Dr Ian Cathers

I have taught and had leadership responsibilities in universities (Australia) and high schools (Australia & India). Before coming to ACU I was involved in setting up, managing and teaching in some small vocational training colleges in India for economically disadvantaged young people.

The most interesting areas of investigation are at discipline interfaces. I majored in maths and physics but did an honours in botany. My research and teaching have centred on the application of the tools of maths, physics and engineering to biomedical sciences. Most of this research has used signal processing techniques from electrical engineering in the analysis of electrical signals from muscles. As a result, we are better able to understand the roles of muscle co-ordination and muscle stretch reflex responses in the control of movements and the mechanical properties of the body.

Journal Articles

Ginn, K. A., Cathers, I., Boettcher, C., & Halaki, M. (2021). Analysis of phase detects altered timing of muscle activation in subjects with chronic shoulder pain. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 102621. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jelekin.2021.102621

Reed, D., Cathers, I., Halaki, M., Ginn K.A. (2018). 'Shoulder muscle activation patterns and levels differ between open and closed-chain abduction', Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 21:462-466. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2017.07.024

Ginn, K.A., Reed, D., Jones, C., Downes A, Cathers, I., Halaki, M. (2017). 'Is subscapularis recruited in a similar manner during shoulder internal rotation exercises and belly press and lift off tests?' Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 20(6):566-571.

Reed, D., Cathers, I., Halaki, M., and Ginn, K. (2016), 'Does load influence shoulder muscle recruitment patterns during scapular plane abduction?', Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 19:755-76.

Reed, D., Cathers, I., Halaki M., Ginn, K. (2016). 'Does changing the plane of abduction influence shoulder muscle recruitment patterns in healthy individuals?' Manual Therapy 21:63-68

Almadi, T., Cathers, I., and Chow, C. (2013), 'Associations among work-related stress, cortisol, inflammation, and metabolic syndrome', Psychophysiology, 50, pp. 821-830.

Almadi, T., Cathers, I., and Chow, C. (2013), 'An Arabic version of the effort-reward imbalance questionnaire: Translation and validation study', Psychological Reports, 113, pp.1287-1302.

Reed, D., Cathers I., Halaki, M., and Ginn, K. (2013), 'Does supraspinatus initiate shoulder abduction?', Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 23, pp.425-429.

Tardo, D., Halaki, M., Cathers, I., and Ginn, K. (2013), 'Rotator cuff muscles perform different functional roles during shoulder external rotation exercises', Clinical Anatomy, 26, pp.236-243.

Tawadros, P.B., Cordato, D., Cathers, I., and Burne, J. (2012), 'An Electromyographic Study of Parkinsonian Swallowing and Its Response to Levodopa', Movement Disorders, 27, pp.1811-1815.

Halaki, M., O'Dwyer, N., Cathers, I., and Heritier, S. (2012), 'Systematic nonlinear relations between joint mechanics and the neural reflex response with changes in stretch amplitude at the wrist', Journal of Biomechanics, 45, pp.2755-2762.

Almadi, T., Cathers, I., and Chow, C. (2012), 'The association between work stress and inflammatory biomarkers in Jordanian male workers', Psychophysiology, 49, pp. 172-177.

Almadi, T., Cathers, I., Hmadan Mansour, A. M., and Chow, C. (2012), 'An Arabic version of The Perceived Stress Scale: translation and validation study', The International Journal of Nursing Studies, 49, pp. 84-89.

Ginn, K.A, Halaki, M., and Cathers, I. (2011), 'Revision of the shoulder normalization tests is required to include rhomboid major and teres major',  Journal of Orthopaedic Research, 29, pp. 1846-1849.

Wattanaprakornkul, D., Halaki, M., Cathers, I., and Ginn, K.A (2011), Direction-specific recruitment of rotator cuff muscles during bench press and row. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 29: 1041-1049.

Wattanaprakornkul, D., Cathers, I., Halaki, M., and Ginn, K.A (2011), 'The rotator cuff muscles have a direction specific recruitment pattern during shoulder flexion and extension exercises', Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 14, pp. 376-382.

Wattanaprakornkul, D., Halaki, M., Boettcher, C., Cathers, I., and Ginn, K. A. (2011), 'A comprehensive analysis of muscle recruitment patterns during shoulder flexion: An electromyographic study', Clinical Anatomy, 24, pp. 619-626.

Yiasemides R, Halaki, M., Cathers, I., and Ginn, K. A. (2011), 'Does passive mobilization of shoulder region joints provide additional benefit over advice and exercise alone for people who have shoulder pain and minimal movement restriction? A randomized controlled trial', Physical Therapy, 91, pp. 178-189.

Boettcher, C. E., Cathers, I., and Ginn, K.A (2010), 'The role of shoulder muscles is task specific', Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 13, pp. 651-656.

Boettcher, C. E., Cathers, I., and Ginn, K.A (2009), 'Which is the Optimal Exercise to Strengthen Supraspinatus?', Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 41, pp. 1979-1983.

Lingard, J., Minasian-Batmanian L, Vella G, Cathers, I., and Gonzalez, C. (2009), 'Do students with well-aligned perceptions of question difficulty perform better?', Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 34, pp. 603-619.

Boettcher, C., Ginn, K., and Cathers, I. (2008), 'The empty can and full can tests do not selectively activate supraspinatus', Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 12, pp. 435-439.  

Boettcher, C., Ginn, K., and Cathers, I. (2008), 'Standard maximum isometric voluntary contraction tests for normalizing shoulder muscle EMG', Journal of Orthopaedic Research, 26(12), pp. 1591-1597.

Cathers, I. (2007), 'Using feedforward and feedback', In: Case studies of good practices in assessment of student learning in higher education. O'Neill G., Huntley-Moore S., Race P., Dublin, All Ireland Society for Higher Education, pp. 148-152.

Ludvig, D., Cathers, I., Kearney, R. E. (2007), 'Voluntary modulation of human stretch reflexes' Experimental Brain Research, 183, pp. 201-213.

Cathers, I., O'Dwyer, N., and Neilson, P. (2006), Entrainment to extinction of physiological tremor by spindle afferent input. Experimental Brain Research 171(2), pp.194-203.

Halaki, M., O'Dwyer, N., Cathers, I., and Heritier, S. (2006), 'Systematic nonlinear relations between displacement amplitude and joint mechanics at the human wrist', Journal of Biomechanics, 39(12), pp. 2171-82.

Cathers, I., Day B. L., and Fitzpatrick, R. (2005), 'Otolith and canal reflexes in human standing', Journal of Physiology (Lond), 563, pp. 229-234.

Cathers, I., O'Dwyer, N., and Neilson P. (2004), 'Variation of magnitude and timing of wrist flexor stretch reflex across the full range of voluntary activation', Experimental Brain Research, 157, pp. 324 &ndash 335.

Cathers, I., O'Dwyer, N., and Neilson, P. (1999), 'Dependence of stretch reflexes on amplitude and bandwidth of stretch in human wrist muscle', Experimental Brain Research, 129, pp. 278-287.

Cathers, I., O'Dwyer, N. and Neilson, P. (1996), 'Tracking performance with sinusoidal and irregular targets under different conditions of peripheral feedback', Experimental Brain Research, 111, pp. 437-446.

Cathers, I. (1995), 'Neural network assisted cardiac auscultation', Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, 7, pp. 53-66.

Walker, N. A., Smith, F. A., and Cathers, I. R. (1980), 'Bicarbonate assimilation by freshwater charophytes and higher plants: I. Membrane transport of carbonate ions is not proven', Journal of Membrane Biology, 57, pp. 51-58.

Books

Wilson, K., Sharma, M., Millar, R., Moroney, C., Newbury, R., Logan, P., and Cathers, I., Vella, G., Emeleus, G. (2002), 'Workshop Tutorials for Physics. Part 1 Mechanics, Properties of Matter and Thermal Physics', Uniserve Science Press, Sydney, 304 pp.

Wilson, K., Sharma, M., Millar, R., Moroney, C., Newbury, R., Logan, P., and Cathers, I., Vella, G., Emeleus, G. (2002), 'Workshop Tutorials for Physics. Part 2 Electricity and Magnetism, Waves and Optics, Quantum, Atomic and Nuclear Physics', Uniserve Science Press, Sydney, 296 pp.

Wilson, K., Sharma, M., Millar, R., Moroney, C., Newbury, R., Logan, P., Cathers, I., Vella, G., Emeleus, G. (2002), 'Workshop Tutorials for Physics: Activities', Uniserve Science Press, Sydney, 268 pp.