Generalizability and representation in studies of infant perceptual narrowing: Considerations for future research.

Forty years ago, Werker and Tees (1984) published a seminal finding which launched a proliferation of new research on early language learning. Their startling discovery, that infants demonstrate high initial sensitivity to phonetic contrasts which then attenuates over the first year of life, has provided deep insights into the origins of language learning. It has since stimulated a significant body of research investigating this early developmental process. This vast body of empirical work led to a theory of perceptual narrowing, which prevails today as a domain-general mechanism of environmental adaptation. In this article, I offer future directions for empirical and theoretical growth of perceptual narrowing theory with particular attention to issues of diversity, representation and generalizability. In addition, I discuss the importance of integrating empirical variation into perceptual narrowing theory.

Oxidation-induced graded bandgap narrowing in Two-dimensional tin sulfide for high-sensitivity broadband photodetection.

Two-dimensional (2D) layered group-IV monochalcogenides with large surface-to-volume ratio and high surface activity make that their structural and optoelectronic properties are sensitive to air oxidation. Here, we report the utilization of oxidation-induced gradient doping to modulate electronic structures and optoelectronic properties of 2D group-IV monochalcogenides by using SnS nanoplates grown by physical vapor deposition as a model system. By a precise control of oxidation time and temperature, the structural transition from SnS to SnSOx could be driven by the layer-by-layer oxygen doping and intercalation. The resulting SnSOx with a graded narrowing bandgap exhibits the enhanced optical absorption and photocurrent, leading to the fabricated SnSOx photodetector with remarkable photoresponsivity and fast response speed (<64 µs) at a broadband spectrum range of 520-1550 nm. The peak responsivity (7294 A/W) and detectivity (9.54 × 109 Jones) of SnSOx device are at least two orders of magnitude larger than those of SnS photodetector. Moreover, its photodetection performance can be competed with state-of-the-art of 2D materials-based photodetectors. This work suggests that the air oxidation could be utilized as an efficient strategy to engineer the electronic and optical properties of SnS and other 2D group-IV monochalcogenides for the development of high-performance broadband photodetectors.

Successful sensitization of 2.5-year-olds to other-race faces through bimodal training.

The present study investigated the potential for sensitizing 2.5-year-old Caucasian infants to other-race faces (Asian faces). In the domain of face perception, infants become less sensitive to facial distinctions of other-race faces through perceptual narrowing at the end of the first year of life. Nevertheless, infants around 12 months can regain their sensitivity to other-race faces. For instance, exposing them to a specific statistical distribution and employing the mechanisms of statistical learning is one way to enhance their discriminatory abilities towards other-race faces. Following this idea, we investigated if even older infants around 2.5 years can be sensitized to other-race faces. We trained the infants with a bimodal distribution of a morphed continuum of Asian female faces with faces closer to the endpoints presented most frequently. We assessed infants' discrimination of Asian faces by measuring their looking times after the training phase. The 2.5-year-olds showed a difference in looking times after the training, indicating that the exposure to a bimodal frequency distribution led to a successful discrimination between Asian faces. These findings demonstrate that 2.5-year-olds can be sensitized to other-race faces by exposing them to a bimodal distribution of such faces, underlining the plasticity of face perception in childhood.

Self-Driven Perovskite/Organic Quasi-Tandem Photodetectors Operating in Both Narrowband and Broadband Regimes.

Dual-band photodetectors (PDs) have attracted extensive research attention due to their great potential for diverse and refreshing application scenarios in full-color imaging, optical communication, and imaging detection. Here, a self-driven dual-band PD without filters and other auxiliary equipment to achieve a narrowband response in Mode 1 and a broadband response in Mode 2 was designed based on carrier-selective transmission narrowing (CSTN). The polymer material poly[bis(4-phenyl)(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)amine] (PTAA), which has the appropriate energy level, was selected to be the carrier-selective transmission layer. In Mode 1, the dual-band PD exhibits a near-infrared (NIR) narrowband response in 750-900 nm, which indicates a responsivity of 360 mA/W, a full-width at half-maximum (fwhm) of 81 nm, and a specific detectivity (D*) of 7.49 × 1010 Jones at 810 nm. Simultaneously, in Mode 2, the dual-band PD exhibits a UV-visible-NIR broadband responsivity of 180 mA/W and a specific detectivity (D*) of 3.8 × 1010 Jones at 520 nm. Our study provides a reliable idea for the commercial applications of dual-function photodetectors.

Native and non-native vowel discrimination in 6-month-old Norwegian infants.

In the current preregistered study, we tested n = 67 6-month-old Norwegian infants' discrimination of a native vowel contrast /y-i/ and a non-native (British) vowel contrast /ʌ-æ/ in an eye-tracking habituation paradigm. Our results showed that, on a group level, infants did not discriminate either contrast. Yet, exploratory analyses revealed a negative association between infants' performance in each experiment, that is, better discrimination of the native contrast was associated with worse discrimination of the non-native contrast. Potentially, infants in this study might have been on the cusp of perceptual reorganisation towards their native language.

Characteristics of lung resistance and elastance associated with tracheal stenosis and intrapulmonary airway narrowing in ex vivo sheep lungs.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the characteristics of pulmonary resistance and elastance in relation to the location of airway narrowing, e.g., tracheal stenosis vs. intrapulmonary airway obstruction, will help us understand lung function characteristics and mechanisms related to different airway diseases. METHODS: In this study, we used ex vivo sheep lungs as a model to measure lung resistance and elastance across a range of transpulmonary pressures (5-30 cmH2O) and ventilation frequencies (0.125-2 Hz). We established two tracheal stenosis models by inserting plastic tubes into the tracheas, representing mild (71.8% lumen area reduction) and severe (92.1%) obstructions. For intrapulmonary airway obstruction, we induced airway narrowing by challenging the lung with acetylcholine (ACh). RESULTS: We found a pattern change in the lung resistance and apparent lung elastance as functions of ventilation frequency that depended on the transpulmonary pressure (or lung volume). At a transpulmonary pressure of 10 cmH2O, lung resistance increased with ventilation frequency in severe tracheal stenosis, whereas in ACh-induced airway narrowing the opposite occurred. Furthermore, apparent lung elastance at 10 cmH2O decreased with increasing ventilation frequency in severe tracheal stenosis whereas in ACh-induced airway narrowing the opposite occurred. Flow-volume analysis revealed that the flow amplitude was much sensitive to ventilation frequency in tracheal stenosis than it was in ACh induced airway constriction. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study suggest that lung resistance and apparent elastance measured at 10 cmH2O over the frequency range of 0.125-2 Hz can differentiate tracheal stenosis vs. intrapulmonary airway narrowing in ex vivo sheep lungs.

Adult Laryngotracheobronchitis in the Setting of a COVID-19 Infection.

We describe a case of adult croup in an 18-year-old female caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Her complaints started as lower respiratory tract symptoms that evolved into stridor, barking cough, and dyspnea. The patient was diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing from a nasopharyngeal swab. The patient received multiple doses of nebulized racemic epinephrine with minimal improvement, and later the patient required mechanical ventilation. Intravenous remdesivir was administered for five days. Multiple doses of dexamethasone were required throughout the course of the illness. Croup in adults secondary to COVID-19 infections appears to be severe and might be poorly responsive to standard treatment protocols.

Optimizing 3d electronic structure of LaCoO3 based on spin state tuning for enhancing photo-Fenton activity on tetracycline degradation.

The water pollution caused by the abuse of antibiotics has significant harmful effects on the environment and human health. The photo-Fenton process is currently the most effective method for removing antibiotics from water, but it encounters challenges such as inadequate response to visible light, low yield and utilization of photogenerated electrons, and slow electron transport. In this study, spin state regulation was introduced into the photo-Fenton process, and the spin state of Co3+ was regulated through Ce displacement doping. The intermediate-spin state Ce-LaCoO3 could degrade 91.6 % of tetracycline within 120 min in the photo-Fenton system, which is 15.2 % higher than that of low-spin state LaCoO3. The improved degradation effect is attributed to the reasons that Ce-LaCoO3 in the intermediate-spin state have lower band gap, better charge transfer ability, and stronger adsorption capacity of H2O2, which can accelerate the redox cycle of Co2+/Co3+ and promote the generation of ·OH. This study presents a unique strategy for synthesizing efficient photo-Fenton materials to treat antibiotic wastewater effectively.

Association between the canal filling ratio and bone resorption in trabecular metal stems in reverse total shoulder arthroplasty: a radiographic analysis using tomosynthesis.

Background: Several factors affect the incidence of osteopenia with cortical narrowing (CNO) in reverse shoulder arthroplasty. This study aimed to compare the incidence of CNO with different fixation methods (cemented or cementless) using a single implant (trabecular metal humeral stem) evaluated using tomosynthesis and to analyze the factors affecting the incidence of CNO for cementless stem fixation. Methods: A total of 109 patients (cementless: 75 cases; cemented: 34 cases) who underwent reverse total shoulder arthroplasty were included in this study. The patients were divided into 2 groups (cementless or cemented), and the incidence of CNO was compared. In addition, patients in the cementless group were divided into 2 groups (canal filling ratio [CFR] of ≥ 0.7 or < 0.7), the incidence of CNO was compared, and the Cramer's coefficient of association between CNO and CFR > 0.7 (and 0.8) was calculated. Results: No significant difference was observed in the incidence of CNO between the cementless and cemented groups (7/75 vs. 3/35, P value = 1.0). The association between CNO and the CFR using Cramer's coefficient of association showed that there were few correlations (coefficient: 0.14, P value = .59). Conclusion: Cementless reverse total shoulder arthroplasty with a trabecular metal stem has a similar low incidence of CNO as cemented fixation, and the incidence of CNO with a trabecular metal stem was lower than that reported in previous studies. A CFR > 0.7 was not associated with the incidence of CNO.

Ocular findings in Jansen metaphyseal chondrodysplasia.

Jansen metaphyseal chondrodysplasia (JMC) is an ultra-rare disorder caused by germline heterozygous PTHR1 variants resulting in constitutive activation of parathyroid hormone type 1 receptor. A description of ocular manifestations of the disease is lacking. Six patients with JMC underwent a detailed ophthalmic evaluation, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT), visual field testing, and craniofacial CT scans. Five of 6 patients had good visual acuity. All patients had widely spaced eyes; 5/6 had downslanted palpebral fissures. One patient had proptosis, and another had bilateral ptosis. Two patients had incomplete closure of the eyelids (lagophthalmos), one had a history of progressive right facial nerve palsy with profuse epiphora, while the second had advanced optic nerve atrophy with corresponding retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thinning on OCT and significant bilateral optic canal narrowing on CT scan. Additionally, this patient also had central visual field defects and abnormal color vision. A third patient had normal visual acuity, subtle temporal pallor of the optic nerve head, normal average RNFL, but decreased temporal RNFL and retinal ganglion cell layer analysis (GCA) on OCT. GCA was decreased in 4/6 patients indicating a subclinical optic nerve atrophic process. None of the patients had glaucoma or high myopia. These data represent the first comprehensive report of ophthalmic findings in JMC. Patients with JMC have significant eye findings associated with optic canal narrowing due to extensive skull base dysplastic bone overgrowth that appear to be more prevalent and pronounced with age. Progressive optic neuropathy from optic canal narrowing may be a feature of JMC, and OCT GCA can serve as a useful biomarker for progression in the setting of optic canal narrowing. We suggest that patients with JMC should undergo regular ophthalmic examination including color vision, OCT, visual field testing, orbital, and craniofacial imaging.

Relationship Between Quantitative Tracheal Geometry and Clinical Course in Various Types of Vascular Ring.

To investigate the relationship between quantitative tracheal geometry and clinical course among various types of vascular ring and to identify factors correlating with symptom presentation. Patients with vascular ring diagnosed between April 2010 and December 2022 were included. All the patients were classified as type 1 (complete double aortic arch); type 2 (incomplete double aortic arch); type 3 (circumflex aorta); type 4 (right aortic arch and aberrant left subclavian artery with a left retroesophageal diverticulum of Kommerell); or type 5 (mirror-imaged right aortic arch with retroesophageal aortic diverticulum). Their clinical characteristics and quantitative variables on computed tomography (CT) were compared. Of the 50 patients enrolled, those with type 1 tended to have a smaller luminal tracheal diameter at the level of the ring. The median symptom-free survival time was shortest in this group (16.0 days [95% confidence interval (CI): 9.4-51.0]), followed by type 3 (138.0 days [95% CI: 0.0-851.4]). Type 1 (hazard ratio [HR]: 9.0; 95% CI: 2.3-35.0; P = 0.001), type 3 (HR: 4.2; 95% CI: 1.4-13.2; P = 0.013), and the percentage of tracheal narrowing in the anteroposterior projection (HR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.78-0.96; P = 0.008) were significantly associated with symptom presentation in the time-dependent course. The aortic arch encircling the entire circumference in type 1 and high-pressure vasculature in front of the vertebral body in types 1 and 3 may contribute to raising the risk of symptom presentation.

Lateral Rectus Disabling and Simultaneous Modified Nishida Procedure for Exotropic Duane Retraction Syndrome.

Exotropic-Duane Syndrome (XT-DRS) is a congenital cranial nerve dysinnervation disorder characterized by exotropia, anomalous head posture (contralateral face turn), limited adduction, globe retraction, palpebral fissure narrowing, upshoot and downshoot in adduction, and varying levels of limitation of abduction. Patients with XT-DRS often have poor convergence because attempted convergence induces co-contraction of the lateral rectus muscle (LR) due to anomalous LR innervation. We describe two patients with XT-DRS who underwent simultaneous lateral rectus muscle (LR) disinsertion and periosteal fixation (LRDAPF) and modified Nishida procedure (MNP) and discuss their outcome. In one patient, we combined this procedure with a contralateral LR recession. Anomalous head posture, exotropia, globe retraction, and palpebral fissure narrowing were reduced. Upshoot and downshoot were also reduced. Convergence improved in both patients.

Oropharyngeal and Aryepiglottic Narrowing for Twang: A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare vocal tract configurations between speech and twang qualities. METHODS: Magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired from five professional vocalists while producing the sustained vowel /i/. Width and area measurements were obtained from the axial (ie, transverse) images to evaluate oropharyngeal narrowing and aryepiglottic (AES) narrowing. RESULTS: Four out of five participants exhibited a smaller vocal tract area for twang than for speech at the oropharyngeal level, with the extent of narrowing ranging from 18.8% to 49.6%. Only one participant showed a meaningful decrease in oropharyngeal anteroposterior (AP) width, while three participants showed meaningful decreases in oropharyngeal mediolateral (ML) width for twang compared to speech. At the AES level, all participants showed a smaller vocal tract area for twang than for speech, with the extent of narrowing ranging from 11.8% to 52.4%. Two participants exhibited meaningful decreases in AES AP width, while three participants showed meaningful decreases in AES ML width for twang compared to speech. CONCLUSIONS: Axial imaging revealed oropharyngeal and AES narrowing associated with twang, more prominent in the ML than the AP dimension. Notable individual variations in the mechanism and degree of narrowing at the oropharyngeal and AES levels were observed. The degree of narrowing varied among participants, highlighting the complexity of physiological maneuvers involved in twang production. Future research is necessary to identify broader patterns in twang production for effective pedagogic and therapeutic applications.

Cross-sectional associations of low body mass index and being underweight with joint damage in Chinese patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To characterize BMI in Chinese patients with RA vs US patients and examine its association with joint damage in Chinese patients. Methods: Each of the 1318 patients from a real-world Chinese RA population was first stratified by gender and then individually age-matched with one American RA patient from the US National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey 1999-2018. Data on BMI, bilateral hand radiographs and risk factors at enrolment were collected but radiographs were unavailable for the American patients. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association of BMI with radiographic joint damage (RJD) in Chinese patients. Results: Chinese patients had a significantly lower BMI [(weighted) median 21.8 vs 29.8 kg/m2; P < 0.001] and a higher prevalence of being underweight (15.2% vs 1.1%; P < 0.05) than their American counterparts. Underweight Chinese patients (BMI <18.5) had higher modified total Sharp scores (median 17 vs 10) and joint space narrowing (JSN) subscores (median 6 vs 2) (both P < 0.05) than normal-weight patients (BMI ≥18.5-<24). After controlling for confounding, continuous BMI was cross-sectionally negatively associated with RJD [adjusted prevalence odds ratio (OR) 0.90 (95% CI 0.85, 0.96)] and JSN [adjusted prevalence OR 0.92 (95% CI 0.87, 0.96)]; being underweight vs normal weight was associated with RJD [adjusted prevalence OR 2.14 (95% CI 1.37, 3.35)] and JSN [adjusted prevalence OR 1.77 (95% CI 1.10, 2.84)]. Conclusion: Low BMI and being underweight were cross-sectionally associated with joint damage in Chinese RA patients, especially JSN, suggesting the clinical importance of identifying underweight patients and focusing on weight gain to prevent joint damage.

A suspected case of serum IgG4-negative type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis detected due to localized pancreatic duct narrowing: a case report.

A 50-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with elevated serum amylase levels. Physical examination revealed no jaundice or abdominal tenderness. Serum IgG4 was negative. Computed tomography revealed a localized pancreatic duct narrowing in the pancreatic head, with caudal pancreatic duct dilation and an intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm. Pancreatic enlargement was not observed. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) showed a small hypoechoic mass. Although EUS-guided, fine-needle aspiration was performed, no diagnosis was established. Endoscopic retrograde pancreatography showed a localized narrowing in the main pancreatic duct of the pancreatic head. A biopsy of the narrowing was performed through the minor papilla because of difficult access from the major papilla. The specimen showed the infiltration of numerous IgG4-positive plasma cells, suggesting type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP). Six months later, magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography revealed improvement in the narrowing without specific treatment. The patient presented with localized narrowing of the pancreatic duct and caudal duct dilation, which was distinct from pancreatic cancer. Diagnostic difficulties arose from negative serum IgG4 results, the lack of typical imaging characteristics of AIP, and failure to meet the AIP criteria according to the relevant Japanese and international guidelines. However, AIP was suspected and surgery was successfully avoided through a biopsy.

Tighter is better: Can a simple and cost-free parameter predict response to cardiac synchronization therapy?

BACKGROUND: Several studies have evaluated the role of QRS duration (QRSd) or QRS narrowing as a predictor of response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) to reduce nonresponders. AIM: Our study aimed to determine the correlation between the relative change in QRS index (QI) compared to clinical outcome and prognosis in patients who underwent CRT implantation. METHODS: A three-centers study involving 398 patients with a CRT device was conducted. Clinical, echocardiographic and pharmacological variables, QRSd before and after CRT implantation and QI were measured. RESULTS: In a 6-month follow-up, a significant improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-diastolic and systolic volumes (LVEDV and LVESV) were observed. QI was related to reverse remodeling (multiple r-squared: 0.48, adjusted r-squared: 0.43, p = .001), and the cut-off value that best predicted LV reverse remodeling after 6 months of CRT was 12.25% (AUC 0.7, p = .001). At 24 months, a statistically significant difference was found between patients with a QI ≤ 12.25% and those with a QI > 12.25% regarding NYHA class worsening (p = .04). The mean of the QI of patients who died from cardiovascular causes was lower than patients who died of other causes (p = .0179). A correlation between pre-CRT QRSd/LVEDV and QI was observed (r = + 0.20; p = .0003). A higher QRSd/LVEDV ratio was associated with an improved LVEF, LVEDV, and LVESV (p < .0001) at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: QI narrowing after CRT was related to greater echocardiographic reverse remodeling and a lower rate of adverse events (death or cardiovascular hospitalizations). The QI can improve the prediction of adverse events in a population with CRT regardless of comorbidities according to the Charlson Comorbidity Index. QI could be used to predict CRT response.

Learning phonetic categories in infancy: The role of word-context information.

Identifying the type of mechanisms at the core of phonetic categorization remains a central subject of research in infant language learning. Amongst different theories, one is that infants compute distributional information of phonemes based on their surrounding sounds (i.e., word context) such that phonemes that appear in different word contexts are more likely to be discriminated and categorized separately than phonemes that appear in similar word contexts. Following the procedure of Feldman et al. (2013a), we investigated the role of contextual information in the acquisition of phonetic categories in 8-month-old infants, using a non-native vowel contrast (English /ɒ/-/ʌ/). In Experiment 1, we established lack of discrimination of the non-native contrast without prior exposure to it. In Experiment 2, we manipulated the type of exposure prior to testing: half of the infants were exposed to minimal pair carriers (words that differ by one phoneme only; e.g., lituh and litoh), and the other half of the infants were exposed to non-minimal pair carriers (words formed by different phonemes; e.g., lituh and nutoh). All infants were tested for discrimination of the contrast (tuh vs. toh) presented as alternating (e.g., tuh-toh-tuh-toh) and non-alternating trials (e.g., tuh-tuh-tuh), as in Experiment 1. Infants in both conditions looked on average longer at alternating rather than non-alternating trials, suggesting that they discriminated the /ɒ/-/ʌ/ contrast after a brief exposure to the vowels embedded into words. Crucially, discrimination occurred regardless of whether words were minimal pair carriers or non-minimal pair carriers. A cross-experiment comparison revealed that infants showed different patterns of looking times based on whether they were exposed to the contrast before testing (Experiment 2) or not (Experiment 1). Our study shows that any type of word context helps infants to re-establish discrimination of non-native contrasts once sensitivity has been lost. These findings aid to better understand how the speech input modulates learning mechanisms during the establishment of phonetic categories in the first year of postnatal life.

Effect of using the Simple Erosion Narrowing Score or Sharp/van der Heijde score on power of rheumatoid arthritis clinical trials to detect differences in radiographic progression.

OBJECTIVES: The Simple Erosion Narrowing Score (SENS) is a simplification of the Sharp/van der Heijde score (SHS). Previous studies found SENS and SHS to have very similar measurement properties, but suggest that SENS has a lower discriminative ability that may result in reduced power. Therefore, we aimed to quantify the effect of using SENS rather than SHS on the power to show between-group differences in radiographic progression. METHODS: Using data from two clinical trials in rheumatoid arthritis (DRESS and BeSt), SENS was derived from the SHS. Criterion validity of the SENS in relation to the SHS was assessed by calculating the Spearman correlation. The power of both scores to show a difference between groups was compared using bootstrapping to generate 10.000 replications of each study. Then, the number of replications with a significant difference in progression (using ANCOVA adjusted for baseline scores) were compared. RESULTS: Correlations between SENS and SHS were all >0.9, indicating high criterion validity of SENS compared with SHS as a reference standard. There was one exception, the DRESS study showed a somewhat lower correlation for the change score at 18 months (0.787). The loss in power of SENS over SHS was limited to at most 19% (BeSt year 5). In addition, the difference in power between SENS and SHS is smaller at higher levels of power. CONCLUSION: SENS appears to be a reasonable alternative to SHS, with only a limited loss of power to show between-group differences in radiographic progression.

Variation in thoracic inlet measurements and its correlation with pulmonary dysfunction in kyphoscoliotic deformities: a prospective case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary dysfunction in thoracic kyphoscoliosis has been correlated with chest wall distortion, uneven trunk growth and restrictive pattern. The study aims to analyse the variation in thoracic inlet measurements on pulmonary dysfunction with varying curve magnitude and thoracic cage parameters. METHODS: In a non-randomised, prospective case-control study, 80 consecutive patients with thoracic kyphoscoliosis were divided into 3 groups based on Cobb angle: Group 1 (31-50), Group 2 (51-80) and Group 3 (> 80). Thoracic inlet measurement was calculated by thoracic inlet index (TI) on MRI at the sternal level. Pulmonary function and thoracic cage parameters [hemi thorax height, rib-apex distance, AP chest diameter at sternal level and transverse thoracic diameter] were documented. TI values were compared with 20 age-matched asymptomatic controls. Multivariate correlation and regression analysis were performed to investigate the correlations. RESULTS: The mean age of the study cohort was 14.1 ± 4.4 years, including Group 1 (6 patients), Group 2 (55 patients) and Group 3 (19 patients) versus 12.9 ± 2.2 years in controls. The mean TI was 2.8 ± 0.56 in Group 1, 3.7 ± 0.9 in Group 2 and 4.0 ± 1.12 in Group 3 versus 2.6 ± 0.43 in controls. Pulmonary dysfunction was severe with TI > 7.1 (p < 0.001) in Group 3 patients with thoracic hypokyphosis. Multivariate regression for thoracic parameters and TI > 5.6 showed significant correlation of pulmonary dysfunction in Group 2 and 3 curves with apex between T1 and T4, whereas transverse thoracic diameter, rib-apex distance and hemi thorax height were weakly associated. CONCLUSION: Thoracic inlet index (TI), a neglected pre-operative variable associated with pulmonary dysfunction in thoracic kyphoscoliosis, can be evaluated on MRI without an additional cost and radiation.

Revisiting perceptual sensitivity to non-native speech in a diverse sample of bilinguals.

Werker and Tees (1984) prompted decades of research attempting to detail the paths infants take towards specialisation for the sounds of their native language(s). Most of this research has examined the trajectories of monolingual children. However, it has also been proposed that bilinguals, who are exposed to greater phonetic variability than monolinguals and must learn the rules of two languages, may remain perceptually open to non-native language sounds later into life than monolinguals. Using a visual habituation paradigm, the current study tests this question by comparing 15- to 18-month-old monolingual and bilingual children's developmental trajectories for non-native phonetic consonant contrast discrimination. A novel approach to the integration of stimulus presentation software with eye-tracking software was validated for objective measurement of infant looking time. The results did not support the hypothesis of a protracted period of sensitivity to non-native phonetic contrasts in bilingual compared to monolingual infants. Implications for diversification of perceptual narrowing research and implementation of increasingly sensitive measures are discussed.