Disagreements in television discussions

The literature regarding adults with Down syndrome is limited compared with that of children and adolescents with Down syndrome. The 2006 edited text of Adults With Down Syndrome provides an informative perspective on the characteristics, experiences, opportunities, and challenges of this population, as well as services that can enhance their quality of life. Siegfried M. Pueschel, MD, is the editor and coauthor, and other contributors include scholars, clinicians, a parent, as well the most "expert" of all, adults with Down syndrome. This text is written in a manner that is relatively easily to understand by laypersons. It contains 16 essays and 11 chapters related to health, psychiatric disorders, positive behavior supports, sexual issues, college education, job training, recreation, social relationships, guardianship, and advocacy.The essays by adults with Down syndrome reflect the lives of remarkable individuals. They are inspiring and touching accounts of the authors' many achievements and drive for independence and inclusion. Among the writers are college students, licensed vehicle drivers, actors, musicians, entrepreneurs, public speakers, and strong advocates for themselves and others. The well-written essays focus on their lives and include work, social, and home issues. Of particular interest are their challenges, such as being teased and the death of a parent. One author writes,Based on the information provided, however, the essays' authors do not represent the larger population of adults with Down syndrome in the United States. They are young adults in community settings who appear to be from middle or higher socioeconomic class backgrounds, and all but one seems to be of European descent. In particular, those with lower IQ levels are unrepresented. The editor indicates that the contributors are speaking for others who are less eloquent, but inclusion of individuals with lower cognitive functioning would have provided a more accurate picture of adults with Down syndrome. The essays are described as written "for the most part" by the respective authors, with editorial assistance being provided to some. It would have been informative to indicate which of the essays were written without assistance because many of them are very impressive in the quality of writing. In addition, it would have been preferable for the editing to have been very limited (e.g., spelling corrections). Despite the clarification in the preface, the collection may give the false impression that such writing is typical of adults with Down syndrome.The chapter on health care and medical issues covers critical information that is especially recommended for caregivers. The content ranges from general health maintenance to neurological issues. There are noteworthy cautions, such as the sensitivity needed when conducting gynecologic examinations and the atlantoaxial instability in some adults with Down syndrome. Although most of the information provided is supported by citations, there are a number of instances when this is not the case. More precision and statistics are also needed, as reflected in the following statement: "a limited number of these individuals develop clinical signs of dementia" (p. 38).The psychiatric disorders chapter provides valuable information on the diagnosis and treatment of adults with Down syndrome (e.g., the differential diagnosis of depression). Although there is discussion of anorexia nervosa, which is acknowledged as rare, there is little mention of other, more prevalent psychiatric problems. Specifically, with exception of obsessive-compulsive disorder, there is limited discussion of other anxiety disorders. Regarding the prevalence data, it should have been made clear whether the individuals who were sampled lived in private homes and similar community facilities, considering that this tends to impact the data. Another confusing point is that the authors state that there is "…no effective treatment…" (p. 63) for autism and then proceed to indicate that several types of interventions are recommended for the disorder.In the chapter on positive behavior supports, the rationale for moving beyond traditional behavioral programming when dealing with challenging behaviors is compelling. The positive behavior support process is offered as an alternative. Person-centered planning is emphasized in addition to special considerations in the use of the functional analysis of behavior. Helpful checklists, figures, and a case example are included; however, recommended references and resources for laypersons would have been welcomed additions.A strength of the chapter on sexual issues is that it is written mainly from the perspective of adults with Down syndrome and their parents. A sample quote follows: "Down syndrome makes you different. People think you will be different in everything. They don't think you know about boyfriends and girlfriends and sex and families and babies" (p. 105). There are a few examples of quotes that, compared with the essays, are more consistent with expectations for the larger population of adults with Down syndrome. One example is, "I am glad I am a girl. I am glad I am pretty and smart. I am very nice, too" (p. 112). Another example is, "I am a man. I shave. I have a bankcard. My job cleaning, mopping. Towels and stuff at YMCA" (p. 113). Despite the acknowledgment of the wide range of cultural views regarding sexuality, more discussion of the impact of cultural issues would have enhanced the chapter as well as the book as a whole.An underlying theme of the text, in general, and the chapter on fostering college success, in particular, is that a paradigm shift is needed. That is, long-held stereotypes of adults with Down syndrome should no longer limit what this population can experience and accomplish. Descriptions of actual college students' experiences are also provided. One individual is quoted to have said, "When I was born, my parents were told that I would be in an institution, and now I am, but it's another kind of institution—a college!" (p. 133). The chapter recommends the more inclusive individual support system with its accompanying college-level course expectations rather than special programs (e.g., life skills) that happen to be housed at colleges. This perspective is laudable, but it is unrealistic to expect that most adults with Down syndrome will be able to meet the challenges of college-level work. In addition, citations are needed to support some assertions in the section on the "proven" (p. 132) cycle of success.Similarly, empirical evidence for recommending best practices in the chapter that addresses vocational issues is lacking. The chapter highlights education, transitional planning, supported employment, employment negotiations, as well as family and workplace supports. Of particular note is an informative case example of an 18-year-old man with Down syndrome, for whom the need for careful planning and effective supports is emphasized. This and two chapters on community issues also focus on the needs and supports of persons with more severe disabilities. In the chapter on supporting community living (Chapter 15), the least restrictive environment model is contrasted with the recommended supported living approach. Although the residential continuum is described, the alternative of living with one's family is not specifically mentioned. This is important because Chapter 19, the other chapter on enhancing community living, indicates that most people with intellectual and developmental disabilities live with their families (p. 203). In the latter chapter, the authors highlight the large number of people still waiting for community services and residential alternatives to large institutions. They provide an excellent review of the literature regarding the unmet promise of and significant challenges to full physical and social community participation and inclusion for many persons with Down syndrome and related disabilities. A chapter about the recreational, fitness, and well-being benefits of Special Olympics is also included in the text. Notably, health issues are considered, including that many individuals with Down syndrome have underlying health issues that are "undetected or unappreciated" (p. 192).Two chapters addressing the related issues of guardianship and advocacy are especially enlightening. Topics include capacity in decision making, independent decision-making options, due process in guardianship proceedings, and limited guardianship. For example, one advantage of limited guardianship is that it may preserve the individual's right to vote. Alternatively, a case example is provided to illustrative that guardianship can serve to preserve an individual's rights. The chapter devoted to advocacy includes a history of advocacy, levels of advocacy, and advocacy across the lifespan. An inspiring case description is provided of how advocacy led to a young man with Down syndrome casting his vote in the 2004 elections. The chapter also offers specific suggestions to optimize advocacy and a reminder of a self-advocacy slogan: "Nothing about us without us!" (p. 274).In conclusion, the text would have benefited from having a general introductory chapter regarding Down syndrome, including topics, such as causes of Down syndrome and the prevalence of various IQ ranges for the population. Overall, there is limited discussion of middle and old age, lower levels of cognitive ability, expressive communication challenges, cross-cultural issues, and low socioeconomic status. Nonetheless, this text is long overdue and addresses important issues in the lives of adults with Down syndrome. In particular, the essays are rare and moving life accounts that help tear down long-held stereotypes.

Voice Boot Camp

Parenting programs have been found to be effective in improving child behaviour, parenting practices, and parental adjustment. However, dissemination of these evidence-based parenting programs is mostly conducted in western countries and only a few studies have reported the evaluation of evidence-based parenting programs in diverse cultural contexts. As a developing country in South-East Asia that has the fourth largest population in the world, Indonesia currently disseminates no evidence-based parenting program. Furthermore, the rate of child abuse cases in Indonesia has grown and there are socio-economic changes that potentially influence parenting practices and family relationships of Indonesians, particularly those living in urban areas. Chapter 1 of this thesis describes in detail the situations and conditions in Indonesia. Prior to the evaluation of a new program, it is important to investigate current Indonesian parenting practices and parental needs for parenting programs, including parents’ preferred features and delivery formats of a program, as to date there are only limited studies that describe these issues. Chapter 2 presents the rationale and results of a parenting survey with 273 Indonesian parents of children aged 2-12 years old residing in Indonesia and Australia. It was found that there were low levels of parenting risk factors and child emotional and behavioural problems within the sample. However, many parents used ineffective discipline strategies with their child (e.g., shouting). Parents also indicated that they were not familiar with existing parenting programs but were interested in participating in a parenting program if one were available in the future, and preferred to have a light touch intervention, such as a parenting seminar. This illustrates the need for a brief evidence-based parenting program among an Indonesian population. Chapter 3 provides an overview of the Triple P-Positive Parenting Program, an evidence-based parenting program that aims to enhance parenting knowledge, skills, and confidence in order to prevent child emotional and behavioural problems. The Triple P Seminar Series is a brief Triple P intervention that provides general parenting information to parents who are interested in learning more about parenting or have only a minor concern about their child’s behaviour. A prior evaluation with Australian parents showed that the program was effective in reducing child behaviour problems and dysfunctional parenting practices. Nonetheless, there has been no study that evaluated the Triple P Seminar Series with parents from developing countries, particularly Indonesia. To follow up the results of the parenting survey described in chapter 2 and to fill the research gap outlined in chapter 3, a pilot trial of the Triple P Seminar Series was conducted with 30 Indonesian parents residing in Australia. Chapter 4 reports the results of the pilot trial that examined the cultural acceptability of the Triple P Seminar Series with Indonesian parents. Only one of the three Triple P seminars was delivered to parents. Minor changes were made in the language used (e.g., delivered in Indonesian), graphic materials (e.g., inserting pictures of Indonesian children and families), and case examples (e.g., using culturally relevant examples). The findings indicated that parents rated the seminar content as highly acceptable and culturally appropriate. Additionally, parents reported fewer child emotional and behavioural problems after attending the seminar with the effect maintained at 3-month follow up. However, the study had limitations with respect to the methodological design (i.e., no control group) and sample size, and therefore, a randomised-controlled trial with a larger number of participants was suggested for the subsequent study. Chapter 5 presents an evaluation of the Triple P Seminar Series with parents residing in Indonesia. In this randomised-controlled trial, 143 Indonesian parents were allocated in one of the two groups, intervention or wait-list. Parents in the intervention group received three 90-minute parenting seminars. The results indicated significant reductions in child behaviour problems, dysfunctional parenting practices, and parental stress, and a significant increase in parenting confidence for parents in the intervention group. Parents also reported high levels of acceptability and satisfaction with the program. This extends the finding of the effectiveness and usefulness of the Triple P Seminar Series to Indonesian parents. Finally, chapter 6 emphasises the importance of taking a staged approach (e.g., conducting a parenting survey, a pilot trial and an efficacy trial) prior to a dissemination of evidence-based parenting programs in a new country. Limitations of the thesis in regard to the measures used and parent sample recruited are discussed along with suggestions for future research and practical implications. Overall, this thesis shows that an evidence-based parenting program, in particular the Triple P Seminar Series, is a promising program that may have a positive impact on the welfare of Indonesian children and families with further dissemination.

One important problem faced by public speakers is rhetorical situations characterized by a multiplicity of rhetors and audiences. The public speaker is not only speaking to the immediate audience but is also speaking to a larger audience of “rhetorical players” who will potentially respond with public statements or symbolic actions of their own. In situations involving interdependent goals, speakers can potentially “hold each other hostage” by their ability to change the rhetorical context. Based on this dynamic, I argue that rhetors have incentive to engage in subtle rhetorical patterns of accommodation. Public speakers establish rhetorical process rules to coordinate action and meaning. The phenomenon of coordinated rhetorical rules is referred to as a “rhetorical compact.” An interpretive case study involving Dwight D. Eisenhower and Nikita S. Khrushchev illustrates the interactive aspect of rhetorical compacts and public policy. This analysis concludes that identification of compacts can help explain patterns of rhetoric and policy that would otherwise remain partially unexplained or overlooked.

To the Editor. Speech changes with age, affecting quality of life1,2. Underlying degenerative processes include laryngeal neuromuscular degeneration through atrophy and dystrophy, and edema in the vocal fold cover3–6. Because voice production structures share physiological territory with the aerodigestive tract, age-related degeneration of the voice may coincide with degeneration of other key functions such as breathing, swallowing, and airway protection. Historically, age-related voice studies have been cross-sectional in nature, identifying age-related vocal characteristics by comparing an elderly subject group to a younger group. Although the use of subject groups provides general trends, longitudinal case studies may provide additional insights by tracking the progression of voice, swallowing and breathing characteristics with age without the effects of inter-subject statistical averaging and variability. The current case study uses 50 years (1958–2007, 48–98 y/o) of speech recordings. The subject is a male lay leader of an international church. In addition to the unique longitudinal breadth of his speeches, this subject and his body of speeches are unique because (1) he received no training as a public speaker and used none of the traditional rhetorical characteristics of sermons; (2) he avoided smoking, coffee, and alcohol, common vocal irritants that might obfuscate age-specific changes to the voice; (3) the acoustical environment were consistent, one of two multi-purpose university arenas; and (4) all of the speeches were long enough to provide a sustained representative voice sample for analysis. Two types of analyses were employed: speech fundamental frequency to reveal the current health of the laryngeal physiology, as well as length of speech breath groups to indicate efficiency of laryngeal valving and/or lung vital capacity. Overall, the subject’s voice changed significantly in the mid to latter part of the sixth decade (Figure 1), which could be traced to age-related physiological processes. Generally, speech fundamental frequency decreased until about age 68 (Figure 1a). From age 68 to 98 years, average pitch increased from 140 to 160 Hz and the range (inter-quartile range) decreased by 20 percent. Because speech fundamental frequency depends on the physiology of the vocal folds and control of the musculature of the larynx, changes in mean and range may suggest a deterioration of the state of the tissue and general motor control with age. For example, age-related loss of mass of itself would increase the average speech fundamental frequency; however, decreased mass in the vocal folds could cause the vocal folds to begin to bow7. Further, if the subject adjusted for the bowing by increasing the stretch of the vocal fold to assist with glottal closure during phonation, this would also raise average speech fundamental frequency. Figure 1 (a) Speaking fundamental frequency changes over a lifetime: mode, mean, and median. (b) Average (diamonds) number of words per breath group and standard deviation (squares) of words per breath group, as counted by a reviewer. Solid filled symbols represent ... Changes in speech fundamental frequency corresponded with a reduction of speech breathing length. The subject increased the number of breath groups per minute (6.3% per decade), losing about 6–6.5 percent of speech breath group length per decade (Figure 1b). This change was almost imperceptible until the sixth decade. Simultaneously, the standard deviation of words per breath group decreased nearly linearly throughout the observation period. Thus, the subject could not sustain the same number of words in a breath group and needed to breathe more frequently while speaking. This change might have been caused by (1) a less flexible rib cage and the loss of vital capacity; or (2) increased glottal chink or bowing of the vocal folds8, resulting in more air leakage during speaking and reduce the air available. It is possible the results were affected because variations of recording environment, recording equipment and compression of the audio were not controlled. Nevertheless, the effects were likely minimal because (1) the venues and communication context were similar; (2) the metrics used are less sensitive to these variabilities; and (3) the results were similar to other reports in the literature. Further, while the longitudinal breadth of the study period makes these results valuable, they are nevertheless preliminary because only one subject was examined. Systemic neuromuscular changes can be inferred from changes in speech fundamental frequency and speech breathing. Other changes, such as increased risk of dysphagia (the inability to swallow safely and efficiently), may also correlate with these changes. Additional studies may identify indicators of when further assessments and treatments of age-related changes (e.g., dysphagia, dysphonia) are needed, or when preventative exercise may assist in slowing age indicators9, 10. Future longitudinal studies using more subjects (both genders) may further understanding of normal changes due to aging versus pathology. However, such a corpus of recordings must first be filtered based on communicative intent, venues, knowledge of vocal coaching and related information.

ABSTRACT: In this article, I consider the artistic and literary work of Angela Findlay, the daughter of a German mother and English father, and the granddaughter of a highly decorated Wehrmacht soldier. Working as a visual artist, public speaker and writer, Findlay moves between representational forms in order to express the complexities associated with her dual heritage and the "legacy of shame" that she carries with her. I take Findlay's In My Grandfather's Shadow as a case study that foregrounds new forms of visual-textual witnessing in the descendants of the war generation. I conclude that, by moving between different artistic practices, Findlay is able to encapsulate the complex and transnational experience of being a descendant of both Germany and the Allied nations; in so doing, she challenges the reader to question the conceptual boundaries of testimony, straightforward perceptions of perpetration, and the diluted, but nevertheless affected and affective, experiences of subsequent generations.

In the communicative process, the introvert personalities display negative influences on foreign language acquisition.However, teachers' scaffold can increase introverted students' willingness to venture into new ZPD and go through a transformation.Despite the obvious necessity of supporting and assisting shy individuals to expand the scope of their social experiences and realize their personal potential, there is a knowledge gap in the field of "supportive strategies for lowering the threshold of new ZPD for introverted students".To fill in this gap, we conducted a project-based case study in the setting of a high school in China, and employed the method of action research to document its operating procedures and specific supportive strategies.The results proved our two hypotheses that teachers' scaffold can lower the threshold of ZPD and that the flow experience can serve as a trans-formative power of intrinsic motivation.This study is a pilot experiment and will be generalized to more follow-up experiments.

This paper reports the results of a case study analyzing the intraspeaker variability of the prosodic level a professional lecturer under several factors at play, namely voice ageing, genre, pragmatics, and voice acting. The goal of the study is to establish the range of prosodic variability of David Crystal, a prominent lecturer. The prosodic features analyzed are frequency, intensity, duration, and voice quality; the method used is acoustic analysis. The results not only expand the existing theory on intraspeaker variability due to the newly received voice quality data, but will also serve as a measuring stick for analyzing other lecturers or public speakers. The key study findings comprise the ability of the speaker in question to resist age-related changes and to preserve the control over temporal parameters, pitch range, and harmonic-to-noise-ratio (HNR). The decline in shimmer and jitter values was documented to decrease harshness in voice and express agreeableness in an interview while high NHR values were noticed to accompany lectures. No voice quality parameter changed under the influence of pragmatic intention. Constructing several individual prosodic portraits of a speaker in different age, genre, pragmatics environments allowed for the recreation of the speaker’s prosodic level, but it is the examination of voice acting that proved to be vital as it allows to analyze the wider scope of the speaker’s variability.

Constructing the expert as a public speaker: Face considerations on floor-claiming in Greek television discussion programs

The aim of this paper is to study the reasons for the participation of the 3rd and 4th generation emigrants of the state of Chicago, in Greek traditional dance classes, taking as an example the cultural association “Orpheus Hellenic Folklore Society”. The collection of ethnographic data was based on the ethnographic method, under the terms of an online ethnography or otherwise Netnography. Oral history was also used as a method, through which everyday memory is projected as a quest of social history. Finally, for the presentation and analysis of the data, Geertz's model of "thick description" was adopted. An important parameter in the analysis and interpretation of the data is the concept of "reflection", which also was used in this paper. From the data analysis was found that, the Greek traditional dance has a particularly important role in multicultural nations such as America. More specifically, the findings of this study indicate that cultural heritage and cultural identity remain important, even in immigrant generations who have been born and raised in America and who have moved significantly away from the behavior and action patterns of Greeks. In particular, all the survey informants stated that their participation in Greek traditional dance classes and events has to do with preserving their Greek cultural heritage. In conclusion, it can be said that the Greek traditional dance in the American state of Chicago is experienced as a manifestation of the cultural expression of the Greek heritage, but also a way of understanding ‘Greekness’ in the wider American context.

Landowner attitudes and willingness to accept compensation from forest carbon offsets: Application of best–worst choice modeling in Florida USA

2D π-conjugated networks linked by aza-fused units represent a pivotal category of graphitic materials with stacked nanosheet architectures. Extensive efforts have been directed at their fabrication and application since the discovery of covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs). Besides the triazine cores, tricycloquinazoline and hexaazatriphenylene linkages are further introduced to tailor the structures and properties. Diverse related materials have been developed rapidly, and a thorough outlook is necessitated to unveil the structure-property-application relationships across multiple subcategories, which is pivotal to guide the design and fabrication toward enhanced task-specific performance. Herein, the structure types and development of related materials including CTFs, covalent quinazoline networks, and hexaazatriphenylene networks, are introduced. Advanced synthetic strategies coupled with characterization techniques provide powerful tools to engineer the properties and tune the associated behaviors in corresponding applications. Case studies in the areas of gas adsorption, membrane-based separation, thermo-/electro-/photocatalysis, and energy storage are then addressed, focusing on the correlation between structure/property engineering and optimization of the corresponding performance, particularly the preferred features and strategies in each specific field. In the last section, the underlying challenges and opportunities in construction and application of this emerging and promising material category are discussed.

PurposeThe aim of the study is to provide a comprehensive understanding of interrelations of structural systems and main planning considerations in supertall buildings (≥300 m).Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 140 contemporary supertall towers using the case study method to analyze structural systems in the light of the key design considerations to contribute to the creation of more viable supertall building projects.Findings Central core typology, outriggered frame system, composite material and tapered prismatic and free forms were the most preferred features in supertall building design. Shear walled frame and tube systems occurred mostly in the 300–400 m height range, while outriggered frame systems were in the range of 300–600 m in height. Asia, the Middle East and North America mainly preferred outriggered frame systems, followed by tube systems. Considering the building function and form, the most preferred structural system in each of these groups was outriggered frame system, while mixed-use function stood out in all structural systems except in shear walled frame system.Originality/valueTo date, there has been no comprehensive study in the literature of the interrelations of structural systems and important planning considerations in the design of contemporary supertall towers through a large set of study samples. This critical issue was multidimensionally explored in this paper in light of 140 detailed case studies of supertall buildings around the world.

In this work, fuzzy PD controllers with a one-to-two mapping inference structure are investigated. Unlike the conventional fuzzy PID controllers, which apply the two-to-one mapping strategy, the present controllers are supposed to keep the most preferred features with the conventional PID controllers, such as the individual control action calculation, reasoning inference without an input coupling effect, and independently nonlinear gain tuning. An inverted pendulum is given as a case study for examining this type of controllers. Simulation results demonstrate that the present controllers produce the best control performance in comparison with the two-to-one and one-to-one fuzzy PD controllers. The reason, we observed, is that one-to-many fuzzy controllers have the best flexibility of forming control forces with a high degree of nonlinearity to drive the process than the other two types of controllers.

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) represents one of the most important commercial coniferous tree species, providing valuable timber. Due to climate change, it is experiencing serious problems in some areas, therefore, finding a suitable substitute for its wood is currently a challenge. In this study, we compared the wood quality of three different non-native pine species and Scots pine growing at the same site to ensure identical growing conditions. Black pine (Pinus nigra J. F. Arnold), a pine species native to Southern Europe, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon), and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Douglas ex C. Lawson) native to North America were compared to Scots pine for selected quantitative (productivity) and qualitative (physical and mechanical) properties. Significant differences between pine species were found in all quantitative dendrometric parameters, except average diameter at breast height. The stand volume ranged from 157 m3 ha−1 for lodgepole pine to 356 m3 ha−1 for Scots pine. For qualitative characteristics, wood density, shrinkage, and compressive strength were used to find differences among species in choosing the best alternative. The highest wood density was obtained for Scots pine (458 kg m−3), followed by black pine with 441 kg m−3. The density of the remaining pine species was significantly lower. Scots pine also exceeded the tested species in compressive strength (44.2 MPa). Lodgepole pine achieved the second highest value (39.3 MPa) but was statistically similar to black pine (36.5 MPa). The tested pine species exhibited similar values in shrinkage, which were statistically insignificant, ranging from 14.3% for lodgepole pine to 15.1% for Scots pine. Based on applications and preferred characteristics, black pine or lodgepole pine could serve as the Scots pine substitute in some areas. And vice versa, ponderosa pine did not attain the Scots pine wood quality.