Localising discrete points in 3D space using stereo pairs of digital slot-scanning X-rays

Includes bibliographical references (p. 104-111)

Reliability of GRBAS evaluation of voice quality in children who have a history of airway reconstruction surgery and how this compares to parental report of voice-related quality of life

Voice evaluation includes laryngoscopy, perceptual judgement of voice quality, evaluation of respiratory function, acoustic analysis of the voice signal and patient reported subjective impact of voice on quality of life. This is recommended in adults (Dejonkere et al 2001) and children (Cohen et al 2012). Perceptual evaluation of voice often follows the CAPE-V (ASHA 2002) or GRBAS (Hirano 1981). Children requiring laryngotracheal reconstruction (LTR) surgery tend to have this procedure during infancy, where subglottic stenosis forms following intubation in medically fragile or premature infants. Clinicians require reliable measures, particularly where there is a degree of subjectivity. Aspects of the CAPE-V show a high degree of reliability in rating of severity, pitch, breathiness and roughness (Krival et al 2007, Kelchner et al 2008). UK clinicians favour the GRBAS though there is little published information about reliability in a paediatric population. Comparison of clinician perceptual evaluation with patient report shows weak agreement in adults (Karnell et al 2006) reinforcing the need for both measurements. The extent to which the same is the case in children needs further exploration

Library of Congress Genre-Form Thesaurus (LCGFT) for Moving Images: Best Practices

The purpose of this document is to provide guidelines, with examples, for the usage of Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms for Library and Archival Materials (LCGFT) for moving image materials. These guidelines are intended to complement existing official guidelines. As genre/form practice in general is currently being reviewed by several other committees, these guidelines will need to be revisited in the future; however, these best practices fulfill the need for short-term guidance

Cross-sectional follow up of voice outcomes in children who have a history of airway reconstruction surgery

Objectives - This study reports vocal function in a cross-section of children with subglottic stenosis. Each child had a history of laryngotracheal reconstruction and/or cricotracheal resection surgery. Vocal function was measured using laryngoscopy, acoustic analysis, perceptual evaluation and impact of voice on quality of life.  Design - All patients aged >5 years with history of laryngotracheal reconstruction and/or cricotracheal resection surgery at the Scottish National Complex Airways service were invited to participate.  Setting - Data was gathered in the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow in a single out-patient appointment. Participants - Twelve out of fifty-six former patients (aged 5 – 27) provided a voice sample and eleven consented to awake laryngoscopy. All consented for detailed evaluation of their medical records.  Main outcome measures - Acoustic analysis of fundamental frequency and pitch perturbation was conducted on sustained vowel [a]. Perceptual evaluation was conducted by four trained listeners on a series of spoken sentences. Impact on quality of life was measured using the Paediatric Voice Related Quality of Life questionnaire. Laryngeal function was descriptively evaluated.  Results - Four children had normal voice acoustically, perceptually and in relation to voice related quality of life. One of these had vocal fold nodules unrelated to surgical history. Two other children had ‘near normal’ vocal function, defined where most voice measurements fell within the normal range.  Conclusions - Normal or ‘near normal’ voice is a possible outcome for children who have had this surgery. Where there is an ongoing complex medical condition, voice outcome may be poorer

Perceptual evaluation of voice disorder in children who have had laryngotracheal reconstruction surgery and the relationship between clinician perceptual rating of voice quality and parent proxy/child self-report of voice related quality of life

Reliability of the GRBAS tool for perceptual evaluation of paediatric voice disorder is measured in this study of children with a history of laryngotracheal reconstruction surgery (LTR). Additionally, the relationship between parent proxy/child self-report of voice related quality of life with clinician perceptual rating of voice quality is analysed. Eleven children with a history of LTR provided voice recordings following the stimuli set by the CAPE-V protocol. Subjective impact of voice quality on life was measured using the Pediatric Voice-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire. Four trained judges rated the sound files according to both the GRBAS and CAPE-V protocol. Intraclass correlation coefficients were high for both intrarater and interrater judgements across all parameters of the GRBAS protocol, and a strong correlation was found between the Grade rating of the GRBAS and the Overall Severity rating of the CAPE-V. Some elements of parent proxy reporting of VRQOL were significantly negatively correlated with clinician perceptual rating of voice quality, while there was no significant relationship between child self-report and clinician perceptual rating

Birth weight is associated with brain tissue volumes seven decades later but not with MRI markers of brain ageing

Birth weight, an indicator of fetal growth, is associated with cognitive outcomes in early life (which are predictive of cognitive ability in later life) and risk of metabolic and cardiovascular disease across the life course. Brain health in older age, indexed by MRI features, is associated with cognitive performance, but little is known about how variation in normal birth weight impacts on brain structure in later life. In a community dwelling cohort of participants in their early seventies we tested the hypothesis that birth weight is associated with the following MRI features: total brain (TB), grey matter (GM) and normal appearing white matter (NAWM) volumes; whiter matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume; a general factor of fractional anisotropy (gFA) and peak width skeletonised mean diffusivity (PSMD) across the white matter skeleton. We also investigated the associations of birth weight with cortical surface area, volume and thickness. Birth weight was positively associated with TB, GM and NAWM volumes in later life (β ≥ 0.194), and with regional cortical surface area but not gFA, PSMD, WMH volume, or cortical volume or thickness. These positive relationships appear to be explained by larger intracranial volume, rather than by age-related tissue atrophy, and are independent of body height and weight in adulthood. This suggests that larger birth weight is linked to more brain tissue reserve in older life, rather than age-related brain structural features, such as tissue atrophy or WMH volume

Why Did Memetics Fail? Comparative Case Study

Although the theory of memetics appeared highly promising at the beginning, it is no longer considered a scientific theory among contemporary evolutionary scholars. This study aims to compare the genealogy of memetics with the historically more successful gene-culture coevolution theory. This comparison is made in order to determine the constraints that emerged during the internal development of the memetics theory that could bias memeticists to work on the ontology of meme units as opposed to hypotheses testing, which was adopted by the gene-culture scholars. I trace this problem back to the diachronic development of memetics to its origin in the gene-centered anti-group-selectionist argument of George C. Williams and Richard Dawkins. The strict adoption of this argument predisposed memeticists with the a priori idea that there is no evolution without discrete units of selection, which in turn, made them dependent on the principal separation of biological and memetic fitness. This separation thus prevented memeticists from accepting an adaptationist view of culture which, on the contrary, allowed gene-culture theorists to attract more scientists to test the hypotheses, creating the historical success of the gene-culture coevolution theory

An Empirical Comparison of Consumer Innovation Adoption Models: Implications for Subsistence Marketplaces

So called “pro-poor” innovations may improve consumer wellbeing in subsistence marketplaces. However, there is little research that integrates the area with the vast literature on innovation adoption. Using a questionnaire where respondents were asked to provide their evaluations about a mobile banking innovation, this research fills this gap by providing empirical evidence of the applicability of existing innovation adoption models in subsistence marketplaces. The study was conducted in Bangladesh among a geographically dispersed sample. The data collected allowed an empirical comparison of models in a subsistence context. The research reveals the most useful models in this context to be the Value Based Adoption Model and the Consumer Acceptance of Technology model. In light of these findings and further examination of the model comparison results the research also shows that consumers in subsistence marketplaces are not just motivated by functionality and economic needs. If organizations cannot enhance the hedonic attributes of a pro-poor innovation, and reduce the internal/external constraints related to adoption of that pro-poor innovation, then adoption intention by consumers will be lower