scholarly journals Recognizing voices through a cochlear implant: A systematic review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriel John Orena ◽  
Sarah Elizabeth Margaret Colby
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
Gender Discrimination ◽  
Vocal Tract ◽  
Included Study ◽  
Electric Signal ◽  
High Quality Research ◽  
Voice Perception ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Talker Identification

Objective: Some cochlear implant (CI) users report having difficulty accessing indexical information in the speech signal, presumably due to the transformation from acoustic to electric signal in CI devices. The purpose of this paper was to systematically review and evaluate the existing research on talker perception in CI users. Specifically, we reviewed the performance of CI users in talker discrimination, gender identification, and talker recognition tasks in relation to performance by normal-hearing (NH) listeners. We also examined the different factors (such asparticipant, hearing and device characteristics) that might influence talker perception.Design: We completed a systematic search of the literature with select keywords using citation aggregation software to search Google Scholar. We included primary reports that had at least one group of participants with cochlear implants, and had an experimental task that measured talker or voice perception. Each included study was also evaluated for quality of evidence.Results: The initial search resulted in 1239 references, which were first screened for inclusion and then evaluated in full. Thirty-nine studies examining talker identification, talker discrimimnation, and gender discrimination were included in the final review. The majority of studies were focused on adult postlingual cochlear implant users, with a few studies focused on prelingual implant users. As a group, CI users generally performed above chance in talker perception tasks, but performed worse than NH controls. Nonetheless, a subset of CI users reached the same level of performance as NH participants. CI users relied more heavily on fundamental frequency over vocal tract length cues to distinguish talkers compared to NH listeners. Within groups of CI users, there is moderate evidence for a bimodal benefit for talker perception, and there are mixed findings about the effects of hearing experience. Performance in talker discrimination tasks was related to other linguistic tasks, including word recognition. Conclusion: The current review highlights the challenges faced by CI users in tracking and recognizing voices and how they adapt to it. There is clear evidence that CI users can process indexical information, albeit differently and more effortfully than NH listeners. Recent work has begun to describe some of the factors that might ease the challenges of talker perception in CI users, but further high-quality research is needed to disentangle some of the mixed findings. We conclude by suggesting some future avenues of research to optimize real-world speech outcomes.

scholarly journals The ‘other’ side of history as depicted in Isabel Allende’s Of Love and Shadows

Literator ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
M. Wenzel
Keyword(s):  
Gender Discrimination ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Truth And Reconciliation Commission ◽  
The Other ◽  
Isabel Allende ◽  
Testimonial Literature ◽  
Truth And Reconciliation ◽  
And Gender

The proceedings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa have once again foregrounded the trauma involved in reconstructing a past fraught with political and personal violence and have, at the same time, also illustrated the therapeutic quality of testimony. Literature has always played a vital role in the process of coming to terms with reality. As a woman within a postcolonial context, Isabel Allende bears witness to political oppression and gender discrimination in her novels. They serve as examples of testimonial literature which focus on the plight of women as marginalized citizens and represent a collective conscience in testimony to the atrocities of the past. This is accomplished through the interaction of her fictional characters with a recognizable historical context. In Of Love and Shadows, her female protagonist, Irene, asserts her individuality through writing/reporting which questions the validity of the male-oriented and so-called “objective” historical reportage. By creating disparate and complementary perspectives which accentuate the female/personal as well as the male/public aspects of experience, Allende proposes a recognition of the personal and the peripheral in the documentation of historical events; she underlines the validity of the “other” side of experience and history.

scholarly journals A Review of Disclosure Translation Showing Gender Discrimination and Social Class Discrimination in Novel "Girl from The Coast"

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Nunun Tri Widarwati, Ratih Wijayava, Giyatmi
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Gender Discrimination ◽  
Social Discrimination ◽  
Translation Quality ◽  
Class Discrimination ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Descriptive Qualitative

The aim of the study are to find Gender discrimination in Novel and acceptability quality of translation from Novel of the girls of the coast. We used methodology of research with descriptive qualitative. The results are 71,43% acceptability of translation quality with score 3 (high) and social discrimination in subordination 62,5%. The benefit of results are to develop literature of translation quality and analysis discrimination aspect in novel of the girls from the coast. The innovation of novelty are teory and guidance of translation in social and gender discrimination with quality translation.

Self-Compassion and Quality of Life in Adults Who Stutter

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 2097-2108
Author(s):  
Robyn L. Croft ◽  
Courtney T. Byrd
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
The Self ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Adults Who Stutter ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify levels of self-compassion in adults who do and do not stutter and to determine whether self-compassion predicts the impact of stuttering on quality of life in adults who stutter. Method Participants included 140 adults who do and do not stutter matched for age and gender. All participants completed the Self-Compassion Scale. Adults who stutter also completed the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering. Data were analyzed for self-compassion differences between and within adults who do and do not stutter and to predict self-compassion on quality of life in adults who stutter. Results Adults who do and do not stutter exhibited no significant differences in total self-compassion, regardless of participant gender. A simple linear regression of the total self-compassion score and total Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering score showed a significant, negative linear relationship of self-compassion predicting the impact of stuttering on quality of life. Conclusions Data suggest that higher levels of self-kindness, mindfulness, and social connectedness (i.e., self-compassion) are related to reduced negative reactions to stuttering, an increased participation in daily communication situations, and an improved overall quality of life. Future research should replicate current findings and identify moderators of the self-compassion–quality of life relationship.

Letter to the Editor Concerning Skuk et al., “Parameter-Specific Morphing Reveals Contributions of Timbre and Fundamental Frequency Cues to the Perception of Voice Gender and Age in Cochlear Implant Users”

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (12) ◽  
pp. 4325-4326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hartmut Meister ◽  
Katrin Fuersen ◽  
Barbara Streicher ◽  
Ruth Lang-Roth ◽  
Martin Walger
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Stimulus Type ◽  
Voice Perception ◽  
Letter To The Editor ◽  
Gender And Age ◽  
General Influence

Purpose The purpose of this letter is to compare results by Skuk et al. (2020) with Meister et al. (2016) and to point to a potential general influence of stimulus type. Conclusion Our conclusion is that presenting sentences may give cochlear implant recipients the opportunity to use timbre cues for voice perception. This might not be the case when presenting brief and sparse stimuli such as consonant–vowel–consonant or single words, which were applied in the majority of studies.

Contact precautions for colonisation with multidrug-resistant organisms and haemodialysis patient quality of life and mood: a pilot case-control study

2019 ◽  
pp. 19-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rathika Krishnasamy
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Social Function ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Contact Precautions ◽  
Dialysis Vintage ◽  
Multidrug Resistant Organisms ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact

Background: The rate of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) colonisation in dialysis populations has increased over time. This study aimed to assess the effect of contact precautions and isolation on quality of life and mood for haemodialysis (HD) patients colonised with MDRO. Methods: Patients undergoing facility HD completed the Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQOL–SFTM), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Personal Wellbeing-Index Adult (PWI-A). Patients colonised with MDRO were case-matched by age and gender with patients not colonised. Results: A total of 16 MDRO-colonised patients were matched with 16 controls. Groups were well matched for demographics and co-morbidities, other than a trend for older dialysis vintage in the MDRO group [7.2 years (interquartile range 4.6–10.0) compared to 3.2 (1.4–7.6) years, p=0.05]. Comparing MDRO-positive with negative patients, physical (30.5±10.7 vs. 34.6±7.3; p=0.2) and mental (46.5±11.2 vs. 48.5±12.5; p = 0.6) composite scores were not different between groups. The MDRO group reported poorer sleep quality (p=0.01) and sleep patterns (p=0.05), and lower social function (p=0.02). BDI scores were similar (MDRO-positive 10(3.5–21.0) vs. MDRO-negative 12(6.5–16.0), p=0.6). PWI-A scores were also similar in both groups; however, MDRO patients reported lower scores for “feeling safe”, p=0.03. Conclusion: While overall scores of quality of life and depression were similar between groups, the MDRO group reported poorer outcomes in sleep and social function. A larger cohort and qualitative interviews may give more detail of the impact of contact precautions and isolation on HD patients. The necessity for contact precautions for different MDRO needs consideration.

scholarly journals Gender discrimination as a barrier to high-quality maternal and newborn health care in Nigeria: findings from a cross-sectional quality of care assessment

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chioma Oduenyi ◽  
Joya Banerjee ◽  
Oniyire Adetiloye ◽  
Barbara Rawlins ◽  
Ugo Okoli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Care ◽  
Family Planning ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Gender Discrimination ◽  
Newborn Health ◽  
Maternal And Newborn Health ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Assessment

Abstract Background Poor reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health outcomes in Nigeria can be attributed to several factors, not limited to low health service coverage, a lack of quality care, and gender inequity. Providers’ gender-discriminatory attitudes, and men’s limited positive involvement correlate with poor utilization and quality of services. We conducted a study at the beginning of a large family planning (FP) and maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health program in Kogi and Ebonyi States of Nigeria to assess whether or not gender plays a role in access to, use of, and delivery of health services. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional, observational, baseline quality of care assessment from April–July 2016 to inform a maternal and newborn health project in health facilities in Ebonyi and Kogi States. We observed 435 antenatal care consultations and 47 births, and interviewed 138 providers about their knowledge, training, experiences, working conditions, gender-sensitive and respectful care, and workplace gender dynamics. The United States Agency for International Development’s Gender Analysis Framework was used to analyze findings. Results Sixty percent of providers disagreed that a woman could choose a family planning method without a male partner’s involvement, and 23.2% of providers disagreed that unmarried clients should use family planning. Ninety-eight percent believed men should participate in health services, yet only 10% encouraged women to bring their partners. Harmful practices were observed in 59.6% of deliveries and disrespectful or abusive practices were observed in 34.0%. No providers offered clients information, services, or referrals for gender-based violence. Sixty-seven percent reported observing or hearing of an incident of violence against clients, and 7.9% of providers experienced violence in the workplace themselves. Over 78% of providers received no training on gender, gender-based violence, or human rights in the past 3 years. Conclusion Addressing gender inequalities that limit women’s access, choice, agency, and autonomy in health services as a quality of care issue is critical to reducing poor health outcomes in Nigeria. Inherent gender discrimination in health service delivery reinforces the critical need for gender analysis, gender responsive approaches, values clarification, and capacity building for service providers.

Living with Barren Truths: A Tale of Triumphalism and Tribulations of a Technology

2021 ◽  
pp. 097168582110159
Author(s):  
Sital Mohanty ◽  
Subhasis Sahoo ◽  
Pranay Kumar Swain
Keyword(s):  
Gender Discrimination ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
The Body ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Social Fact ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
The Subject ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Relationship

Science, technology and human values have been the subject of enquiry in the last few years for social scientists and eventually the relationship between science and gender is the subject of an ongoing debate. This is due to the event of globalization which led to the exponential growth of new technologies like assisted reproductive technology (ART). ART, one of the most iconic technological innovations of the twentieth century, has become increasingly a normal social fact of life. Since ART invades multiple human discourses—thereby transforming culture, society and politics—it is important what is sociological about ART as well as what is biological. This article argues in commendation of sociology of technology, which is alert to its democratic potential but does not concurrently conceal the historical and continuing role of technology in legitimizing gender discrimination. The article draws the empirical insights from local articulations (i.e., Odisha state in eastern India) for the understandings of motherhood, freedom and choice, reproductive right and rights over the body to which ART has contributed. Sociologically, the article has been supplemented within the broader perspectives of determinism, compatibilism alongside feminism.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document