A Review of Measures of Vocal Effort With a Preliminary Study on the Establishment of a Vocal Effort Measure

Objectives/Hypothesis. Vocal effort is the perceived exertion of voicing. Patients with voice disorders (VDs) frequently complain of increased effort, but currently there exists no empirically validated scale for the measurement of vocal effort. This article reviews the extant literature on vocal effort and its various definitions. It also presents a preliminary investigation on the use of a psychophysical scale, the Borg Category Ratio (CR-10), for vocal effort ratings. Study Design. A total of 28 participants with VDs and 28 healthy controls (HCs) underwent acoustic and aerodynamic voice measures in this prospective quasi-experimental group design. Methods. Vocal effort ratings using the Borg CR-10 gathered on vowels, standard sentences, and conversation were correlated with auditory-perceptual ratings, Voice Handicap Index scores, and phonation threshold pressure (PTP). Results. Results indicate that the Borg CR-10 is not sensitive to the presence of a VD but does correlate moderately well with other measures of VD severity, and may be clinically indicated for such use. Conclusions. Future research directions include task choice for vocal effort ratings, considerations during PTP protocols, intensive examiner and examinee training, and use of the Borg CR-10 for within-group separation of VD diagnosis

Context dependent fungal and bacterial soil community shifts in response to recent wildfires in the Southern Appalachian Mountains

Decades of fire suppression coupled with changing climatic conditions have increased the frequency and intensity of wildfires. The Southern Appalachia region of the United States is predicted to be particularly susceptible to climatic changes, with predicted increases in fire severity and occurrence. Following the record breaking fire season in 2016 in Southern Appalachia, we examined wildfire impacts on soil chemistry and below ground communities (fungi and bacteria – Illumina MiSeq) within two substrates (duff and soil) at two adjacent locations with similar plant communities (Great Smoky Mountains National Park – ‘Chimney Top 2’ Fire (GRSM) and Nantahala National Forest – ‘Cliffside’ Fire (NNF)) from replicate plots representing a range of fire severities (unburned, low severity, moderate severity, severe). Differing fire severities changed community composition, and fire severity played a stronger role in structuring bacterial communities than in structuring fungal communities. Further, fire impacts on soil communities and functional guilds responses were location- and substrate-specific with NNF responding more strongly to fire than GRSM. Additionally, using a novel analysis tool (Axis Weighted Ordination Distance – AWOrD), domain and location specific responses to wildfire severity are demonstrated. Taken together, our results suggest context-dependency in microbial responses to fire that must be accounted for to generate ecosystem-wide recovery predictions

Comparisons of interspecies field performance of Fagaceae (Castanea and Quercus) planted in the southeastern United States with attention to soil fungal impacts on plant performance

The loss of Fagaceae species is an increasing concern globally, including in North American where American chestnut (Castanea dentata) has been virtually eliminated by non-native pathogens, and oaks (Quercus) are experiencing widespread regeneration failures and declines. Tree improvement and breeding programs are producing trees for disease resistance or improved performance traits but require field testing to refine efforts. We established a study in 2015 on a xeric pitch pine (Pinus rigida) site in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to regenerate American chestnut and interspecies hybrids (BC3F3) and the co-occurring species of white oak (Q. alba) through planting bare-root, quality-graded seedlings. Chinese chestnut (C. mollissima) was also tested as a control species. We used pedigreed seed sources from open-pollinated genetic families that were nursery grown (1–0 bareroot seedlings for chestnut, 2–0 bareroot seedlings for white oak) to maximize overall size and competitive ability. Though there was variability within and among plant families in performance, American chestnut and BC3F3 hybrids generally outperformed Chinese chestnut (at least 13 % taller) and white oak (at least 29 % taller) for the first three years, but intraspecies differences among genetic families were significant for nearly all traits tested. Initial seedling root morphology poorly explained field performance (R2 \u3c 0.17), but this relationship was significant for both white oak families and the only northern BC3F3 seed source. American chestnuts and BC3F3 hybrids had higher stem height to ground diameter ratios compared to white oak (at least 11 % greater), indicating that white oak likely concentrates more resources to root development while chestnut concentrates more resources to maintaining above-ground competitive advantages. Additionally, we investigated soil fungal communities, both pre- and post-tree establishment and tested if these fungal communities can be used to predict plant performance or health. Soil fungi did a poor job predicting plant performance. Our results indicate that co-occurring Fagaceae species can be established in restoration plantings using well developed quality seedlings on relatively xeric sites. Managers should use diverse seed sources to avoid planting poor performing families and expect that chestnuts bred for blight resistance will outcompete planted white oak, at least in the short-term