Location-independent and location-linked representations of sound objects.

For the recognition of sounds to benefit perception and action, their neural representations should also encode their current spatial position and their changes in position over time. The dual-stream model of auditory processing postulates separate (albeit interacting) processing streams for sound meaning and for sound location. Using a repetition priming paradigm in conjunction with distributed source modeling of auditory evoked potentials, we determined how individual sound objects are represented within these streams. Changes in perceived location were induced by interaural intensity differences, and sound location was either held constant or shifted across initial and repeated presentations (from one hemispace to the other in the main experiment or between locations within the right hemispace in a follow-up experiment). Location-linked representations were characterized by differences in priming effects between pairs presented to the same vs. different simulated lateralizations. These effects were significant at 20-39 ms post-stimulus onset within a cluster on the posterior part of the left superior and middle temporal gyri; and at 143-162 ms within a cluster on the left inferior and middle frontal gyri. Location-independent representations were characterized by a difference between initial and repeated presentations, independently of whether or not their simulated lateralization was held constant across repetitions. This effect was significant at 42-63 ms within three clusters on the right temporo-frontal region; and at 165-215 ms in a large cluster on the left temporo-parietal convexity. Our results reveal two varieties of representations of sound objects within the ventral/What stream: one location-independent, as initially postulated in the dual-stream model, and the other location-linked.

Auditory spatio-temporal brain dynamics and their consequences for multisensory interactions in humans.

Recent multisensory research has emphasized the occurrence of early, low-level interactions in humans. As such, it is proving increasingly necessary to also consider the kinds of information likely extracted from the unisensory signals that are available at the time and location of these interaction effects. This review addresses current evidence regarding how the spatio-temporal brain dynamics of auditory information processing likely curtails the information content of multisensory interactions observable in humans at a given latency and within a given brain region. First, we consider the time course of signal propagation as a limitation on when auditory information (of any kind) can impact the responsiveness of a given brain region. Next, we overview the dual pathway model for the treatment of auditory spatial and object information ranging from rudimentary to complex environmental stimuli. These dual pathways are considered an intrinsic feature of auditory information processing, which are not only partially distinct in their associated brain networks, but also (and perhaps more importantly) manifest only after several tens of milliseconds of cortical signal processing. This architecture of auditory functioning would thus pose a constraint on when and in which brain regions specific spatial and object information are available for multisensory interactions. We then separately consider evidence regarding mechanisms and dynamics of spatial and object processing with a particular emphasis on when discriminations along either dimension are likely performed by specific brain regions. We conclude by discussing open issues and directions for future research.

Oculopalatal tremor: current concepts and new observations.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Oculopalatal tremor (OPT) is an acquired disorder resulting from the interruption of a specific brainstem circuitry, the dentato-rubro-olivary pathway or Guillain-Mollaret triangle. The recent literature on OPT and olivary hypertrophy was reviewed with specific interest regarding causes, diagnostic procedures, physiopathology and therapies. RECENT FINDINGS: OPT is associated with inferior olivary hypertrophy, and recent findings have provided a better understanding of its intimate mechanisms. A dual-mechanism model, combining an oscillator (inferior olive) and a modulator/amplifier (cerebellum), best explains the development of OPT. Electrotonic coupling and specific Ca channels contribute to oscillations of inferior olivary nucleus neurons in OPT. Improvement of visual symptoms can be achieved with oral gabapentin or memantine. SUMMARY: Both the neuronal circuitry and the physiopathology of OPT are now better understood. This opens up an era of specific therapy for this rare cause of disabling oscillopsia.

Mesurer la stigmatisation perçue chez les personnes souffrant de troubles psychiques : traduction française, validation et adaptation de la Stigma Scale [French translation, validation and adaptation of the Stigma Scale].

AIM: People suffering from mental illness are exposed to stigma. However, only few tools are available to assess stigmatization as perceived from the patient's perspective. The aim of this study is to adapt and validate a French version of the Stigma Scale (King et al., 2007 [8]). This self-report questionnaire has a three-factor structure: discrimination, disclosure and positive aspects of mental illness. Discrimination subscale refers to perceived negative reactions of others. Disclosure subscale refers mainly to managing disclosure to avoid discrimination and finally positive aspects subscale taps into how patients are becoming more accepting, more understanding toward their illness. METHOD: In the first step, internal consistency, convergent validity and test-retest reliability of the French adaptation of the 28-item scale were assessed in a sample of 183 patients. Results of confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) did not confirm the hypothesized structure. In the light of the failed attempts to validate the original version, an alternative 9-item short-form version of the Stigma Scale, maintaining the integrity of the original model, was developed based on results of exploratory factor analyses in the first sample and cross-validated in a new sample of 234 patients. RESULTS: Results of CFA did not confirm that the data fitted well to the three-factor model of the 28-item Stigma Scale (χ(2)/df=2.02, GFI=0.77, AGFI=0.73, RMSEA=0.07, CFI=0.77 and NNFI=0.75). Cronbach's α was excellent for discrimination (0.84) and disclosure (0.83) subscales but poor for potential positive aspects (0.46). External validity was satisfactory. Overall Stigma Scale total score was negatively correlated with the score on Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (r=-0.49), and each subscale was significantly correlated with a visual analogue scale that referred to the specific aspect of stigma (0.43≤|r|≤0.60). Intraclass correlation coefficients between 0.68 and 0.89 indicated good test-retest reliability. The results of the CFA demonstrated that the items chosen for the short version of the Stigma Scale have the expected fit properties (χ(2)/df=1.02, GFI=0.98, AGFI=0.98, RMSEA=0.01, CFI=1.0 and NNFI=1.0). Considering the small number (three) of items in each subscale of the short version of the Stigma Scale, α coefficients for discrimination (0.57), disclosure (0.80) and potential positive aspects subscales (0.62) are considered as good. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the 9-item French short version of the Stigma Scale is a useful, reliable and valid self-report questionnaire to assess perceived stigmatization in people suffering from mental illness. The time of completion is really short and questions are well understood and accepted by the patients.

Translation and validation of the Ten-Item-Personality Inventory into spanish and catalan

In response to an increasing need for ever-shorter personality instruments, Gosling, Rentfrow, and Swann (2003) developed the Ten-Item-Personality Inventory (TIPI), which measures the dimensions of the Five Factor Model (FFM) using 10 items (two for each dimension) and can be administered in about one minute. In two studies and using a multi-judge (self and observer) and multi-instrument design, we develop Spanish (Castilian) and Catalan versions of the TIPI and evaluate them in terms of internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent, discriminant, and content validity, as well as self-observer correlations. Test-retest correlations were strong, and convergence with the NEO-PI-R factors was significant. There were also strong correlations between observer ratings and the participants’ self-ratings. Despite some inconsistencies with respect to the Agreeableness scale, the Catalan translation and both translations into Spanish of the original TIPI demonstrated sufficient psychometric properties to warrant use as a Five Factor personality measure when the use of longer instruments is not convenient or possible. Furthermore, as the first translation of a brief standard Big Five Instrument into Catalan, this work should facilitate future research on personality in the Catalan-speaking population.

Personality and personality disorders in urban and rural Africa: results from a field trial in Burkina Faso

When conducting research in different cultural settings, assessing measurement equivalence is of prime importance to determine if constructs and scores can be compared across groups. Structural equivalence implies that constructs have the same meaning across groups, metric equivalence implies that the metric of the scales remains stable across groups, and full scale or scalar equivalence implies that the origin of the scales is the same across groups. Several studies have observed that the structure underlying both normal personality and personality disorders (PDs) is stable across cultures. Most of this cross-cultural research was conducted in Western and Asian cultures. In Africa, the few studies were conducted with well-educated participants using French or English instruments. No research was conducted in Africa with less privileged or preliterate samples. The aim of this research was to study the structure and expression of normal and abnormal personality in an urban and a rural sample in Burkina Faso. The sample included 1,750 participants, with a sub-sample from the urban area of Ouagadougou (n = 1,249) and another sub-sample from a rural village, Soumiaga (n = 501). Most participants answered an interview consisting of a Mooré language adaptation of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory and of the International Personality Disorders Examination. Mooré is the language of the Mossi ethnic group, and the most frequently spoken local language in Burkina Faso. A sub-sample completed the same self-report instruments in French. Demographic variables only had a small impact on normal and abnormal personality traits mean levels. The structure underlying normal personality was unstable across regions and languages, illustrating that translating a complex psychological inventory into a native African language is a very difficult task. The structure underlying abnormal personality and the metric of PDs scales were stable across regions. As scalar equivalence was not reached, mean differences cannot be interpreted. Nevertheless, these differences could be due to an exaggerated expression of abnormal traits valued in the two cultural settings. Our results suggest that studies using a different methodology should be conducted to understand what is considered, in different cultures, as deviating from the expectations of the individual's culture, and as a significant impairment in self and interpersonal functioning, as defined by the DSM-5.

Personality traits are associated with acute major depression across the age spectrum.

Objectives: Psychological predictors, such as personality traits, have aroused growing interest as possible predictors of late-life depression outcome in old age. It remains, however, unclear whether the cross-sectional relationship between personality traits and depression occurrence reported in younger samples is also present in the elderly. Methods: Comparisons amongst 79 outpatients with DSM-IV major depression and 102 healthy controls included assessment of the five-factor model of personality (NEO PI-R), socio-demographic variables, physical health status, as well as depression features. Two sub-groups were considered, defined as young (25-50 years) and old (60-85 years) patients. Results: Depressed patients showed significantly higher levels of Neuroticism and lower levels of Extraversion, Openness to Experience and Conscientiousness compared to controls. Sequential logistic regression models confirmed that the combination of increased physical burden, levels of dependency, and increased Neuroticism strongly predicts the occurrence of acute depressive symptoms. In contrast, the levels of Neuroticism did not allow for differentiating late-life from young age depression. Increased physical burden and decreased depression severity were the main predictors for this distinction. Conclusion: Our data indicate that personality factors and depression are related, independently of patients' age. Differences in this relationship are mainly due to the intensity of depressive symptoms rather than the patients' life period. They also stress the need to consider physical health, level of dependency and severity of symptoms when studying the relationship between personality traits and mood disorders.

Avainasiakassuhteiden analysointi ja -kehittämisstrategioiden luonti business-to-business markkinoilla toimivalle pk-yritykselle

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tunnistaa tutkittavan yrityksen (Starlike Oy) avainasiakassuhteiden tila sekä luoda strategioita näiden asiakassuhteiden kehittämiseksi. Asiakassuhteiden tilaa pyrittiin analysoimaan tarkastelemalla kolmea suhteen osatekijää; ilmapiiriä, transaktiohistoriaa ja toimijoita. Vastaavasti strategioiden luonnintukena käytettiin asiakassuhteen osatekijöiden painoarvo- sekä asiakassuhteen ongelmat/tarpeet -mallia. Tutkimusmenetelmänä käytettiin kyselytutkimusta, jonka aineisto kerättiin sähköpostikyselyllä syksyn 2006 aikana niin asiakkailta kuin yritykseltäkin. Asiakassuhteiden havaittiin jakautuvan viidelle tasolle jakauman noudattaessa normaalijakaumaa. Asiakkaan ja myyjän näkemyksissä asiakassuhteen nykytilasta ei havaittu olevan järjestelmällistä eroa. Toisaalta myyjän havaittiin asettavan asiakassuhteen tavoitteet järjestelmällisesti asiakasta korkeammalle. Asiakassuhteiden tavoitteiden havaittiin lisäksi jakautuvan asiakassuhteen tasoittain kahteen osaan siten, että noin puolet asiakkaista halusi kehittää asiakassuhdettaan ja noin puolet oli tyytyväisiä sen nykytilaan.

The Persistence of Finnish Equity Fund Performance

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on selvittää, esiintyykö suomeen sijoittavilla osakerahastoilla menestyksen pysyvyyttä. Tutkimusaineisto koostuu kaikista suomalaisista osakerahastoista, jotka toimivat ajanjaksolla 15.1.1998-13.1.2005. Aineisto on vapaa selviytymisvinoumasta. Suorituskyvyn mittareina käytetään CAPM-alfaa sekä kolmi- ja nelifaktori-alfaa. Empiirisessä osassa osakerahastojen menestyksen pysyvyyttä testataan Spearmanin järjestyskorrelaatiotestillä. Evidenssi menestyksen pysyvyydestä jäi vähäiseksi, vaikkakin sitä esiintyi satunnaisesti kaikilla menestysmittareilla joillakin ranking- ja sijoitusperiodin yhdistelmillä. CAPM-alfalla tarkasteltuna tilastollisesti merkitsevää menestyksen pysyvyyttä esiintyi selvästi useammin kuin muilla menestysmittareilla. Tulokset tukevat viimeaikaisia kansainvälisiä tutkimuksia, joiden mukaan menestyksen pysyvyys riippuu usein mittaustavasta. Menestysmittareina käytettyjen regressiomallien merkitsevyystestit osoittavat multifaktorimallien selittävän osakerahastojen tuottoja CAPM:a paremmin. Lisätyt muuttujat parantavat merkittävästi CAPM:n selitysvoimaa.

Psychometric properties of the French version of the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire

Este estudio instrumental fue diseñado para investigar las propiedades psicométricas de la versión francesa y replicabilidad transcultural del Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ) en sus factores y facetas. El ZKPQ es un instrumento destinado a evaluar los cinco factores básicos del Alternative Five-Factor Model (AFFM). Los participantes fueron 843 suizos francófonos, principalmente estudiantes universitarios. Obtenidos los factores estos mostraron una fiabilidad entre 0,73 y 0,87, y sus facetas entre 0,57 y 0,77. Las diferencias entre géneros son similares a las informadas en la muestra americana. Las mujeres alcanzaron puntuaciones superiores en N-Anx, y puntuaciones más bajas en ImpSS y Act. El resultado de los análisis factoriales exploratorios respaldó la estructura de cinco factores y sus correspondientes facetas. Las correlaciones entre las escalas sostienen que los cinco factores básicos del AFFM son ortogonales. Los coeficientes de congruencia muestran la elevada eplicabilidad transcultural de los factores y sus facetas. Se puso a prueba el ajuste del modelo en sus factores y facetas mediante análisis factorial confirmatorio. Los resultados indican que la versión en lengua francesa del ZKPQ es un instrumento fiable y válido y posee buena replicabilidad transcultural.

Spanish adaptation of the Expectancy Questionnaire (EQ) about alcohol effects in adolescents

Background: Alcohol-related expectancies are especially relevant in relation to alcohol consumption during adolescence. The main aim of this study was to adapt and translate into Spanish (Castilian) the Expectancy Questionnaire (EQ), and to study its psychometric properties in adolescents. Method: The sample was composed of 514 adolescents (57.20% female, mean age = 15.21; SD = .63) who completed the EQ and the alcohol consumption questionnaire AIS-UJI. Results: Confi rmatory factor analysis indicated that an eight-factor model, grouped into two general factors of positive and negative expectancies, had acceptable fi t indices. Cronbach’s alphas ranged from .75 to .96. Finally, the structural equation model showed that positive expectancies were positively related to alcohol use, whereas negative expectancies were negatively related to drinking. Conclusions: Results showed that the Spanish version of the EQ for adolescents is a valid and reliable questionnaire to measure expectancies about alcohol effects.

Roaring lions and chirruping lemurs: How the brain encodes sound objects in space.

The dual-stream model of auditory processing postulates separate processing streams for sound meaning and for sound location. The present review draws on evidence from human behavioral and activation studies as well as from lesion studies to argue for a position-linked representation of sound objects that is distinct both from the position-independent representation within the ventral/What stream and from the explicit sound localization processing within the dorsal/Where stream.

The Measurement Invariance of Schizotypy in Europe

The short version of the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences (sO-LIFE) is a widely used measure assessing schizotypy. There is limited information, however, on how sO-LIFE scores compare across different countries. The main goal of the present study is to test the measurement invariance of the sO-LIFE scores in a large sample of non-clinical adolescents and young adults from four European countries (UK, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain). The scores were obtained from validated versions of the sO-LIFE in their respective languages. The sample comprised 4190 participants (M = 20.87 years; SD = 3.71 years). The study of the internal structure, using confirmatory factor analysis, revealed that both three (i.e., positive schizotypy, cognitive disorganisation, and introvertive anhedonia) and four-factor (i.e., positive schizotypy, cognitive disorganisation, introvertive anhedonia, and impulsive nonconformity) models fitted the data moderately well. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis showed that the three-factor model had partial strong measurement invariance across countries. Eight items were non-invariant across samples. Significant statistical differences in the mean scores of the s-OLIFE were found by country. Reliability scores, estimated with Ordinal alpha ranged from 0.75 to 0.87. Using the Item Response Theory framework, the sO-LIFE provides more accuracy information at the medium and high end of the latent trait. The current results show further evidence in support of the psychometric proprieties of the sO-LIFE, provide new information about the cross-cultural equivalence of schizotypy and support the use of this measure to screen for psychotic-like features and liability to psychosis in general population samples from different European countries.

Validation of French and German versions of a Perceived Neighborhood Social Cohesion questionnaire among young Swiss males, and its relationship with substance use

This study main purpose was the validation of both French and German versions of a Perceived Neighborhood Social Cohesion Questionnaire. The sample group comprised 5065 Swiss men from the "Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors." Multigroup Confirmatory factor analysis showed that a three-factor model fits the data well, which substantiates the generalizability of Perceived Neighborhood Social Cohesion Questionnaire factor structure, regardless of the language. The Perceived Neighborhood Social Cohesion Questionnaire demonstrated excellent homogeneity (α = 95) and split-half reliability (r = .96). The Perceived Neighborhood Social Cohesion Questionnaire was sensitive to community size and participants' financial situation, confirming that it also measures real social conditions. Finally, weak but frequent correlations between Perceived Neighborhood Social Cohesion Questionnaire and alcohol, cigarette, and cannabis dependence were measured.

Risk-Return Trade-Off for European Stock Markets

This paper adopts dynamic factor models with macro-finance predictors to test the intertemporal risk-return relation for 13 European stock markets. We identify country specific, euro area, and global macro-finance factors to determine the conditional risk and return. Empirically, the risk- return trade-off is generally negative. However, a Markov switching model documents that there is time-variation in this trade-off that is linked to the state of the economy. Keywords: Risk-return trade-off; Dynamic factor model; Macro-finance predictors; European stock markets; Markov switching model JEL Classifications: C22; G11; G12; G17