Speech audiometry materials are essential for thorough audiological testing. One aspect of speech audiometry is evaluating an individual's speech recognition threshold (SRT). Recorded materials for SRT are available in many languages; however there are no widely published recorded SRT materials available in the Thai language. The goal of this study was to develop relatively psychometrically equivalent SRT materials for evaluating the hearing abilities of native speakers of the Thai language. To accomplish this, 90 commonly used bisyllabic Thai words were digitally recorded by a male and a female talker and evaluated by 20 native Thai listeners. Twenty-eight words with relatively steep and homogeneous psychometric function slopes were selected and adjusted to reduce threshold variability. These 28 selected words were digitally recorded onto compact disc to facilitate SRT testing for native Thai speakers.

Fully compliant bistable mechanisms have been proposed to be used as threshold accelerometers. The advantages to using these devices are that they require no external power to operate and maintain their sensing state. Using this characteristic the devices can be integrated with passive radio frequency identification tags (RFID). This allows for the sensing package to lay dormant with no maintenance needed until the sensor is read by the RFID reader. This thesis presents a successfully fabricated and integrated threshold accelerometer with a passive RFID tag. This in turn has been successfully read with an RFID reader and shown to act as a wireless passive sensor indicating whether or not a threshold acceleration has been exceeded. It is shown that in general plastics are not a suitable material to use in threshold accelerometers due to variability in fabrication, temperature and prolonged stresses inducing stress relaxation in the material. Multiple methods for testing the switching forces of these threshold accelerometers are developed and a frequency response for the switching forces of these devices is explored. A straight-leg bistable mechanism design model is introduced and used to design metal bistable devices to reduce the variations seen in the plastic threshold accelerometers. With this metal design a new fabrication process is introduced to attain thin metal compliant flexures with little variation in the thickness of the compliant flexures. This method allows for a more economical method of producing compliant flexures. The metal bistable mechanism designs presented show significant improvement over the plastic bistable designs. These improvements include minimizing the effects of stress relaxation, minimizing variation in switching forces and minimizing variation between fabricated devices. The cost, however, with the metal bistable mechanism design would be more than the plastic bistable mechanism design.

This study investigates the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension of authentic Arabic texts; in particular, it attempts to investigate the percentage of vocabulary coverage (known words) readers need to ensure reading comprehension of two reading passages from online Arabic news source. Data was collected from twenty-three Arabic as-foreign language (AFL) learners at Brigham Young University, who ranged from Intermediate Low to Intermediate Mid in both productive and receptive skills. Two reading comprehension tests, circling the unknown words in texts and a lexical coverage test for each passage texts were given to the subjects. A linear regression analysis of the data shows that there is a correlation coefficient of 0.7 and 0.6 between the percentage of known words and students'comprehension of the two reading texts. The results indicate that the subjects needed to know approximately 90% of running words to adequately comprehend the first passage and around 86% to comprehend the second passage. Based on the findings, this study suggests that there is a lexical threshold for AFL learners,below which adequate comprehension of authentic texts might not be possible.

The purposes of this study were to (a) test the validity of a sensory reactivity measure adapted for parents of preschool-age children, (b) examine if different modalities of sensory reactivity (i.e. smell, touch, taste, etc.) emerge together or if differing thresholds of reactivity exist between sensory modalities, (c) see how parental ratings of preschoolers' sensory reactivity are related to children's behaviors in the classroom, and (d) see if sensory reactivity bears different relationships to children's social behaviors than do other aspects of temperament. A total of 260 parents (242 mothers, 18 fathers) and 10 teachers of 260 children (131 male, 129 female; M = 63 months; SD = 8.80; range = 39-81) participated. Parents completed the newly developed Children's Sensory Reactions Questionnaire and the Colorado Child Temperament Inventory. Teachers completed the Social Skills Questionnaire. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses extracted two factors from the CSRQ measure: sensory reactivity and perceptual awareness. Examination of the associations of sensory reactivity and perceptual awareness and children's behaviors with peers resulted in several significant relationships. Specifically, sensory reactive children appear to be less sociable (i. e. prosocial, friendly), more likely to engage in immature solitary pretend play, and more prone to utilize instrumental aggression in peer interactions. Perceptually aware children, on the other hand, tend to be more sociable (i.. e., prosocial, friendly, controls impulses), better able to appropriately and punctually comply with tasks given by teacher, less likely to engage in a number of solitary play behaviors (i. e., passive withdrawal and immature play), less likely to utilize instrumental or reactive aggressive strategies, and more likely to dodge negative peer interactions by avoiding bullies. Furthermore, the associations which sensory reactivity and perceptual awareness bear to children's sociable, non-social, and anti-social behaviors contrast those of other dimensions of temperament such as child activity level and emotionality. Therefore, the constructs extracted from the newly developed Children's Sensory Reactions Questionnaire appear to contribute to our overall understanding of child temperament as well as the associations between temperament and young children's social, nonsocial, and antisocial behaviors.

The purpose of this study was to develop, digitally record, evaluate, and equate Mongolian monosyllabic and bisyllabic child-appropriate words which can be used in the measurement of word recognition scores and speech-reception threshold (SRT) in children who are native speakers of Mongolian. Based on data collected from a survey of Mongolian child language professionals, a subset of child-appropriate materials was adapted from a set of materials developed for Mongolian adults. Two lists of 50 monosyllabic words and four half-lists of 25 words each were developed for testing the word recognition abilities of Mongolian children. The developed lists and half-lists were found to be statistically equivalent in terms of audibility and psychometric slope, with average psychometric function slopes (at 50% intelligibility) of 6.41 %/dB for the male recordings and 5.84 %/dB for the female recordings. Given the structure and limitations of the study, a valid set of child-appropriate SRT materials could not be developed. It is likely that the inability to obtain a subset of SRT words was due in part to large differences between the mean PTA of the subjects and the threshold for 50% intelligibility, as well as the inability to represent most of the selected words pictographically. However the information gained from this study provides additional insight that may aid the future development of child-appropriate Mongolian SRT materials. Digital recordings of the resulting psychometrically equivalent child- appropriate speech audiometry materials are available on compact disc.

The Cedar Mountain and Dakota Formations are significant gas producers in the southern Uinta Basin of Utah. To date, however, predicting the stratigraphic distribution and lateral extent of potential gas-bearing channel sandstone reservoirs in these fluvial units has proven difficult due to their complex architecture, and the limited spacing of wells in the region. A new strategy to correlate the Cedar Mountain and Dakota Formations has been developed using core, well-log, and 3D seismic data. The detailed stratigraphy and sedimentology of the interval were interpreted using descriptions of a near continuous core of the Dakota Formation from the study area. The gamma-ray and density-porosity log signatures of interpreted mud-dominated overbank, coal-bearing overbank, and channel sandstone intervals from the cored well were used to identify the same lithologies in nearby wells and correlate similar stratal packages across the study area. Data from three 3D seismic surveys covering approximately 140 mi2 (225 km2) of the study area were utilized to generate spectral decomposition, waveform classification, and percent less-than-threshold attributes of the Dakota-Cedar Mountain interval. These individual attributes were combined to create a composite attribute that was merged with interpreted lithological data from the well-log correlations. The overall process resulted in a high-resolution correlation of the Dakota-Cedar Mountain interval that permitted the identification and mapping of fluvial-channel reservoir fairways and channel belts throughout the study area. In the future, the strategy employed in this study may result in improved well-success rates in the southern Uinta Basin and assist in more detailed reconstructions of the Cedar Mountain and Dakota Formation depositional systems.

Let G be a simple graph on n vertices, and let S(G) be the class of all real-valued symmetric nxn matrices whose nonzero off-diagonal entries occur in exactly the positions corresponding to the edges of G. The smallest rank achieved by a matrix in S(G) is called the minimum rank of G, denoted mr(G). The maximum nullity achieved by a matrix in S(G) is denoted M(G). For each graph G, there is an associated minimum rank class, MR(G) consisting of all matrices A in S(G) with rank A = mr(G). Although no restrictions are applied to the diagonal entries of matrices in S(G), sometimes diagonal entries corresponding to specific vertices of G must be zero for all matrices in MR(G). These vertices are known as nil vertices (see [6]). In this paper I discuss some basic results about nil vertices in general and nil vertices in cographs and prove that cographs with a nil vertex of a particular form contain two other nil vertices symmetric to the first. I discuss several open questions relating to these results and a counterexample. I prove that for all cographs G without an induced complete tripartite graph with independent sets all of size 3, the zero-forcing number Z(G), a graph theoretic parameter, is equal to M(G). In fact this result holds for a slightly larger class of cographs and in particular holds for all threshold graphs. Lastly, I prove that the maximum of the minimum ranks of all cographs on n vertices is the floor of 2n/3.

Hydration of the vocal folds is important for the production of normal voice. Dehydration makes voice production more difficult and increases vocal effort. Laryngeal desiccation has been shown to increase phonation threshold pressure (PTP) and self-perceived phonatory effort (PPE) in females. Nebulized saline may reverse or offset this effect. However, few data exist regarding the effects of laryngeal desiccation and nebulized treatments in males. Further, the dose-response relationship between laryngeal desiccation and nebulized hydration treatments is unknown. This study examined the effects of two doses of nebulized isotonic saline following a laryngeal desiccation challenge in healthy male speakers. In a double-blinded, within-subjects design, 10 male college students (age range 18-26 years) attended two data collection sessions involving a 30-minute desiccation challenge followed by 3 mL or 9 mL of nebulized isotonic saline. PTP for the 10th and 80th fundamental frequency (F0) percentiles and PPE were collected before and after the desiccation challenge and at 5, 35, and 65 minutes after the nebulized treatment. PPE increased significantly following the laryngeal desiccation challenge (p < .01). Following nebulization, PPE decreased toward baseline for both doses of isotonic saline (p < .01), but failed to reverse the desiccation effect completely. No statistically significant changes in PTP occurred following the laryngeal desiccation challenge or subsequent treatments. Compared with previous research involving females, these results suggest males may respond differently to laryngeal desiccation and nebulized hydration treatments.

Vocal fold hydration is important for healthy function of the vocal mechanism. Vocal fold surface fluid protects the mucosa and facilitates efficient vocal fold oscillation. Dry air exposure, mouth breathing, insufficient intake of liquids, and behavioral factors may contribute to laryngeal dehydration. Singers are believed to be particularly at risk for voice problems related to dehydration due to environmental and voice use factors. Laryngeal desiccation and nebulized hydration treatments have been shown to influence phonation threshold pressure (PTP) and self-perceived phonatory effort (PPE) in females. However, little research exists exploring the effects of hydration in males. Additionally, few studies have examined the dose-response relationship of hydration treatments. This investigation examined the effects of a laryngeal desiccation challenge and two different doses of nebulized isotonic saline on voice production in trained male singers. In a double-blind, within-subjects repeated measures crossover investigation, 10 male singers (ages 18 to 24) received a 30 minute laryngeal desiccation challenge followed by either 3 mL or 9 mL of nebulized isotonic saline on two consecutive weeks. PTP, PPE, and self-perceived mouth and throat dryness were sampled during the following observations: predesiccation, post-desiccation, and at 5, 35, and 65 minutes post-nebulization. No differences in PTP were observed after desiccation or nebulized treatment. PPE, however, rose significantly after desiccation and returned near baseline after treatment. No significant differences between dosages were observed.

Ever since the financial crisis in 2008 non-maturity deposits (NMDs) have had a floored deposit rate at zero. Now due to external factors some speculate that the market rate will increase. Regulations say that NMDs core deposits, which are used for further investments, must remove their rate sensitive part. In this work, high interest scenarios has been made to investigate the core deposits using an extended Vasicek model calibrated on the forward rate. Deposit rate models have been made using different regression techniques, mainly using linear models and a threshold regression model. We found that using a moving average on 21 days on Stibor 1M as a predicting variable yielded the best models. The models slope was then used to calculate the deposit rate on the given scenarioto calculate when the accounts will become rate sensitive again. At the end of the scenario, the deposits was found to decrease with 20%, 76% and 49% for the transaction-, savings account and the combined core deposits respectively using the median scenario. In order to regulate the decrease of the core deposits onecan use different rate sensitives similarly to the threshold model.