Self-talk in upper primary school children : its relationship with irrational beliefs, self-esteem and depression

Self-talk, irrational beliefs, self-esteem and depression were measured in a sample of 105 elementary school children in Grades 4 to 7. Sex and grade differences in positive self-talk were found. The pattern of correlation coefficients for positive self-talk supported the substantive position that positive self-talk is positively related to self-esteem and negatively related to irrational beliefs and depression in a non-clinical sample of children. However, the same support was not forthcoming for the reverse relationships for negative self-talk. Therapeutic implications are outlined as are suggestions for future research in the area of children's self-talk.

Functional outcome and usage of the prosthesis of lower limb amputees fitted with osseointegrated fixation

This study established that the core principle underlying categorisation of activities have the potential to provide more comprehensive outcomes than the recognition of activities because it takes into consideration activities other than directional locomotion.

Conceptions of learning held by upper primary children in government schools in Brunei Darussalam

The current study examined the conceptions of learning held by upper primary children in government schools in Brunei. Previous studies have shown that the conceptions of learning held by students influence the ways in which they approach learning tasks and, in turn, impact on their learning outcomes. However, the majority of these studies were carried out with university and secondary school students, with little research involving primary school children. A phenomenographic research approach was used to describe the qualitatively different ways in which a group of sixteen upper primary children experienced learning in two government schools in Brunei. Data were gathered using scenariobased semi]structured interviews. Iterative cycles of analysis revealed three categories of description depicting three qualitatively different ways in which the children experienced the phenomenon. The three categories of description were: learning as acquiring information (Category 1), learning as remembering information (Category 2) and learning as doing hands]on activities (Category 3). These categories indicate a variation in the ways in which upper primary children experience learning in government schools in Brunei. The conceptions of learning held by the children provide a platform from which educators and policy]makers can consider possibilities for meaningful learning in government schools in Brunei.

Development of a method to measure upper eyelid pressure on the cornea

Purpose: The cornea is known to be susceptible to forces exerted by eyelids. There have been previous attempts to quantify eyelid pressure but the reliability of the results is unclear. The purpose of this study was to develop a technique using piezoresistive pressure sensors to measure upper eyelid pressure on the cornea. Methods: The technique was based on the use of thin (0.18 mm) tactile piezoresistive pressure sensors, which generate a signal related to the applied pressure. A range of factors that influence the response of this pressure sensor were investigated along with the optimal method of placing the sensor in the eye. Results: Curvature of the pressure sensor was found to impart force, so the sensor needed to remain flat during measurements. A large rigid contact lens was designed to have a flat region to which the sensor was attached. To stabilise the contact lens during measurement, an apparatus was designed to hold and position the sensor and contact lens combination on the eye. A calibration system was designed to apply even pressure to the sensor when attached to the contact lens, so the raw digital output could be converted to actual pressure units. Conclusions: Several novel procedures were developed to use tactile sensors to measure eyelid pressure. The quantification of eyelid pressure has a number of applications including eyelid reconstructive surgery and the design of soft and rigid contact lenses.

Electromyographic activity in lower limb muscles is temporally associated with the slow phase of oxygen uptake during cycling

Although the "slow" phase of pulmonary oxygen uptake (Vo2) appears to represent energetic processes in contracting muscle, electromyographic evidence tends not to support this. The present study assessed normalized integrated electromyographic (NIEMG) activity in eight muscles that act about the hip, knee and ankle during 8 min of moderate (ventilatory threshold) cycling in six male cyclists. (Vo2) was measured breath by breath during four repeated trials at each of the two intensities. Moderate and very heavy exercise followed a 4-min period of light exercise (50 W). During moderate exercise the slow (Vo2) phase was absent and NIEMG in all muscles did not increase after the first minute of exercise. During very heavy exercise, the slow phase emerged (time delay=58 ± 16 s) and increased progressively (time constant=120 ± 35 s) to an amplitude (0.83 ± 0.16 L/min) that was approximately 21% of the total (Vo2) response. This slow (Vo2) phase coincided with a significant increase in NIEMG in most muscles, and differences in NIEMG activities between the two intensities revealed "slow" muscle activation profiles that differed between muscles in terms of the onset, amplitude and shape of these profiles. This supports the hypothesis that the slow (Vo2) phase is a function of these different slow muscle activation profiles.

Adherence to nutrition supplements among patients with a fall-related lower limb fracture

Background The purpose of this study was to provide a detailed evaluation of adherence to nutrition supplements by patients with a lower limb fracture. Methods These descriptive data are from 49 nutritionally“ at-risk” patients aged 70+ years admitted to the hospital after a fall-related lower limb fracture and allocated to receive supplementation as part of a randomized, controlled trial. Supplementation commenced on day 7 and continued for 42 days. Prescribed volumes aimed to meet 45% of individually estimated theoretical energy requirements to meet the shortfall between literature estimates of energy intake and requirements. The supplement was administered by nursing staff on medication rounds in the acute or residential care settings and supervised through thrice-weekly home visits postdischarge. Results Median daily percent of the prescribed volume of nutrition supplement consumed averaged over the 42 days was 67% (interquartile range [IQR], 31–89, n = 49). There was no difference in adherence for gender, accommodation, cognition, or whether the supplement was self-administered or supervised. Twenty-three participants took some supplement every day, and a further 12 missed <5 days. For these 35 “nonrefusers,” adherence was 82% (IQR, 65–93), and they lost on average 0.7% (SD, 4.0%) of baseline weight over the 6 weeks of supplementation compared with a loss of 5.5% (SD, 5.4%) in the “refusers” (n = 14, 29%), p = .003. Conclusions We achieved better volume and energy consumption than previous studies of hip fracture patients but still failed to meet target supplement volumes prescribed to meet 45% of theoretical energy requirements. Clinicians should consider alternative methods of feeding such as a nasogastric tube, particularly in those patients where adherence to oral nutrition supplements is poor and dietary intake alone is insufficient to meet estimated energy requirements.

An investigation of dose calculation accuracy in intensity-modulated radiotherapy of sites in the head & neck

Knowledge of the accuracy of dose calculations in intensity-modulated radiotherapy of the head and neck is essential for clinical confidence in these highly conformal treatments. High dose gradients are frequently placed very close to critical structures, such as the spinal cord, and good coverage of complex shaped nodal target volumes is important for long term-local control. A phantom study is presented comparing the performance of standard clinical pencil-beam and collapsed-cone dose algorithms to Monte Carlo calculation and three-dimensional gel dosimetry measurement. All calculations and measurements are normalized to the median dose in the primary planning target volume, making this a purely relative study. The phantom simulates tissue, air and bone for a typical neck section and is treated using an inverse-planned 5-field IMRT treatment, similar in character to clinically used class solutions. Results indicate that the pencil-beam algorithm fails to correctly model the relative dose distribution surrounding the air cavity, leading to an overestimate of the target coverage. The collapsed-cone and Monte Carlo results are very similar, indicating that the clinical collapsed-cone algorithm is perfectly sufficient for routine clinical use. The gel measurement shows generally good agreement with the collapsed-cone and Monte Carlo calculated dose, particularly in the spinal cord dose and nodal target coverage, thus giving greater confidence in the use of this class solution.