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Wikijunior:Solar System/Is there life out there?

The short answer is "Nobody knows" - but it's interesting to try to make some guesses based on what we do know!

Scientists who have tried to make good guesses use an equation called 'The Drake Equation' which was named after Doctor Frank Drake who first tried to work this out about forty years ago. The idea is that if you know how likely it was for life to form on Earth - and if you know how many planets there are that are more or less like the Earth - then you can make a good estimate of how much life there is out there.

We can try to do that ourselves.

How many stars are there in the Universe?
When you look up at the sky on a really dark night - far from the lights of cities and roads, you can see about five thousand stars and four or five planets. But nearly all of the stars and planets out there are far, far away and much too dim to see.

We know that there are eight planets orbiting the Sun and that our sun is a lot like the other stars out there in our galaxy. Our galaxy (which we call "The Milky Way" because it looks like a splash of milk across the night sky) has about three hundred billion stars in it. But the Milky Way is a rather small galaxy and there are many, many other galaxies.

With our very best telescopes we can see about a hundred billion galaxies. With a hundred billion galaxies - each one with hundreds or even thousands of billions of stars - astronomers calculate that there are about fifty thousand, billion, billion stars in the part of the universe that we can see! That's a big number. Written out in numbers it's 50,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars!

Do all of those stars have planets?
Well, it's rather hard to tell for sure - but astronomers have looked carefully at some of the stars in our neighborhood and whilst planets that are orbiting other stars are too small to see - even with our very best telescopes, we can sometimes see a slight wobble in the light coming from a star that is caused by the gravity of one or more planets that are orbiting it.

Knowing that, we have found that many nearby stars have at least a few planets that are big enough to wobble the lights from the star enough so we know they are there. There are probably other planets too small to produce a big enough wobble for us to measure - so we don't know exactly how many planets to expect. But it seems that there are probably more planets than stars in the universe, so there could easily be 50,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 planets for life to try to get started on. That's a lot of places and we haven't counted moons, asteroids, comets and dust clouds!

How often does life actually get started on one of these planets?
This something we can really only guess at. We know that life formed once on one planet because we are that life and we live on that planet - but how do we know whether the Earth is just an amazingly special place or whether there are Earth-like planets orbiting most of the stars in the sky? Unfortunately, we don't know.

 * Many planets must be too hot - like Venus and Mercury in our own solar system. Life can't survive there because the chemicals that life needs don't work properly when things are that hot.
 * Other planets might be too cold - so there would not be enough sunlight for plants and animals to use as energy. The outer planets of our Solar system - Pluto and Neptune - must be far too cold for life to exist there.
 * It's possible that planets might not have the right mixture of life-giving chemicals. There is no life on our Moon because it has no atmosphere - in daytime it's too hot and at night too cold.
 * Other planets may form and then be destroyed before life has had time to form - and on others, life might have formed a long time ago and then died out for some reason,

But there are plenty of planets to choose from. Next time you are on a beach or at a playground with a sand lot, take a handful of sand. There are an awful lot of tiny sand grains in a fistful of sand - but there are more stars and planets than there are grains of sand on all the beaches of all the world! Surely they can't all be too hot, too cold, too dry or too poisonous?

But we humans haven't yet looked closely enough in enough places where life might be to really know for sure what life needs. We've found bacteria living in boiling hot water near underwater volcanoes. There are tiny worms who live in the ice near to the South Pole. Bacteria have been found living inside rocks in the deepest mine shafts. There is hardly anywhere on earth where live can't survive somehow. Astronauts from Apollo 12 who visited the moon in 1969 visited the Surveyor III lander that had been sitting on the moon for more than two years. They found that bacteria that had hitched a ride on Surveyor when it was launched and were still alive after two years of living on the moon!

It seems then that life can survive and even prosper in some fairly hostile places - this shows that a planet may not have to be a comfortable place for humans in order to develop life. However, there doesn't seem to be any native life on the Moon beyond what humans have put there by accident and our robotic missions haven't found life on Mars or Venus or any of the comets we've looked at closely.

With at fifty thousand billion billion planets in the universe, even if each planet only had a one in a trillion chance of having life, there could still be billions of planets teeming with life out there in the universe. But if the chances are that bad then we might be alone in our galaxy with the nearest other creatures living hundreds of millions of light years away. Even if the odds for life are only a million to one for each planet, we humans and our robots might have to travel for thousands of years and search millions of planets and moons before we'd find them.

So how many aliens are there?
That is where the drake equation comes into play:

R* × fp × ne × fl × fi × fc × L = The number of alien civilisations that we can talk to in our galaxy

This equation might look complicated, but it's actually quite simple when you understand it.

R* is how many stars appear a year. So, for example, if there was 10 stars being made every year, then you could scrible out R* and put at '10' there instead.

fp is the chances that a star has planets. If, on average, there was a 1 in 2 chance that each new star had a planet, then the number that replaced fp would be 0.5 (1÷2).

ne is the number of planets in each solar system that can have life. In our solar system, ne would be 1, because we only have one planet that we know has life on it, Earth.

fl is the chances that these planets have life. If all planets that could have life have life, then 1 would go in the place of fl

fi is the chances that the life on these planets is clever. A 1 in a hundred chance of life would give us 0.01, 1÷100.

fc is the chance that they will be able to talk to us. This number might be 1 (100%), because if they are clever they will eventually find out how to talk to other planets.

Finally, L is how long each alien civilisation will live (or want to talk to us), in years. Though nobody knows the real value of this, Frank Drake guessed 10,000 years.

Now, we can multiply them all together. 10×0.5×1×1×0.01×1×10000 = 500 alien civilisations in our galaxy. The values here are just guesses, though, and other guesses have ranged from only one civilisation in our galaxy to thousands.

Little Green Aliens
If so many planets in the universe does this mean that we should expect little green aliens to be popping out of their flying saucers soon? Well, perhaps not. For beings living in another galaxy outside of the Milky Way, if they noticed that we are here and set out to visit us - traveling at the speed of light, they still wouldn't get here for another 300 million years! They couldn't have set out millions of years ago to visit us because humans haven't been on around for nearly that long.

If we're going to be visited by aliens, they'd have to live on a nearby star and know how to fly very fast to get here. That means that if we are to meet alien cultures they must come from within the very few stars that are within a reasonable travel time. Life would have to be very common indeed for there to be intelligent beings close enough to meet us face-to-face.

SETI - The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence
One group of scientists are searching for other intelligent life in our galaxy by listening to the radio. With large radio telescopes they sweep the stars looking for radio signals with interesting patterns in them that would not come from natural radio sources. So far, they haven't found anything - but that may mean that they have to keep on looking - or it might be that the aliens are not transmitting anything in our direction with enough power for SETI's sensitive radio telescopes to pick up.

Panspermia - Life from Space?
One other possibility is that life didn't just appear on Earth at all. If life were really common throughout the universe, it's possible that life arrived on Earth after it developed somewhere else. We know that meteorites found on Earth have come here from the Moon and from Mars - and probably from other planets too. We also know that debris in the form of little bits of rock and ice rain down on the Earth from space all the time. If life existed in that debris when the Earth was young, there is a good chance that we Earthlings originally came from some other planet entirely. It could be that all life on Earth originated on Mars and we are the alien invaders!

So what IS the answer?
We still don't know for sure that there is life anywhere beyond the earth, and even if life were common in the universe, we don't know whether we'd ever be able to find it if there was.

The search for life beyond Earth is a very new thing. Humans have only been searching for about 40 years - and we've only been looking in the most likely places for 10 years. If we humans are going to find signs of life outside the Earth, it will probably happen in your lifetime. You may one day be amongst the first humans to encounter alien life or to hear a message from another world through SETI!


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Animation:Master Features/Objects

This module is part of Animation:Master Features.

Objects
Models Camera Light Force Null Motion Capture Device Material Effect Volumetric Effect Layer

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Animation:Master Features/Objects


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Animation:Master Features/Objects/Light

Lighting is the most important aspect of a good render. Without it, there is only darkness. This topic will be dedicated to examining all of the properties one can find when using Lights.

To create a light, right click on the Objects folder in the Project Workspace, select New, and click on Light.

A new Light will appear in the Objects folder.

Lights have many properties that tell Animation:Master how to render, as well as properties that tell where to put the light, and what direction to aim it in.

Bone Position
The Bone Position sets the coordinates of Bone for the Light.

Start
Changing the Start values will set the starting position of the Bone in relation to the origin. Adjusting this value will change the values in the Rotate menu and will change the Length.

End
Changing the End values will set the ending position of the Bone in relation to the origin. Adjusting this value will change the values in the Rotate menu and will change the Length.

Rotate
The Rotate menu sets how a Light is oriented in relation to the center of the light. Adjusting the Rotate values will change the values in the End menu.

Length
The Length values sets how long the Bone is. Adjusting this value will change the values in the End menu.

For the most part, I suggest not changing the Bone Start and End position values. When a Light is put into a Choreogrophy or an Action, the position of the Light will be controlled by the Transform Values. The only time the Bone Position should be changed is when a Light is added into a Model, and a Light is needed in a specific location on the model at all times. It is a good idea to adjust the Length of a Light if you are using a Klieg or a Sun Light so that you can grab the end of the Bone without having to zoom in or out.

Transform
Note: The Transform values will not change the position of the light when changed in the Objects folder. They really have no purpose in the Objects folder and should have Visibility set to False.

In a Choreography or an Action, the Transform values act very similarly to Bone Position values. Neither The Bone's Start and End, nor the Length can be changed with Transform values.

Translate
The Translate values set the position of the Light in relation to the Bone Start and End values. Meaing, if the Bone Start and End values are set to the default values (0,0,0), then the Translate values would move in relation to the origin.

If you select a light in a choreography, left-click on the center of the light and drag it around the screen. This will translate the light to the position underneath the mouse.

Scale
Scale sets the size of the Light in the three different dimensions. This value affects only two values: how rays are emitted from the light, and the shape of volumetrics. I will discuss those later in this topic. I suggest leaving the scale as it is.

Rotate
The Rotate menu sets how the objects will be oriented in relation to the center of the light. Changing the Rotate values will not affect Bulb lights unless volumetrics are used in conjunction with a customized scale. Klieg and Sun Lights use Rotate the most often. You can either enter these values manually, or you can use the manipulator on lights to rotate them to point in a direction.

The control box at the end of the Bone sets the rotation of the light. You can view the light from any direction to make sure that it is properly rotated in the direction desired.

Roll Method
The Roll Method refers to how the Bone is rotated in an Action or Choreography as it is animated. The Roll Handel is the Control Box that is directly above the center of the Light which is connected by a handle. There are three different Roll Methods: Z-Singularity, Y-Poles-Singularity, and Roll History.

Z-Singularity
Z-Singularity is primarily used for Model Bones. When the Y rotation of the Bone approaches 180 degrees, the role handle will start to rotate around the original Axis of the Bone. If the light rotations have not been set in the Options folder, the Roll Handel will rotate around the negative Z-axis.

The ring placed around the Z-axis shows how the Roll Handel will rotate. Notice that the light is pointing in the negative Z-Axis.

Y-Poles-Singularity
Y-Poles Singularity is the default Roll Method for objects like Lights, and Cameras. This Roll Method tries to keep the positioned in somewhat of an upright position. The Animation:Master Help file gives the example of a basketball court camera positioned in above the center of the court. The camera will roll so that the players are viewed in an upright position as the camera moves from one end of the court to the other.

The ring placed around the Y-axis shows how the Roll Handel will rotate. This rotation happens around both the positive and negative Y-axis.

Roll-History
The Roll-History Roll Method determines how a Bone will roll based on the history of the Roll Handel. When this method is used, there will be no axis at which the bone will rotate around. This can create smoother animation, but the exact rotation of the bone cannot always be predicted. Nonetheless, the rotations can always be corrected.

Euler Order
Euler Order refers to the freedom of rotation on the X and the Y plane. There are three types of Euler Order types: YXZ, XYZ, and Automatic.

YXZ
This Euler Order gives less of a priority over rotations made on the Y-axis. This means that when a Bone is rotated on the Y-axis, it only has 180 degrees of freedom. Outside of the 180 degrees of freedom, the other two axises control the rest of the motion.

XYZ
This Euler Order gives less of a priority over rotations made on the X-axis. This means that when a Bone is rotated on the X-axis, it only has 180 degrees of freedom. Outside of the 180 degrees of freedom, the other two axises control the rest of the motion.

Automatic
In most situations, this is the best Euler Order method because the differences between the other two types are small in differences. The reason why it is better is because Animation:Master determines which Euler Order is best for the Bone in a specific rotation.

Ignore Fog
Currently, the use of the feature with a Light is unknown. Normally when it is used on a model, that model will show up even if it is immersed in fog.

Animate Mode
Animate Mode determines whether or not the Light will animate over a scene. By default, the Animate Mode is set to ON, but if Animate Mode is set to OFF, the light will not move. This is good for keeping a static light in the scene. If Animate Mode is set to ON, then the light will animate normally.

Type
There are three different types of lights in Animation:Master: Bulb, Klieg, and Sun.

Bulb
A Bulb Light emits light in all directions.

The Bulb Light is positioned just in front of and above the Box. Notice that the light fades with distance and that light is being emitted onto every visible surface.

Klieg
A Klieg Light emits light in the direction enclosed within the Cone Angle of the Light.

This Light is positioned exactly where the Bulb Light was positioned. The Klieg is pointing towards the bottom corner of the box, and the Cone Angle is wide enough to show the top corner of the box.

Sun
A Sun Light emits light in one direction only. Because the source of the Light is considered to be extremely far away, there would be no light come from any other angle than the direction of the Light.

Sun Lights are good for outdoor scenes scenes because they emit shadows starting from the farthest outward geometry on the Sun Light's Axis.

Width
The Width sets the diameter of the light source.

The only values that have changed for these two lights is the Width. Notice that the falloff distance radius is pushed outwards because of the increase in Width when the actual falloff distance was not changed. This also affects how shadows are rendered if there is only 1 Ray Cast set in the Shadows menu.

This is a Top view of a Box that is positioned just below and to the left of the light source. Notice that the shadow on the 60 cm Width Light appears to have a gradient on it unlike the nearly solid black shadow of the 10 cm Width Light. To get rid of the gradients, turn up the ray casts, and turn on multipass.

The shadows are now faded around the edges because more rays could pass by the geometry at different areas. I will go more into Ray Casts later on in this topic.

Width of Softness
The Width of Softness only appears in Klieg lights. What the Width of Softness does is sets how soft the outer rim of the Klieg Light is. Small percentages will result in harsher edges, which percentages closer to 100% will be very soft.

Fall-Off
The Fall-Off value is the distance at which the brightness of the Light is equal to the intensity of the light. This means if the Fall-Off distance was set to 500 cm, models positioned 500 cm away from the light source would be the diffuse color their surface properties are set to. Any surfaces closer to the light source would be brighter, and surfaces farther away would be darker.

The closest box is much brighter than the second closest box, but because the brightest color on a monitor is white, the effects cannot be seen. The second box is actually set at the Fall-Off distance and all other boxes are set farther away then that.

Cone Angle
The Cone Angle is a value that is applicable only to a Kleig Light. This value sets the angle at which light is emitted from the Light.

title: Animation:Master Features/Objects/Light


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User:Dunning

See Dunning user page on Wikipedia.

title: User:Dunning


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Do-It-Yourself/Polishing silver

There are a number of methods for removing tarnish from sterling silver. The benefits and drawbacks of each will be discussed below.

Before you take any action, take to heart the advice given to doctors: First, Do No Harm.

It is within your power to reduce a valuable antique to a worthless piece of slag. Countless people over the centuries have destroyed works of art by rough polishing. Please don't join their number. In fact, the word polishing should be equated with sandpapering in your mind... as something to be avoided. Tarnish is not a foreign substance above the surface of the silver. Rather, tarnish is sulphur which has become chemically bonded into the surface of the silver. Scouring away the silver on the surface in order to remove the tarnish is extreme overkill. The only way to remove the sulphur without removing the silver surface is to (gently) reverse the chemistry.

Keep in mind that there are two qualities you are trying to revive: 1) the original mirror surface formed by the silversmith during the final stages of production, and 2) the microscopic scratches which have naturally accumulated over that mirror surface in the course of lovingly using the piece. Abrasion during cleaning will obliterate one or both of these qualities, and thereby most of the value of the piece.

Hand Polishing
This is the method of care adhered to by serious collectors, as it brings out the beautiful luster of the sterling without destroying its patina. There are a variety of products available for hand polishing, from pastes to creams. It is generally best to stay with well-known silver-care product manufacturers, as some inferior products may cause scratching. (When in doubt, test the product in an inconspicuous area or on a less valuable piece.) Some examples are Twinkle Silver Cream (very gentle), Wright's Silver Cream (slightly more abrasive), and creams and pastes by the Hagerty company. These are readily available through supermarkets, jewelry stores and silver dealers, as well as on the Internet.

The author of this paragraph infinitely favors Hagerty's foam. Not the pink spray made by the same company, but rather the foam. Forget supermarkets. Look for it in department stores which have a wedding gift department. You'll find it in white plastic jars about the size of a baseball. Despite being called foam, it actually looks like chocolate pudding... and smells absolutely nothing like chocolate pudding. Use it as you used to use fingerpaint in kindergarten: with your bare fingertips, rub the foam over the surface of the silver. Keep running your fingertips back and forth until, usually after just a few seconds, you begin to see the spots of tarnish fade. In cases of more stubborn tarnish, you may need to rinse with tap water and again fingerpaint with the foam a second or third time. Don't be impatient and reach for something scratchier to hurry up the process: that's the slippery slope towards destroying a piece.

Some pieces should not be immersed in water. Items containing mirrors, wooden parts, fabric, glue, etc. should be fingerpainted with as little foam as possible, then wiped with a barely damp sponge or cloth. For particularly small areas of silver near parts that must not become wet, a Q-Tip dabbed into the foam will usually do quite well.

Not all yellowness on a piece of silver comes from tarnish. Gold wash or vermeil was often applied to the interior of cups and goblets and on the service end of utensils to protect against corrosive beverages and foods. This wash is usually thin, and can be easily removed with too-abrasive or too-vigorous cleaning. Hagerty's foam will not injure gold wash, but aggressive scrubbing with a cloth can injure it.

Keep in mind that it's not necessary or even desirable to remove every bit of tarnish from a piece of silver. Especially when the piece has fluted or embossed surfaces, it's expected that the deep grooves will acquire a darker hue than the raised areas. The resulting contrast is something to be left intact. Should a particularly stubborn spot of tarnish refuse to fade after, say, half a dozen foam fingerpaintings, it's time to leave well enough alone.

Crucially, avoid injuring any identifying mark which may be present on the piece. American pieces will, if 92.5% silver, have the word STERLING stamped on them, usually on the underside. Older American pieces, at 90% silver (called coin silver), may have nothing more than the maker's mark stamped on them. European pieces, of various percentages silver, will typically have anywhere from one to half a dozen cryptic symbols (lions, anchors, crowns, moons, faces in profile, single or double letters, etc.) hammered into them. It is imperative that these symbols not be worn away: they are the hallmarks by which a piece's age, origin place and maker are indicated. Lose the hallmarks and what had been a verifiable 1754 French handworked masterpiece is now an unidentified could-have-been-mass-produced-last-week piece of junk.

If you are going to use the piece soon after applying the foam, finishing up the wash with gentle dishwashing liquid and lots of cool water is perfectly reasonable. It is also perfectly reasonable to eat from the piece immediately after rinsing just with water. If, however, you are going to put the piece away, let the foam be the last thing you rinse from the piece. A trace of the foam will remain even after you've run enough fresh water over it not to be able to see any more foam. This trace amount of foam will slow down the piece's chemical desire to become tarnished again. Don't put a piece away wet. Gently towel it dry (blotting rather than rubbing) and let it air for perhaps an hour before storing it away.

The remainder of this page is informative but very risky. Remember: you can play one of two roles with this piece... you can either be its protector, or its destroyer. Silver has value, but the scrap value of the metal is often negligible compared to the condition value. If you feel that the radical steps described below must be taken, let it not be you who takes these steps. Instead, sell the piece as-is and get your money out of it before (with all good intentions) you destroy 90% of its value.

For example, a deceptively easy but damaging way to shine your silver is to use tooth powder. Just dust your fingers with a bit of tooth powder and rub over the area you want to shine. You can finish by wiping the piece with a tissue or a piece of cotton - moist or dry. Now go back and look at the surface you've just worked on. It'll have hundreds of visible scratches that were not there before, and its previously warm glow will have turned dull. If you keep doing this, you'll gradually turn the piece's original mirror finish into something resembling aluminum. This is due to the presence of grit in the mixture. Why is this so damaging? Well, for one thing, silver metal is a lot softer than tooth enamel. Tooth powder containing abrasives is the right tool for scouring foreign matter off of the hard surface of teeth, but tarnish is more akin to tobacco stains. The only way to remove a stain with abrasives is to remove surface material, resulting in a damaged surface. On the other hand, gently applied chemistry removes stains while leaving the surface intact.

Wheel Polishing
In cases of extreme tarnish and/or corrosion, it may be necessary to take the item to a jeweler or silver repair company. There the tarnish can be removed with jeweler's rouge. This is sometimes referred to as putting an item "on the wheel". While this method does remove tarnish, it also removes the patina, or microscopic wear marks which give antique silver its beautiful glow, leaving in its place the shiny look of an item fresh off the factory line. Thus, this method is avoided by serious silver collectors in favor of hand polishing.

See and avoid. In almost every case I've encountered, people who own polishing wheels are obsessed with overusing them... even so called professionals. Jewelers are often called upon to remove a previous owner's initials from, say, a set of silver spoons. I have seen the results of overly enthusiastic jewelers who removed the initials by buffing away a thumb-sized crater, thereby rendering the piece even less valuable than it had been with someone else's initials still attractively inscribed.

Silver Dips
The term dip calls to mind television infomercials promising instant polishing of your cherished silverware. These commercially sold silver dips are an abomination. A few work by eating away the tarnished surface of the metal, somewhat akin to the idea of removing a tattoo with battery acid. Most dips, however, work by turning the tarnish from its natural dark color to a cloudy white haze, somewhat akin to the idea of trying to hide a tattoo with skin-colored magic marker ink. Either type of commercially sold dip results in a permanently damaged piece. See and avoid.

In the broader sense of the word dip, however, it is possible to try cleaning a piece of silver by immersing it in some sort of liquid as opposed to fingerpainting it with foam. There are several mild chemical combinations which will gently attract some sulphur away from a piece of silver. One of the simplest involves dissolving baking soda in warm water in a glass bowl, then inserting both the silver item and a piece of aluminum foil. You'll know it's beginning to have some effect when you catch a whiff of eggs rising from the water. Frankly, though, I've tried this and several other passive approaches to tarnish removal, and I'm not particularly impressed with the results. Fingerpainting with foam does a far better job of restoring silver, for the same reason that shampooing your hair cleans it better than merely soaking your head in soapy water.

Serious sterling collectors avoid silver dips. One reason is that silver dip tends to brighten areas of the design that should remain dark in order to give a relief effect. This is especially important in pieces that have Repoussé and chasing. Another reason is the difficulty in removing the end product of the conversion, which usually requires an abrasive cleanser... and abrading the surface is one of the most effective ways of destroying a piece's value.

Caveats
A few cautions should be noted. Sterling silver is a very soft metal that is easily damaged. Be careful not to dent the piece by knocking it against a sink or other hard surface. Be very gentle with sterling hinges, such as those on teapots and boxes, as these can be easily bent by mishandling. Do not use a toothbrush or other bristled brush on sterling, as this will permanently scratch the surface.

A more effective baking soda method: Put several layers of aluminium foil (glossy side up) in a non metallic container, add some baking soda on the foil, place your silver object on top, add more baking soda on top of the silver piece and finally cover all of the silver piece with BOILING water. Wait five minutes.

Frequency of Polishing / Storage
Sterling that is continuously on display, such as a tea service or candelabra, will need more frequent polishing than pieces that can be wrapped and stored. Much of this depends on the amount of sulphur in the environment (city dwellers living near high automobile traffic, for example). Simple sealable food storage bags, or dry cleaning bags for larger pieces, will inhibit tarnish from accumulating on stored pieces. Make sure that the item is thoroughly dry before storing, however, as trapped water will cause corrosion.

Several sources indicate that storage in plastic bags can do more harm than good, since poor quality plastic emits gases that cause corrosion and tarnish. Make sure you use a good quality polyethylene sealable food bag in conjunction with a silver cloth or acid free paper. This will provide good protection.

Washing
Don't wash sterling and stainless together. If they touch, a chemical reaction may occur, resulting in black spots on the sterling. Use a mild dishwashing liquid, and don't apply undiluted dishwashing liquid directly to sterling. Detergents containing phosphate can turn sterling brown.

title: Do-It-Yourself/Polishing silver


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Talk:SanDisk Sansa MP3 Players

With all due respect to the contributors, I think this module should go someplace like Wikicities rather than on Wikibooks.

I started this "manual" of sorts on WikiPedia. And was told WikiBooks would be the right place for it, after the regulars had seen most of the text that's here today. If I'd wanted a whole wiki, and wiki community, I would have used a domain name and installed MediaWiki. So I don't agree with your opinion.--Ann222 13:08, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

title: Talk:SanDisk Sansa MP3 Players


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Talk:German/Level I/Volk und Familie

Grammatical Mistake
Is this correct? "Now even though many of these are common phrases you and me would say in everyday life..."

I believe it should be "Now even though many of these are common phrases you and I would say in everyday life..."
 * Correct and fixed. TheSun (talk) 23:05, 4 July 2008 (UTC)

Section: Using Formal and Informal Pronouns in the Family
Using "Sie" with grandparents or parents is outdated.

Sorry, I changed the paragraph about using "Sie" with family. To me, this is ridiculous. So far, I only have once actually met somebody who did that, and his family only came back to Germany after the Iron Curtain came down, having lived in a German settlement in Hungary for a long time. Maybe this is also the case in German communities in the US (Pennsylvania German etc.), if they emigrated at least 100 years ago. But I think this is rather an interesting factoid than something somebody new to the language has to know. If you insist, change it back, but I really don't think this should be portrayed as current usage... Thamane 22:25, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

Better German

 * Never call your parents Mutter or Vater, it's normal to say "That's my mother", if you talk to someone else, and there are very few
 * people who say "Mutti" or "Vati", but "Hallo Mutter und Vater" sounds really strange and it's really bad German

 * In the text was the name of the grandmother "Lieschen" that means "small Liesa". I think that would even strange in english to call your grandmother such a childsname. I have corrected it. --SvonHalenbach 12:24, 30 July 2006 (UTC)

Section: Nationality
You are switching order German/English during the list

HolgiDE

Yes, I know, and I'll get to those problem, thanks for informing me. --German Men92 22:54, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

Noun or Adjective Nationality
"Ich bin schwedisch" is bad German - better would be "Ich bin ein Schwede" (I am a Swede.) or "Seine Nationalität ist die Schwedische" (His nationality is the swedish.)--HolgiDE 14:45, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

Yes, I know, but I'm giving an example, I will note about the bad German part though.--German Men92 20:10, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

Banks
If Bank of issue means the Deutsche Bank issues the currency, this is wrong. They are a bank like any other, just very very rich ;-) Coins and notes use to be issued by the Bundesbank, which was also in Frankfurt, and was a completly different institution. They did not have accounts or ATM. This institution has been replaced by the European Central Bank / Europäische Zentralbank (EZB), which is in Frankfurt, too.Thamane 21:44, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

There are other banks in Frankfurt, too, and I think theire headquarters are in Frankfurt, because Frankfurt is the centre of Banks and economics in Europe (without the British Isles). Just throw a look at the Frankfurt skyline at www.frankfurt.de, Frankfurt is the onla European city, where such a skaline is allowed, almost all the towers belong to banks.

Volk vs. Nationalität
Bitte ersetzt Volk durch Nationalität. Das Wort Volk wird meist von einer politischen Diskussion gefolgt und bietet eine große Anzahl von Fettnäpfchen. Grundsätzlich gilt, dass die Zugehörigkeit zu Volk, Nation und Staat in Deutschland nicht deckungsgleich sind. Hierbei sind nur Staat und Staatsangehörigkeit sauber definiert. Nationalität wird meist als Staatsanghörigkeit verstanden, da Staatsangehörigkeit sperrig und formal klingt. MfG Mgloede (talk) 15:19, 23 October 2009 (UTC)

title: Talk:German/Level I/Volk und Familie


text:
Cookbook:Soto Ayam (Indonesian Chicken Noodle Soup)

| Cuisine of Indonesia

There are many variations of soto ayam depending on the ingredients, the way it served, and the amount of spices used.

Spice paste

 * 5 g turmeric
 * ½ tsp pepper
 * 2 candlenuts
 * 15 g ginger
 * 3 shallot
 * 2 cloves garlic
 * 2 tsp salt

Soup

 * 1 whole chicken with bones or 1 kg chicken parts with bones
 * 200 g cabbage, thinly sliced
 * 200 g bean sprouts, blanched
 * 4 potatoes, steamed, peeled, deep fried until golden brown
 * 2 fresh tomatoes
 * 25 g sohun vermicelli, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
 * 25 g fried shallots
 * 3 hard boiled eggs
 * 1.8 liters chicken stock

 * 3 kaffir lime leaves
 * ½ stalk lemongrass
 * 2 bay leaves
 * 1 stalk green onion
 * 25 g galangal
 * 2 tbsp cooking oil

Procedure

 * 1) Grind the ingredients for the spice paste together in a food processor. Stir fry the spice paste over slow fire until fragrant. Remove from the heat.
 * 2) Make soup by cooking the whole chicken with spice paste, galangal, lime leaves, lemon grass, and bay leaves in a pot for at least 30 minutes until the meat is tender. Use a pressure cooker for faster cooking time and better broth. For a traditional method, bring soup to boil, cover, and turn off heat, then let steep for 30–40 minutes—this makes the meat more tender.
 * 3) Add a little bit of salt or pepper to taste.
 * 4) Leave the chicken in a pot until the soup is cool.
 * 5) Remove the meat from the bones, and slice the meat into tiny bit size using fork and knife, then set aside.
 * 6) Put back the bones into the soup, add sliced green onion, and bring the soup to the boil right before serving.

Serving

 * 1) In a bowl, arrange in the following layers: sliced potatoes, sliced tomatoes, vermicelli, cabbage, bean sprouts, sliced egg, and the meat on top.
 * 2) Pour the boiling soup over the ingredients, but don't let any bones or chicken skin go into the bowl.
 * 3) Put fried shallots on top, and squeeze a slice of lemon over top.
 * 4) Serve with hot steamed rice or slices of lontong (steamed rice roll).

Notes, tips, and variations

 * Many versions of soto ayam don't have tomato.
 * Some prefer not to mix cabbage with bean sprouts.
 * As fried potato substitute, some like to put potato chips into the soup.

id:Resep:Soto ayam


text:
Talk:French/Texts

Text Ideas and Planning
Like the Latin and the Japanese Wikibooks, there should be stories for the student to read. For level one, one or two should come at the end of the level. For level one, one or two should come at the end of the level. For levels two and three, these should come after every few lessons. For level four, these should be included in every lesson. They should not be arbitrary, but should relate to the taught subjects. The problem at first is finding stories simple and short enough for a beginning student to learn.

Format

 * 1) Introduction / About the author / Historical context / Importance of the reading selection
 * 2) Vocabulary
 * 3) Reading Selection
 * 4) Questions aboutthe selection

Possible Texts

 * maybe some writings of Julius Verne?, i.e. ...
 * ...and by Émile Zola,
 * Des hymnes nationaux - Maybe add these to a chapter about French government or culture or, if we decide to have sections about one region like the German book, to those.
 * Le Québec - http://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Gens_du_pays
 * L'hymne national belge - http://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Brabanconne
 * some articles from french-language blogs, published under terms of a CC-by license? Sblive 14:49, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

Lucky Luke bandes dessinées
Lucky Luke bandes dessinées Marc dinel (discuss • contribs) 00:18, 23 August 2019 (UTC)

title: Talk:French/Texts


text:
User:Connel MacKenzie

wikt:User: Connel MacKenzie

title: User:Connel MacKenzie


text:
User talk:Connel MacKenzie

Inactive page - please do not post here, instead use wikt:User talk: Connel MacKenzie.

title: User talk:Connel MacKenzie


text:
User talk:Dangherous~enwikibooks

Inactive here atm, currently at:
 * Wikt:User:Dangherous (a Wiktionary sysop)
 * W:User:Dangherous
 * m:User:Dangherous

Your account will be renamed
Hello,

The developer team at Wikimedia is making some changes to how accounts work, as part of our on-going efforts to provide new and better tools for our users like cross-wiki notifications. These changes will mean you have the same account name everywhere. This will let us give you new features that will help you edit and discuss better, and allow more flexible user permissions for tools. One of the side-effects of this is that user accounts will now have to be unique across all 900 Wikimedia wikis. See the announcement for more information.

Unfortunately, your account clashes with another account also called Dangherous. To make sure that both of you can use all Wikimedia projects in future, we have reserved the name Dangherous~enwikibooks that only you will have. If you like it, you don't have to do anything. If you do not like it, you can pick out a different name.

Your account will still work as before, and you will be credited for all your edits made so far, but you will have to use the new account name when you log in.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Yours, Keegan Peterzell Community Liaison, Wikimedia Foundation 23:04, 17 March 2015 (UTC)

Renamed
 This account has been renamed as part of single-user login finalisation. If you own this account you can |log in using your previous username and password for more information. If you do not like this account's new name, you can choose your own using this form after logging in: . -- Keegan (WMF) (talk) 04:51, 19 April 2015 (UTC)

title: User talk:Dangherous~enwikibooks


text:
Wikibooks talk:Alphabetical classification

How do you get a horizontal table of contents rather than a vertical one? A horizontal one would look much better here, Jguk 16:33, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

 * It has to be "manually" added, but I think I could turn it into a "standard" template. It was something I was thinking of doing... so perhaps it will be a good challenge right now.  --Rob Horning 16:36, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Looks good, Jguk 16:55, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

Alex Mtch
I'm choosing to ignore articles (the words the, a, or an) when organizing the books. As long as it is done consistantly, I don't see too much of a problem here, although it does make automating this in the future somewhat of a problem. Feel free to gripe about this or concurr about this idea if you choose. --Rob Horning 02:18, 29 March 2006 (UTC) jello

Dj Music Producer
Here are some thoughts I had about what to add to this page. I was thinking of setting up a standardized template for Wikibooks that would include more than just the title, but also include the stages icon, book of the month status, print version (if available) and perhaps other sorts of information like a links to all of the subpages (via prefix-index) or other similar kinds of information that you might want to find out regarding a particular Wikibook, mostly to indicate quality. This is a display template, not a template to indicate status within the wikibook (which is another issue entirely).

If is primarily for this reason why I insisted on going this route rather than going through categories, although there are benefits both ways. Any other suggestions for additional information about specific Wikibooks? Icons for each type of book (aka bookshelf icon)? --Rob Horning 00:33, 30 March 2006 (UTC)

 * I think for the sake of neatness (i.e. having all titles lined up) the icons should go to the RIGHT of the title rather than the left (as they are now). On the other hand, this also makes them stand out less. Perhaps BotM/CotM icons could go to the left (since these deserve to stand out) and the more "general" icons (development stages, infoboxes) to the right? Xerol Oplan 16:57, 15 July 2006 (UTC)


text:
Cookbook:Seitan Bratwurst

| Vegan cuisine

A fresh seitan sausage is similar to a bratwurst. Gluten inflates in a hot pan but deflates nearly as quickly when it cools down. The cooled down sausage may look somewhat flat but tastes as well as the spices you used (gluten is almost without taste). With sausage spices, especially curry you can create a vegetarian bratwurst or currywurst that few unaware meat eaters would suspect to be vegetarian.

Ingredients

 * 1 ¼ cup water
 * Soy sauce
 * 1 cup gluten (see seitan for how to get gluten from wheat flour)
 * Additional spices, e.g., coriander, cardamom, thyme and oregano
 * Tofu (optional)
 * Vegetable oil

Procedure

 * 1) Mix soy sauce with the water.
 * 2) Mix solid ingredients (e.g. spices) with the flour. It is much easier to mix solid and liquid ingredients separately than adding ingredients to the gluten dough later, as it is very rubbery and sticky.
 * 3) Combine the wet and dry ingredient mixtures. Add the tofu, and knead the dough until it is well combined. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
 * 4) Roll the dough into sausages and fry them in a pan. An oiled non-stick pan is recommended. To form round sausages you have to turn them on all sides and squeeze from both sides with two spatulas.

Notes, tips, and variations

 * To fry the sausages on a grill they must be cooked first in order to make the gluten dough less rubbery.
 * The gluten inflates but is also bit runny.
 * For an original currywurst you add ketchup and sprinkle curry on the sausage.
 * If the sausages aren't eaten fresh they deflate a lot but still taste good.

title: Cookbook:Seitan Bratwurst


text:
Arabic/Book/Translit

This page is for contributors. Previous knowledge of Arabic is assumed.

This transliteration system will be used throughout the book.

Arabic Definite Article: el Arabic Definite Article before a sun letter: èl No dashes are written after the Arabic definite article, to connect it to the next word.

Any one letter meaning units in Arabic will not be written as part of the next word. So: e.g. The following are always written as separate words and not as prefixes: sa, fa, la, ka, wa

Long vowels: aa, ii, uu Short vowels: a, i, u Tanwiin:ân (indicates an alif after the tanwiin) /ań (indicates no alif after the tanwiin), iń,uń

Taa'uń Marbuutžätuń: ä Alifuń/Yaa'uń Maksuurätuń: aà

uu with a silent Alif after:uù

Hamzätuń: '

Possessive adjectives are separated by a dash from the word they are a suffix of. e.g. kitaabu-ka, kitaabu-haa The exception is the first-person singular which does not take a dash. Instead its second "i" is written with a circumflex. kitaabiî OR kitaabîya (depending on pronunciation)

Object pronouns also must take a dash.

The names of the letters of the Arabic alphabet transliterated:

Alifuń, Baa'uń, Taa'uń, Thaa'uń, Jiimuń, Hžaa'uń, Kħaa'uń,Daaluń, Dħaaluń, Raa'uń, Zaa'uń, Siinuń, Sħiinuń, Sžaaduń, Džaaduń, Tžaa'uń, Dħžaa'uń, Rħainuń, Għainuń, Faa'uń, Qaafuń, Kaafuń, Laamuń, Miimuń, Nuunuń, Haa'uń, Waawuń, Yaa'uń

One can also write it with the modified z, h, and n capitalized, and later change them. The best way to change them is to use find and replace in a text editor. AlifuN, Baa'uN, Taa'uN, Thaa'uN, JiimuN, HZaa'uN, KHaa'uN,DaaluN, DHaaluN, Raa'uN, Zaa'uN, SiinuN, SHiinuN, SZaaduN, DZaaduN, TZaa'uN, DHZaa'uN, RHainuN, GHainuN, Faa'uN, QaafuN, KaafuN, LaamuN, MiimuN, NuunuN, Haa'uN, WaawuN, Yaa'uN

Anything silent in a sentence must be underlined, so tanwiin at the end of a sentence must be underlined. Transliterated Arabic words within English text do not need the case endings written.

title: Arabic/Book/Translit


text:
Go/History

Go is almost 4,000 years old and is the oldest game to still be played in its original form. The creation of the game has been credited to Yao, (Traditional Chinese: 堯, Simplified Chinese: 尧), an ancient king of China, as a means of educating his less than brilliant son but this is most likely not the actual beginning of the game. Many scholars believe that the origins of go are in divination and fortune telling. Wherever this game has it origin one thing is clear the game was first played in china.

Go spreads west
=Notable People in Go History=

Rui Naiwei
First woman 9 dan

title: Go/History


text:
Water Resources Directory/USA/Economics

Wastewater Infrastructure

 * "Clean Water State Revolving Fund Programs: 2005 Annual Report."
 * Press release from USEPA (24 March 2006) states "the federal government and the states have invested almost $53 billion in the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) program to rebuild and refurbish the nation's wastewater infrastructure over the last 18 years. ...The CWSRF has made almost 17,000 loans since the program's inception in 1988.  ... The CWSRF includes annual EPA contributions matched with at least an additional 20 percent from the states.  The states, in turn, make low-interest loans to local utilities."   See also:  General information about CWSRF.

National Water Projects

 * Civil Works budget for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, FY 08 Final Draft Budget EC 11-2-187.

Organizations

 * Center for the Applied Study of Economics and the Environment

title: Water Resources Directory/USA/Economics


text:
Talk:PSP Programming/CYGWIN

all this really seems like is a review of cygwin

Moreover, Cygwin is NOT a Linux emulator and it CANNOT run native Linux binaries. It's more or less just POSIX/source compatibility environment. If you need native Linux environment on Windows, use coLinux, VMWare, VirtualPC etc.

This Page is Incomplete
It ends mid-sentence, never completing the instruction that is to follow.

title: Talk:PSP Programming/CYGWIN


text:
Talk:Proteomics/Introduction to Proteomics

TomMaxon 20:38, 27 March 2006 (UTC)


text:
Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/How We Treat Stuttering

How do you treat stuttering in your speech clinic or school? What works, and what doesn't?

To contribute to this page, first log in. Type your contribution, then sign it with two dashes and four tildes --~. Then on a new line type. That puts a line (horizontal rule) between different people's contributions.

And please read Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/How to Participate in this Wikibook before adding material.


text:
User:Bulabula

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wikibook_of_Ultimate_Games_and_Cheers

title: User:Bulabula


text:
User:Robert Horning/Watch List

These are a list of Wikibooks that I'm looking over because I feel they are skirting very close to violations of Wikibooks policies or are otherwise likely to be ignored and lost in the shuffle of stuff within Wikibook.

Being listed here doesn't mean they will be deleted or anything, just that I'm keeping tabs on this content and if I am satisfied with the progress the books are making, I will likely remove the content from here. This is more of a caution flag, and I don't want to disrupt the progress the books are making by adding an ugly warning flag.

Cleanup Candidates

 * Puzzles:Riddles
 * Physiotherapy Assessment
 * Geodesy
 * Conworld
 * The Design and Organization of Data Centers
 * Ancient Greek
 * Intelligence Intensification
 * Geometry

Just watching to see if it goes anywhere

 * NLP
 * Carspecs
 * How to quit smoking
 * Polynucleotide kinase
 * Huygens’ Principle
 * Adventures of Lolo 2 (Japanese)
 * Computational chemistry

What is this?

 * The Storyteller by Martha Whittington
 * Writing: A Guide To Urban Calligraphy
 * Astrophysical Measurements
 * Workbook Canada - Citizenship test
 * The Natural Taoist
 * User:TheGrouch
 * Geography of New Mexico
 * Etiquette, for the Modern Gentleman
 * Systems Of Logic
 * Fast seduction

Books to really work on that require admin assitance

 * Automobile repair

New Book Scanning
I'm currently scanning the bookshelves for new book titles I've missed earlier, and I'm currently at Engineering bookshelf

title: User:Robert Horning/Watch List


text:
Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/Fluency-Shaping Therapy/Fluency-Shaping Programs

Hollins Fluency System (Ronald Webster)
Ronald Webster's Hollins Fluency System is an intensive, residential stuttering therapy program. Clients practice at the Virginia speech clinic seven and a half hours a day for 12 days.

The Hollins program begins with extremely slow, two seconds per syllable speech. This is even slower than Perkin's two seconds per word speech. It also makes all syllables the same length. E.g., at two seconds per word, "American" is a half-second per syllable, which is too fast for stutterers to speak fluently. At two seconds per syllable, "American" takes eight seconds to say and even severe stutterers should be completely fluent.

The Hollins program doesn't use DAF devices. Instead, clients watch stopwatches to time their speech.

After mastering slow speech, you work on "gentle onsets" or gradual onset of phonation. A "voice monitor" device (now a computer program) provides biofeedback on the "gentle onset" target behavior. A second biofeedback device is used to train diaphragmatic breathing. Clients also practice stretched syllable including stabilization of the first sound position, definite completion of the final articulatory position and bringing articulators to neutral.

When these targets are mastered, the two seconds per syllable speech (ten times slower than normal speech) is reduced to one second per syllable (five times slower than normal speech), then half-second stretched syllables (half the normal speaking rate) and then quarter-second per syllable "slow normal" speech, which is a little slower than normal speech but has normal prosody. This speech rate is still too slow for normal conversations with other people unless you force them to wait.

Transfer is first done with telephone calls to local businesses, and then is done in shopping malls. . There is not enough transfer into the real world but this is good for Hollins as it protects them from being blamed for the failure that many clients experience after they leave Hollins.


text:
User talk:Thryduulf

Hello Chris. Good to see you over here at Wikibooks.

Hope you stay (particularly if you're willing to help with maintenance/beautification/making WB easier to get into).

All the best, Jguk 21:43, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

title: User talk:Thryduulf


text:
Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/Frequency-Shifted Auditory Feedback

Frequency-shifted auditory feedback (FAF) shifts the pitch of your voice in your earphones. A FAF upshift makes you hear your voice sounding like Mickey Mouse. A FAF downshift makes you hear your voice sounding like a gravel-voiced radio announcer.

A quarter-octave pitch shift reduces stuttering about 35%. A half-octave pitch shift reduces stuttering about 65-70%. A full-octave pitch shift reduces stuttering about 70-75%.

FAF Stuttering Reduction

Shifting pitch up or down is equally effective in short-term studies. But there may be long-term differences between up- and downshifts. FAF causes non-stutterers to speak at a higher or lower vocal pitch, depending on whether the device is set for an up or down frequency shift. This higher or lower pitch vocal pitch results from changing vocal fold tension. In other words, FAF induces changes in vocal fold tension in non-stutterers.

Vocal fold relaxation is a primary target of fluency shaping therapy. A study found that a half-octave FAF downshift didn't cause a change in vocal pitch in stutterers. But, anecdotally, speech clinics have reported that FAF devices adjusted to one octave downshift, using newer headphones with better bass range, induce vocal fold relaxation in stutterers. A one-octave downshift has also been anecdotally reported to induce a slower speaking rate with stretched vowels. If these reports are true, then FAF downshifts appear to imemdiately induce, with little or no training or effort, the target behaviors that take weeks of fluency shaping therapy. And, if these anecdotal reports are true, then an FAF downshift should induce long-term carryover fluency.

Conversely, anecdotal reports suggest that an FAF upshift (the Mickey Mouse voice) induces vocal fold tension and faster speaking rates. If this is true, then a FAF upshift should result in poor long-term performance (e.g., no carryover fluency, and possibly "wearing off).

Types of FAF
All published studies of FAF used octave-scale FAF. Octave-scale FAF requires lots of computing power (a fast Fourier transformation). When you set these devices to a one-octave upshift, the 125-Hz fundamental frequency of an adult male voice is shifted up to 250 Hz. The 250 Hz first overtone of your voice is shifted to 500 Hz. The 500 Hz second overtone of your voice is shifted to 1000 Hz. And so on.

If you instead use a one-octave downshift, your 125 Hz voice is shifted in your earphones to 62 Hz. Your 250 Hz first overtone is shifted to 125 Hz, and so on.

Octave-Scale vs. Frequency-Compression FAF

But some FAF devices don’t have enough processing power to produce octave-scale FAF. Instead, a simpler process uses frequency compression/expansion FAF. The upshift adds 500 Hz to your voice (or 1000 Hz or 2000 Hz, depending on the setting). Thus, your 125 Hz fundamental frequency is shifted to 625 Hz, or more than two octaves up. Your 250 Hz first overtone is shifted to 750 Hz. Your 500 Hz second overtone is shifted to 1000 Hz.

When you switch frequency compression/expansion to downshift or subtract 500 Hz from your voice, your 125 Hz fundamental frequency vanishes. 125 Hz minus 500 Hz is nothing (there are no negative frequencies). The 250 Hz first overtone of your voice also vanishes. And the 500 Hz second overtone of your voice vanishes. You can only hear the weak third (1000 Hz) and higher overtones of your voice. With such a device, you may hear your voice in your ear rise in pitch as the FAF is adjusted lower!

No published studies have investigated whether frequency compression/expansion FAF has an effect on stuttering.

Long-Term Effects of DAF Combined with FAF
Nine stutterers used a DAF/FAF device about seven hours per day. Their fluency was measured after four months and after twelve months. The delay was set at 60 milliseconds and the frequency compression FAF at 500 Hz up. The subjects received brief speech therapy, specifically to prolong vowels and use "starter sounds" such as "um" and "ah."

Long-term effectiveness of DAF/FAF device

Compare these effects to the long-term effects of a DAF device (without FAF).

The two anti-stuttering devices had similar immediate effects. The DAF device reduced stuttered words about 70%. The DAF/FAF device reduced stuttered syllables about 80%.

Both devices show a small but statistically insignificant "wearing off" effect over time.

The difference between the two studies is the "carryover fluency," or the subjects' speech without the devices. The DAF users had more than 50% carryover fluency. The DAF/FAF users had no statistically significant carryover fluency.

Why did one anti-stuttering device produce carryover but another device didn't? Hypothetically, upward FAF has positive immediate effects but negative long-term effects. Hearing your voice shifted up (sounding like Mickey Mouse) may correct your auditory processing underactivity but make your speech motor activity worse (i.e., make you speak with a higher vocal pitch and tighter vocal folds). If the auditory processing effect goes away when the device is removed, but the speech motor changes are retained, then no carryover would result.

Another hypothesis is that using an anti-stuttering device for practice, rather than wearing it all day, may produce better long-term results.

Personal Experiences with Frequency-Shifted Auditory Feedback
Please read Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/How to Participate in this Wikibook before adding material to this section.


text:
Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/Masking Auditory Feedback

A device with masking auditory feedback (MAF) may provide relief if you have silent blocks (blocks in which you can't even make a sound).

MAF is a synthesized sine wave at your fundamental frequency (not “white noise,” as some experts claim). This sound fools your brain into thinking that your vocal folds are vibrating. Your vocal folds relax and start vibrating.

The Edinburgh Masker, popular in the 1980s, helped many stutterers improve their speech over time, until they no longer needed the device. Other stutterers found that the device "wore off" and became ineffective. Still other stutterers have used the device for more than twenty years with no carryover or "wearing off." No research investigated why the device had different effects on different people. Hypothetically, the users who developed carryover fluency may have used the device to help them overcome fears and anxieties, or they may have used the device to enhance stuttering therapy. For the users who experienced "wearing off," the device may have made these users talk louder, which increased vocal fold tension, and some users habituated to speaking with too-tense vocal folds.

Personal Experiences with Masking Auditory Feedback
Please read Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/How to Participate in this Wikibook before adding material.


text: Template:Wikiversity

title: Template:Wikiversity


text:
Talk:AT&T Mobility FAQ/Data Connect Configuration

Note - Cingular told me it's ISP@CINGULARGPRS.COM, not WAP


text:
Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/Sound Quality, Background Noise

Sound Quality
A study comparing two DAF/FAF anti-stuttering devices made by different companies found one device to be more than twice as effective as the other. The difference in effectiveness was likely due to differences in sound quality. It's like the difference between listening to Beethoven at a concert hall, or as a cellphone ringtone.

Frequency Range
Different anti-stuttering devices have different frequency ranges. Generally, the bigger the microphone and earphones, the wider the frequency range.

The range of human voices is about 125 to 5000 Hz. If you use one-octave FAF downshifting you'll need 60 to 5000 Hz frequency range. Some anti-stuttering devices have this range.

In contrast, hearing aids typically have a frequency range of 200 to 7000 Hz. The frequency ranges typically aren't flat, but instead are tuned to sound best between 3000 and 4000 Hz (where most people lose their hearing). Hearing aids can't reproduce the low range of human voices, especially the fundamental frequency of phonation that's key to stuttering therapy.

Monaural vs. Binaural Sound
Binaural (two ears) sound is 25% more effective than monaural (one ear) sound. Some devices can be either binaural or monaural. Other devices are monaural only.

A research based on eleven participants has tested which ear is better, if you use a monaural anti-stuttering device ("Effect of monaural and binaural altered auditory feedback on stuttering frequency", A. Stuart). Non significant differences in stuttering frequencies for right versus left monaural conditions has been found (p = 0.54). Nevertheless, the right ear connects to left side of the brain, which processes speech and other rapidly changing auditory signals, and, hypothetically, is the better ear for using an anti-stuttering device. In contrast, the left ear is better for tones and music. But brain scans have found that stutterers have more right-hemisphere activity during speech (in contrast, non-stutterers have more left hemisphere activity during speech). If stutterers process speech on the right side of their brains, then a monaural anti-stuttering device should be worn in the left ear. It would be interesting to investigate left- and right-ear altered auditory feedback with brain scans. This might shed light on the question of whether the unusual right-hemisphere activity of stutterers during speech is speech processing or heightened emotions (such as speech-related fears and anxieties.) (Or maybe if you're gay and live on the east coast, you wear your anti-stuttering device in your left ear, but…)

Background Noise
Some anti-stuttering devices work well in quiet speech clinics, but are unusable in a noisy restaurant. A variety of features help solve the background noise problem.

Noise-Canceling Microphones
Positioned correctly, a noise-canceling directional microphone eliminates background noise at the source.

In contrast, omnidirectional microphones pick up background noises. Hearing aids typically use omnidirectional microphones designed to pick up environmental sounds louder than your voice.

Push-To-Talk Button
A "push to talk" button also eliminates background noise. You push a button and the device switches sound on. Llet go of the button and the sound switches off.

In noisy environments you're usually in a group. E.g., you go out to a restaurant with three friends. You talk one-fourth of the time. Most of the time you sit and listen, with clear hearing. When you have something to say, you push the button.

A push-to-talk button also works well for a child in school, who mostly listens and occasionally is called on by the teacher.

High-Frequency Filters
Most anti-stuttering devices have high-frequency filters to reduce noise above your vocal range.

Voice Activation
Voice activation switches on sound when the user talks, and switches off sound when the user stops talking. Voice activation works well if the device has a noise-canceling directional microphone. If the device has an omnidirectional microphone, loud noises switch on sound.

Some anti-stuttering devices analyze your speech and switch sound on when (or before) you stutter, and switch sound off when you're speaking fluently (or not speaking). Typically such devices analyze vocal parameters such as pitch and volume to determine whether your vocal folds are tense or relaxed.

Dynamic Expansion
Some anti-stuttering devices have dynamic expansion. This makes loud sounds louder and quiet sounds quieter. If you're using a noise-canceling directional microphone this makes your voice louder and background sounds quieter. With an omnidirectional microphone it can make your voice quieter and background noise louder.

Acoustical Transparency
Listening to someone talk, while you wear a DAF device that's picking up the other person's voice, is like reading the following:

That says, "difficult to hear another person speaking." You hear the person speaking twice, with the words out of sync.

In contrast, small FAF pitch shifts, without a DAF delay, have little impact on your ability to hear. It's like hearing music played on a violin vs. on a viola. Or hearing your friend's voice drop a little when recovering from a cold. This is known as "acoustically transparent."

Warranties, Returns and Repairs
Read price sheets and warranties carefully. Are there hidden fees? How long is your trial period for returning the device? Do you get a full or partial refund?

Toss the device onto a hard floor (before you pay for it!). How breakable is it? How long is the warranty? Are repairs covered in all situations, or excluded if it was your fault that the device broke?

How easy would it be to lose a device, especially for a child?

Ask about the company's return rates.


text:
Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/FDA and Other Regulations

The FDA Modernization Act of 1997 deregulated anti-stuttering devices. Manufacturers are no longer required to seek FDA pre-market registration or approval before selling anti-stuttering devices in the United States.


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User talk:Platinumpony

Hi again,

Yeah, I guess the world belongs to the daring. Sorry if I was too intrusive. Delete this page if you see it fit, I meant no harm.

Take care and have a good one!

MW

Platinumpony 19:44, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

PS. Does that mean I can be an editor for wikibooks/wikipedia????

Just kidding, don't get all worked up.

The Storyteller by Martha Whittington
Hello Platinumpony. You took a bold step and created the page, The Storyteller by Martha Whittington; the willingness to add new content and click "Save page" without hesitation is a good trait for a wiki editor. However, you seem to not understand what this wiki, Wikibooks, is about. So let me try to introduce it to you.

As it says on our welcome page, Wikibooks is for "collaboratively writing textbooks and related non-fiction books". We have a Calculus book, a Cookbook, a book about Overcoming Procrastination, for example. Wikibookians are using this wiki to write entire non-fiction books, all available for free through the GNU Free Documentation License so that anyone can copy and modify them.

Wikibooks is not a wiki about books. The intention of this wiki is not to create a wiki page here for each book or collection of printed books that exist outside of this wiki. Wikibooks is not a community place for finding persons who like to read the same books. We have a policy, What is Wikibooks, describing what Wikibooks includes and excludes. It states, "Wikibooks is not a soapbox, or a vehicle for propaganda and advertising." Thus, it is likely that someone will delete your page, The Storyteller by Martha Whittington.

However, some books at Wikibooks can be about books; they can be study guides or references. Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter is a reference to the many Harry Potter books; Illustrated Guide to the world of Spira (FFX and FFX-2) is about a video game. If you are planning to do something similar, The Storyteller might stay on this wiki; otherwise it belongs not here. --Kernigh 23:28, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

title: User talk:Platinumpony


text:
Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/Casa Futura Technologies

 Anti-stuttering technology: DAF, FAF (octave-scale), MAF. Pocket-sized. Special features: vocal tension biofeedback; plugs into telephones; rechargeable batteries. Frequency range: 60-5000 Hz. Monaural (one ear) or binaural (two ears). Anti-background noise features: noise-canceling microphone, push-to-talk button, high-frequency filter, voice activation, acoustical transparency Website: http://www.casafuturatech.com Price: US$995 - US$3495

DAF Long-Term Carryover Fluency

Nine severe adult stutterers used Casa Futura Technologies DAF devices for an average of thirty minutes per day (ten minutes reading aloud, ten minutes conversation with family member, ten minute telephone call). After three months their stuttering had diminished more than 50% (when speaking without the devices).

A single-subject study with an eleven-year-old boy found that fourteen hours of structured therapy with mediated learning and a Casa Futura Technologies DAF device reduced stuttering from 9% dysfluencies to 5% dysfluencies (when speaking without the device). One year later his stuttering was still 5% dysfluencies. Another fourteen hours of similar treatment reduced his stuttering to 4% dysfluencies.

Compared to Other Anti-Stuttering Devices

A Casa Futura Technologies DAF/FAF device was more than twice as effective when compared to another company's DAF/FAF anti-stuttering device.

Immediate Effects on Stuttering

Seven adult stutterers called businesses using a binaural (two ears) DAF/FAF anti-stuttering telephone device. Stuttering was reduced on average about 80%.

Nine adult stutterers called businesses in New York City using a binaural (two ears) DAF/FAF anti-stuttering telephone device. Stuttering was reduced on average about 60%.

Binaural (two ears) DAF reduced stuttering 71% and FAF reduced stuttering 64% in eleven adult female stutterers; DAF reduced stuttering 33% and FAF reduced stuttering 31% in eleven adult male stutterers. Stuttering (left scale) while reading five text passages (bottom scale), in women. About 17% of words were stuttered without the device (NAF). Stuttered words with DAF or FAF varied between 2% and 8%.

Binaural (two ears) DAF reduced stuttering in all eight stutterers; FAF reduced stuttering in four of eight stutterers.

Effects on Parkinson's Disease

1/2-octave FAF upshift improved intelligibility and naturalness of Parkinson's patients' speech.

Other Studies

Effects on vocal fold activity of stutterers.

Effects on vocal fold activity of non-stutterers.

Personal Experiences Using Casa Futura Technologies Devices
Please read Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/How to Participate in this Wikibook before adding material to this section.

 * Testimonials webpage on Casa Futura Technologies website


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Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/What Worked for Me

What stuttering treatments have you tried? What worked, and what didn't?

To contribute to this page, first log in. Type your contribution, then sign it with two dashes and four tildes --~. Then on a new line type. That puts a line (horizontal rule) between different people's contributions.

And please read Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/How to Participate in this Wikibook before adding material.

I do not have the condition, but I had done research on stuttering and stammering. When my first child was slow to speak, I saw the first signs. I spoke with our extended family to plan how to deal with it. The most important rule is patience, especially in body language and tone. The second is full attention to the child when he is speaking. Encouragement is essential. We said, "Use your words, please", at least a dozen times a day in the preschool years. Successful speech was followed by, "Good job using your words!" I acknowledge that this type of plan would not be successful for all, but it certainly would do no harm.

My son was offered speech therapy for his missing R’s, L’s and T’s. I had the same exact problem as a child and it resolved without intervention. After discussion with my child, we decided to wait several months and work on it ourselves. We had structured practice only while driving to and from school, just a few minutes a day. Within a few months, the problem was resolved (although, I can still hear him punching the T’s more than most Texans).

My son is now a teacher and an accomplished public speaker. I believe that without our family plan, he would stutter or stammer today.

--~

What worked for me? Learning not to care so much. Yes, I still stutter - sometimes badly, and sometines I do care. But by learning not to worry about lesser lacks of fluency, the incidences of the greater ones has decreased.

The big breakthrough was in my early twenties. During my childhood and adolescence, my stutter was 'hushed up'. Nobody dared talk openly about it to me (other well-meant but unhelpful advice to slow down or calm down). But one day I found a book about stuttering in a library. This gave me the impetus to see a speech therapist. I must have exasperated her by not being particularly interested in anti-stuttering techniques. But the process of 'coming out' made the difference. For instance - most of the secondary effects such as eye-closing and head movements have long stopped.

I'm now in my 40s. Yes, sometimes I can be anxious about stuttering on the phone, or embarassed if I fluff a punchline - but it doesn't hamper me socially or professionally. And I can talk about it.

It's the least of my worries!

--20.133.0.14 11:44, 18 May 2007 (UTC) David Carr

What worked for me was also to just stop caring about it. Just say the words even if it took time for me to say them and not care about what people say.

I struggled a lot with my speech when I was younger and my life revolved around it. I lost all confidence in my abilities. Later a friend of mine asked me about my speech and didn't get why it was such a big deal for me. I would just practice saying words with her and slowly learnt to not care about how I'm saying it, as long as I end up saying it. The satisfaction and feeling of triumph I felt saying words I avoided for years before made all the effort worth it.

I'm 21 now. I still have problem speaking fluently but that doesn't stop me from being free with my speech. I have stopped using methods like word substitution and saying sounds like "uhh" before saying difficult words. I feel confident and my speech is not a constant source of anxiety for me like it used to be.

--Rukmini 21:24, 22 July 2007 (UTC)


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Talk:Easy Ido/Lesson seven

Untitled
I've checked this lesson several times against several sources, and can't find any mistakes. However, I am very new to Ido, and would value a second pair of eyes for this page. Also I am not the writer of the original six lessons, so I hope I am not stepping on someone's toes by creating this.80.5.221.167 23:50, 27 March 2006 (UTC)E

title: Talk:Easy Ido/Lesson seven


text:
User:Deckiller~enwikibooks

User:Deckiller on Wikipedia

title: User:Deckiller~enwikibooks


text:
Urban Calligraphy

 * 1) Introduction
 * 2) */What is "graff"?/
 * 3) */Lexicon/
 * 4) /Where to find graff/
 * 5) /Freestyle 101/
 * 6) */Toy Markerwork/
 * 7) */Broadway Tag/
 * 8) */Hookups and Decorations/
 * 9) */Stylizing and Finalizing/
 * 10) /Bubble Work/
 * 11) */Basic Flow/
 * 12) */Squeeze Lettering/
 * 13) */Cartoon Lettering/
 * 14) */Decorations and Fillers/
 * 15) */Backgrounding/
 * 16) /Style Art/
 * 17) */Style Smooth/
 * 18) */Style Jagged/
 * 19) */Hookups, Donks, Bubbles/
 * 20) */A 3D Touch/
 * 21) */Finalizing Work/
 * 22) /Notes On Graffiti/
 * 23) /Disclaimers/

title: Urban Calligraphy


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Nissan 240SX Performance Modification

This guide is intended to give in-depth descriptions and exact procedures to modify the Nissan 240SX to be a more proficient sports car. This guide is not intended to provide styling advice or to provide info on body conversions or bodykits. If you are new to the Nissan 240SX and not familliar with the vehicle at all you should probably start with the Nissan 240SX entry on Wikipedia.org

Power Modifications
The goal of power modifications are to increase the overall power of your 240SX. Power goals can be attained through modifications of the stock engine, or by swapping in an altogether different engine than the KA24 that came in your car. A more detailed write up on nissan 240sx swaps can be found here: http://240sxlisted.com/240sx-swaps-p23
 * /KA24DE and KA24E/
 * /Engine Swaps/
 * /Non Nissan Engine Swaps/
 * /Ignition and Fuel Management/

Drivetrain Modification
Power is nothing unless you can get it to the wheels. If you plan on upping the horsepower of your vehicle you should also look into modifying your drivetrain to handle it.

 * /Transmission/
 * /Differential/
 * /Driveshaft/
 * /Final Drive/

Suspension and Brake Modification
What good is all that power if you can't turn or stop? Overlooking suspension and brake upgrades is a common and sometimes costly mistake.

 * /Shocks and Springs/
 * /Coilovers/
 * /Control Arms/
 * /Sway Bars/
 * /Brakes/

Chassis Modification
Trying to get that extra bit of performance out of your car? Making it lighter and stiffer is a good way to make the car handle better.

 * /Chassis Strengthening/
 * /Weight Reduction/
 * /4 lug to 5 lug conversion/

Useful Links

 * Weblinks

title: Nissan 240SX Performance Modification


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Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/Fluency Master

 Anti-stuttering technology: Amplifies vocal fold vibration. Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid Monaural (one ear). Website: http://www.stutteringcontrol.com/

Efficacy Studies
14% reduction in stuttering in conversations without therapy; greater effectiveness with therapy and for reading aloud.

Personal Experiences with Fluency Master Devices
Please read Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/How to Participate in this Wikibook before adding material.


text: Template:French/Texts/National anthems

title: Template:French/Texts/National anthems


text:
Urban Calligraphy/Table of Contents

Table Of Contents

 * 1) Introduction
 * 2) What is "graff"?
 * 3) Lexicon
 * 4) Where to find graff
 * 5) Freestyle 101
 * 6) Toy Markerwork
 * 7) Broadway Tag
 * 8) Hookups and Decorations
 * 9) Stylizing and Finalizing
 * 10) Bubble Work
 * 11) Basic Flow
 * 12) Squeeze Lettering
 * 13) Cartoon Lettering
 * 14) Decorations and Fillers
 * 15) Backgrounding
 * 16) Style Art
 * 17) Style Smooth
 * 18) Style Jagged
 * 19) Hookups,Donks,Bubbles
 * 20) A 3D Touch
 * 21) Finalizing Work
 * 22) Notes On Grafitti
 * 23) Disclaimers

title: Urban Calligraphy/Table of Contents


text: Template:French/Texts/National anthems/Header


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Talk:Nissan 240SX Performance Modification

began this book. looking for help form the community to make it complete Saen1978 00:55, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Please add a sentence, even an introductory one. All you have is section headings. --Kernigh 01:21, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

I think this book needs to be broken into submodules, but I'm not sure how. any help from an advanced wikibook writer would be appreciated 138.162.128.46 15:08, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

 * Then first decide the scope of the submodules. For example, one could split the book into four submodules, being "Power Modifications", "Drivetrain Modification", "Suspension and Brake Modification", and "Chassis Modification".

 * Or one could use one submodule for each part to install, being "KA24DE", "S13 DOHC", and other modules. I am not sure which strategy to use. --Kernigh 17:06, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

I think the four submodules sounds like a logical way to do it. how do I go about doing that? Sean1978 19:42, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

I broke the page into multiple submodules, this should be the best approach for the scope of this wikibook Sean1978 23:16, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

like this book. wanted to start a similar one, but not specific to 1 car. I have added this book to the new engineering-automotive category. there are some others I have collected in that category from wikibooks, you can browse them(if you haven't already...)the electric conversion is a goodie. Richimoto 03:03, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

Someone contibuted a lot of info, but the entered it all onto the top layer menu. I moved some of it and deleted the parts that where redundant Sean1978 01:17, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

NOTE TO NEW EDITORS, LEAVE EDITING COMMENTS HERE AND SIGN WITH four tides(Sean1978 01:21, 6 April 2006 (UTC)), IT WILL AUTOMATICALY NOTE USER AND TIME> THANKS!! Sean1978 01:21, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

I appologize for not seeing this earlier, but I went ahead and changed a bunch of things and added quite a bit to the differential section. I cleaned up the main page as well. DJPimpFlex

don't worry about it, it's all good as long as you are contributing, I screwed up the first wiki I went on diving right into it Sean1978 02:29, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

well I think its comming allong well, I just dont want to step on anyones toes - djpimpflex

4/6/06 - Updated brake section - DJPimpFlex

yea guys this is my first time doing a wikibook. Im the one who pretty much added a ton of things looking like I was the first edit beyond the initial pages. Just kinda piled it in there sorry bout it being messy. Please make sure to keep trim and model specific specifications clearly labeled when putting things in here... Someone posted in the swaybars section in addition. I edited the section again to format it in the same manner of the rest, as well as remove redundant information There wasnt a 16mm bar option for the s13 so I labeled everything there appropriately.

-Djpimp, you just killed my whole writeup and pictures of the 180sx brake swap and wrote its basically the same as stock even though it is far from it. How am I supposed to recover this?

-Edit I just found it in my contributions so I re-added the correct information. Djpimp, You added alot of information but spoke as if the 240sx from 89-98 is the same car. Please make sure to specify s13/s14 and trims in your future edits Tastyratz 9:07, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

Alright guys I don't want to make this wikibook into a pissing contest, on contriversial stuff (Like Clutch LSD vs Welded Diff) you need to remain neutral. I don't want the last comment on Clutch LSD's to be "Welded Diff's are Better" - that has NOTING to do with a clutch LSD. Saen1978

Absolutely agree. I am trying to keep a very unbiased informative approach with my entries. Dont make decisions for people and say x is better than x or you should do x to your car. In your entries simply put information regarding a certain part of modification, pros and cons of that specific one, or notes on that one etc. Let people make up their mind on what part or modification is best for them based on the materials provided.

On a side note, There was alot of inaccurate information in the braking thread that was added and some overly common misconceptions. I revised and reworded a good amount, and provided technical descriptions and entries on true slotted/cross drilled rotor functionality. Basically added the whole "general notes on braking" section. Tastyratz 16:17, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

added information to roll cages, as well as tidied up suspension section removing redundancies, orgonizing, and rewording a few things. Tastyratz 19:13, 6 April 2006 (UTC)

I cleaned up some of the wording in the differential page and fixed quite a few spelling errors. I changed some of the wording and added a bit to the helical paragraph to make it accurate. --knate

Eliminated some superfluous info and added alot of detail to the SR20DET portion of the engine swap category. --Kevin / mrmephistopheles

Updated RB25DET info. RBoosted 01:01, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

Added the stock brake specs and available replacements back into the brake page Tastyratz 15:39, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

Orphaned modules

 * Nissan 240SX Performance Modification/Brake Upgrades
 * Nissan 240SX Performance Modification/Bushings
 * Nissan 240X Performance Modification/LSD

Please either link to these pages or mark them for deletion with delete --hagindaz 22:24, 29 May 2006 (UTC)

Lots of work going into creating something that already exists at 240sxTech.com....

electronics mods
How 'bout adding a section on fixing and modding electronics? It'd be a nice place to add info about gauges (like wiring, BSPT to NPT fittings, compatabilities with stock senders and such). Could also have info about gauge cluster swaps, ECU identification and swapping, adding more sensors and monitors, harness chopping, fuse and breaker locations, common problems... just to name a few.

Engineering Bookshelf
Why is this book listed on the Automotive Engineering bookshelf? This is more of a how-to book for a specific car than a book to learn general or specific engineering information. - 71.204.246.126 02:19, 11 May 2007 (UTC)


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Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/Fluency Enhancer

 Anti-stuttering technology: DAF, FAF (octave-scale). Pocket-sized. Special features: plugs into telephones; claims to be part of a "completely integrated program" that trains the user to no longer need the device in 3-5 months. Frequency range: 60-5000 Hz. Monaural (one ear) or binaural (two ears). Anti-background noise features: noise-canceling microphone, high-frequency filter, acoustical transparency. Website: http://www.fluencyenhancer.com/

Personal Experiences Using Fluency Enhancer Devices
Please read Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/How to Participate in this Wikibook before adding material.


text:
Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/Griffin Labs

 Anti-stuttering technology: DAF, FAF. Desktop-size. Special features: metronome; plugs into telephones. Frequency range:  Binaural (two ears). Anti-background noise features:  Website: http://www.griffinlab.com/fluency Price: $985 </ul>

Personal Experiences Using Griffin Labs Devices
Please read Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/How to Participate in this Wikibook before adding material.


text:
Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/SpeechEasy

 Anti-stuttering technology: DAF, FAF (frequency compression/expansion). Hearing aid-size. Special features: Frequency range: 200-7000 Hz. Monaural (one ear). Anti-background noise features: high-frequency filter, voice activation (EVAT), dynamic expansion (INAS). Website: http://www.speecheasy.com

Efficacy Studies

Thirteen adult stutterers were tested using the SpeechEasy anti-stuttering device for reading, monologue, and conversation. On average stuttering was reduced 36%, however, the effectiveness "varied greatly across participants." The subjects were then given speech therapy (training vowel prolongation) and the combination of therapy and the device reduced stuttering 53%.

Nine stutterers used a DAF/FAF device about seven hours per day. Their fluency was measured after four months and after twelve months. The delay was set at 60 milliseconds and the frequency compression FAF at 500 Hz up. The subjects received brief speech therapy, specifically to prolong vowels and use "starter sounds" such as "um" and "ah." The device reduced stuttered syllables about 80%. The users had no statistically significant carryover fluency.

An unpublished study found that SpeechEasy devices were effective for reading aloud but not effective in conversations.

 An unpublished study raised questions about whether the devices in the study  “wore off” or lost effectiveness over time. Only the data from the study are available, not the written explanation of the results, so the following may be a misinterpretation of the results.

18 adults and one child tried SpeechEasy devices. The DAF and FAF settings weren’t provided in the results. Of these nineteen subjects, twelve (63%) had excellent initial results, with 1% or less stuttering (the results don’t say whether this was % stuttered words or syllables). Two subjects (11%) experienced no improvement in their speech. On average, the devices reduced stuttering initially about 75%.

Nine subjects purchased the devices, seven didn’t purchase them, two purchased and then returned the devices, and one purchase was “pending.” The nine who purchased were re-evaluated an average of seven months later. Four continued to have excellent speech (1% or less stuttering). One person who had only good results initially now had excellent results (an improvement over six months). One person who had excellent results initially now had only good results. Two others had speech worse than before using the device. On average, the devices now reduced stuttering about 57%.

Six subjects returned for a second follow-up, on average of eighteen months after purchasing the devices. Two subjects were stuttering about as much as before they purchased the device. The other four subjects were worse. On average, the device now increased stuttering about 50%.

Five subjects were tested at a third follow-up. They averaged 30 months using the device. One subject appears to have better speech after 30 months than before using the device (his stuttering dropped from 30% to 17%). Four subjects appear to have worse speech after 30 months than before using the device. Two of these were slightly worse (e.g., stuttering increased from 12% to 13%), one was moderately worse, and one had substantially worse speech (stuttering went from 2% to 9%). Adding the three additional subjects who were tested at the second follow-up but not the third follow-up, this study raises questions of whether seven of eight SpeechEasy users had worse stuttering after long-term use of the device.

Personal Experiences Using SpeechEasy Devices
Please read Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/How to Participate in this Wikibook before adding material to this section.

 * User discussion board on SpeechEasy website

 * Several users' experiences with SpeechEasy devices


text:
User talk:84.9.171.82

Please do not insert random attacks into Wikibooks
Warning! If you type something here on Wikibooks, and click the "Save page!" button, everyone can see it! If you only want to test Wikibooks, try saving into our Sandbox, a safe place to experiment.

If you want to learn more about Wikibooks, read the welcome page. Thanks, --Kernigh 01:19, 28 March 2006 (UTC)

title: User talk:84.9.171.82


text:
Speech-Language Pathology/Stuttering/Fluency-Shaping Efficacy Studies

This chapter focuses on long-term studies of fluency shaping stuttering therapies, published in peer-reviewed journals.

Satisfaction with "Smooth Speech" Fluency Shaping

In a study of a "smooth speech" fluency shaping stuttering therapy program, about 95% of stutterers were "very satisfied" or "satisfied" with their speech at the end of the treatment. A year later, their satisfaction dropped to 43%.

ISTAR Comprehensive Stuttering Program

A rigorous study followed 42 stutterers through the three-week program at the Institute for Stuttering Therapy and Treatment (http://www.ualberta.ca/~istar/)(ISTAR) in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

The fluency shaping program was based on slow, prolonged speech, starting with 1.5 seconds per syllable stretch, and ending with slow-normal speech. The program also works on reducing fears and avoidances, discussing stuttering openly, and changing social habits to increase speaking. The program includes a maintenance program for practicing at home. The therapy program reduced stuttering from about 15-20% stuttered syllables to 1-2% stuttered syllables.

12 to 24 months after therapy, about 70% of the stutterers had satisfactory fluency. About 5% were marginally successful. About 25% had unsatisfactory fluency.

Attrition in a Long-Term Study

A study of a "prolonged speech" fluency shaping stuttering therapy program had 32 stutterers initially speak about five times slower than normal speech, then gradually increase their speaking rate. Six subjects (19%) failed to learn the "prolonged speech" technique during the two-week residential therapy program. Eight subjects (25%) completed the residential training but refused to participate in a six-week, weekly therapy "phase II" program. Six subjects (19%) completed the six-week "phase II" program but refused to participate in the year-long "maintenance" program with infrequent therapy at the speech clinic.

One year later, the twelve subjects (38%) who stayed in the program were able to speak nearly fluently. Was this therapy program a success? 100% of the stutterers who completed the program were successful. But two-thirds of the stutterers didn't complete the program.

SLPs vs. Parents vs. Computers

A study of 98 children, 9 to 14 years old, compared three types of stuttering therapy. The three types of therapy were:

 Intensive "smooth speech" fluency shaping trained relaxed, diaphragmatic breathing; a slow speaking rate with prolonged vowels; gentle onsets and offsets (loudness contour); soft articulation contacts; and pauses between phrases. The children did this therapy in a speech clinic for 35 hours over one week. Home-based "smooth speech." This was similar to the first group, but parents were included, and encouraged to continue therapy at home. Therapy was done in a speech clinic for six hours once a week for four weeks (24 hours total). Electromyographic biofeedback. The children used an EMG biofeedback computer system about six hours a day for one week (30 hours total). The EMG system monitored the child's speech-production muscle activity. The children were instructed to tense and then relax their speech-production muscles. The goal was to develop awareness and control of these muscles. The children then worked through a hierarchy from simple words to conversations, while keeping their speech-production muscles relaxed. After mastering this while watching the computer display, the children did the exercises with the computer monitoring but not displaying their muscle activity. The speech pathologists did relatively little with the children: "Constant clinician presence was not necessary as the computer provided feedback as to whether the child was performing the skills correctly."

A fourth (control) group didn't receive any stuttering therapy.

At the end of each therapy program, all three therapies reduced stuttering below 1% on average. The control group had no improvement in fluency.

One year after the therapy program, the percentage of children with disfluency rates under 2% were:

 48% of the children from the clinician-based program. 63% of the children from the parent-based program. 71% of the children from the computer-based program.

The results for children with disfluency rates under 1% were even more striking:

10% of the children from the clinician-based program.

37% of the children from the "parent-based" program.

44% of the children from the computer-based program.

 I.e., the computers were most effective, the parents next most effective, and the speech-language pathologists were least effective in the long term. At the 1% disfluency level, the computers and the parents were about four times more effective than the speech-language pathologists.

Four years later, all three groups had average stuttering reductions between 76% and 79%. This may have been due to the more dysfluent children receiving additional speech therapy.

Computer System for Reducing Short Phonation Intervals

Another study had five stutterers use a computer that trained reduction of short phonation intervals. Normal speakers switch their vocal folds on and off many times each second, as they pronounce vowels and voiced consonants, such as /b/ and /g/, and then unvoiced consonants such as /s/ and /t/. A core stuttering behavior is an inability to quickly switch from voiceless to voiced sounds, i.e., to instantly switch on your vocal folds. The computer program trained stutterers to slow down that part of speech without slowing down other parts of speech (and so maintain natural-sounding speech). One year post-therapy all five subjects were able to speak nearly fluently. Larger clinical trials are scheduled for 2006.