R Robertson | Utah State University (original) (raw)

Papers by R Robertson

British Journal of Cancer, 2004

Stage at diagnosis and survival from cancer vary according to where people live, suggesting some ... more Stage at diagnosis and survival from cancer vary according to where people live, suggesting some may have delays in diagnosis. The aim of this study was to determine if time from presentation to treatment was longer for colorectal and breast cancer patients living further from cancer centres, and identify other important factors in delay. Data were collected on 1097 patients with breast and 1223 with colorectal cancer in north and northeast Scotland. Women with breast cancer who lived further from cancer centres were treated more quickly than those living closer to cancer centres (P ¼ 0.011). Multilevel modelling found that this was largely due to them receiving earlier treatment at hospitals other than cancer centres. Breast lump, change in skin contour, lymphadenopathy, more symptoms and signs, and increasing age predicted faster treatment. Screen detected cancers and private referrals were treated more quickly. For colorectal cancer, time to treatment was similar for people in rural and urban areas. Quicker treatment was associated with palpable rectal or abdominal masses, tenesmus, abdominal pain, frequent GP consultations, age between 50 and 74 years, tumours of the transverse colon, and iron medication at presentation. Delay was associated with past anxiety or depression. There was variation between general practices and treatment appeared quicker at practices with more female general practitioners.

Canadian Medical Association journal, Jan 5, 1964

FOR PURPOSES OF CORRECT TREATMENT IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT PATIENTS WITH COMPLETE ATRIOV... more FOR PURPOSES OF CORRECT TREATMENT IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT PATIENTS WITH COMPLETE ATRIOVENTRICULAR DISSOCIATION FALL INTO THREE GROUPS: Group I-established third-degree heart block with and without Stokes-Adams attacks; Group II-periodic third-degree heart block with and without Stokes-Adams attacks; Group III-established third-degree heart block with cardiac failure. Most patients in Group I present no technical problems when a pacemaker is implanted. In Group II it is advisable to insert a temporary intracardiac catheter electrode and maintain a rate of 60 to 64 during the periods of third-degree heart block. Sudden reversion, in this group, from sinus rhythm can be fatal. Group III patients will often require a pacemaker set in excess of 74 beats until they are free of cardiac failure. Fifteen of 20 patients with complete atrioventricular dissociation showed marked functional improvement after insertion of a pacemaker. The development, in our laboratory, of a 4''...

Canadian Medical Association journal, 1956

Respiratory care, 1989

The development of an expanded understanding of employees' reaction to their job may be impor... more The development of an expanded understanding of employees' reaction to their job may be important for improvement in the quality of work life and of services rendered. We sought to determine the factors, or rewards, that significantly affect respiratory therapists' job satisfaction. Questionnaires designed to elicit responses related to job satisfaction and demographic information were mailed to a random sample of registered respiratory therapists in 9 southeastern states. The Job Descriptive Index (JDI) was used to measure facets of and total job satisfaction. The independent variables used were: Satisfaction with Work on the Job, Supervision, Promotion Opportunities, Pay, and People on the Job. Satisfaction with Work on the Job (p = 0.0001, F = 39.1) and with Supervision (p = 0.005, F = 8.48) were the only variables that significantly affected the job satisfaction scores of respiratory therapists. Because satisfaction with work on the job and supervision seem to be rewards...

IEEE Nuclear Science Symposuim & Medical Imaging Conference, 2010

ABSTRACT We are investigating the performance of a LYSO-solid state photomultiplier (SSPM) based ... more ABSTRACT We are investigating the performance of a LYSO-solid state photomultiplier (SSPM) based PET detector in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner to exploit the potential advantage of a combined PET/MRI system. SSPMs are compact, have high gain at low bias, fast response time and they are insensitive to magnetic fields which makes them very attractive for combined PET/MRI applications. A PET detector was built by coupling a 4×4 LYSO array with each element 1.5×1.5×20 mm3 to the matching 4×4 SSPM array mounted on a non magnetic substrate and was positioned in the annulus between the RF and the gradient coils of 7T Bruker Biospec MRI system. Data was taken inside and outside the magnet, and when inside the magnet with Spin Echo and Gradient Echo pulse sequences on. The flood images were compared with the once recorded outside and inside with MRI sequences. No effects of either the static magnetic field, or the running of pulse sequences were observed. The energy resolution measured was 16% (FWHM) at 511 keV for the complete detector module. No change in the location of the photopeak was observed with and without the MRI sequences running. The measured energy resolution remained unchanged, suggesting that there was no significant loss in signal amplitude. A structured cylindrical MR phantom containing water was imaged to assess the effect of the LYSO-SSPM detector on the MR data acquisition. No obvious artifacts were observed in the resulting phantom images when compared with the ones acquired without the PET detector. Results shows that the direct coupled SSPM-LYSO detector works with no significant effects in the 7T magnet, both from the PET and MRI perspective.

Science, 1981

An identified interneuron in the lobster commissural ganglia fires spikes only between membrane p... more An identified interneuron in the lobster commissural ganglia fires spikes only between membrane potential values of-60 and-30 millivolts. The membrane potential of this neuron can also oscillate, and interaction between these-two properties has important implications in determining the firing pattern of the neuron itself and the modalities of driving of a distant postsynaptic neuron.

Physical Review C, 2007

A significant decay branch of 8 B to the ground state of 8 Be would extend the solar neutrino spe... more A significant decay branch of 8 B to the ground state of 8 Be would extend the solar neutrino spectrum to higher energies than anticipated in the standard solar models. These high-energy neutrinos would affect current neutrino oscillation results and also would be a background to measurements of the hep process. We have measured the delayed alpha particles from the decay of 8 B, with the goal of observing the two 46-keV alpha particles arising from the ground-state decay. The 8 B was produced using an in-flight radioactive beam technique. It was implanted in a silicon PIN-diode detector that was capable of identifying the alpha-particles from the 8 Be ground state. From this measurement we find an upper limit (at 90% confidence level) of 7.3 × 10 −5 for the branching ratio to the ground state. In addition to describing this measurement, we present a theoretical calculation for this branching ratio.

Neuroscience, 2006

It is traditional to believe that neurons in primary visual cortex are sensitive only or principa... more It is traditional to believe that neurons in primary visual cortex are sensitive only or principally to stimulation within a spatially restricted receptive field (classical receptive field). It follows from this that they should only be capable of encoding the direction of stimulus movement orthogonal to the local contour, since this is the only information available in their classical receptive field "aperture." This direction is not necessarily the same as the motion of the entire object, as the direction cue within an aperture is ambiguous to the global direction of motion, which can only be derived by integrating with unambiguous components of the object. Recent results, however, show that primary visual cortex neurons can integrate spatially and temporally distributed cues outside the classical receptive field, and so we reexamined whether primary visual cortex neurons suffer the "aperture problem." With the stimulation of an optimally oriented bar drifting across the classical receptive field in different global directions, here we show that a subpopulation of primary visual cortex neurons (25/81) recorded from anesthetized and paralyzed marmosets is capable of integrating informative unambiguous direction cues presented by the bar ends, well outside their classical receptive fields, to encode global motion direction. Although the stimuli within the classical receptive field were identical, their directional responses were significantly modulated according to the global direction of stimulus movement. Hence, some primary visual cortex neurons are not local motion energy filters, but may encode signals that contribute directly to global motion processing.

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 1998

Journal of European Studies, 1999

Journal of European Studies, 2000

Tribology Letters, 2000

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are a key technology for small-scale satellites, integrated... more Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are a key technology for small-scale satellites, integrated sensors, and intelligent control systems. However, a major limitation for Si-based systems involving tribological components is their inability to withstand prolonged sliding surface contact that results in high wear and causes them to fail within minutes of operation. Our aim is to protect the Si surfaces with wear-resistant coatings.

Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 1992

We have completed a neutron powder diffraction study of four PdD~ materials: palladium metal, a-P... more We have completed a neutron powder diffraction study of four PdD~ materials: palladium metal, a-PdD~ and two samples of fl-PdDo.e. We measured the lattice constants and Debye-Waller factors at several temperatures between 15 and 300 K. This information was analyzed to yield thermal expansion data and atom-specific Debye temperatures for each of the samples. We were unable to locate the deuterium atoms in a-PdD~.

European Journal of Surgical Oncology (EJSO), 2009

a copy of the page documenting the decision-making process. This study was done to assess patient... more a copy of the page documenting the decision-making process. This study was done to assess patient's level of knowledge of their consent pre-operatively. We compared elective cancer surgery with benign surgery. Method: A prospective data collection was done. The cancer group was breast and colon cancer (40 patients). The non-cancer group were laparoscopic cholecystectomy and hernia repair patients (40 patients). The patients were asked: On arrival-Could they name any potential complications from the procedure they were undertaking. Post-operatively-To recall the complications on their consent form. Results: The results show that the cancer patients have better prior knowledge of their consent than the non-cancer patients.

European Journal of Surgical Oncology (EJSO), 2009

tumours and 87.6% of malignant tumours. Two patients (0.4%) experienced complications that requir... more tumours and 87.6% of malignant tumours. Two patients (0.4%) experienced complications that required hospitalisation after core needle biopsy. Conclusion: Core needle biopsy interpreted by a specialist sarcoma pathologist provides accurate diagnostic information to determine the appropriate treatment plan. Core needle biopsy is associated with low risk of complications and obviates the need for an open incision biopsy. Core needle biopsy should be the method of choice to obtain an accurate pathological diagnosis in suspected soft tissue tumours. P17. Diagnostic precision of positron emission tomography compared to conventional diagnostic investigation in diagnosing recurrent colorectal cancer

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 1992

Purpose: The effect on gastric emptying of brief intermittent high-intensity sprints and a modera... more Purpose: The effect on gastric emptying of brief intermittent high-intensity sprints and a moderate-intensity steady-state cycle exercise was studied. Methods: Eight healthy male subjects were each studied at rest (R), during steady-state exercise at a constant power output corresponding to 66% of their V O 2max (C66), during intermittent high-intensity exercise at a power output averaging 66% of their V O 2max (I66), and during intermittent high-intensity exercise at a power output averaging 75% of their V O 2max (I75). Gastric emptying was measured using the double-sampling gastric aspiration technique. Subjects ingested 600 mL of a 6% carbohydrate-electrolyte solution immediately before exercise or seated rest. Results: The volume of test solution in the stomach was less at all time points on trial I66 than on trial I75 (P ϭ 0.023). The rate of gastric emptying, expressed as the median (range) time (minutes) taken to empty half the test meal volume (t 1/2), was not different on trials R (20 (7-30)) and C66 (21 (7-49)), and was faster than on trial I75 (62 (27-100); P ϭ 0.003 and P ϭ 0.005, respectively). Median t 1/2 was faster on trial R than on trial I66 (30 (15-74) min; P ϭ 0.019), but no difference was detected between C66 and I66 or between I66 and I75. However, over the initial 30 min period after ingestion, the median (range) volume of test drink delivered to the duodenum was faster (P Ͻ 0.01) on trials R (387 (296-541) mL) and C66 (389 (165-584) mL) than on trials I66 (331 (191-494) mL) or I75 (249 (79-335) mL). Conclusion: The data demonstrate that gastric emptying of liquids is slowed during brief intermittent high-intensity exercise compared with rest or steady-state moderate exercise.

British Journal of Cancer, 2004

Stage at diagnosis and survival from cancer vary according to where people live, suggesting some ... more Stage at diagnosis and survival from cancer vary according to where people live, suggesting some may have delays in diagnosis. The aim of this study was to determine if time from presentation to treatment was longer for colorectal and breast cancer patients living further from cancer centres, and identify other important factors in delay. Data were collected on 1097 patients with breast and 1223 with colorectal cancer in north and northeast Scotland. Women with breast cancer who lived further from cancer centres were treated more quickly than those living closer to cancer centres (P ¼ 0.011). Multilevel modelling found that this was largely due to them receiving earlier treatment at hospitals other than cancer centres. Breast lump, change in skin contour, lymphadenopathy, more symptoms and signs, and increasing age predicted faster treatment. Screen detected cancers and private referrals were treated more quickly. For colorectal cancer, time to treatment was similar for people in rural and urban areas. Quicker treatment was associated with palpable rectal or abdominal masses, tenesmus, abdominal pain, frequent GP consultations, age between 50 and 74 years, tumours of the transverse colon, and iron medication at presentation. Delay was associated with past anxiety or depression. There was variation between general practices and treatment appeared quicker at practices with more female general practitioners.

Canadian Medical Association journal, Jan 5, 1964

FOR PURPOSES OF CORRECT TREATMENT IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT PATIENTS WITH COMPLETE ATRIOV... more FOR PURPOSES OF CORRECT TREATMENT IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT PATIENTS WITH COMPLETE ATRIOVENTRICULAR DISSOCIATION FALL INTO THREE GROUPS: Group I-established third-degree heart block with and without Stokes-Adams attacks; Group II-periodic third-degree heart block with and without Stokes-Adams attacks; Group III-established third-degree heart block with cardiac failure. Most patients in Group I present no technical problems when a pacemaker is implanted. In Group II it is advisable to insert a temporary intracardiac catheter electrode and maintain a rate of 60 to 64 during the periods of third-degree heart block. Sudden reversion, in this group, from sinus rhythm can be fatal. Group III patients will often require a pacemaker set in excess of 74 beats until they are free of cardiac failure. Fifteen of 20 patients with complete atrioventricular dissociation showed marked functional improvement after insertion of a pacemaker. The development, in our laboratory, of a 4''...

Canadian Medical Association journal, 1956

Respiratory care, 1989

The development of an expanded understanding of employees' reaction to their job may be impor... more The development of an expanded understanding of employees' reaction to their job may be important for improvement in the quality of work life and of services rendered. We sought to determine the factors, or rewards, that significantly affect respiratory therapists' job satisfaction. Questionnaires designed to elicit responses related to job satisfaction and demographic information were mailed to a random sample of registered respiratory therapists in 9 southeastern states. The Job Descriptive Index (JDI) was used to measure facets of and total job satisfaction. The independent variables used were: Satisfaction with Work on the Job, Supervision, Promotion Opportunities, Pay, and People on the Job. Satisfaction with Work on the Job (p = 0.0001, F = 39.1) and with Supervision (p = 0.005, F = 8.48) were the only variables that significantly affected the job satisfaction scores of respiratory therapists. Because satisfaction with work on the job and supervision seem to be rewards...

IEEE Nuclear Science Symposuim & Medical Imaging Conference, 2010

ABSTRACT We are investigating the performance of a LYSO-solid state photomultiplier (SSPM) based ... more ABSTRACT We are investigating the performance of a LYSO-solid state photomultiplier (SSPM) based PET detector in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner to exploit the potential advantage of a combined PET/MRI system. SSPMs are compact, have high gain at low bias, fast response time and they are insensitive to magnetic fields which makes them very attractive for combined PET/MRI applications. A PET detector was built by coupling a 4×4 LYSO array with each element 1.5×1.5×20 mm3 to the matching 4×4 SSPM array mounted on a non magnetic substrate and was positioned in the annulus between the RF and the gradient coils of 7T Bruker Biospec MRI system. Data was taken inside and outside the magnet, and when inside the magnet with Spin Echo and Gradient Echo pulse sequences on. The flood images were compared with the once recorded outside and inside with MRI sequences. No effects of either the static magnetic field, or the running of pulse sequences were observed. The energy resolution measured was 16% (FWHM) at 511 keV for the complete detector module. No change in the location of the photopeak was observed with and without the MRI sequences running. The measured energy resolution remained unchanged, suggesting that there was no significant loss in signal amplitude. A structured cylindrical MR phantom containing water was imaged to assess the effect of the LYSO-SSPM detector on the MR data acquisition. No obvious artifacts were observed in the resulting phantom images when compared with the ones acquired without the PET detector. Results shows that the direct coupled SSPM-LYSO detector works with no significant effects in the 7T magnet, both from the PET and MRI perspective.

Science, 1981

An identified interneuron in the lobster commissural ganglia fires spikes only between membrane p... more An identified interneuron in the lobster commissural ganglia fires spikes only between membrane potential values of-60 and-30 millivolts. The membrane potential of this neuron can also oscillate, and interaction between these-two properties has important implications in determining the firing pattern of the neuron itself and the modalities of driving of a distant postsynaptic neuron.

Physical Review C, 2007

A significant decay branch of 8 B to the ground state of 8 Be would extend the solar neutrino spe... more A significant decay branch of 8 B to the ground state of 8 Be would extend the solar neutrino spectrum to higher energies than anticipated in the standard solar models. These high-energy neutrinos would affect current neutrino oscillation results and also would be a background to measurements of the hep process. We have measured the delayed alpha particles from the decay of 8 B, with the goal of observing the two 46-keV alpha particles arising from the ground-state decay. The 8 B was produced using an in-flight radioactive beam technique. It was implanted in a silicon PIN-diode detector that was capable of identifying the alpha-particles from the 8 Be ground state. From this measurement we find an upper limit (at 90% confidence level) of 7.3 × 10 −5 for the branching ratio to the ground state. In addition to describing this measurement, we present a theoretical calculation for this branching ratio.

Neuroscience, 2006

It is traditional to believe that neurons in primary visual cortex are sensitive only or principa... more It is traditional to believe that neurons in primary visual cortex are sensitive only or principally to stimulation within a spatially restricted receptive field (classical receptive field). It follows from this that they should only be capable of encoding the direction of stimulus movement orthogonal to the local contour, since this is the only information available in their classical receptive field "aperture." This direction is not necessarily the same as the motion of the entire object, as the direction cue within an aperture is ambiguous to the global direction of motion, which can only be derived by integrating with unambiguous components of the object. Recent results, however, show that primary visual cortex neurons can integrate spatially and temporally distributed cues outside the classical receptive field, and so we reexamined whether primary visual cortex neurons suffer the "aperture problem." With the stimulation of an optimally oriented bar drifting across the classical receptive field in different global directions, here we show that a subpopulation of primary visual cortex neurons (25/81) recorded from anesthetized and paralyzed marmosets is capable of integrating informative unambiguous direction cues presented by the bar ends, well outside their classical receptive fields, to encode global motion direction. Although the stimuli within the classical receptive field were identical, their directional responses were significantly modulated according to the global direction of stimulus movement. Hence, some primary visual cortex neurons are not local motion energy filters, but may encode signals that contribute directly to global motion processing.

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 1998

Journal of European Studies, 1999

Journal of European Studies, 2000

Tribology Letters, 2000

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are a key technology for small-scale satellites, integrated... more Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are a key technology for small-scale satellites, integrated sensors, and intelligent control systems. However, a major limitation for Si-based systems involving tribological components is their inability to withstand prolonged sliding surface contact that results in high wear and causes them to fail within minutes of operation. Our aim is to protect the Si surfaces with wear-resistant coatings.

Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 1992

We have completed a neutron powder diffraction study of four PdD~ materials: palladium metal, a-P... more We have completed a neutron powder diffraction study of four PdD~ materials: palladium metal, a-PdD~ and two samples of fl-PdDo.e. We measured the lattice constants and Debye-Waller factors at several temperatures between 15 and 300 K. This information was analyzed to yield thermal expansion data and atom-specific Debye temperatures for each of the samples. We were unable to locate the deuterium atoms in a-PdD~.

European Journal of Surgical Oncology (EJSO), 2009

a copy of the page documenting the decision-making process. This study was done to assess patient... more a copy of the page documenting the decision-making process. This study was done to assess patient's level of knowledge of their consent pre-operatively. We compared elective cancer surgery with benign surgery. Method: A prospective data collection was done. The cancer group was breast and colon cancer (40 patients). The non-cancer group were laparoscopic cholecystectomy and hernia repair patients (40 patients). The patients were asked: On arrival-Could they name any potential complications from the procedure they were undertaking. Post-operatively-To recall the complications on their consent form. Results: The results show that the cancer patients have better prior knowledge of their consent than the non-cancer patients.

European Journal of Surgical Oncology (EJSO), 2009

tumours and 87.6% of malignant tumours. Two patients (0.4%) experienced complications that requir... more tumours and 87.6% of malignant tumours. Two patients (0.4%) experienced complications that required hospitalisation after core needle biopsy. Conclusion: Core needle biopsy interpreted by a specialist sarcoma pathologist provides accurate diagnostic information to determine the appropriate treatment plan. Core needle biopsy is associated with low risk of complications and obviates the need for an open incision biopsy. Core needle biopsy should be the method of choice to obtain an accurate pathological diagnosis in suspected soft tissue tumours. P17. Diagnostic precision of positron emission tomography compared to conventional diagnostic investigation in diagnosing recurrent colorectal cancer

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 1992

Purpose: The effect on gastric emptying of brief intermittent high-intensity sprints and a modera... more Purpose: The effect on gastric emptying of brief intermittent high-intensity sprints and a moderate-intensity steady-state cycle exercise was studied. Methods: Eight healthy male subjects were each studied at rest (R), during steady-state exercise at a constant power output corresponding to 66% of their V O 2max (C66), during intermittent high-intensity exercise at a power output averaging 66% of their V O 2max (I66), and during intermittent high-intensity exercise at a power output averaging 75% of their V O 2max (I75). Gastric emptying was measured using the double-sampling gastric aspiration technique. Subjects ingested 600 mL of a 6% carbohydrate-electrolyte solution immediately before exercise or seated rest. Results: The volume of test solution in the stomach was less at all time points on trial I66 than on trial I75 (P ϭ 0.023). The rate of gastric emptying, expressed as the median (range) time (minutes) taken to empty half the test meal volume (t 1/2), was not different on trials R (20 (7-30)) and C66 (21 (7-49)), and was faster than on trial I75 (62 (27-100); P ϭ 0.003 and P ϭ 0.005, respectively). Median t 1/2 was faster on trial R than on trial I66 (30 (15-74) min; P ϭ 0.019), but no difference was detected between C66 and I66 or between I66 and I75. However, over the initial 30 min period after ingestion, the median (range) volume of test drink delivered to the duodenum was faster (P Ͻ 0.01) on trials R (387 (296-541) mL) and C66 (389 (165-584) mL) than on trials I66 (331 (191-494) mL) or I75 (249 (79-335) mL). Conclusion: The data demonstrate that gastric emptying of liquids is slowed during brief intermittent high-intensity exercise compared with rest or steady-state moderate exercise.