Sound Intervention Research Articles

Journal of Psychosocial Oncology Research and Practice welcome editorial

Journal of Psychosocial Oncology Research and Practice welcome editorial

What counts as evidence? Swimming against the tide: Valuing both clinically informed experimentally controlled case series and randomized controlled trials in intervention research

Research into intervention with people with speech and language needs often takes the form of single-case/case series experimental studies (SCEDs) or randomized controlled trials (RCTs). This paper explores the nature of these designs, including their strengths/weaknesses and highlights the value of understanding the intervention outcomes for individual participants. An online survey gathered information on speech and language therapists’ views on their use of the different research designs. We conclude that both research designs are used to inform practice. SCEDs, in particular, are used in developing theories of intervention and informing therapy with individuals. Sound experimental intervention studies of both designs are needed.

Clinical management of childhood apraxia of speech: A survey of speech-language pathologists in Australia and New Zealand

Purpose: A number of studies have been published that have investigated the practices of speech-language pathologists in relation to speech sound disorder intervention; however, specific research about the treatment of childhood apraxia of speech is not available. This study aimed to describe the treatment approaches being used by speech-language pathologists, explore their perspectives of evidence-based practice and identify perceived barriers to implementing empirical research recommendations.Method: An online survey was distributed to speech-language pathologists in Australia and New Zealand. In total, 109 valid surveys were completed by participants who answered a series of multiple choice, yes/no, short answer and Likert-scaled questions.Result: Speech-language pathologists demonstrated a strong preference for eclectic interventions to treat childhood apraxia of speech. When asked to identify the primary treatment approach they used (whether as a stand-alone; or as the primary approach within an eclectic intervention), the most frequently used intervention was the Nuffield Dyspraxia Programme. Many speech-language pathologists reported valuing empirical research evidence, despite identifying a range of barriers that impact their ability to implement evidence-based practice in childhood apraxia of speech treatment.Conclusion: Although many speech-language pathologists use the Nuffield Dyspraxia Programme as their primary intervention, most clinicians use it as part of an eclectic/hybrid intervention. The effectiveness of eclectic interventions for childhood apraxia of speech has not been empirically evaluated.

An Examination of the American Far Right’s Anti-Tax Financial Crimes

Little attention has been paid to ideologically motivated tax protesters who use frivolous legal arguments as moral or legal justification for committing tax fraud and related financial crimes. These crimes have defrauded private citizens and governments and are associated with violent far-right extremism, negatively impacting public safety and stability. Using data from the U.S. Extremist Financial Crime Database, we provide an exploratory, descriptive analysis of the composition and motivation of financial crime schemes associated with the American far-right extremist anti-tax movement. Our innovative open-source database permits systematic empirical research into connections among tax avoidance, anti-tax, and anti-government belief and related criminal behavior, which is necessary for the advancement of scholarship on the causes and consequences of these frauds and the development of sound intervention and prevention policies and practices.

Impacts of crop raiding by wildlife on communities in buffer zone of Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhutan

This study was carried out in Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhutan to assess the consequence of crop raided by conflict species in four villages located in the buffer zone. Data were collected through semi-structured household interviews, direct observation, and key informant interviews. The majority of households interviewed (95.5%) reported the prevalence of crop depredation by wild animals. The results also indicated that crop loss was significant and more frequent near the forest edge compared to crops located distant from the forest. Porcupine was reported to be the most destructive wild animal followed by the monkey and wild pig. Wild animals caused considerable economic loss to households by raiding their crops. We propose collaboration between wildlife managers, researchers, and affected communities to come up with a sound management intervention strategy to lessen the crop raiding. For immediate and effective protection of the crops, we recommend the installation of solar and electric fencing to reduce the severity of crop raiding.

Detecting changes in lingual differentiation over the course of speech sound intervention

Detecting changes in lingual differentiation over the course of speech sound intervention

Change in the walking speed induced by sound intervention using real-time gait event detection

In recent years, people who lack exercise have been increasing. However, it is reported that a lack of exercise leads to chronic diseases. Therefore, if not having a habit of exercising, getting rid of the lack of exercise is hopeful by increasing the exercise intensity of daily behavior. As one of the fundamental daily behavior, walking is considered. It is desired to promote this exercise strength at walking in everyday life by natural intervention. This study focused on the change in walking speed induced by the sound intervention using real-time gait event detection. Experiments were conducted on three healthy males. The following methods were employed for the sound interventions: generating a beep sound in constant tempo (Constant Tempo) and generating a sound in adapted tempo based on the initial contact (Adapted Tempo). Among two interventions, the significant increase in walking speed by entrainment was observed in the latter method which generated the beep sound synchronously with the gait event by detecting the initial contact.

How to Find Productive Causes in Big Data: An Information Transmission Account

It has been argued that the use of big data in scientific research obviates the need for causal knowledge in making sound predictions and interventions. Whilst few accept that this claim is true, there is an ongoing discussion about what effect, if any, big data has on scientific methodology and, in particular, the search for causes. One response has been to show that the automated analysis of big data by a computer program can be used to find causes in addition to mere correlations. However, up until now it has only been demonstrated how this can be achieved with respect to difference-making causes. Yet it is widely acknowledged that scientists need evidence of both “difference-making” and “production” in order to infer a genuine causal link. This paper fills in the gap by outlining how computer-assisted discovery in big data can find productive causes. This is achieved by developing an inference rule based on a little-known causal process theory called the information transmission account.

The Making of a Speech Scientist

You have accessThe ASHA LeaderFirst Person on the Last Page1 Nov 2018The Making of a Speech ScientistIntrigued by an apraxia study, a 13-year-old seeks a researcher’s help for a middle school science fair project. Kathy J. JakielskiPhD, CCC-SLP Kathy J. Jakielski Google Scholar More articles by this author , PhD, CCC-SLP https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.FPLP.23112018.72 SectionsAbout ToolsAdd to favorites ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In Among the deluge of daily emails that arrived in my inbox one fall day, I saw one with a unique subject line: “Speech Disorder Science Fair Question From a Fan.” Well, I’d never received an email from a fan before, so I immediately clicked it open. I was introduced to an eighth-grade student from Philadelphia. She described reading about my pilot study investigating subclinical speech characteristics in teens with resolved speech sound disorders. The study was summarized in “Anything But Silent,” a book written by a family with two children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). The student had read the book because her younger brother has severe CAS. She said she’d become intrigued by speech production and the study I’d conducted when learning more about her brother’s disorder. She ended the email asking if I might help her come up with an idea for a study she could carry out for her middle school science fair, five weeks away. She signed the email, “Your fan, Maya Jennings.” How could I say anything but yes? Given Maya’s tight timeline—and the 1,000 miles between our homes—we held an initial brainstorming session via conference call. As we pitched and discussed study ideas, I was impressed by Maya’s seriousness and capability. We developed a study in which Maya would investigate speech sound errors exhibited by young adults during complex speech tasks. We established a set of weekly research tasks Maya needed to complete to finish on time. We also identified participants with typical speech at the time of Maya’s study, but with two of them having received speech sound intervention as children. I initially considered mentoring Maya merely because of her pluckiness, but I quickly recognized that I could also foster her scientific curiosity in speech science. Over the five weeks, Maya and I exchanged about 70 emails and had two additional conference calls. She completed her study, discovering that only some of the participants’ speech errors could be explained by the nature of their early speech diagnoses, thus only partially supporting her hypotheses and teaching her about her intricacies of speech production. Maya prepared her science fair display with impressive independence. The benefits of collaborating with Maya were both professional and personal. I became energized by her scientific inquisitiveness, which took me back to my own initial interest in the work that I do. Nurturing a teen in the science of our discipline also gave me great joy, especially because I knew that this work provided Maya insight into a disorder that affects her and her family daily. It does not take a PhD to mentor a curious young mind. The education and training we receive as audiologists and speech-language pathologists are steeped in scientific method and inquiry. We can nurture a young scientist’s interest in the speech, language and hearing sciences by providing a modest investment of time, expert advice and thoughtful encouragement. If a Maya does not reach out to you first, then I encourage you to seek out a young mind to mentor! Author Notes Kathy J. Jakielski, PhD, CCC-SLP, is the Florence C. and Dr. John E. Wertz Chair in Liberal Arts and Sciences at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, where she serves as professor and chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. She is an affiliate of ASHA Special Interest Groups 10, Issues in Higher Education, and 17, Global Issues in Communication Sciences and Related Disorders. [email protected] Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Additional Resources FiguresSourcesRelatedDetails Volume 23Issue 11November 2018 Get Permissions Add to your Mendeley library History Published in print: Nov 1, 2018 Metrics Current downloads: 227 Topicsasha-topicsleader_do_tagasha-article-typesleader-topicsCopyright & Permissions© 2018 American Speech-Language-Hearing AssociationLoading ...

Greening the Dark Side of Chocolate: A Qualitative Assessment to Inform Sustainable Supply Chains

SummaryDespite the plethora of discourse about how sustainable development should be pursued, the production of agricultural commodities is held responsible for driving c. 80% of global deforestation. Partially as a response, the private sector has made commitments to eliminate deforestation, but it is not yet clear what factors these commitments should take into account to effectively halt deforestation while also contributing to broader sustainable development. In the context of private sector commitments to zero-deforestation, this study characterizes the perceptions of different types of stakeholders along the cocoa and chocolate supply chain in order to determine the main challenges and solutions to encourage sustainable production. The main purpose is to understand the key factors that could facilitate a transition to a more sustainable supply while harmonizing the multiple actors’ interests. A qualitative thematic analysis of perceptions was conducted based on responses from 59 interviews with different stakeholders along the cocoa and chocolate supply chain in six key producing and consuming countries. Thematic analysis of the responses revealed six main themes: (1) make better use of policies, regulations and markets to help promote sustainability; (2) improve information and data (e.g., impacts of climate change on cocoa) to inform sound interventions; (3) focus on the landscape rather than the farm-level alone and improve integration of supply chain actors; (4) promote better coordination between stakeholders and initiatives (e.g., development assistance projects and corporate sustainability efforts); (5) focus on interdependent relationships between social, environmental and economic dimensions to achieve sustainable development; and (6) engage with the private sector. The study shows the importance of identifying different stakeholder priorities in order to design solutions that accommodate multiple interests. It also emphasizes the need to improve coordination and communication between stakeholders and instruments in order to address the three different dimensions of sustainability in a synergistic manner, considering the interactions from production of raw material to end consumer.

Assessing changing weather and the El Ni\xf1o Southern Oscillation impacts on cattle rabies outbreaks and mortality in Costa Rica (1985\u20132016)

BackgroundRabies is a major zoonotic disease affecting humans, domestic and wildlife mammals. Cattle are the most important domestic animals impacted by rabies virus in the New World, leading to thousands of cattle deaths per year and eliciting large economic losses. In the New World, virus transmission in cattle is primarily associated with Desmodus rotundus, the common vampire bat. This study analyses the association of weather fluctuations and the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), with the occurrence and magnitude, in terms of associated mortality, of cattle rabies outbreaks. Data from the 100 cattle rabies outbreaks recorded between 1985 and 2016 in Costa Rica were analyzed. Periodograms for time series of rabies outbreaks and the El Niño 4 index were estimated. Seasonality was studied using a seasonal boxplot. The association between epidemiological and climatic time series was studied via cross wavelet coherence analysis. Retrospective space-time scan cluster analyses were also performed. Finally, seasonal autoregressive time series models were fitted to study linear associations between monthly number of outbreaks, monthly mortality rates and the El Niño 4 index, temperature, and rainfall.ResultsLarge rabies mortality occurred towards the Atlantic basin of the country. Outbreak occurrence and size were not directly associated with ENSO, but were sensitive to weather variables impacted by ENSO. Both, ENSO phases and rabies outbreaks, showed a similar 5 year period in their oscillations. Cattle rabies mortality and outbreak occurrence increased with temperature, whereas outbreak occurrence decreased with rainfall. These results suggest that special weather conditions might favor the occurrence of cattle rabies outbreaks.ConclusionsFurther efforts are necessary to articulate the mechanisms underpinning the association between weather changes and cattle rabies outbreaks. One hypothesis is that exacerbation of cattle rabies outbreaks might be mediated by impacts of weather conditions on common vampire bat movement and access to food resources on its natural habitats. Further eco-epidemiological field studies could help to understand rabies virus transmission ecology, and to propose sound interventions to control this major veterinary public health problem.

Cutting Edge of the Contemporary: KNUST, Accra, and the Ghanaian Contemporary Art Movement

Cutting Edge of the Contemporary: KNUST, Accra, and the Ghanaian Contemporary Art Movement

High throughput discovery and characterization of tick and pathogen vaccine protective antigens using vaccinomics with intelligent Big Data analytic techniques

ABSTRACTIntroduction: The incidence of tick-borne diseases (TBDs) is growing worldwide, and vaccines appear as the most effective and environmentally sound intervention for the prevention and control of TBDs.Areas covered: The vaccinomics approach combines omics technologies and bioinformatics for the characterization of tick-host-pathogen molecular interactions and the development of next-generation vaccines. The two main challenges of the vaccinomics approach are the integration and analysis of omics datasets, and the development of screening platforms for the identification of candidate protective antigens. To address these challenges we propose the application of intelligent Big Data analytic techniques for the high throughput discovery and characterization of tick and pathogen derived candidate vaccine protective antigens.Expert commentary: This innovative approach should improve the development and efficacy of vaccines for the control and prevention of TBDs.

Designing the South African Higher Education System for Student Success

South Africa’s higher education system is falling far short of producing the mix of competent graduates required to meet the country’s need for social and economic development. The problem of poor patterns of student success is longstanding, and is persisting despite the policy changes and many educationally sound interventions that have taken place in recent decades. This points to entrenched underlying obstacles, including but going beyond the legacy of apartheid, and indicates that they will not yield to supplementary or ad hoc improvement initiatives, however well-conceived individually. This paper is thus based on the proposition that there is a pressing need to design the South African university education system to focus unequivocally on student success and equity of outcomes. This implies, intentionally, that the current system is not designed around any clear commitment to student success. Correcting this must involve a re-prioritisation of goals in the higher education sector, aimed at ensuring that student success is accepted as the end goal of the educational mission of higher education. The paper argues that, if this is to be achieved, what is required is a sophisticated, realistic, coherent and comprehensive strategy for positive change. Given the nature of the higher education system, such a strategy must involve not only a clear vision of the scope of the changes and interventions needed to make a real difference to the performance patterns – in terms of equity as well as overall outcomes – but also an in-depth understanding of the responsibilities that must be taken by the key stakeholders and the underlying obstacles that must be addressed. The paper offers an outline of the major points of the argument, including the importance of applying design principles to any comprehensive response to the need to place student success at the heart of the higher education agenda.

Relapse prevention: Using sound to reduce the probability of recidivism and suffering following detoxification

The truth of the adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”, is exemplified by the opioid crisis now facing the world. While the best way to rid society of drug addiction is to prevent it from occurring in the first place, this is highly unlikely in the near future given the many ways that individuals can be first exposed to some potentially addicting substance. When an addiction is established, the first treatment for it is detoxification, but the insidious nature of addiction is its propensity to relapse. Too often, detoxified addicts resume drug use despite knowing that they are exposing themselves to serious, sometimes fatal, consequences. In an attempt to ward off relapse following detoxification, drug treatment centers, clinics, rehabilitation facilities, half-way houses, etc., offer different types of programs to help addicts stay clean. Examples of such treatments are 12-step programs, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), faith-based programs, and so forth. In addition, narcotics like methadone and suboxone, are sometimes prescribed to control the cravings that drive relapse, but this approach simply substitutes one drug for another.We now hypothesize that the auditory system can be used as a sensory conduit to modify the hijacked brain reward system of recently-detoxified addicts. As a rationale for this hypothesis, we present evidence from basic science studies showing the effect of music (the sensory input) on the brain, and from clinical trials employing music in a variety of neurological conditions. We then summarize an IRB-approved randomized control trial we performed to determine if our sound intervention could reduce the probability of relapse in recently-detoxified subjects. We end with suggestions for further study.

The RANI Project: A socio-normative intervention to reduce anemia in Odisha, India: A formative research protocol.

Background: More than half of women of reproductive age in India are anemic. Anemia is associated with increased risk of preterm delivery, higher maternal mortality and contributes to fatigue, which affects women's work productivity. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends daily oral iron and folic acid (IFA) supplements during pregnancy and weekly supplements for women of reproductive age. Government programs and global donors have distributed and promoted IFA supplements in India for over four decades. However, initial intake and compliance remain inadequate. Objectives: This protocol describes the formative research phase of a larger study, called the Reduction in Anemia through Normative Innovations (RANI) Project, which will test, through a randomized controlled trial, the hypothesis that a social norms-based behavioral intervention in Odisha, India will improve uptake of IFA supplements and reduce anemia among reproductive age women as compared to usual care. The focus of this paper is on the formative research required to develop a sound intervention. We will examine socio-normative barriers to and facilitators of IFA supplement uptake. Methods and analysis: Based on the Theory of Normative Social Behavior, we will adopt a mixed-method,multilevel approach. We will collect data using focus groups, in-depth interviews, observations, Rapid Participatory Ethnographic Evaluation and Research (PEER) techniques, and perceptual mapping methods. Our sample includes reproductive age women (pregnant and not pregnant), their husbands, their mothers/in law and key stakeholders. Before collecting the data, and after analyzing the results, we will hold convenings in India to engage key stakeholders in collaborative design. Following the intervention design, we will test components of the intervention, gather user feedback and fine-tune as necessary. Impact: This study will contribute to the social norms and behavioral intervention research and inform policymakers about the value of adopting a socio-normative approach.

When green is grievous: downsides in human-nature interactions in informal urban settlements

Considering how poor households relate with natural ecosystems is crucial to achieving environmentally sustainable low-income communities in South Africa and beyond. This paper presents negative experiences associated with residents’ interactions with, perceptions of, and appropriations of natural ecosystems and green spaces in informal settlements in Johannesburg. In-depth interviews with residents in two communities, key informants, and transect walks were used to identify problems associated with domestic gardens and vegetation in riparian and non-riparian open spaces. Inadequate services and infrastructure exacerbates these problems. This work contributes to knowledge regarding undesirable aspects of green infrastructure in the context of urban poverty. Understanding the downsides in human-nature interactions can usefully inform ecologically sound intervention in low-income informal urban areas.

The RANI Project: A socio-normative intervention to reduce anemia in Odisha, India: A formative research protocol

Background: More than half of women of reproductive age in India are anemic. Anemia is associated with increased risk of preterm delivery, higher maternal mortality and contributes to fatigue, which affects women’s work productivity. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends daily oral iron and folic acid (IFA) supplements during pregnancy and weekly supplements for women of reproductive age. Government programs and global donors have distributed and promoted IFA supplements in India for over four decades. However, initial intake and compliance remain inadequate. Objectives: This protocol describes the formative research phase of a larger study, called the Reduction in Anemia through Normative Innovations (RANI) Project, which will test, through a randomized controlled trial, the hypothesis that a social norms-based behavioral intervention in Odisha, India will improve uptake of IFA supplements and reduce anemia among reproductive age women as compared to usual care. The focus of this paper is on the formative research required to develop a sound intervention. We will examine socio-normative barriers to and facilitators of IFA supplement uptake. Methods and analysis: Based on the Theory of Normative Social Behavior, we will adopt a mixed-method, multilevel approach. We will collect data using focus groups, in-depth interviews, observations, Rapid Participatory Ethnographic Evaluation and Research (PEER) techniques, and perceptual mapping methods. Our sample includes reproductive age women (pregnant and not pregnant), their husbands, their mothers/in law and key stakeholders. Before collecting the data, and after analyzing the results, we will hold convenings in India to engage key stakeholders in collaborative design. Following the intervention design, we will test components of the intervention, gather user feedback and fine-tune as necessary. Impact: This study will contribute to the social norms and behavioral intervention research and inform policymakers about the value of adopting a socio-normative approach.

Designing a socio-normative intervention to reduce anemia in Odisha India: A formative research protocol.

Background: More than half of women of reproductive age in India are anemic. Anemia is associated with increased risk of preterm delivery, higher maternal mortality and contributes to fatigue, which affects women's work productivity. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends daily oral iron and folic acid (IFA) supplements during pregnancy and weekly supplements for women of reproductive age. Government programs and global donors have distributed and promoted IFA supplements in India for over four decades. However, initial intake and compliance remain inadequate. Objectives: This protocol describes the formative research phase of a larger study, which will test, through a randomized controlled trial, the hypothesis that a social norms-based behavioral intervention in Odisha, India will improve uptake of IFA supplements and reduce anemia among reproductive age women as compared to usual care. The focus of this paper is on the formative research required to develop a sound intervention. We will examine socio-normative barriers to and facilitators of IFA supplement uptake. Methods and analysis: Based on the Theory of Normative Social Behavior, we will adopt a mixed-method,multilevel approach. We will collect data using focus groups, in-depth interviews, observations, Rapid Participatory Ethnographic Evaluation and Research (PEER) techniques, and perceptual mapping methods. Our sample includes reproductive age women (pregnant and not pregnant), their husbands, their mothers/in law and key stakeholders. After analyzing the results, we will hold a convening in India to collaboratively design the intervention. Following the intervention design, we will test components of the intervention, gather user feedback and tweak as necessary. Additionally, to improve adoption and sustainability of the intervention, we will conduct policy dialogue with stakeholders throughout the formative research. Impact: This study will contribute to the social norms and behavioral intervention research and inform policymakers about the value of adopting a socio-normative approach.

Systematic Mapping of Relationship-Level Protective Factors and Sexual Health Outcomes Among Sexual Minority Youth: The Role of Peers, Parents, Partners, and Providers.

Sexual minority youth (SMY) experience elevated rates of adverse sexual health outcomes. Although risk factors driving these outcomes are well studied, less attention has been paid to protective factors that potentially promote health and/or reduce negative effects of risk. Many factors within interpersonal relationships have been identified as protective for the sexual health of adolescents generally. We sought to systematically map the current evidence base of relationship-level protective factors specifically for the sexual health of SMY through a systematic mapping of peer-reviewed observational research. Articles examining at least one association between a relationship-level protective factor and a sexual health outcome in a sample or subsample of SMY were eligible for inclusion. A total of 36 articles reporting findings from 27 data sources met inclusion criteria. Included articles examined characteristics of relationships with peers, parents, romantic/sexual partners, and medical providers. Peer norms about safer sex and behaviorally specific communication with regular romantic/sexual partners were repeatedly protective in cross-sectional analyses, suggesting that these factors may be promising intervention targets. Generally, we found some limits to this literature: few types of relationship-level factors were tested, most articles focused on young sexual minority men, and the bulk of the data was cross-sectional. Future work should expand the types of relationship-level factors investigated, strengthen the measurement of relationship-level factors, include young sexual minority women in samples, and use longitudinal designs. Doing so will move the field toward development of empirically sound interventions for SMY that promote protective factors and improve sexual health.