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Background: Recent evidence indicates that a preoperative warm-up is a potentially useful tool in facilitating performance. But what factors drive such improvements and how should a warm-up be implemented?Methods: In order to address these issues, we adopted a two-pronged approach: (1) we conducted a systematic review of the literature to identify existing studies utilising preoperative simulation techniques; (2) we performed task analysis to identify the constituent parts of effective warm-ups. We identified five randomised control trials, four randomised cross-over trials and four case series. The majority of these studies reviewed surgical performance following preoperative simulation relative to performance without simulation.Results: Four studies reported outcome measures in real patients and the remainder reported simulated outcome measures. All but one of the studies found that preoperative simulation improves operative outcomes-but this improvement was not found across all measured parameters. While the reviewed studies had a number of methodological issues, the global data indicate that preoperative simulation has substantial potential to improve surgical performance. Analysis of the task characteristics of successful interventions indicated that the majority of these studies employed warm-ups that focused on the visual motor elements of surgery. However, there was no theoretical or empirical basis to inform the design of the intervention in any of these studies.Conclusions: There is an urgent need for a more rigorous approach to the development of "warm-up" routines if the potential value of preoperative simulation is to be understood and realised. We propose that such interventions need to be grounded in theory and empirical evidence on human motor performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current methods of measuring gross motor abilities in children involve either high-cost specialist apparatus that is unsuitable for use in schools, or low-cost but nonoptimal observational measures. We describe the development of a low-cost system that is capable of providing high-quality objective data for the measurement of head movements and postural sway. This system is based on off-the-shelf components available for the Nintendo Wii: (1) The infrared cameras in a pair of WiiMotes are used to track head movements by resolving the position of infrared-emitting diodes in three dimensions, and (2) center-of-pressure data are captured using the WiiFit Balance board. This allows the assessment of children in school settings, and thus provides a mechanism for identifying children with neurological problems affecting posture. In order to test the utility of the system, we installed the apparatus in two schools to determine whether we could collect meaningful data on hundreds of children in a short time period. The system was successfully deployed in each school over a week, and data were collected on all of the children within the school buildings at the time of testing ( N = 269). The data showed reliable effects of age and viewing condition, as predicted from previous small-scale studies that had used specialist apparatus to measure childhood posture. Thus, our system has the potential to allow screening of children for gross postural deficits in a manner that has never previously been possible. It follows that our system opens up the possibility of conducting large-scale behavioral studies concerning the development of posture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the reliability of estimates of static respiratory system compliance (Crs) made by junior hospital doctors caring for ventilated newborn infants.Design: A prospective comparison of junior doctors' estimates of Crs to the Crs measured immediately afterwards.Setting: A regional neonatal intensive care nursery in Edinburgh, Scotland.Patients: 46 ventilated newborn infants.Measurements and Results: Crs was estimated by three grades of junior doctor (Senior House Officer, Registrar and Research Fellow) using two different methods, (i) based on visual assessment of tidal volume in relation to inflation pressure (optical Crs) and (ii) directly using a visual analogue scale (analogue Crs). The Crs was then measured immediately afterwards using the single breath passive expiratory flow technique. The differences between the estimates and the measurements were calculated for each grade of observer and plotted against the corresponding measurements. The relationship between estimates and measurements was also expressed in terms of the coefficients of determination r2 calculated by least squares regression. With both methods of estimation observers tended to overestimate the Crs of infants with lower measured Crs and underestimate that of infants with higher measured Crs with many estimates differing from the measurements by more than 50%. Values of r2 ranged from 0.086 to 0.481 indicating a weak relationship between the estimates and the measurements.Conclusions: Junior doctors' estimates of Crs were unreliable and did not represent a useful method of assessing respiratory function. The clinical use of compliance measurements merits wider evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning to write requires the repeated manual production of spatial patterns. It remains unclear whether tracing or copying provides better training: tracing provides accurate and immediate performance feedback, whereas copying may require greater use of memory and recall during training. We asked sixteen adults to copy or trace novel patterns then reproduce these from memory using a stylus and tablet PC. A week later, a retention test was performed. Sophisticated analyses indexed the extent to which participants had learned the dimensions and shape of patterns. We found that participants: (a) showed better shape and dimensional accuracy when tracing; (b) had better shape and dimensional retention immediately after tracing; (c) showed no differences between copying and tracing in their ability to redraw the pattern (shape or dimensions) 1 week later. Our methods provide a useful starting point for examining training and feedback on the generation and recall of spatial patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Looking at the inside edge of the road when steering a bend seems to be a well-established strategy linked to using a feature called the tangent point. An alternative proposal suggests that the gaze patterns observed when steering result from looking at the points in the world through which one wishes to pass. In this explanation fixation on or near the tangent point results from trying to take a trajectory that cuts the corner. To test these accounts, we recorded gaze and steering when taking different paths along curved roadways. Participants could gauge and maintain their lateral distance, but crucially, gaze was predominantly directed to the region proximal to the desired path rather than toward the tangent point per se. These results show that successful control of high-speed locomotion requires fixations in the direction you want to steer rather than using a single road feature like the tangent point. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stereopsis and its role in dental practice has been a topic of debate in recent editions of this Journal. These discussions are particularly timely as they come at a point when virtual reality simulators are becoming increasingly popular in the education of tomorrow's dentists. The aim of this article is to discuss the lack of robust empirical evidence to ascertain the relationship (if any) between stereopsis and dentistry and to build a case for the need for further research to build a strong evidence base on the topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]