Nonparticipatory Stiffness in the Male Perioral Complex

Purpose—The objective of this study was to extend previous published findings in the authors’ laboratory using a new automated technology to quantitatively characterize nonparticipatory perioral stiffness in healthy male adults. Method—Quantitative measures of perioral stiffness were sampled during a nonparticipatory task using a computer-controlled linear motor servo programmed to impose a series of tensile displacements over a span of approximately 24 mm at the oral angle in 20 healthy young male adults. Perioral electromyograms were simultaneously sampled to confirm nonparticipation or passive muscle state. Perioral stiffness, derived as a quotient from resultant force (ΔF) and oral span (ΔX), was modeled with regression techniques, and subsequently compared to previously reported perioral stiffness data for female adults. Results—Multilevel regression analysis revealed a significant quadratic relation between the perioral stiffness and interangle span; however, no significant difference was found between adult males and females. Conclusion—These normative measures will have application to future studies designed to objectively assess the effects of pathology (i.e., progressive neuromotor disease, traumatic brain insult) and intervention (pharmacologic, neurosurgical, and reconstructive surgery of the face [i.e., cleft lip, trauma, missile injuries]) on facial animation and speech kinematics

Nonparticipatory Stiffness in the Male Perioral Complex

Purpose—The objective of this study was to extend previous published findings in the authors’ laboratory using a new automated technology to quantitatively characterize nonparticipatory perioral stiffness in healthy male adults. Method—Quantitative measures of perioral stiffness were sampled during a nonparticipatory task using a computer-controlled linear motor servo programmed to impose a series of tensile displacements over a span of approximately 24 mm at the oral angle in 20 healthy young male adults. Perioral electromyograms were simultaneously sampled to confirm nonparticipation or passive muscle state. Perioral stiffness, derived as a quotient from resultant force (ΔF) and oral span (ΔX), was modeled with regression techniques, and subsequently compared to previously reported perioral stiffness data for female adults. Results—Multilevel regression analysis revealed a significant quadratic relation between the perioral stiffness and interangle span; however, no significant difference was found between adult males and females. Conclusion—These normative measures will have application to future studies designed to objectively assess the effects of pathology (i.e., progressive neuromotor disease, traumatic brain insult) and intervention (pharmacologic, neurosurgical, and reconstructive surgery of the face [i.e., cleft lip, trauma, missile injuries]) on facial animation and speech kinematics

OroSTIFF: Face-referenced measurement of perioral stiffness in health and disease

A new device and automated measurement technology known as OroSTIFF is described to characterize non-participatory perioral stiffness in healthy adults for eventual application to patients with orofacial movement disorders associated with neuromotor disease, traumatic injury, or congenital clefts of the upper lip. Previous studies of perioral biomechanics required head stabilization for extended periods of time during measurement which precluded sampling patients with involuntary body/head movements (dyskinesias), or pediatric subjects. The OroSTIFF device is face-referenced and avoids the complications associated with head-restraint. Supporting data of non-participatory perioral tissue stiffness using OroSTIFF are included from 10 male and 10 female healthy subjects. The OroSTIFF device incorporates a pneumatic glass air cylinder actuator instrumented for pressure, and an integrated subminiature displacement sensor to encode lip aperture. Perioral electromyograms were simultaneously sampled to confirm passive muscle state for the superior and inferior divisions of the orbicularis oris muscles. Perioral stiffness, derived as a quotient from resultant force (ΔF) and interangle span (ΔX), was modeled with multilevel regression techniques. Real-time calculation of the perioral stiffness function demonstrated a significant quadratic relation between imposed interangle stretch and resultant force. This stiffness growth function also differed significantly between males and females. This study demonstrates the OroSTIFF ‘proof-of-concept’ for cost-effective non-invasive stimulus generation and derivation of perioral stiffness in a group of healthy unrestrained adults, and a case study to illustrate the dosedependent effects of Levodopa on perioral stiffness in an individual with advanced Parkinson’s disease who exhibited marked dyskinesia and rigidity

The influence of emotional labour strategies on customer satisfaction and word of mouth recommendations in group tours

Service employees are required to create and maintain a positive emotional disposition during a service encounter to influence the customer’s impressions and overall satisfaction. Different emotional labour strategies performed by employees will yield different effects because customers may perceive them as sincere, fake or robotic. This study aims to link the customer’s perception of the emotional labour strategies performed by service employees and the potential outcomes of these strategies on the customers. A correlation analysis is used to identify the relationship between the strategies and the customer outcome whereas a multiple regression is used to identify which of the strategies has the strongest effect on the customer outcome. Overall, the findings offer strategic marketing implications for practitioners

Family Variables and Reading

others of poor and average readers in Japan, Taiwan and the United States were iterviewed about their child-rearing practices, attitudes, and beliefs, and their children's current and earlier experiences. Poor readers represented the lowest fifth percentile in reading scores; they were matched by classroom, sex, and age with average readers; i.e., children who obtained reading scores within one standard deviation from the mean. The groups seldom differed significantly according to environmental variables and parent-child interactions. Maternal ratings of cognitive and achievement variables differentiated both the children in the two groups and the mothers themselves. Maternal beliefs and descriptions of how children use time also differed between the two groups. Notable was the absence of significant interactions between country and reading level.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68579/2/10.1177_002221948401700305.pd

Digit memory in Chinese and English: Evidence for a temporally limited store

This paper describes 3 studies comparing short-term memory for digits between native speakers of Chinese and of English. The first study documents, with large samples of kindergarten, first-, and second-grade children, a Chinese advantage in memory for digits. The Chinese subjects, at all grade levels, remembered at least 2 more digits, on average, than did American or Japanese subjects. The second study compared digit memory of 6- and 7-year-old children, Chinese and American, under forward, backward and grouped conditions. The provision of a grouping strategy helped both Chinese and American subjects equally, which fails to support strategy use as the primary explanation of digit memory differences. Further, Chinese children performed more poorly than American children on the backward span. The final study, carried out on Chinese and American university students, investigated differences in pronunciation duration of Chinese and English number words as a possible explanation of span differences. Chinese number words were found to be of significantly shorter pronunciation duration than English number words; and total pronunciation duration for a subject's maximum span did not differ between Chinese and Americans. These findings provide evidence for a temporally limited store.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/26140/1/0000216.pd

CVD-grown monolayer MoS2 in bioabsorbable electronics and biosensors

Transient electronics entails the capability of electronic components to dissolve or reabsorb in a controlled manner when used in biomedical implants. Here, the authors perform a systematic study of the processes of hydrolysis, bioabsorption, cytotoxicity and immunological biocompatibility of monolayer MoS2