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"Hypertech Inline Speedometer Calibrator Module Installation Instructions \nPN 730129 2019 GM 1500 New Style This installation manual shows an example installation on a 2019 Chevrolet 1500 New Style \ntruck. The installation may vary for your vehicle, so it may be necessary to consult a GM service",
null,
"2. For accurate readings, measure the stock and new tire height from the ground to the top of the tire. Enter these measurements (in inches) into the configuration software, and click \nprogram to commit these settings. Once configuration is complete, take the Speedometer \nCalibrator module and harness to the vehicle. Copyright 2019, Hypertech \n1 3. Looking up under the Driver's side dash, near the brake pedal, you will see a module with 7 \ncolor coded connectors. Remove the 1st White connector closest to you.",
null,
"4. Plug the male end of the Inline Speedometer Module Harness into the female end of the OE \nHarness. 5. Plug the male end of the Speedometer Module Harness into the OE module and tuck the \nharness and Speedometer Module behind the kick panel.",
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"6. Start Vehicle and check for any warning signs or messages. 7. Test drive vehicle to ensure proper Speedometer function. Copyright 2019, Hypertech"
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"Horia Hulubei National Institute for R&D \nin Physics and Nuclear Engineering IFIN-HH Seminargeneral Ion beam analysis (IBA) techniques: \nsynergetic approaches and new tools to \nquantify light elements Dr. João Duarte Neves Cruz",
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"Faculty of Sciences and Technology, \nNew University of Lisbon, Portugal Ion beam analysis (IBA) is a set of powerful analytical techniques that have enabled a wide variety \nof measurements important not only in the development of the advanced materials underlying all \nmodern technology, but also in many other fields from Archaeology to Biology.\nElastic Backscattering Spectrometry (EBS) and Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) are well \nestablished IBA techniques which benefit from commercially available analysis software. The EBS-PIXE \nsimultaneous and self-consistent analysis is a special case of synergetic approach that takes advantage \nof both techniques’ strong points. \nIn the last years, the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) has encouraged the development of \nPIGE (Particle Induced Gamma-ray Emission) as a standard technique in the quantification of elements \nlighter than sulphur. PIGE, an IBA technique based on gamma-producing nuclear reactions, is particularly \neffective for light elements detection. The Lisbon group recently developed a computer code, named \nERYA-Profiling that allows a full standard free PIGE analysis of in-depth heterogeneous samples.\nThe talk will be structured in four main topics:\n(1) IBA overview.\n(2) EBS-PIXE simultaneous and self-consistent analysis in cultural heritage pieces, and biological \n(3) ERYA-Profiling code and the efforts made by the Lisbon and IFIN-HH groups to solve the \ndiscrepancies in the literature’s cross-sections data and the new measurements that will occur \nat the IFIN-HH. \n(4) Deep sea mining and IBA techniques. Thursday, 30 June 2022, 14:00 \nThe Training and Research Centre of IFIN-HH \n(the new building located between DFN and ELI-NP)"
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"Run by MIT PRIMES students! MATH ROCs!",
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"Learn how to do math research! Register with this link Email [email protected] with any questions! 3:30 PM TO 6 PM EDT AUGUST 14TH &\n21ST, 2022 Join PRIMES students for our mathematics research panel!",
null,
"Learn about higher math and how to get involved with high school research Research presentations given by students from the MIT PRIMES program Interactive Q/A with panelists ALL are welcome!! No prerequisites required! - Math ROCs! - more! Topics ranging from graph theory to combinatorics to deep learning and Hosted by Anish Mudide and Linda He Day 1: 8/14 Alex Zhao, Joseph Vulakh, Alan Bu (Algebra) Grace Wang (Applied Mathematics) Jeffrey Chen (Combinatorics) Nilay Mishra (Discrete Geometry) Eric Chen, Alex Z (Algebra and Number Theory) Anish Mudide (Computational Biology) Edward Yu (Combinatorics) \nDay 2: 8/21 Max Xu (Combinatorics) Linda He (Mathematical Physics) Andrew Tung (Information Theory) Sophie Zhu (Algebra) Benjamin Fan, Eddie Qiao (Deep Learning for Financial Models) Max Misterka (Algebra) Isha Agarwal, Gloria Chun, Kaylee Chen (Topology)"
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"Reasons For Rejecting The LIDL Site Plan \nMarch 29, 2017 \nBackground - \nOn Wednesday, April 5, the Carroll County Planning and Zoning Commission is \nmeeting to hear, among the various matters on its agenda, a request to amend the text \nof zoning classification B-NR (Business-Neighborhood Retail) to accommodate larger \nstores. The request for this \"text amendment\" is being made by the owner of the \nEldersburg property defined in the image below, but the change will apply to all B-NR \nproperties in the county. \nWithout the benefit of comprehensive, countywide analysis of the economics of all BNR properties, the County is considering making this change for the benefit of just one \nproperty and its owner. That seems unwise, given that the nature of commerce in the \nvicinity of different B-NR properties may vary significantly, but it's not a decision which \nis the subject of these notes.",
null,
"The property we're talking \nabout is 22.6 acres between \nHomestead Drive to the right, \nGeorgetown Blvd. on the left \nand Liberty Road across the \ntop – in Eldersburg, just east of \nthe intersection of Sykesville \nand Liberty Roads. \nAnd that rectangular shaped \nbuilding in the upper right, with \nall the parking spaces? That's \nthe proposed site of a LIDL \n(\"leedle\") grocery store. This \nnew LIDL will be the seventh \nfull-size grocery store in the \nneighborhood – in a town of \nonly 30,000 people with no \nrecent population growth. \nThe problem for the property \nowner is that LIDL needs a \nspace that greatly exceeds the \ncurrent limitations of B-NR \nzoning. That's what prompted \nthe owner to ask that the restriction on store size imposed by B-NR zoning be increased to accommodate the \nstore that would anchor the shopping center the owner is planning to build. Without \nthe LIDL – or some other prominent draw – there won't be any shopping center. \nThe drawing shown above is from the site plan, not for the entire shopping center, but \nonly for the LIDL. In fact, the site plan was prepared and submitted by LIDL, not by \nthe property owner. Bottom line, as people like to say, the Planning and Zoning \nCommission is being asked to change all B-NR property in the County to \naccommodate a grocery store company, not the property owner, that wants to put a \nstore in Eldersburg. That store, at least for now, will be LIDL's only location in Carroll \nOther, smaller stores will be part of the total project, but they're not shown in the \ndrawing because, again, the site plan was prepared by LIDL and not the property \nowner. The owner/developer has many options for what it can build on its property, a \nLIDL being just one of them. It's a convenient choice, but not necessarily the best \noption for the Eldersburg community. \nLIDL, by the way, has 10,000+ stores in Europe and is a subsidiary of the fifth largest \nretail conglomerate in the world. The company is just now coming to the United \nStates. Its closest competitor is ALDI which is opening soon in the building that was \nrecently vacated by Walmart, across the street, on the other side of Liberty Road, \nThat said, it's important to emphasize that these notes have no argument, no problem \nwith the property owner, with LIDL per se or with the owner's request for the text \namendment. The only question these notes are meant to address is whether or \nnot the County should approve a site plan for any grocery store on this property. \nThese notes may talk about a new LIDL grocery store, but they apply to any new \ngrocery store that would locate in this particular neighborhood. \nReasons - \nThe points these notes make are common sense, but nonetheless strong and \ncompelling arguments that an independent, professionally conducted economic impact \nstudy should support. \n1. The market is already over-crowded. \nThere are currently five grocery stores operating near the intersection of Sykesville and \nLiberty Roads. They are Martin's, Safeway, Shoppers, the full-size grocery store inside \nthe new Walmart Supercenter and Weis. A sixth grocery store, ALDI, is coming soon \nto the building recently vacated by Walmart. \nThe point is that the neighborhood market for retail grocery sales is already saturated. \nA seventh full-size grocery store that adds no unique products, services or pricing to \nthe market can only succeed at the expense of the other six grocery stores, that is by stealing their customers and sales. It may sound harsh to say that, but it's a matter of \nIt's a simple, but also powerful observation, but everyone in Eldersburg who wants to \nbuy groceries is already buying them somewhere. Without significant population \ngrowth, additional grocery stores can only succeed at the expense of their \ncompetitors. There are only so many customers to go around. Allowing a seventh \ngrocery store does nothing positive for the community and will likely have net negative \nconsequences for local employment and business in general. \n2. Jobs will be lost. \nEven if the argument is made that a new, seventh grocery store will employ the same \nnumber of people as those who will lose their jobs at other shopping centers nearby \nwhen their grocery stores cut back or close, there's still no assurance that specific \nindividuals will not become unemployed. In fact, they almost certainly will. \nOne way or another, jobs will be lost. Individuals will be unemployed and may have \ndifficulty finding work because this seventh full-size grocery store hasn't generated any \ngrowth in the local, Eldersburg economy. \nIn fact, there's no way, certainly not in the absence of careful economic impact \nanalysis, for the Planning and Zoning Commission to be sure that the net effect – jobs \ngained minus jobs lost – will not be a negative number and detrimental to the \ncommunity. People will be unemployed and they and their families and the businesses \nthey would ordinarily patronize will suffer. To what end? Should the County approve a \nsite plan for a seventh grocery store in a given neighborhood, regardless of the \nnegative impact on established commerce in the community? \nNot always, but in this case, allowing unrestricted development of a B-NR property is \nan example of development without growth. Does the Planning and Zoning \nCommission really want to approve a site plan that will result in anyone's \nunemployment? Without offering the affected community some very significant net \nbenefit that a seventh grocery store cannot provide? When the property owner has \nany number of equally profitable alternatives? \n3. The site plan is not in keeping with the current zoning – even after the pending \ntext amendment. \nYes, that's a remarkable statement. How can you deny a property owner the right to \nbuild something that's in keeping with the zoning for his or her property? You can't. \nIt's just that, for any particular land use to be \"in keeping with the current zoning,\" a \nsite plan must meet all provisions of the zoning code, including and most especially the \n\"Purpose\" statement, the text of which, for the B-NR classification, is shown below. Notice, first of all, that the word \"neighborhood\" appears in the title of the B-NR \nclassification. That's what the N stands for. The zoning classification is, in other \nwords, all about land use in small geographic markets, small enough to be \ncharacterized as neighborhoods. \nNote also the language that reads, \"retail services needed by a neighborhood \npopulation.\" (The bolding and italics are not in the original text.) To its credit, in very \nclear language, the B-NR zoning code requires that the permitted use be \"needed\" by \nthe neighborhood. Clearly, the point is that there has to be a shortage of whatever the \nproposed use represents. On the face of it, the purpose statement for B-NR zoning \nprecludes development involving redundant services. \nWere the property in question to be home to a new grocery store in a neighborhood \nlacking sufficient access to local food stores, then that would be fine, but then that's \nnot the case in this particular market for a new grocery store on this particular property. \nApproving a site plan is inherently something the County does on a case by case basis. \nThis situation is no different. And, in this case, in a market so over-crowded, a seventh \ngrocery store is not \"needed by a neighborhood population\" and therefore should be \ndisapproved by virtue of the objectives of its B-NR zoning. \nFrom the point of view of the zoning for this particular site, development for a seventh \nneighborhood grocery store is inappropriate and not in keeping with the B-NR zoning. \nThere's nothing wrong with B-NR zoning and there are many, many other land uses \nwhich the owner should be allowed. A seventh neighborhood grocery store just isn't \none of them in this particular case. \n4. The site plan is not in keeping with the objectives of comprehensive planning. \nThe image below is an excerpt from the Goals & Objectives section of the Draft 2016 \nFreedom Community Comprehensive Plan. \nObjective 2 refers to the \"growth of existing businesses and employment retention. as \nwell as attracting new commercial... enterprises.\" There's nothing of a material nature \nthat is new about a seventh grocery store, LIDL or otherwise. It doesn't offer products, \nservices or pricing not currently available in the community, nor does it help retain or \ncreate jobs. Objective 5 favors projects which \"promote economic development opportunities.\" In \nfact, a seventh grocery store may actually have a net negative impact on the local \nEldersburg economy. And there's nothing about a seventh grocery store in an already \nover-crowded market that creates \"development opportunities,\" certainly not for the \ncommunity at large. For LIDL and for the property owner, sure, but not for Eldersburg. \nObjective 7 supports projects \"that encourage economic development that provides a \nbroader range of skill levels and earning potential for residents.\" How does a seventh \ngrocery store to anchor a property of such significant potential satisfy this objective? \nOr any of the other six objectives, for that matter? \nAt the top of the list, note that the \"Goal\" is to \"facilitate economic development \nopportunities that support the local workforce... and expand the local employment tax \nbase.\" Okay. How does a seventh grocery store – in an already over-crowded market, \nthe opening of which will likely result in the loss of jobs at shopping centers in the \nsame neighborhood – contribute to accomplishing this goal? The LIDL site plan represents relatively large, impactful development, but without \ngrowth. If anything, its impact is likely to have negative implications for employment \nand business in general in other shopping centers nearby. And that can't be and isn't \nthe objective of The Carroll County Master Plan or Freedom Community \nComprehensive Plan. \n5. Disapproval doesn't unreasonably deny the property owner its rights. \nUnderstandably, the County should be reluctant to over-reach, to tell a property \nowner/developer precisely what it can put on a given property. But then controlling \nland use for the benefit of the greater community is precisely the purpose of zoning. \nThe reality is that local government, albeit with limited resources, does its best through \nzoning and other rules to encourage development. And that's a good thing – provided \nthat development is accompanied by growth, by significant net beneficial direct and \nindirect effects on neighborhood families and established commerce. \nThis LIDL site plan isn't about a new pizzeria opening down the street from one that's \nbeen in the neighborhood for years. Far from it. This is about a highly prominent, \npotentially very influential 22.6 acre property that's In the middle of an already welldeveloped local economy. Unfortunately, despite all this potential, tentative plans are \nfor yet another strip center to be anchored by one more full-size grocery store. \nJust because the County may lack the resources to conduct a proper analysis of the \nlocal economic impact of significant real estate projects doesn't mean that a common \nsense consideration of these effects should not be allowed to influence the approval or \ndisapproval of a given site plan. \nContext matters. Every major project site plan needs to be considered in the context \nof the particular neighborhood in which it will be located. (That's right out of the \npurpose statement for B-NR zoning.) No major project site plan should be approved \nwithout the County asking what impact a specific store or other use may have on the \nlocal economy. The question is not about discouraging competition, even though \ncompetition often costs some people their jobs. Competition, generally, is a good \nthing that should be encouraged. There are, however, special cases that occur from \ntime to time and this is one of them. \nNo one is suggesting that the County should have stood in the way of a second \ngrocery store opening in Eldersburg. Or even a third or fourth. Or fifth or sixth? No. \nThe problem here is purposely predatory behavior by a retailer. \nCommon sense tells us – what we would like to hire experts to confirm – that \nEldersburg can only support so many grocery stores and that number is fewer than \nseven. The Walmart grocery store has just opened. The new ALDI isn't open yet. And \nhere comes LIDL, maybe. LIDL isn't asking itself whether or not Eldersburg can \nsupport yet another grocery store. If it had asked that question, it wouldn't be \ninterested and would look elsewhere for a new location. Unfortunately, the only question that concerns LIDL is, \"Are we strong enough, \nfinancially, to steal enough business from all the other grocery stores to enable us to \noperate profitably?\" And that's a strategy that begs the Commission to step in \nand protect families and established businesses in the affected neighborhood. \nThe County's Zoning and Planning Departments should disapprove the LIDL site plan \nbecause the specific land use it proposes is, for this particular property and specific \nneighborhood, inconsistent with the purpose of B-NR zoning and the objectives of the \nComprehensive Plan for the Freedom Community."
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"ELSA Model Technical Information Frame Pine wood and cardboard Top Standard walnut Top choices See colour chart Leather options Ciervo and Dalmata Standard wooden leg A Legs Legs options Wooden leg A, Castors, Metal legs M, Wooden leg \nA, Metal legs V Comments:\n* You would like to learn more?\nCheck the FAQS section in our website",
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"PAS MEMO — No. 113 PAS MEMO The Use of Foresight and Scenario Planning in g g Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Planning By Petra Hurtado, phd, and Joseph DeAngelis, aicp Planners today are increasingly familiar with the concept \nof scenario planning. Relatively new to planners, however, \nis the practice of foresight, which enables practitioners to \nbetter prepare for an unpredictable future by identifying \nand considering external drivers of change that are outside \nof our control. As a key component of the practice of foresight, exploratory scenario planning offers significant benefits for planning in \ndynamic and complex systems. Thus, it can be a particularly \nuseful tool in planning for natural hazards and adapting to \nclimate change, given the complexity and uncertainty involved \nin both of these areas. Though hazard mitigation and climate adaptation are overlapping fields, scenario planning has thus far been more \nwidely used within climate adaptation than in hazard mitigation. This is largely because the federal regulatory processes \nand requirements that drive most hazard mitigation planning \nin the United States do not address scenario planning. Climate \nadaptation planning, which is not widely standardized and \nis more often driven by local and regional needs rather than \nfederal requirements, has more readily adopted tools like \nscenario planning. This PAS Memo offers guidance to planners on how to expand their use of foresight through exploratory scenario \nplanning in both the hazard mitigation and climate adaptation fields. It first defines foresight and scenario planning, \ndiscusses how they are related, and explains how they can \nbe useful when planning in highly dynamic and complex systems. Then, the challenges and benefits of scenario planning \nare discussed in the context of hazard mitigation and climate \nadaptation planning. Next, practical examples on the use of \nscenario planning in adapting to climate change in Cape Cod, \nMassachusetts, and in Seattle (Figure 1) are discussed. Finally, \nkey action steps are presented for planners interested in using \nscenario planning techniques in their hazard mitigation and \nclimate adaptation efforts. Planning With Foresight \nPlanners help their communities navigate change and \nprepare for an uncertain future. This task is becoming ever \nmore complex in a world of accelerated change where the \nfuture is more unknowable than ever before. The shortcomings of traditional planning practice become obvious when \ntrying to adapt to a changing climate by using knowledge \nbased on data from the past; when trying to pivot along the \nway because the world around us continues to change; or \nwhen trying to proactively help a community prepare for \nwhat is on the horizon by using long-term processes that \nlack short-term decision-making capabilities. Today’s planning processes need to evolve to meet the needs of a changing world. Currently, planning is very linear, \nand it approaches cities and communities as if they were \nfrozen in time.",
null,
"Figure 1. Planners must consider climate change and its impacts \non natural hazards to help Seattle and all communities prepare for \nan uncertain future (Dicklyon/Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)) No. 113 American Planning Association Planning Advisory Service Creating Great Communities for All PAS MEMO — No. 113 Figure 2. The practice of foresight can help planners make \nsense of the future to create \nmore nimble plans (APA) We are working with a very deterministic, rational \napproach—starting with goals and objectives, \ncollecting information and data, analyzing the data, \nmaking and implementing the plan, and then ideally \nevaluating and monitoring this work over time. It is \na linear path that doesn’t consider a changing world \naround us. (Dixon and Tewdwr-Jones 2021) In pursuing this linear path, planners develop goals for the future based on today’s perspective and what we and our \ncommunity members see, feel, know, and desire today. Our \nplans reflect our today, but not our future (Hurtado, forthcoming). It is important to learn from the past and use hindsight to \nimprove today’s conditions. But if we project the past into our \nfuture vision, we risk exacerbating challenges, such as social \ninequalities, that were created in the past, and we risk being \nunprepared for unprecedented events, such as life-threatening \nstorms, extreme heat, and devastating wildfires that exceed all \nhistorical records. Last, but not least, the overwhelming and increasing pace of change makes us try to respond to challenges immediately, \nforgetting about the importance of what’s on the horizon. \nTherefore, more dynamic planning that combines short-term \ndecision-making with “courageous long-term thinking,” allowing us to pivot and adjust, is needed (Krznaric 2020). Defining Foresight \nThe concept of foresight, or strategic foresight, is an approach \nthat aims to make sense of the future, understand drivers of \nchange that are outside of our control, look outside the box, and prepare for what may lead to success or failure in the \nfuture (Figure 2). It originates from the business world, where \nstrategic foresight is used to “future-proof” a product, a business plan, or an entire company. It’s about understanding how \nmarkets may change, how consumer behaviors and preferences may shift, or how innovation in other sectors may require \ndifferent applications of a product. The practice of foresight can \nhelp businesses to become more agile while becoming more \nresilient, and to adapt as needed to remain successful in the \nfuture (Hurtado 2021a). For example, if taxi companies had practiced foresight and had understood potential impacts to their business model \nfrom the convergence of trends such as smart phone applications, a trending sharing economy, and platform organizations, \nthey might have been better prepared for the competition \nfrom transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft, \nwhich completely disrupted the taxi industry. This business strategy approach can be very useful to planners as well, as we are planning for the future of our \ncommunities and are therefore responsible for their success and long-term resilience. Particularly in the context \nof hazard mitigation and climate adaptation, we must \ncontend with many uncertainties. The practice of foresight \nwon’t eliminate these uncertainties, but it will help us \nprepare for them and make sense of the things outside of \nour control. In addition, foresight is a participatory approach where diversity is key. Engaging our community members in the \nprocess can result in hyperlocal insights about short- and \nlong-term needs, emerging trends, observed changes on the PAS MEMO — No. 113 Figure 3. Exploratory scenario \nplanning identifies and explores \ndriving forces of change to understand and prepare for future \nuncertainties (Janae Futrell, \nLincoln Institute of Land Policy) ground, and insights about lived experiences we otherwise \nwould not know about. Defining Scenario Planning \nScenario planning—specifically, exploratory scenario planning—is a tool or process that can be used to imagine multiple \nplausible futures. In this capacity, scenario planning can be \nseen as a means to practice foresight. APA’s 2019 PAS Memo on scenario planning identifies two types of scenario planning: normative scenario planning, \nand exploratory scenario planning (Futrell 2019). Normative \nscenario planning is oriented around a distinct end goal or \ntarget state, with the scenarios being developed as potential \nways to reach it. Exploratory scenario planning is used to \nmake sense of drivers of change and to prepare for, navigate, \nand consider future uncertainties (Figure 3). For this reason, \nexploratory scenario planning tends to be the model used \nfor climate change adaptation and the one best suited for \nhazard mitigation. Dynamic Planning With Foresight \nWhen integrating foresight into planning, one key question is \nhow to combine long-term planning with short-term actions. \nAccording to Jennifer Gidley, PhD, of the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology, Sidney, foresight is \nabout “taking responsibility for the long-term consequences of \nour decisions and actions today” (Gidley 2017). The world around us is in constant flux. Our plans need to reflect that and allow for change and adjustments. What \nmight be an ideal future from today’s perspective could be \nproblematic in a few years. To create nimble plans, continuous \ndiscovery, and monitoring of external drivers of change, regular",
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"scenario planning and the ability to pivot and change directions when needed are crucial. Further, the cyclical practice of \nforesight supports regular updates of plans and makes them \nmore resilient (Hurtado 2021b). Scenario Planning in Hazard Mitigation \nand Climate Adaptation Planning is inherently concerned with questions of risk and \nuncertainty. The future—and the many challenges that come \nalong with that future—cannot be reliably “predicted.” They \ncan, however, be contextualized as more or less likely based on \ninformation that is available today. Understanding this dynamic \nis central to the practice of climate change adaptation and \nnatural hazard mitigation. Uncertainty and Future Conditions Climate change, and the ways in which it disrupts historical \nclimate and weather patterns on the global, regional, and \nlocal scales, poses a particular challenge to traditional planning methods, including hazard mitigation planning. For example, we cannot say exactly how much sea levels may rise \nin a specific location over a precise number of years. We rely \non models that are based on a wide variety of inputs. These \nmodels may be used to project greenhouse gas emissions, \nassociated atmospheric and oceanic warming, rates of ice \nmelt, and changing development patterns in coastal areas. \nEach of these variables are themselves influenced by other \noutside inputs (or drivers of change) that are also uncertain. How do we account for less likely, but more extreme \nevents, such as rapid ice melt and its consequent impacts \non sea level rise? How do we consider the potential for rapid \nhousing or commercial development in a highly vulnerable PAS MEMO — No. 113 location? This dynamic, where the multitude of variables \n(and the potential for extreme outcomes) can paralyze decision-making, is called “deep uncertainty.” Deep uncertainty occurs when stakeholders and de- cision makers have difficulty agreeing on or determining \nthe likelihood of future outcomes (WUCA 2019). In this \ncase, traditional planning methods can lead to indecision, \nunderestimating risk, or not considering highly uncertain \nand extreme events. In the context of climate change adaptation and hazard mitigation, this may mean overly rosy \npredictions about risks, limited actions to effectively prepare \nfor the future, or in some cases, a failure to act entirely. Scenario planning, as a tool for practicing foresight, can help to mitigate or overcome these challenges by helping \nto create plans that are more nimble, robust, and adaptable \nto a variety of potential futures. This is easier said than done, \nespecially when considering the numerous differences \nbetween established and broadly formalized planning \nmethods such as hazard mitigation planning and emerging \nareas of practice such as climate adaptation. Though related, \nthe approaches used for integrating scenario planning into \neach process can differ significantly. Scenario Planning and Hazard Mitigation Hazard mitigation planning is intended to reduce loss of both \nlife and property by minimizing the impacts of natural disasters \n(FEMA 2013). It involves identifying risks and vulnerabilities \nto natural hazards and developing strategies that can reduce \nthe exposure of people and property, all with the intention of \nsaving lives. While mitigating the impacts of natural hazards can be done through a variety of planning and nonplanning processes and policies, “hazard mitigation planning” as a formalized \npractice tends to refer to a set of policies, legislative requirements, and regulations that originate at the federal level and \nthat apply to state, tribal, and local governments. Historically, \nemergency managers have been the primary leaders of hazard \nmitigation planning efforts, with local land-use and community \nplanners playing secondary or advisory roles in developing \nor writing hazard mitigation plans, though that dynamic has \nbegun to change over the last decade. The robust suite of federal and state regulatory require- ments and incentives has led to the widespread adoption of \nhazard mitigation plans and planning efforts across the United \nStates. FEMA’s guidance outlines a process (Figure 4) that Figure 4. FEMA’s four-step \nmitigation planning process \n(FEMA) PAS MEMO — No. 113 includes determining the planning area, building the planning team, developing an outreach strategy, performing a risk \nassessment, developing a mitigation strategy, and ultimately, \nadopting and monitoring the plan over time. The adoption of this process has undoubtedly reduced loss of life and property and led to better overall outcomes \nfor communities. However, with the formalization of state and \nlocal hazard mitigation plans, new and beneficial techniques \nsuch as scenario planning may be difficult to integrate within hazard mitigation planning efforts. Additionally, climate \nchange is complicating the use of existing sources of hazard \ndata such as floods of record, 100-year storms, the delineation \nof floodplains, and other traditional methods of measuring risk \nand vulnerability. FEMA provides guidance in its hazard mitigation plan- ning handbook on how a “scenario analysis” can be used in \nplanning for unlikely but highly impactful events (for example, a major earthquake in New York City). However, a deeper \nintegration of scenario planning techniques within the hazard \nmitigation planning process may be helpful in effectively \nconsidering the wider range of potential risks, strategies, and \noutcomes that are associated with climate change and other \npotential disruptors and drivers of change. While scenario planning tends to be seen as a strategic framework for organizing \nplanning efforts, it can also be used tactically within an existing \nplanning process or framework (Futrell 2019). Additionally, \nFEMA’s guidance, while providing best practices for the primary \ncomponents of a hazard mitigation plan, does offer significant \nleeway in the use of other planning techniques to achieve the goals and address the primary elements of a hazard mitigation \nplan. However, this likely will require new or modified data \nsources that are less reliant on historical patterns, guidance on \nwhere scenario planning can or should be used in the existing \nhazard mitigation planning process, and information on how \nscenario planning can relate to mitigation actions. While both the research literature and real-world cases on the use of scenario planning for hazard mitigation are extremely limited, there have been recent attempts to develop \npractical guidance for practitioners and communities. One \nsuch approach focuses on the decisions that are within a \ncommunity’s control, while also using existing and familiar \nhazard datasets (Norton et al. 2019). This approach identifies \nthree “climate futures” (“lucky,” “expected,” and “perfect storm”), \nand three “management options” (based on a particular policy \nor regulatory approach). It makes assumptions about future \nstorms and conditions using current flood hazard data (e.g., \nthe 100-year storm of today may become the 50-year storm of \ntomorrow), and pairs it with a specific zoning policy or action \n(e.g., no-build, full buildout, or modified buildout with flood \nresilience measures) to understand how different flood conditions may impact different development conditions within \na 20- to 50-year timeframe. By relying on familiar datasets, \nthis type of scenario-based planning approach could likely \nbe included within the risk assessment stage of the hazard \nmitigation planning process. This could help communities and \npractitioners to form a variety of mitigation strategies that are \nmore easily adaptable to observed changing conditions during \nthe monitoring stage. Figure 5. The five-step climate \nadaptation planning process \n(NOAA) PAS MEMO — No. 113 This “simplified, decision-centered approach” is just one pos- sible way that scenario planning can be more deeply embedded within the hazard mitigation planning process. However, \nthe use of scenario planning within hazard mitigation planning \nis still largely unexplored in research and untested in practice. \nDefinitive and practical guidance may be necessary to provide \ncommunities with discrete steps and strategies for using scenario planning within the hazard mitigation planning process. Climate Adaptation and Scenario Planning Climate change adaptation tends to make much more robust \nuse of scenario planning techniques, both as a strategic \nframework for developing a new plan and within existing and \nestablished climate adaptation planning efforts. While the task \nitself is no less daunting, the less standardized methods for \ncreating a climate adaptation plan and the deep uncertainty \nof climate change impacts lend themselves to a planning \nframework that is based on understanding a range of possible \nfutures and actions. Adaptation planning as an area of practice has matured sig- nificantly over the last decade. While lacking the federal regulatory framework of hazard mitigation planning, federal agencies \nsuch as NOAA and the EPA and state and local governments \nacross the United States have coalesced around a broad set of \nsteps for building local resilience and developing an adaptation plan (Figure 5, p. 5). These are: (1) understand exposure, (2) \nassess vulnerability and risk, (3) investigate options, (4) prioritize \nand plan, and (5) take action (NOAA n.d.). These steps can be used in a wide range of planning contexts, from a specific piece of infrastructure or single \nlocation to an entire community. Additionally, these steps can \nreadily integrate potential scenarios related to future climate \nconditions, external drivers of change, and policy and regulatory actions on the part of a community. For example, Step \n1, Understanding Exposure, is concerned with defining the \ncommunity’s existing conditions. It is here that hazards and \npotential climate and nonclimate stressors are established, and \nwhere the overall scope of the adaptation planning effort is \ndefined. Given the right tools, a community can identify how \nclimate stressors (such as sea level rise) may worsen existing \nhazards, or how nonclimate stressors (such as unanticipated \npopulation growth, or the decline of a key local employer or \nindustry) may be potent drivers of change on the ground. \nThis may help the community to develop a range of scenarios \nthat can be refined in subsequent steps of the process, before \nultimately informing priorities and actions that are adaptable \nto changing circumstances. There are a few major barriers that can prevent the more robust use of scenario planning in climate adaptation. These include how planners define and use scenarios in their planning \nefforts, and the level of expertise and technical skill that may \nbe required. One element that complicates the use of scenario planning in climate adaptation is the extremely broad use of the term “scenario” among local practitioners, in climate research literature, \nand by climate authorities like the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Norton et al. 2019). These different ways of \nusing the term in planning include normative scenario planning \nas used in the community visioning process, where a variety of \nscenarios are used to refine a singular future vision. Alternatively, \nscenario planning may be seen exclusively as a method for evaluating stakeholder feedback on a variety of proposed infrastructure designs or housing types. Finally, “scenarios” may also refer to \nmodeled futures of greenhouse gas emissions and their consequent impact on ice melt, precipitation, or sea level rise (Norton \net al. 2019). This usage can be problematic. For example, while a \ncommunity may use a range of potential sea level rise scenarios \nearly on in a process, subsequent planning that is based on the \nselection of just one of these scenarios would lack the features of \nadaptability that are necessary for planning in an uncertain environment. Rather, an exploratory approach that develops an array \nof possible futures based on potential future climate conditions \nand other drivers of change, against which a series of policies \ncan be tested, would more fully account for future uncertainties \n(Fierman, Field, and Aldritch 2012). This approach may allow \nplanners to better identify “no-regrets” actions that apply to the \nwidest set of future scenarios. Scenario planning, given its reliance on potentially unfa- miliar data sources and models, and the need to balance a \nwide variety of variables, can be more technically demanding \nthan other more linear approaches to planning. This is especially true as it relates to climate adaptation planning and the \nmultitude of climate tools, models, data, maps, projections, and \nforecasts that may be necessary for using scenario planning in \nconcert with climate adaptation planning. At all stages of the \nplanning process—from the identification of potential climate \nand nonclimate stressors, to the use of these stressors in understanding local risk and vulnerability over a defined period, to \nthe development of adaptation strategies—scenario planning \nmay require more active management, sustained engagement, \nand technical skill than most communities have the capacity \nfor. In the discussion on hazard mitigation planning above, \nthe “simplified decision-centered approach” used existing and \nwell-understood data combined with relatively basic mapping \ntools to formulate scenarios. However, in communities where a \nmore in-depth analysis that includes other variables (such as a \nmultitude of potential climate impacts) and drivers of change \nmay be preferred, this approach may not be suitable. Here, a \nmore in-depth analysis of local variables and future climate \nrisks is likely necessary. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the \nvariety of tools available for visualizing climate change and \nits impacts, so communities and planners should also seek to \nclearly define the scope of their adaptation plan to rely on a \ncore set of a tools and data sources that are well understood \nand that serve the goals of the planning effort. Case Studies Communities across the United States are using scenario \nplanning in conjunction with or as a framework for their \nclimate change adaptation efforts. Planning work in Cape Cod, \nMassachusetts, and Seattle offers helpful examples of how \ncommunities have sought to use scenario planning to develop PAS MEMO — No. 113 multiple future scenarios based upon the impacts of climate \nchange and other external drivers of change in collaborative \nstakeholder-driven processes. Cape Cod Between 2010 and 2011, the Interagency Transportation, \nLand Use, and Climate Change Cape Cod Pilot Project took \nplace. This federally sponsored project aimed to develop a \nfuture multi-agency transportation and land-use development \nscenario for Cape Cod that would incorporate the reduction of \ngreenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and consider the effects of \nsea level rise. Initially, scenario planning was used as an educational tool, aiming to inform stakeholders about the issues that \nclimate change will bring to transportation and land-use \nplanning. These scenarios, however, were later applied in the \ndecision-making process to better understand the complex \ninteractions between regional development potential, future \ntransportation needs, and the impacts of sea level rise. To develop the scenarios, five indicators were used: global GHG emissions, transportation energy use, congestion and \nvehicle miles traveled, the preservation of natural and existing ecosystems, and costs associated with particular decision \npathways. Ultimately, the project resulted in the development \nof nine scenarios—five created by the scenario planning \nconsultant, and four by stakeholders (including representatives \nof towns in the region, the county, the metropolitan planning \norganization, and a variety of other local agencies and organizations) that participated in local workshops. Rather than being driven by a single overarching variable (for example, sea level rise) modeled over time, these efforts \nare notable for analyzing several distinct drivers over multiple \nscenarios. By including a variety of potential inputs for their \nscenario planning efforts, the community was better able to \nidentify specific no-regrets actions that apply across several \ndifferent potential futures. This helped to address significant \nuncertainties and better orient the community toward decision-making. Seattle \nOver the last 30 years, communities in the Pacific Northwest \nhave struggled to address challenges related to either too little \nor too much water. The primary cause of this dynamic is more \nfrequent and impactful droughts, warmer winters (with less \nsnowpack), and periods of heavy precipitation. Seattle Public \nUtilities (SPU) has been planning and adapting to manage \nextreme weather conditions, trying to understand how climate \nchange is impacting the present situation and how these \ntrends may worsen into the future. Over the last two decades, \nSPU has been using scenario planning techniques to better \nunderstand the range of potential impacts to water supply \nassociated with periods of drought and flood, and the role \nplayed by climate change in both. Future conditions such as the impacts of sea level rise, worsening rates and frequency of extreme precipitation, and \ndrought aren’t a requirement for water utilities to consider in their water planning efforts in the state of Washington. However, SPU found that the inclusion of these variables allowed for \nmore adaptable and dynamic decision-making in the present, \nwhich was particularly important given the rate of observed \nchange at the local level. The most recent plan produced by \nSPU, the 2019 Water System Plan, primarily focuses on the \nnext 10 years, although it also discusses the view for 2040 and \nbeyond. Its objective is to plan ahead to meet future water \ndemand, ensure its quality, and maintain the water system at \nthe lowest life-cycle cost. In previous planning cycles, notably in 2007 and 2013, SPU had been relying on three to four scenarios. However, in the \nlatest plan, the department worked with the Climate Resiliency \nGroup and climate scientists at the Climate Impacts Research \nConsortium to create 40 scenarios. Notably, these futures \nconsidered several external drivers of change in addition to \nthe primary climate-focused variables such as sea level rise and \nprecipitation rates. These drivers included changes in population, changes in the locations and intensity of development, \nchanges in natural systems, and the integration of secondary \nclimate-related drivers such as wildfire. This allows SPU to test \nhow its systems would work in a variety of equally plausible \nfutures, and to identify actions that address both the most \nextreme and the most common potential outcomes. Action Steps for Planners \nThe practice of foresight and exploratory scenario planning \ncan be an effective tool for developing hazard mitigation and \nclimate adaptation plans that are nimble and adaptable to future circumstances. However, it can also be more technically \ndemanding than other planning methods, and the potential \nrange of future uncertainties can be overwhelming. Sources \nof data may be difficult to identify and models may be difficult to understand. Unfamiliar information that planners may \nnot be well acquainted with, such as climate change data, \nmay further obscure the process. To help with this process, \nAPA is now publishing an annual trend report to help local \nplanners better understand critical drivers of change and to \nmake their integration into local planning efforts more feasible. The following action steps represent key strategies that \nplanners can use to overcome some of these challenges and \neffectively use scenario planning in hazard mitigation and \nclimate adaptation efforts. Review the hazard mitigation plan for ways to include scenario planning techniques. While examples from practice are relatively limited, existing hazard mitigation planning \nguidance from FEMA allows for the use of alternative planning \nprocesses in developing the hazard mitigation plan. Additionally, scenario planning isn’t just a larger framework for organizing \nplanning efforts but is also useful tactically to make existing \nplanning processes more robust. Planners should evaluate their \nexisting hazard mitigation plan for elements that may be especially suitable for the use of scenario planning techniques. This \nmay include stages such as developing an outreach strategy, \nperforming a risk assessment, developing a mitigation strategy, \nand plan monitoring. Each of these stages likely include points PAS MEMO — No. 113 of intervention where a wider array of potential scenarios and \noutcomes informed by future conditions should be considered. Expand the use of existing terminology and sources \nof data. Hazard mitigation planning tends to use a set of \nstandardized and formalized terminology and sources of data \nthat are broadly familiar to practitioners. While this can be seen \nas a drawback to considering the role of climate change on \nhistoric weather patterns, it is also an opportunity to identify \nways that data can be used to make assumptions about the \nfuture. In the “simplified decision-centered approach” outlined \nabove, this includes developing scenarios based upon the \ninformed assumption that storms may become more severe \nand frequent (Norton et al. 2019) over the life of a given asset. \nThis can allow for the development of a set of climate futures \nthat can be weighed against a series of policy options and \napproaches and compared to community and economic development scenarios to avoid development in or retreat from \nunsafe locations. Use the climate adaptation plan to inform the hazard \nmitigation plan. If your community already has a climate adaptation plan that uses scenario planning techniques, it is likely \nworthwhile to identify ways it can be used to inform your hazard mitigation planning efforts. An existing set of tools, models, \nor maps that are already vetted and used for understanding \nfuture climate impacts as part of a climate adaptation plan can \nbe used to build a more robust and adaptable hazard mitigation plan. This can be more challenging if hazard mitigation \nand climate adaptation are performed in different municipal \njurisdictions (for example, a county hazard mitigation plan versus a city climate adaptation plan), but there still may be useful \nguidance and information that can be integrated. Embrace the update cycle. Plan monitoring and adjustment are crucial to effective use of foresight and scenario \nplanning. Foresight practice is typically performed in cycles, \nin which trends and drivers of change are identified and \nevaluated in regular intervals. This allows foresight practitioners to better understand the emergence and evolution \nof trends over time and their potential impacts on the community. This is conceptually similar to the plan monitoring \nand review cycles that communities are familiar with. FEMA \nrequires hazard mitigation plans to be updated every five \nyears. By embracing the five-year update cycle, planners can \nregularly monitor how uncertainties, variables, and drivers \nof change are evolving within an actionable time horizon. \nFor some communities, plan update cycles may even be as \nshort as every two years. This can allow for timely adjustments to mitigation strategies that are reflective of emerging science and data. Develop a local foresight practice to identify other \ndrivers of change. While a climate adaptation or hazard \nmitigation plan should be primarily concerned with future \nhazard and climate impact scenarios, these are many other \nseemingly unrelated variables that may play a role in future \noutcomes. The future isn’t only about managing the uncertainty of natural hazards and the disruption associated with \nclimate change. Seemingly small technological changes, given enough time, can have major ramifications on the \nlocal level. An unforeseen development boom in a particular \nlocation, the decline of a key industry, or a shift in commuting \npatterns all will eventually result in changes on the ground. \nEach of these changes may in turn interact with the impacts \nof climate change or a natural disaster in unforeseen ways. \nTherefore, embedding scenario planning within a broader \npractice of foresight can be beneficial. Developing a local \nforesight practice, in which the community works to identify emerging trends and other drivers of change (such as \ntechnological or societal shifts), can be helpful in producing \nmore robust scenarios, more thoughtful plans, and ultimately, \nbetter long-term decision-making. Focus on a well-defined scope for climate adaptation \nplans. The sheer volume of potential decision-support tools, \ndata sources, maps, and other sources of information that can \nbe used to inform scenario planning efforts can be overwhelming. This can get even more complex when considering other \nlong-term drivers of change that may be traditionally outside \nthe scope of an adaptation planning effort. Dedicate time early \nin the planning process to define the overall scope of the plan \nand identify the tools and data that you will be using to develop your scenarios, and stick with them. Use scenarios to identify critical no-regrets actions. Scenario planning, by design, results in a wide array of \npotential futures that can (and should) be used to guide \ndecision-making. By comparing different scenarios, communities can better understand commonalities and identify \nspecific actions that may address multiple long-term risks and \nvulnerabilities. These types of “no-regrets” actions, in targeting \noutcomes associated with multiple plausible future scenarios, \nmay help to ease concerns about decision-making in highly \nuncertain environments. Conclusion There is no getting around the reality of uncertainty and \ncomplexity in planning. In the context of natural hazards and \nthe role of climate change, deep uncertainty and high levels \nof complexity are simply unavoidable. Foresight and exploratory scenario planning are an attempt to work with and make \nsense of the future by acknowledging and accepting complex \nsystems and the role they play in our communities. By embracing uncertainty, planners can better immerse themselves in the reality of an ultimately unknowable future. \nAnd by staying up to date with these emerging practices, planners can help to prepare communities, reduce long-term risks, \nand build a strong foundation for adapting to a future of change. About the Authors \nPetra (Stieninger) Hurtado, PhD, is the research director at \nthe American Planning Association, heading APA’s research programs and foresight practice. Her areas of expertise and research \ninclude foresight, urban futures, urban sustainability, smart cities, \nemerging technologies, and environmental psychology. Prior to \njoining APA, she worked as an advisor, planner, researcher, and \neducator in the global urban sustainability arena. PAS MEMO — No. 113 Joseph DeAngelis, AICP, is a planner and research manager at the American Planning Association, where he focuses \non climate adaptation, natural hazard risk, and community \nresilience. He holds a Master of Urban Planning degree from \nCUNY-Hunter College. This edition of PAS Memo is available free to all thanks to financial \nsupport from FEMA through the Cooperating Technical Partners \nprogram. References and Resources Dixon, Timothy J., and Mark Tewdwr-Jones. 2021. Urban Futures: \nPlanning For City Foresight and City Visions. Policy Press/Bristol \nUniversity Press. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 2013. Local \nMitigation Planning Handbook. March. Fierman, Elizabeth, Patrick Field, and Stephen Aldritch. 2012. \n“Managing Risk and Uncertainty: Collaborative Approaches \nfor Climate Change.” Land Lines, July. Futrell, Janae. 2019. “How to Design Your Scenario Planning \nProcess.” PAS Memo, July/August. Gidley, Jennifer. 2017. The Future: A Very Short Introduction. \nOxford University Press. Hurtado, Petra. Forthcoming. APA Learn course on Futures \nLiteracy. ———. 2021a. “Planning with Foresight.” PAS QuickNotes 94. ———. 2021b. “The Future of Planning Is Agile, People-Centric, and Technologically Advanced.” APA Blog, February 10. Hurtado, Petra, Joseph DeAngelis, Alexsandra Gomez, and \nSagar Shah. 2022. The 2022 Trend Report for Planners. American Planning Association and Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. Krznaric, Roman. 2020. The Good Ancestor: A Radical Prescription \nfor Long-Term Thinking. Penguin Random House Ltd. and The \nExperiment LLC. Mohammadi, Neda, and John E. Taylor. 2021. “Thinking Fast \nand Slow in Disaster Decision-Making With Smart City Digital \nTwins.” Nature Computational Science 1(December): 771–73. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). n.d. \n“Steps to Resilience.” U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit. Norton, Richard, Stephen Buckman, Guy Meadows, and Zachary Rable. 2019. “Using Simple, Decision-Centered, Scenario-Based Planning to Improve Local Coastal Management.” \nJournal of the American Planning Association 85(4): 405–23. Rasmussen, Ben, Lindsey Morse, David Perlman, Gina Filosa, \nand Carson Poe. 2012. A Framework for Considering Climate \nChange in Transportation and Land Use Scenario Planning: \nLessons Learned from an Interagency Pilot Project on Cape Cod. \nU.S. Department of Transportation, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. Seattle Public Utilities. 2019. 2019 Water System Plan. Stapleton, Jeremy. 2020. How to Use Exploratory Scenario Planning (XSP): Navigating an Uncertain Future. Lincoln Institute of \nLand Policy. Water Utility Climate Alliance (WUCA). 2019. “Decision-Making \nUnder Deep Uncertainty.” In Chapter 3, Plan, in Online Training \nfor Water Utilities. U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit. Webb, Amy. 2016. The Signals Are Talking: Why Today’s Fringe Is \nTomorrow’s Mainstream. Public Affairs, Hachette Book Group. PAS Memo is a publication of APA’s Planning Advisory Service. \nJoel Albizo, FASAE, CAE, Chief Executive Officer; Petra Hurtado, PhD, \nResearch Director; Ann F. Dillemuth, AICP, PAS Editor. Learn more \nat planning.org/pas. ©2022 American Planning Association. All Rights Reserved. No \npart of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or \nby any means without permission in writing from APA. PAS Memo \n(ISSN 2169-1908) is published by the American Planning Association, 205 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1200, Chicago, IL 60601-5927;"
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"DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25416 R E S E A R C H A R T I C L E The frontotemporal organization of the arcuate fasciculus and its relationship with speech perception in young and older amateur singers and non-singers Maxime Perron1,2\nGuillaume Theaud3\nMaxime Descoteaux3\n| Pascale Tremblay1,2 1CERVO Brain Research Center, Quebec City,\nQuebec, Canada 2Département de Réadaptation, Université Laval, Faculté de Médecine, Quebec City,\nQuebec, Canada 3Sherbrooke Connectivity Imaging Lab (SCIL),\nComputer Science Department, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada Correspondence Pascale Tremblay, Département de Réadaptation, Université Laval 1050 avenue de la Médecine, Québec (QC) G1V 0A6,\nEmail: [email protected] Funding information Drummond Foundation, Grant/Award Number: 2016RFA proposal #27; Fonds de Recherche du Québec - Santé, Grant/Award Number: 35016; Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada,\nGrant/Award Number: RGPIN-2019-06534 1\nINTRODUCTION Elderly adults often struggle to perceive speech-in-noise (SPiN), which is associated with a\ndecline in communication efficiency and pleasantness. Several hypotheses have been proposed to account for the age-related SPiN decline, but a consensus about the underlying mechanisms is still lacking. Several studies have suggested that normal aging of the peripheral auditory system, called presbycusis, is the main This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. Abstract The ability to perceive speech in noise (SPiN) declines with age. Although the etiol- ogy of SPiN decline is not well understood, accumulating evidence suggests a role for the dorsal speech stream. While age-related decline within the dorsal speech stream would negatively affect SPiN performance, experience-induced neuroplastic changes within the dorsal speech stream could positively affect SPiN performance. Here, we investigated the relationship between SPiN performance and the structure of the arcuate fasciculus (AF), which forms the white matter scaffolding of the dorsal speech stream, in aging singers and non-singers. Forty-three non-singers and 41 singers aged 20 to 87 years old completed a hearing evaluation and a magnetic resonance imaging session that included High Angular Resolution Diffusion Imaging. The groups were matched for sex, age, education, handedness, cognitive level, and musical instrument experience. A subgroup of participants completed syllable discrimination in the noise task. The AF was divided into 10 segments to explore potential local specializations for SPiN. The results show that, in carefully matched groups of singers and non- singers (a) myelin and/or axonal membrane deterioration within the bilateral frontotemporal AF segments are associated with SPiN difficulties in aging singers and non-singers; (b) the structure of the AF is different in singers and non-singers; (c) these differences are not associated with a benefit on SPiN performance for singers. This study clarifies the etiology of SPiN difficulties by supporting the hypoth- esis for the role of aging of the dorsal speech stream. K E Y W O R D S aging, brain plasticity, diffusion tensor imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, music, singing,\nspeech perception, white matter fiber orientation distribution function and automatic fiber bundle extraction of the AF. Specifically, we combined conventional diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures, track-based measures and more robust measures to crossing and kissing fibers provided by fiber orien- tation distributions (FOD) computed using spherical deconvolution, such as apparent fiber density (AFD) (Raffelt et al., 2012) and number of fiber orientations (NuFO) (Dell'Acqua, Simmons, Williams, & Catani, 2013). 2\nParticipants A non-probabilistic sample of 85 native speakers of Quebec French aged 20–87 years (M = 54.11 ± 19.47, 50 females) was assembled. Par- ticipants were recruited through emails, Facebook messages and post- ers distributed in the community and at Université Laval, as well as through emails and Facebook messages sent directly to choirs in the Quebec City area. Eligibility criteria to participate in this study were to be either a choral singer or a non-singer, to have no history of hearing, speech, language, psychological, neurological, or neurodegenerative dis- orders, and to have little or no experience with a musical instrument. Amateur singers were defined as individuals singing in a choir since at least 2 years with a minimal weekly practice of 60 min. Non-singers were defined as individuals not participating in any form of amateur or professional singing. Eligibility criteria were verified through telephone interviews. One participant was excluded a posteriori because he played a musical instrument regularly in addition to singing (see Sec- tion 2.2 for more information). The remaining 84 participants were divided into two groups: 43 non-singers and 41 choral singers. The general cognitive functioning of the participants was evalu- ated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) (Nasreddine et al., 2005). All participants were right-handed according to the Edin- burgh Handedness Inventory (score ≥ 60%) (Oldfield, 1971). Partici- pants' characteristics are provided in Table 1A. As detailed in the TABLE 1 Group characteristics Mean SD Min Max Mean SD Min Max Age 54.02 19.53 20.00 86.00 54.95 19.25 22.00 87.00\n.83 Education (years)a 15.26 2.58 11.00 21.00 15.15 2.78 6.00 23.00 0.19\n.85 Handedness (Oldfield)b 93.58 9.97 60.00 100.00 95.77 8.63 66.67 100.00\n.28 MoCA (/30)c 27.56 2.14 21.00 30.00 27.54 1.92 23.00 30.00 0.05\n.96 Health (/7)d 5.16 0.88 3.00 7.00 5.10 0.97 3.00 7.00 0.32\n.75 Right ear PTAe 14.78 11.94\n−5.00 56.67 11.02 7.93 0.00 33.33 1.69\n.10 Left ear PTA 12.40 8.89\n−3.33 31.67 7.94 7.18\n−3.33 25.00 2.53\n.01 Mean SD Min Max Mean SD Min Max Age 53.19 18.78 20.00 86.00 55.00 18.27 22.00 87.00\n.68 Education (years)a 15.17 2.43 11.00 21.00 15.17 2.83 6.00 23.00 0.00 1.00 Handedness (Oldfield)b 93.44 9.86 60.00 100.00 95.74 8.71 66.67 100.00\n.30 MoCA (/30)c 27.50 2.09 21.00 30.00 27.53 1.81 23.00 30.00\n.95 Health (/7)d 5.14 0.88 3.00 7.00 5.19 0.98 3.00 7.00\n.80 Right ear PTAe 13.57 10.72\n−5.00 40.00 10.74 8.01 0.00 33.33 1.27\n.21 Left ear PTA 11.81 9.10\n−3.33 31.67 7.83 7.24\n−3.33 25.00 2.05\n.04 Note: Independent t tests were conducted to compare groups of participant (A) who have completed the MRI only and (B) who have completed the MRI and the SPiN task. Values in bold indicate significant differences between the two groups.\nAbbreviations: SD, standard deviation of the mean; N, number of participants per group.\naEducation = Number of years of education based on the highest degree obtained in Quebec.\nbHandedness = The handedness was measured with the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. A lateralization quotient of 60% or more indicates laterality on the right.\ncMoCA = Montreal cognitive assessment. Higher scores indicate better cognitive functions. A cutoff of 20/30 has been proposed to avoid false positive\n(Waldron-Perrine & Axelrod, 2012).\ndHealth = self-reported general health status on a scale of 0 to 7 (0 being lowest health level).\nePTA = pure tone average thresholds measured in decibels at 0.5, 1, and 2 kHz for each ear. A. All participants Characteristic Non-singers (N = 43, 22 females)\nSingers (N = 41, 27 females)\nt test B. Participants who have completed the SPiN task Characteristic Non-singers (N = 36, 19 females)\nSingers (N = 36, 22 females)\nt test table, non-singers and singers did not differ in age, education, handed- 2.3\nExperimental design ness and cognition (all p > .05). Both groups were also matched for sex (χ2 = 1.864, p = .172, φ = .149). The study was approved by the Comité d'éthique de la recherche sectoriel en neurosciences et santé mentale, Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Québec (#192–2017 and #1495–2018). All participants provided informed consent. 2.2\nInformation on past and present musical activities All participants answered a questionnaire on past and present musical experiences. The questionnaire is available on the Scholar Portal Dat- averse: https://doi.org/10.5683/SP2/8IX6QZ. For singing, the choral singers had between 2 and 62 years of continuous choral singing expe- rience (M = 17.68 ± 14.14 years). All singers practiced at least once a week for 1 hr in a choir. In addition to singing in a choir, 16 singers (39%) practiced at home every day, 17 at least once a week (41%), 1 at least once a month (2%) and 2 less than once month (5%). Five singers did not practice outside of their weekly choir (12%). Finally, 11 singers The experiment included three visits on three separate days. The first and third visits took place at the CERVO research centre in a double- walled soundproof room. The second visit took place at the Clinic IRM Québec-Mailloux in Quebec City. During the first visit, partici- pants completed questionnaires and underwent an audiometric evalu- ation. They also completed several other tests (articulation, prosody, and voice evaluations) that are not reported here. The second visit was the MRI session. Finally, during the third visit, a subgroup of par- ticipants (n = 72) completed a SPiN task. The characteristics of the participants who completed the SPiN task are detailed in Table 1B. Of the 12 participants that did not complete the SPiN task, 10 partici- pants (six non-singers, four singers) were among those who reported having never played a musical instrument and 2 participants (one non- singer, one singer) were among those who reported having played a musical instrument in the past. The subgroups of singers and non- singers were matched in musical experience (χ2 = 2.063, p = .357, Cramér's V = .169). The MRI visit had an average duration of 1 hour and the lab visits had an average duration of 2–3 hr. (27%) had received formal singing training. Among the non-singers, 11 had previous experience of group singing, including six who stopped singing 30 to 60 years prior to the experiment, three who stopped sing- 2.4\nAudiometric evaluation ing 7 to 15 years prior to the experiment and 1 who stopped singing 1 year prior to the experiment after only 3 months of singing experi- ence. The others had between 5 months to 12 years of singing experi- ence (M = 4.00 ± 3.58 years). Those with the most years of experience were those who stopped singing decades prior to the study. In terms of musical instrument experience, of the 84 participants included in this study, 48 (28 non-singers, 20 singers) reported having never played a musical instrument or having only taken mandatory music lessons in elementary school. 28 participants (12 non-singers, 16 singers) reported having played a musical instrument in the past, with experience ranging from 1 month to 20 years (non-singers: M = 5.15 ± 6.12, range = .25–.20 years; singers: M = 6.27 ± 3.77, range = 1–15 years), and having stopped playing between 6 months and 65 years (non-singers: M = 26.46 ± 17.92, range = .50–.52 years; singers: M = 27.94 ± 15.91, range = 10–65 years). The participant who stopped playing 6 months before the study had only 1 month of experience. Information on the number of years of previous practice is missing for two participants. Finally, eight participants (three non- singers, five singers) reported irregularly and infrequently playing a musical instrument at the time of the study, with the frequency of Peripheral hearing was evaluated with pure tone audiometry using a clinical audiometer (AC40, Interacoustic, Danemark) in a double- walled soundproof room. Each ear was tested separately at 0.5, 1, and 2 kHz, and a standard pure tone average (PTA) was computed (Stach, 2008). The PTAs of both ears were strongly correlated (r = .747, p ≤ .001). Eleven participants showed signs of mild hearing loss (PTA between 25 and 40 dB) and one participant showed signs of moderately severe hearing loss (PTA = 56 dB) in at least one ear (Stach, 2008). Of the 12 participants, 2 were singers aged 80, 1 was a non-singer aged 43 and the others (9 participants) were non-singers aged over 60. None of the participants wore hearing aids. Indepen- dent t-tests were carried out to compare hearing levels across groups. The results showed significantly lower left ear PTA in singers than non-singers (t[82] = 2.527, p = .013), with no difference for the right ear PTA (t[82] = 1.691, p = .095). The difference in left ear PTA was related to a difference in thresholds at .5 kHz (t[70.74] = 2.695, p = .009), with singers exhibiting lower thresholds than non-singers. No difference was observed for the other frequencies. Results of the pure tone audiometry are illustrated in Supporting Information S1. such practice ranging from once every other week to a few times a year. Those who played at the time of the study reported playing an instrument for 1 to 38 years (non-singers: M = 1.00 ± .00, range = 1 2.5\nSPiN task 1 years; singers: M = 13.00 ± 14.46, range = 2–38 years). The partici- pant with 38 years of practice reported playing only a few times a year since childhood. The participant who was excluded on the basis of musical instrument experience (see Section 2.1) reported playing 4 hr per week for 12 years. The proportion of participants with no experience, past or present, of musical instrument playing did not dif- fer between the two groups (χ2 = 2.358, p = .308, Cramér's V = .168). Participants completed a syllable discrimination in noise task that took place in a double-walled soundproof room on a third visit. Only 72 (36 singers, 36 non-singers) out of 84 participants were available for this visit. The task consisted in the discrimination of 300 minimal pairs (150 identical, 150 different) of monosyllabic Quebec-French Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC) syllables created using SyllabO+ (Bedard et al., 2017). The pairs differed by only one phonemic trait, which was located in the onset (e.g., /kas–gas/) (50%) or coda position of the syllable (e.g., /vϵʃ–vϵʒ/) (50%). The syllables were produced by a native 22 years-old male Quebec French speaker and recorded (sampling rate = 44,000 Hz, 16 bits of quantization), using a Shure headset microphone (Microflex Beta 53) connected to a Quartet USB audio interface (Apogee Electronics, Santa Monica) connected to an iMac computer. Syllables were produced at the end of a complete sentence (Now I say ___) to ensure that prosody was constant and neutral. The sound files were saved directly to disk using Sound Stu- dio 4.8.14 (Felt Tip Software, New York) and edited using a PRAAT (Boersma & Weenink, 2001) script to normalize root-mean-square (RMS) intensity at 70 dB SPL. Each syllable was recorded three times and the best trial was selected independently by two native Quebec French speakers. To validate the selected sounds, a phonetic tran- scription was performed by a native Quebec French student with During the presentation of the syllables, a white fixation cross centered on a\ndark gray background was presented on a 27-in. monitor (HP EliteDisplay, E272q) that was located �45 cm from the participant. Following the presentation of the syllables, a green question mark (?) was presented to indicate to the participants to answer. Participants were asked to determine whether the syllables were identical or different using a response box (Cedrus, Model RB- 530). Participants were given a maximum of 3 s to respond. The inter- trial interval was 1,000 ms. All stimuli and experiment files are avail- able on the Scholar Portal Dataverse: https://doi.org/10.5683/ SP2/8IX6QZ. For each condition of noise, sensitivity was calculated. Sensitivity is a measure of the capacity to correctly recognize whether pairs are different or not (sensitivity = z(Probability[“different” j DIFFERENT]) – z(Probability[“different” j IDENTICAL])) (Macmillan & Creelman, 2004). The quiet condition was removed because of a strong ceiling effect. training in phonetics.\nThe syllables had an average duration (mean ± SD) of 496 ± 48 ms. To ensure the absence of a syllable dura- tion effect, an ANOVA on syllables duration (dependent variable) with 2.6\nMRI data acquisition Condition and Type (Identical, Different) as within-subject variables was conducted. No effect of Condition (F[2,98] = 2.096, p = .128, ηp 2 = .041) or type (F[1,49] < .001, p = .994, ηp 2 < .001) and no Condi- tion x Type interaction (F[2,98] = .230, p = .795, ηp 2 = .005) were found. During the task, the syllables were presented simultaneously with a multi-talker's babble noise. The noise was created by Perrin and Grimault (2005). It was generated by mixing four French-talker voices (2 females, 2 males, 25 to 45 years old) reading newspaper news inde- pendently in a soundproof booth. Three signal-to-noise ratios (SNR; Pressuresignal/Pressurenoise) were used (Quiet, SNR +3 dB, SNR −3 dB). The noise files were edited to normalize RMS intensity at either 67 dB SPL (SNR +3) or 73 dB SPL (SNR −3). The experiment started with a practice session of 16 trials (50% identical). The sound level was adjusted for each participant by the experimenter to a comfortable level based on the participant's feed- The MRI data were acquired on a whole-body Philips 3.0 Tesla Achieva TX using an 8-channel head coil at the Clinic IRM Québec- Mailloux in Quebec City. Structural MR images were acquired with a 3D T1-weighted MPRAGE sequence (TR = 8.3 ms, TE = 4.0 ms, FOV = 240 mm, flip angle = 8�, 240 × 240 acquisition matrix, 180 slices/ volume, no gap, voxel size = 1 mm3). Diffusion weighted (DW) images were acquired with a HARDI acquisition (TR = 7,200 ms, TE = 86 ms, flip angle = 90�, 112 × 112 acquisition matrix, 60 slices/volume, voxel size = 2 mm3), including a HARDI sequence with 2 b-values (b = 1,000 s/mm2, 25 directions; b = 2000 s/mm2, 50 directions, where directions are uniformly distributed on the sphere accounting both b-values), a non-diffusion-weighted volume (b = 0 s/mm2, 5 direc- tions) and a non-diffusion-weighted sequence with reversed phase encoding (b = 0 s/mm2). Throughout the procedure, the participants' head was immobilized using a set of cushions and pads. back, before and/or after the practice session, if necessary, and was kept constant thereafter. Sound level adjustments were made to ensure that the participants were able to hear the syllables and that 2.7\nMRI data processing the task actually measured discrimination, not hearing. The main task was divided in two runs of 15 min each with a short break between the runs. The order of presentation of the two runs was randomized across participants. In each trial, two syllables were presented diotically with an inter-stimuli interval of 300 ms, through high quality headphones (Beyer, DT 770 Pro), using Presentation® Software (Version 20.0, Neurobehavioral Systems, Inc., Berkeley, CA, https:// www.neurobs.com). 100 different pairs of syllables (50 identical and 50 different) were presented for each condition. Ten percent of the pairs (five identical and five different) in each condition were repeated to calculate intra-speaker reliability. The intraclass correlation coeffi- cient (two-way mixed effects, single measurement, absolute agree- ment) for the task was .688 with a 95% confidence interval from .665 to.710 (F[2,159,2,159] = 5.415, p < .001), indicating a significant moder- ate reliability (Koo & Li, 2016). The DW images processing was performed using TractoFlow-ABS (atlas-based segmentation) pipeline (Theaud et al., 2020), a robust processing pipeline including 14 steps using Nextflow (Di Tommaso et al., 2017) and Singularity (Kurtzer, Sochat, & Bauer, 2017). The analysis codes used in the current study are available online (refer to the Data availability statement). The processing included denoising of the DW images using principal-component-analysis-based denoising algorithm (Veraart et al., 2016) from MRtrix3 (Tournier et al., 2019), correction for susceptibility artifacts with the TOPUP procedure (Andersson, Skare, & Ashburner, 2003) implemented in FMRIB Soft- ware Library (FSL) (Smith et al., 2004) and correction for eddy-current distortions and subject motion with the eddy tool (Andersson & Sotiropoulos, 2016) implemented in FSL. Next, FSL's brain extraction tool (bet) (Smith, 2002) was used to extract the brain mask. The image intensities were normalized using a N4 correction procedure (Tustison et al., 2010) from the advanced normalization tools (ANTs) (Avants et al., 2011) and the resulting DW images were resampled to 1 mm isotropic as implemented in Diffusion Imaging in Python (DIPY) tool- box (Garyfallidis et al., 2014). Next, the b-values 0 mm 2/s, 1000 mm 2/s were extracted from the HARDI sequence to compute the tensor model and extract the DTI measures (fractional anisotropy [FA], radial diffusivity [RD], axial diffusivity [AD], and mean diffusivity [MD]) using number of tracks, volume, DTI and ODF measures of the AF. All DTI and fODF measures were weighted for the local track density and track-based measures were normalized by the individual total brain volume. Next, the bilateral AF of each participant was divided into 10 segments per hemisphere (Figure 1) based on the centroid of one HCP subjects (193441) resampled to 10 points. The resulting AF underwent visual inspection to ensure the accuracy of the extraction. The bundles that failed the visual inspection were excluded. DIPY. The b-values 0, 1000, 2000 mm2/s were used to compute the function of ODF (fODF) and its measures: AFD (Raffelt et al., 2012) and NuFO (Dell'Acqua et al., 2013). Here, the AFD total (AFDtot), 2.9\nStatistical analyses which represents the sum of all the fODF in the sphere, has been computed. The fODF were computed using constrained spherical deconvolution (Descoteaux, Deriche, Knosche, & Anwander, 2009; Tournier, Calamante, & Connelly, 2007), with a spherical harmonic order eight, as implemented in DIPY. The T1 images were denoised using a Non-Local Means filter robust to Rician noise (Coupe et al., 2008), corrected with a N4 cor- rection procedure from ANTs, resampled with DIPY and the brain mask was extracted with ANTs. Subsequently, the T1 image was reg- istered on the b = 0 mm2/s and the FA image using the symmetric image normalization registration algorithm available in ANTs. Finally, white matter mask was extracted using wmparc and aparc+aseg labels from Freesurfer software version 6.0.0 (http://freesurfer.net) (Dale, Fischl, & Sereno, 1999; Fischl & Dale, 2000; Fischl, Sereno, & Dale, 1999). The whole brain tractograms were generated using prob- abilistic local tracking with 10 seeds per voxel and the white matter mask extracted from Freesurfer as seeding and tracking mask. The outputs from all steps of Tractoflow (DW and T1 images) and Freesurfer were visualized and interventions were performed when required. All statistical analyses were conducted with SPSS 25 for Mac (IBM). Each dependent variable was visually inspected using histograms and boxplots to verify normality, and Levene's test was used to verify the assumption of equality of variances across groups (p > .05). One par- ticipant was removed for the SPiN task because of a sensitivity below 0. Any diffusion data more than 2.5 box length from the edge of the boxplots was removed. NuFO (logarithm), AFDtot (squared) and RD (squared) were transformed. To test the first hypothesis of the study—that a SPiN advantage would be found for aging singers—a linear mixed model (LMM) analy- sis was conducted with sensitivity as dependent variable. Group (singers, non-singers) was used as a between-subject categorical vari- able, SNR (+ 3, −3 dB)) was used as a within-subject (repeated) cate- gorical fixed factor, and Age (grand-mean centered) and left ear PTA were used as continuous between-subject fixed factors. Participants were included as a random factor (random intercept model). To test the second hypothesis—that age differences in the structure of the bilateral AF would be more pronounced in non-singers than in singers—LMM analyses were conducted for each diffusion measures",
null,
"(FA, RD, MD, AD, NuFO, and AFDtot) and track-based measures (number 2.8\nAF extraction For each participant, the bilateral AF were extracted from the whole brain tractogram using a modified multi-atlas and multi-parameter ver- sion of RecoBundles (Garyfallidis et al., 2018) (RecoBundlesX), which has been shown to be robust to pathological brains (Garyfallidis et al., 2018). RecoBundles uses tract-based registration and clustering methods to extract tracks that have similar shapes to prior bundle models generated from manual virtual dissection\n(Garyfallidis et al., 2018). The AF were generated from manual virtual dissection on 5 participants from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) dataset (subjects ID: 193441, 219231, 286650, 486759, and 615441) (Van Essen et al., 2013). The AF was filtered from the diffusion RGB-color map of each subject using MI-Brain software (https://www.imeka.ca/ mi-brain) with a two-regions-of-interest (ROIs) approach as described in Catani, Howard, Pajevic, and Jones (2002) including a ROI in the frontal lobe and another one in the temporal lobe. Finally, tractometry was performed using Nextflow and The Sher- brooke Connectivity Imaging Lab PYthon (SCILPY) dMRI processing toolbox as described in Cousineau et al. (2017) to compute the FIGURE 1 Example of a left arcuate fasciculus (participant ID:\nS029) divided into 10 segments from the temporal lobe (1) to the frontal lobe (10). The fasciculus is displayed on the MNI152c 2009 nonlinear symmetrical template (Fonov, Evans, McKinstry, Almli, &\nCollins, 2009), which was warped to the individual anatomical scan\n(T1) of the participant of tracks, volume) of each fasciculus/segment (1–10). In all analyses, Group (singers, non-singers) was used as a between-subject categorical variable, Hemisphere (Left, Right) was used as a within-subject (repeated) categorical fixed factor, and Age (grand-mean centered) and left ear PTA were used as continuous between-subject fixed factors. Participants were included as a random factor (random intercept models). To test the third hypothesis—that the structure of the bilateral AF would be positively correlated with SPiN performance, especially within frontal segments—simple mediation analyses (model #4) were con- ducted with PROCESS for SPSS (Hayes, 2017), separately for each met- ric that showed age effects. Age (grand-mean centered) was used as Additional regression analyses were performed on the singers to investigate the relationship between the number of continuous years of singing and sensitivity. Holding hearing and age constant, no signifi- cant relationship between sensitivity and number of years of singing was found in both SNRs (SNR +3 dB: β = −.010, t = −1.680, p = .103; SNR −3 dB: β = −.005, t = −1.242, p = .223). Since no Age x SNR interaction and no relationship between sing- ing and sensitivity in both SNRs were observed, SPiN performance was operationalized as the average sensitivity of the two SNRs in all subsequent analyses. The singers had an average sensitivity of 2.00 ± .58 and non-singers had an average sensitivity of 1.92 ± .50. the predictor variable (X), sensitivity was used as dependent variable (Y), and diffusion measures were used as continuous mediators (M). To test the fourth hypothesis—that a SPiN advantage would be 3.2\nAF extraction found for aging singers, which would be explained (at least in part) by the structure of the bilateral AF—two sets of analyses were con- ducted. For each diffusion metric showing age-independent group dif- ferences, simple mediation (model #4) analyses were conducted. For each diffusion metric showing age-dependent group differences, mod- erated mediation (model #58) analyses were conducted. The concep- tual diagrams of the simple and the moderated mediations are presented in Supporting Information S2. In the simple mediation models, Group was used as a dichotomous predictor variable (X), Sen- For each participant except one (a young non-singer, representing 1.19% of all participants), we were able to extract the bilateral AF. In addition, two bundles (right, left) for another subject failed the visual inspection and were excluded. For three other participants, the segment 10 of the left AF was not found, but they were not excluded from analyses. The resulting groups included 42 non-singers and 40 singers. The average of the right and left AF of all participants are illustrated in Figure 2 and all individual bundles are shown in Supporting Information S4. sitivity was used as dependent variable, diffusion measures were used as mediators (M) and Age (grand-mean centered) as a continuous between-subject covariate. For the moderated mediation analyses, 3.3\nAge effects and group differences in the AF Age (grand-mean centered) was used as a continuous predictor vari- able (X), Sensitivity was used as dependent variables (Y), diffusion 3.3.1\nAge effects measures were used as continuous mediators (M) and Group was used as a dichotomous moderator (W). In all analyses, hearing -operationalized as the left ear PTA- was included as a between-subject covariate. A bootstrapping approach was used to test for the significance of the indirect effects (i.e., effect of age on sensitivity through white matter) using percentile boo- tstrapping with 20,000 samples. 3\nRESULTS The analyses revealed that the AF undergoes important changes with age. Specifically, holding hearing constant, age effects on FA, RD, MD, and AD were found, with a decrease in FA and an increase in RD, MD, and AD with increasing age. Hemispheric differences were also found, indicating that the left whole AF had greater MD, AD, RD, volume, and number of tracks and lower AFDtot and NuFO compared with the right AF. No other effect was significant. The detailed results are pro- vided in Supporting Information S5. The next analyses focus on the 10-part AF segmentation. Inferen- tial statistics are provided in Supporting Information S6 to S8. Here 3.1\nSPiN performance A linear mixed model analysis was conducted to compare behavioral performance between groups and SNRs. Controlling for hearing, the results revealed significant main effects of age (F[1,69.0] = 79.05, p ≤ .001) and hearing (F[1,67.5] = 5.60, p = .021) on sensitivity, revealing a decrease in performance with an increase in age and decline in hear- ing. A significant main effect of SNR was also found (F[1,67.3] = 682.45, p ≤ .001), revealing a lower performance in the SNR −3 dB condition compared with the SNR +3 dB condition. No other significant effect or interaction was found. The detailed results are provided in Supporting Information S3. The singers had a sensitivity of 2.75 ± .69 (SNR +3) and 1.26 ± .55 (SNR −3), and non-singers had a sensitivity of 2.63 ± .58 (SNR +3) and 1.17 ± .56 (SNR −3).",
null,
"FIGURE 2 Average of the right and left AF of all participants. The average AF are displayed on the MNI152c 2009 nonlinear symmetrical template (Fonov et al., 2009) in standard space",
null,
"FIGURE 3 Age-related and hemispheric effects for the 10 segments of the bilateral AF. (a) Age effects. An upward-pointing arrow indicates that age is associated with an increased value while a downward-pointing arrow indicates that age is associated with a decreased value. A green circle signals a beneficial age effect while a red circle signals a detrimental age effect. (b) Hemispheric differences. The letter in the circles indicates the hemisphere (L: left; R: right) with the highest value. A green circle signals a beneficial effect on the white matter while a red circle signals a detrimental effect. (c) Results of the linear regression analyses conducted to decompose the Age x Hemisphere interactions. An upwardpointing arrow indicates that age is associated with an increased value while a downward-pointing arrow indicates that age is associated with a decreased value. A double arrow indicates the hemisphere with the strongest age effect. A green circle signals a beneficial age effect on the white matter while a red circle signals a detrimental age effect again, age effects were widespread (Figure 3a). As summarized in Figure 3a, an increase in age was associated with lower FA in all seg- ments except for the fourth and fifth, higher RD in all segments, higher MD in all segments except for the third, higher AD (segments 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10), higher AFDtot (segments 3, 5, and 6), lower AFDtot (segment 9), higher NuFO (segments 3 and 6) and lower vol- ume (segments 4, 5, and 10). In addition, hemispheric differences (Figure 3b) were found for each metric. Finally, Age x Hemisphere interactions were found for RD (segment 10), AD (segments 5, 6, 7, 9, and 10), MD (segments 5, 7, 9, and 10), AFDtot (segment 8) and vol- ume (segment 9) (Figure 3c). To decompose these interactions, linear regression analyses were conducted for each hemisphere with diffu- sion measures as dependent variables, and age (grand-mean centered) as regressor. The detailed results are provided in Supporting Information S9. Overall, negative age effects were slightly more pro- nounced in the right compared with the left hemisphere. 3.3.2\nGroup differences in AF Holding hearing and age constant, the LMM analysis revealed no group difference. However, Group x Hemisphere interactions were found for FA (segment 3, 5, and 6), RD (segments 1, 5, and 8), MD (segments 1 and 4), AD (segment 4), and volume (segment 6). To decompose these interactions, independent-t tests were conducted on asymmetry indexes calculated using the following formula: [(left– right)/(left+right)], which is widely used in diffusion MRI studies (e.g., O'Muircheartaigh et al., 2013; Ruber et al., 2015; Shu, Liu, Duan, & Li, 2015; Wilde et al., 2009). Positive values indicate leftward asymmetry, and negative values indicate rightward asymmetry. All effects are summarized in Figure 4a. Singers showed significantly greater leftward FA asymmetry in segment 3 (t[80] = −2.085, p = .040), RD asymmetry in segment 5 (t[80] = −2.510, p = .014), MD asymmetry in segment 4 (t[80] = −2.625, p = .010), AD asymmetry in segment 4 (t[80] = −2.446, p = .017) and nonsignificant greater leftward volume asymmetry in segment 6 (t[80] = −1.949, p = .055). The singers also showed significant rightward FA asymmetry in segments 5 (t[80] = 2.648, p = .010) and 6 (t[80] = 2.148, p = .035) and nonsignifi- cant greater rightward RD asymmetry in segments 1 (t[77] = 1.465, p = .147) and 8 (t[79] = 1.797, p = .076), and MD asymmetry in seg- ment 1 (t[73] = .955, p = .343). All effects except that for volume asym- metry were significant before removing extreme values. The box plots illustrating the interhemispheric asymmetry differences between singers and non-singers are provided in Figure 5. Pairwise compari- sons controlled for age and hearing were also conducted to compare each hemisphere between Groups. Singers had higher FA in the right segment 6 (mean difference = .028, p = .024), and higher AD (mean difference = 0.00005, p = .005) and MD (mean difference = .00002, p = .045) in the left segment 4 compared with non-singers. Finally, Group x Hemisphere x Age interactions were found for AFDtot in segment 9 and NuFO in segments 8 and 9. These effects are summarized in Figure 4b. Post hoc linear regression analyses rev- ealed that singing was associated with an age-related increase in left- ward AFDtot asymmetry in segment 9 (β = .00027, adj. R2 = .139, p = .010) and an increase in leftward NuFO asymmetry in segments 8 and 9 (8: β = .002: adj. R2 = .107, p = .022; 9: β = .003, adj. R2 = .236, p = .001), with no significant effect for non-singers. The age-related increase in leftward asymmetry was related to a decrease in AFDtot in FIGURE 4 Summary of the interhemispheric asymmetry differences found between groups. (a) Age-independent differences are represented in white circles. The letter in the circles indicates the direction of the asymmetry for singers (L: leftward; R: rightward). In 60% of these cases,\nsingers presented greater white matter structure in the left hemisphere compared with the right (FA, segment 3; RD, segments 1 and 8; MD,\nsegment 1; AD, segment 4; volume, segment 6). In the other cases, singers presented greater white matter structure in the right hemisphere compared with the left (FA, segments 5 and 6; RD, segment 5, MD, segment 4). (b) Age-dependent asymmetry differences. The letter in the circles indicates the direction of the age-related increasing asymmetry for singers (L: leftward; R: rightward). A green circle signals a beneficial age effect for singers and a red circle signals a detrimental age effect for singers (see results and discussion sections for explanation) FIGURE 5 The box plots illustrate the interhemispheric asymmetry differences between singers and non-singers for (a) FA, (b) RD, (c) MD,\n(d) AD, and (e) volume. A value of zero (dotted line) represents a perfect inter-hemispheric symmetry. A negative value indicates a rightward asymmetry, and a positive value indicates a leftward asymmetry. Each gray dot represents a participant. Asterisks indicate significance at p < .05 the right segment 9 (β = −.0005, adj. R2 = .147, p = .015) and an increase in NuFO in both left segments for singers (8: β = .001: adj. R2 = .098, p = .028; 9: β = .002, adj. R2 = .109, p = .021). Additional regression analyses were performed on singers to investigate the relationship between the number of continuous years of singing and white matter asymmetry. Holding hearing and age con- stant, only RD asymmetry in segment 5 was positively associated with the number of years of singing (β = .001, t = 2.612, p = .037). This association revealed that an increase in the number of years of singing was associated with an increase in leftward RD asymmetry. 3.4\nRelationship between AF and SPiN in aging FA and higher RD, MD, and AD). The effect of age on white matter was then negatively associated with SPiN performance. A series of mediation analyses were conducted to investigate the rela- tionship between age, SPiN performance (measured as sensitivity) and the AF. Consistent with the behavioral analysis described in Sec- 3.5\nRelationship between AF, singing and SPiN tion 3.1, in all analyses, an increase in age was associated with a decrease in sensitivity (Supporting Information S10). In most analyses, age effects on the micro- and macrostructure of the AF were also found (Supporting Information S11). There were also age-independent effects of white matter microstructure on sensitivity (Supporting Information S12). A better sensitivity was associated with lower RD To investigate whether group differences in white matter were related to differences in SPiN performance (Supporting Informations S14 and S15), mediation, and moderated mediations were conducted. These analyses revealed no relationship between asymmetry and sensitivity, and no difference in this relationship between groups. and MD in the left whole AF. The segment-based analysis showed that a better sensitivity was associated with lower RD in the bilateral segment 4, left segments 6 and 7, lower MD in the left segments 4, 6, DISCUSSION and 7, and lower volume in the right segment 4. Importantly, media- tion analyses revealed negative indirect age effects on sensitivity through the FA, RD, and MD of the left whole AF (Figure 6a and Supporting Information S13). The segment-based analysis revealed negative age effects on sensitivity through the RD and MD of the left segments 4 (Figure 6b) and 7 (Figure 6c), RD of the left segment 6 (Figure 6d) and AD of the right segment 9 (Figure 6e). All indirect effects were negative, indicating that cases higher on age are esti- mated to have lower SPiN through white matter microstructure. Spe- cifically, an increase in age was associated with lower sensitivity because of the effect of age on white matter microstructure (lower This is the first study to decompose the AF into different segments to examine how aging in this tract affects SPiN performance in amateur singers and non-singers. The four main findings of this study are that, in groups of amateur singers and non-singers carefully matched on sex, age, education, handedness, cognitive level, and musical instru- ment experience, (a) singers did not outperform non-singers in SPiN; (b) myelin and/or axonal membrane deterioration within the bilateral frontal and posterior temporal AF segments was associated with SPiN difficulties in aging singers and non-singers; (c) the structure of the AF was different in singers and non-singers; (d) these differences were",
null,
"FIGURE 6 Results of the simple mediation analyses. The statistical diagrams illustrate each of the indirect effects (ab) of Age on sensitivity through white matter of the whole AF (a) and through specific segments (b-eE). For each path in the graphs, the unstandardized coefficients and the probability value are reported. The bootstrapped 95% confidence interval is provided for the indirect effects (ab) age-related decline in SPiN performance (Manan et al., 2017; Rudner, Seeto, Keidser, Johnson, & Rönnberg, 2019). Taken together, these results support a role for the PMv in speech processing, particularly when speech is degraded, at all ages. In sum, controlling for peripheral hearing, our results suggest that aging of the bilateral AF could lead to a less efficient neural transmis- sion through myelin damages and potentially affect phonological processing and/or cognitive functions in the right frontal AF and auditory-motor integration for speech in the left frontotemporal AF, revealing local specialization for SPiN in the AF and supporting the notion that brain aging is an important factor in the etiology of SPiN difficulties in aging. 4.3\nAmateur singing and the AF Our analyses of the decomposed AF revealed, for the first time, that the relationship between amateur singing and the structure of the AF varies from anterior to posterior segments. Some of these group dif- ferences were age-dependent, but most were age-independent. Few age-dependent effects of singing on AF were observed. These effects were both beneficial and detrimental to white matter. The beneficial pattern, found in NuFO, suggests that amateur singing is associated with an increase in the number of distinct fiber orienta- tions in left frontal segments. This indicates an increase in tissue com- plexity in aging, which could represent a structural compensatory mechanism or reflect age-related experience. In contrast, the negative pattern, found in AFDtot, suggests that amateur singing is associated with a decrease in white matter microstructure in aging in the right frontal segment. These findings suggest that the practice of amateur singing may not be sufficient in itself to maintain and protect the global structure of the white matter of the AF in aging. In contrast to age-dependent group differences, age-independent group differences were numerous. In particular, the microstructure of the right parietal and left parieto-temporal segments was greater (higher FA, higher AD) in singers compared with non-singers, indicat- ing beneficial singing effects on the AF. However, these results are at odds with those of Halwani et al. (2011) who showed that young pro- fessional choral singers had higher track volume but lower FA in the right dorsal and ventral AF segments, as defined by Glasser and Rilling (2008), compared with non-musicians. In our study, we did not find such effects using the segmentation protocol of Catani et al. (2002) and dividing the AF into several frontotemporal seg- ments. It is possible that these differences could be explained by the AF models used across the two studies. Glasser and Rilling (2008) divide the AF into only two segments with different hypothesized roles: one ending in the STG involved in phonological processing, and another ending in the middle temporal gyrus involved in lexical- semantic processing. Another possibility is that the differences in study samples in our study and that of Halwani et al. (2011) can account for the different findings. Here we studied amateur singers of all ages, while Halwani et al. (2011) studied young professional singers. It is possible that the effects of singing on white matter are dynamic rather than stable, and that they differ for amateur vs. trained professional singers. Additional research on singing is needed to fully understand how singing experience can shape the AF throughout the lifespan. Our finding of group differences in hemispheric asymmetry is consistent with those of Oechslin et al. (2009) who did not show overall structural difference in bilateral AF between young profes- sional musicians and non-musicians, but did show group hemispheric asymmetry differences, using a similar AF model than the one used in the current study. Hemispheric asymmetry differences are long- standing and well documented in the literature (e.g., Galaburda, Sanides, & Geschwind, 1978; Geschwind & Levitsky, 1968; for a review for the AF,\nsee Ocklenburg,\n& Genc, 2016; Wada, Clarke, & Hamm, 1975). Prior neuroimaging stud- ies have indeed shown different patterns of gray and white matter asymmetry between young musicians and non-musicians in the pri- mary auditory cortex (Schneider et al., 2002), the AF/superior longitu- dinal fasciculus (Oechslin et al., 2009), the corticospinal tract (Ruber et al., 2015), the planum temporale (Schlaug, Jancke, Huang, & Steinmetz, 1995), and the precentral gyrus (Amunts et al., 1997). Dif- ferences in white matter asymmetry suggest that segments with higher structural integrity carry neural information more efficiently. Contrary to our third hypothesis that group differences in the structure of the bilateral AF would be associated with a benefit in SPiN for singers, none of these age-dependent and age-independent group differences in white matter were associated with SPiN perfor- mance. These group differences may be linked with other functions which have been attributed to the AF such as vocabulary knowledge (Teubner-Rhodes et al., 2016), prosodic processing for language (Glasser & Rilling, 2008) and more recently intelligence (Ikuta et al., 2020). In particular, hemispheric symmetry in the AF has been found to be a predictor of better episodic verbal learning in young adults (Catani et al., 2007) and leftward asymmetry in the AF has been related to better phonological processing in children (Lebel & Beaulieu, 2009). Interestingly, Oechslin et al. (2009) found a leftward FA asymmetry in the AF/superior longitudinal fasciculus in musicians with absolute pitch that was positively correlated with the perfor- mance on an absolute pitch test. Here we did not document absolute pitch, but since our singers are amateur choral singers, it is unlikely that many had absolute pitch. Another possibility is that the age-independent group differences, specifically in the parietal parts of the AF, that we found in the pre- sent study could be related to phonological decision for words (Hartwigsen et al.,\nand phonological working memory (e.g., Deschamps et al., 2014; Deschamps et al., 2020; Kirschen et al., 2006; Romero et al., 2006), two functions that have been asso- ciated with the inferior parietal lobule. These functions, however, were minimized in the present study by using a short inter-stimulus interval and sublexical stimuli. Further studies are needed to clarify the impact of AF asymmetry on cognitive functions in amateur singers. Finally, only RD asymmetry in segment 5 was positively associ- ated with the number of years of choral singing. There was no associ- ation between the number of years of choral singing and any of the other group differences in AF. Other variables related to the amount and type of practice, such as the age of onset of musical practice (Amunts et al., 1997; Imfeld et al., 2009; Kleber et al., 2016; Schlaug, Jancke, Huang, & Steinmetz, 1995; Steele et al., 2013; Vaquero et al., 2016), the number of hours of practice at different times of life (Bengtsson et al., 2005) and the number of hours of practice per day (Hutchinson, Lee, Gaab, & Schlaug, 2003), have been associated with anterior to the posterior AF, especially in terms of hemispheric asym- metry. None of these differences were related to a SPiN benefit in singers. The lack of an effect of singing on SPiN performance suggests that not all musical activities are equally beneficial to speech processing, and that specific training conditions may be required to positively influence communicative outcomes including speech processing. Despite not being associated with a SPiN performance gain, the current results show that amateur choral singing has the potential to promote structural neuroplasticity throughout the lifespan. music-induced neuroplasticity. It is therefore possible that other vari- ables could be related to the structural differences in white matter found between singers and non-singers in the present study. 4.4\nLimits The main limitation of this study is its cross-sectional design, which does not warrant causal interpretations of the relationship between musical training, age and SPiN. Indeed, white matter asymmetry dif- ferences found in this study could be related to pre-existing differ- ences between singers and non-singers (e.g., genetic predisposition towards music for singers). They could also be related to the hetero- geneous degree of lateralization of the AF identified in the normal population (Catani et al., 2007). Further studies are needed to clarify the impact of different type and amount of amateur singing on the aging brain. In particular, longitudinal studies are needed to clarify ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank Valérie Brisson for her contribution to the development of the task and to the recruitment and testing of participants. We also thank Julie Poulin, Emilie Belley, Lisa-Marie Deschênes, Anne- Christine Bricaud, Elena Vaccaro, and Antoine Halbaut for their contri- butions to the recruitment and testing of participants. This study was supported by a grant from the Drummond Foundation (2016RFA pro- posal #27) to PT, a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC grant # RGPIN-2019-06534) also to PT, and two Globalink research internships from MITACS. PT holds a Career award from the Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec (FRQ-S, #35016). MP was funded by graduate scholarships from the Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec (FRQS) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Technical support for MRI data acquisition was provided by the Centre intégré en neu- roimagerie et neurostimulation de Québec (CINQ). the causal effects of age and singing on white matter over the course of the lifespan. Another limitation is the relatively small sam- ple size (N = 84), of highly educated participants. Despite these limi- CONFLICT OF INTEREST The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. tations, the validity of the study is reinforced by the sophisticated and robust diffusion pipeline used, the rigorous data quality controls that were implemented for behavioral, diffusion and structural data, our ability to track the bilateral AF on all but one participant and the strict matching of the groups on sex, age, education, handedness, cognition, and musical instrument experience. In addition, all ana- lyses were controlled for peripheral hearing in the low frequency range. AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS Maxime Perron: Conceptualization, methodology, investigation, pro- ject administration, formal analysis, visualization, writing-original draft preparation, and data curation. Guillaume Theaud: Methodology, writing-reviewing, and editing. Maxime Descoteaux: Methodology, writing-reviewing and editing. Pascale Tremblay: Conceptualization, funding acquisition,\nsupervision, resources, project administration, writing-reviewing and editing, data curation. CONCLUSION DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT This study demonstrates the importance of decomposing the AF into different segments to identify specific age and singing effects that cannot be identified at the whole-tract level. By decomposing the AF into 10 frontotemporal segments, this study is the first to observe that aging and singing differently impact the structure of the AF. Specifically, local specializations in the right frontal AF and left frontal and posterior temporal AF for SPiN in aging singers and non- singers were found. This study also shows that the relationship between amateur singing and the structure of the AF varies from the All stimuli and experiment files are publicly available on the Scholar portal Dataverse: https://doi.org/10.5683/SP2/8IX6QZ. Individual data are not available since participants did not consent to full data sharing. The codes used for this study are available online: https:// github.com/scilus/scilpy?fbclid=IwAR2xgpYuNW2Q6CoC06-6FnlLNV qu8SnIa6KzLS1QrBt4ztcMgLUoL3mLOf4. The multi-atlas bundle seg- mentation is available on Zenodo:\nhttps://zenodo.org/record/ 3613688?fbclid=IwAR0SNxO8LVgkYYAgKtfg9ZeshbfTvyXMeggqHn oRou_a2MmAaQsvxhroeC0#.XoStbNNKg0o. ORCID Maxime Perron https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7015-5858 Pascale Tremblay https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7161-9255 REFERENCES Abdul-Kareem, I. A., Stancak, A., Parkes, L. 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MRtrix3: A fast, flexible and open software framework for medical image processing and visualisation.\n2019.116137 Tremblay, P., Perron, M., Deschamps, I., Kennedy-Higgins, D., Houde, J. C.,\nDick, A. S., & Descoteaux, M. (2019). The role of the arcuate and middle longitudinal fasciculi in speech perception in noise in adulthood.\nHuman Brain Mapping, 40(1), 226–241. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.\n24367 Tustison, N. J., Avants, B. B., Cook, P. A., Zheng, Y., Egan, A.,\nYushkevich, P. A., & Gee, J. C. (2010). N4ITK: Improved N3 bias correction. IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, 29(6), 1310–1320.\nhttps://doi.org/10.1109/TMI.2010.2046908 Van Essen, D. C., Smith, S. M., Barch, D. M., Behrens, T. E., Yacoub, E.,\nUgurbil, K., & Consortium, W. U.-M. H. (2013). The WU-Minn human connectome project: An overview. NeuroImage, 80, 62–79. https://\ndoi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.05.041 Vaquero,\nFrancois, C., … Altenmuller, E. (2016). Structural neuroplasticity in expert pianists depends on the age of musical training onset.\n2015.11.008 Veraart, J., Novikov, D. S., Christiaens, D., Ades-Aron, B., Sijbers, J., &\nFieremans, E. (2016). Denoising of diffusion MRI using random matrix theory.\nneuroimage.2016.08.016 Voineskos, A. N., Lobaugh, N. J., Bouix, S., Rajji, T. K., Miranda, D.,\nKennedy, J. L., … Shenton, M. E. (2010). Diffusion tensor tractography findings in schizophrenia across the adult lifespan. Brain, 133(Pt 5),\n1494–1504. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awq040 Voineskos, A. N., Rajji, T. K., Lobaugh, N. J., Miranda, D., Shenton, M. E.,\nKennedy, J. L., … Mulsant, B. H. (2012). Age-related decline in white matter tract integrity and cognitive performance:\nA DTI tractography and structural equation modeling study. Neurobiology of Aging, 33(1), 21–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.\n2010.02.009 Wada, J. A., Clarke, R., & Hamm, A. (1975). Cerebral hemispheric asymmetry in humans. Cortical speech zones in 100 adults and 100 infant brains. Archives of Neurology, 32(4), 239–246. https://doi.org/10.\n1001/archneur.1975.00490460055007 Waldron-Perrine, B., & Axelrod, B. N. (2012). Determining an appropriate cutting score for indication of impairment on the Montreal cognitive assessment. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 27(11), 1189–\n1194. https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.3768 White-Schwoch, T., Woodruff Carr, K., Anderson, S., Strait, D. L., &\nKraus, N. (2013). Older adults benefit from music training early in life:\nBiological evidence for long-term training-driven plasticity. The Journal of Neuroscience,\nJNEUROSCI.2560-13.2013 Wilde, E. A., McCauley, S. R., Chu, Z., Hunter, J. V., Bigler, E. D.,\nYallampalli, R., … Levin, H. S. (2009). Diffusion tensor imaging of hemispheric asymmetries in the developing brain. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 31(2), 205–218. https://doi.org/10.\n1080/13803390802098118 Wong, P. C., Ettlinger, M., Sheppard, J. P., Gunasekera, G. M., & Dhar, S.\n(2010). Neuroanatomical characteristics and speech perception in noise in older adults. Ear and Hearing, 31(4), 471–479. https://doi.org/\n10.1097/AUD.0b013e3181d709c2 Wong, P. C. M., Jin, J. X., Gunasekera, G. M., Abel, R., Lee, E. R., & Dhar, S.\n(2009). Aging and cortical mechanisms of speech perception in noise.\nneuropsychologia.2008.11.032 Zendel, B. R., & Alain, C. (2012). Musicians experience less age-related decline in central auditory processing. Psychology and Aging, 27(2),\n410–417. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024816 Zendel, B. R., West, G. L., Belleville, S., & Peretz, I. (2019). Musical training improves the ability to understand speech-in-noise in older adults.\nNeurobiology of Aging,\nneurobiolaging.2019.05.015 Zhang, J. D., Susino, M., McPherson, G. E., & Schubert, E. (2020). The definition of a musician in music psychology: A literature review and the six-year rule. Psychology of Music, 48(3), 389–409. https://doi.org/10.\n1177/0305735618804038 SUPPORTING INFORMATION Additional supporting information may be found online in the How to cite this article: Perron M, Theaud G, Descoteaux M, Tremblay P. The frontotemporal organization of the arcuate fasciculus and its relationship with speech perception in young and older amateur singers and non-singers. Hum Brain Mapp. 2021;1–19. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.25416 Supporting Information section at the end of this article."
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"Leafy Greens: Inflammation Fighters! Is inflammation good or bad? Both! Acute inflammation is a necessary part of healing; it sends white blood \ncells to the scene when we’re injured or ill. Chronic inflammation, however, is unhealthy; it can cause problems \nin almost every organ in the body and is thought to be a root cause of many chronic conditions from diabetes \nand arthritis to hay fever and heart disease. The good news is that eating a wide range of healthy, whole foods can help fight dangerous chronic \ninflammation. One good inflammation-fighting choice most of us don’t get enough of is dark, leafy greens. Leafy greens like spinach, kale, chard, arugula, endive, turnip greens, beet \ngreens, and collard greens all contain significant concentrations of vitamins and \nother nutrients that have been found to reduce chronic inflammation. Vitamin A, \nvitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K, just to name a few, have all shown, in research, \nthat they can fight inflammation. Many leafy greens also contain alpha-linolenic \nacid, an omega-3 fat that is known for its anti-inflammatory benefits. When you’re choosing leafy greens, keep these tips in mind: Choose darker greens. In general, the darker the color of greens, the more healthy nutrients they \ncontain. Iceberg lettuce is a lightweight compared to spinach and kale, for instance. Pair greens with olive oil. Many of the important vitamins in greens can only be absorbed by our \nbodies in the presence of oil. In one study, researchers found that people eating a salad of spinach, \nromaine, tomatoes and carrots absorbed plenty of nutrients with a full-fat salad dressing – but only \na “negligible” amount when they chose fat-free salad dressing.1 ▲ Enjoy greens both raw and cooked. While cooking makes some nutrients easier to absorb, heat",
null,
"diminishes or destroys others. So eat some of your greens cooked, and enjoy others in salads.",
null,
"1American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Brown et al., 2004 Aug;80(2):396-403"
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🍃 MINT-1T:
Scaling Open-Source Multimodal Data by 10x:
A Multimodal Dataset with One Trillion Tokens
🍃 MINT-1T is an open-source Multimodal INTerleaved dataset with 1 trillion text tokens and 3.4 billion images, a 10x scale-up from existing open-source datasets. Additionally, we include previously untapped sources such as PDFs and ArXiv papers. 🍃 MINT-1T is designed to facilitate research in multimodal pretraining. 🍃 MINT-1T is created by a team from the University of Washington in collaboration with Salesforce Research, other academic institutions including Stanford University, University of Texas at Austin, and University of California Berkeley.
You are currently viewing a subset of the PDF portion of 🍃 MINT-1T associated with CommonCrawl dump CC-2024-10
. For other PDF, HTML, and ArXiv subsets, refer to the 🍃 MINT-1T collection.
Updates
9/19/24
We have removed roughly 10% of the PDF samples as there was a mismatch between the frames in the TIFF images and the document metadata.
8/8/24
We have become aware that the image hashes in the PDF subset of MINT-1T do not match the images in the documents. We want to emphasize that the images for each document are correct, and only the image hashes in the documents' metadata are mislabeled.
Dataset Details
Dataset Sources
- Repository: https://github.com/mlfoundations/MINT-1T
- Paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.11271
- Blog: https://blog.salesforceairesearch.com/mint-1t/
Uses
Direct Use
🍃 MINT-1T is designed to facilitate research in multimodal pretraining. The dataset can be used for training multimodal models that can reson about interleaved text and images sequences such as Idefics2, XGen-MM, and Chameleon.
Out-of-Scope Use
🍃 MINT-1T was built to make research into large multimodal models more accessible. Using the dataset to train models that ingest or generate personally identifying information (such as images of people’s faces and other sensitive content) as well as military applications are all inappropriate use cases of 🍃 MINT-1T.
Dataset Creation
Curation Rationale
🍃 MINT-1T was created to address a significant gap in the open-source domain by providing a large-scale multimodal interleaved dataset for pre-training large multimodal models. This dataset aims to be a valuable resource for the research community, facilitating open science in multimodal pretraining.
Source Data
The dataset is a comprehensive collection of multimodal documents from various sources:
- HTML documents: Filtered from CommonCrawl WARC dumps spanning from 2017 to 2024
- PDF documents: Extracted from CommonCrawl WAT dumps covering 2023 to 2024
- ArXiv documents: A subset of papers from the ArXiv repository
In total, 🍃 MINT-1T contains 1056.8 million documents, broken down as follows:
- 1029.4 million HTML documents
- 24.0 million PDF documents
- 0.6 million ArXiv documents
Data Collection and Processing
The data collection and processing involved several steps:
Document Extraction:
- HTML documents were parsed from CommonCrawl WARC files
- PDF documents were extracted from CommonCrawl WAT files
- ArXiv papers were directly sourced from ArXiv S3 buckets
Filtering Process:
- Applied text quality filters to ensure content relevance and readability
- Removed duplicate content at both paragraph and document levels
- Filtered out undesirable content based on predefined criteria
- Verified image availability and quality for HTML documents
- Limited PDF size to 50MB and 50 pages to manage dataset size and quality
Image Processing:
- Used NSFW image detection to remove pornographic or otherwise undesirable images
- Removed images smaller than 150 pixels or larger than 20,000 pixels
- Adjusted aspect ratio thresholds for HTML (2:1) and PDF (3:1) to preserve scientific figures
Text Processing:
- Used fasttext for language identification, focusing on English content
- Masked personally identifiable information such as email addresses and IP addresses
- Applied paragraph and document-level deduplication using Bloom filters
PDF Specific Processing:
- Used PyMuPDF for parsing PDFs and extracting reading order
- Clustered text blocks based on columns and ordered from top left to bottom right
ArXiv Specific Processing:
- Used TexSoup to parse LaTeX source code and interleave images with text
- Cleaned up LaTeX code by removing imports, bibliography, tables, and citation tags
Various open-source tools were utilized in this process, including fasttext, PyMuPDF, and DCLM and bff for deduplication and content filtering.
Personal and Sensitive Information
Despite sourcing from public web data, significant efforts were made to minimize the inclusion of personal and sensitive information:
- Email addresses and IP addresses were masked to protect privacy
- An NSFW image classifierto remove inappropriate visual content
- URLs containing substrings associated with undesirable or sensitive content were filtered out
However, users should be aware that as the data originates from the public web, it may still contain some sensitive or personal information. The dataset creators acknowledge this limitation and advise users to exercise caution and potentially apply additional filtering based on their specific use cases.
Bias, Risks, and Limitations
Several potential biases, risks, and limitations have been identified:
Data Bias: As the dataset is sourced from web crawls, it may inherit biases present in online content.
Content Risks: Despite extensive filtering, there's a possibility that some offensive, insensitive, or inappropriate content may remain in the dataset.
Image Availability: The dataset relies on external image URLs, which may become unavailable over time due to link rot, potentially affecting the dataset's long-term usability.
PDF Parsing Limitations: The current method for extracting reading order from PDFs may not always accurately capture the intended flow, especially for documents with complex layouts.
Potential Legal and Ethical Concerns: While efforts were made to respect robots.txt files and remove sensitive information, there may still be content that individuals did not explicitly consent to include.
Recommendations
Given these considerations, the following recommendations are provided:
Additional Filtering: Users are strongly encouraged to apply additional filtering based on their specific use case and ethical considerations.
Inappropriate Use Cases: The dataset is not recommended for applications involving the processing or generation of personally identifying information, nor for military applications.
Legal Compliance: Users should independently verify compliance with applicable laws before employing MINT-1T for commercial purposes.
Bias Awareness: Researchers and developers should be cognizant of potential biases in the dataset and consider their impact on model training and outputs.
License
We release 🍃 MINT-1T under a CC-BY-4.0 license, designating it primarily as a research artifact. While the dataset is freely available, users are responsible for ensuring its legal use in commercial settings. Users must independently verify compliance with applicable laws before employing MINT-1T for commercial purposes.
Citation
@article{awadalla2024mint1t,
title={MINT-1T: Scaling Open-Source Multimodal Data by 10x: A Multimodal Dataset with One Trillion Tokens},
author={Anas Awadalla and Le Xue and Oscar Lo and Manli Shu and Hannah Lee and Etash Kumar Guha and Matt Jordan and Sheng Shen and Mohamed Awadalla and Silvio Savarese and Caiming Xiong and Ran Xu and Yejin Choi and Ludwig Schmidt},
year={2024}
}
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