scholarly journals Treatment Tone Spacing and Acute Effects of Acoustic Coordinated Reset Stimulation in Tinnitus Patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Munjal ◽  
Alexander N. Silchenko ◽  
Kristina J. Pfeifer ◽  
Summer S. Han ◽  
Jessica K. Yankulova ◽  
...  

Acoustic coordinated reset (aCR) therapy for tinnitus aims to desynchronize neuronal populations in the auditory cortex that exhibit pathologically increased coincident firing. The original therapeutic paradigm involves fixed spacing of four low-intensity tones centered around the frequency of a tone matching the tinnitus pitch, fT, but it is unknown whether these tones are optimally spaced for induction of desynchronization. Computational and animal studies suggest that stimulus amplitude, and relatedly, spatial stimulation profiles, of coordinated reset pulses can have a major impact on the degree of desynchronization achievable. In this study, we transform the tone spacing of aCR into a scale that takes into account the frequency selectivity of the auditory system at each therapeutic tone’s center frequency via a measure called the gap index. Higher gap indices are indicative of more loosely spaced aCR tones. The gap index was found to be a significant predictor of symptomatic improvement, with larger gap indices, i.e., more loosely spaced aCR tones, resulting in reduction of tinnitus loudness and annoyance scores in the acute stimulation setting. A notable limitation of this study is the intimate relationship of hearing impairment with the gap index. Particularly, the shape of the audiogram in the vicinity of the tinnitus frequency can have a major impact on tone spacing. However, based on our findings we suggest hypotheses-based experimental protocols that may help to disentangle the impact of hearing loss and tone spacing on clinical outcome, to assess the electrophysiologic correlates of clinical improvement, and to elucidate the effects following chronic rather than acute stimulation.

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 2097-2108
Author(s):  
Robyn L. Croft ◽  
Courtney T. Byrd

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.


2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-8
Author(s):  
Dee Adams Nikjeh

Abstract Administrators and supervisors face daily challenges over issues such as program funding, service fees, correct coding procedures, and the ever-changing healthcare regulations. Receiving equitable reimbursement for speech-language pathology and audiology services necessitates an understanding of federal coding and reimbursement systems. This tutorial provides information pertaining to two major healthcare coding systems and explains the relationship of these systems to clinical documentation, the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and equitable reimbursement. An explanation of coding edits and coding modifiers is provided for use in those occasional atypical situations when the standard use of procedural coding may not be appropriate. Also included in this tutorial is a brief discussion of the impact that the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (HR 6331 Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act [MIPPA], 2008) has had on the valuation of speech-language pathology procedure codes.


2008 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 112-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan Bongard ◽  
Volker Hodapp ◽  
Sonja Rohrmann

Abstract. Our unit investigates the relationship of emotional processes (experience, expression, and coping), their physiological correlates and possible health outcomes. We study domain specific anger expression behavior and associated cardio-vascular loads and found e.g. that particularly an open anger expression at work is associated with greater blood pressure. Furthermore, we demonstrated that women may be predisposed for the development of certain mental disorders because of their higher disgust sensitivity. We also pointed out that the suppression of negative emotions leads to increased physiological stress responses which results in a higher risk for cardiovascular diseases. We could show that relaxation as well as music activity like singing in a choir causes increases in the local immune parameter immunoglobuline A. Finally, we are investigating connections between migrants’ strategy of acculturation and health and found e.g. elevated cardiovascular stress responses in migrants when they where highly adapted to the German culture.


Author(s):  
Richard A. Best

This article discusses the dilemma of the defense intelligence. It discusses the interweaving yet complicated relationship of the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Office of Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). Immersed in a divided and a “stovepiped” culture, the member agencies of the intelligence community lacked coordination and collaboration. In this article, the nature of the three agencies of the DOD: the National Security Agency (NSA), the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) are discussed. The evolution of coordination among the intelligence community agencies and the impact of 9/11 on the cooperation and collaboration between the agencies are also discussed including the era of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the challenges posed by the future space surveillance.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-188
Author(s):  
Rómulo Jacobo González-garcía ◽  
Paloma Escamilla-Fajardo ◽  
Samuel López-Carril ◽  
Juan Nuñez-Pomar

El sector del turismo deportivo recibe cada vez una mayor atención por parte de los distintos agentes sociales, teniendo un alto impacto en distintas esferas de la sociedad. El turismo no sólo afecta a las actitudes de los residentes hacia su desarrollo, sino también a su calidad de vida en general. Una vez que una comunidad o población se convierte en un destino turístico, la calidad de vida de los residentes locales se ve afectada por el desarrollo del mismo. Por consiguiente, es relevante conocer cuáles son las percepciones de los residentes respecto al impacto que causa el turismo deportivo. Por ello, el objetivo del presente estudio es analizar las percepciones de los residentes de Gran Canaria hacia los efectos del turismo deportivo, en ámbitos como su impacto, la calidad de vida y el apoyo al sector. Los resultados del estudio indican que, a mayores niveles de percepción positivos de los residentes sobre los impactos sociales, culturales, ambientales y económicos, hay un mayor apoyo hacia el desarrollo del turismo. Por otra parte, también se produce un efecto mediador significativo de la variable calidad de vida de los residentes, entre la relación de impactos percibidos y el apoyo al desarrollo del turismo activo y deportivo en Gran Canaria. Estos resultados posibilitan un mejor entendimiento de la perspectiva que los residentes tienen hacía el sector turístico deportivo, algo que puede ayudar a orientar futuras decisiones sobre la práctica, desarrollo y planificación del turismo deportivo. The sports tourism sector is receiving increasing attention from different social actors, having a high impact on different spheres of society. Tourism not only affects residents' attitudes towards their development, but also their quality of life in general. Once a community or population becomes a tourist destination, the quality of life of local residents is affected by its development. It is therefore important to know what residents' perceptions are of the impact of sports tourism. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyse the perceptions of the residents of Gran Canaria towards the effects of sports tourism, in areas such as its impact, quality of life and support for the sector. The results of the study indicate that, at higher levels of positive perception by residents of the social, cultural, environmental and economic impacts, there is greater support for the development of tourism. On the other hand, there is also a significant mediating effect of the variable quality of life of the residents, between the relationship of perceived impacts and the support for the development of active and sports tourism in Gran Canaria. These results make it possible to better understand the perspective that residents have towards the sports tourism sector, something that can help guide future decisions on the practice, development and planning of sports tourism. O sector do turismo desportivo está a receber cada vez mais atenção por parte de diferentes actores sociais, tendo um elevado impacto em diferentes esferas da sociedade. O turismo não afecta apenas as atitudes dos residentes em relação ao seu desenvolvimento, mas também a sua qualidade de vida em geral. Uma vez que uma comunidade ou população se torna um destino turístico, a qualidade de vida dos residentes locais é afectada pelo seu desenvolvimento. Por conseguinte, é importante conhecer a percepção que os residentes têm do impacto do turismo desportivo. Portanto, o objectivo deste estudo é analisar as percepções dos residentes da Gran Canária sobre os efeitos do turismo desportivo, em áreas como o seu impacto, qualidade de vida e apoio ao sector. Os resultados do estudo indicam que, em níveis mais elevados de percepção positiva dos residentes sobre os impactos sociais, culturais, ambientais e econômicos, há maior apoio para o desenvolvimento do turismo. Por outro lado, existe também um efeito mediador significativo da variável qualidade de vida dos residentes, entre a relação de impactos percebidos e o apoio ao desenvolvimento do turismo ativo e desportivo na Gran Canária. Estes resultados permitem compreender melhor a perspectiva que os residentes têm em relação ao sector do turismo desportivo, algo que pode ajudar a orientar futuras decisões sobre a prática, desenvolvimento e planeamento do turismo desportivo. Il settore del turismo sportivo sta ricevendo un'attenzione crescente da parte di diversi attori sociali, con un forte impatto sulle diverse sfere della società. Il turismo influenza non solo l'atteggiamento dei residenti nei confronti del loro sviluppo, ma anche la loro qualità di vita in generale. Una volta che una comunità o una popolazione diventa una destinazione turistica, la qualità della vita dei residenti locali è influenzata dal suo sviluppo. È quindi importante sapere quali sono le percezioni dei residenti sull'impatto del turismo sportivo. Pertanto, l'obiettivo di questo studio è quello di analizzare le percezioni degli abitanti di Gran Canaria nei confronti degli effetti del turismo sportivo, in settori quali l'impatto, la qualità della vita e il sostegno al settore. I risultati dello studio indicano che, a livelli più elevati di percezione positiva da parte dei residenti degli impatti sociali, culturali, ambientali ed economici, vi è un maggiore sostegno allo sviluppo del turismo. D'altra parte, c'è anche un significativo effetto mediatore della variabile qualità della vita dei residenti, tra la relazione degli impatti percepiti e il sostegno allo sviluppo del turismo attivo e sportivo a Gran Canaria. Questi risultati permettono di comprendere meglio la prospettiva che i residenti hanno nei confronti del settore del turismo sportivo, cosa che può aiutare a guidare le future decisioni sulla pratica, lo sviluppo e la pianificazione del turismo sportivo.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 1217-1230
Author(s):  
Shuchi Gupta ◽  
Nishad Nawaz ◽  
Adel Abdulmhsen Alfalah ◽  
Rana Tahir Naveed ◽  
Saqib Muneer ◽  
...  

With the advent of the Internet and other digital technologies, contemporary businesses from all sectors are using social media for communication with consumers to engage them meaningfully with a brand. However, the use of social media for corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication is relatively new to the existing literature. Likewise, the impact of CSR communication through social media (CSR-S) on consumer emotions and behavior is, to date, underexplored. To address this, the present research aims to test the relationship of CSR-S on brand admiration and consumer purchase intention. The study proposes a direct relationship between CSR-S and purchase intention with a mediating effect of brand admiration. The data were collected from the banking consumers of Pakistan through a self-administered questionnaire. The authors distributed 800 questionnaires and received 463 questionnaires useful for data analysis, so the present research study response rate was around 59%. The data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique in AMOS. The results revealed that CSR-S is positively related to purchase intention (β = 0.233). The results further showed that brand admiration partially mediates this relationship (β = 0.079). The survey respondents confirmed that their bank’s CSR communication helps enhance their purchase likelihood and their feelings of admiration for their bank. These findings will help policymakers at banking institutions better understand the importance of CSR communication on different social media platforms to achieve consumer-related outcomes.


Author(s):  
Zhi Yang ◽  
Quang Van Ngo ◽  
Chung Xuan Thi Nguyen

In the era of the information-communication technology with the development of electronic commerce, consumers can buy almost everything anywhere and at any time. One of the greatest benefits of e-commerce has been the convenience and the vast choices which consumers get online. However, some serious issues exist that impede consumers from transaction online. These issues have attracted the attention of many marketing researchers in recent years. In this research, the authors focus on the impact of consumers' ethics perception of e-retailer on their purchase intention and satisfaction. The authors also try to clarify the roles of trust and commitment in the relationship of ethics on consumers purchase decision and satisfaction because of their importance in e-commerce but also the privation in the research of previous studies. The data collected from a survey of 390 online consumers in Vietnam. Results reveal that there are significant relationships between online retailers' ethics and consumers' purchase intention and satisfaction via the mediation of trust and commitment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Kathrin Burmeister ◽  
Katrin Drasch ◽  
Monika Rinder ◽  
Sebastian Prechsl ◽  
Andrea Peschel ◽  
...  

Only a few birds besides domestic pigeons and poultry can be described as domesticated. Therefore, keeping a pet bird can be challenging, and the human-avian relationship will have a major influence on the quality of this cohabitation. Studies that focus on characterizing the owner-bird relationship generally use adapted cat/dog scales which may not identify its specific features. Following a sociological approach, a concept of human-animal relationship was developed leading to three types of human-animal relationship (impersonal, personal, and close personal). This concept was used to develop a 21-item owner-bird-relationship scale (OBRS). This scale was applied to measure the relationship between pet bird owners (or keepers) (n = 1,444) and their birds in an online survey performed in Germany. Factor analysis revealed that the relationship between owner and bird consisted of four dimensions: the tendency of the owner to anthropomorphize the bird; the social support the bird provides for the owner; the empathy, attentiveness, and respect of the owner toward the bird; and the relationship of the bird toward the owner. More than one quarter of the German bird owners of this sample showed an impersonal, half a personal, and less than a quarter a close personal relationship to their bird. The relationship varied with the socio-demographic characteristics of the owners, such as gender, marital status, and education. This scale supports more comprehensive quantitative research into the human-bird relationship in the broad field of human-animal studies including the psychology and sociology of animals as well as animal welfare and veterinary medicine.


1999 ◽  
Vol 277 (4) ◽  
pp. H1491-H1497
Author(s):  
Daniel Roach ◽  
Robert Haennel ◽  
Mary Lou Koshman ◽  
Robert Sheldon

We are developing a lexicon of specific heart period changes, or lexons, that recur frequently and whose physiological meaning can be read into ambulatory electrocardiogram (ECG). The transient, reversible “burst” of tachycardia induced by exercise initiation can also be seen on ambulatory ECG. We hypothesized that burst morphology depended on the work that preceded it and on baroreceptor activation. Ten subjects with mean age 38 yr (range 17–69 yr) underwent two protocols of semisupine cycling in which load and duration were varied. Burst duration increased with longer cycling times (median values of 18.0, 25.5, and 23.7 s with 1, 3, and 5 s of cycling, respectively; P= 0.033). Burst shape as assessed by heart period exponential decay constant and burst magnitude did not change. To assess the impact of workload, subjects cycled for 5 s at loads of 0, 25, 50, and 75 W. No significant differences were seen in burst duration, burst magnitude, or burst shape. Tachycardia preceded hypotension by 4.6 ± 2.2 s, which is inconsistent with baroreceptor involvement in the onset of burst tachycardia. Because burst morphology is a nearly quantal response to the initiation of exercise, the presence of a burst on an ambulatory ECG implies the onset of exercise.


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