No abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to describe the occurrence of laryngeal pathologies and their distribution across age, sex, and race in a pediatric sample. Data were collected on 731 patients seeking evaluation or treatment at a children's hospital otolaryngology clinic. The most frequent laryngeal pathologies were subglottic stenosis, vocal nodules, laryngomalacia, and vocal fold paralysis. For the total sample, laryngeal pathologies were significantly more common to males than females. Laryngeal pathologies were most common in the youngest patients. The distribution of pathologies within each race was similar to that found throughout the total sample. Comparisons with similar investigations are made. Implications for management are discussed.

The study highlights the impact of FoF on participation and activity levels of patients and family caregivers, as well as the need to thoroughly evaluate falling fears to achieve a holistic rehabilitation outcome.

Potential advantages and disadvantages of doctoral training in genetic counseling have been debated. In this study, individual interviews were conducted to characterize the practice and attitudes of genetic counselors who have achieved doctoral degrees in any field. Participants (N=31) were more likely to spend time in research and less likely to spend time in clinic than genetic counselors in general. Advantages identified by participants were consistent with theorized advantages, and included increased knowledge, wider research roles, additional opportunities and greater respect. Disadvantages identified by participants focused more on individual perspectives than previously theorized profession-wide disadvantages. These included increased time commitment and decreased patient contact. The attitudes of participants towards the development of doctoral training in genetic counseling were generally positive. The results suggest that doctoral training in genetic counseling would have more benefits than drawbacks for individuals pursuing this degree.

Underwater and in-air noise evaluations were completed in performance pool systems at Georgia Aquarium under normal operating conditions and with performance sound tracks playing. Ambient sound pressure levels at in-pool locations, with corresponding vibration measures from life support system (LSS) pumps, were measured in operating configurations, from shut down to full operation. Results indicate noise levels in the low frequency ranges below 100 Hz were the highest produced by the LSS relative to species hearing thresholds. The LSS had an acoustic impact of about 10 dB at frequencies up to 700 Hz, with a 20 dB re 1 μPa impact above 1000 Hz.