The responsiveness and clinical utility of the Australian therapy outcome measure for indigenous clients.

Introduction: The Australian Therapy Outcome Measure for Indigenous Clients (ATOMIC) is a goal-setting tool designed to measure therapy outcomes with First Australians. It was originally developed and validated for use with First Australian children as a culturally responsive alternative to traditional western outcome measures. This research explored the applicability, responsiveness and clinical utility of the ATOMIC when used with First Australian adults attending an urban health service.

From William's Doll to Jacob's New Dress: The Depiction of Gender Non-Conforming Boys in Children's Picture Books From 1972 to 2014.

Charlotte Zolotow's 1972 storybook William's Doll introduced us to a young boy who wanted nothing more than a baby doll of his own to hug, cuddle, and love. Since that time other children's picture books featuring gender non-conforming boys have been published, telling stories about boys who dance, cook, and prefer to wear dresses. This qualitative research examines 20 of these books, published between 1972 and 2014.

Integrated interactions database: tissue-specific view of the human and model organism interactomes.

IID (Integrated Interactions Database) is the first database providing tissue-specific protein-protein interactions (PPIs) for model organisms and human. IID covers six species (S. cerevisiae (yeast), C.

Development of training syllabi for radiation protection and quality assurance of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) systems.

The use of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanners for measuring bone mineral density (BMD) is on the increase. A single DXA scan is a relatively low-dose diagnostic X-ray examination; however, radiation protection (RP) issues should not be trivialised. One objective of the EU 6th Framework SENTINEL co-ordination action was to develop training syllabi in RP and quality assurance (QA) for BMD, and this study presents the results.

QA/acceptance testing of DEXA X-ray systems used in bone mineral densitometry.

New developments in dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) imaging technology [fan beam and cone beam (CB)] result in higher exposure levels, shorter scan times, increased patient throughput and increased shielding requirements. This study presents the results of a European survey detailing the number and location of DEXA systems in SENTINEL partner states and the QA (quality assurance) currently performed by physicists and operators in these centres. The results of a DEXA equipment survey based on an in-house developed QA protocol are presented.

An automated ocular microtremor feature extraction using the Gabor thresholding technique.

Ocular Microtremor (OMT) is a very fine continuous eye movement which has potential in monitoring and identifying a number of clinical conditions. There is a need for improved analysis and processing techniques to extract useful, quantifiable parameters from the OMT signal. A number of papers have shown the clinical significance of looking at the 'bursts' and 'baseling' patterns of the OMT signal.

Commissioning and quality assurance protocol for dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) systems.

This study reports on the development and evaluation of a protocol for testing DEXA systems, which can be incorporated into a routine medical physics/engineering service. Methodologies are reported for (1) scatter measurement, (2) estimation of reference dose and (3) enquiry into potential sources of overexposure. Results show that fan-beam and cone-beam systems require shielding if the walls or operator are within 1 m of the table.

Compression of the brachial artery in vivo.

Stiffening of the brachial artery is implicated in pseudo-hypertension. To date, a reliable clinical predictor of the condition has not been developed. This paper describes the development of prototype instrumentation and methodology for measurement of the brachial artery transmural pressure/cross-sectional area relationship in vivo.

Pseudo-hypertension and arterial stiffness: a review.

Hypertension is a condition of persistently elevated blood pressure, associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Non-invasive BP measurement using Korotkoff sounds is the most common method of screening for the condition. The possibility of inaccurate readings leading to a false diagnosis of hypertension (pseudo-hypertension) is of concern.

Gender and the integration of acoustic dimensions of prosody: implications for clinical studies.

This study was conducted to detect the existence of a relationship between spectral and temporal prosodic cues and to examine gender differences in any such relationship. The rationale for the investigation was to gain a greater understanding of normal prosody and the requirements for control groups in clinical studies of prosody. Ten male and 10 female speakers with no known speech or neurological deficits participated in the study.

Effect of age on ocular microtremor activity.

Background: Ocular microtremor (OMT) is a high-frequency tremor of the eyes. It is present in all individuals and is related to brainstem activity. The OMT signal appears as an irregular oscillatory movement with intermittent burst-like components.

Ocular microtremor (OMT): a new neurophysiological approach to multiple sclerosis.

Using a piezoelectric transducer, the frequency and pattern of ocular microtremor (OMT) between 50 normal subjects and 50 patients with multiple sclerosis were compared. Controls were age matched. All records were analysed blindly.

The application of d.c. electrical stimulation in evoking and recording gustatory brain potentials.

Evidence exists which supports the hypothesis that electrical stimulation of appropriate parameters can fulfil the fundamental requirements for an effective evoked potential taste stimulus. Nevertheless, it had previously been considered that electrical taste stimulation is inadequate for evoking gustatory brain potentials. Consequently, the majority of the earlier attempts to record gustatory evoked potentials (GEPs) reported in the literature have employed chemical stimulus techniques.

Ocular microtremor in brain stem death.

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to establish whether measurement of ocular microtremor (OMT) activity could be used as a method to establish brain stem death. Presently, the diagnosis of brain stem death can be made using clinical criteria alone. OMT is a high-frequency, low-amplitude physiological tremor of the eye caused by impulses emanating from the brain stem.

Dominant frequency content of ocular microtremor from normal subjects.

Ocular microtremor (OMT) is a high frequency tremor of the eyes present during fixation and probably related to brainstem activity (Coakley, D. (1983). Minute eye movement and brain stem function.

Ocular microtremor in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease.

Abnormalities in the oculomotor control mechanism of patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease are well recognised. In this study the effect of Parkinson's disease on tonic output from oculomotor nuclei was studied by using oculomicrotremor as an index of such output. Oculomicrotremor readings were taken from 22 parkinsonian patients and 22 normal healthy volunteers using the piezoelectric strain gauge technique.

Ocular microtremor in oculomotor palsy.

Objectives: Ocular microtremor (OMT) is a high frequency tremor of the eyes present in all individuals. Recent reports suggest that OMT may be a useful indicator of brainstem function. However, the actual origin of ocular microtremor remains controversial.

Arterial closing pressure correlates with diastolic pseudohypertension in the elderly.

Background: Pseudohypertension has frequently been reported in the elderly population, with the diastolic measurement being the most frequent source of error. There is no satisfactory noninvasive method of calculating the error in the blood pressure reading. We investigated the role of arterial closing pressure in the diagnosis of diastolic pseudohypertension.

Sources of variance in ocular microtremor.

This study presents a preliminary investigation of the sources of variance in the measurement of ocular microtremor frequency in a normal population. When the results from both experienced and relatively inexperienced operators are pooled, factors that contribute significantly to the total variance include the measurement procedure (p < 0.001), day-to-day variations within subjects (p < 0.

Ocular microtremor measurement system: design and performance.

The frequency of ocular microtremor (OMT) is related to the functional status of the brain stem, and thus OMT may be useful in the diagnosis and management of brain stem disorders. The paper discusses the design of an OMT measurement system and reports quantitative specifications for three portable systems. All systems use a piezo-electric element as the transducer, which measures the displacement of the sclera during eye rotations.

Observing the brachial artery through a pressure cuff.

A technique is described which enables ultrasonic imaging of the brachial artery whilst pressure is applied via a pressure cuff. This involves a new instrument--a sphygmomanometer, which uses water as opposed to air as the pressure medium, in order to permit ultrasonic imaging through the cuff. The technique was found to be acceptable in the clinical setting, and gave a measurement of the systolic blood pressure which correlated with the conventional cuff measurement in eleven elderly subjects (r = 0.

Measurement of arterial closing pressure.

It has been suggested that certain artifacts in blood pressure measurement by auscultation stem from stiffness of the tissues underneath the pressure cuff, resulting in a component of cuff pressure being required to overcome resistance to brachial artery collapse. This paper describes a technique for measuring the pressure required to collapse a segment of the brachial artery which has been isolated from central arterial pressure. This measurement is termed the arterial closing pressure.

High frequency eye tremor: reliability of measurement.

Recent reports suggest that high frequency eye tremor or ocular microtremor (OMT) may be a useful indicator of brainstem function. The method of record analysis, and in particular the amount of record subjected to such analysis, has varied widely. We have recorded OMT from 10 normal subjects.

The fast flush test: evaluation in radial artery catheter-manometer systems.

The 'fast flush test' is commonly used to determine the dynamic response of catheter-manometer systems in vivo. We compared the fast flush test with an established bench top test in vitro. The results of the two tests were compared in fifteen underdamped radical artery catheter-manometer systems.