Judgments Of Position Research Articles

Grounding Grid Electrical Impedance Imaging Method Based on an Improved Conditional Generative Adversarial Network

The grounding grid is an important piece of equipment to ensure the safety of a power system, and thus research detecting on its corrosion status is of great significance. Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is an effective method for grounding grid corrosion imaging. However, the inverse process of image reconstruction has pathological solutions, which lead to unstable imaging results. This paper proposes a grounding grid electrical impedance imaging method based on an improved conditional generative adversarial network (CGAN), aiming to improve imaging precision and accuracy. Its generator combines a preprocessing module and a U-Net model with a convolutional block attention module (CBAM). The discriminator adopts a PatchGAN structure. First, a grounding grid forward problem model was built to calculate the boundary voltage. Then, the image was initialized through the preprocessing module, and the important features of ground grid corrosion were extracted again through the encoder module, decoder module and attention module. Finally, the generator and discriminator continuously optimized the objective function and conducted adversarial training to achieve ground grid electrical impedance imaging. Imaging was performed on grounding grids with different corrosion conditions. The results showed a final average peak signal-to-noise ratio of 20.04. The average structural similarity was 0.901. The accuracy of corrosion position judgment was 94.3%. The error of corrosion degree judgment was 9.8%. This method effectively improves the pathological problem of grounding grid imaging and improves the precision and accuracy, with certain noise resistance and universality.

Effects of attentional focus on spatial localization of distal body parts and touch in two-arm position matching.

This study investigated how the judgment of proximal joint position can be affected by touch alone, focused attention on the distal body part, or touch spatial localization. Participants completed a two-arm elbow joint position-matching task, in which they indicated the location of one forearm by the placement of the other. In four test conditions, matching was performed during (1) detection of touch (tactile stimulation of index finger pads), (2) spatial localization of fingers (attention focused on the position of index finger pads), (3) spatial localization of touch on fingers (attention focused on tactile stimulation of index finger pads), and (4) detection of touch but localization of fingers (tactile stimulation of index finger pads, but attention focusing on the spatial position of the pads). In the first experiment (n = 23), the sensitivity of muscle spindle receptors in both reference and indicator arms was reduced and equalized by both-slack conditioning. In the second experiment (n = 20), the illusion of excessive elbow flexion in the reference arm and excessive extension in the indicator arm was generated through extension-flexion conditioning. In the first experiment, the accuracy and precision of matching were unaffected in any test condition. In the second experiment, participants made amplified undershooting errors under attention-focused conditions. In conclusion, focused attention on the location of a distal body part and touch affects both the spatial localization of the limb and tactile remapping only when the perceived forearm position is misinterpreted due to imbalanced proprioceptive input from antagonistic arm muscles.

Design and optimization of large-range absolute linear displacement sensors based on splicing technology

This paper proposes a high-resolution absolute time-grating displacement sensor, which can splice multiple ruler segments to expand the measurement range. The single-segment range of a ruler using a vernier structure for absolute measurement is 400 mm, through which the method of remodulation (i.e., the output signal of the first-level unit) is used as the excitation signal of the second- and third-level units to increase the measurement period and realize the passive design of the mover. To make a smooth transition of the signal near the joint, we set two independent sets of sensing structures on the mover. We obtain the state judgment coding signal and displacement value through the traveling wave signal received on the ruler and the absolute position judgment is realized by combining the position state and displacement value. The use results indicate that the measurement range of the sensor increases to 1200 mm after splicing, and the measurement accuracy reaches ± 5 μm.

Six-Axis Robotic Gripping Control Algorithm Based on Deep Learning

Due to several complex factors such as the type, size, and shape of target object, vision-assisted robot grasping technology still faces serious challenges. In this research, a deep learning-based robot hand vision grasping algorithm was developed considering semi-structural environmental constraints. The proposed algorithm could build a deep learning network on the basis of the desired object, perform object recognition, category classification and position judgment, and complete robot hand-grasping tasks. The obtained experimental results demonstrated that the proposed algorithm effectively solved the problem of recognizing and classifying multi-category objects in a semi-structured environment, improving recognition rate and grasping rate and reducing collision rate.

Conspicuity of staircase configuration: Effects of markings and contrast.

To be able to walk safely up or down a staircase, we must be able to judge the configuration and slope of the staircase and our viewing position. Adding markings to the stairs might help form correct perceptions of the staircase geometry. In this study, we examined how visual judgements about staircase configuration are affected by different marking patterns. Fifteen normally sighted young participants viewed computer-generated images of staircases as seen from the top landing of the stairs. Marking patterns included contrasting baseboard, transverse edge-stripes, longitudinal side-stripes, longitudinal stripes, diamond patterns, longitudinal stripes extended to landing and diamond patterns extended to landing. For comparison, we included the no-marking condition as a control. We tested several contrast levels of marking patterns (3.2%-50%), pitch lines of the staircases (shallow/medium/steep) and viewing positions (left/centre/right). The effect of the overall shape cue of the staircase on participants' performance was also evaluated. We measured participants' accuracies in judging whether the staircase was shallow, medium or steep, and whether the viewing position was located to the left, centre or right. Transverse edge-stripes markings yielded fewer underestimations of slope (9% [transverse] vs. 18% [others]) when compared with other markers. The presence of an overall shape cue helped both slope (67% [presence] vs. 51% [absence]) and viewing position judgements (79% [presence] vs. 62% [absence]). When the overall shape cue was present, only the transverse edge-stripes markings yielded a significant improvement in performance (compared with no-marking condition). When the cue was absent, performance was significantly better with markings with high and moderate contrasts. Adding marking patterns such as high-contrast transverse stripes to stairs may help enhance the visibility of the stairs and judgements of staircase geometry. This might be particularly useful for people with visual impairment or normally sighted individuals under compromised environmental conditions.

Lower extremity movement quality in professional team sport athletes: Inter-rater agreement and relationships with quantitative results from the corresponding pattern

BackgroundAdequate movement control and quality can be prerequisite functions for performance of the lower extremity. The purposes of our work were 1) to explore the agreement of an efficient test battery assessing qualitative movement execution and 2) to determine its consistency with quantitative performance tests from the corresponding movement pattern.MethodsThe participants were professional male association football players competing in the first German Bundesliga. They performed four movement quality tests (Single-limb balance squat, Balance forward hop, Balance side hop, Balance 90° rotation hop) and the corresponding performance tests (Y-balance test, Forward hop for distance, Side hop test, Square hop test). Qualitative tests were judged by two experienced raters; the ratings were compared to determine inter-rater agreement using Kappa statistics. The relationship with the quantitative tests was determined using Spearman’s rank correlations.ResultsThirty participants (19 to 33 years old) were included in this study. We found an at least substantial level of agreement (Cohen’s Kappa, 0.64-0.84) with an excellent percentage of exact (83-93%) agreement between the two raters for the movement quality tests. Our findings revealed that the quantitative test results are only slightly related to the movement quality outcomes (ρ(27) <|0.3| and P > 0.2).ConclusionsConsequently, the qualitative test results provide unique information and complement corresponding quantitative performance tests in professional football athletes. Their observational judgement of foot position, lower limb alignment and upper body control in sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes is agreeable.

Effect of the red uniform on the judgment of position or movement used in Wushu Routine, evaluated by practitioners of the modality.

In the artistic sports program, the referee' scores directly determine the final results of the athletes. Wushu is a artistic sport that has a Chinese characteristic and has the potential to become an official competition at the Summer Olympic. In this study we tested whether a red uniform color affects Wushu Routine practitioners' ratings of athletes' position or movement of Wushu Routine. We also tested whether the effect varied depending on the gender of the athlete and the practitioner, and depending on whether female practitioners were in the ovulation phase of their menstrual cycle. Male (Experiment 1: N = 72) and female (Experiment 1: N = 72; Experiment 2: N = 52) participants who major in Wushu Routine were recruited to take a referee's perspective and rate the movement quality of male and female athletes wearing red or blue uniforms. The results of Experiment 1 showed that both male and female athletes wearing red uniform (compared to blue uniform) received higher ratings (p = .002, η2 = .066; p = .014, η2 = .043), and the red effect was especially strong when male practitioners rated female athletes (p = .002, η2 = .069). The results of Experiment 2, in an all-female sample, showed that in most cases there was no difference in ratings made by women in the ovulation and non-ovulation phases of their menstrual cycle, with the exception of their ratings of male athletes wearing red; in this condition, women gave higher ratings when they were in the ovulation phase of their cycle (p = .026). The results suggest that there is a red effect in an artistic sport like Wushu Routine, in which gender and the female menstrual cycle play an important role.

Is “memory-for-when” universal? Group and individual variability in temporal position memory for words, faces, and classrooms

ABSTRACT Many contemporary theories of memory assume that everyone automatically stores temporal contextual information about all types of encountered information, yet most studies on this topic have used words and ignored individual differences. Five experiments accumulated evidence that explicit storage of temporal context information does not appear to occur automatically for all people and types of memoranda. We collected judgments of temporal position (memory-for-when) for words (Experiments 1 & 3), faces (Experiments 2A, 3, 4, and 5), and classrooms (Experiments 2B & 3). At the group level, for each of these memoranda memory-for-when was sensitive to the original input position and showed a temporal primacy effect reflecting better memory for position for items near the beginning of the list, indicating some automatic storage of temporal context information. However, memory-for-when was significantly better for words than classrooms, with faces in the middle. Moreover, individuals varied dramatically in their ability to indicate memory-for-when, especially for classrooms where many people performed at or near chance. Taken together, the data suggest that explicit memory-for-when may be dissociable from the more implicit use of temporal contextual information that is theorised to occur during free recall.

Structurizing the Factors of Baduk Strength in the Endgame

The purpose of this study is to analyze Baduk technique books, derive the factors of Baduk strength in the endgame, and structurize these factors. In order to achieve the purpose of the study, an analysis was conducted on the content presented in 12 Baduk technical books. We selected and conducted interviews with eight Baduk professional players from Korea, Japan and Taiwan. In order to demonstrate multiple factors, we presented situations that require the consideration of multiple factors. Through an analysis of game records, we examined how these factors are utilized in professional games. Additionally, by utilizing AI, we conducted an analysis to discern the differences between AI and professional players. The results of the study are as follows. First, through the analysis of content included in Baduk technical books, we derived 18 subfactors for consideration. Second, as a result of the expert interviews, although there are differences in the number of factors used by each expert, it was proved that all 18 subfactors were used. There were also differences in classifying types, and 18 subfactors could be classified into several endgame factors. As for the factors that experts consider the most important in the endgame, seven experts answered ‘positional judgment’ and one expert responded ‘size’, indicating that they regard positional judgment and size as important. Third, as a result of structuring the factors of Baduk strength in the endgame, it was found that the endgame ability consists of three common factors, ‘knowledge,’ ‘reading,’ ‘value judgment’, and five endgame factors, ‘size of endgame move’, ‘sente &amp; gote’, ‘stability’, ‘surrounding position’, ‘positional judgment’ and 18 sub-considerations. Fourth, in the endgame, there are complex situations that require considering multiple endgame factors for successful resolution. In order to substantiate the evidence of the multifaceted situation of endgame factors, 26 examples of compound factors were provided. Fifth, as a result of analyzing the end stage of actual games, it was found that moves were related to the endgame factors and the subfactors, and the difference between the AI ​​Baduk program and the professional Baduk player is that the AI ​​seems to find better moves regarding the endgame factors 'size', 'sente &amp; gote', 'stability', 'surrounding position', and 'positional judgment'. Implications were derived from the results obtained in this study. First, it was the first study to suggest that the factors at the end stage consist of three common factors, five endgame factors, and 18 subfactors, and showed that much more diverse factors play a role than the current technical factors at the endgame. Second, the endgame ability is a very important part for professional Baduk players. Only when you have the endgame ability, you can finish the game stably or turn the tables. The results obtained from this study will serve as the basis for developing an endgame training program for professional Baduk players in the future. Third, the method of AI ​​Baduk programs is still a field that requires a lot of research. The results of this study will be helpful in analyzing and supplementing the weaknesses and strengths of the endgame of AI Baduk programs.

Effect of posture on total hip arthroplasty through direct anterior approach

To investigate the effect of different postures on direct anterior approach(DAA) total hip arthroplasty. Total of 94 patients who underwent DAA total hip arthroplasty from July 2016 to June 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into two groups according to different positions during the operation, including 45 cases in lateral position and 49 cases in supine position (with the aid of stent). The general data such as gender, affected limb, body mass index(BMI), incision length, operation time, intraoperative bleeding volume, drainage volume 24 hours after operation, hemoglobin difference before and after operation, first landing time after operation, postoperative hospitalization time, postoperative complications, visual analogue scale(VAS) at 1 day, 1, 2 weeks, 1, 3 and 6 months after operation, Harris score at 1, 2 weeks, 1, 3 and 6 months after operation were observed and compared between the two groups. Patients in both groups were followed up for 6 to 12 months with an average of (8.31±2.22) months. There was no significant difference between two groups in gender, affected limb, age, height, weight, body mass index(BMI), preoperative VAS score and preoperative Harris score(P>0.05). The incision length, operation time, intraoperative bleeding volume, 24-hour drainage volume, hemoglobin difference before and after operation, first time to the ground and postoperative hospitalization time of patients in supine position (assisted by stent) group were all better than those in lateral position group(P<0.05);There was no significant difference in the number of blood transfusions during and after operation(P=0.550). There was no significant difference in anteversion angle and abduction angle in the supine position(with the aid of stent) group during and after operation (P=0.825, P=0.066);There was significant difference in anteversion angle and abduction angle in the lateral position group during and after operation(P<0.05). VAS of patients in supine position (assisted by stent) group were lower than those in lateral position group at 1 day, 1, 2 weeks and 1 month after operation(P<0.05), and there was no statistical difference between two groups at 3 and 6 months after operation(P>0.05). Harris scores of patients in supine position(assisted by stent) group were higher than those in lateral position group at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months after operation(P<0.05), and there was no significant difference between two groups at 6 months after operation(P>0.05). Compared with the lateral position, the supine position DAA total hip arthroplasty has the advantages of small incision, short operation time, less bleeding, early landing time, short hospitalization time, and small intraoperative acetabular cup position judgment error. It has the advantage of fast postoperative recovery, but the recovery of hip joint function is the same after 6 months.

Hierarchical Two-stage modal fusion for Triple-modality salient object detection

Salient object detection (SOD) is essential for home service robot grasping technology. Recently, studies have shown that using triple-modality (RGB-Depth-Thermal infrared, RGB-D-T) information can significantly improve the detection effect of salient object detection. The location accuracy and completeness of the salient object play a crucial role in the subsequent grasping process. This seriously affects the robot’s judgment of the object position and grasping position. Therefore, the critical problem of triple-modality SOD technology in robot grasping is locating the salient object accurately and detecting the salient object completely. Consequently, we propose a triple-modality salient object detection method based on hierarchical two-stage modal fusion. In the first fusion stage, we use the triple-modal information rationally to locate the salient object accurately. Considering the properties of the different modal information, we use the depth information to supplement and improve the visible light and thermal infrared information through an accurate selection fusion module (ASFM). Then in the second stage, we use the feature correlation enhancement module (FCEM) to realize the correlation of the different modal salient features. FCEM can perfectly combine the different modal information and make the salient object more complete. Comparative and challenging experiments demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms 14 state-of-the-art methods on the VDT2048 dataset. The code is available at: https://github.com/VDT-2048/HTMF.

Auditory and Somatosensory Development for Speech in Later Childhood.

This study collected measures of auditory-perceptual and oral somatosensory acuity in typically developing children and adolescents aged 9-15 years. We aimed to establish reference data that can be used as a point of comparison for individuals with residual speech sound disorder (RSSD), especially for RSSD affecting American English rhotics. We examined concurrent validity between tasks and hypothesized that performance on at least some tasks would show a significant association with age, reflecting ongoing refinement of sensory function in later childhood. We also tested for an inverse relationship between performance on auditory and somatosensory tasks, which would support the hypothesis of a trade-off between sensory domains. Ninety-eight children completed three auditory-perceptual tasks (identification and discrimination of stimuli from a "rake"-"wake" continuum and category goodness judgment for naturally produced words containing rhotics) and three oral somatosensory tasks (bite block with auditory masking, oral stereognosis, and articulatory awareness, which involved explicit judgments of relative tongue position for different speech sounds). Pairwise associations were examined between tasks within each domain and between task performance and age. Composite measures of auditory-perceptual and somatosensory functions were used to investigate the possibility of a sensory trade-off. Statistically significant associations were observed between the identification and discrimination tasks and the bite block and articulatory awareness tasks. In addition, significant associations with age were found for the category goodness and bite block tasks. There was no statistically significant evidence of a trade-off between auditory-perceptual and somatosensory domains. This study provided a multidimensional characterization of speech-related sensory function in older children/adolescents. Complete materials to administer all experimental tasks have been shared, along with measures of central tendency and dispersion for scores in two subgroups of age. Ultimately, we hope to apply this information to make customized treatment recommendations for children with RSSD based on sensory profiles.

Application of Beetle Colony Optimization Based on Improvement of Rebellious Growth Characteristics in PM2.5 Concentration Prediction

Aiming at the shortcomings of the beetle swarm algorithm, namely its low accuracy, easy fall into local optima, and slow convergence speed, a rebellious growth personality–beetle swarm optimization (RGP–BSO) model based on rebellious growth personality is proposed. Firstly, the growth and rebellious characters were added to the beetle swarm optimization algorithm to dynamically adjust the beetle’s judgment of the optimal position. Secondly, the adaptive iterative selection strategy is introduced to balance the beetles’ global search and local search capabilities, preventing the algorithm from falling into a locally optimal solution. Finally, two dynamic factors are introduced to promote the maturity of the character and further improve the algorithm’s optimization ability and convergence accuracy. The twelve standard test function simulation experiments show that RGP–BSO has a faster convergence speed and higher accuracy than other optimization algorithms. In the practical problem of PM2.5 concentration prediction, the ELM model optimized by RGP–BSO has more prominent accuracy and stability and has obvious advantages.

Distortions in Spatial Mental Representation Affect Sketch Maps in Young Adults.

Humans tend to misrepresent spatial information which leads to systematic errors due to distorted organizational processes regarding metric and positional judgments. This study is aimed at analyzing metric and positional distortions in cognitive maps by using external representations, namely sketch maps, in two experiments with young participants. In the first experiment, we use the sketching area of Northern Europe. In the second experiment, the University campus area was used. The first aim was to test the hypothesis that the presence of the sea between the triplet of landmarks generates an overestimation of the distances between them in the case of Northern Europe; and to test the hypothesis that the number of turns in a route influences the overestimation of the distance between landmarks in the case of the campus area. The second aim was to investigate alignment and rotation errors using the same maps. Concerning metric errors, the results showed the overestimation of distances with a geographical gap between the cities (the sea in the Northern European Area), and those with more turns between landmarks (the campus area). The results concerning rotations and alignments were in line with the previous research about positional errors. The present study extended findings on distortions in spatial mental representation as emerging from verbal judgments, to sketch maps: direct visuospatial external representations eluding the conversion into verbal coding of spatial information. The presence of distortions in cognitive maps could be considered the consequence of the encoding of spatial information.

Spatial Relationship Perception is Not Affected by Short-term Cortical Reorganization

Aims: Long-term cortical reorganization after cortical damage can induce abnormal spatial relationship perception (spatial anisotropy) but there is also evidence of short-term, reversible cortical re-modulation even in the absence of cerebral damage: simulated hemianopic deprivation, in fact, is found to affect the positional judgment. This study investigates if the same occurs for spatial relationship perception.&#x0D; Study Design: Case series.&#x0D; Place and duration of Study: Service of Neuro-Ophthalmology, University of Turin, Italy, from January 2020 to July 2020.&#x0D; Methodology: Spatial relationship perception (SRP) of three subjects was measured in the presence of simulated homonymous hemianopia with a psychophysical procedure that estimates the discrimination threshold between elliptical and circular stimuli centered to the fixation point. The extent of the deprivation was graded as the distance of the proximal border of the nonresponsive area from the fixation point.&#x0D; Results: Overall, spatial relationship perception is not affected by the hemifield deprivation in terms of distance of the scotoma from the fixation point (P= 0.26), laterality (P= 0.07), and distance X laterality (P= 0.15). However, a significant effect of distance and laterality (P= 0.01 and P= 0.02, respectively) was found in the sole observer who showed an anisotropic perception in normal (no-simulated) condition.&#x0D; Conclusion: SRP appears to be robust toward the reversible spatial remapping induced by simulated hemianopia along the deprived area. However, the response of the visual system to artificial visual deprivation seems conditioned by pre-existing anisotropy.

Disruption of Positional Encoding at Small Separations in the Amblyopic Periphery.

PurposePositional judgments in amblyopia are impaired more at the center of the visual field than in the periphery. However, the effects of visual field position frequently are confounded with stimulus separation. The purpose of this experiment was to parse the effects of stimulus separation and eccentricity on the positional deficit in amblyopia.MethodsSubjects adjusted the positions of stimuli of varying separations on isoeccentric arcs. The task was simultaneous bisection and alignment of broadband, high-contrast, uncrowded targets with reference to central fixation. Ten strabismic amblyopes and five normally sighted controls performed the task dichoptically; a subset of amblyopes performed the task monocularly with the amblyopic eye. Spread (inverse of precision) and bias were measured at multiple visual field locations comprising two to three separation four eccentricity conditions in each visual field quadrant.ResultsIn normal controls, both spread and bias increased with eccentricity, and spread (but not bias) increased linearly with separation until 7° eccentricity. Strabismic amblyopes showed a different profile: spread and bias were higher at small separations at all eccentricities, such that performance showed a quadratic trend against separation. Thus, at each eccentricity, the difference in performance between groups was largest at the smallest separation.ConclusionsThese results are consistent with disruptions in Weber mechanisms of positional encoding in strabismic amblyopia, and indicate that binocular stimulation by proximal targets produces a loss of spatial precision well beyond the fovea.

Structural Damage Identification Method of Girder Bridges Based on Multilevel Data Fusion Theory

The single index based on modal strain energy and modal curvature is proved to be effective for damage localization, while its recognition accuracy is not satisfied and can not directly reflect damage degree. Therefore, multilevel data fusion methods are proposed here with three new indexes of modal strain energy dissipation rate (DR), change rate of cross-model modal strain energy (CR), and difference of modal curvature ratio (RD). Firstly, first-level, second-level, and third-level data fusion methods are deduced based on Bayes theory, weighted average criterion, and BP neural network, respectively. The first three order modes data of each index are fused in the first level, and their results are further fused between indexes in the second level, which will be applied for damage position judgement; moreover, results of the second level as input are last fused in the third level in order to predict structural damage degree. Secondly, a simply supported beam and a three-span continuous girder models are simulated to verify effectiveness of multilevel data fusion indexes. It can be concluded that the recognition results agree well with man-made damage cases whatever the positions or degrees are. Finally, a test study on a simply supported steel beam with different damage forms is carried out. The results show that the proposed multilevel data fusion methods have good abilities of sensitivity and anti-interference, are fault-tolerant, have robustness, and would provide certain effective experience for actual damage identification.

Numerical simulation of structure design of magnetoelectric composite ultrasonic levitation device based on multi-physical field coupling

Aiming at the coupling simulation problem that ignores the acoustic structure boundary in the traditional acoustic suspension simulation, based on the magnetostrictive effect, the piezoelectric effect, and the acoustic-structure coupling model, this paper uses a magnetoelectric structure composed of the magnetostrictive material Terfenol-D and the piezoelectric ceramic PZT-5H. The composite material is used as, and the magneto-electric-acoustic fully coupled model of the magneto-electric composite material is established and compared with the one-way coupling model; The particle levitation of magnetoelectric composite materials in the multi-field coupling environment of the magnetic field, electric field, sound field, and displacement field was simulated and calculated; the influence of different widths of magneto-electric composite materials and the size of the resonant cavity on the effect of acoustic levitation was analyzed, and the best results were obtained. The geometric parameters required for optimal suspension are analyzed; the sound pressure output performance of the overall magnetoelectric composite ultrasonic suspension device under the optimal size and the judgment of the suspension position is analyzed, and I displayed the good suspension of the simulated particles in the sound field visually. The research results show that the difference in the amplitude output of the transducer will affect the sound pressure output performance of the transducer, and there is a large error in the one-way coupling; the magnetoelectric composite material can be used as an ultrasonic transducer to achieve acoustic suspension, and suspended particles It shows a good acoustic levitation effect in the simulation. The fully coupled simulation of ultrasonic transducers and the research on such ultrasonic transducers can open new ideas for the research and development of new ultrasonic transducers in the future.

Age and Auditory Spatial Perception in Humans: Review of Behavioral Findings and Suggestions for Future Research.

It has been well documented, and fairly well known, that concomitant with an increase in chronological age is a corresponding increase in sensory impairment. As most people realize, our hearing suffers as we get older; hence, the increased need for hearing aids. The first portion of the present paper is how the change in age apparently affects auditory judgments of sound source position. A summary of the literature evaluating the changes in the perception of sound source location and the perception of sound source motion as a function of chronological age is presented. The review is limited to empirical studies with behavioral findings involving humans. It is the view of the author that we have an immensely limited understanding of how chronological age affects perception of space when based on sound. In the latter part of the paper, discussion is given to how auditory spatial perception is traditionally conducted in the laboratory. Theoretically, beneficial reasons exist for conducting research in the manner it has been. Nonetheless, from an ecological perspective, the vast majority of previous research can be considered unnatural and greatly lacking in ecological validity. Suggestions for an alternative and more ecologically valid approach to the investigation of auditory spatial perception are proposed. It is believed an ecological approach to auditory spatial perception will enhance our understanding of the extent to which individuals perceive sound source location and how those perceptual judgments change with an increase in chronological age.

Pulse interference identification and suppression for OFDM signal

The new generation smart meter is the core node of information acquisition and flows in the power Internet of Things (IoT). Because it is powered by the low-voltage power line, various short-time pulse interference signals in the line can be easily coupled to the received signal of the communication module embedded in the meter, resulting in the degradation of communication performance. In view of this situation, an identification-suppression algorithm of the short-time pulse-interference signal is proposed. The core idea is to comprehensively judge the existence of the interference signal and its specific position in the time domain based on the energy ratio of adjacent OFDM symbols and the change of mean square error value between frequency domain amplitude signals. Based on this, an interference energy elimination scheme with an adaptive threshold is realized. Theoretical analysis and simulation results show that the scheme has low computational complexity, high accuracy of pulse interference identification and position judgment, and can effectively reduce the energy of pulse interference signal, and thus improving the decoding performance of OFDM while it receives signals.