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Evidence suggests that musicians, as a group, have superior frequency resolution abilities when compared with nonmusicians. It is possible to assess auditory discrimination using either behavioral or electrophysiologic methods. The purpose of this study was to determine if the acoustic change complex (ACC) is sensitive enough to reflect the differences in spectral processing exhibited by musicians and nonmusicians.Twenty individuals (10 musicians and 10 nonmusicians) participated in this study. Pitch and spectral ripple discrimination were assessed using both behavioral and electrophysiologic methods. Behavioral measures were obtained using a standard three interval, forced choice procedure. The ACC was recorded and used as an objective (i.e., nonbehavioral) measure of discrimination between two auditory signals. The same stimuli were used for both psychophysical and electrophysiologic testing.As a group, musicians were able to detect smaller changes in pitch than nonmusician. They also were able to detect a shift in the position of the peaks and valleys in a ripple noise stimulus at higher ripple densities than non-musicians. ACC responses recorded from musicians were larger than those recorded from non-musicians when the amplitude of the ACC response was normalized to the amplitude of the onset response in each stimulus pair. Visual detection thresholds derived from the evoked potential data were better for musicians than non-musicians regardless of whether the task was discrimination of musical pitch or detection of a change in the frequency spectrum of the ripple noise stimuli. Behavioral measures of discrimination were generally more sensitive than the electrophysiologic measures; however, the two metrics were correlated.Perhaps as a result of extensive training, musicians are better able to discriminate spectrally complex acoustic signals than nonmusicians. Those differences are evident not only in perceptual/behavioral tests but also in electrophysiologic measures of neural response at the level of the auditory cortex. While these results are based on observations made from normal-hearing listeners, they suggest that the ACC may provide a non-behavioral method of assessing auditory discrimination and as a result might prove useful in future studies that explore the efficacy of participation in a musically based, auditory training program perhaps geared toward pediatric or hearing-impaired listeners.

The purpose of this study was to examine the musical engagement (participation and attitude) of pediatric CI recipients who were implanted during early childhood and who have reached age 15 or older. A questionnaire was administered to a group of 31 prelingually deaf CI users who receive annual follow up services and assessment in a clinical research center. The questionnaire was used to examine involvement in and attitudes toward music in school, the community, and in the home; social affiliation (hearing, Deaf, both) and mode of communication (oral, manual, both) were also examined. Despite the technical limitations of cochlear implants in transmitting pitch, melody, and tone quality, over two thirds of this sample described music as being important or very important in their lives. A high level of past and present familial involvement in music was associated with higher levels of current involvement and importance of music in the lives of adolescent and young adult CI users. Comparisons were noted with data from prior studies of persons with hearing loss who were non-CI users.

A collection of folklore and local history stories from Cillín Liath, Drom Dhá Liag (school) (Killeenleagh, Co. Cork), collected as part of the Schools' Folklore Scheme, 1937-1938 under the supervision of teacher Conchobhar de Paor., Names of Fields / Leahy, Patrick -- Local Cures / Carthy, James Mac -- Local Forge / Hayes, Patrick -- Local Place Names / Hayes, Patrick -- Weather-Lore / Dineen, Diarmuid -- Fairy Forts / Hayes, Patrick -- Fairy Forts / Leahy, Patrick -- Fairy Forts / Carthy, Diarmuid Mc -- Fairy Forts / Daly, Denis -- Fairy Forts / Carthy, James Mc -- Fairy Forts / Dineen, Diarmuid -- Fairy Forts / Hegarty, Patrick -- Famine Times / Leahy, Patrick -- Famine Times / Carthy, James Mc -- Famine Times / Daly, Denis -- Famine Times / Dinneen, Diarmuid -- Famine Times / Carthy, Diarmuid Mc -- Penal Times / Leahy, Patrick -- Penal Times / Carthy, Diarmuid Mc -- Severe Weather / Carthy, Diarmuid Mc -- Severe Weather -- Potato Crop / Leahy, Patrick -- Potato Crop / Carthy, James Mc -- Potato Crop / Carthy, Diarmuid Mc -- Potato Crop / Sullivan, Patrick O' -- Games I Play / Dineen, Diarmuid -- Games I Play / Dineen, Diarmuid -- Local Marriage Customs / Keating, Diarmuid -- Food in Olden Times / Kingston, Annie -- Food in Olden Times / Carthy, Frances Mc -- Travelling Folk / Hegarty, Bridy -- Travelling Folk / Neill, Peggy O' -- Buying and Selling / Driscoll, Virginia O -- Buying and Selling / Goggin, Noreen -- Landlord / Sweeney, Margaret -- Landlord / Carthy, Mary Mac -- Local Roads / Brien, Mary O' -- Churning / Brien, Mary O -- Local Fairs / Sweeney, Margaret -- Care of the Feet / Carthy, Mary Mac -- Care of the Feet / Driscoll, Sheila -- Local Graveyards / Neill, Peggy O -- Old Graveyards / Carthy, Francis Mac -- Old Houses / Kingston, Annie -- Old Houses / Brien, Mary O -- Hedge Schools / Brien, Mary O -- Hedge Schools / Murnane, Mary -- Bread / Brien, Mary O -- Bread / Kingston, Annie -- Leprechaun / Kingston, Annie -- Bird-Lore / Kingston, Annie -- Herbs / Carthy, Francis Mac -- Clothes Made Locally / Carthy, Francis Mac -- My Home District / Hegarty, Bridie -- Holy Wells / Neill, Peggy O -- Festival Customs / Driscoll, Sheila O -- Festival Customs / Goggin, Noreen -- Emblems and Objects of Value / Goggin, Noreen -- Old Irish Tales / Carthy, Mary Mac, Supported by funding from the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht (Ireland), University College Dublin, and the National Folklore Foundation (Fondúireacht Bhéaloideas Éireann), 2014-2016.