Video Recording

Purpose: The performance quality rating scale (PQRS) is an observational measure of performance quality of client-selected, personally meaningful activities. It has been used inconsistently with different scoring systems, and there have been no formal publications on its psychometric properties. The purpose of this study was to test and compare the psychometric properties of two PQRS scoring systems in two populations. Methods: A secondary analysis of video recorded participant-selected activities from previous studies involving either adults living with stroke or children diagnosed with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) was conducted. Three pairs of raters scored the video recorded performances with PQRS operational definitions (PQRS-OD) and a generic rating system (PQRS-G). Results: For interrater reliability, PQRS-OD ICCs were substantial, ranging from 0.83 to 0.93; while the PQRS-G ICCs were moderate, ranging from 0.71 to 0.77. Test-retest reliability was substantial, 40.80 (ICC), for both rating systems across all rater pairs. Internal responsiveness was high for both rating systems. Convergent validity with the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) was inconsistent, with scores ranging from low to moderate. Conclusion: Both scoring systems have demonstrated they are reliable and have good internal responsiveness. The PQRS-OD demonstrated greater consistency across raters and is more sensitive to clinically important change than the PQRS-G and should be used when greater accuracy is required. Further exploration of validity with actual rather than perceived performance measures is required.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients frequently develop some form of ocular motor dysfunction during the disease. In previous studies, ocular motor abnormalities were found to correlate with clinical disability and with impaired cognitive performance. The objective of this study was to assess the pursuit ocular movement (POM) frequency in relapsing-remitting (RR) and secondary progressive (SP) MS patients by using a vision-based nonintrusive eye tracker. POM frequency was significantly lower (p \ 0.001) in MS patients compared to normal controls. No differences between RR and SP-MS patients and no correlation between POM and expanded disability status scale (EDSS) score were found. This exploratory study suggests that our vision-based system is a new simple non-intrusive method showing impairment of POM values in MS patients, even in the absence of association with clinical disability (EDSS). Future works on larger cohorts of MS patients might validate this eye tracking in MS clinical practice.

The influence of a person’s brain type and the segmental coordination used in free throw basketball shooting was evaluated by video analysis. Fifteen subjects were classified using a brain typing inventory with 16 categories. Markers were placed on selected joints of the participants who performed 5 free throws, videotaped in the sagittal plane at 60 Hz. Three participants having a brain type on each end of the personality spectrum were selected for film analysis. The shooting coordinate data was analyzed using an Ariel APAS. The time and maximal angular velocities were calculated for selected joints. The order of joint sequencing was determined for the brain types. Subjects who were brain type (BCIL/INTJ) tended to use multiple joint sequencing and those of brain type (FEAR/ESFP) used primarily large segments.

The emergence of the new, High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard, combined with wide deployment of 4G wireless networks, will provide significant support toward the adoption of mobile-health (m-health) medical video communication systems in standard clinical practice. For the first time since the emergence of m-health systems and services, medical video communication systems can be deployed that can rival the standards of in-hospital examinations. In this paper, we provide a thorough overview of today's advancements in the field, discuss existing approaches, and highlight the future trends and objectives.

This paper describes an application that enables quick reconstruction of interconnected events, sparsely captured by one or more surveillance cameras. Unlike related efforts, our approach does not require indexing, advance knowledge of potential search criteria, nor a solution to the generalized object-recognition problem. Instead, we strategically pair the intelligence and skill of a human investigator with the speed and flexibility of a parallel image search engine that exploits local storage and processing capabilities distributed across large collections of video recording devices. The result is a system for fast, interactive, brute-force video searching which is both effective and highly scalable.

To evaluate the feasibility and repeatability of in vivo measurement of stiffness gradients by means of acoustoelastography in the superficial digital flexor tendons (SDFTs) of clinically normal horses. 15 clinically normal horses. For each horse, stiffness gradient index and dispersion values for SDFTs in both forelimbs were evaluated in longitudinal orientation by use of acoustoelastography at 3 sites (5, 10, and 15 cm distal to the accessory carpal bone) by 2 observers; for each observer, data were acquired twice per site. The left forelimb was always scanned before the right forelimb. Lifting of the contralateral forelimb with the carpus flexed during image acquisition resulted in the required SDFT deformation in the evaluated limb. Interobserver repeatability, intraobserver repeatability, and right-to-left limb symmetry for stiffness gradient index and dispersion values were evaluated. Stiffness gradient index and dispersion values for SDFTs at different locations as well as ef...

Background. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of instructor feedback and video tutorials on skill acquisition during proficiency-based laparoscopic suturing training. Methods. Performance data from a prospectively maintained database were reviewed for three groups of novices (n ϭ 34 medical students) who completed the same proficiency-based laparoscopic suturing curriculum on a Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery-type videotrainer model as part of two separate institutional review board-approved, randomized controlled trials. Group I (n ϭ 9) watched the video tutorial once and received intense feedback during each training session; Group II (n ϭ 13) watched the video tutorial once and received limited feedback (Ͻ10 min per session); Group III (n ϭ

Knee range of motion was determined in 60 patients to assess the effect of weight bearing on maximal knee flexion. Three patient subgroups were investigated: patients with normal knees, patients implanted with posterior cruciate-retaining (PCR) total knee arthroplasty (TKA), and patients implanted with posterior cruciate-substituting (PS) TKA. Maximal knee flexion was determined using videofluoroscopy both in a passive, non-weight-bearing mode and during active weight bearing. Flexion was diminished with weight bearing in all three subgroups (P < .045). Patients with normal knees exhibited significantly greater knee flexion than either TKA subgroup when measured either with or without weight bearing (P < .001). Knee flexion of both TKA subgroups was similar when measured passively without weight bearing. Patients with PS TKA demonstrated greater flexion than patients with PCR TKA when measured in weight bearing (P < .025), despite having less range of motion and lower clinical performance ratings preoperatively. Measurement of knee range of motion in a weight-bearing fashion may be a superior method of assessment of functional capabilities.

Human anatomy it may be, but the airways that riddle the space behind our noses take on an alien aspect in this unearthly rendering created by Kai-hung Fung, a radiologist at the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Hong Kong. ... A computed tomography (CT) scan ...

In this paper, we present two new articulated motion analysis and object tracking approaches: the decentralized articulated object tracking method and the hierarchical articulated object tracking method. The first approach avoids the common practice of using a high-dimensional joint state representation for articulated object tracking. Instead, we introduce a decentralized scheme and model the interpart interaction within an innovative Bayesian framework. Specifically, we estimate the interaction density by an efficient decomposed interpart interaction model. To handle severe self-occlusions, we further extend the first approach by modeling high-level interunit interaction and develop the second algorithm within a consistent hierarchical framework. Preliminary experimental results have demonstrated the superior performance of the proposed approaches on real-world videos in both robustness and speed compared with other articulated object tracking methods.

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is classified as a carnivore, yet subsists on a diet comprised almost exclusively of bamboo. Wild and captive giant pandas use highly selective foraging behaviors for processing and consuming bamboo. These behaviors are for the first time quantified in captive giant pandas over a 5-year period of time showing highly specific seasonal trends. Giant panda feeding behavior was recorded using live video observations of two giant pandas housed at the Memphis Zoo from November 2003 to June 2008. Leaf was the primary plant part consumed from June to December, whereas culm was consumed primarily from February to May, with both bears displaying similar seasonal shifts in plant part consumption. From May to June, leaf consumption increased significantly (P-valueso0.001); from June to August, leaf consumption remained high and stable. From December to March, leaf consumption decreased significantly (P-valueso0.001). Specific behaviors for bamboo leaf and culm consumption were also observed. Both bears formed wads of leaves before ingestion while feeding on leaf, but the male employed this feeding behavior more often than the female (54 and 33%, respectively). Both bears used similar culmstripping behavior (26 and 25%), used to remove the outer layer and isolate the pith for consumption. This study indicates that unique seasonal foraging behaviors observed in wild pandas are also apparent in captive animals in relation to plant part selectivity and feeding behaviors.

Background: The aim of this study was to determine whether digital video is suitable for the documentation of colonoscopy. Standards are required for the visual documentation of endoscopic findings and to optimize image quality while limiting file size and bandwidth requirements. Methods: Video recordings of colonoscopy procedures were encoded using a common video compression method at selected data rates and resolutions. Twelve reviewers were selected, each of whom was assigned 8 video review sessions, each consisting of 5 colonoscopy procedures. The reviewers rated the following: level of confidence that the cecum was demonstrated, subjective quality of the video compared with actual videocolonoscopy, and whether the video was of ''diagnostic quality.'' Results: Reviewers were confident that the cecum was demonstrated in all cases except at the lowest data rate. The 1.0 Mbps standard interchange format video provided an optimal balance between quality and file size. Conclusions: For the documentation of colonoscopy, 1.0 Mbps is acceptable and results in a file size of 7.5 Mbytes/min, which is manageable for most modern hospital and telehealth networks.

Marcelino, RO, Sampaio, JE, and Mesquita, IM. Attack and serve performances according to the match period and quality of opposition in elite volleyball matches. J Strength Cond Res 26(12): 3385-3391, 2012-The purpose of this study was to examine attack and serve performances in the beginning and end of the initial and final sets of volleyball matches according to the quality of opposition. Six hundred rallies from the Men's World Cup 2007 were selectively sampled from a total of 5,117 rallies observed using video match analysis. Rally-by-rally double moving averages of serve and attack efficacy were plotted by 4 different match periods (first 15 rallies of the initial set; first 15 rallies of the final set; last 15 rallies of the initial set; and last 15 rallies of the final set). Approximate entropy values were calculated to analyze the amount of data randomness. The results were examined according to the quality of opposition in 2 types of games: higher level (HIGH) including the first 4 ranked teams and lower level (LOW) composed of the last 5 ranked teams. The results suggested that volleyball matches presented different profiles depending on the match period. Considering the teams' level, a greater adaptation was found within the HIGH 3 HIGH matches according to the match period and a more strategic use of the serve and attack tactics taking into account the type of the set (initial or final set) and the period (beginning or end of the set). The findings emphasize the need for coaches and players to perceive the most important points at the end of the set and to manage their effort throughout the match attempting to reach this period in optimal condition. Therefore, it might be beneficial to coaches to stress the need to perform at the highest level, particularly at the end of the training drills that simulate competition scenarios. Figure 3. Variation rally by rally (double 2-point moving average) and approximate entropy (ApEn) of serve efficacy by match period (first and last 15 rallies of the initial and final game sets) in LOW 3 LOW matches.

The behaviour and emotional state of 15 dogs, known to be fearful of the veterinary clinic was evaluated during a standardised 5 min waiting room procedure and standardised 2 min consultation room procedure prior to a sham clinical examination, in the presence of Dog Appeasing Pheromone and placebo. Subjects acted as their own controls and were semi-randomly allocated into treatment groups to control for order effects. A triple blinding procedure was used in order to remove bias from the assessment of video recordings of the dogs, with two naïve independent raters used to analyse the video recordings of the behaviour of dogs during the test procedures. The raters showed good, and similar, agreement in their evaluation of both the specific behaviour of the dogs and their putative emotional state (relaxed, aroused and anxious). The results suggested that the use of DAP in the clinic was associated with greater relaxation of the dogs but there was no effect on aggressive behaviour during the clinical examination. #

We examined the effects of individualized video modeling on the accurate implementation of behavioral interventions using a multiple baseline design across 3 teachers. During video modeling, treatment integrity improved above baseline levels; however, teacher performance remained variable. The addition of verbal performance feedback increased treatment integrity to 100% for all participants, and performance was maintained 1 week later. Teachers found video modeling to be more socially acceptable with performance feedback than alone, but rated both positively.

Purpose To determine the most common rupture patterns of previously reconstructed DB-ACL cases, seen at the time of revision surgery, and to determine the influence of age, gender, time between the initial ACL reconstruction and re-injury, tunnel angle and etiology of failure. Methods Forty patients who presented for revision surgery after previous double-bundle ACL reconstruction were enrolled. Three orthopedic surgeons independently reviewed the arthroscopic videos and determined the rupture pattern of both the anteromedial and posterolateral grafts. The graft rupture pattern was then correlated with the previously mentioned factors.

The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of first half activity, overall match intensity and seasonal variation on the physical match performances of English Premier League football referees. Match analysis data was collected using the Prozone ® match analysis system from 19 fulltime professional referees during a total of 254 matches in the 2004-2005 season. Physical match performances were classified into three separate categories: 1, total distance covered (TD); 2, high-intensity running distance (running speed > 5.5 m/s, HIR); 3, average distance from infringements (DI). Using these match activity variables the influence of first half TD and HIR distances on second half activities and also the influence of players' match activities upon the referees' physical match performances were examined. The main finding of the present study was that the physical match performances of the referees were partly related to those of the players, in that the referees' HIR correlated with players' HIR (r = 0.43, p < 0.0001, n = 212). Furthermore, first half TD and HIR distances were found to be related to second half coverage in referees (r = 0.47 and r = 0.52, respectively, p < 0.001, n = 254). These results demonstrate a need to assess the overall match intensity prior to examining the physical match performance of the referee. Further examination is required as to whether reduced physical performances in the second half of matches are a consequence of referee fatigue, tactical strategies on behalf of the referee or reduced player match activities resulting in a slower tempo of match.

Background: The length of current 4-h classes in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a barrier to widespread dissemination of CPR training. The effectiveness of video-based self-instruction (VSI) has been demonstrated in several studies; however, the effectiveness of this method with older adults is not certain. Although older adults are most likely to witness out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, these potential rescuers are underrepresented in traditional classes. We evaluated a VSI program that comprised a 22-min video, an inflatable training manikin, and an audio prompting device with individuals 40-70 years old. The hypotheses were that VSI results in performance of basic CPR skills superior to that of untrained learners and similar to that of learners in Heartsaver classes. Methods: Two hundred and eighty-five adults between 40 and 70 years old who had had no CPR training within the past 5 years were assigned to an untrained control group, Heartsaver training, or one of three versions of VSI. Basic CPR skills were measured by instructor assessment and by a sensored manikin. Results: The percentage of subjects who assessed unresponsiveness, called the emergency telephone number 911, provided adequate ventilation, proper hand placement, and adequate compression depth was significantly better (P < 0.05) for the VSI groups than for untrained controls. VSI subjects tended to have better overall performance and better ventilation performance than did Heartsaver subjects. Conclusions: Older adults learned the fundamental skills of CPR with this training program in about half an hour. If properly distributed, this type of training could produce a significant increase in the number of lay responders who can perform CPR.

Mice are becoming increasingly popular to model neurological disease and motor system dysfunction. For evaluation of discrete, chronic motor impairments, skilled limb movements represent a valuable extension of standard mouse test batteries. This study introduces an efficient and sensitive test strategy for comprehensive assessment of skilled fore-and hind-limb stepping in mice. Adult C57BL/6 mice were trained and video-recorded in two walking tasks, the widely used rotorod test and a new ladder rung task. The animals then received a unilateral ischemic lesion in the motor cortex forelimb and hind limb area and were video-recorded on days 12 and 26 post-lesion. Forelimb and hind limb stepping movements were rated using a combination of endpoint measures and qualitative assessment. The results showed that while animals maintained a weight-supported gait, posture and stepping movements were abnormal at both post-operative intervals. The rotorod analysis revealed stepping deficits in both forelimbs that led to adoption of compensatory movement strategies. The ladder rung task revealed stepping errors in ipsi-and contralateral fore-and hind-limbs. The findings demonstrate that this test strategy provides comprehensive assessment of motor impairments in mice and that qualitative movement analysis is a valuable tool for elaborating subtle motor disturbances.

There exists an abundance of systems and algorithms for multiple target detection and tracking in video, and many measures for evaluating the quality of their output have been proposed. The contribution of this paper lies in the following: first, it argues that such performance measures should have two fundamental properties -monotonicity and error type differentiability; second, it shows that the recently proposed measures do not have either of these properties and are thus less usable; third, it composes a set of simple measures, partly built on common practice, that does have these properties. The informativeness of the proposed set of performance measures is demonstrated through their application on face detection and tracking results.

Introduction: Electronic interactive learning environments can enhance the learning experience and may prove beneficial in basic life support (BLS) training. As part of the European Union funded project "JUST-in-time health emergency interventions-training of non-professionals by virtual reality and advanced IT tools", an innovative interactive CD-ROM on BLS and other emergency medicine topics was developed. We hypothesised that individuals without previous BLS training could learn CPR techniques from this CD. Methods: Sixty-two students were randomised into a group studying the JUST CD in a computer class room for up to 60 min, and a control group who did not receive any training (serving as a reference). CD users also completed a satisfaction questionnaire immediately after studying the CD. The BLS skills of both groups were assessed in a mock BLS scenario on a training manikin. BLS performance was video recorded and analysed. Results: After studying the CD for a mean period of 42 min, users of the CD had better assessment skills and were more likely to show a positive helping attitude, but chest compression and breathing techniques were ineffective. Most users rated the CD as very good and a positive learning tool. Conclusion: Individuals without prior BLS training showed improved behaviour and assessment skills after exposure to the CD, but motor skill acquisition requires alternative learning strategies.

During the last decades of the previous century, school desks with a tilt top have disappeared. The chairs have been designed for sitting upright, with the hip, knees and ankles all at right angles. However, the erect posture cannot be maintained for more than one or two minutes, after which it will result in fatigue, discomfort or poor posture. The main aim of project is to identify the type of furniture that most effectively contribute to adequate neck and back postures of the school children, by carrying out a postural analysis of a sample of school pupils when using three different types of furniture. The postures adopted by school pupils were monitored by video during several activities, such as reading, writing and painting tasks, copying from a blackboard and listening the teacher. Additionally, the characteristics of the adopted postures were assessed by registering the head tilt, flexion of the neck, trunk and hips position. All these aspects were classified and the results were recorded for future analysis. The obtained results seem to point out that the use of a school desk with a tilted table surface resulted in a reduction in trunk and neck flexion, preserving the natural lordosis in the lumbar and cervical regions. Accordingly, it can be concluded that there are alternatives to consider in the furniture design in order to eliminate tensions and, consequently, to improve children's wellbeing.

The purpose of our study was to clarify the events that take place during anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) failure, focusing on the behavior of the ACL as a composition of multiple fibers, during uniaxial tension along the ligament.Ten fresh-frozen human cadaveric knee specimens were fixed in an Instron machine (Instron, Norwood, MA), and load was applied parallel to the ACL axis. Two cameras were used to detect the failure mode of the ACL and its different groups of fibers. The distinct bundles of fibers were marked in each specimen before testing. The macroscopic findings during the experiment were used for comparison with the biomechanical results.The ACL showed a non-monotonic response during testing. The load-elongation curve showed a plateau or a second peak after the initial drop in load. Macroscopically, some fibers were failing initially, whereas the intact fibers had a remaining load potential. In our setting, 3 different failure patterns were recognized, specifically, a midsubstance tear of the anteromedial or the posterolateral bundle with a subsequent failure of the intact bundle or an initial avulsion of the anteromedial attachment. Analysis of the video frames showed a direct connection between the failure patterns in the load-elongation curves and the macroscopic sequence of events during ACL failure.The ACL ligament acts as a multifiber construction. In our setting, rupture follows 3 specific patterns where a complete or partial tear of the fiber bundles occurs first and the remaining intact fiber bundles have a potential load resistance.Our study allows a better understanding of the mechanical properties of the ACL. An update on the biomechanics of ACL failure during uniaxial tension after the “double-bundle revolution” could provide data helpful for ACL reconstruction.

Humans as social beings often have to perform complex social cognitive tasks while under stress (e.g., during a social conflict). Previous research has established that the brain regions responsible for social cognitive tasks are target regions for stress hormones. However, little experimental research has been done testing the acute effects of stress on social cognition. Here, we investigated whether stress exposure and the ensuing glucocorticoid (i.e., cortisol) elevations affect social cognition. Thirty-two men and 32 women were exposed to either a psychosocial stress or a non-stressful control test before assessing their social cognition using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) and the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC). Results showed differential effects of stress-induced cortisol responses among men and women for the MASC, but not the RMET. Among men, high cortisol responders displayed elevated MASC scores compared with low cortisol responders. Moreover, for stressed men a positive association between the magnitude of the cortisol responses to the stressor and MASC scores emerged. Among women, enhanced MASC scores were found for low cortisol responders relative to high cortisol responders and non-stressed controls. A strong negative association between cortisol reactivity and MASC scores was found among women. These results imply sex specific effects of glucocorticoids on social cognition and partially support the idea of sex differences in biobehavioral stress responses, with men engaging in fight-or-flight responses while women may react to stress with tending and befriending behavior.

The aim of our work is to investigate whether the optical flow algorithm applied to video recordings can be used to detect movement during sleep in pediatric patients with epilepsy. The optical flow algorithm allocates intensities to pixels proportional to their involvement in movement of an object. The average of a percentage of the highest movement vectors was plotted as a function of time (R(t)). The used dataset contains video data acquired at the University Hospital of Leuven consisting of normal sleep movement and seizure movement. We investigated R(t), to make a distinction between movement and non-movement. We used the acquisition parameters (320 9 240 at 12.5 fps), derived from a previous study (Cuppens et al., Proceedings of the 4th European congress of the international federation for medical and biological engineering ), ECIFBME 2008, Antwerp, Belgium, IFMBE Proceedings, vol 22, pp 784-789, 2008. Two experiments were concluded, one with global thresholds of R(t) in all datasets and one with a variable threshold in each dataset. The latter is obtained by inspecting a non-movement epoch and calculating the mean and standard deviations of R(t) over time. The variable threshold on R(t) was then obtained for each dataset by adding to the mean a fixed multiple of the standard deviation. Optimal thresholds were derived based on a three-fold cross-validation. The best result was achieved when using a variable threshold, which resulted in a sensitivity of one in all the test sets and a PPV of 1, 0.821, and 1, respectively, for the three test sets.

Analysis of mice with genetically altered expression of cardiac connexins can provide insights into the role of individual gap junction channel proteins in cell-to-cell communication, impulse propagation, and arrhythmias. However, conflicting results have been reported regarding conduction velocity slowing in mice heterozygous for a null mutation in the gene encoding connexin43 (Cx43). Methods: High-resolution optical mapping was used to record

We trained 9 behavioral staff members to conduct 2 brief preference assessments using 30-min video presentations that contained instructions and modeling. After training, we evaluated each staff member's implementation of the assessments in situ. Results indicated that 1 or 2 training sessions for each method were sufficient for teaching each staff member to implement each assessment. We briefly discuss the clinical implications of our findings.

A~traet--Language that trauma center nurses directed to 29 distressed patients was systematically examined from videotaped data. A unique set of co-occurring linguistic features and intonation patterns which characterize the comfort talk register was identified. Descriptive data reveal that nurses reserve this register for patients only and that linguistic adjustments are made within the register for children. The nurses' comfort talk register is also characterized by a restricted set of pragmatic functions which include:

Mendez-Villanueva, A., D. Bishop, and P. Hamer. Activity profile of world-class professional surfers during competition: A case study. J. Strength Cond. Res. 20(3):477-482. 2006.-The activity profile of men's competitive surfing was investigated during an international contest. Forty-two male surfers were filmed during 42 elimination heats. Surfers' activities were classified into 1 of 4 distinct categories (paddling, wave riding, stationary, and miscellaneous). The surfers were paddling and stationary 51% (25-70%) and 42% (23-72%) of the total time, respectively. Wave riding accounted for 4% (2-7%) of the total time, whereas miscellaneous activity accounted for the remaining 2% (0.1-6%) of the total time. The frequency (average number of motions in a heat) of each activity was 26 for paddling (15-37); 17 for stationary (10-26); 5 for wave riding (2-8); and 6 for miscellaneous activity (1-13). The mean duration lengths of the activities were 30.1 seconds (1-286 seconds), 37.7 seconds (1-413 seconds), 11.6 seconds (1-44 seconds), and 5 seconds (1-31 seconds) for paddling, stationary, wave riding, and miscellaneous activities, respectively. Most of the paddling bouts (ϳ60%) were performed at time intervals of between 1 and 20 seconds. Approximately 50% (50.9%) of the rest intervals were between 1 and 20 seconds in duration. The results showed that surfing is an intermittent activity characterized by a large variability and random distribution of each parameter analyzed. This information can be used to assist in the development of fitness training programs and physiological testing for competitive surfers.

Nasal septal surgery (NSS) in the form of submucous nasal cartilage resection or septoplasty is one of the most common operations performed in otolaryngology. As opposed to turbinate surgery, in which multiple modalities are used, the technique for NSS has remained practically unchanged since its introduction. Conventional NSS consists of an incision followed by bilateral mucosal flap elevation and septal recontouring via resection or septoplasty.(1) A novel technique was introduced by Kamami(2) when nasal obstruction was relieved by carbon dioxide (CO(2)) laser ablation of the anterior septal spur. This technological leap offers many advantages. It offers patient comfort by eliminating nasal packing, allows tailoring time because the office procedure is easily undertaken and does not require general anesthesia, and provides immediate improvement with minimal complications and possibly less pain. By eliminating conventional NSS complications, such as perforation or septal abscess, c...

The objective of this research was to compare the number and types of grammatical and non-grammatical silent pauses presented by stutterers and subjects with Asperger syndrome in their narratives. Method: Ten children who stutter and four participants with Asperger syndrome (mean ages of both groups 10 years) were assessed at the Speech and Language Disorders Department of the Universidade Federal de São Paulo/Brasil. They narrated a story based on a pre-selected sequence of pictures. They were filmed and their productions were analyzed using version 5.0.47 of Praat (http://www.fon.hum.uva.nl/praat/download win.html). Silent intervals in the speech that ranged from 0.25 to 4 s were considered pauses. The pauses were classified as grammatical and non-grammatical, depending on the words that preceded and followed them. Results: Both groups presented grammatical and non-grammatical pauses and the former predominated. The children with Asperger syndrome produced a greater number of pauses than the stutterers. Educational objectives: The reader will be able to: (1) characterize the use of pauses in the oral narrative; (2) distinguish a grammatical pause from a non-grammatical pause regarding the use and function; (3) recognize the pattern of pause found in the two populations.

Mature locomotion in humans is characterized by an anti-phase coordination (moving in opposite directions) between the pelvic and the scapular girdles. This pattern involves a specific relationship between the arm and leg motion is deemed to be most flexible and dynamically efficient. Still, when the arms are involved in another task, like a field player running with a ball in the hands, locomotion is still possible. In order to probe the flexibility of the locomotor synergy, the present study aimed to determine the persistence and the strength of the coordination patterns between the pelvic and scapular girdles when no arm swing was allowed during walking and running. Relative phase, the time difference between the girdle rotations, measured the ongoing inter-girdle coordination of eight healthy participants asked to walk and run with or without arm swing. Results showed that an absence of arm swing led to a change from an anti-phase to in-phase pattern (girdles moving in the same direction) and that an increase in velocity strengthened the adopted pattern. Moreover, the frequency distribution of relative phase for all gait patterns with arm swing proved to be bimodal, indicating that the prevailing anti-phase pattern was always mixed with a noticeable proportion of in-phase coordination. The presence of the in-phase pattern in the easy, natural locomotion with arm swing manifests its persistence and its stability, perhaps pertaining to its prevalence in earlier times in ontogeny or evolution.

Speaking is an essential part of English exams, in which it is difficult for testees to recognize their weaknesses in the oral evaluation. It is not easy to understand what is wrong while they are reading. To solve the problem, the student’s speeches were recorded and then were played. Therefore, they could evaluate theirs performance better by observing their own behaviors. The other evaluation tools were rubrics and band descriptors. The research was done at Guilan University, Iran (EFL context), on students at the intermediate level of proficiency and also at Metropoint College, Malaysia (ESL context), on the students at the upper-intermediate level of proficiency. The advantage of video recording is that students and teachers will be entertained by watching the films and can criticize them later. Video technology helps in student centered situations in the class. The students will be the examiner themselves and the teacher just helps them in the evaluation.

Results of mechanical analyses of running may be helpful in the search for the etiology of running injuries. In this study a mechanical analysis was made of the landing phase of three trained heel-toe runners, running at their preferred speed and style. The body was modeled as a system of seven linked rigid segments, and the positions of markers defining these segments were monitored using 200 Hz video analysis.

Fifty patients with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy were included in this retrospective study which compared visual assessment of gait to three-dimensional (3D) gait analysis. Inter-observer variability was evaluated as well. Inclusion criteria comprehended independent ambulation (i.e. without assistive devices or orthoses). All subjects went through 3D gait analysis at the Gait Analysis Laboratory of the AACD Hospital. Four observers, viewing videotaped gait cycles, evaluated 10 specific points of interest of the cycle: hip flexion at terminal stance; knee flexion at initial contact; knee extension at terminal stance; knee flexion at initial swing; ankle dorsiflexion at initial contact; pelvic obliquity at mid stance; hip adduction at loading response; pelvic rotation; hip rotation at mid stance and foot progression angle, in relation to the lower limb, at mid stance. Their evaluation was then compared to the 3D kinematics data. A statistical analysis of the results was performed using kappa and McNemar's test in order to determine inter-observer and visual/3D analysis agreement. Results showed that inter-observer agreement was high but on the other hand, only two points of the gait cycle (knee flexion at initial contact and pelvic obliquity) were shown to have been similarly evaluated visually and with the 3D analysis. In conclusion, this study indicates that only knee flexion at initial contact and pelvic obliquity appear to be reliably evaluated on a visual basis alone. Visual observation is therefore inadequate for the evaluation of the other eight selected points of the gait cycle which require some form of quantitative assessment. #

Because of their rapid development, amphibians have been important model organisms in studies of how microgravity (pG) affects vertebrate growth and differentiation. Both urodele (salamanders) and anuran (frogs and toads) embryos have been raised in orbital flight, the latter several times. The most commonly reported and striking effects of pLG on tadpoles are not in the vestibular system, as one might suppose, but in their lungs and tails. Pathological changes in these organs disrupt behavior and retard larval growth.

Accurate pain assessment in preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is complex. Infants who are born at early gestational ages (GA), and who have had greater early pain exposure, have dampened facial responses which may lead to under-treatment. Since behavioral and physiological responses to pain in infants are often dissociated, using multidimensional scales which combine these indicators into a single score may limit our ability to determine the effects of interventions on each system. Our aim was to design a unidimensional scale which would combine the relatively most specific, individual, behavioral indicators for assessing acute pain in this population.

I examined developmental changes in associations among components of timber wolf (Canis lupus) postural communication in two hand-reared pups between 15 and 85 days of age. The frequency with which select postural components co-occurred was scored from 180 randomly sampled frames of video records of these pups made during social interactions. I used this index of association as the basis for multidimensional scaling and cluster analyses. Relations among postural components became more structured with age. Two-dimensional models were found to account for associations among postures displayed at 69-85 and 32-67 days of age but not at 15-32 days of age. I interpret these orthogonal dimensions as continua of dominance to submission and seriousness to playfulness. These data suggest the intended messages contained in postural displays may depend on the specific combinations of components used.

We conducted a two-part study that contributes to the discussion about cervical auscultation (CA) used as a scientifically justifiable and medically useful tool to identify patients with a high risk of aspiration/penetration. We sought to determine (i) acoustic features which mark a deglutition act as dysphagic; (ii) acoustic changes in healthy older deglutition profiles compared with those of younger adults; (iii) the correctness and concordance of rater judgments based on CA; (iv) if education in CA improves individual reliability. The first part of the study focuses on a comparison of the "swallow morphology" of dysphagic as opposed to healthy subjects' deglutition in terms of structure properties of the pharyngeal phase of deglutition. We obtained the following results. The duration of deglutition apnoea is significantly higher in the older group than in the younger one. Comparing the younger and the dysphagic group we found significant differences in the parameters duration of deglutition apnoea, onset time and number of gulp. Just one parameter, number of gulps distinguishes significantly between the older and the dysphagic groups. The second part of the study aimed at evaluating the reliability of CA in detecting dysphagia measured as the concordance and the correctness of CA experts in classifying swallowing sounds. The inter-rater reliability coefficient AC1 resulted in a value of 0.46 which is to be interpreted as fair agreement. Further, we found that comparison with radiologically defined aspiration/penetration for the group of experts (speech and language therapists; SLTs) yielded 70 % specificity and 94 % sensitivity. We conclude that the swallowing sounds contain audible cues that should in principle permit reliable classification and view CA as an early warning system for identifying patients with a high risk of aspiration/penetration however it is not appropriate as a stand alone tool.

OBJECTIVES: To increase medical students' ability to detect contextual and emotional cues and to respond empathetically to patients. METHODS: a training course in communication skills and patient-centered care with different teaching activities (didactic, reflective and interactive: workshops and encounters with simulated patients) was delivered to third-year medical students just before their clerckships. The program was evaluated by an external observer (OE) and simulated patients (SP) in 2 or 3 videotaped encounters. RESULTS: Students improved significantly from baseline to 3rd interview in all communicative skills and domains explored both in OE (32.4%) and SP (38.3%) measurement. At the end of the course students detected significantly more clues and made more empathetic expressions. CONCLUSIONS: The course seems to improve the ability of students to explore the illness experience, showing more empathy in a more genuine way. This was carried out in consultations lasting 10 minutes. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: The program is effective and feasible to be applied as a regular formative activity. Further research is needed to assess whether this training program is applicable to students in more advanced educational levels and if it has any additional outcomes.