Articulation and Nasality Changes Resulting from Sustained Palatal Fistula Obturation

1998 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Pinborough-Zimmerman ◽  
Claudia Canady ◽  
Duane K. Yamashiro ◽  
Louis Morales
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effect ◽  
Clinical Management ◽  
Surgical Intervention ◽  
Palatal Fistula ◽  
Department Of Health ◽  
Unique Shape ◽  
Molar Teeth ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Nasal Emission ◽  
Over Time

Objective The purpose of the study was to determine differences in articulation and nasality with obturation over time in children with a palatal fistula. Design Articulation and nasality were measured with the fistula open, immediately after obturation, and 4 to 7 weeks postobturation. Setting, Patients, Participants Subjects were 15 patients with a palatal fistula secondary to a repaired cleft palate who were seen through the Orofacial Program, Utah Department of Health, ranging in age from 4 years 6 months to 13 years 1 month. Interventions Acrylic palatal obturators were designed to provide coverage specific to the unique shape and location of each child's fistula. Obturators were cemented to molar teeth using wire clasps for control of usage. Main outcome Measures Measurements consisted of listener judgments of hypernasality, hyponasality, and nasal emissions; instrumental ratings of nasalance using the Nasometer 6200-2; and performance on a standardized articulation test. Results Significant improvement occurred only on nasal emission measures from the preobturation condition to immediate postobturation. However, significant improvement was found in articulation, listener judgments of hypernasality, nasal emissions, and Nasometric Nasal Sentence mean scores from the preobturation condition to 4 to 7 weeks postobturation and from the immediate postobturation condition to 4 to 7 weeks postobturation. No significant differences were found between conditions for listener judgments of hyponasality and Nasometric Zoo and Rainbow Passage scores. Obturation of the palatal fistula over a 4- to 7-week period resulted in no adverse effect on articulation ability, perceptual ratings of nasality, or instrumental ratings of nasalance. Conclusions Clinical management of patients with a palatal fistula can be enhanced with treatment using obturation over time. For subjects who continue to exhibit hypernasality immediately postobturation, sustained obturation is advocated prior to consideration of surgical intervention for treatment of a palatal fistula and/or velopharyngeal dysfunction.

scholarly journals Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Remodeling of Ductus Arteriosus: Looking beyond the Prostaglandin Pathway

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 3238
Author(s):  
Ho-Wei Hsu ◽  
Ting-Yi Lin ◽  
Yi-Ching Liu ◽  
Jwu-Lai Yeh ◽  
Jong-Hau Hsu
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effect ◽  
Clinical Management ◽  
Vascular Remodeling ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Surgical Intervention ◽  
Ductus Arteriosus ◽  
Clinical Problem ◽  
Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors ◽  
Medical Patients ◽  
Fetal Circulation

The ductus arteriosus (DA) is a physiologic vessel crucial for fetal circulation. As a major regulating factor, the prostaglandin pathway has long been the target for DA patency maintenance or closure. However, the adverse effect of prostaglandins and their inhibitors has been a major unsolved clinical problem. Furthermore, a significant portion of patients with patent DA fail to respond to cyclooxygenase inhibitors that target the prostaglandin pathway. These unresponsive medical patients ultimately require surgical intervention and highlight the importance of exploring pathways independent from this well-recognized prostaglandin pathway. The clinical limitations of prostaglandin-targeting therapeutics prompted us to investigate molecules beyond the prostaglandin pathway. Thus, this article introduces molecules independent from the prostaglandin pathway based on their correlating mechanisms contributing to vascular remodeling. These molecules may serve as potential targets for future DA patency clinical management.

Effectiveness of the Chiari Health Index for Pediatrics instrument in measuring postoperative health-related quality of life in pediatric patients with Chiari malformation type I

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Georgina E. Sellyn ◽  
Alan R. Tang ◽  
Shilin Zhao ◽  
Madeleine Sherburn ◽  
Rachel Pellegrino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surgical Intervention ◽  
Type I ◽  
Health Related Quality ◽  
Health Index ◽  
Chiari Malformation Type I ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Over Time

OBJECTIVEThe authors’ previously published work validated the Chiari Health Index for Pediatrics (CHIP), a new instrument for measuring health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for pediatric Chiari malformation type I (CM-I) patients. In this study, the authors further evaluated the CHIP to assess HRQOL changes over time and correlate changes in HRQOL to changes in symptomatology and radiological factors in CM-I patients who undergo surgical intervention. Strong HRQOL evaluation instruments are currently lacking for pediatric CM-I patients, creating the need for a standardized HRQOL instrument for this patient population. This study serves as the first analysis of the CHIP instrument’s effectiveness in measuring short-term HRQOL changes in pediatric CM-I patients and can be a useful tool in future CM-I HRQOL studies.METHODSThe authors evaluated prospectively collected CHIP scores and clinical factors of surgical intervention in patients younger than 18 years. To be included, patients completed a baseline CHIP captured during the preoperative visit, and at least 1 follow-up CHIP administered postoperatively. CHIP has 2 domains (physical and psychosocial) comprising 4 components, the 3 physical components of pain frequency, pain severity, and nonpain symptoms, and a single psychosocial component. Each CHIP category is scored on a scale, with 0 indicating absent and 1 indicating present, with higher scores indicating better HRQOL. Wilcoxon paired tests, Spearman correlations, and linear regression models were used to evaluate and correlate HRQOL, symptomatology, and radiographic factors.RESULTSSixty-three patients made up the analysis cohort (92% Caucasian, 52% female, mean age 11.8 years, average follow-up time 15.4 months). Dural augmentation was performed in 92% of patients. Of the 63 patients, 48 reported preoperative symptoms and 42 had a preoperative syrinx. From baseline, overall CHIP scores significantly improved over time (from 0.71 to 0.78, p < 0.001). Significant improvement in CHIP scores was seen in patients presenting at baseline with neck/back pain (p = 0.015) and headaches (p < 0.001) and in patients with extremity numbness trending at p = 0.064. Patients with syringomyelia were found to have improvement in CHIP scores over time (0.75 to 0.82, p < 0.001), as well as significant improvement in all 4 components. Additionally, improved CHIP scores were found to be significantly associated with age in patients with cervical (p = 0.009) or thoracic (p = 0.011) syrinxes.CONCLUSIONSThe study data show that the CHIP is an effective instrument for measuring HRQOL over time. Additionally, the CHIP was found to be significantly correlated to changes in symptomatology, a finding indicating that this instrument is a clinically valuable tool for the management of CM-I.

scholarly journals An Investigation of the Physical and Electrical Properties of Knitted Electrodes When Subjected to Multi-Axial Compression and Abrasion

Proceedings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 2
Author(s):  
Arash M. Shahidi ◽  
Theodore Hughes-Riley ◽  
Carlos Oliveira ◽  
Tilak Dias
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Electrical Properties ◽  
Applied Load ◽  
Pressure Sensors ◽  
Electrical Performance ◽  
Electronic Textiles ◽  
Heart Rate Monitors ◽  
Mechanical Loads ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Over Time

Knitted electrodes are a key component to many electronic textiles including sensing devices, such as pressure sensors and heart rate monitors; therefore, it is essential to assess the electrical performance of these knitted electrodes under different mechanical loads to understand their performance during use. The electrical properties of the electrodes could change while deforming, due to an applied load, which could occur in the uniaxial direction (while stretched) or multiaxial direction (while compressed). The properties and performance of the electrodes could also change over time when rubbed against another surface due to the frictional force and generated heat. This work investigates the behavior of a knitted electrode under different loading conditions and after multiple abrasion cycles.

Recovery from memory failure when recalling a memorized performance: The role of musical structure and performance cues

2021 ◽  
pp. 102986492110254
Author(s):  
Roger Chaffin ◽  
Jane Ginsborg ◽  
James Dixon ◽  
Alexander P. Demos
Keyword(s):  
Vocal Music ◽  
Musical Structure ◽  
Public Performance ◽  
Memory Failure ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Written Recall ◽  
Performance Gains ◽  
Over Time

To perform reliably and confidently from memory, musicians must able to recover from mistakes and memory failures. We describe how an experienced singer (the second author) recovered from mistakes and gaps in recall as she periodically recalled the score of a piece of vocal music that she had memorized for public performance, writing out the music six times over a five-year period following the performance. Five years after the performance, the singer was still able to recall two-thirds of the piece. When she made mistakes, she recovered and went on, leaving gaps in her written recall that lengthened over time. We determined where in the piece gaps started ( losses) and ended ( gains), and compared them with the locations of structural beats (starts of sections and phrases) and performance cues ( PCs) that the singer reported using as mental landmarks to keep track of her progress through the piece during the sung, public performance. Gains occurred on structural beats where there was a PC; losses occurred on structural beats without a PC. As the singer’s memory faded over time, she increasingly forgot phrases that did not start with a PC and recovered at the starts of phrases that did. Our study shows how PCs enable musicians to recover from memory failures.

Does What We See Shape History? Examining Workload History as a Function of Performance and Ambient/Focal Visual Attention

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Shannon P. Devlin ◽  
Jennifer K. Byham ◽  
Sara Lu Riggs
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Performance Measure ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Unexpected Finding ◽  
Impact Performance ◽  
History Effects ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Workload History ◽  
Over Time

Changes in task demands can have delayed adverse impacts on performance. This phenomenon, known as the workload history effect, is especially of concern in dynamic work domains where operators manage fluctuating task demands. The existing workload history literature does not depict a consistent picture regarding how these effects manifest, prompting research to consider measures that are informative on the operator's process. One promising measure is visual attention patterns, due to its informativeness on various cognitive processes. To explore its ability to explain workload history effects, participants completed a task in an unmanned aerial vehicle command and control testbed where workload transitioned gradually and suddenly. The participants’ performance and visual attention patterns were studied over time to identify workload history effects. The eye-tracking analysis consisted of using a recently developed eye-tracking metric called coefficient K , as it indicates whether visual attention is more focal or ambient. The performance results found workload history effects, but it depended on the workload level, time elapsed, and performance measure. The eye-tracking analysis suggested performance suffered when focal attention was deployed during low workload, which was an unexpected finding. When synthesizing these results, they suggest unexpected visual attention patterns can impact performance immediately over time. Further research is needed; however, this work shows the value of including a real-time visual attention measure, such as coefficient K , as a means to understand how the operator manages varying task demands in complex work environments.

Pasture renewal in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions: An overview of farmer practice, experience and attitudes

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 21-24
Author(s):  
Kelly Smith ◽  
R. Brazendale
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Farm Management ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
Practice Experience ◽  
Rate Information ◽  
And Performance ◽  
On Farm ◽  
Over Time

Pasture persistence and performance, and associated issues such as black beetle, are of central concern to dairy farmers. The Pasture Renewal Survey 2010 aimed to better understand farmers' confidence in their ability to make informed decisions on their pasture renewal practices, their satisfaction with the success of this decision-making and the performance of their renewed pastures over time. In addition, the survey investigated their attitudes to information sources and what barriers they saw to improving pasture performance on farm. A postal and online survey elicited responses from 776 dairy farmers in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions. The four main findings of the work were: 1. Farmers are more confident of their ability to make appropriate on-farm management decisions for renewed pasture than they are of their ability to choose appropriate cultivars and endophyte. 2. Farmers, while generally satisfied with their own success in renewing pasture, reported decreasing levels of satisfaction with renewed pastures over the 3 successive years following renewal. 3. Farmers do not rate information sources very highly in terms of their usefulness in relation to pasture renewal. 4. Weather-related issues and pest-related issues (particularly black beetle) were the most commonly identified barriers to improving pasture performance. Keywords: farmer confidence, farmer satisfaction, information sources, pasture renewal.

scholarly journals Stable individual differences in strategies within, but not between, visual search tasks

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alasdair D F Clarke ◽  
Jessica Irons ◽  
Warren James ◽  
Andrew B. Leber ◽  
Amelia R. Hunt
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Visual Search ◽  
Search Task ◽  
The Other ◽  
Search Performance ◽  
Search Tasks ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Test Retest Reliability ◽  
Over Time

A striking range of individual differences has recently been reported in three different visual search tasks. These differences in performance can be attributed to strategy, that is, the efficiency with which participants control their search to complete the task quickly and accurately. Here we ask if an individual's strategy and performance in one search task is correlated with how they perform in the other two. We tested 64 observers in the three tasks mentioned above over two sessions. Even though the test-retest reliability of the tasks is high, an observer's performance and strategy in one task did not reliably predict their behaviour in the other two. These results suggest search strategies are stable over time, but context-specific. To understand visual search we therefore need to account not only for differences between individuals, but also how individuals interact with the search task and context. These context-specific but stable individual differences in strategy can account for a substantial proportion of variability in search performance.

scholarly journals Stakeholder Engagement analysis and performance over time

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
pp. 15355
Author(s):  
Fabricio Stocker ◽  
João Maurício Gama Boaventura
Keyword(s):  
Stakeholder Engagement ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Over Time

scholarly journals Proposed T-Model to cover 4S quality metrics based on empirical study of root cause of software failures

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 1122
Author(s):  
Dheeraj Chhillar ◽  
Kalpana Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Software Development ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Software Project ◽  
Functional Requirements ◽  
Software Failures ◽  
Root Cause ◽  
Software Development Model ◽  
Software Development Methodologies ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Over Time

<span>There are various root causes of software failures. Few years ago, software used to fail mainly due to functionality related bugs. That used to happen due to requirement misunderstanding, code issues and lack of functional testing. A lot of work has been done in past on this and software engineering has matured over time, due to which software’s hardly fail due to functionality related bugs. To understand the most recent failures, we had to understand the recent software development methodologies and technologies. In this paper we have discussed background of technologies and testing progression over time. A survey of more than 50 senior IT professionals was done to understand root cause of their software project failures. It was found that most of the softwares fail due to lack of testing of non-functional parameters these days. A lot of research was also done to find most recent and most severe software failures. Our study reveals that main reason of software failures these days is lack of testing of non-functional requirements. Security and Performance parameters mainly constitute non-functional requirements of software. It has become more challenging these days due to lots of development in the field of new technologies like Internet of things (IoT), Cloud of things (CoT), Artificial Intelligence, Machine learning, robotics and excessive use of mobile and technology in everything by masses. Finally, we proposed a software development model called as T-model to ensure breadth and depth of software is considered while designing and testing of software. </span>

scholarly journals National Service Framework for Mental Health

2000 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 203-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Thornicroft
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
National Service ◽  
Department Of Health ◽  
National Service Framework ◽  
Local Flexibility ◽  
Working Age ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Given ◽  
Clear Statement ◽  
Service Framework

The National Service Framework for Mental Health (NSF–MH) is a strategic blueprint for services for adults of working age for the next 10 years. It is both mandatory, in being a clear statement of what services must seek to achieve in relation to the given standards and performance indicators, and permissive, in that it allows considerable local flexibility to customise the services which need to be provided to fit the framework. This paper summarises the process by which the NSF was created, and its content, which became clear when it was published on 30 September 1999 (Department of Health, 1999).

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