The long-term average speech spectrum (LTASS) and some dynamic characteristics of speech were determined for 12 languages: English (several dialects), Swedish, Danish, German, French (Canadian), Japanese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Russian, Welsh, Singhalese, and Vietnamese. The LTASS only was also measured for Arabic. Speech samples (18) were recorded, using standardized equipment and procedures, in 15 localities for (usually) ten male and ten female talkers. All analyses were conducted at the National Acoustic Laboratories, Sydney. The LTASS was similar for all languages although there were many statistically significant differences. Such differences were small and not always consistent for male and female samples of the same language. For one-third octave bands of speech, the maximum short-term rms level was 10 dB above the maximum long-term rms level, consistent across languages and frequency. A "universal" LTASS is suggested as being applicable, across languages, for many purposes including use in hearing aid prescription procedures and in the Articulation Index.

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A new Danish speech material (DANTALE) for clinical and experimental speech audiometry is digitally recorded on compact disc (CD). The speech material is designed to meet present audiological requirements at Danish hearing centres. One channel of the CD contains the speech signals and the other a masking noise. The CD also contains various calibration signals recorded on both channels at the end of the CD. The speech material compromises: 1) Digit triplets for the measurement of speech reception threshold (SRT). 2) Lists of monosyllabic words for the measurement of discrimination score (DS) for adults, children and small children. The word lists for the adults are equalized with regard to important phonetic and "visual" elements and the word lists for the children consist of minimal pairs. 3) Continuous speech for the measurement of the most comfortable loudness level (MCL), assessment of hearing aid fitting and the like. The masking noise is an amplitude-modulated, speech-shaped noise signal, which is designed to simulate a 4-person speech babble in order to assess both the frequency selectivity and the temporal resolution. The speech material is described and the long-term power spectra and modulation spectra are given.

No abstract

Preliminary characterization of calcium binding was determined in a highly-enriched islet-cell plasma membrane fraction using a membrane filtration technique. Equilbrium calcium binding was specific, concentration dependent and saturable. Scatchard analysis indicated the existence of more than one class of calcium binding sites. The affinity constants and maximum binding capacities were 1.14 X 10(5) M-1 and 1.2 picomol/microgram protein and 1.17 X 10(3) M-1 and 64.8 picomol/microgram for the high and low affinity sites, respectively. Bound 45Ca2+ was dissociate from the plasma membranes in a biphasic manner in the presence of excess unlabelled calcium.