A compassionate autonomy alternative to speciesism.

Many people in the animal welfare community have argued that the use of nonhuman animals in medical research is necessarily based on speciesism, an unjustified prejudice based on species membership. As such it is morally akin to racism and sexism. This is misguided. The combined capacities for autonomy and sentience with the obligations derived from relations support a morally justifiable rationale for using some nonhuman animals in order to limit the risk of harm to humans. There may be a few cases where it is morally better to use a never sentient human than a sentient animal, but these cases are few and would not fulfill the current need for research subjects. The use of nonautonomous animals instead of humans in risky research can be based on solid moral ground. It is not necessarily speciesism.

Effects of environmental noise on computer-derived voice estimates from female speakers.

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of noise on voice profile statistics from female samples. Six young adult females served as subjects. Five had normal voices; one had a pathological voice with accompanying bilateral vocal nodules. Each female subject was required to match a generated 235 Hz tone (+/- 2 Hz) while maintaining a constant output level of 70 dB SPL (+/- 5 dB). Data collected from a previous study involving a normal male subject were included for comparative purposes. Noise was generated from a personal computer fan which had a strong center frequency component at 235 Hz. Six different A-weighted signal-to-noise [S/N(A)] conditions were created, ranging in 5 dB increments from 25 to 0 dB. Results revealed that fundamental frequency was reasonably resistant to the effects of noise and to the effects of the noisy (pathological) voice signal. Jitter and shimmer estimates generally increased as noise floors elevated. The greatest amount of measurement error was found for the pathological female voice when captured in the presence of environmental noise. Findings are discussed relative to clinical issues surrounding measurement error.

Measures of language proficiency as predictors of behavioral difficulties, social and cognitive development in 2-year-old children.

An exploratory study of the relation of language proficiency, behavioral difficulties, and various areas of development was conducted with 64 children ranging from 24 to 29 months of age (M = 25.7 mo.). Data were obtained through language sampling, direct developmental assessment, and maternal reports of children's development and behavior. While scores on measures of expressive language abilities were moderately predictive of scores on measures of behavior problems, a stronger association was found between indices of delayed speech and lower scores on both social and cognitive development. The results point to the centrality of language development to other developmental and behavioral milestones. Further, findings support the importance of identifying late-talking children at an early age so that remedial help may be considered.

Accuracy of jitter estimates using different filter settings on Visi-Pitch: a preliminary report.

Preliminary findings are presented regarding Visi-Pitch settings in relation to automatically derived perturbation values (jitter). Jitter values were estimated from sustained phonation of /a/ at each of four filter settings for three subjects using Visi-Pitch. Data were compared to values obtained by hand measuring the same signals and employing Koike's formula. Results indicated that the magnitude of difference between jitter estimated by Visi-Pitch and hand measurement was small. Findings support the use of the manufacturer's recommended filter settings as opposed to alternative settings suggested by Karnell.

Interaural Attenuation of a Click Stimulus Using Deep and Shallow Placement of an Insert Earphone.

The effect of deep versus shallow insertion of the ER-3A insert earphone on interaural attenuation (IA) of a click stimulus was examined. IA values for five subjects with profound unilateral hearing loss were obtained. The results (a mean IA difference of 2 dB between the two insertion depths) indicated that IAs for deep insertion were not significantly different from IAs for shallow insertion. Thus deep insertion of insert earphones to achieve larger IA values was not recommended for click stimuli.

Psychometric and descriptive perspectives of illness impact over the life span.

This article describes the development of an instrument that quantifies illness over the course of life. The sample was comprised of 308 women, aged 50 to 70, who were alumnae of a master's program in nursing. Each submitted information concerning illness experienced during each decade of life. Each time period was then rated multidimensionally (Duration, Discomfort, Interference, Threat to Life) to reflect the impact of the various conditions and the means by decade (Decade Impact) were computed. In general, after the first two decades, magnitude of ratings increased with age, indicating greater disease impact. Interrater reliability and internal consistency reliability of the scale were high. Evidence for construct validity included substantial differences between those with and without specific illness conditions, as well as correlations with hospitalization history and health self-ratings. In cluster analysis of patterns across decades, five distinct patterns emerged into which subjects were grouped.