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This event-related potential (ERP) study examined the impact of phonological variation resulting from a vowel merger on phoneme perception. The perception of the /e/-/[epsilon]/ contrast which does not exist in Southern French-speaking regions, and which is in the process of merging in Northern French-speaking regions, was compared to the /[slashed o]/-/y/ contrast, which is stable in all French-speaking regions. French-speaking participants from Switzerland for whom the /e/-/[epsilon]/ contrast is preserved, but who are exposed to different regional variants, had to perform a same-different task. They first heard four phonemically identical but acoustically different syllables (e.g., /be/-/be/-/be/-/be/), and then heard the test syllable which was either phonemically identical to (/be/) or phonemically different from (/b[epsilon]/) the preceding context stimuli. The results showed that the unstable /e/-/[epsilon]/ contrast only induced a mismatch negativity (MMN), whereas the /[slashed o]/-/y/ contrast elicited both a MMN and electrophysiological differences on the P200. These findings were in line with the behavioral results in which responses were slower and more error-prone in the /e/-/[epsilon]/ deviant condition than in the /[slashed o]/-/y/ deviant condition. Together these findings suggest that the regional variability in the speech input to which listeners are exposed affects the perception of speech sounds in their own accent. (Contains 3 figures and 1 table.)

Introduction: Patellar dislocation and rupture of the medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) are frequently seen in daily orthopedic practice. Besides initial non-surgical treatment, surgery and subsequent rehabilitation are crucial for restoring stability in the femoropatellar joint. This study investigated current rehabilitation strategies after patellar dislocation because knowledge on this topic has been severely limited so far., Materials and Methods: The current rehabilitation protocols of 42 orthopedic and trauma surgical institutions were analyzed regarding their recommendations on weight bearing, range of motion (ROM), and use of movement devices and orthosis. All protocols for conservative treatment and postoperative rehabilitation after MPFL reconstruction were compared. Descriptive and statistical analyses were carried out when appropriate., Results: The different rehabilitation strategies for conservative and surgical treatment after patellar dislocation showed a tendency towards earlier functional rehabilitation after surgical MPFL reconstruction than after conservative treatment. Both surgical and conservative treatment involved initial restrictions in weight bearing, ROM, and use of movement devices and orthosis at the beginning of rehabilitation. The rehab protocols showed a significant earlier full weight bearing after surgical MPFL reconstruction (p > 0.001). Due to the presence of other parameters for early functional treatment, the absence of an indication for using orthosis (surgical: 44%, conservative: 33%; p = 0.515) or start of unlimited ROM of the knee (surgical: 4.9 weeks, conservative: 5.7 weeks; p = 0.076) showed by trend an earlier functional strategy after MPFL reconstruction than after conservative therapy., Conclusions: Both conservative and surgical treatment after patellar dislocation showed restrictions in the early phase of the rehabilitation. Earlier functional therapy was more common after MPFL reconstruction than after conservative treatment. Further clinical and biomechanical studies on rehabilitation strategies after patellar dislocation are needed to improve patient care und individualized therapy., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)