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Biomedical subjects

R A Fox

Publications and source records attributed to R A Fox.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Age-related differences in processing dynamic information to identify vowel quality.

This study examined age-related differences in the use of dynamic acoustic information (in the form of formant transitions) to identify vowel quality in CVCs. Two versions of 61 naturally produced, commonly occurring, monosyllabic English words were created: a control version (the unmodified whole word) and a silent-center version (in which approximately 62% of the medial vowel was replaced by silence). A group of normal-hearing young adults (19-25 years old) and older adults (61-75 years old) identified these tokens. The older subjects were found to be significantly worse than the younger subjects at identifying the medial vowel and the initial and final consonants in the silent-center condition. These results support the hypothesis of an age-related decrement in the ability to process dynamic perceptual cues in the perception of vowel quality.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Development of an instrument to measure the behaviors and expectations of parents of young children.

Designed a study to develop an instrument, the Parenting Inventory: Young Children (PI), to assess the behaviors and developmental expectations of parents who have a child between 1 and 4 years of age. Item development for the PI occurred within a developmental-environmental theoretical framework and was based on literature reviews and clinical experience. Experts working with parents and/or children and parents of young children established the content validity of the items. The PI was tested with a sample of 1,140 mothers. This sample was representative of the population from which it was drawn, a large urban area, in terms of the sample children's sex and ethnicity. A diverse range of socioeconomic levels were included. The resulting 100-item PI was found to reliably measure three aspects of parenting: Expectations, Discipline, and Nurturing. These factors demonstrated good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Future research needs relative to the continued development of the PI are addressed.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

The use of goal attainment scaling in a geriatric care setting.

OBJECTIVE: Goal attainment scaling (GAS) is a measurement approach used extensively in mental health. It accommodates multiple individual patient goals, yet retains mathematical properties allowing comparisons between patients. This study was carried out to investigate the feasibility and measurement properties of GAS in a geriatric care setting. DESIGN: Prospective descriptive study. SETTING: The geriatric restorative care service and geriatric assessment unit at Camp Hill Hospital, a 350-bed tertiary care facility in Halifax, Canada. PATIENTS: Fifteen patients aged 65 to 94 who were consecutively admitted to the two geriatric services (mean age 79 years, mean length of stay 37 days, 9 females). INTERVENTION: Goal Attainment follow-up guides were developed independently for each patient by two geriatricians after a comprehensive assessment of the patient. These guides were later compared to assess level of agreement in goal setting and scale development. A single goal attainment follow-up guide was then developed for each patient by consensus of the two geriatricians. At the end of the follow-up, the guides were scored independently for each patient by one of the geriatricians and by the patient's primary care nurse. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: GAS scores were determined on admission and discharge. Each patient also received admission and discharge ratings on the Barthel Index as well as a global rating of outcome (on a subjective 10-point scale) by a geriatrician who was blinded to the Goal Attainment follow-up score. RESULTS: GAS proved feasible, requiring 15-20 minutes to scale an average of six goals per patient. GAS also appears reliable. Of 87 goals, 71 (82%) were identified independently by two geriatricians, and the remainder were determined by consensus. This is also a measure of content validity. The physician-nurse inter-rater reliability was 0.87 (intraclass correlation). Concurrent validity was assessed by correlation with the Barthel Index (r = 0.86) and the global clinical outcome rating (r = 0.82). Content validity was also assessed by comparing our goal areas with those identified in recent consensus reports on geriatric assessment. Of these 13 assessment areas, 12 appeared to be reasonably well covered while one assessment area (sexual problems) was not identified for any of the 15 patients. CONCLUSIONS: GAS appears to be a feasible method of goal setting and outcome evaluation in geriatric care settings, with promising reliability and validity.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1992

Analysis of nasal consonants using perceptual linear prediction.

Until recently, speech analysis techniques have been built around the all-pole linear predictive model. This study examines the effectiveness of using the perceptual linear predictive method for analyzing nasal consonants. Six speakers (three men and three women) produced 300 CV syllables with initial nasal consonants /m/ and /n/. A threshold-based boundary detection algorithm was developed to extract nasal segments from the CV contexts. Poles of a fifth-order perceptual linear predictive model were calculated and the frequency of the second pole was used to characterize the place of articulation of nasal consonants. Results indicated that the frequency for the second transformed pole was significantly lower for /m/ than for /n/ and was independent of factors such as a vowel context and gender of the speaker. A nasal identification rate of 86% was obtained based on the frequency of the second pole. The use of the perceptual linear predictive method may thus overcome some difficulties associated with analyzing nasal consonants.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

A two-step segmentation method for automatic recognition of speech of persons who are deaf.

The development and use of a two-step word segmentation method for automatic recognition of the speech produced by deaf persons are described in this paper. This method incorporates the segmental and temporal characteristics of deaf speech, particularly the intra- and inter-word pauses, to achieve accurate recognition. In the first step, estimates of word boundaries were obtained by detecting these pauses. In the second step, the word boundaries were determined by matching all possible groupings of speech segments against all reference templates during recognition. This method was applied to recognition of isolated words and connected-speech utterances produced by two deaf speakers. Recognition rates of 93.01 percent and 81.81 percent were obtained in recognizing isolated words and connected speech, respectively.

Algorithms↗
PubMed1991

Dose distribution following selective internal radiation therapy.

Selective Internal Radiation Therapy is the intrahepatic arterial injection of microspheres labelled with 90Y. The microspheres lodge in the precapillary circulation of tumor resulting in internal radiation therapy. The activity of the 90Y injected is managed by successive administrations of labelled microspheres and after each injection probing the liver with a calibrated beta probe to assess the dose to the superficial layers of normal tissue. Predicted doses of 75 Gy have been delivered without subsequent evidence of radiation damage to normal cells. This contrasts with the complications resulting from doses in excess of 30 Gy delivered from external beam radiotherapy. Detailed analysis of microsphere distribution in a cubic centimeter of normal liver and the calculation of dose to a 3-dimensional fine grid has shown that the radiation distribution created by the finite size and distribution of the microspheres results in an highly heterogeneous dose pattern. It has been shown that a third of normal liver will receive less than 33.7% of the dose predicted by assuming an homogeneous distribution of 90Y.

Humans↗
PubMed1991

Measuring the effectiveness of the Star Parenting Program with parents of young children.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the STAR Parenting Program, designed specifically for parents with children between the ages of 1 and 5 yr. The 8-hr. program was completed by 35 parents. There was a significant increase in parents' favorability and a significant decrease in anxiety afterwards. Parents also significantly lowered their expectations, reduced the emotionality of their reactions to their child's problem behaviors, and increased their use of time-out and tangible rewards following training. These changes were maintained at a 6-wk. follow-up.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Mothers and fathers of young children: comparison of parenting styles.

This study compared the developmental expectations and parenting behaviors of 52 mothers and fathers with children between the ages of 1 and 4 years, using the Parenting Inventory: Young Children. While both mothers and fathers were nurturing parents, mothers obtained significantly higher nurturing scores. Possible reasons for this difference were discussed. Developmental expectations and discipline strategies did not differ between mothers and fathers.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1991

Effect of speech distinctions and age differences on auditory event-related potentials.

P3 event-related potentials were recorded from 37 subjects in two age groups (19-25 and 61-75 years) listening to tones, stop + vowel (CV) monosyllables, and isolated vowels. P3 latencies were found to be significantly longer for older subjects in all stimulus conditions. CV latencies were also significantly longer than simple tone latencies with the increase being approximately 1.30 msec/year. Latencies to the vowel stimuli were somewhat more variable but also tended to be greater than the tone latencies. P3 amplitudes were greater for the tone stimuli than for the speech stimuli, but no significant age effects were found.

Acoustic Stimulation↗
PubMed1991

The kinematics of idiopathic gait disorder. A comparison with healthy young and elderly females.

In this study the kinematic gait parameters of healthy young and elderly subjects were compared with those of a group of patients with idiopathic gait disorder of the elderly (IGDE), a condition characterized by dysfunctional walking for which no underlying cause can be determined. The velocity and the temporal/distance gait kinematics were measured for self-selected fast, medium and slow speeds of walking. The elderly walk with a more cautious gait pattern than younger adults. This pattern is characterized by a slow walking speed and a reduced single support phase, with shorter but more frequent strides, and is even more marked in persons with IGDE. The slower the walking speed the more cautious this pattern becomes. The patients with IGDE not only walk far slower than a group of healthy age matched individuals but the range of speeds, from self-selected slow to fast, is much reduced and does not overlap that of the healthy elderly. With objective gait measurements this group might be better identified.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

A prospective controlled trial of a geriatric consultation team in an acute-care hospital.

Attempts to prove the usefulness of geriatric consultation teams (GCT) in acute-care settings have been inconclusive. We have completed a prospective, controlled trial of a GCT in an acute-care setting, aiming our interventions at a specific subgroup of elderly patients. One hundred and thirty-two out of 352 (37.5%) patients met the inclusion criteria with 66 each being assigned to the intervention and the control groups. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the two groups. Patients in the intervention group received follow-up after discharge from hospital by the geriatric service. We found that the intervention was associated with improved 6-month survival (p less than 0.01), improved Barthel Index at 1 year (p less than 0.01), and a trend towards decreased reliance on institutional care (hospital or nursing home) during the year of follow-up. The benefits occurred principally in patients who were discharged to a nursing home. Our findings support the utility of GCT and highlight the importance of focusing the intervention and providing follow-up after discharge from hospital.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Conditioned taste aversion and motion sickness in cats and squirrel monkeys.

The relationship between vomiting and conditioned taste aversion was studied in intact cats and squirrel monkeys and in cats and squirrel monkeys in which the area postrema was ablated by thermal cautery. In cats conditioned 7-12 months after ablation of the area postrema, three successive treatments with xylazine failed to produce either vomiting or conditioned taste aversion to a novel fluid. Intact cats, however, vomited and formed a conditioned aversion. In squirrel monkeys conditioned 6 months after ablation of the area postrema, three treatments with lithium chloride failed to produce conditioned taste aversion. Intact monkeys did condition with these treatments. Neither intact nor ablated monkeys vomited or evidenced other signs of illness when injected with lithium chloride. When the same ablated cats and monkeys were exposed to a form of motion that produced vomiting prior to surgery, conditioned taste aversion was produced and some animals vomited. These findings confirm other studies indicating motion can produce vomiting in animals with the area postrema destroyed and demonstrate that motion-induced conditioned taste aversion can be produced after ablation of the area postrema. The utility of conditioned taste aversion as a measure of subemetic motion sickness is discussed by examining agreement and disagreement between identifications of motion sickness by conditioned taste aversion and vomiting. It is suggested that a convincing demonstration of the utility of conditioned taste aversion as a measure of nausea requires the identification of physiological correlates of nausea, and caution should be exercised when attempting to interpret conditioned taste aversion as a measure of nausea.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

The susceptibility of rhesus monkeys to motion sickness.

The susceptibility of rhesus monkeys to motion sickness was investigated using test conditions that are provocative for eliciting motion sickness in squirrel monkeys. Ten male rhesus monkeys and ten male Bolivian squirrel monkeys were rotated in the vertical axis at 150 degrees/s for a maximum duration of 45 min. Each animal was tested in two conditions, continuous rotation and intermittent rotation. None of the rhesus monkeys vomited during the motion tests but all of the squirrel monkeys did. Differences were observed between the species in the amount of activity that occurred during motion tests, with the squirrel monkeys being significantly more active than the rhesus monkeys. These results, while substantiating anecdotal reports of the resistance of rhesus monkeys to motion sickness, should be interpreted with caution because of the documented differences that exist between various species with regard to stimuli that are provocative for eliciting motion sickness.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

A worksite parenting program.

With more and more companies offering wellness programs for their employees, it seems reasonable to offer parent training classes to employees as an educational tool and a means of coping with stress. A series of parenting classes was developed using the STAR Parenting Model. The STAR Model teaches parents to stop, think, ask, and respond to their children based on tenets of cognitive behavior management. Classes taught to faculty and staff of the university were well attended and participants indicated that the method positively altered their parenting practices. Parents are challenged by their young children and by their jobs and careers. Parenting education at work may help to ease some employee stress and improve their parenting practices.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1990

Low-income pregnant adolescents and their infants: dietary findings and health outcomes.

Dietary and other health-related data were obtained for 99 low-income, pregnant adolescents aged 13 to 19 years and their infants who were enrolled in the Teen Pregnancy Service (TPS). The dietetic services provided through TPS are highlighted for this sample of teens, 97% of whom were eligible for the WIC program. Average gestational age at time of enrollment for prenatal care was 18 weeks; 59% of the sample was anemic (hemoglobin value less than 120 gm/L). The average number of servings teens consumed each day from the four food groups was as follows: bread/grain, 5.0; milk, 2.8; meat, 2.8; and fruit/vegetable, 2.3. Teens who were overweight before pregnancy had heavier infants (mean = 3,344 gm) than their underweight peers (mean = 2,770 gm). Teens who gained 24 lb or less during pregnancy and who gave birth to full-term infants had infants with significantly lower birth weights (mean = 3,094 gm, p less than .008) than those who gained at least 25 lb (mean = 3,356 gm). Teens who smoked also had infants with lower birth weights than teens who did not smoke. Most teens bottle-fed their infants (82%). On the basis of our data, we conclude that low-income pregnant teens are likely to be at dietary risk. Dietary work with low-income pregnant adolescents is challenging and requires a thorough knowledge base about adolescent pregnancy, coupled with the ability to adapt traditional dietary counseling practices to meet the unique needs of these clients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Perinatal follow through: implications for primary physicians.

Neonatal intensive care unit follow-through programs provide early evaluation information for the primary care physician. This article describes such data for 339 graduates of St Joseph's Special Care Nursery, 78% of whom were preterm and 70% were of low birth weight. At six months, 7% of the infants were diagnosed with cerebral palsy, based on a 15-month follow-up. Other neurological and respiratory problems were common. A normal neurodevelopmental outcome was found for the majority of the infants. Referrals to medical specialists (eg, ophthalmology) and early intervention programs were required for many infants. The case management role of the primary physician is highlighted along with specific recommendations for care of the medically at-risk or developmentally delayed infant.

Family Practice↗