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David Patterson

Publications and source records attributed to David Patterson.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Finger coordination in persons with Down syndrome: atypical patterns of coordination and the effects of practice.

The study addresses an issue of possible relations between the apparent "clumsiness" of persons with Down syndrome (DS) and changes in indices of finger coordination. We hypothesized that persons with DS would prefer less challenging, safer motor strategies reflected in finger coordination patterns. Maximal single- and multi-finger force production (MVC) tasks and multi-finger tasks that required the production of a controlled time pattern (ramp) of total force were studied. As compared to typical persons, persons with DS showed lower peak forces, lower force deficit (loss of finger force in multi-finger tasks as compared to single-finger tasks), and higher enslaving (involuntary force production by fingers that are not required to produce force). They showed higher variance of total force computed across several trials for ramp tasks. Their total force variance was higher than the sum of the variances of individual finger forces over the ramp duration, while in control participants the relation was opposite during the middle and late thirds of the ramp. Persons with DS practiced force production tasks over 3 days, one group practicing only one of the tasks (the ramp task with all four fingers acting together) while the other group practiced MVC and ramp tasks (variable practice). Practice led to an increase in MVC, force deficit, and enslaving. The relation between the total force variance and the sum of the variances of individual finger forces became closer to the one observed in typical persons. The effects of practice were more pronounced in the variable practice group. We conclude that persons with DS have a deficit in control of both single fingers and multi-finger groups. They use a less challenging, suboptimal strategy of multi-finger coordination which does not take advantage of the possibility of error compensation among the fingers. Practice is an effective way of improving finger coordination in DS, particularly when using variable tasks.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Indigenous men taking their rightful place in society? A preliminary analysis of a participatory action research process with Yarrabah Men's Health Group.

Men's groups are increasingly being accepted as an important strategy in improving health and well-being, especially in Indigenous communities. However, it is hard to find systematic documentation and evaluation of such initiatives in the literature. This paper analyses the formative stages of a participatory action research (PAR) process which aims to engage and support the members of the Yarrabah Men's Health Group plan, implement and evaluate their activities. Data for the paper are based on a combination of a review of relevant literature, analysis of project documentation, participant observation and discussion and reflection with the participants of the men's group. The paper highlights the importance of (a) using a reflective approach, such as PAR, to engage men's support groups to clearly define the principles and values which both define them and to which they aspire and (b) personal development, education and employment, as a prerequisite for Indigenous men taking greater control and responsibility for their lives. These types of micro-level studies have important implications for the way community development is perceived and approached in Indigenous settings. There are also implications for the roles that academic researchers can play in supporting and adding value to community-driven initiatives to the mutual benefit of both parties.

Community Health Planning↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Corpora analyses of frequency of schwa deletion in conversational American English.

This study utilized two conversational speech databases to generate statistics about the frequency of occurrence of schwa deletion. Overall, the results showed a low frequency of schwa deletion in conversational American English. We investigated a number of factors that could have a potential effect on the propensity to delete schwa. The most pervasive factor was stress environment (pre-stress vs. post-stress), which showed a greater frequency of schwa deletion in the post-stress environment. The results are discussed with reference to processing spoken words and the role for corpus statistics in constraining models of word recognition.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A tribute to Dr. Theodore T. Puck (September 24, 1916-November 6, 2005).

Dr. Theodore T. Puck, a pioneer in mammalian cell culture, somatic cell genetics, and the study of human genetic diseases, passed away in 2005. In tribute to Dr. Puck, In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology-Animal presents invited remembrances from four colleagues whose associations with Dr. Puck spanned 51 years.

Animals↗