The influence of oral health status on speech intelligibility, articulation and quality of life of older community-dwelling people

Objective: To investigate the impact of the oral health status on speech intelligibility, articulation and quality of life of older community-dwelling people. Background To our knowledge, there have been no studies on this topic in patients aged 75 years or older. Material and methods: Thirty outpatients of a university dental clinic (median [IQR] age of 77.00 [75-82] years) participated. The OHIP-14, a dental examination, a speech intelligibility study and an articulation examination were conducted. Results: Distortions of rhotacisms and sigmatisms were most common, followed by distortions of labiodentals and apicoalveolars. Seven participants (23%) required dental treatment. Distortions of rhotacisms were lowest in participants with loss of teeth in the posterior part of the maxilla and equal in participants with edentulous maxilla and loss of teeth in the anterior part of the maxilla (P = 0.014). Labiodental distortions were lowest in participants with loss of teeth in the posterior part of the maxilla, but were higher in participants with loss of teeth in the anterior part of the maxilla and highest in participants with an edentulous maxilla (P = 0.035). People with normal mouth opening had lower percentage of labiodental distortions than people with a reduced mouth opening (P = 0.05). The proportion of participants with inadequate denture hygiene and distortions of bilabials was 71.4% compared to 10.5% for participants with adequate denture hygiene (P = 0.005). Conclusion: Dentists must consider the impact of a denture on speech, but also should be aware of other oral health factors that influence the speech and quality of life of elders

Impact of an electrode-diaphragm gap on diffusive hydrogen crossover in alkaline water electrolysis

Hydrogen crossover limits the load range of alkaline water electrolyzers, hindering their integration with renewable energy. This study examines the impact of the electrode-diaphragm gap on crossover, focusing on diffusive transport. Both finite-gap and zero-gap designs employing the state-of-the-art Zirfon UTP Perl 500 and UTP 220 diaphragms were investigated at room temperature and with a 12 wt% KOH electrolyte. Experimental results reveal a relatively high crossover for a zero-gap configuration, which corresponds to supersaturation levels at the diaphragm-electrolyte interface of 8–80, with significant fluctuations over time and between experiments due to an imperfect zero-gap design. In contrast, a finite-gap (500 μm) has a significantly smaller crossover, corresponding to supersaturation levels of 2–4. Introducing a cathode gap strongly decreases crossover, unlike an anode gap. Our results suggest that adding a small cathode-gap can significantly decrease gas impurity, potentially increase the operating range of alkaline electrolyzers, while maintaining good efficiency.</p

Dutch Rhotic Allophony, Coda Weakening, and the Phonetics-Phonology Interface

Evidence is presented that suggests that articulation should be considered separately from acoustics (or the auditory impression) in investigations of the interface between phonetics and phonology. We use Ultrasound Tongue Imaging to show that onset and coda versions of Dutch /r/ can have secondary articulations, categorical allophones, and subtle or covert articulations which have few acoustic implications. Covert rhotic (retroflex) articulation was observed in one speaker, who displayed acoustic derhoticisation. We also consider this finding in relation to ongoing work in Scottish English.caslpub2745pu

Prediction of transient tumor enlargement using MRI tumor texture after radiosurgery on vestibular schwannoma

Purpose: Vestibular schwannomas (VSs) are uncommon benign brain tumors, generally treated using Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS). However, due to the possible adverse effect of transient tumor enlargement (TTE), large VS tumors are often surgically removed instead of treated radiosurgically. Since microsurgery is highly invasive and results in a significant increased risk of complications, GKRS is generally preferred. Therefore, prediction of TTE for large VS tumors can improve overall VS treatment and enable physicians to select the most optimal treatment strategy on an individual basis. Currently, there are no clinical factors known to be predictive for TTE. In this research, we aim at predicting TTE following GKRS using texture features extracted from MRI scans. Methods: We analyzed clinical data of patients with VSs treated at our

Context and Cardiovascular Risk Modification in Two Regions of Ontario, Canada: A Photo Elicitation Study

Cardiovascular diseases, which include coronary heart diseases (CHD), remain the leading cause of death in Canada and other industrialized countries. This qualitative study used photo-elicitation, focus groups and in-depth interviews to understand health behaviour change from the perspectives of 38 people who were aware of their high risk for CHD and had received information about cardiovascular risk modification while participating in a larger intervention study. Participants were drawn from two selected regions: Sudbury and District (northern Ontario) and the Greater Toronto Area (southern Ontario). Analysis drew on concepts of place and space to capture the complex interplay between geographic location, sociodemographic position, and people’s efforts to understand and modify their risk for CHD. Three major sites of difference and ambiguity emerged: 1) place and access to health resources; 2) time and food culture; and 3) itineraries or travels through multiple locations. All participants reported difficulties in learning and adhering to new lifestyle patterns, but access to supportive health resources was different in the two regions. Even within regions, subgroups experienced different patterns of constraint and advantage. In each region, “fast” food and traditional foods were entrenched within different temporal and social meanings. Finally, different and shifting strategies for risk modification were required at various points during daily and seasonal travels through neighbourhoods, to workplaces, or on vacation. Thus health education for CHD risk modification should be place-specific and tailored to the needs and resources of specific communities

(R) as a Variable

OxfordAll sounds are variable, but some are more variable than others. Does hyper-variation mean a greater disposition for sociolinguistically relevant conditioning, or, alternatively, a tendency for relatively greater noisiness in the distribution of unconditioned variants? Whatever the case, there should clearly be a special interest in the sociolinguistic systemization of those sounds that are so unusually prone to variation that it is difficult to capture them within a simple articulatory and acoustic definition. Such is the case with the sociolinguistic variable (R).casl10pub2177pu

Pre-surgical depression and anxiety and recovery following coronary artery bypass graft surgery

We aimed to explore the combined contribution of pre-surgical depression and anxiety symptoms for recovery following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) using data from 251 participants. Participants were assessed prior to surgery for depression and anxiety symptoms and followed up at 12 months to assess pain and physical symptoms, while hospital emergency admissions and death/major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were monitored on average 2.68 years after CABG. After controlling for covariates, baseline anxiety symptoms, but not depression, were associated with greater pain (β = 0.231, p = 0.014) and greater physical symptoms (β = 0.194, p = 0.034) 12 months after surgery. On the other hand, after controlling for covariates, baseline depression symptoms, but not anxiety, were associated with greater odds of having an emergency admission (OR 1.088, CI 1.010–1.171, p = 0.027) and greater hazard of death/MACE (HR 1.137, CI 1.042–1.240, p = 0.004). These findings point to different pathways linking mood symptoms with recovery after CABG surgery