Self-Rated Confidence in Vocal Emotion Recognition Ability: The Role of Gender.

Purpose: We studied the role of gender in metacognition of voice emotion recognition ability (ERA), reflected by self-rated confidence (SRC). To this end, we guided our study in two approaches: first, by examining the role of gender in voice ERA and SRC independently and second, by looking for gender effects on the ERA association with SRC.

Method: We asked 100 participants (50 men, 50 women) to interpret a set of vocal expressions portrayed by 30 actors (16 men, 14 women) as defined by their emotional meaning.

Factors associated with changes in posterior corneal surface following laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis.

Purpose: To identify factors associated with changes in the posterior corneal curvature following laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK).

Methods: This retrospective study included myopic astigmatic eyes that underwent LASIK between January and December 2013 at Care-Vision Laser Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel. The average posterior keratometry was measured with the Sirius device at a radius of 3 mm from the center.

How Arabic diglossia affects the performances on phonological working memory tasks: Research evidence among first graders.

The effect of bilingualism on verbal learning and memory was explored in different studies. Different researchers assume that the Arabic diglossia, represents a case of bilingualism in the lingual context. Hence, the current study aimed to investigate the impact of diglossia in Arabic on the phonological working memory among beginner readers.

Sentence vs. Word Perception by Young Healthy Females: Toward a Better Understanding of Emotion in Spoken Language.

Expression and perception of emotions by voice are fundamental for basic mental health stability. Since different languages interpret results differently, studies should be guided by the relationship between speech complexity and the emotional perception. The aim of our study was therefore to analyze the efficiency of speech stimuli, vs.

Coordination of cohabiting phage elements supports bacteria-phage cooperation.

Bacterial pathogens often carry multiple prophages and other phage-derived elements within their genome, some of which can produce viral particles in response to stress. Listeria monocytogenes 10403S harbors two phage elements in its chromosome, both of which can trigger bacterial lysis under stress: an active prophage (ϕ10403S) that promotes the virulence of its host and can produce infective virions, and a locus encoding phage tail-like bacteriocins. Here, we show that the two phage elements are co-regulated, with the bacteriocin locus controlling the induction of the prophage and thus its activity as a virulence-associated molecular switch.

Multiple factors are involved in the dysarthria associated with Parkinson's disease: a review with implications for clinical practice and research.

Purpose: Motor speech abnormalities are highly common and debilitating in individuals with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD). These abnormalities, collectively termed hypokinetic dysarthria (HKD), have been traditionally attributed to hypokinesia and bradykinesia secondary to muscle rigidity and dopamine deficits. However, the role of rigidity and dopamine in the development of HKD is far from clear.

Innovative technology for the assisted delivery of intensive voice treatment (LSVT®LOUD) for Parkinson disease.

Purpose: To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of a newly developed assistive technology system, Lee Silverman Voice Treatment Companion (LSVT(®) Companion™, hereafter referred to as "Companion"), to support the delivery of LSVT(®)LOUD, an efficacious speech intervention for individuals with Parkinson disease (PD).

Method: Sixteen individuals with PD were randomized to an immediate (n = 8) or a delayed (n = 8) treatment group. They participated in 9 LSVT LOUD sessions and 7 Companion sessions, independently administered at home.

LSVT LOUD and LSVT BIG: Behavioral Treatment Programs for Speech and Body Movement in Parkinson Disease.

Recent advances in neuroscience have suggested that exercise-based behavioral treatments may improve function and possibly slow progression of motor symptoms in individuals with Parkinson disease (PD). The LSVT (Lee Silverman Voice Treatment) Programs for individuals with PD have been developed and researched over the past 20 years beginning with a focus on the speech motor system (LSVT LOUD) and more recently have been extended to address limb motor systems (LSVT BIG). The unique aspects of the LSVT Programs include the combination of (a) an exclusive target on increasing amplitude (loudness in the speech motor system; bigger movements in the limb motor system), (b) a focus on sensory recalibration to help patients recognize that movements with increased amplitude are within normal limits, even if they feel "too loud" or "too big," and (c) training self-cueing and attention to action to facilitate long-term maintenance of treatment outcomes.

The effect of morphological complexity on verbal working memory: results from Arabic speaking children.

To examine the role of morphology in verbal working memory. Forty nine children, all native speakers of Arabic from the same region and of the same dialect, performed a Listening Word Span Task, whereby they had to recall Arabic uninflected words (i.e.

Intensive voice treatment in Parkinson's disease: Lee Silverman Voice Treatment.

Advances in neuroscience have led to an expanded and improved understanding of neurobiological changes associated with rehabilitation and exercise in Parkinson's disease (PD). This knowledge has led to a direct clinical impact of increased referral for early and continuous exercise programs for individuals with PD (physical, occupational, speech therapy and general exercise programs) and an increased research focus on the impact of such approaches in humans with PD. The purpose of this article is to examine the role of speech therapy in the landscape of exercise-based interventions for individuals with PD.

Rate change detection of frequency modulated signals: developmental trends.

Background: The aim of this study was to examine developmental trends in rate change detection of auditory rhythmic signals (repetitive sinusoidally frequency modulated tones).

Methods: Two groups of children (9-10 years old and 11-12 years old) and one group of young adults performed a rate change detection (RCD) task using three types of stimuli. The rate of stimulus modulation was either constant (CR), raised by 1 Hz in the middle of the stimulus (RR1) or raised by 2 Hz in the middle of the stimulus (RR2).

Formant centralization ratio: a proposal for a new acoustic measure of dysarthric speech.

Purpose: The vowel space area (VSA) has been used as an acoustic metric of dysarthric speech, but with varying degrees of success. In this study, the authors aimed to test an alternative metric to the VSA-the formant centralization ratio (FCR), which is hypothesized to more effectively differentiate dysarthric from healthy speech and register treatment effects.

Method: Speech recordings of 38 individuals with idiopathic Parkinson's disease and dysarthria (19 of whom received 1 month of intensive speech therapy [Lee Silverman Voice Treatment; LSVT LOUD]) and 14 healthy control participants were acoustically analyzed.

Decoronation of an ankylosed permanent incisor: alveolar ridge preservation and rehabilitation by an implant supported porcelain crown.

Replacement resorption and ankylosis are frequently diagnosed following severe dental trauma. The complications that may develop as a result of ankylosis of a permanent incisor in children and adolescent include: esthetic compromise, orthodontic complications because of: arch irregularity; lack of mesial drift; tilting of adjacent teeth, arch length loss and local arrest of alveolar ridge growth. To avoid such complications, an ankylosed tooth should be removed before the changes become so pronounced that they compromise future prosthetic treatment.

Listening with an accent: speech perception in a second language by late bilinguals.

The goal of the present study was to examine functioning of late bilinguals in their second language. Specifically, we asked how native and non-native Hebrew speaking listeners perceive accented and native-accented Hebrew speech. To achieve this goal we used the gating paradigm to explore the ability of healthy late fluent bilinguals (Russian and Arabic native speakers) to recognize words in L2 (Hebrew) when they were spoken in an accent like their own, a native accent (Hebrew speakers), or another foreign accent (American accent).

Articulatory changes in muscle tension dysphonia: evidence of vowel space expansion following manual circumlaryngeal therapy.

Unlabelled: In a preliminary study, we documented significant changes in formant transitions associated with successful manual circumlaryngeal treatment (MCT) of muscle tension dysphonia (MTD), suggesting improvement in speech articulation. The present study explores further the effects of MTD on vowel articulation by means of additional vowel acoustic measures. Pre- and post-treatment audio recordings of 111 women with MTD were analyzed acoustically using two measures: vowel space area (VSA) and vowel articulation index (VAI), constructed using the first (F1) and second (F2) formants of 4 point vowels/ a, i, ae, u/, extracted from eight words within a standard reading passage.

Does experimental pain affect auditory processing of speech-relevant signals? A study in healthy young adults.

Aim: To assess the effect of tonic pain stimulation on auditory processing of speech-relevant acoustic signals in healthy pain-free volunteers.

Methods: Sixty university students, randomly assigned to either a thermal pain stimulation (46 degrees C/6 min) group (PS) or no pain stimulation group (NPS), performed a rate change detection task (RCDT) involving sinusoidally frequency-modulated vowel-like signals. Task difficulty was manipulated by changing the rate of the modulated signals (henceforth rate).

Relationship between central auditory processing and reading skills: preliminary observations in Hebrew speaking children.

Aim: To assess the relationships between central auditory processing (CAP) of sinusoidally modulated speech-like and non-speech acoustic signals and reading skills in shallow (pointed) and deep (unpointed) Hebrew orthographies.

Methods: Twenty unselected fifth-grade Hebrew speakers performed a rate change detection (RCD) task using the aforementioned acoustic signals. They also performed reading and general ability (IQ) tests.

Speech and swallowing disorders in Parkinson disease.

Purpose Of Review: To review recent research and clinical studies pertaining to the nature, diagnosis, and treatment of speech and swallowing disorders in Parkinson disease.

Recent Findings: Although some studies indicate improvement in voice and speech with dopamine therapy and deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus, others show minimal or adverse effects. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the mouth motor cortex and injection of collagen in the vocal folds have preliminary data supporting improvement in phonation in people with Parkinson disease.

Speech treatment for Parkinson's disease.

Researchers estimate that 89% of people with Parkinson's disease (PD) have speech and voice disorders including disorders of laryngeal, respiratory and articulatory function. Despite the high incidence of speech and voice impairment, studies suggest that only 3-4% of people with PD receive speech treatment. Here, we review the literature on the characteristics and features of speech and voice disorders in people with PD and the types of treatment techniques available (medical, surgical and behavioral), with a focus on behavioral therapies.

Decoronation for the management of an ankylosed young permanent tooth.

Replacement resorption rate is a variable process, and is dependent on age, basal metabolic rate, extra-alveolar time, treatment prior to replantation, amount of root dentin, severity of trauma, and extent of periodontal ligament necrosis. In patients 7-16 years old a tooth is lost 3-7 years after the onset of root resorption. The complications that may develop as a consequence of ankylosis of a permanent incisor in children are due to the inevitable early loss of the traumatized tooth and local arrest of alveolar bone development.

Clinical solutions for developmental defects of enamel and dentin in children.

Developmental defects of enamel (DDE) are frequently observed in pediatric dental patients. Proper diagnosis may improve the clinician's dental care. The purpose of this article is to present the clinical management of some common dental defects: (1) hypoplasia; (2) diffuse and demarcated opacities; (3) fluorosis; (4) amelogenesis imperfecto (Al); and (5) dentinogenesis imperfecto (DI).

Effects of intensive voice treatment (the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment [LSVT]) on vowel articulation in dysarthric individuals with idiopathic Parkinson disease: acoustic and perceptual findings.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of intensive voice treatment targeting vocal loudness (the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment [LSVT]) on vowel articulation in dysarthric individuals with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD).

Method: A group of individuals with PD receiving LSVT (n = 14) was compared to a group of individuals with PD not receiving LSVT (n = 15) and a group of age-matched healthy individuals (n = 14) on the variables vocal sound pressure level (VocSPL); various measures of the first (F1) and second (F2) formants of the vowels /i/, /u/, and /a/; vowel triangle area; and perceptual vowel ratings. The vowels were extracted from the words key, stew, and Bobby embedded in phrases.