2,863 research outputs found
Thumb invariance during prehension movement: effects of object orientation
The aim of the present study was to examine the contribution of the thumb and index finger during the task of reaching to grasp a cylinder positioned at different orientations. To this end an axis was defined between a marker positioned on the subjects' wrist and the target. For each frame the perpendicular distances of the thumb and index finger from this axis were determined. The perpendicular distance was greater for the index finger than the thumb, confirming a relative stability of the thumb during natural prehension and supporting the notion of the thumb as a guide for the transport component of reaching. Further, index finger perpendicular distance was varied according to object orientation. When the object was positioned at an angle that requires hand pronation, the perpendicular distance for the index finger was the greatest. It is concluded that changes in the index finger distance are necessary to allow the thumb to maintain stability in order to provide appropriate movement guidance
Retroperitoneal fibrosis: a case of a patient (63y/o) treated with low-dose methotrexate (MTX) and 6-methylprednisolone (6-MP)
Retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF), is a rare fibroinflammatory disease. The pathogenesis of RPF is still unclear and numerous theories have
been reported such as environmental factors, immunologic process, genetic component, local inflammation and advanced atherosclerosis.
RPF is characterized by the presence of a particular retroperitoneal fibrotic tissue which is white, woody and involving retroperitoneal
structures such as the great vessels, ureters and psoas muscle. The main complication of RPF is the obstruction of local structures such as
the ureters due to the fibrosis and the treatment of this aspect represents the main challenge for this pathology.
RPF medical treatment consists of corticosteroids or/and immunosuppressive therapy. We report a case of a patient (63y/o) affected by
idiopathic RPF treated with low-dose methotrexate (MTX) and 6-methylprednisolone (6-MP) for two years, describing and confirming the
effectiveness and safety of a long-term low-dose MTX and 6-MP treatment
Application of the IS-MP-IA model to the German economy and policy implications
Extending the IS-MP-IA model developed by Romer (2000) and applying the GARCH (Engle, 1982, 2001) methodology, the author finds that equilibrium GDP in Germany is positively affected by stock market performance and real exchange rate appreciation, and negatively influenced by the expected inflation rate, the government deficit/GDP ratio, and the U.S. federal funds rate. The relatively low deficit/GDP ratio of 1.83% in 2003 indicates that its fiscal condition was healthy. However, some other EU members may need to exercise fiscal discipline. Because real appreciation has a positive impact on output, a stronger euro may not be a concern for Germany but may be worried by those EU member nations which depend upon exports to stimulate their economies.
Scanning electron microscopic images of the mouth parts of <i>Lomechusoides strumosus</i>.
(left) Close-up of ventral view of galea (Ga) and lacinia (La) of the maxillae. (right) Dorsal view maxillary palps (MP), galea (Ga), and mandibles (Ma).</p
Winning redefined, a new brand positioning for MP Motorsport
MP Motorsport is a talent educating race team participating in the classes below the Formula 1. The problem with the lower classes and therefore MP Motorsport as well is that these classes don’t get much attention and exposure. As a company run by people with passion the branding and positioning is more something that naturally emerged from this passion rather than a series of conscious decisions. This makes it fragile. A more conscious strategy and vision on how MP Motorsport needs to be branded and positioned against their competition that is more than “look how cool racing is” is needed to become more attractive for sponsoring. This report describes the process from analysis to finding the right positioning and an advise for a new brand identity and an implementation plan to help becoming more attractive for sponsoring goals. The analysis done with employees showed a unique characteristic that will help the team to position themselves against the competition; the family atmosphere. This atmosphere is what also characterises their contradictory personality. This personality is on one hand leading and ambitious and on the other hand modest and involved. Competition and stakeholder analysis have been performed to find the right combination of being unique to the competition, desirable for the stakeholders (the fans and sponsors) and builds upon the core strengths of the company. Then using the brand key model, a positioning is made with the essence: Be your best self. The belief, “in everyone hides a talent” and values like “everyone is equal” and “together we succeed” combined with the essence and the positioning resulted in a brand story that describes the feeling MP Motorsport wants to communicate. To manifestate the brand, an advise has been set up for a tone of voice and tone of image. Wrapped in a concept called “winning redefined” this advise is part of the whole implementation plan that should lead the way for the team to implement the newly created brand in short and long term actions. In 3 phases MP Motorsport is advised to start with a clear brand introduction to the target groups Gen Z and potential sponsors. The next phase revolves around creating a community to attract both Gen Z talents and subsequently sponsors to interact with the team and each other. Finally the last phase is long term focused and aims for sustainable growth. In this phase the community is established and can expect various opportunities to discover and develop a whole range of talents, sponsors and gen z are connected to each other via MP Motorsport and the team is able to finance the lower classes without the pressure of the money drivers bring along.Strategic Product Desig
Derivations (MP) and Evaluations (OT)
The main claim of this paper is that the minimalist framework and optimality theory adopt more or less the same architecture of grammar: both assume that a generator defines a set S of potentially well-formed expressions that can be generated on the basis of a given input, and that there is an evaluator that selects the expressions from S that are actually grammatical in a given language L. The paper therefore proposes a model of grammar in which the strengths of the two frameworks are combined: more specifically, it is argued that the computational system of human language CHL from MP creates a set S of potentially well-formed expressions, and that these are subsequently evaluated in an optimality theoretic fashion.The definitive version of this paper is published in Linguistics in Potsdam 25 (2006).Broekhuis, H. (2006). Derivations (MP) and Evaluations (OT)*. In H. Broekhuis & R. Vogel (Eds), Linguistics in Potsdam 25. Optimality Theory and Minimalism: A possible Convergence? Potsdam : Universitätsverlag PotsdamISBN: 9783939469544 (published book)This research is supported by the Netherlands Organisation of Scientific Research (NWO), grant 276-70-00
Stroom- en sedimentmeting Roompot-Veerse Dam (mp.8), 15 en 22 januari 1996
Stroom- en sedimentmeting Roompot-Veerse Dam (mp.8) 15 en 22 januari 1996.Deltawerken, Oosterscheld
Using the Technology Acceptance Model to Identify Factors That Predict Likelihood to Adopt Tele-Neurorehabilitation
© Copyright © 2020 Klaic and Galea. Tele-neurorehabilitation has the potential to reduce accessibility barriers and enhance patient outcomes through a more seamless continuum of care. A growing number of studies have found that tele-neurorehabilitation produces equivalent results to usual care for a variety of outcomes including activities of daily living and health related quality of life. Despite the potential of tele-neurorehabilitation, this model of care has failed to achieve mainstream adoption. Little is known about feasibility and acceptability of tele-neurorehabilitation and most published studies do not use a validated model to guide and evaluate implementation. The technology acceptance model (TAM) was developed 20 years ago and is one of the most widely used theoretical frameworks for predicting an individual's likelihood to adopt and use new technology. The TAM3 further built on the original model by incorporating additional elements from human decision making such as computer anxiety. In this perspective, we utilize the TAM3 to systematically map the findings from existing published studies, in order to explore the determinants of adoption of tele-neurorehabilitation by both stroke survivors and prescribing clinicians. We present evidence suggesting that computer self-efficacy and computer anxiety are significant predictors of an individual's likelihood to use tele-neurorehabilitation. Understanding what factors support or hinder uptake of tele-neurorehabilitation can assist in translatability and sustainable adoption of this technology. If we are to shift tele-neurorehabilitation from the research domain to become a mainstream health sector activity, key stakeholders must address the barriers that have consistently hindered adoption
A novel approach to MP-PIC: Continuum particle model for dense particle flows in fluidized beds
A novel approach to Multiphase-Particle-in-Cell (MP-PIC), called Continuum Particle Model (CPM), is developed for dense gas-particle flows. CPM has high computational speed, comparable to that of MP-PIC, but a robustness and accuracy closer to that of a Discrete Element Model (DEM). The gas phase is treated as a continuum phase and particles are tracked discretely, but particle collisions are modelled by considering the divergence of the continuum particle stress tensor. Details on efficient solution to the model are presented. For comparison, a parametric study is performed for quasi-2D fluidized beds. Comparison of CFD-CPM is made with MP-PIC and CFD-DEM. The particle stress models by Harris and Crighton, and by Srivastava and Sundaresan are tested in our CFD-CPM. Results from CFD-CPM based on the Srivastava and Sundaresan particle stress model show good agreement with CFD-DEM results. We validate our model by comparison with experimental benchmark results from Gopalan et. al. (2016).Complex Fluid Processin
Erratum: Early intensive hand rehabilitation is not more effective than usual care plus one-to-one hand therapy in people with sub-acute spinal cord injury (‘Hands On’): a randomised trial (Journal of Physiotherapy (2016) 62(2) (88–95) (S1836955316000229)(10.1016/j.jphys.2016.02.013))
QUESTION: What is the effect of adding an intensive task-specific hand-training program involving functional electrical stimulation to a combination of usual care plus three 15-minute sessions per week of one-to-one hand therapy in people with sub-acute tetraplegia? DESIGN: A parallel group, randomised, controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) via a computer-generated concealed block randomisation procedure to either a control or experimental intervention. PARTICIPANTS: Seventy people with C2 to T1 motor complete or incomplete tetraplegia within 6 months of injury. Participants were recruited from seven spinal units in Australia and New Zealand. INTERVENTION: Experimental participants received intensive training for one hand. Intensive training consisted of training with an instrumented exercise workstation in conjunction with functional electrical stimulation for 1hour per day, 5 days per week for 8 weeks. Both groups received usual care and 15minutes of one-to-one hand therapy three times per week without functional electrical stimulation. OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was the modified Action Research Arm Test reflecting arm and hand function, which was assessed at the end of the intervention, that is, 11 weeks after randomisation. Secondary outcomes were measured at 11 and 26 weeks. RESULTS: Sixty-six (94%) participants completed the post-intervention assessment and were included in the primary intention-to-treat analysis. The mean (SD) modified Action Research Arm Test score for experimental and control participants at the post-intervention assessment was 36.5 points (SD 16.0) and 33.2 points (SD 17.5), respectively, with an adjusted mean between-group difference of 0.9 points (95% CI -4.1 to 5.9). CONCLUSION: Adding an intensive task-specific hand-training program involving functional electrical stimulation to a combination of usual care plus three 15-minute sessions per week of one-to-one hand therapy does not improve hand function in people with sub-acute tetraplegia. REGISTRATION: Australian and New Zealand Trial Registry ACTRN12609000695202 and ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01086930. [Harvey LA, Dunlop SA, Churilov L, Galea MP, Spinal Cord Injury Physical Activity (SCIPA) Hands On Trial Collaborators (2017) Early intensive hand rehabilitation is not more effective than usual care plus one-to-one hand therapy in people with sub-acute spinal cord injury ('Hands On'): a randomised trial. Journal of Physiotherapy 63: 197-204]
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