Speech Development Between 30 and 119 Months in Typical Children II: Articulation Rate Growth Curves

Purpose We aimed to develop normative growth curves for articulation rate during sentence repetition for typically developing children. Our primary goal was the development of quantile/percentile growth curves so that typical variation in articulation rate with age could be estimated. We also estimated when children became adultlike in their articulation rate, and we examined the contributions of age and utterance length to articulation rate. Method This cross-sectional study involved collection of in-person speech samples from 570 typically developing children (297 girls; 273 boys) who passed speech, language, and hearing screening measures. Pauses greater than 150 ms in duration were removed from the samples, and articulation rate was measured in syllables per second (sps). Results Articulation rate reliably increased with age and utterance length. Rate in all key percentiles increased with age. The median rate (50th percentile) increased from 2.7 sps at 36 months to 3.3 sps at 96 months. The 5th percentile increased from 2.3 to 3.1 sps over the same age range. Using 3.2 sps as a benchmark for adultlike speech, we found the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles reached adultlike rates at 99, 75, and 53 months, respectively. Conclusions Articulation rate increases from early childhood into middle childhood, and it is generally adultlike by 10 years of age. Variability in articulation rate among typical children was substantial. Implications for prior research and for clinical usage are discussed.

Speech development between 30 and 119 months in typical children II: Articulation rate growth curves

Purpose: We aimed to develop normative growth curves for articulation rate during sentence repetition for typically developing children. Our primary goal was the development of quantile/percentile growth curves, so that typical variation in articulation rate with age could be estimated. We also estimated when children became adultlike in their articulation rate and we examined the contributions of age and utterance length to articulation rate.Method: This cross-sectional study involved collection of in-person speech samples from 570 typically developing children (297 girls; 273 boys) who passed speech, language, and hearing screening measures. Pauses greater than 150 ms in duration were removed from the samples, and articulation rate was measured in syllables per second (sps).Results: Articulation rate reliably increased with age and utterance length. Rate in all key percentiles increased with age. The median rate (50th percentile) increased from 2.7 sps at 36 months to 3.3 sps at 96 months. The 5th percentile increased from 2.3 to 3.1 sps over the same age range. Using 3.2 sps as a benchmark for adultlike speech, we found the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles reached adultlike rates at 99, 75, and 53 months, respectively.Conclusions: Articulation rate increases from early childhood into middle childhood, and it is generally adultlike by 10 years of age. Variability in articulation rate among typical children was substantial. Implications for prior research and for clinical usage are discussed.

Space Traffic Coordination: Developing a Framework for Safety and Security in Satellite Operations

This article investigates the extant normative framework that can be identified around the concept of space traffic management (STM). While much of the STM literature engages with how a future regime might be structured, this article attempts to engage with current processes related to space traffic coordination and give insight as to how normative growth toward space traffic management might occur. Through a survey of current legal and governance mechanisms, this article focuses its attention on open data sharing as an extant and critical coordination process that has potential for normative growth in the development of space traffic management as a formal regime.

Assessment of economic efficiency of bank’s securities operations (on the example of JSC “Oshchadbank”)

In stocks and bonds market banks can lend and borrow securities and make profits, maintain liquidity and attract additional financial flows. That is why one needs to assess the economic efficiency of the securities portfolio. The aim of the study is to develop a methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of the bank’s operations with securities. The choice of the bank is conditioned by available information and importance of the banking system. The research methodology is based on the coefficient method. A model allows to combine several indicators into one generalizing coefficient S. Bank’s securities operations can be considered cost-effective if the calculated value of S is higher than the average value of 0,5. The evaluation methodology involves the sequence of steps: 1) determination and analysis of selected indicators; 2) normative relations between growth rates of selected indicators, 3) construction of a matrix of normative and recommended ratios, 4) calculation of actual absolute values and growth rates of selected indicators, 5) construction of a matrix of actual relations between the growth rates of selected indicators, 6) comparison of actual and normative growth rates, 7) calculation of the average value of the generalized indicator, 8) comparison of the actual growth rates of the selected indicators with the generalized result and the average value. The developed model gives the possibility to carry out the comparative analysis of the efficiency between different banks irrespective of size. The approbation of the approach is done for particular example of JSC “Oschadbank” due to the available information. During 2012-2019, the share of the securities portfolio of JSC “Oschadbank” in assets averaged 40%, and its highest value is observed in 2018 (53.90%), and the lowest - in 2012 (12.11%). Efficiency of securities transactions has increased: in 2019, the growth rate was more in line with their regulatory ratio (S2019 = 0.63) than in 2018 (S2018 = 0.38). The investment of JSC “Oschadbank” in securities is considered as a more reliable and alternative source of income and liquidity, as compared to loans.

Age-Related Change of Axial Length, Spherical Equivalent, and Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia in School-Age Children in Shanghai: 2014–2018

Purpose. To investigate the age-related change of axial length (AL), spherical equivalent (SE), and prevalence of myopia and high myopia in children at 7–18-year-olds in Shanghai in 2014 and 2018, respectively. Methods. This was an observational study in Shanghai. The same 3 schools were selected in 2014 and 2018, respectively. AL, SE, prevalence of myopia and high myopia, height, and weight were measured. A questionnaire regarding the lifestyles was completed. Results. Mean age was smaller in 2018 than in 2014 ( P < 0.001 ), and mean AL was shorter in 2018 than in 2014 ( P = 0.003 ), whereas mean SE was greater in 2018 than in 2014 ( P < 0.001 ). The prevalence of myopia and high myopia was lower in 2018 than in 2014 ( P < 0.001 and P = 0.013 , respectively). Mean AL increased with age from 7-year-olds to 18-year-olds in 2014 and 2018 (both P < 0.001 ), respectively. Mean SE decreased with age in 2014 and 2018 (both P < 0.001 ), respectively. The prevalence of myopia and high myopia increased with age in 2014 and 2018 (all P < 0.001 ), respectively. Less mean time outdoors and more mean time of study of all children were observed in 2018 than in 2014 ( P = 0.018 and P < 0.001 , respectively). Conclusion. This study shows normative growth values for AL and SE in Shanghai children at the age of 7–18-year-olds, as well as the age-specific prevalence of myopia and high myopia.

Development of Speech Intelligibility Between 30 and 47 Months in Typically Developing Children: A Cross-Sectional Study of Growth

Purpose We sought to establish normative growth curves for intelligibility development for the speech of typically developing children as revealed by objectively based orthographic transcription of elicited single-word and multiword utterances by naïve listeners. We also examined sex differences, and we compared differences between single-word and multiword intelligibility growth. Method One hundred sixty-four typically developing children (92 girls, 72 boys) contributed speech samples for this study. Children were between the ages of 30 and 47 months, and analyses examined 1-month age increments between these ages. Two different naïve listeners heard each child and made orthographic transcriptions of child-produced words and sentences ( n = 328 listeners). Average intelligibility scores for single-word productions and multiword productions were modeled using linear regression, which estimated normal-model quantile age trajectories for single- and multiword utterances. Results We present growth curves showing steady linear change over time in 1-month increments from 30 to 47 months for 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 95th percentiles. Results showed that boys did not differ from girls and that, prior to 35 months of age, single words were more intelligible than multiword productions. Starting at 41 months of age, the reverse was true. Multiword intelligibility grew at a faster rate than single-word intelligibility. Conclusions Children make steady progress in intelligibility development through 47 months, and only a small number of children approach 100% intelligibility by this age. Intelligibility continues to develop past the fourth year of life. There is considerable variability among children with regard to intelligibility development. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12330956

Treatment of postpartum psychosis in a mother-baby unit: do both mother and baby benefit?

Objectives: To describe characteristics and treatments of mother-baby dyads affected by postpartum psychosis admitted to a specialist mother-baby inpatient psychiatric unit in Australia. Methods: A retrospective review of medical records for all mothers with postpartum psychosis and their babies admitted to a mother-baby unit over a 5-year period was conducted. Results: A total of 25 dyads met the study criteria. Affected women were found to be severely ill with a high rate of involuntary status (64%). They waited an average 4.7 days for a bed in the mother-baby unit. All received an atypical antipsychotic, with 16% receiving lithium augmentation. Infants were found to have generally normative growth and development, with relationship concerns noted in 5. A total of 36% of the cohort maintained some breastfeeding, and all had their infants in their care at discharge. Conclusions: The mother-baby unit enabled severely ill women to remain with their infants during treatment. While a minority of infants showed developmental concerns, appropriate development was noted in most. Future efforts should focus on determining the most effective treatments and further defining the risks and benefits for infants in mother-baby units.

Die Zukunft des Völkerrechts

The international legal order today constitutes a truly universal legal system. It has received guiding principles through the United Nations Charter: ever since this ‘Constitution for the world’ began operating, sovereign equality of states, self‑determination of peoples, and human rights have been key components of this architecture, which has reached a state of ‘conceptual unity’ belying the talk of ‘fragmentation’ of international law that so fascinated scholars in their debates only a short while ago. The great peace treaties of 1648, 1815, and 1919, as Euro‑centric instruments influenced by the interests of the dominant powers, could not bring about a peaceful world order. After World War II, it was, in particular, the inclusion of the newly independent states in the legislative processes that has conferred an unchallenged degree of legitimacy on international law. Regrettably, its effectiveness has not kept pace with its normative growth. Some islands of stability can be identified. On the positive side, one can note a growing trend to entrust the settlement of disputes to formal procedures. Yet the integration of human rights in international law – a step of moral advancement that proceeds from the simple recognition that, precisely in the interest of world peace, domains of domestic and international matters cannot be separated one from the other as neatly as postulated by the classic doctrine of international law – has placed enormous obstacles before international law. It must be expected that the demand for more justice on the part of developing nations will subject the international legal order to even greater strain in the near future. Currently, chances are low that the issue of migration from the poorer South to the ‘rich’ North can be resolved.

Cardiometabolic Risk Assessments by Body Mass Indexz-Score or Waist-to-Height Ratio in a Multiethnic Sample of Sixth-Graders

Convention defines pediatric adiposity by the body mass indexz-score (BMIz) referenced to normative growth charts. Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) does not depend on sex-and-age references. In the HEALTHY Study enrollment sample, we compared BMIz with WHtR for ability to identify adverse cardiometabolic risk. Among 5,482 sixth-grade students from 42 middle schools, we estimated explanatory variations (R2) and standardized beta coefficients of BMIz or WHtR for cardiometabolic risk factors: insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), lipids, blood pressures, and glucose. For each risk outcome variable, we prepared adjusted regression models for four subpopulations stratified by sex and high versus lower fatness. For HOMA-IR,R2attributed to BMIz or WHtR was 19%–28% among high-fatness and 8%–13% among lower-fatness students.R2for lipid variables was 4%–9% among high-fatness and 2%–7% among lower-fatness students. In the lower-fatness subpopulations, the standardized coefficients for total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol and triglycerides tended to be weaker for BMIz (0.13–0.20) than for WHtR (0.17–0.28). Among high-fatness students, BMIz and WHtR correlated with blood pressures for Hispanics and whites, but not black boys (systolic) or girls (systolic and diastolic). In 11-12 year olds, assessments by WHtR can provide cardiometabolic risk estimates similar to conventional BMIz without requiring reference to a normative growth chart.