An in vitro comparison of a 2.7/3.5 mm hybrid plate alone and combined with crossed K-wires for canine pancarpal arthrodesis.

Several techniques have been described for canine pancarpal arthrodesis (PCA) with dorsal plating becoming the most accepted method for ease of placement despite the proposed biomechanical disadvantages. The aim of this study was to compare the biomechanical effects of the addition of crossed K-wires to a standard 2.7/3.5 mm hybrid PCA plate. A 2.7/3.5 mm hybrid PCA plate, alone and combined with crossed K-wires were tested. Six pairs of cadaver forelimbs were collected from medium-sized dogs with an average weight of 24 kg by elbow disarticulation. The limbs were potted and fixed in an Instron load cell (Instron, High Wycombe, UK) and axially loaded to failure. Load displacement data and mode of failure were recorded and stiffness, yield load and ultimate load at failure were calculated. The yield load (kN) of the plate and K-wire construct (1.278+/-0.11) was significantly higher than for the plate construct alone (1.002+/-0.07) (p=0.00056). However, the differences between the two constructs in stiffness and failure loads were not significant.

Pathological fractures secondary to metaphyseal osteopathy in a dog.

A four-month-old German Shepherd Dog (GSD) was admitted with bilateral non-weight bearing hindlimb lameness and pyrexia. A diagnosis of bilateral distal femoral fractures secondary to metaphyseal osteopathy was made on the basis of clinical signs, radiography and biopsy. The dog returned to normal function following conservative management. As far as the authors are aware there are no previous reports of pathological fractures secondary to this condition.

Retrospective evaluation of the long-term outcome of non-surgical management of 74 dogs with clinical hip dysplasia.

The long-term outcome for dogs treated non-surgically for clinical signs of canine hip dysplasia were evaluated retrospectively; 74 dogs were evaluated by a postal questionnaire sent to their owners, and 24 of these were also evaluated by a veterinary clinical examination. A total of 11 outcome variables were evaluated. Depending on the variable assessed, between 31 (41.9 per cent) and 49 (66.2 per cent) of the dogs remained clinically affected according to their owner's assessment, and between 17 (70.8 per cent) and 23 (95.8 per cent) of the 24 dogs had abnormalities attributed to hip osteoarthritis according to the veterinary assessment. Orthopaedic abnormalities other than hip dysplasia affected 17 of the 24 dogs. Long-term medications had been prescribed for the treatment of clinical signs associated with hip dysplasia in 41 of the 74 dogs.

Toward the simulation of emotion in synthetic speech: a review of the literature on human vocal emotion.

There has been considerable research into perceptible correlates of emotional state, but a very limited amount of the literature examines the acoustic correlates and other relevant aspects of emotion effects in human speech; in addition, the vocal emotion literature is almost totally separate from the main body of speech analysis literature. A discussion of the literature describing human vocal emotion, and its principal findings, are presented. The voice parameters affected by emotion are found to be of three main types: voice quality, utterance timing, and utterance pitch contour. These parameters are described both in general and in detail for a range of specific emotions. Current speech synthesizer technology is such that many of the parameters of human speech affected by emotion could be manipulated systematically in synthetic speech to produce a simulation of vocal emotion; application of the literature to construction of a system capable of producing synthetic speech with emotion is discussed.

The effect of tick control on the prevalence of dermatophilosis on indigenous cattle in Ghana.

The effectiveness of three tick control regimes on the occurrence of Amblyomma variegatum and dermatophilosis on cattle on the coastal plains of Ghana were compared. Animals at one kraal were sprayed with amitraz at predilection feeding sites of ticks every second week using a high concentration minimum volume technique. Animals at two other kraals were treated with a deltamethrin based pour-on acaricide; at one kraal it was applied once every month while at the other kraal it was used at strategic times based on the expected seasonal increases in the level of infestation with A. variegatum. Animals in a fourth kraal (control group) were treated, by the herdsmen, to control excessive tick build-up as practised under traditional management systems. Fortnightly treatment with amitraz reduced the level of infestation with A. variegatum and the prevalence of dermatophilosis dropped to a low level. The pour-on acaricide similarly depressed the prevalence of dermatophilosis.

A survey of the communication-impaired population of Tayside.

There are few published surveys that are designed specifically to describe the total population of clients with communication disorders who might potentially benefit from the use of a communication aid. Such data, however, would be useful in planning the funding and staffing of rehabilitation services in a region. Figures are also needed to identify populations whose needs are currently not being met and thus to establish areas of future developments both for service and research purposes. The survey reported here was carried out as part of a project concerned with the provision of augmentative communication to the neurologically impaired child and young adult. It was intended to produce a broad description of the communication-impaired population in Tayside. The survey was then used to identify detailed information about clients who may benefit from using a communication aid, and it also highlighted some provision and research issues. Access to communication aids for the non-speaking population was found to have been restricted by lack of funding, resources and opportunities for training for therapists in the use of augmentative and alternative communication. Future research and development should particularly address the needs of the aphasic population whose needs were not found to be met by currently available communication aids.

The therapeutic applications of computerised games.

Microcomputers have great potential in therapeutic environments, but, if they are to achieve this potential, they need appropriate software (programs). This paper examines the ideas behind games software and the relevance of commercially available software to therapy. It recommends that specially designed programs are needed and lays down some guidelines for the design and development of such software.

Operator error performance and keyboard evaluation in Palantype machine shorthand.

The output of a Palantype shorthand machine can be processed and displayed electronically to provide a simultaneous transcript of speech for the deaf. Operator errors have been identified as the most important factor limiting the legibility of the output text. Tests performed on Palantype machines have shown that large variations in error performance can result from mechanical differences between machines and from maladjustment of the switches fitted to them. Keyboards using commercially available keyswitches have therefore been designed to replace the Palantype machine itself as an input device for this application and hence to minimise operator errors. This paper discusses the design features of a replacement keyboard and presents the results of a series of experiments to compare the performance of three possible keyboards with both 'good' and 'poor' examples of conventional mechanical Palantype machine with electrical switches fitted.

A comparison of palantype and stenograph for use in a speech transcription aid for the deaf.

In spite of considerable reasearch over many years in the field of automatic speech recognition (Underwood, 1977), practical devices capable of recognising unrestricted speech remain as science fiction rather than fact. Simultaneous display of speech as an aid for the deaf has however, been accomplished using manual data input devices (Newell and King, 1977; Newell, 1978; Downton and Newell; Fox et al, 1975; Hayward, 1978). In this application shorthand typing machines have been used, because only they can keep pace with speech (Seibel, 1964). Two possible machines are currently available for English Transcriptions; the Palantype (a British device) and the Stenograph (an American device). They are both based on the same fundamental principles, but differ mechanically and in the typing conventions they use. These differences suggest that one machine may be superior to the other as an input device for an aid for the deaf. This paper compares the two shorthand systems with a view to their potential use in a system providing a simultaneous transcript of speech for the deaf.