Vibration perception threshold (VPT) is increasingly used as a measure of large nerve fibre function in studies of patients with diabetes and in other disorders. In order to establish the influence of age, height, sex, and smoking on VPT values in the normal population and to allow the calculation of accurate age-related percentile charts, 1365 healthy volunteers were studied using a biothesiometer. Measurements were made bilaterally on thumbs, great toes, and over medial malleoli. Multivariate regression analysis confirmed age to be the major determinant of VPT levels at all sites (p less than 0.001). Height was a significant factor for toes and ankles (p less than 0.001) but not thumbs. Sex had no overall effect at toe or thumb but there were differences regarding ankle VPT (p less than 0.01). Log transformation of VPT data produced a linear relationship with age at all sites except at the thumbs in elderly females where there was significant deviation from this model (p less than 0.001) and inverse square root transformation was more appropriate. Smoking had no effect on VPT levels. Age-related centile charts were produced for each site and an easy-to-use computer program was developed to calculate centile values based on raw VPT data, age, height, and sex.

No abstract

This paper analyses the current Australian policy and research context in relation to developing quality teachers. Like other countries, many educational authorities in Australia are developing professional standards for teachers and the evaluation of teachers against those standards as a mechanism for ensuring and extending the quality of teaching in schools. A key policy consideration involves the use of professional standards as tools for extending professional learning and/or for credentialing and appraisal. This paper considers these uses of standards by drawing on an evaluation of Education Queensland's Professional Standards for Teachers pilot. The pilot focused on using a set of standards as a framework for professional learning. Teachers' perspectives on the standards and their intended use, their engagement with the standards during the pilot and the nature of professional learning associated with that engagement are discussed in light of current policy debates about professional standards.

No abstract

No abstract