Cepstral- and Spectral-Based Acoustic Measures of Normal Voices

A review of recent literature suggested that cepstral- and spectral-based acoustic measures showed good potential as objective measures of dysphonia for clinical application. However, the small numbers of normal subjects in previous research and wide age ranges prevent a good estimation of the performance of normal speakers of various ages on these measures. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to provide normative data for Long-Term Average spectral- and cepstral-based measures for both men and women in two different age groups to aid clinicians with assessing and treating voice disorders. Sixty participants consisting of fifteen males and fifteen females, ages 20-30 years, and fifteen males and fifteen females, ages 40-50 years contributed speech samples to be analyzed in this study. Speakers were asked to sustain the vowels /a/ and /i/, read out loud four CAPE-V stimulus sentences, and the 2nd and 3rd sentence of the Rainbow Passage. Dependent variables were Cepstral Peak Prominence (CPP), Low-to-High Spectral Ratio (L/H spectral ratio), and Cepstral Peak Prominence Fundamental Frequency (CPP F0) for both vowels and connected speech. Male voice quality (CPP and L/H spectral ratio) was better in vowels /a/ and /i/, but female voice quality was better (CPP values) for connected speech. Age did not affect voice quality for vowels /a/ and /i/; however, it did affect it for connected speech. Younger speakers had better voice quality (CPP) than older speakers. In general, for both vowels and connected speech, younger women had markedly higher CPP F0 values than older women, while older men had slightly higher CPP F0 values compared to younger men. It was concluded that separate normative data should be applied clinically for all four age/gender groups. The maximum limit of the ADSV extraction range for male participants should be changed from 300 Hz to 200 Hz for connected speech readings to obtain accurate CPP F0 measures. Furthermore, due to limited research, data should be analyzed both with and without vocalic detection until it becomes clear which one is more valid. Further research is recommended to improve both the procedures and reference data available for voice quality

The Children Parliament Left Behind: Examining the Inequity of Funding in \u3ci\u3eAn Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families\u3c/i\u3e

An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families (the Act) came into force in January of 2020, containing many innovative provisions aimed at affirming the jurisdiction of Indigenous peoples and providing services for Indigenous families. Ground- breaking provisions within the Act create a positive obligation on the government to provide services to Indigenous children who otherwise would have been apprehended due to their socioeconomic status. However, the Act lacks a concrete funding provision. This legislative comment conducts an exercise in statutory interpretation to conclude that the current omission of a funding provision within the legislation is at odds with the nature, purposes, and context of the legislation. The Act leaves a gap in funding (through no fault of the child’s community) for children living in communities that have assumed jurisdiction over their own child and family services without having signed a coordination agreement, as well as for children in communities that have not assumed jurisdiction. This gap results in an inequitable funding distribution that helps some children out of poverty while leaving others behind, based on characteristics entirely out of the child’s control. Knowledge of this dangerous gap is crucial in compelling legal actors to urgently push for legal solutions, so that no child is denied the protections offered in sections 15 and 15.1 of the Act

Rights of Nature Legislation for British Columbia: Issues and Options

This paper explores how the rights of nature could be protected through legislation in British Columbia (BC). Canada is far behind other countries in protecting rights of nature. Canadian law does not currently recognize the rights of nature in any meaningful way. Numerous statutes in Canada making nature—from fisheries to wildlife, to the land itself—the exclusive property of humans, with no inherent right to exist, flourish or be restored. We explore two potential avenues for protecting the rights of nature in British Columbia: 1) amendment of existing legislation, and 2) a new stand-alone rights of nature statute. We examine trailblazing rights of nature lawyers in other jurisdictions to identify key elements of a rights of nature law for BC. This paper presents a preliminary annotated draft of a possible rights of nature statute, not as a proposed model law but as a starting point for discussion

Candida auris: Emergence of a Multi-drug Resistant Fungal Pathogen

Candida auris is an emerging fungal pathogen that poses a significant public health concern due to the species’ increasing resistance to a vast array of FDA-approved antifungal drugs and high mortality rate. The pathogenic fungus has also proven difficult to identify within a conventional diagnostic laboratory and has been responsible for numerous outbreaks in healthcare settings across the globe, as noted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (source). This research effort aims to provide a comprehensive review detailing the history, origin, and biological characteristics of C. auris with particular emphasis on analyzing the nature of C. auris’s multidrug-resistant capabilities against currently FDA-approved and experimental treatment methods alike

Boys, Be Ambitious: William Smith Clark and the Westernisation of Japanese Agricultural Extension in the Meiji Era

This article examines the historiography related to the 1876 founding of Sapporo Agricultural College, the first institution of its kind in Japan. Focusing specifically on the involvement of William Smith Clark, who previously served as the president of the Massachusetts Agricultural College, it argues that the nascent imperial ambitions harboured by both the United States and Japan are essential to a full understanding of Sapporo\u27s founding, curriculum and subsequent history. Drawing on both primary and secondary sources as well as theoretical perspectives on empire, this article depicts Sapporo as one small part of a larger campaign of westernisation

Effectiveness of a six-week high-intensity interval training programme on cardiometabolic markers in sedentary males

High-intensity interval training (HIT) has been proposed as an effective, time efficient strategy to elicit similar cardiometabolic health benefits as traditional moderate-intensity endurance training. This is an important consideration as "lack of time" is a common cited barrier to regular physical activity

Effectiveness of short-term heat acclimation on intermittent exercise in thermoneutral and hot environments

It is well-established that repetition of heat stress exposure has been shown to facilitate adaptations to the heat but these protocols have tended to be of a fixed work intensity, continuous exercise, long-term in duration (>7 days) and use hydration. Secondly, there is limited information on the potential use of heat acclimation as a training method for human performance in thermoneutral conditions. Therefore, the aims of this study were to investigate the effectiveness of short-term heat acclimation (STHA) for 5 days, using the controlled hyperthermia technique with dehydration, on intermittent exercise in thermoneutral and hot environments

Driving a Wedge Between Evidence and Beliefs: How Online Ideological News Exposure Promotes Political Misperceptions

This article has 2 goals: to provide additional evidence that exposure to ideological online news media contributes to political misperceptions, and to test 3 forms this media‐effect might take. Analyses are based on representative survey data collected during the 2012 U.S. presidential election (N = 1,004). Panel data offer persuasive evidence that biased news site use promotes inaccurate beliefs, while cross‐sectional data provide insight into the nature of these effects. There is no evidence that exposure to ideological media reduces awareness of politically unfavorable evidence, though in some circumstances biased media do promote misunderstandings of it. The strongest and most consistent influence of ideological media exposure is to encourage inaccurate beliefs regardless of what consumers know of the evidence.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134259/1/jcc412164_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134259/2/jcc412164.pd