EEG Dataset for the Recognition of Different Emotions Induced in Voice-User Interaction.

Electroencephalography (EEG)-based open-access datasets are available for emotion recognition studies, where external auditory/visual stimuli are used to artificially evoke pre-defined emotions. In this study, we provide a novel EEG dataset containing the emotional information induced during a realistic human-computer interaction (HCI) using a voice user interface system that mimics natural human-to-human communication. To validate our dataset via neurophysiological investigation and binary emotion classification, we applied a series of signal processing and machine learning methods to the EEG data.

A Detection-Theoretic Analysis of Auditory Streaming and Its Relation to Auditory Masking.

Research on hearing has long been challenged with understanding our exceptional ability to hear out individual sounds in a mixture (the so-called cocktail party problem). Two general approaches to the problem have been taken using sequences of tones as stimuli. The first has focused on our tendency to hear sequences, sufficiently separated in frequency, split into separate cohesive streams (auditory streaming).

Broadband pH-Sensing Organic Transistors with Polymeric Sensing Layers Featuring Liquid Crystal Microdomains Encapsulated by Di-Block Copolymer Chains.

We report broadband pH-sensing organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) with the polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) sensing layers. The PDLC layers are prepared by spin-coating using ethanol solutions containing 4-cyano-4'-pentyl-biphenyl (5CB) and a diblock copolymer (PAA-b-PCBOA) that consists of LC-philic block [poly(4-cyano-biphenyl-4-oxyundecyl acrylate) (PCBOA)] and acrylic acid block [poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)]. The spin-coated sensing layers feature of 5CB microdomains (<5 μm) encapsulated by the PAA-b-PCBOA polymer chains.

Individual Differences in Behavioural Decision Weights Related to Irregularities in Cochlear Mechanics.

An unexpected finding of previous psychophysical studies is that listeners show highly replicable, individualistic patterns of decision weights on frequencies affecting their performance in spectral discrimination tasks--what has been referred to as individual listening styles. We, like many other researchers, have attributed these listening styles to peculiarities in how listeners attend to sounds, but we now believe they partially reflect irregularities in cochlear micromechanics modifying what listeners hear. The most striking evidence for cochlear irregularities is the presence of low-level spontaneous otoacoustic emissions (SOAEs) measured in the ear canal and the systematic variation in stimulus frequency otoacoustic emissions (SFOAEs), both of which result from back-propagation of waves in the cochlea.

The information-divergence hypothesis of informational masking.

In recent years there has been growing interest in masking that cannot be attributed to interactions in the cochlea-so--called informational masking (IM). Similarity in the acoustic properties of target and masker and uncertainty regarding the masker are the two major factors identified with IM. These factors involve quite different manipulations of signals and are believed to entail fundamentally different processes resulting in IM.

Automated detection of alarm sounds.

Two approaches to the automated detection of alarm sounds are compared, one based on a change in overall sound level (RMS), the other a change in periodicity, as given by the power of the normalized autocorrelation function (PNA). Receiver operating characteristics in each case were obtained for different exemplars of four classes of alarm sounds (bells/chimes, buzzers/beepers, horns/whistles, and sirens) embedded in four noise backgrounds (cafeteria, park, traffic, and music). The results suggest that PNA combined with RMS may be used to improve current alarm-sound alerting technologies for the hard-of-hearing.