bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Development of Auditory Saltation and Its Relationship to Reading and Phonological Processing
Authors: Kidd Joanna C. , Hogben John H. 
Published: December 2009

Purpose
The temporal offset of auditory saltation is thought to be reflective of the limits of temporal resolution, and has recently been used to compare dyslexic and control adults and children, with mixed results (R. Hari & P. Kiesilä, 1996; M. Kronbichler, F. Hutzler, & H. Wimmer, 2002). This study sought to document and understand normative changes in saltation thresholds as a function of age, and examine the relationship of saltation thresholds to reading and phonological processing across development.

Method
This study used a cross-sectional developmental design. Groups of 7–8-, 9–10-, and 11–13-year-old children, and adults, undertook a 2-alternative forced-choice saltation task, along with standard tests of reading and phonological processing.

Results
Significantly higher and more variable saltation thresholds were evident in the 7–8-year-old group. Group distributions were skewed: Only a few young children obtained poor thresholds while most showed adult-like performance. Saltation thresholds were not related to reading or phonological processing skills at any stage of development.

Conclusions
The temporal offset of saltation is unlikely to reflect the true limits of temporal resolution in young children, but rather the conflation of perceptual and nonperceptual factors (such as poor short-term memory, inattention, and confusion) to task performance. Effort should be made to minimize such nonperceptual factors, particularly when using saltation as a measure of temporal resolution in participants with dyslexia.
Speech Perception in Individuals With Auditory Neuropathy
Authors: Zeng Fan-Gang , Liu Sheng 
Published: December 2009

PurposeSpeech perception in participants with auditory neuropathy (AN) was systematically studied to answer the following 2 questions: Does noise present a particular problem for people with AN? Can clear speech and cochlear implants alleviate this problem?MethodThe researchers evaluated the advantage in intelligibility of clear speech over conversational speech in 13 participants with AN. Of these participants, 7 had received a cochlear implant. Eight sentence-recognition experiments were conducted to examine the clear speech advantage in 2 listening conditions (quiet and noise) using 4 stimulation modes (monaural acoustic, diotic acoustic, monaural electric, and binaurally combined acoustic and electric stimulation).ResultsParticipants with AN performed more poorly in speech recognition in noise than did the normal-hearing, cochlear-impaired, and cochlear implant controls. A significant clear speech advantage was observed, ranging from 9 to 23 percentage points in intelligibility for all listening conditions and stimulation modes. Electric stimulation via a cochlear implant produced significantly higher intelligibility than acoustic stimulation in both quiet and in noise. Binaural hearing with either diotic acoustic stimulation or combined acoustic and electric stimulation produced significantly higher intelligibility than monaural stimulation in quiet but not in noise.ConclusionsParticipants with AN most likely derive the clear speech advantage from enhanced temporal properties in clear speech and improved neural synchrony with electric stimulation. Although the present result supports cochlear implantation as one treatment choice for people with AN, it suggests that the use of innovative hearing aids may be another viable option to improve speech perception in noise.
Parametric Quantitative Acoustic Analysis of Conversation Produced by Speakers With Dysarthria and Healthy Speakers
Authors: Rosen Kristin M. , Kent Raymond D. , Delaney Amy L. , Duffy Joseph R. 
Published: December 2009

PurposeThis study’s main purpose was to (a) identify acoustic signatures of hypokinetic dysarthria (HKD) that are robust to phonetic variation in conversational speech and (b) determine specific characteristics of the variability associated with HKD.MethodTwenty healthy control (HC) participants and 20 participants with HKD associated with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD) repeated 3 isolated sentences (controlled phonetic content) and 2 min of conversational speech (phonetic content treated as a random variable). A MATLAB-based program automatically calculated measures of contrastivity: speech–pause ratio, intensity variation, median and maximum formant slope, formant range, change in the upper and lower spectral envelope, and range of the spectral envelope.ttests were used to identify which measures were sensitive to HKD and which measures differed by task. Discriminant analysis was used to identify the combination of measures that best predicted HKD, and this analysis was then used as a general measure of contrastivity (Contrastivity Index). Differential effects of HKD on maximum and typical contrastivity levels were tested with interaction of maximum, minimum, and median observations of individual speakers and with pairwise comparisons of skewness and kurtosis of the contrastivity index distributions.ResultsGroup differences were detected with pairwise comparisons withttests in 8 of the 9 measures. Percentage pause time and spectral range were identified as the most specific (95%) and accurate (95%) differentiators of HKD and HC conversational speech. Sentence repetition elicited significantly higher levels of contrastivity than conversational speech in both HC and HKD speakers. Maximum and minimum contrastivities were significantly lower in HKD speech, but there was no evidence that HKD affects maximum contrastivity levels more than median contrastivity levels. The HKD speakers' contrastivity distributions were significantly more skewed to lower levels of production.ConclusionHKD can be consistently distinguished from HC speech in both sentence repetition and conversational speech on the basis of intensity variation and spectral range. Although speakers with HKD were effectively able to produce higher contrastivity levels in sentence repetition tasks, they habitually performed closer to the lower end of their production ranges.
Effect of Facemask Use on Respiratory Patterns of Women in Speech and Singing
Authors: Collyer Sally , Davis Pamela J. 
Published: December 2009

Purpose
Research into respiratory behavior during singing and speech makes extensive use of standard respiratory and vented pneumotachograph facemasks. This study investigated whether the use of such facemasks would affect respiratory behavior in terms of lung volume (excursion, at initiation and at termination) or duration (of inspiration and of expiration) during speech or singing.

Method
The respiratory patterns of 6 females were recorded using uniaxial surface magnetometry during 4 tasks: quiet breathing, a /pa/ syllabic train, reading (“The Rainbow Passage”), and singing a Christmas carol (“Silent night”). Each task was performed in 4 facemask conditions: wearing no facemask, wearing a facemask rim only, wearing a standard respiratory facemask, and wearing a vented pneumotachograph facemask.

Results
No significant effect was found for any of the facemask conditions on lung volume or duration measures during any tasks.

Conclusion
The results confirm earlier studies that the vented pneumotachograph facemask does not affect breathing behavior in speech research studies and extends the finding to the study of breathing behavior in singing and to the use of a standard respiratory facemask.
Analysis of High-Frequency Electroencephalographic-Electromyographic Coherence Elicited by Speech and Oral Nonspeech Tasks in Parkinson’s Disease
Authors: Caviness John N. , Liss Julie M. , Adler Charles , Evidente Virgilio 
Published: December 2009

PurposeCorticomuscular electroencephalographic-electromyographic (EEG-EMG) coherence elicited by speech and nonspeech oromotor tasks in healthy participants and those with Parkinson’s disease (PD) was examined. Hypotheses were the following: (a) corticomuscular coherence is demonstrable between orbicularis oris (OO) muscles' EMG and scalp EEG recording; (b) the presence, location, and magnitude of coherence is task specific; (c) differences in corticomuscular coherence patterns exist between healthy and PD participants; and (d) differences will manifest as either increased or decreased coherence values in certain frequency bands, with EEG localization at primary sensorimotor cortex and/or supplementary motor area (SMA).MethodSimultaneous EEG, EMG (OO), and speech samples were recorded on 20 healthy and 20 PD participants during speech and nonspeech tasks. Fast Fourier transform and coherence analysis was performed with Neuroscan software on 1,000 randomly generated epochs per task per group. Corticomuscular coherence was analyzed between each EEG electrode and right and left superior and inferior OO muscles up to 200 Hz. Significant coherence peaks exceeded 95% confidence limits (.003).ResultsCorticomuscular coherence existed for both groups and for all tasks, but to varying degrees in primary sensorimotor cortex and SMA.ConclusionsResults support task specificity for both groups and, in PD, a diminished modulation flexibility linked to the sensorimotor area and reduced corticomuscular coherence at the SMA.
Theoretical Analysis of Maximum Flow Declination Rate Versus Maximum Area Declination Rate in Phonation
Authors: Titze Ingo R. 
Published: December 2009

Purpose
Maximum flow declination rate (MFDR) in the glottis is known to correlate strongly with vocal intensity in voicing. This declination, or negative slope on the glottal airflow waveform, is in part attributable to the maximum area declination rate (MADR) and in part to the overall inertia of the air column of the vocal tract (lungs to lips). The purpose of this theoretical study was to show the possible contributions of air inertance and MADR to MFDR.

Method
A simplified computational model of the kinematics of vocal fold movement was utilized to compute a glottal area function. The glottal flow was computed interactively with lumped vocal tract parameters in the form of resistance and inertive reactance.

Results
It was shown that MADR depends almost entirely on the ratio of vibrational amplitudes of the lower to upper margins of the vocal fold tissue. Adduction, vertical phase difference, and prephonatory convergence of the glottis have a lesser effect on MADR. A relatively simple rule was developed that relates MFDR to a vibrational amplitude ratio and vocal tract inertance.

Conclusion
It was concluded that speakers and singers have multiple options for control of intensity, some of which involve more source–filter interaction than others.
Voice Training and Therapy With a Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract: Rationale and Scientific Underpinnings
Authors: Titze Ingo R. 
Published: December 2009

Purpose
Voice therapy with a semi-occluded vocal tract has a long history. The use of lip trills, tongue trills, bilabial fricatives, humming, and phonation into tubes or straws has been hailed by clinicians, singing teachers, and voice coaches as efficacious for training and rehabilitation. Little has been done, however, to provide the scientific underpinnings. The purpose of the study was to investigate the underlying physical principles behind the training and therapy approaches that use semi-occluded vocal tract shapes.

Method
Computer simulation, with a self-oscillating vocal fold model and a 44 section vocal tract, was used to elucidate source–filter interactions for lip and epilarynx tube semi-occlusions.

Results
A semi-occlusion in the front of the vocal tract (at the lips) heightens source–tract interaction by raising the mean supraglottal and intraglottal pressures. Impedance matching by vocal fold adduction and epilarynx tube narrowing can then make the voice more efficient and more economic (in terms of tissue collision).

Conclusion
The efficacious effects of a lip semi-occlusion can also be realized for nonoccluded vocal tracts by a combination of vocal fold adduction and epilarynx tube adjustments. It is reasoned that therapy approaches are designed to match the glottal impedance to the input impedance of the vocal tract.
Toward a Theory of Status Consumption in Less Industrialized Countries
Authors: Üstüner Tuba , Holt Douglas B. 
Published: December 2009

Abstract
How does status consumption operate among the middle classes in less industrialized countries (LICs)—those classes that have the spending power to participate effectively in consumer culture? Globalization research suggests that Bourdieu’s status consumption model, based upon Western research, does not provide an adequate explanation. And what we call the global trickle-down model, often invoked to explain LIC status consumption, is even more imprecise. We study the status consumption strategies of upper-middle-class Turkish women in order to revise three of Bourdieu’s most important concepts—cultural capital, habitus, and consumption field—to propose a theory specific to the LIC context. We demonstrate that cultural capital is organized around orthodox practice of the Western Lifestyle myth, that cultural capital is deterritorialized and so accrues through distant textbook-like learning rather than via the habitus, and that the class faction with lower cultural capital indigenizes the consumption field to sustain a national social hierarchy.
GWAF: an R package for genome-wide association analyses with family data
Authors: Chen Ming-Huei , Yang Qiong 
Published: December 2009

Abstract
Summary: GWAF, Genome-Wide Association analyses with Family, is an R package designed for GWAF. It implements association tests between a batch of genotyped or imputed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and a binary or continuous trait with user specified genetic model, and generates informative results from the analyses. In addition, GWAF provides functions to visualize results. We evaluated GWAF using a simulated continuous trait and a binary trait dichotomized from the simulated continuous trait with real genotype data from the Framingham Heart Study's SNP Health Association Resource project.
Availability: http://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/GWAF/
Contact: qyang@bu.edu
Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
ArabidopsisTic62 and Ferredoxin-NADP(H) Oxidoreductase Form Light-Regulated Complexes That Are Integrated into the Chloroplast Redox Poise
Authors: Benz J.P. , Stengel A. , Lintala M. , Lee Y.-H. , Weber A. , Philippar K. , Gügel I.L. , Kaieda S. , Ikegami T. , Mulo P. , Soll J. , Bölter B. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractTranslocation of nuclear-encoded preproteins across the inner envelope of chloroplasts is catalyzed by the Tic translocon, consisting of Tic110, Tic40, Tic62, Tic55, Tic32, Tic20, and Tic22. Tic62 was proposed to act as a redox sensor of the complex because of its redox-dependent shuttling between envelope and stroma and its specific interaction with the photosynthetic protein ferredoxin-NADP(H) oxidoreductase (FNR). However, the nature of this close relationship so far remained enigmatic. A putative additional localization of Tic62 at the thylakoids mandated further studies examining how this feature might be involved in the respective redox sensing pathway and the interaction with its partner protein. Therefore, both the association with FNR and the physiological role of the third, thylakoid-bound pool of Tic62 were investigated in detail. Coexpression analysis indicates that Tic62 has similar expression patterns as genes involved in photosynthetic functions and protein turnover. At the thylakoids, Tic62 and FNR form high molecular weight complexes that are not involved in photosynthetic electron transfer but are dynamically regulated by light signals and the stromal pH. Structural analyses reveal that Tic62 binds to FNR in a novel binding mode for flavoproteins, with a major contribution from hydrophobic interactions. Moreover, in absence of Tic62, membrane binding and stability of FNR are drastically reduced. We conclude that Tic62 represents a major FNR interaction partner not only at the envelope and in the stroma, but also at the thylakoids of Arabidopsis thaliana and perhaps all flowering plants. Association with Tic62 stabilizes FNR and is involved in its dynamic and light-dependent membrane tethering.
Two Types of Meiotic Crossovers Coexist in Maize
Authors: Falque Matthieu , Anderson Lorinda K. , Stack Stephen M. , Gauthier Franck , Martin Olivier C. 
Published: December 2009

AbstractWe apply modeling approaches to investigate the distribution of late recombination nodules in maize (Zea mays). Such nodules indicate crossover positions along the synaptonemal complex. High-quality nodule data were analyzed using two different interference models: the “statistical” gamma model and the “mechanical” beam film model. For each chromosome, we exclude at a 98% significance level the hypothesis that a single pathway underlies the formation of all crossovers, pointing to the coexistence of two types of crossing-over in maize, as was previously demonstrated in other organisms. We estimate the proportion of crossovers coming from the noninterfering pathway to range from 6 to 23% depending on the chromosome, with a cell average of ∼15%. The mean number of noninterfering crossovers per chromosome is significantly correlated with the length of the synaptonemal complex. We also quantify the intensity of interference. Finally, we develop inference tools that allow one to tackle, without much loss of power, complex crossover interference models such as the beam film. The lack of a likelihood function in such models had prevented their use for parameter estimation. This advance will allow more realistic mechanisms of crossover formation to be modeled in the future.
PIN Auxin Efflux Carrier Polarity Is Regulated by PINOID Kinase-Mediated Recruitment into GNOM-Independent Trafficking inArabidopsis
Authors: Kleine-Vehn Jürgen , Huang Fang , Naramoto Satoshi , Zhang Jing , Michniewicz Marta , Offringa Remko , Friml Jiří 
Published: December 2009

AbstractThe phytohormone auxin plays a major role in embryonic and postembryonic plant development. The temporal and spatial distribution of auxin largely depends on the subcellular polar localization of members of the PIN-FORMED (PIN) auxin efflux carrier family. The Ser/Thr protein kinase PINOID (PID) catalyzes PIN phosphorylation and crucially contributes to the regulation of apical-basal PIN polarity. The GTP exchange factor on ADP-ribosylation factors (ARF-GEF), GNOM preferentially mediates PIN recycling at the basal side of the cell. Interference with GNOM activity leads to dynamic PIN transcytosis between different sides of the cell. Our genetic, pharmacological, and cell biological approaches illustrate that PID and GNOM influence PIN polarity and plant development in an antagonistic manner and that the PID-dependent PIN phosphorylation results in GNOM-independent polar PIN targeting. The data suggest that PID and the protein phosphatase 2A not only regulate the static PIN polarity, but also act antagonistically on the rate of GNOM-dependent polar PIN transcytosis. We propose a model that includes PID-dependent PIN phosphorylation at the plasma membrane and the subsequent sorting of PIN proteins to a GNOM-independent pathway for polarity alterations during developmental processes, such as lateral root formation and leaf vasculature development.
Cell Type–Specific Chromatin Decondensation of a Metabolic Gene Cluster in Oats
Authors: Wegel Eva , Koumproglou Rachil , Shaw Peter , Osbourn Anne 
Published: December 2009

AbstractTranscription-related chromatin decondensation has been studied in mammals for clusters of structurally and/or functionally related genes that are coordinately regulated (e.g., the homeobox locus in mice and the major histocompatability complex locus in humans). Plant genes have generally been considered to be randomly distributed throughout the genome, although several examples of metabolic gene clusters for synthesis of plant defense compounds have recently been discovered. Clustering provides for genetic linkage of genes that together confer a selective advantage and may also facilitate coordinate regulation of gene expression by enabling localized changes in chromatin structure. Here, we use cytological methods to investigate components of a metabolic gene cluster for synthesis of developmentally regulated defense compounds (avenacins) in diploid oat (Avena strigosa). Our experiments reveal that expression of the avenacin gene cluster is associated with cell type–specific chromatin decondensation, providing new insights into regulation of gene clusters in plants. Importantly, chromatin decondensation could be visualized not only at the large-scale level but down to the single gene level. We further show that the avenacin and sterol pathways are likely to be inversely regulated at the level of transcription.
Movement and Remodeling of the Endoplasmic Reticulum in Nondividing Cells of Tobacco Leaves
Authors: Sparkes I. , Runions J. , Hawes C. , Griffing L. 
Published: December 2009

Abstract
Using a novel analytical tool, this study investigates the relative roles of actin, microtubules, myosin, and Golgi bodies on form and movement of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) leaf epidermal cells. Expression of a subset of truncated class XI myosins, which interfere with the activity of native class XI myosins, and drug-induced actin depolymerization produce a more persistent network of ER tubules and larger persistent cisternae. The treatments differentially affect two persistent size classes of cortical ER cisternae, those &gt;0.3 μm2 and those smaller, called punctae. The punctae are not Golgi, and ER remodeling occurs in the absence of Golgi bodies. The treatments diminish the mobile fraction of ER membrane proteins but not the diffusive flow of mobile membrane proteins. The results support a model whereby ER network remodeling is coupled to the directionality but not the magnitude of membrane surface flow, and the punctae are network nodes that act as foci of actin polymerization, regulating network remodeling through exploratory tubule growth and myosin-mediated shrinkage.
The application of mass‐spectrometry‐based protein biomarker discovery to theragnostics
Authors: Street Jonathan M. , Dear James W. 
Published: December 2009

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT • The techniques used in protein biomarker discovery have been described in specialist journals. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS • This review aims to provide a useful toolkit for the researcher (especially the less experienced) that suggests answers to common questions and demystifies some of the technology.Over the last decade rapid developments in mass spectrometry have allowed the identification of multiple proteins in complex biological samples. This proteomic approach has been applied to biomarker discovery in the context of clinical pharmacology (the combination of biomarker and drug now being termed ‘theragnostics’). In this review we provide a roadmap for early protein biomarker discovery studies, focusing on some key questions that regularly confront researchers.