Cepstral Acoustic Measurements: Influence of Speech Task and Degree of Vocal Deviation.

Objective: To analyze whether there are differences in the cepstral measures obtained in different speech tasks, depending on the presence and degree of vocal deviation, and to analyze if there is a correlation between the cepstral measures obtained from different speech tasks and the general degree of vocal deviation.

Method: Analysis of 258 vocal samples of the sustained vowel [a] and connected speech (counting numbers) from a database, including 160 dysphonic and 98 nondysphonic voices. The counting number samples were edited in three different durations: counting from 1 to 10, from 1 to 11, and from 1 to 20.

Description of a new species of Ixodes Latreille, 1795 (Acari: Ixodidae), parasite of shrew tenrecs (Afrotheria: Tenrecidae) and rodents (Rodentia: Muridae) on Madagascar.

Ixodes (Afrixodes) ambohitantelensis n. sp. (Acari: Ixodidae) is described based on females ex endemic shrew tenrecs (Afrosoricida: Tenrecidae) and an introduced rodent (Rodentia: Muridae) from Madagascar.

Loss of zinc transporters ZIP1 and ZIP3 augments platelet reactivity in response to thrombin and accelerates thrombus formation .

Zinc (Zn) is considered as important mediator of immune cell function, thrombosis and haemostasis. However, our understanding of the transport mechanisms that regulate Zn homeostasis in platelets is limited. Zn transporters, ZIPs and ZnTs, are widely expressed in eukaryotic cells.

Reducing the gap between science and clinic: lessons from academia and professional practice - part B: traditional vocal therapy techniques and modern electrostimulation and photobiomodulation techniques applied to vocal rehabilitation.

This text is the continuation of the XVIII SBFa Congress publication. In part "A" we presented the analyses on clinical vocal evaluation. Part "B" focuses on vocal rehabilitation: 4.

Reducing the GAP between science and clinic: lessons from academia and professional practice - part A: perceptual-auditory judgment of vocal quality, acoustic vocal signal analysis and voice self-assessment.

During the XXVIII Brazilian Congress of SBFa, 24 specialists met and, from a leading position on scientific research as a tool for connecting laboratory and clinic, five fronts of knowledge of the voice specialty were discussed as following: Perceptual-auditory judgment of vocal quality; 2. Acoustic analysis of the vocal signal; 3. Voice self-assessment; 4.

Impaired microtubule dynamics contribute to microthrombocytopenia in RhoB-deficient mice.

Megakaryocytes are large cells in the bone marrow that give rise to blood platelets. Platelet biogenesis involves megakaryocyte maturation, the localization of the mature cells in close proximity to bone marrow sinusoids, and the formation of protrusions, which are elongated and shed within the circulation. Rho GTPases play important roles in platelet biogenesis and function.

G6b-B regulates an essential step in megakaryocyte maturation.

G6b-B is a megakaryocyte lineage-specific immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motif-containing receptor, essential for platelet homeostasis. Mice with a genomic deletion of the entire Mpig6b locus develop severe macrothrombocytopenia and myelofibrosis, which is reflected in humans with null mutations in MPIG6B. The current model proposes that megakaryocytes lacking G6b-B develop normally, whereas proplatelet release is hampered, but the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear.

Exploring The Validity of Acoustic Measurements and Other Voice Assessments.

Objective: There are different parts of a battery of voice assessments to assess voice functions and voice quality. The objective assessment of voice quality using acoustics is recommended and two measurements such as the Acoustic Voice Quality index, 03.01 (AVQI) and the Acoustic Breathiness Index (ABI) are leading in this domain.

Resonant Voice: Perceptual and Acoustic Analysis After an Intensive Lessac Kinesensic Training Workshop.

Objective: To investigate whether actors' and actresses' voices post an Intensive Lessac Kinesensic Training Workshop - ILKTW can be perceptually identified as more resonant, and to assess if the Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI), the Acoustic Breathing Index (ABI), and their acoustic measures are able to indicate the classified voices as more resonant.

Methods: Eight vocally healthy English first-language actors and actresses, participants of the same ILKTW, were asked to sustain the vowel /a/ and to read a piece of the Rainbow Passage, pre and postworkshop, at a self-selected habitual frequency and intensity. The readings were divided into initial and final parts, both with 34 syllables, and combined with the vowel /a/ (3s).

The Impact of Languages and Cultural Backgrounds on Voice Quality Analyses.

Objective: The aim of this study was to verify the influence of different cultural backgrounds and languages on the perception of voice quality. Another aim was to evaluate the correlation between clinical auditory-perceptual judgments with acoustic measurements, such as the acoustic voice quality index (AVQI) and the acoustic breathiness index (ABI), i.e.

The Performance of the Acoustic Voice Quality Index and Acoustic Breathiness Index in Synthesized Voices.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the performance of the Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI) and the Acoustic Breathiness Index (ABI) in synthesized voice samples.

Method: The validity of the AVQI and ABI performances was analyzed in synthesized voice samples controlling the degree of predefined deviations for overall voice quality (G-scale) and breathiness (B-scale). A range of 26 synthesized voice samples with various severity degrees in G-scale with and without prominence of breathiness for male and female voices were created.

RhoA/Cdc42 signaling drives cytoplasmic maturation but not endomitosis in megakaryocytes.

Megakaryocytes (MKs), the precursors of blood platelets, are large, polyploid cells residing mainly in the bone marrow. We have previously shown that balanced signaling of the Rho GTPases RhoA and Cdc42 is critical for correct MK localization at bone marrow sinusoids in vivo. Using conditional RhoA/Cdc42 double-knockout (DKO) mice, we reveal here that RhoA/Cdc42 signaling is dispensable for the process of polyploidization in MKs but essential for cytoplasmic MK maturation.

Microphone and Audio Compression Effects on Acoustic Voice Analysis: A Pilot Study.

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the effects of microphone and audio compression variables on voice and speech parameters acquisition.

Method: Acoustic measures were recorded and compared using a high-quality reference microphone and three testing microphones. The tested microphones displayed differences in specifications and acoustic properties.

Validation of the acoustic breathiness index to the Brazilian Portuguese language.

Objective: To assess the concurrent validity and the diagnostic accuracy of the Acoustic Breathiness Index (ABI) in Brazilian Portuguese.

Methods: The counting numbers 1-20 and the vowel /a/ of 150 subjects were recorded (37 vocally healthy and 113 with dysphonia). The analyzed samples were the counting number 1-11 and 3 s of the sustained vowel.

Variability of Value of Trauma Centers to General Surgery Combat Casualty Care Skill Sustainment.

Objective: Military-civilian partnerships for the maintenance of trauma readiness skills will be required to maintain skills in preparation for future combat casualty care operations. There is little data describing relative worth of potential partnerships. This study aims to demonstrate that quantitative and qualitative differences are prevalent between trauma centers.

Accuracy of Acoustic Voice Quality Index and Its Isolated Acoustic Measures to Discriminate the Severity of Voice Disorders.

Objective: To evaluate the Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI) and its isolated acoustic measures accuracy in discriminating voices with different degrees of deviation.

Methods: Two hundred and fifty-eight voice samples (160 dysphonic; 98 vocally healthy). Information regarding acoustic analysis and overall degree of deviation (G) were considered.

Validation of the Brazilian Portuguese CAPE-V Instrument-Br CAPE-V for Auditory-Perceptual Analysis.

Introduction: The Consensus Auditory Perceptual Evaluation of Voice (CAPE-V) scale is a modern, clinical-scientific approach to voice analysis. It has been translated and culturally adapted to Brazilian Portuguese, but it still lacks validation.

Objective: To validate the Brazilian Portuguese version of the CAPE-V scale using the previously translated and culturally adapted version.

Influence of the Voice Sample Length in Perceptual and Acoustic Voice Quality Analysis.

Objective: To analyze the variations that different voice sample length (VSL) has on the perceived degree of voice quality deviation and on the Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI) accuracy.

Methods: Voices of 71 subjects (53 dysphonic; 18 vocally health) were recorded: numbers 1-20 (42 syllables) + vowel/a/. Three different VSL were edited: VSL_long, 1-20 + 3 seconds vowel/a/; VSL_cust, customized length, were voiced-segments of the continuous speech had the same length of the vowel (mean = 18.

The validity of the Acoustic Breathiness Index in the evaluation of breathy voice quality: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: The evaluation of voice quality with acoustic measurements is useful to objectify the diagnostic process. Particularly, breathiness was highly evaluated and the Acoustic Breathiness Index (ABI) might have promising features.

Objective Of Review: The goal of the present meta-analysis is to quantify, from existing cross-validation studies, the evidence for the diagnostic accuracy of ABI, including its sensitivity and specificity.

GALP Qualifier Scale: Initial Considerations to Classify a Voice Problem.

Objective: To propose a single qualifier scale for voice problems based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) that classifies a voice problem considering its multidimensionality.

Method: A multicultural database was analyzed (280 subjects). The analyzed information was: the perceptual judgment of the overall voice quality (G); the acoustic analysis (A) with the Acoustic Voice Quality Index; the laryngeal diagnosis (L) and the patient self-assessment (P) using the Voice Handicap Index.

Validation of the Acoustic Voice Quality Index, Version 03.01, to the Brazilian Portuguese Language.

Introduction: Multiparametric indexes provide a more robust acoustic analysis of voice quality considering more than one acoustic parameter in the evaluation of sustained phonation and continuous speech. However, once the continuous speech is considered, differences among languages must be addressed.

Objective: To assess the concurrent validity and the diagnostic accuracy of the Acoustic Voice Quality Index version 03.

Acoustic Voice Quality Index and Acoustic Breathiness Index: Analysis With Different Speech Material in the Brazilian Portuguese.

Objective: To analyze the Acoustic Voice Quality Index (AVQI) and the Acoustic Breathiness Index (ABI) concurrent validity and diagnostic accuracy with different speech materials.

Methods: Voices of 53 subjects (40 dysphonic; 13 vocally health) were recorded: vowel /a/ + counting numbers 1-20 (42 syllables) + reading text (138 syllables). Numbers and text were edited in order to achieve 3 seconds of voiced segments, such as the vowel /a/ (average of 18.

Acoustic Voice Quality Index - AVQI for brazilian portuguese speakers: analysis of different speech material.

Purpose: This study aimed to verify the best speech material for the AVQI for Brazilian Portuguese language and identify the best validity results between the auditory perceptual judgment (APJ) and the AVQI score on different speech materials.

Methods: We recorded voice samples of 50 individuals (dysphonic and vocally healthy) of several continuous speech (cs) variants (i.e.