Faith and Practice: How Religious Beliefs Affect a Music Therapist's Clinical Identity and Practice.

Although there has been considerable literature surrounding spirituality and its role in music therapy, there stands to be a gap surrounding religious faith and its effect on clinical practice by practitioners. This phenomenological study, conducted among accredited music therapists in Canada, examined the impact religious faith has on their clinical practice. The study found that religious devotion had more positive benefits than negative repercussions in the workplace among these professional practitioners.

High Arctic "hotspots" for sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) off western and northern Svalbard, Norway, revealed by multi-year Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM).

Despite the well-documented, broad global distribution of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus), their distributional patterns remain poorly known in Arctic regions, where year-round monitoring is challenging. Adult male sperm whales are known to migrate seasonally between nutrient-rich high latitude waters and low latitude breeding grounds. However, knowledge is limited regarding fine-scale distribution and seasonal presence at high latitudes.

Seasonal acoustic presence of marine mammals at the South Orkney Islands, Scotia Sea.

Increased knowledge about marine mammal seasonal distribution and species assemblage from the South Orkney Islands waters is needed for the development of management regulations of the commercial fishery for Antarctic krill () in this region. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) data were collected during the autumn and winter seasons in two consecutive years (2016, 2017), which represented highly contrasting environmental conditions due to the 2016 El Niño event. We explored differences in seasonal patterns in marine mammal acoustic presence between the two years in context of environmental cues and climate variability.

Wind-driven upwelling of iron sustains dense blooms and food webs in the eastern Weddell Gyre.

The Southern Ocean is a major sink of anthropogenic CO and an important foraging area for top trophic level consumers. However, iron limitation sets an upper limit to primary productivity. Here we report on a considerably dense late summer phytoplankton bloom spanning 9000 km in the open ocean of the eastern Weddell Gyre.

The Effects of Long-Term 40-Hz Physioacoustic Vibrations on Motor Impairments in Parkinson's Disease: A Double-Blinded Randomized Control Trial.

Recent studies have suggested that vibration therapy may have a positive influence in treating motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, quantitative evidence of the benefits of vibration utilized inconsistent methods of vibration delivery, and to date there have been no studies showing a long-term benefit of 40 Hz vibration in the PD population. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy of vibration administered via a physioacoustic therapy method (PAT) on motor symptoms of PD over a longer term, completed as a randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Geographic vocal variation and perceptual discrimination abilities in male Australian sea lions.

Vocal characteristics can vary among and within populations. In species with geographic variation in the structure of vocalizations, individuals may have the ability to discriminate between calls from local and non-local individuals. The ability to distinguish differences in acoustic signals is likely to have a significant influence on the outcome of social interactions between individuals, including potentially mate selection and breeding success.

The underwater soundscape in western Fram Strait: Breeding ground of Spitsbergen's endangered bowhead whales.

In the Arctic, warming and concomitant reductions in sea ice will affect the underwater soundscape, with the greatest changes likely being linked to anthropogenic activities. In this study, an acoustic recorder deployed on an oceanographic mooring in western Fram Strait documented the soundscape of this area, which is important habitat for the Critically Endangered Spitsbergen bowhead whale population. The soundscape was quasi-pristine much of the year, with low numbers of ships traversing the area.

Short-Term Effects of Rhythmic Sensory Stimulation in Alzheimer's Disease: An Exploratory Pilot Study.

This study assessed the effect of stimulating the somatosensory system of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients at three stages of their illness with 40 Hz sound. In this AB cross-over study design, 18 participants (6 mild, 6 moderate, 6 severe) each participated in 13 sessions: one intake and 12 treatment. Treatment A consisted of 40 Hz sound stimulation and Treatment B consisted of visual stimulation using DVDs, each provided twice a week over 6 weeks for a total of 6 times per treatment.

The effect of low-frequency sound stimulation on patients with fibromyalgia: a clinical study.

Background: The search for effective treatments for fibromyalgia (FM) has continued for years. The present study premises that thalamocortical dysrhythmia is implicated in fibromyalgia and that low-frequency sound stimulation (LFSS) can play a regulatory function by driving neural rhythmic oscillatory activity.

Objective: To assess the effect of LFSS on FM.

What makes an Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) male's bark threatening?

In mammals, vocal signals are produced in many social contexts and convey diverse information about the emitter (social rank, individual identity, body size-condition). To understand their biological function, the authors find it is not only important to estimate the information about the signaler encoded in the signal but also to determine if and how this information is perceived by the receiver. In male pinnipeds (phocids, otariids, and odobenids) vocal signaling plays an important role in the breeding season during the defense of territories, females, or both.

Short-term effects of vibration therapy on motor impairments in Parkinson's disease.

Recent studies have suggested that vibration therapy may have a positive influence on motor symptoms in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, quantitative evidence of these benefits is scarce, and the concept of "whole-body" vibration in these studies is vague. The objectives of the current study were to evaluate the influence of vibration on motor symptoms and functional measures in PD by delivering sound waves to the entire body.

Delayed onset of vocal recognition in Australian sea lion pups (Neophoca cinerea).

In pinnipeds, maternal care strategies and colony density may influence a species' individual recognition system. We examined the onset of vocal recognition of mothers by Australian sea lion pups (Neophoca cinerea). At 2 months of age, pups responded significantly more to the calls of their own mothers than alien female calls demonstrating a finely tuned recognition system.