Performance effects on the voices of 10 choral tenors: acoustic and perceptual findings.

Trained choral tenors performed a series of vocal tasks before and after a "live" performance. Acoustic (perturbation, harmonic-to-noise ratio, pitch and amplitude ranges) and perceptual analyses (auditory and proprioceptive/kinesthetic) were undertaken to detect changes from pre- to postperformance. Individuality of response to the performance was revealed, with the majority of subjects showing vocal deterioration after performance.

Methodological considerations in nicotine research: the use of "denicotinised" cigarettes as the control condition in smoking studies.

In this study, we report on the comparability of the subjective experience and smoking style elicited by two commercially available cigarettes which differ in nicotine levels, one containing a 'regular' delivery of 0.7 mg and the other containing minimal (0.1 mg) nicotine.

Effect of progesterone and its 5 alpha and 5 beta metabolites on symptoms of premenstrual syndrome according to route of administration.

Orally administered progesterone may have advantages over other routes of administration in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) because of substantially higher levels of the anxiolytic metabolites 5 alpha and 5 beta pregnanolone. The only previous placebo-controlled trial which used oral progesterone reported beneficial effects in the treatment of PMS. The present study, a double-blind crossover trial, compared the administration of 300 mg daily oral progesterone with 200 mg daily vaginal progesterone and matched placebos for 10 days premenstrually.

Effects of cardiothoracic physiotherapy on intrapulmonary shunt in abdominal surgical patients.

This study investigated the provision of additional evening physiotherapy on pulmonary complications and intrapulmonary shunt (Qs/Qt) after abdominal surgery. Thirty-one elderly patients received either daylight only or daylight plus evening physiotherapy for up to 48 hours. Physiotherapy included combinations of positioning, gravity assisted drainage, breathing exercises, manual techniques, coughing and airway suctioning.

Rehabilitation teams decisions on discharge housing for stroke patients.

For older people who have had a stroke, appropriate housing can promote independence and well being. However, suboptimal team accommodation recommendations may result in placement of an individual where their needs are not met, and their skills are not maximized. Although clinical judgments regarding patient discharge are routinely made by rehabilitation teams, this area has received limited research attention.

An evaluation of the Circadian Type Questionnaire.

This study evaluates the psychometric properties and assesses the test-retest reliability and longer-term stability of scores on the Circadian Type Questionnaire (CTQ) of Folkard et al. (1979) in a sample of 445 students. The scales were found to lack internal consistency and the factor structure originally proposed was not replicated.

Identifying effective psychological treatments for insomnia: a meta-analysis.

Insomnia is a debilitating and widespread complaint. Concern over the iatrogenic effects of pharmacological therapies has led to the development of several psychological treatments for insomnia. To clarify the effects of these treatments, 66 outcome studies representing 139 treatment groups were included in a meta-analysis.

Rehabilitation of older injured workers.

This paper provides a review of international findings in rehabilitation outcomes for older workers. Older workers are disadvantaged in terms of their rehabilitation following injury. They sustain more serious injuries, take longer to recover and are less likely to return to work than younger workers.

Seasonality in panic disorder.

Following a clinical observation of increased anxiety symptoms and mood changes during winter in panic disorder patients, the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ) was completed by 133 patients. Global Seasonality Scores (GSS), and the prevalence of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), were significantly higher than reported in general population studies. Seasonal changes were also found in anxiety and panic attacks.

Retest reliability of the temporal and distance characteristics of hemiplegic gait using a footswitch system.

Using a footswitch system, the retest reliability of the temporal and distance parameters of gait was investigated within a session for 22 stroke patients in the early phase of rehabilitation. High to very high reliability was found for the temporal and distance parameters of gait, and the temporal symmetry index based on the difference in single-limb support duration between each leg (r = 0.85 to 0.

Sleeping patterns during pregnancy in Japanese women.

Although sleep disturbance is commonly reported in pregnancy, there have been few studies on sleep characteristics in pregnancy. In this study, all women attending the antenatal clinic at Sapporo Medical College Hospital for 1 month during autumn and 3 months during winter were surveyed with a questionnaire and sleep log. Of the 192 patients, 169 (88.

Long-term stability and psychometric properties of the Composite Scale of Morningness.

Prompted by some discrepancies in the report detailing the development of the Composite Scale (CS) of Morningness (Smith et al. 1989) this study replicated the examination of the psychometric properties of the CS on a large sample (n = 424) of health science students. It was confirmed that the mean and range of CS scores previously reported were in error.

Melatonin and hormonal changes in disturbed sleep during late pregnancy.

Although sleep disturbance is commonly reported in pregnancy, there have been surprisingly few studies on the etiology of this condition. Since most hormones show circadian rhythmicity and maintain specific phase relationships with that of the sleep-wake cycle, it was of interest to establish whether sleep disturbances covaried with endocrine changes. This overnight study of pregnant women compared melatonin, cortisol, and prolactin secretion rhythms in six good sleepers and six poor sleepers.

Variation in the provision of cardiothoracic physiotherapy in Australian hospitals.

The chief physiotherapists of 47 Australian metropolitan public hospitals were asked about the hours of provision and organisation of cardiothoracic physiotherapy services. Forty three per cent provided physiotherapy services only during the day, 12 per cent during the day and evening, and 45 per cent provided 24-hour coverage. Variation among the states was found in the provision of cardiothoracic physiotherapy.

Visual analysis of single-case time series: Effects of variability, serial dependence, and magnitude of intervention effects.

Visual analysis is the dominant method of analysis for single-case time series. The literature assumes that visual analysts will be conservative judges. We show that previous research into visual analysis has not adequately examined false alarm and miss rates or the effect of serial dependence.

Australian workers with back injury: a statistical overview.

This paper reviews international and Australian data concerning the occurrence of back injuries amongst the labour force. Analyses of Australian Bureau of Statistics data for the period 1977 to 1986 revealed substantial differences between Australian states in their rates of back injury claims for work injuries, with a decline in rates over the ten years surveyed. Analyses of WorkCare data from the State of Victoria in Australia revealed that claimants with back injury claims of greater than 12 months standing were very costly.

Reversal of the anti-ovulatory action of stress in rats by prior administration of naloxone hydrochloride.

Immature, 32-day-old rats were treated with PMSG. Stress consisting of 180 min immobilization administered during the period of the preovulatory LH surge resulted in the blockage of ovulation. The anti-ovulatory action of stress was effectively antagonized by the administration of naloxone hydrochloride shortly before the application of the stress, suggesting that the ovulation block by stress is mediated by endogenous opioids known to be elevated during stress.

Iron-suppressible production of hydroxamate by Escherichia coli isolates.

A total of 476 strains of Escherichia coli isolated from humans, pigs, cattle, poultry, potable water, or effluent were examined for iron-suppressible ability to produce hydroxamate. Isolates able to produce such material (Hyd+ isolates) are presumed to be able to carry out hydroxamate-dependent transport of iron. The percentages of Hyd+ isolates found among E.

Bilateral arytenoid cartilage lateralization for laryngeal paralysis in the dog.

Bilateral arytenoid cartilage lateralization was used successfully to treat 3 dogs with bilateral laryngeal paralysis. In our hands, this techniques was more effective than unilateral arytenoid cartilage lateralization in resolving the signs of laryngeal paralysis and in avoiding the complications that may follow partial laryngectomy.

Regulation of enterochelin synthetase in Escherichia coli K-12.

Enterochelin synthetase activity is controlled by both repression and feed-back inhibition mechanisms. Inclusion of iron in growth media results in synthesis of all four (D, E, F and G) components of enterochelin synthetase being repressed. The specific inhibition of L-serine activation (partial reaction catalyzed by the F component) by the end products, ferric-enterochelin and 2,3-dihydroxybenzoylserine, is shown to inhibit overall enterochelin synthetase activity.

Studies on the enzymatic synthesis of enterochelin in Escherichia coli K-12, Salmonella typhimurium and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Physical association of enterochelin synthetase components in vitro.

Further evidence is presented in support of the proposal made previously (Greenwood, K.T. and Luke, R.

Hydroxamate-mediated transport of iron controlled by ColV plasmids.

A new high-affinity system for iron transport, associated with the presence of ColV plasmids, has been detected in Escherichia coli and partially characterized. The presence of such "iron-transport plasmids" in E. coli cells that are defective in enterochelin-mediated transport of iron enabled them to grow in media to which 2,2'-dipyridyl had been added to reduce availability of iron.

Persistence of rat nocturnal feeding and drinking during diurnal presentation of palatable diet.

Male laboratory rats were fed a highly palatable diet during the light phase of a 12:12 LD cycle. Nocturnality of feeding was reduced from approximately 77% of the total daily intake to 56%. Increase in diurnal feeding was attributable to the ingestion of a large meal at the beginning of the L phase.

Traumatic atlanto-occipital dislocation in two dogs.

In 2 cases of traumatic atlanto-occipital dislocation in the dog, neurologic signs were associated with cranial cervical pain. Treatment consisted of manual reduction, with the dog under general anesthesia, followed by application of a plaster cast to hold the head and neck in flexion. Recovery was complete in both cases.