Prosody simultaneously encodes different kinds of information, including the type of speech act of an utterance (e.g., falling declarative vs. rising interrogative intonational tunes), the location of semantic focus (via prosodic prominence), and syntactic constituent structure (via prosodic phrasing). The syntactic/semantic functional dimensions (speech act, focus, constituency) are orthogonal...

This paper discusses how sentence mode is marked in four local varieties (RF, BF, GCC, RG) of Donegal Irish. The analysis covers tunes (pre-nuclear and nuclear) as well as phonetic modality markers, distinguishing between statements (ST) and two question types (WHQ, YNQ). Results show that across the four varieties sentence mode can be signalled by intonation, but tune differences are optional ...

This paper presents an approach for designing of hierarchical TakagiSugeno fuzzy system (TS-FS) automatically. The hierarchical structure is evolved using Ant Programming (AP) with specific instructions. The fine tuning of the rule's parameters encoded in the structure is accomplished using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm. The proposed method interleaves both optimizations. Starting...

We introduce a framework for brain modelling tasks, following a collaborative coevolutionary approach. A new coevolutionary scheme is also proposed which emphasizes collaborator selection issue. The proposed approach is employed to construct a computational model of brain motor areas, which is tested in driving a simulated robot.

Most Irish traditional folk dance music contains two musical themes; the tune begins with one musical theme which is usually repeated, then progresses to another theme with similar musical structure and motives, which is usually also repeated. The first section is typically called the A section while the second is called the B section. Our goal is to understand, at a quantitative level, the mus...

How does a visual search goal modulate the activity of neurons encoding different visual features (e.g., color, direction of motion)? Previous research suggests that goal-driven attention enhances the gain of neurons representing the target's visual features. Here, we present mathematical and behavioral evidence that this strategy is suboptimal and that humans do not deploy it. We formally deri...

Declaration I hereby declare that this project is entirely my own work and that it has not been submitted as an exercise for a degree at this or any other university I agree that the Library and other agents of the College may lend or copy this thesis upon request. Abstract This project is about classifying (traditional Irish) melodies and comparing them to other melodies so that some indicatio...

Microtubules polymerize and depolymerize stochastically, a behavior essential for cell division, motility, and differentiation. While many studies advanced our understanding of how microtubule-associated proteins tune microtubule dynamics in trans, we have yet to understand how tubulin genetic diversity regulates microtubule functions. The majority of in vitro dynamics studies are performed wit...

Thermotaxis is a sensory-motor behavior that guides animals toward a preferred temperature. This type of sensory navigation allows animals to avoid environments of noxious cold and heat, with the goal of remaining in physiologically suitable ambient temperatures. For ectotherms such as insects, thermotaxis behavior is the primary method of thermoregulation. Many invertebrates are vulnerable to ...

The barrel cortex and whisker thalamus preferentially respond to whisker movements during REM sleep in infant rats. Understanding why the brain tunes into sensory signals while it's tuned out in sleep may provide clues about the functions of REM sleep.