De março de 2010 a dezembro de 2012, o Observatório de Comunicação, Liberdade de Expressão e Censura (OBCOM) da Universidade de São Paulo (USP) desenvolveu a pesquisa Opinião Pública e Censura no Mundo Contemporâneo. Para abarcar a complexidade e a diversidade de pontos de vista, diferentes instrumentos de investigação foram empregados, dentre eles, a produção de vídeo-entrevistas. Consideramos relevante avivar o debate a incorporação da linguagem audiovisual ao trabalho de pesquisa empírica no âmbito das Ciências Humanas e Sociais tanto para ressaltar quanto justificar possibilidades renovadas de postura, abordagem, interação e divulgação de nossa produção científica. O processo desta proposta audiovisual em seus aspectos epistemológicos, teóricos e técnicos foi o objeto deste trabalho. Partindo da experiência de produção, a metodologia que adotamos converge com experiências contemporâneas da Antropologia, Ciências Sociais, Cinema e Documentário. Sendo assim, a construção da pesquisa colocou em relevo as questões: a) O debate sobre a incorporação das imagens ao trabalho científico e a validade de uma metodologia na pesquisa empírica com audiovisual; b) O questionamento do uso de mídias a partir das Ciências da Comunicação; c) Como o audiovisual foi incorporado em uma pesquisa sobre Opinião Pública e suas possibilidades de análises; d) As renovadas posturas de abordagem, interação e divulgação da produção científica contemporânea. / From March 2010 to December 2012, the Universitys of São Paulo Observatório de Comunicação, Liberdade de Expressão e Censura (OBCOM), developed the research Public Opinion and Censorship in Contemporary World (Opinião Pública e Censura no Mundo Contemporâneo). To arrest the complexity and the diversity of different points of view, multiple investigations apparatus were used, such as the video-recording production. We considered relevant, to enliven the debate, the implantation of audiovisual language in the empiric research work inside Humanities studies. This would justify the renewed possibilities of stance, approach, interaction and disclosing of scientific production and also, would highlight them. The process of this audiovisual proposal in its epistemological, technical and theoretical aspects is the object of this paper. Based on the production experience, we adopt a methodology that converges with contemporary experiences in Anthropology, Social Sciences, Cinema and Documentary. In light of this evidence, the main questions that the research points at are: a-) the debate about the images incorporation in scientific work and the validation of a methodology in empiric research with audiovisual resources; b-) the questioning of media uses in Communication Sciences; c-) how audiovisual resources were used in a research about public opinion and how we can analyze them; d-) the renewed stances of approach, interaction and divulgation of contemporary scientific production.

The purpose of this thesis was to administer a survey to obtain information on practicing Speech-Language Pathologists’ (SLPs) knowledge of bilingual issues, while also considering whether any academic background on bilingualism guides SLP’s diagnostic and treatment options. This was done by comparing survey results of practicing SLPs with different academic backgrounds on bilingualism with current Master’s students registered at the Communication Sciences and Disorders Masters’ program at Florida International University (FIU). The survey consisted of 26 questions that examined participant’s history, and bilingual knowledge. Data was collected from 89 surveys. Data analyses showed that students and SLPs with a strong educational background on bilingualism had a tendency to prefer answers that correspond to recent research findings on bilingualism than students and SLPs with no or little educational background on bilingualism. These results suggest that academic background on bilingualism guides assessment interpretations and treatment options of bilingual clients.

Previous studies have found vocal fold hydration to be crucial for healthy function of the vocal mechanism. Surface tissue hydration facilitates efficient vocal fold oscillation. The composition of vocal fold surface fluid includes protective water and mucus layers, similar to the fluid that covers the mucosa and epithelia of the upper airway. Laryngeal dehydration has been linked to several factors such as mouth breathing, obstructive sleep apnea, dry air exposure, upper airway hypersensitivity, and certain diseases or behavioral voice use factors. Laryngeal dehydration affects phonation threshold pressure (PTP) and phonation threshold flow (PTF), defined as the pressure and flow observed at the onset of phonation, respectively. The application of topical nebulized isotonic saline (0.9% Na+Cl-) has been shown in previous work to decrease PTP. However, there are no studies examining the effects of aerosolized saline, administered supraglottally, on dehydrated excised porcine larynges. Examining the effects of aerosolized saline in an excised model is essential to determine any independent effects of this treatment in the absence of other physiologic mechanisms such as mucus secretion. This study sought to investigate the effects of aerosolized saline on dehydrated animal vocal folds to determine if the administration of supraglottic aerosolized saline, via a nebulizer, could reverse the adverse effects of laryngeal dehydration. The study included a prospective, mixed experimental design with two groups, one desiccation/aerosolization (A/B) group and a control (A) group, each comprised of five bench-mounted porcine larynges. Larynges in both groups received desiccated air (<1% relative humidity) supraglottally via custom tubing for 1-min doses until the vocal folds ceased audible phonation. Following the desiccation challenge, the A/B group received 2-min doses of aerosolized isotonic saline until phonation began again. The PTP and PTF were measured during phonation trials following each dose of the desiccation or aerosolization treatment. Significant changes in PTP and PTF were observed following both the dehydration and aerosolization treatment. The PTP increased significantly following the dehydration challenge and returned near baseline following the aerosolization treatment. The results of this investigation supported the hypothesis that the administration of aerosolized saline may reverse the adverse effects of vocal fold dehydration. Moreover, in a more physiologically realistic excised model, applying the mechanics of respiration, this study advanced the development of innovative theories related to the reversal of the adverse effects of dehydration, which may prevent the development of voice disorders.

The purpose of this study was to compare changes in acoustic and kinematic measures of articulation across soft, comfortable, and loud speech conditions. There were 19 participants, 9 male and 10 female, with age ranging from 20 to 34 with a median age of 25. Each participant had electromagnetic sensors glued to their tongue, jaw, and lips. It was anticipated that the acoustic measures would accurately reflect the kinematic measures of speech as articulation changed across the intensity levels. Vowel space area (VSA) and vowel articulation index (VAI) were computed from the three corner vowels, /α, i, u/. Articulatory-acoustic vowel space (AAVS), a sentence-level acoustic measure, was computed from the continuous formant histories for all voiced segments in a sentence. Kinematic-vowel space area (KVSA), kinematic-vowel articulation index (KVAI), and articulatory-kinematic vowel space (AKVS) were the kinematic equivalents of the acoustic measures, and were newly developed for the present study. Stroke metrics based on the speed history of the lingual movements were also used to reveal average kinematic features of the articulatory gestures in each participant's speech. The data revealed that the isolated acoustic and kinematic measures that used corner vowels (VSA, VAI. KVSA, KVAI) did not change significantly with intensity. The sentence-level continuous measures of articulatory working space (AAVS and AKVS) increased as speech intensity increased. The other sentence-level kinematic metrics also changed significantly with speech intensity, including increases in hull volume, onset speed, peak speed, mean speed, and distance. Stroke duration decreased as speech intensity increased. These findings suggest that measures based on isolated corner vowels are not as reflective as continuous measures of changes in articulatory movement in speech.

This study examined the effectiveness of two procedures, a visual cue and performance posting, to modify the use of sign language by psychiatric technicians. The visual cue was first introduced alone, then paired with performance posting to encourage staff use of sign language with the developmentally disabled children in their charge. Application of the visual cue alone produced little change in staff sign useage. The visual cue plus performance posting condition increased staff use of sign language during mealtimes. Four weeks of follow-up data indicated that the use of sign language remained at a level well above baseline.

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The major goal of supervisors in the area of Speech Pathology is to help student clinicians improve efficiency and effectiveness in attaining a therapeutic goal. This study was designed to provide systemic feedback of recorded data to student clinicians to determine the effect of a particular supervisory instrument on the future performance of inexperienced clinicians. The subjects for this study were six beginning student clinicians in Speech Pathology at Portland State University, two of which were randomly selected to represent the control group. All of the clinicians were observed for a randomly selected consecutive five-minute period from each of six management sessions. During these observations a content analysis was made of the interactions between the clinicians and their clients. The Analysis of Behavior of the Clinician (ABC) System, developed by Schubert and Miner (1971) was used to record interactions on a three-second interval schedule. The observation sessions for the control group coincided in time with the experimental group’s observation sessions, though no feedback was given to the control clinicians and they were unaware that tracking was done.

Character of Inaugural Addresses. Research concerning the character of the Inaugural Address reveals great diversity of opinion among writers. The New York Herald Tribune, after President Kennedy’s address, concluded that the function of an Inaugural address “to express… the essence of what (the President) proposes to do in the White House.” Dr. Claudius O. Johnson, in his book Government in the United States - after reviewing President Franklin Roosevelt’s first inaugural, wrote that in his address, the President “usually tries to smooth over some of the ill-feeling which recent partisan strife may have caused, appeals to all good citizens to help him in his task, and outlines his programs, sometimes rather specifically.” Conversely, it is pointed out by Wilfred E. Binkley in The Man In The White House. His Powers and Duties that “there have been presidents elected who entered the office on inauguration day almost utterly innocent of what the election signified and what was expected of them - Ulysses S. Grant, for example.” Today Americans accept and anticipate the elaborate inaugural ceremony of which the inaugural address is a part. Author Binkley points to the feelings of the post-revolutionary “purists,” who thought it to be “a conspicuous violation of Republican simplicity and an inexcusable aping of monarchy.” Furthermore, it is noted that George Washington was deeply concerned “as to what the public expected of him…” Mr. Binkley’s conclusion, with which this writer concurs, is that “while the inauguration itself has no legal force, it nevertheless symbolises the fact that the president is… chief executive.” There are three reasons for writing on this topic. First, the inaugural address is the first Presidential policy statement and may be compared with policies actually carried out. Second, they have popular audiences in this country and abroad who may be affected by their policies. And, thirs, they are the oldest of our official presidential statements. Furthermore, the United States’ Presidents have the longest history without charge of any of the heads of state in the world. Therefore, a study of inaugural addresses provides consistent information on a type of address for a longer period of time then is possible for any other head of state.

Relatively little material has been written about teaching a child to speak. That a child does learn to talk seems well supported by most authorities; and this is based upon experimental evidence. Just how a child can be taught to speak is not so widely discussed. Many writers have ignored this aspect of speech development, and the author is inclined to believe that many parents are completely unaware of it. The number of speech defectives in the country today indicates widespread ignorance of this problem. It is the purpose of this study (1) to show how parents can aid the speech development of their children; (2) to determine the ways in which parents often hinder their children’s speech development.

The early diagnosis of hearing loss can be a life-changing event for families. Parents are required to make several prompt decisions where they might be overwhelmed with all the information being shared with them. Patient education materials (PEMs) are often provided by clinical health professionals – yet these materials are often written above the average reading level of adults in the United States, thus presenting an additional challenge to many parents. The purpose of this study was to examine the ease of reading cochlear implant (CI) brochures that are provided to parents who are making informed decisions about the management of their child's hearing loss. The CI brochures analyzed include those from three Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved CI manufacturers: Advanced Bionics, Cochlear Americas, and MED-EL. Reading grade levels were analyzed using a commercially-available computer software program, applying six readability formulas commonly used to examine PEMs. Analyses revealed that the readability of the three CI brochures exceed the fifth- to sixth-grade reading levels recommended by health literacy experts. Audiology-focused PEMs continue to be created without full consideration of their reading grade level despite health literacy initiatives. Researchers should consider the health literacy skills of the reader when creating or revising PEMs such as CI brochures.