual disruption of rhythmicity from mild to extreme prematurity.

Rectal temperature and body surface temperature rhythm in Red Sokoto goats infected with &lt;i&gt;Trypanosoma evansi&lt;/i&gt; during the rainy season

There are limited studies on circadian rhythmicity in farm animals affected by protozoan diseases. The rectal temperature (RT) and body surface temperature (BST) rhythmic patterns in experimental Trypanosoma evansi-infected Red Sokoto goats (T. evansiinfected RSG) July – September were evaluated. Five goats were assigned to each experimental group, with group I as the negative control (CRSG), while animals in group II were individually infected with about 2.0x106 /2ml T. evansi-inoculum. Temperature reaction patterns were monitored by digital clinical and infrared thermometry. The RT and BST of goats, the ambient temperature (AT) and relative humidity (RH) inside the pen were measured at 06:00, 12:00 and 18:00 hours (GMT+1) three times a week for 12 weeks. The AT had maximum, minimum and mean values of 27.0°C, 24.2°C and 25.6±0.26°C, respectively, while RH had maximum, minimum and mean values of 94.5%, 53.6% and 80.5±11.5%, respectively. Results obtained, via the application of a single Cosinor procedure showed that the RT and BST exhibited daily rhythmicity in both groups with the pattern distorted in T. evansi-infected RSG which showed an ascent from the 5th to the 10th week. The rhythmic characteristic of RT of the T. evansi-infected RSG showed that the mesor and amplitude were higher (p˂0.05) than those recorded for CRSG. Both groups showed no difference (p˃0.05) in acrophase. The eye region in both groups showed the highest BST, while the coronary band had the lowest. The result, for the first time, reported rhythmicity of RT and BST in T. evansi- infected goats under tropical conditions. The results obtained from our study may be useful for the early screening, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of protozoan diseases.

Evaluating Body Rhythm Elements as Applied in Classical Dance Teaching Topic for Thesis

Focusing on the application of rhythm in Chinese classical dance, this article deeply explores the importance of rhythm in Chinese classical dance by analyzing its expressive forms and artistic effects. The article first analyzes the characteristics of rhythm in Chinese classical dance, including diversity, hierarchy, and close integration with music. Furthermore, this article elaborates on the role of rhythm in shaping dance images, expressing themes, and guiding audience emotions, revealing how rhythm enhances dance expression through change and control. In addition, the article also explores how dancers can enhance their dance skills and artistic appeal by accurately grasping and applying rhythm.

The utilization of circadian rhythm features to improve sound-based AI sleep staging

The utilization of circadian rhythm features to improve sound-based AI sleep staging

EDM에서 나타나는 라틴 아메리카 리듬 표현 기법 연구

The purpose of this study is to analyze Latin American rhythm expression techniques in EDM, explore the impact of these expressions on the future music industry, and present a new perspective on musical creativity. Prior to the study, a basic study was conducted to explore the impact of the times according to the historical flow of each genre. For in-depth research, the scope was limited to works released after 2010, which are evaluated as the heyday of EDM, and cases showing the rhythmic characteristics of Latin America were selected by referring to articles and introductions from distributors. As a result of analyzing the instruments and rhythms applied in the works selected to draw conclusions, new works were formed by introducing various traditional instruments, samba, reggae-like rhythms, and 'Call And Response' playing methods, and it was found that these experiments could contribute to the development of the future music industry by creating new experiences and expanding the diversity of music.

Foreword

Dear Linguistic Enthusiasts and Scholars, It is with our great pleasure to announce that the new issue of Acta Linguistica Asiatica is now available. As you pursue this issue, you will notice a refreshed look inspired by the new outlines of the University of Ljubljana, reflecting our commitment to growth and innovation. We take pride in our dedicated team whose expertise drives our exploration of linguistic intricacies and cultural nuances. This issue features four scientific articles and one review article, offering diverse perspectives on Chinese and Japanese as the East Asian languages in focus. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all contributors and reviewers whose scholarly rigor enriches our journal. To begin with, Tereza SLAMĚNÍKOVÁ and David UHER wrote an article entitled “Rhythmical Features of Spontaneous Spoken Narrative in Mandarin Chinese”, in which they introduce and expand a notation system for teaching Chinese rhythm pioneered by Oldřich Švarný, a Czech phonetician. They analyze spontaneous speech to outline rhythmical features in personal narratives and compare these features with a contemporary understanding of Chinese speech rhythm, showcasing the applicability of Švarný’s framework in diverse spoken discourses. Following is the work by KUANG Lincai “A Colexficational Analysis of Chū in Modern Chinese” that deals with directional verbs in modern Chinese, in particular with chū. The author delves into colexification and mechanisms surrounding chū, using the CLICS3 database. It explores colexified pairs of chū and constructs a colexificational network, emphasizing conceptual metaphor and metonymy as core mechanisms. Yet another scientific paper was authored by YANG Yongzhong and is entitled “The Structure of Chinese Compounds: The Perspective of Predicative Implicitness”, which explored Chinese nominal compounds' structure, relations, generation, and constraints, emphasizing predicate implicitness. Findings reveal varying constituent functions aligning morphological and syntactic structures, and the author offers a detailed account of their hierarchy. Trang PHAN and Giang VU submitted the paper “Wh-questions in Japanese: Challenges for Vietnamese L2 learners” in which they explored how Vietnamese learners handle structural differences in Japanese wh-questions. Results showed a correlation between Japanese proficiency and performance. Though learners were evaluated as more accurate with mirrored word orders, advanced learners also struggled with native-like interpretations. The study suggests explicit instruction to enhance accuracy in teaching. Last but not least is the survey article by Duc Du HUYNH, “Sino-Vietnamese Bilingual Dictionaries from the Middle Ages to the Present”, in which the author thoroughly surveys Sino-Vietnamese bilingual dictionaries from the Middle Ages to the Modern Ages, often overlooked in scholarly discourse. It delineates their evolution, regional differences, and historical context, aiming to catalyze further research in this field. Editors and Editorial Board invite the regular and new readers to engage with the content, to question, challenge, and reflect. We hope you have a pleasant read full of inspiration and a rise of new research ideas inspired by these papers. Editors

Rhythmical Features of Spontaneous Spoken Narrative in Mandarin Chinese

Every oral communication is shaped by a series of closely linked factors and rhythm is one of them. The rhythmical flow in colloquial Mandarin Chinese was thoroughly described by the Czech phonetician Oldřich Švarný, who invented a unique notation system dedicated to facilitating the teaching of Chinese as a foreign language. His prosodic transcription parses speech into a two-level arrangement of prosodic units. It displays the speech rhythm as an alternation of rhythmically significant and insignificant syllables of unequal tone prominence. The paper contributes to Švarný’s findings by shifting the attention from prefabricated teaching materials to an example of unrehearsed dynamic speech. Specifically, it attempts to outline the basic rhythmical features of personal narrative and confront them with the current understanding of speech rhythm in colloquial Chinese. It also demonstrates how Švarný’s methodological framework can be exploited to investigate different types of spoken discourse.

Effects of high and low temperatures on the rhythmic patterns in pit-building behavior of antlion larvae

ABSTRACT Temperature influences the survival, growth, and development of insects including the antlion. In the present study, we examined the 24-h rhythm in the pit-building behavior of the antlion larvae at three different temperature conditions, high (37°C), low (17°C), and room temperature (Control: 25.9 ± 0.2°C). We recorded pit-building activities by monitoring two variables: the Time Lag for the Initiation of Pit Reconstruction (TLIPR) after the demolition of the pit, and the Total Time for Pit Construction (TTPC). We monitored TLIPR and TTPC at four different time points with equidistant intervals (i.e. 08:00–10:00 h, 14:00–16:00 h, 20:00–22:00 h, and 02:00–04:00 h) each day over three consecutive days. We employed single Cosinor rhythmometry to evaluate the characteristics of 24-h rhythm in TLIPR and TTPC. We used one-way ANOVA to find out the effects of the temperature on TLIPR and TTPC. We detected a statistically significant 24-h rhythm in TLIPR at the group level, irrespective of the temperature conditions. 24-h rhythm in TTPC was abolished at high and low temperatures. Temperature significantly affected TLIPR and TTPC in general. It also significantly affected the mesor of the rhythms in both variables as well as the amplitude of TTPC. Finally, we noted that although high and low temperatures affected the pit-building behavior in general, the thermal conditions did not lead to a complete cessation of pit-building activities. The 24-h rhythmic pattern associated with TTPC is more susceptible to the effects of thermal regimes (17°C or 37°C) unlike that associated with TLIPR.

Directional statistics-inspired end-to-end atrial fibrillation detection model based on ECG rhythm

Numerous algorithms designed for detecting atrial fibrillation (AF) often exhibit limitations in extracting essential rhythm features, leading to challenges in accurately discerning ectopic beats and consequently yielding suboptimal detection performance. In this study, we explored the distribution patterns of R-R intervals (RRIs) in both AF and specific rhythms, such as atrial premature beats (APBs) and normal sinus rhythm (NSR). For the first time, we employed the Sobolev test statistics, a method used in directional statistics to assess spherical uniformity, to quantify the irregularity and variability characteristics of RRIs. We developed an end-to-end learnable model for detecting AF by leveraging this approach. A cross-dataset validation method is employed to train and test the proposed model. This involved the use of a simulated dataset and eight distinct real-world databases. Notably, when trained on the Computing in Cardiology Challenge 2017 (C2017) and tested on the MIT-BIH Atrial Fibrillation Database (AFDB), our model, designed to take only a sequence of 32 RRIs as input, achieved a sensitivity of 96.2%, specificity of 98.2%, and accuracy of 97.3%. The results illustrate its competitive standing against the existing methods for AF detection and its enhanced resilience to ectopic beats. Unlike existing deep learning-based AF detection models, our model prioritizes interpretability, boasts lower computational complexity (with fewer than 2000 learnable parameters), and demonstrates superior generalization capabilities. This will help improve the quality of long-term real-time monitoring and management of AF, reduce the burden on clinicians, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.

О стилистике Камерной симфонии Дж. К. Адамса

The article is devoted to a comprehensive study of the stylistic features of the Chamber Symphony by contemporary American composer John Coolidge Adams, a topic that is currently dwelt upon insufficiently. The author explores the paths of formation of the chamber symphony genre and provides examples of its manifestation in the works of 20th century Russian composers and those from other countries. The similarities and differences between Adams’ Chamber Symphony and Arnold Schoenberg’s Chamber Symphony No. 1, opus 9: the specific features of instrumentation and the compositional structure are examined. The programmatic nature of the composer’s works received separate attention in the article: approaches intrinsic to the Romantic era are compared with the poetics of the titles of Adams’ composition. The author of the article pays special attention to the timbral and rhythmic features of the composition as well as its formal structure. Drawing on a wide range of sources, the specificity of the creation of the Chamber Symphony and Adams’ perspectives of the minimalist method of composition are disclosed. The influence of minimalism on Adams’ compositional style is established. On the basis of the analysis of the three movements of the cycle, the idea is substantiated that in the musical material of the Chamber Symphony, Adams managed to maintain the balance between traditional and non-traditional approaches to symphonic music.

Music Therapy Music Selection Based on Big Data Analysis

Abstract Music, as a carrier of emotional sustenance, can not only achieve spiritual resonance in the process of listening but also reflect the vitality of life in the rhythm of music. As an effective relief method, music intervention has far-reaching significance in the development of psychotherapy. In the practice of music therapy, music selection is particularly important, and the rationality and rigor of music selection directly affect the therapeutic effect. The process of music selection in music therapy is in common with Internet music recommendation, so it has theoretical and practical value to apply personalized music recommendation algorithms to music therapy. In this paper, driven by big data, a music recommendation model based on an improved collaborative filtering (CF) algorithm is proposed, which combines the psychological adjustment of users’ music preferences and different music rhythm features to select music for music therapy and provides theoretical support for music therapy selection. The results show that the construction of music resources for music therapy based on an improved CF algorithm can greatly improve the music selection process of music therapy.

A pedagogical note on teaching L2 prosody and speech sounds using hand gestures

Abstract This paper reports the pedagogical decisions in Li et al. (2023) “The effectiveness of embodied prosodic training in L2 accentedness and vowel accuracy” published in Second Language Research. The study revealed that embodied prosodic training improved the overall pronunciation skills of Catalan-speaking learners of French and the pronunciation accuracy of front rounded vowels more than training without hand gestures. Three main pedagogical innovations were key in obtaining the positive results. First, the hand gestures performed by the instructor closely mimicked the prosodic structure (i.e., the melodic and rhythmic features) of the target sentences. Second, the sentences used for training were embedded in meaningful communicative dialogues. Third, the challenging L2 sounds were embedded in multiple occasions and in various prosodic positions. Therefore, in the hope of encouraging L2 teachers to incorporate such techniques in teaching practice, we provide a full description of the materials and procedures in Li et al. (2023).