The Acclimatization Effects of Earplugs on Acoustic and Perceptual Measures of University Singers' Vocal Performances in Choral and Solo Settings

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to assess with female university singers (N = 34) the potential acclimatization effects of wearing one brand of earplugs marketed to musicians on selected acoustic and perceptual measures of choral and vocal sound. Data were acquired during four data collection sessions across four weeks. Participants were members of two established women's choirs, Group A (n = 24) and Group B (n = 10). Each choir sang the same musical excerpt three times during weekly data collection periods: without-earplugs at rehearsal start, with-earplugs at rehearsal start, and with-earplugs at rehearsal end. For comparison purposes, Group A wore the earplugs at each of three rehearsals per week, while Group B wore the earplugs only during data collection rehearsals. Additionally, one-half of the singers, randomly selected, participated in weekly solo recording sessions that followed a similar protocol. Digital audio recordings of the choral and solo singing performances were used for analyses of long term average spectra (LTAS), intonation, and amplitude. Among primary results: (a) choral and solo LTAS data indicated significant differences in mean signal amplitudes between the no-earplugs and with-earplugs conditions, (b) solo amplitude means indicated a < 1 dB difference between conditions in 90% of the recordings, (c) choral pitch analyses indicated earplugs did not cause choristers to sing less in-tune, (d) fundamental frequency analyses indicated that earplugs did not cause soloists to sing significantly more or less in-tune, and (e) the majority of choral (87.50%) and solo singers (75%) reported being able to hear themselves best when not wearing earplugs during the weekly recording sessions. The results were discussed in terms of possible acclimatization effects, limitations of the study, and suggestions for future research

What content is being taught in Introductory Statistics?: Results of nationwide survey

Introductory Statistics is a course commonly taken by students from a variety of wide-ranging majors, sometimes across departments; however, there is little known about the extent topics are covered generally across courses. Textbooks include more material than can reasonably be covered in a single course, but the non-linear nature of many topics means that from course to course the covered content can diverge greatly. We provide results of a nationwide survey of 148 introductory statistics instructors and assess how often concepts are covered in introductory courses across instructor experience, course audience and course pedagogy.Accepted manuscrip

Students\u27 Knowledge Regarding the Dynamics of HPV at Secular and Christian Colleges

Purpose: No studies have been identified that analyze the association between religious affiliation and college students\u27 awareness of human papillomavirus (HPV) and its possible consequences. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between knowledge of HPV and the type of college (Christian or secular) a student attends. Methods: The study sample included 195 college students, 18 years of age or older, attending either La Sierra University, Loma Linda University, San Bernardino Valley College, or University of La Verne. The survey assessed six areas of know ledge of HPV including general know ledge, natural history and symptoms, risk and transmission, sequelae and consequences, the role of Pap smears and viral detection, and treatment of HPV. The survey consisted of 31 questions with response categories based on a five-point Likert scale. Results: Forty percent of the students were Seventh-day Adventist, 23% were nondenominational Christians, and 17% were Catholics. Only 29% of the respondents indicated they knew how HPV is transmitted and only 23% of the students were familiar with the risk factors of contracting HPV. The majority of college students are poorly educated about the risk factors and routes of transmission ofHPV. Forty-five percent of students surveyed were not aware that HPV can be transmitted through sexual contact. Students attending Christian colleges had more knowledge regarding HPV than students at secular colleges (p=.02). Conclusion: Results of this study indicated a significant lack of knowledge among college students regarding the risks of transmission of HPV, the relationship between Pap smears and cervical cancer, and the consequences ofHPV

Investigating instructional strategies in introductory statistics

Recommendations for the teaching and learning of introductory statistics at the tertiary level have been set forth by the research community, including recommendations outlining desirable pedagogical strategies such as the use of student-centered instruction and the integration of technology and resampling methods to support the development of students’ conceptual understanding. Yet, surprisingly little is known about how introductory statistics is being taught at colleges and universities across the United States. The research presented here aims to shed light on these aspects of the introductory statistics course by reporting preliminary findings from an instructor survey that was recently completed by 148 instructors nationwide.Accepted manuscrip

Evaluation of the integrated intervention for dual problems and early action among latino immigrants with co-occurring mental health and substance misuse symptoms: A randomized clinical trial

Importance: Immigrants are at an increased risk for co-occurring mental health and substance misuse symptoms; however, effective treatments are lacking. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Integrated Intervention for Dual Problems and Early Action (IIDEA) program compared with enhanced usual care. Design, Setting, and Participants: This effectiveness randomized clinical trial was conducted from September 2, 2014, to February 2, 2017, in 17 clinics or emergency departments and 24 community sites in Boston, Massachusetts, as well as in Madrid and Barcelona, Spain. Equal randomization (1:1) in 2-person blocks was used, assigning participants to either the IIDEA treatment group (n = 172) or the enhanced usual care control group (n = 169). Intent-to-treat analyses assessed effectiveness, and post hoc analyses examined whether results varied by symptom severity or treatment dose. Eligible participants were between 18 and 70 years of age, self-identified as Latino, screened positive for co-occurring symptoms, and were not receiving specialty behavioral health services. Interventions: Participants were randomized to a 10-session IIDEA treatment or to enhanced usual care. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes were changes in alcohol and drug misuse and results of a urine test for drug metabolites but not for alcohol misuse. Secondary outcomes were symptoms of depression, generalized anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and overall mental health. Results: In total, 341 participants were randomized to either the IIDEA treatment group (n = 172; 94 [54.7%] female, mean [SD] age, 33.5 [11.6] years) or the enhanced usual care control group (n = 169; 80 [47.3%] female, mean [SD] age, 34.3 [11.8] years). No statistically significant effects of IIDEA were found for primary drug and alcohol outcomes (ASI Lite-drug score: β = -0.02 [SE, 0.69; P = .88; Cohen d, 0.00; 95% CI, -0.17 to 0.17]; ASI Lite-alcohol score: β = -0.01 [SE, 1.19; P = .66; Cohen d, 0.00; 95% CI, -0.12 to 0.12]; urine drug test result: β = -0.36 [SE, 0.43; P = .50; OR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.30-1.61]), but statistically significant effects were observed for secondary mental health outcomes. The IIDEA treatment was effective in reducing depressive symptoms per the Public Health Questionnaire-9 score (β = -1.14; SE, 0.47; P = .02; Cohen d, 0.20 [95% CI, 0.04-0.36]), posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms per the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-5 score (β = -3.23; SE, 1.59; P = .04; Cohen d, 0.25 [95% CI, 0.01-0.37]), and overall mental health symptoms per the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-20 (β = -0.20; SE, 0.07; P = .01; Cohen d, 0.25 [95% CI, 0.08-0.42]) and composite mental health (β = -3.70; SE, 1.75; P = .04; Cohen d, 0.19 [95% CI, 0.01-0.36]) scores at the 6-month follow-up. Exploratory analyses suggested that 6-month treatment effects occurred for patients whose drug misuse was moderate to severe at the baseline assessment. Among patients with moderate to severe substance misuse, IIDEA substantially reduced substance use per the urine test results (odds ratio, 0.25 [95% CI, 0.09-0.67]; P = .01). Treatment dose showed small to large effect sizes by outcome. Conclusions and Relevance: The IIDEA treatment did not change drug misuse but did improve secondary mental health and substance misuse outcomes for a heterogeneous population with moderate to severe symptoms; this finding provides a path for treating Latino immigrants with co-occurring mental health and substance misuse symptoms. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02038855.This study was funded in part by grant R01DA034952 from NIDA of the National Institutes of Health; grant R01MH100155-01S1 from NIMH; and grants ISCII PI13/02200 and PI16/01852 from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, grant 20151073 from Delegación del Gobierno para el Plan Nacional de Drogas, and grant LSRG-1-005-16 from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (Dr Baca-García

Research Staff COVID-19 Pandemic Survey-Results from the Prevention and Early Treatment of Acute Lung Injury (PETAL) Network

Objectives: There is a lack of knowledge about the challenges of researchers who continued in-person research during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: Electronic survey assessing work-related exposure to COVID-19, logistical challenges, and procedural changes during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical research. Setting: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-sponsored Prevention and Early Treatment of Acute Lung Injury Clinical Trial Network Centers. Subjects: Research staff at research Network Sites. Measurements and Main Results: The 37-question survey was completed by 277 individuals from 24 states between 29 September 2020, and 12 December 2020, yielding a response rate of 37.7%. Most respondents (91.5%) indicated that non-COVID-19 research was affected by COVID-19 research studies. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, 20% of respondents were reassigned to different roles at their institution. Many survey takers were exposed to COVID-19 (56%), with more than 50% of researchers requiring a COVID-19 test and 8% testing positive. The fear of infection was 2.7-times higher compared to pre-COVID-19 times. Shortages of personal protective equipment were encountered by 34% of respondents, primarily due to lack of access to N95 masks, followed by gowns and protective eyewear. Personal protective equipment reallocation from research to clinical use was reported by 31% of respondents. Most of the respondents (88.5%), despite these logistical challenges, indicated their willingness to enroll COVID-19 patients. Conclusions: During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the research network were engaged in COVID-19 research despite logistical challenges, limited access to personal protective equipment, and fear of exposure. The research network’s survey experience can inform ongoing policy discussions to create research enterprises that can dexterously refocus research to address the knowledge gaps associated with novel public health emergencies while mitigating the effect of pandemics on existing research projects and research personnel

Routine HIV Testing in Botswana: A Population-Based Study on Attitudes, Practices, and Human Rights Concerns

BACKGROUND: The Botswana government recently implemented a policy of routine or “opt-out” HIV testing in response to the high prevalence of HIV infection, estimated at 37% of adults. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We conducted a cross-sectional, population-based study of 1,268 adults from five districts in Botswana to assess knowledge of and attitudes toward routine testing, correlates of HIV testing, and barriers and facilitators to testing, 11 months after the introduction of this policy. Most participants (81%) reported being extremely or very much in favor of routine testing. The majority believed that this policy would decrease barriers to testing (89%), HIV-related stigma (60%), and violence toward women (55%), and would increase access to antiretroviral treatment (93%). At the same time, 43% of participants believed that routine testing would lead people to avoid going to the doctor for fear of testing, and 14% believed that this policy could increase gender-based violence related to testing. The prevalence of self-reported HIV testing was 48%. Adjusted correlates of testing included female gender (AOR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.1–1.9), higher education (AOR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.5–2.7), more frequent healthcare visits (AOR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.3–2.7), perceived access to HIV testing (AOR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.1–2.5), and inconsistent condom use (AOR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.2–2.1). Individuals with stigmatizing attitudes toward people living with HIV and AIDS were less likely to have been tested for HIV/AIDS (AOR = 0.7, 95% CI = 0.5–0.9) or to have heard of routine testing (AOR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.45–0.76). While experiences with voluntary and routine testing overall were positive, 68% felt that they could not refuse the HIV test. Key barriers to testing included fear of learning one's status (49%), lack of perceived HIV risk (43%), and fear of having to change sexual practices with a positive HIV test (33%). CONCLUSIONS: Routine testing appears to be widely supported and may reduce barriers to testing in Botswana. As routine testing is adopted elsewhere, measures should be implemented to assure true informed consent and human rights safeguards, including protection from HIV-related discrimination and protection of women against partner violence related to testing

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Past, Present and Future Communication Technology and Its Effect on the Linguistic Minority Deaf People

This thesis aims to explore how the rapid development of different communication technology that has taken place over the last few years offers new possibilities for deaf people to use American Sign Language through the use of videophones and webcams. I started by delving into the inventions of many communication tools that have excluded and included deaf people from society. I proceeded to talk about the 1988 and 2006 protests at Gallaudet University and the diverse technology used to distribute information during each protest by deaf people and the media. Afterwards I revealed the amazing impact videophones have on deaf people whose native or second language is American Sign Language. Deaf people no longer have to rely on English to contact one another in distant places. Next I mentioned the conflict parents of deaf babies face with the many choices of audio and visual technology. Lastly I focused on present and future research on electronic learning used for the education of deaf children