Significant Effect Of Frequency Research Articles

The role of L1 conceptual and linguistic knowledge and frequency in the acquisition of L2 metaphorical expressions

This study investigates how figurative language is processed by learners of a second language (L2). With an experiment testing L2 comprehension of figurative expressions in three categories, each combining shared and unshared first language (L1) and L2 lexical representations and conceptual representations in a different way, the study investigates the effects of L1 conceptual knowledge, L1 linguistic knowledge and L1 frequency. I predict that in cases where the L1 and L2 share similarities in terms of conceptual knowledge (e.g. ANGER IS FIRE) and metaphorical expressions (e.g. His eyes are burning with anger), learners will better comprehend the L2 figurative expressions than in cases where the L1 and L2 share no such similarities. I further predict that when L1 and L2 share similarities in both conceptual knowledge and metaphorical expression, L1 frequency will have a positive effect on L2 metaphorical comprehension. These hypotheses are tested by examining the comprehension of advanced-level L2 Korean learners whose native language is English. The testing items are 54 Korean metaphorical expressions related to three emotion concepts (ANGER, HAPPINESS and SADNESS) presented to participants in one decontextualized and two contextualized tasks (limited and elaborated). The results demonstrate that the effects of L1 conceptual/linguistic knowledge and L1 frequency vary depending on the given context. The L2 learners performed significantly better with figurative language for which L1 and L2 show similarities at both lexical and conceptual levels, but only in the conditions of no or limited context. In the same conditions, the study also found a significant effect of L1 frequency on L2 processing of figurative language. This study suggests that the L1 has considerable influence on how L2 metaphorical expressions are processed in a nonsupportive context, even at higher levels of proficiency.

Word length and frequency effects on children’s eye movements during silent reading

In the present study we measured the eye movements of a large sample of 2nd grade German speaking children and a control group of adults during a silent reading task. To be able to directly investigate the interaction of word length and frequency effects we employed controlled sentence frames with embedded target words in an experimental design in which length and frequency were manipulated independently of one another. Unlike previous studies which have investigated the interaction of word length and frequency effects in children, we used age-appropriate word frequencies for children. We found significant effects of word length and frequency for both children and adults while effects were generally greater for children. The interaction of word length and frequency was significant for children in gaze duration and total viewing time eye movement measures but not for adults. Our results suggest that children rely on sublexical decoding of infrequent words, leading to greater length effects for infrequent than frequent words while adults do not show this effect when reading children’s reading materials.

Effect of Multilevel Inverter Supply on Core Losses in Magnetic Materials and Electrical Machines

The effect of multilevel inverter supply on power losses in magnetic cores and electrical machines is studied. A dynamic numerical model for the hysteresis, eddy current, and excess losses in a core lamination is first developed. By both measurements and simulations for a ring-core inductor, we demonstrate how increasing the number of inverter voltage levels decreases the iron losses when compared with traditional two-level supply. Although the switching frequency has a significant impact on the iron losses in the case of a traditional two-level inverter, using three or five voltage levels makes the losses almost independent of the switching. Finally, finite-element simulations show that similar reductions are also possible for the core losses of 150-kVA and 12.5-MW wound-field synchronous machines, in which rather low switching frequencies are typically used. Calorimetric loss measurements are also presented for the 150-kVA machine in order to confirm the significant effect of switching frequency on the core losses with two-level inverter supply.

Elevated levels of mercapturic acids of acrolein and crotonaldehyde in the urine of Chinese women in Singapore who regularly cook at home.

Lung cancer is unusually common among non-smoking women in Southeastern Asia but the causes of this frequently fatal disease are not well understood. Several epidemiology studies indicate that inhalation of fumes from high temperature Chinese style cooking with a wok may be a cause. Only one previous study investigated uptake of potential toxicants and carcinogens by women who cook with a wok. We enrolled three-hundred twenty-eight non-smoking women from Singapore for this study. Each provided a spot urine sample and answered a questionnaire concerning their cooking habits and other factors. The urine samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for mercapturic acid metabolites of acrolein (3-hydroxypropylmercapturic acid), crotonaldehyde (3-hydroxy-1-methylpropylmercapturic acid), and benzene (S-phenylmercapturic acid), accepted biomarkers of uptake of these toxic and carcinogenic compounds. We observed statistically significant effects of wok cooking frequency on levels of 3-hydroxypropylmercapturic acid and 3-hydroxy-1-methylpropylmercapturic acid, but not S-phenylmercapturic acid. Women who cooked greater than 7 times per week had a geometric mean of 2600 (95% CI, 2189-3090) pmol/mg creatinine 3-hydroxypropylmercapturic acid compared to 1901 (95% CI, 1510-2395) pmol/mg creatinine when cooking less than once per week (P for trend 0.018). The corresponding values for 3-hydroxy-1-methylpropylmercapturic acid were 1167 (95% CI, 1022-1332) and 894 (95% CI, 749-1067) pmol/mg creatinine (P for trend 0.008). We conclude that frequent wok cooking leads to elevated exposure to the toxicants acrolein and crotonaldehyde, but not benzene. Kitchens should be properly ventilated to decrease exposure to potentially toxic and carcinogenic fumes produced during Chinese style wok cooking.

Decomposability and mental representation of French verbs.

In French, regardless of stem regularity, inflectional verbal suffixes are extremely regular and paradigmatic. Considering the complexity of the French verbal system, we argue that all French verbs are polymorphemic forms that are decomposed during visual recognition independently of their stem regularity. We conducted a behavioral experiment in which we manipulated the surface and cumulative frequencies of verbal inflected forms and asked participants to perform a visual lexical decision task. We tested four types of verbs with respect to their stem variants: a. fully regular (parler “to speak,” [parl-]); b. phonological change e/E verbs with orthographic markers (répéter “to repeat,” [répét-] and [répèt-]); c. phonological change o/O verbs without orthographic markers (adorer “to adore,” [ador-] and [adOr-]); and d. idiosyncratic (boire “to drink,” [boi-] and [buv-]). For each type of verb, we contrasted four conditions, forms with high and low surface frequencies and forms with high and low cumulative frequencies. Our results showed a significant cumulative frequency effect for the fully regular and idiosyncratic verbs, indicating that different stems within idiosyncratic verbs (such as [boi-] and [buv-]) have distinct representations in the mental lexicon as different fully regular verbs. For the phonological change verbs, we found a significant cumulative frequency effect only when considering the two forms of the stem together ([répét-] and [répèt-]), suggesting that they share a single abstract and under specified phonological representation. Our results also revealed a significant surface frequency effect for all types of verbs, which may reflect the recombination of the stem lexical representation with the functional information of the suffixes. Overall, these results indicate that all inflected verbal forms in French are decomposed during visual recognition and that this process could be due to the regularities of the French inflectional verbal suffixes.

The vestibular implant: frequency-dependency of the electrically evoked vestibulo-ocular reflex in humans.

The vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) shows frequency-dependent behavior. This study investigated whether the characteristics of the electrically evoked VOR (eVOR) elicited by a vestibular implant, showed the same frequency-dependency. Twelve vestibular electrodes implanted in seven patients with bilateral vestibular hypofunction (BVH) were tested. Stimuli consisted of amplitude-modulated electrical stimulation with a sinusoidal profile at frequencies of 0.5, 1, and 2 Hz. The main characteristics of the eVOR were evaluated and compared to the “natural” VOR characteristics measured in a group of age-matched healthy volunteers who were subjected to horizontal whole body rotations with equivalent sinusoidal velocity profiles at the same frequencies. A strong and significant effect of frequency was observed in the total peak eye velocity of the eVOR. This effect was similar to that observed in the “natural” VOR. Other characteristics of the (e)VOR (angle, habituation-index, and asymmetry) showed no significant frequency-dependent effect. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that, at least at the specific (limited) frequency range tested, responses elicited by a vestibular implant closely mimic the frequency-dependency of the “normal” vestibular system.

Frequency effects on the vowel length contrast merger in Seoul Korean

AbstractThis paper presents an apparent-time study of the vowel length contrast merger in Seoul Korean based on duration measurements of over 370,000 vowels in word-initial syllables in a read-speech corpus. The effects of word frequency on vowel duration and the lexical diffusion of long-vowel shortening are also examined. The findings confirm the observation made in the previous literature that the vowel length contrast is on its way out in the language, and that this sound change is nearing completion. We also find a significant effect of frequency on long-vowel duration: other things being equal, these vowels are shorter in high-frequency words than in low-frequency words. The rate of change does not differ significantly depending on the frequency of words apart from the high-frequency words reaching the endpoint of change and bottoming out in the change earlier than mid- and low-frequency words. The observed frequency effect is compatible with a model in which the frequency effect on duration comes from on-line factors that affect phonetic implementation of speech sounds, along with an across-the-board lenition bias that drives the sound change, not from stored tokens of word-specific variants.

Analysis of rat testicular proteome following 30-day exposure to 900 MHz electromagnetic field radiation.

The use of electromagnetic field (EMF) generating apparatuses such as cell phones is increasing, and has caused an interest in the investigations of its effects on human health. We analyzed proteome in preparations from the whole testis in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats that were exposed to 900 MHz EMF radiation for 1, 2, or 4 h/day for 30 consecutive days, simulating a range of possible human cell phone use. Subjects were sacrificed immediately after the end of the experiment and testes fractions were solubilized and separated via high-resolution 2D electrophoresis, and gel patterns were scanned, digitized, and processed. Thirteen proteins, which were found only in sham or in exposure groups, were identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS. Among them, heat shock proteins, superoxide dismutase, peroxiredoxin-1, and other proteins related to misfolding of proteins and/or stress were identified. These results demonstrate significant effects of radio frequency modulated EMFs exposure on proteome, particularly in protein species in the rodent testis, and suggest that a 30-day exposure to EMF radiation induces nonthermal stress in testicular tissue. The functional implication of the identified proteins was discussed.

Validating and calibrating the Nintendo Wii balance board to derive reliable center of pressure measures.

The Nintendo Wii balance board (WBB) has generated significant interest in its application as a postural control measurement device in both the clinical and (basic, clinical, and rehabilitation) research domains. Although the WBB has been proposed as an alternative to the “gold standard” laboratory-grade force plate, additional research is necessary before the WBB can be considered a valid and reliable center of pressure (CoP) measurement device. In this study, we used the WBB and a laboratory-grade AMTI force plate (AFP) to simultaneously measure the CoP displacement of a controlled dynamic load, which has not been done before. A one-dimensional inverted pendulum was displaced at several different displacement angles and load heights to simulate a variety of postural sway amplitudes and frequencies (<1 Hz). Twelve WBBs were tested to address the issue of inter-device variability. There was a significant effect of sway amplitude, frequency, and direction on the WBB's CoP measurement error, with an increase in error as both sway amplitude and frequency increased and a significantly greater error in the mediolateral (ML) (compared to the anteroposterior (AP)) sway direction. There was no difference in error across the 12 WBB's, supporting low inter-device variability. A linear calibration procedure was then implemented to correct the WBB's CoP signals and reduce measurement error. There was a significant effect of calibration on the WBB's CoP signal accuracy, with a significant reduction in CoP measurement error (quantified by root-mean-squared error) from 2–6 mm (before calibration) to 0.5–2 mm (after calibration). WBB-based CoP signal calibration also significantly reduced the percent error in derived (time-domain) CoP sway measures, from −10.5% (before calibration) to −0.05% (after calibration) (percent errors averaged across all sway measures and in both sway directions). In this study, we characterized the WBB's CoP measurement error under controlled, dynamic conditions and implemented a linear calibration procedure for WBB CoP signals that is recommended to reduce CoP measurement error and provide more reliable estimates of time-domain CoP measures. Despite our promising results, additional work is necessary to understand how our findings translate to the clinical and rehabilitation research domains. Once the WBB's CoP measurement error is fully characterized in human postural sway (which differs from our simulated postural sway in both amplitude and frequency content), it may be used to measure CoP displacement in situations where lower accuracy and precision is acceptable.

Abstract 175: The Association between Antihypertensive Medication Drug Class and Adherence: An Electronic Monitoring Study

Introduction: Prior studies that rely on pharmacy refill data suggest that there maybe an association between antihypertensive drug class and adherence. We aimed to determine whether there is a relationship between antihypertensive drug class and adherence measured electronically. Methods: We enrolled a sample of 188 participants with treated but uncontrolled hypertension from 2 urban primary care clinics. Adherence was measured during the interval between two clinic visits using a 4-compartment electronic pillbox (MedSignals) that records the date and time each compartment is opened. Adherence was calculated as the percent of days the correct number of doses of a particular medication was taken as prescribed. A mixed effects regression analysis was used to assess the association between drug class and percent adherence using Bonferroni adjusted alpha levels and adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, number of BP medications/patient, coronary artery disease (CAD), depressive symptoms, and days monitored. Sensitivity analyses adjusted for dosing frequency. Results: The mean (SD) age was 64.2 (9.1) years; 71% were female (134/188); 75% Hispanic (141/188); 14% (27/188) had CAD. A total of 470 BP medications were assessed. On average, participants were monitored 48.3 (40.9) days, took 2.4 (1.0) BP medications each, and had 7.2 (6.0) depressive symptoms. Beta-blockers were the most commonly prescribed drug class (54.8%, 103/188), followed by calcium channel blockers (CCBs; 53.2%, 100/188), diuretics (43.6%, 82/188), angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs; 40.4%, 76/188), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs; 28.7%, 54/188), and other classes (29.3%, 55/188). Beta-blockers and other drug classes had significantly higher dosing frequencies. In the mixed effects analyses, a significant effect for drug class was observed. In the unadjusted model, mean percent adherence was 67.7% for beta-blockers, 73.7% for ARBs, 74.3% for CCBs, 75.4% for diuretics, and 76.3% for ACEIs. In the adjusted model, adherence to beta-blockers was 9.2% (SE 1.4%) lower than diuretics (adj p &lt;0.0001), 8.7% (SE 1.6%) lower than ACEIs (adj p gt 0.30). After adjusting for dosing frequency, no relationship remained between drug class and adherence. Adherence was associated with systolic blood pressure in adjusted regression analyses (B=0.34, SE= 0.08, p &lt;0.0001). Discussion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to compare and electronically monitor several drug classes simultaneously. Adherence was suboptimal for all drug classes and associated with suboptimal BP. Physicians should account for low adherence, particularly to beta-blockers, and the significant effect of dosing frequency when prescribing antihypertensives.

여성의 손 위생관리에 관한 연구

Objectives: This study was performed to investigate hand washing awareness of females and load of indicator bacteria on their hands. This study focused on the variation according to their age. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire survey and bacterial analysis of indicator bacteria were carried out for 100 Korean women in their age from 20 s to 60 s. Hand samples were collected through a modified glovejuice method. Results: In the survey, significant difference (p < 0.05) was found among the age groups in the use of hand washing agents. The levels of aerobic colony count (ACC) were the highest in both hands among the 20s (p < 0.05). The levels of Escherichia coli were higher in both hands in their 20s and 30s. No significant difference was found in the levels of Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella spp. However, the positive rates of S. aureus (left hand, 37.5~47.1%; right hand, 58.5~62.5%) and Salmonella spp. (left hand, 25.0~52.9%; right hand, 37.5~64.7%) were higher in the hands of the 20s and 30s, and then showed decreasing trend according to increase of age. The effect of hand washing frequency on the ACC level of hands was significant (p < 0.001). Conclusions: These results indicate that there was no remarkable difference of hand hygiene awareness among female age groups. The detection of S. aureus and Salmonella spp. on the hands of some females in each age group revealed poor hand hygiene practices. The significant effect of hand washing frequency on the ACC level suggests that frequent hand washing is helpful to reduce hand contamination.

Effect of neuro-developmental therapy (NDT) on disability level of subjects with cerebral palsy receiving physiotherapy at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria

Aim and Objective: Cerebral palsy (CP) describes a group of disorders causing activity limitation which is attributed to non-progressive disturbances that occur in the developing fetal or infant brain. The rehabilitation of children with CP has focused on increasing functionality in their daily activities. The objective of this study was to assess the disability levels of cerebral palsy patients receiving physiotherapy treatment at Physiotherapy department, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria.Methods: The study is a retrospective-repeated measures design, involving the use of Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) and the medical records of the patients. The duration and frequency of treatment were obtained from the patients’ folders. They were initially assessed on the first visit and re-assessed after 3, 6 and ≥ 12 months of physiotherapy (Neuro-developmental therapy [NDT]) exercises using GMFCS. Simple percentage (%), Kruskal Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were used in data analyses.Results: The highest number of disability recovery cases are in the treatment frequency group of &gt; 2 treatment per week 17(56.68%) and the first 3-6 months of treatment duration15 (50%) of NDTPhysiotherapy. However, Disability level reduces with longer (&gt;12 months) treatment duration. Results also showed significant frequency and duration treatment effects on disability level following NDT-Physiotherapy at p&lt; 0.05.Conclusion: It was concluded that both duration and frequent of treatment were important factors in the management of CP using NDTPhysiotherapy.Key words: Cerebral palsy, Disability, Gross Motor Function, Neuro-developmental therapy,

Steps to Take to Enhance Gait Stability: The Effect of Stride Frequency, Stride Length, and Walking Speed on Local Dynamic Stability and Margins of Stability

The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether adaptations of stride length, stride frequency, and walking speed, independently influence local dynamic stability and the size of the medio-lateral and backward margins of stability during walking. Nine healthy subjects walked 25 trials on a treadmill at different combinations of stride frequency, stride length, and consequently at different walking speeds. Visual feedback about the required and the actual combination of stride frequency and stride length was given during the trials. Generalized Estimating Equations were used to investigate the independent contribution of stride length, stride frequency, and walking speed on the measures of gait stability. Increasing stride frequency was found to enhance medio-lateral margins of stability. Backward margins of stability became larger as stride length decreased or walking speed increased. For local dynamic stability no significant effects of stride frequency, stride length or walking speed were found. We conclude that adaptations in stride frequency, stride length and/or walking speed can result in an increase of the medio-lateral and backward margins of stability, while these adaptations do not seem to affect local dynamic stability. Gait training focusing on the observed stepping strategies to enhance margins of stability might be a useful contribution to programs aimed at fall prevention.

Fire can suppress the development of macrophyllous thickets

The ingression of woody plants into savannas, known as bush or shrub encroachment, has become a global concern. Fire has been acknowledged as a key factor in managing woody vegetation in savannas. This study assessed the role of fire in determining the total density, structure and composition of woody vegetation in Ithala Game Reserve, northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. We surveyed woody vegetation in comparable areas with different fire frequencies. In Combretum-dominated woodlands, there was no significant effect of fire frequency on the total density of woody individuals. In old field grasslands, the density of woody plants was greater in areas burnt annually and in areas burnt once every 10 years, compared to areas burnt once every 2–4 years. In these grasslands, areas burnt annually were dominated by woody plants <2 m in height. Herbivore and fire interactions may explain these results. Multivariate analyses also indicated a significant effect of fire frequency on woody vegetation composition. To control dominant encroaching trees such as Dichrostachys cinerea and Acacia karroo (Vachellia karroo), and the development of macrophyllous thickets, an intermediate fire frequency is required (one burn every 2–4 years).

Effects of Age on the Tuning of the cVEMP and oVEMP

The purpose of the present investigation was to define for young, middle-aged, and older adults the optimal frequency (cies) to record both the cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP) and the ocular vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (oVEMP). Further, this study aimed to describe age-related changes in the tuning of these two vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials. This was a prospective study. Participants were 39 healthy adults (mean age 46.3 ± 15.7 years; range = 22 to 78 years; 15 men) equally divided into 3 age groups of 13 participants each: young adult (18 to 39 years), middle age (40 to 59 years), and old adult (≥60 years). cVEMPs and oVEMPs were recorded using air-conduction tone bursts at stimulus frequencies of 125, 250, 500, 750, 1000, 1500, and 2000 Hz presented at 127 dB pSPL. There was a significant main effect of age group and frequency on the amplitude of both the cVEMP and the oVEMP. Amplitudes were largest for the Young adult group for the cVEMP and for the young adult and Middle age group for the oVEMP. The largest average peak-to-peak amplitude occurred in response to a 750 Hz tone burst for both responses. No significant differences in mean amplitude of the cVEMP or oVEMP were observed for 500, 750, or 1000 Hz stimuli. There was a significant interaction of age group and frequency for the cVEMP, suggesting a loss of tuning for the old adult group. Compared with the young adult group, the tuning of the cVEMP and oVEMP for the older adjults appeared to shift to a higher frequency. There is no sharp tuning in the saccule and utricle. Instead, there is a range of best frequencies that may be used to evoke the cVEMP and oVEMP responses. The results of the present investigation also demonstrate that the optimal stimulus frequency to elicit a VEMP may change with age. Accordingly, 500 Hz may not be the ideal frequency to elicit VEMPs for all age groups. For this reason, in cases where the VEMP response is absent at 500 Hz it is recommended that attempts be made to record the VEMP for tone-burst frequencies of 750 or 1000 Hz.

Multi-State Trials of Bt Sweet Corn Varieties for Control of the Corn Earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Field tests in 2010-2011 were performed in New York, Minnesota, Maryland, Ohio, and Georgia to compare Bt sweet corn lines expressing Cry1A.105 + Cry2Ab2 and Cry1Ab with their non-Bt isolines, with and without the use of foliar insecticides. The primary insect pest in all locations during the trial years was Heliocoverpa zea (Boddie), which is becoming the most serious insect pest of sweet corn in the United States. At harvest, the ears were measured for marketability according to fresh market and processing standards. For fresh market and processing, least squares regression showed significant effects of protein expression, state, and insecticide frequency. There was a significant effect of year for fresh market but not for processing. The model also showed significant effects of H. zea per ear by protein expression. Sweet corn containing two genes (Cry1A.105 + Cry2Ab2) and a single gene (Cry1Ab) provided high marketability, and both Bt varieties significantly outperformed the traditional non-Bt isolines in nearly all cases regardless of insecticide application frequency. For pest suppression of H. zea, plants expressing Bt proteins consistently performed better than non-Bt isoline plants, even those sprayed at conventional insecticide frequencies. Where comparisons in the same state were made between Cry1A.105 + Cry2Ab2 and Cry1Ab plants for fresh market, the product expressing Cry1A.105 + Cry2Ab2 provided better protection and resulted in less variability in control. Overall, these results indicate Cry1A.105 + Cry2Ab2 and Cry1Ab plants are suitable for fresh market and processing corn production across a diversity of growing regions and years. Our results demonstrate that Bt sweet corn has the potential to significantly reduce the use of conventional insecticides against lepidopteran pests and, in turn, reduce occupational and environmental risks that arise from intensive insecticide use.

Dynamic response of double beam rested on stochastic foundation under harmonic moving load

SUMMARYThis paper deals with the dynamic response of infinite double Euler–Bernoulli beam supported by elastic foundation with stochastic stiffness subjected to an oscillating moving load, which is the first research in relevant literature review. In this matter, equations of motion for double beam are formulated in a moving frame of reference. Moreover, by employing the first order perturbation theory and calculating contour integration, the response of double beam is obtained analytically and validated by a stochastic finite element model. Sensitivity analyses on the various parameters of closed form solution such as velocity, load frequency, coefficient of variation of soil foundation and rail and slab bending stiffness show the significant effect of load frequency on the dynamic response of the doubled beam. From practical point of view, the obtained results of the present study can be utilized efficiently in analysis and design of slab track systems. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

The Relation Between Frequency of Binge Drinking and Psychological Distress Among Older Adult Drinkers

The present study examined the relation between past year frequency of binge drinking and psychological distress among older adult drinkers. Data were obtained from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). Adults aged 60 and older who had consumed alcohol in the past year (n=13,265) were analyzed. Psychological distress was assessed using the Kessler 6 (K6) scale. Multiple regression analyses were conducted. A significant main effect of frequency of binge drinking was found in regression analyses, indicating that an increased frequency of binge drinking was significantly associated with increased psychological distress (B=.10, p<.001). Results from additional analyses showed that binge drinking was related to increased psychological distress when individuals were binge drinking more than once in the past year. The results suggest that binge drinking frequently may be related to increased experiences of psychological distress among older drinkers. Research and clinical implications are discussed.

Task and spatial frequency modulations of object processing: an EEG study.

Visual object processing may follow a coarse-to-fine sequence imposed by fast processing of low spatial frequencies (LSF) and slow processing of high spatial frequencies (HSF). Objects can be categorized at varying levels of specificity: the superordinate (e.g. animal), the basic (e.g. dog), or the subordinate (e.g. Border Collie). We tested whether superordinate and more specific categorization depend on different spatial frequency ranges, and whether any such dependencies might be revealed by or influence signals recorded using EEG. We used event-related potentials (ERPs) and time-frequency (TF) analysis to examine the time course of object processing while participants performed either a grammatical gender-classification task (which generally forces basic-level categorization) or a living/non-living judgement (superordinate categorization) on everyday, real-life objects. Objects were filtered to contain only HSF or LSF. We found a greater positivity and greater negativity for HSF than for LSF pictures in the P1 and N1 respectively, but no effects of task on either component. A later, fronto-central negativity (N350) was more negative in the gender-classification task than the superordinate categorization task, which may indicate that this component relates to semantic or syntactic processing. We found no significant effects of task or spatial frequency on evoked or total gamma band responses. Our results demonstrate early differences in processing of HSF and LSF content that were not modulated by categorization task, with later responses reflecting such higher-level cognitive factors.

Total and component distortion product otoacoustic emission analysis in persons with induced negative middle ear pressure

Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) are generated when two primary tones (f1, f2 with f2 > f1) are presented simultaneously to the ear. Inter-modulation between primary tones produces distortion products at predictable frequencies not present in the original signal (e.g., 2f1 − f2). In persons with negative middle ear pressure (NMEP), the tympanic membrane is retracted and pulled inward, compressing structures in the middle ear. NMEP is expected to modify DPOAE level and phase. Performing the Toynbee maneuver can artificially induce NMEP. Changes in DPOAE primary f1 and f2 level and phase and energy reflectance measures were used to confirm that 8 subjects had artificially induced NMEP using the Toynbee maneuver. DPOAEs were obtained using 1 s/octave duration logarithmic frequency sweeping primaries, f2/f1 = 1.22 producing 2f1 − f2 from 320–2560 Hz, L1 = L2 = 65, 70, 75 dB SPL. There was a significant effect of condition, primary level, and frequency on total DPOAE and component amplitude. S...