A Comparison of the Use of Glottal Fry in the Spontaneous Speech of Young and Middle-Aged American Women.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: To compare vocal fry use in spontaneous speech of young and middle-aged American women. STUDY DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study. METHODS: Subjects were 40 American women; 20 aged 18-25 years (mean = 22.9 years) and 20 aged 35-50 years (mean = 43.4 years). Participants were asked to describe all the steps involved in making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and in doing laundry. Acoustical analysis of selected parameters and sentence position of vocal fry occurrences were performed. The acoustic parameters analyzed were mean, minimum and maximum fundamental frequency (F0), glottal fry/minute ratio, and sentence position of glottal fry. RESULTS: Values of minimum fundamental frequency clearly show that there was vocal fry in the participants' spontaneous speech samples. The average minimum F0 was 74.0 Hz (standard deviation [SD] = 5.6) for the younger women and 73.10 Hz (SD = 6.7) for the middle-aged women (P = 0.527). The mean glottal fry for the medial position and for the final position was similar for both groups. The mean glottal fry/minute ratio for young women was 13.8 (SD = 7.0), whereas for middle-aged women was 11.3 (SD = 7.5; P = 0.402). This study showed that all participants had at least one episode of glottal fry in their spontaneous speech sample. CONCLUSIONS: Both groups presented with vocal fry in their spontaneous speech, showing that vocal fry is present in the speech of young and middle-aged women.

Social cognition, social competence, negative symptoms and social outcomes: Inter-relationships in people with schizophrenia.

Social deficits are common in people with schizophrenia and the treatment of deficits in social competence has been a long-time treatment strategy. However, negative symptoms and social cognitive deficits also contribute to social dysfunction. In this study, we examined the correlations between everyday social outcomes, a performance based measure of social competence, and performance on 8 different social cognition tests in 179 patients with schizophrenia. Social cognition, social competence, and motivation-related negative symptoms accounted for 32% of the variance in real-world social outcomes. In addition, two different social cognition tests, along with expression-related negative symptoms accounted for 32% of the variance in performance-based assessments of social competence. These data suggest that negative symptoms exert an important influence on social outcomes and social competence, but not social cognition, and that social cognition and social competence exert separable influences on real-world social outcomes. Improving social outcomes seems to require a multi-faceted approach which considers social cognition, social competence, and negative symptoms.

Greater weight loss and hormonal changes after 6 months diet with carbohydrates eaten mostly at dinner.

This study was designed to investigate the effect of a low-calorie diet with carbohydrates eaten mostly at dinner on anthropometric, hunger/satiety, biochemical, and inflammatory parameters. Hormonal secretions were also evaluated. Seventy-eight police officers (BMI >30) were randomly assigned to experimental (carbohydrates eaten mostly at dinner) or control weight loss diets for 6 months. On day 0, 7, 90, and 180 blood samples and hunger scores were collected every 4 h from 0800 to 2000 hours. Anthropometric measurements were collected throughout the study. Greater weight loss, abdominal circumference, and body fat mass reductions were observed in the experimental diet in comparison to controls. Hunger scores were lower and greater improvements in fasting glucose, average daily insulin concentrations, and homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA(IR)), T-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were observed in comparison to controls. The experimental diet modified daily leptin and adiponectin concentrations compared to those observed at baseline and to a control diet. A simple dietary manipulation of carbohydrate distribution appears to have additional benefits when compared to a conventional weight loss diet in individuals suffering from obesity. It might also be beneficial for individuals suffering from insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome. Further research is required to confirm and clarify the mechanisms by which this relatively simple diet approach enhances satiety, leads to better anthropometric outcomes, and achieves improved metabolic response, compared to a more conventional dietary approach.

One decade of self exclusion: Missouri casino self-excluders four to ten years after enrollment.

For more than a decade, casinos around the world have offered self-exclusion programs (SEPs) to gamblers seeking help with their gambling behavior. Despite the proliferation of SEPs, little is known about the long-term outcomes for gamblers who utilize these programs. The current study assessed the experiences of a sample (N = 113) of Missouri self-excluders (SEs) for as long as 10 years after their initial enrollment in the Missouri Voluntary Exclusion Program (MVEP). Most SEs had positive experiences with MVEP and reduced their gambling and gambling problems after enrollment. However, 50% of SEs who attempted to trespass at Missouri casinos after enrollment were able to, indicating that the benefit of MVEP was attributable more to the act of enrollment than enforcement. SEs who engaged in complementary treatment or self-help groups had more positive outcomes than those who did not, suggesting that SEPs ought to encourage and provide information about additional support and treatment options to participants.

Inside the virtual casino: a prospective longitudinal study of actual Internet casino gambling.

BACKGROUND: Participation in Internet gambling is growing rapidly, as is concern about its possible effects on the public's health. This article reports the results of the first prospective longitudinal study of actual Internet casino gambling behaviour. METHODS: Data include 2 years of recorded Internet betting activity by a cohort of gamblers who subscribed to an Internet gambling service during February 2005. We examined computer records of each transaction and transformed them into measures of gambling involvement. The sample included 4222 gamblers who played casino games. RESULTS: The median betting behaviour was to play casino games once every 2 weeks during a period of 9 months. Subscribers placed a median of 49 bets of euro4 each playing day. Subscribers lost a median of 5.5% of total monies wagered. We determined a group of heavily involved bettors whose activity exceeded that of 95% of the sample; these players bet every fifth day during 17.5 months. On each playing day, these most involved bettors placed a median of 188 bets of euro25. Their median percent of wagers lost, 2.5%, was smaller than that lost by the total sample. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that Internet casino betting behaviour results in modest costs for most players, while some, roughly 5%, have larger losses. The findings also show the need to consider time spent as a marker of disordered gambling. These findings provide the evidence to steer public health debates away from speculation and toward the creation of empirically-based strategies to protect the public health.