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Biomedical subjects

W A Rogers

Publications and source records attributed to W A Rogers.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Written language comprehension in younger and older adults.

This study examined the effects of text genre and repeated reading on written language comprehension in younger (M = 21 years) and older (M = 72 years) healthy adults (N = 54). Participants verified four text-based statements (i.e., explicit, implicit, contradictory, and elaborated) after reading expository, narrative, and procedural texts. Verification accuracy was comparable for both age groups; however, text genre, statement-type, and repeated reading produced significant effects. Expository passages, explicit and implicit statements, and repeated reading yielded superior results. Procedural passages and contradictory and elaborated statements yielded less accurate results. Statement-types invoked multiple levels of cognitive representation across text genres and age groups. Overall, reading time was significantly faster for younger adults, and reading times were significantly faster for both age groups during the repeated reading trial. Text genre also influenced reading time, with expository passages read faster than narrative and procedural passages. These findings suggest the appreciable influences of text genre and repeated reading on measures of text processing and comprehension in healthy adults, irrespective of age.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

An alternative technique for mandibular advancement prosthesis fabrication.

One of the conservative and successful modalities of treatment for obstructive sleep apnea is the mandibular advancement prosthesis. This prosthesis engages teeth on both dental arches for retention and stability. This article describes a technique that allows the fabrication of such a prosthesis in one piece and in a single laboratory step. This may be beneficial in reducing the laboratory time required for fabrication of such a prosthesis.

Dental Prosthesis Design↗
PubMed1998

Functional limitations to daily living tasks in the aged: a focus group analysis.

We assessed constraints on daily living of 59 healthy, active adults 65-88 years of age in focus group interviews. Individual comments about specific problems were coded along the dimensions of (a) the locus of the problem (motor, visual, auditory, cognitive, external, or health limitations); (b) the activity involved (e.g., transportation, leisure, housekeeping); (c) whether the problem was attributable to task difficulty or the perception of risk; and (d) response to limitations (perseverance, cessation, compensation, or self-improvement). The data provide information about the types of difficulties encountered in everyday activities as well as the way in which individuals respond to such difficulties. Each comment was also coded in terms of whether it was remediable via training, design changes, or some combination of the two. More than half of the problems that were reported had the potential to be improved in some way, thus providing direction for future research in human factors and aging. Actual or potential applications of this research include identifying problems and difficulties that older adults encounter in daily activities such as transportation and leisure; more specifically, determining the degree to which such problems are potentially remediable by human factors solutions. Applications of this research also include understanding the types of systems, products, and technologies that older adults interact with currently, or are interested in learning to use.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1998

Neoergasilus japonicus (Poecilostomatoida: Ergasilidae), a parasitic copepod new to North America.

Adult, gravid female Neoergasilus japonicus Harada, 1930 are described from several species of fish from Lee County, Alabama. Samples of bluegill Lepomis macrochirus Rafinesque (n = 25), largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides Lacépéde (n = 6), redear sunfish Lepomis microlophus Gunther (n = 5), and channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus Rafinesque (n = 1) were collected between November 1993 and May 1995. Prevalence of infection was 100% in all fish collected. The dorsal fin was the site of infection containing the highest number of parasites and the anal fin showed the highest frequency of infection. Morphological comparisons are made between this report and previous descriptions, and disparities among them are indicated. New hosts for N. japonicus include largemouth bass, channel catfish, and redear sunfish. This report is the first North American record for the genus Neoergasilus.

Alabama↗
PubMed1997

An analysis of automatic teller machine usage by older adults: a structured interview approach.

It is often assumed that automatic teller machines (ATMs) are inherently easy to use and require no training. However, there is evidence to suggest that ATM users do experience difficulty when learning to use the system. The purpose of the present study was to conduct an in-depth analysis of ATM usage by older adults. Our approach consisted of telephone interviews followed by structured individual interviews. The goals were to understand the problems encountered by ATM users, to determine how ATMs might be better designed and to assess the training needs of older individuals. The phone interview data provide information about the relationships between age, sex and ATM usage within the adult sample, as well as information about why some people choose not to use ATMs. The structured interview data provide a more in-depth view of the concerns of both users and non-users, and information about training needs. The training and design implications of the results are discussed.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Do performance strategies mediate age-related differences in associative learning?

Associative learning is a basic component of most learning tasks and has been shown to decline with age. The authors examined associative learning for younger and older adults by using a noun-pair task. Interim testing and prior practice on a similar task were the manipulated variables. Participants were encouraged to use an efficient retrieval strategy. Interim tests provided the motivation to learn the information, whereas prior practice on a similar task was presumed to make the task easier. The authors examined these variables both independently and interactively. For younger adults, performance benefited little from prior practice but did benefit from interim testing. For older adults, interim tests were beneficial for development of a retrieval strategy irrespective of prior training. Prior training proved beneficial for development of a retrieval strategy in the absence of interim tests. Thus, task parameters influenced the performance strategy (and learning), especially of older adults.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Automatic process development following severe closed head injury.

Automatic process development was investigated in a closed head injury (CHI) population. Ten severe CHI participants (> 1 year postinjury) and 10 matched controls completed consistent mapping (CM) and varied mapping (VM) semantic-category memory search tasks. In VM search, despite a similar pattern of serial memory search, the CHI participants responded slower than controls and exhibited slower memory search rates throughout practice (1,800 trials). In CM search, after extensive practice (1,800 trials) both groups showed the performance characteristics indicative of automatic process development, that is, near-zero slopes and large reductions in response times. However, the CHI participants were slower to automatize the task. These results indicate that for memory-based search tasks the effects of a CHI may slow down the speed with which automatic processes develop but that CHI participants can acquire and use automatic processes in task performance.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Automatic category search and its transfer: aging, type of search, and level of learning.

We examined the site of learning as a function of task type and age. Two experiments examined whether learning in semantic category search is exclusive to trained elements of categories or generalizable to other elements of the trained categories. Specifically, we examined how practice searching for small subsets of exemplars from taxonomic categories transferred to untrained elements of those categories. Young and old adults received extensive practice on memory search (Experiment 1) or visual search (Experiment 2) tasks. Participants then transferred to conditions assessing whether learning was exclusive to the trained words or generalizable to other elements of the trained categories. The site of learning in memory search appears to be at the category level for both young and old adults. Level of learning in visual search appears to differ as a function of age. Young adults' learning generalizes to the category level, whereas older adults' learning is specific to the trained words.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Redescription of Myxobolus paralintoni (Myxosporea:Myxobolidae), with notes regarding new host and locality.

Myxobolus paralintoni Li and Desser, 1985, is redescribed from infected cardiac tissue of redbreast sunfish. Lepomis auritus Linnaeus, from the Potomac River in Montgomery County, Maryland. Mature and developing spores were contained within trophozoites from the collagenous connective tissues of the bulbus arteriosus. Two distinct trophozoites types were found; a thick-walled cyst and a relatively thin-walled "compartmentalized" cyst. Mature spores measure 11.7 13.5 microns in length and 9.0-10.6 microns in width. Polar capsule length and width are 4.5-6.5 microns and 2.7-3.8 microns, respectively, with no intercapsular process present. The sutural ridge had 8-11 triangular folds and the sporoplasm contained a large iodinophilous vacuole. Spores of M. paralintoni are compared with other morphologically similar species of Myxobolus reported from North America.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

A systematic review of empirical research into ethics in general practice.

Much of the bioethical literature addresses the problems of tertiary medicine, with little attention to the daily concerns of general practitioners (GPs). The present review assesses the current state of research into the range and nature of ethical issues for GPs, looking specifically at the content of the research, the methods employed, and the philosophical framework of the research. A systematic search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Sociofile identified nine articles which form the basis for this review. The majority of the research reviewed here is quantitative in nature, using hypothetical cases with closed questions and categorical responses. No consistently significant variables were identified. Decisions appear to be inconsistent in terms of theoretical models and moral psychology. Ethical issues of concern to GPs differed from those commonly reported in the bioethical literature. There is a paucity of research into the ethical concerns of general practice. The existing body of research is quantitative in nature, leaving many unanswered questions concerning the reasons behind the decisions of GPs. There is a need for qualitative studies to further our understanding of this area.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1997

Aesthetic considerations for maxillary obturators retained by implants.

Maxillary obturators are prostheses used to replace maxillary tissues, missing congenitally or removed by trauma or tumor ablative surgery. These prostheses are used to restore function (speech, swallowing, and mastication) and aesthetics. A considerable number of edentulous patients have difficulty in retaining this type of prosthesis. Utilization of osseointegrated dental implants is a significant adjunct in treating these cases, but it must be undertaken with careful planning to ensure predictable aesthetic results. The learning objective of this article is to discuss the technique of designing aesthetic maxillary prostheses supported by osseointegrated dental implants. The discussion includes indications and contraindications, and a postcarcinoma surgery case is used to illustrate the clinical procedure.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗
PubMed1997

The milled implant-supported prosthesis: a treatment alternative for the edentulous mandible.

The milled implant-supported prosthesis offers the benefits of fixed and removable restorations. Its infrastructure provides the same rigidity as the fixed restoration, due to the precise fit to the superstructure that is removable to promote adequate access for hygiene, yet provides lip support and maintains close contact with the soft tissues. These advantages enhance phonetics, aesthetics, correct lip support, and maintenance. The learning objective of this article is to discuss the indications for milled implant-supported restorations, review the scientific background of materials and techniques utilized, and describe the clinical and laboratory procedures involved. An uncomplicated and cost-effective impression technique is outlined, and the numerous steps of infra- and superstructure fabrication are presented.

Dental Casting Technique↗
PubMed1996

Training older adults to use automatic teller machines.

The present study assessed the success of several instructional programs in teaching the use of automatic teller machines (ATMs). Fifty-six older adults (aged 61 to 81) participated in the study, randomly assigned to each of four, 14-member groups. The description group received only a general overview of an ATM; the text guide group received written instructions for performing various transactions on an ATM; the pictorial guide group received written instructions accompanied by pictures of corresponding ATM screens; and the online tutorial group completed a step-by-step tutorial on a simulated ATM. Participants practiced on an ATM simulator. They were tested after a 24-h interval on their ability to perform familiar transactions on an unfamiliar ATM simulator and to perform completely novel transactions. Accuracy was best for the online tutorial group, intermediate for the text and pictorial guide groups, and worst for the description group. These data demonstrate both the importance of providing older adults with ATM training and the fact that the type of training influences the level of performance. The online tutorial, which provided specific practice on the task components, best facilitated acquisition and transfer performance.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1996

Age-related differences in perceptual learning.

The present study investigated age-related differences in perceptual learning. We assessed performance and learning on a semantic category visual search task. We investigated whether prepractice was beneficial for general learning and for automatic attention response development. In terms of general learning, prepractice was beneficial, especially for older adults; however, prepractice did not benefit automatic attention response development. The implications of these results for training purposes are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

A survey of automatic teller machine usage across the adult life span.

The purpose of this study was to analyze automatic teller machine (ATM) usage across the adult life span. We conducted an extensive survey of 9000 people in the Memphis and Atlanta metropolitan areas. Approximately 17% of those people responded. The survey assessed detailed demographic information, experience with technology in general, experience specifically related to ATMs, problems and dislikes with ATMs, and reasons that people do not use ATMs. The survey provided a valuable set of data. First, we have detailed information about the demographics and individual characteristics of ATM users and nonusers; importantly, these data are stratified across the adult life span. In addition, we know the likes and dislikes of ATM users and the types of problems they typically have using ATMs. Moreover, we have detailed analysis of why adults of all ages may choose not to use ATMs. Training and design implications of these data are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Maxillary definitive obturators: rationale of design.

Maxillary definitive obturators are usually fabricated for patients who have an acquired defect. The obturators help patients with speech, swallowing, mastication, esthetics and psychological well-being. The main goals in restoring a maxillary defect with a completely edentulous or partially dentate obturator are to provide adequate retention, increased stability and strong vertical support. This article addresses the step-by-step fabrication of a maxillary obturator that meets these goals.

Dental Implantation, Endosseous↗
PubMed1994

Mechanisms underlying reduction in Stroop interference with practice for young and old adults.

Age-related factors in the reduction of Stroop interference with practice were examined in 3 studies. Young and old adults received extensive practice on a modified version of the Stroop task. Both groups showed reduced interference on the Stroop task with practice. Results suggest that young adults' reduction in Stroop interference was due to general task factors plus the development of a reading suppression response. The old adults' reduction in Stroop interference was attributed primarily to general task factors. Results indicate that old adults have greater difficulty than young adults in developing new automatic processes and modifying existing automatic processes. The implication of these findings for current models of Stroop interference is that, in addition to automatic processing, attentional mechanisms must be incorporated to account for the age-related differences.

Adolescent↗