948 research outputs found
Proceedings of the European Workshop on the Evaluation of Farm Investment Support, Investment Support for Improvement of Processing and Marketing of Agricultural Products
No full textContents: i - Angela Bergschmidt, Walter Dirksmeyer and Bernhard Forstner - Proceedings of the European Evaluation Workshop – Foreword -- PAPERS PRESENTED IN THE PLENARY SESSIONS -- 3 - Stefan Meyer - Methods for the Evaluation of Investment Support -- 15 - Andrea Pufahl - Programme Evaluation of Rural Development Plans – Purpose, Approaches and Exemplary Results -- 27 - Carel Gosselink - Agri Finance: Lost without Support? -- 33 - Anne Margarian - How to Evaluate a Measure without Goals – Considerations on the Basis of the Paradigmatic Example of Farm Investment Support in Germany -- 45 - Rudy Ooijen - Ex Ante Evaluations of Rural Development Programmes – Not just an Appraisal -- PAPERS PRESENTED IN THE SESSION ON FARM INVESTMENT SUPPORT -- 61 - Angela Bergschmidt and Walter Dirksmeyer - A Comparison of Farm Investment Support in Selected EU Member States -- 69 - Monika Beck and Thomas Dogot - The Use of Impact Indicators for the Evaluation of Farm Investment Support – A Case Study Based on the Rural Development Programme for Wallonia (2000 – 2006) -- 79 - Barbara Costantini and Maria Cristina Sibilla - Implementation of Farm Investment Support in Italy – Mid-Term Analysis -- 93 - Pawel Chmielinski - Regional Absorption Capacity of Farm Investment Support in Poland -- 105 - Luis A. Collado Cueto - Effectiveness and Impacts of Farm Investment Support in Spain – The Experience of the Updated Mid-Term Evaluation (2000 – 2006) -- 121 - Dimitros Lianos and Triantafyllia Giotopoulou - The Experience of the Evaluation of Farm Investment Support in Greece -- 133 - Bernhard Forstner - Evaluation of Farm Investment Support in Germany – Lessons Learned from the Application of Different Approaches -- 147 - Stephan Pfefferli - Impact Analysis of Investment Support for Agricultural Buildings in Switzerland -- 159 - Justyna Ziólkowska, Joanna Nargiello and Cezary Klimkowski - The Analysis of Changes in Farm Investment Support Policy in Poland after Joining the European Union -- PAPERS PRESENTED IN THE SESSION ON INVESTMENT SUPPORT FOR IMPROVEMENT OF PROCESSING AND MARKETING OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS -- 177 - Inge Uetrecht, Heinz Wendt, Volker Krah and Annette Trefflich - The Implementation of Investment Support for Improving Processing and Marketing of Agricultural Products in the EU Member States – An Overview -- 187 -Andreas Pölking - Synthesis of the RDP Mid-Term Evaluation in Germany (16 Länder) and EC 15 in 2005 – Methodologies, Possibilities, Pitfalls and some Selected Results -- 195 - Julia Neuwirth and Karlheinz Pistrich - Improving Processing and Marketing of Agricultural Products – Organisation, Problems and Results of Evaluation in Austria -- 201 - Alois Grabner - Improving of Processing and Marketing of Agricultural Products – Assessment of Projects -- 205 - Pedro Serrano - Support to Processing and Marketing of Agricultural Products in Portugal -- 215 - Mark Temple - Two Approaches to Evaluation – The Case of the Processing and Marketing Grant in England -- 227 - Jochen Nölle and Josef Efken - Does Complete Field Research Build a Good Basis to Evaluating the Measure? -- CLOSURE OF THE EUROPEAN EVALUATION WORKSHOP -- 241 - Bernhard Forstner and Heinz Wendt - Summary and Final Discussion --
Home-based Functional Electrical Stimulation rescues permanently denervated muscles in paraplegic patients with complete lower motor neuron lesion.
No full textNeurorehabil Neural Repair. 2010 Oct;24(8):709-21. Epub 2010 May 11.
Home-based functional electrical stimulation rescues permanently denervated muscles in paraplegic patients with complete lower motor neuron lesion.
Kern H, Carraro U, Adami N, Biral D, Hofer C, Forstner C, Mödlin M, Vogelauer M, Pond A, Boncompagni S, Paolini C, Mayr W, Protasi F, Zampieri S.
Source
Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Electrostimulation and Physical Rehabilitation, Vienna, Austria.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Spinal cord injury causes muscle wasting and loss of function, which are especially severe after complete and permanent damage to lower motor neurons. In a previous cross-sectional study, long-standing denervated muscles were rescued by home-based functional electrical stimulation (h-bFES) training.
OBJECTIVE:
To confirm results by a 2-year longitudinal prospective study of 25 patients with complete conus/cauda equina lesions.
METHODS:
Denervated leg muscles were stimulated by h-bFES using a custom-designed stimulator and large surface electrodes. Muscle mass, force, and structure were determined before and after 2 years of h-bFES using computed tomography, measurements of knee torque during stimulation, and muscle biopsies analyzed by histology and electron microscopy.
RESULTS:
Twenty of 25 patients completed the 2-year h-bFES program, which resulted in (a) a 35% cross-sectional increase in area of the quadriceps muscle from 28.2 ± 8.1 to 38.1 ± 12.7 cm(2) (P < .001), a 75% increase in mean diameter of muscle fibers from 16.6 ± 14.3 to 29.1 ± 23.3 μm (P < .001), and improvements of the ultrastructural organization of contractile material; and (b) a 1187% increase in force output during electrical stimulation from 0.8 ± 1.3 to 10.3 ± 8.1 N m (P < .001). The recovery of quadriceps force was sufficient to allow 25% of the subjects to perform FES-assisted stand-up exercises.
CONCLUSIONS:
Home-based FES of denervated muscle is an effective home therapy that results in rescue of muscle mass and tetanic contractility. Important immediate benefits for the patients are the improved cosmetic appearance of lower extremities and the enhanced cushioning effect for seating.
PMID:
20460493
[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE
Electrical stimulation of denervated muscles: first results of a clinical study
No full textTo evaluate the effects of electrical stimulation on denervated muscles in spinal cord injured humans, the EU Project RISE was started in 2001. The aims of this project are: to design and build sufficient stimulators; to develop stimulation protocols by means of mathematical models, animal experiments, and practice in humans with denervated lower limbs; to develop examination methods and devices for evaluation of electrical stimulation training effects; and to acquire basic scientific knowledge on denervated and stimulated denervated muscle. In the clinical study 27 spinal cord injured individuals were included, furthermore 13 pilot patients participated. After a series of initial examinations they underwent an electrical stimulation program for their denervated lower limb muscles. Some of the patients have already follow up examinations. A marked increase of muscle mass and quality was observed, the trophic situation of the denervated lower limbs had improved obviously
Diversity and Conservation Genetics of the Mexican Beaded Lizard (Heloderma horridum)
No full textThe Mexican beaded lizard (Heloderma horridum), one of only two venomous lizards in the world, is distributed throughout central and western Mexico. There are four currently recognized subspecies including: H. h. horridum, H. h. charlesbogerti, H. h. alvarezi, and H. h. exasperatum and all are now considered threatened. Due to the lack of verifiable locality data and ambiguities in diagnostic characters, it is often difficult to determine subspecific identity among captive individuals. Because uncertainties exist, genetic analyses of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear microsatellites were used to define the patterns of genetic variation and population structure for the captive populations of H. horridum in order to make a genetically effective management program. Both categories of markers revealed a high level of genetic differentiation indicating significant population structure. All phylogenetic results converge toward a similar evolutionary hypothesis, with five mtDNA groups present among two major clades. Clustering obtained from microsatellites is not congruent with the mtDNA phylogenies, but is consistent with the unification of the subspecies H. h. charlesbogerti and H. h. alvarezi. The most conservative management plan would be to preserve six populations of H. horridum until the taxonomy can be revised.Biolog
Electrical stimulation of denervated muscles: first results of a clinical study.
No full textTo evaluate the effects of electrical stimulation
on denervated muscles in spinal cord injured humans, the
EU Project RISE was started in 2001. The aims of this
project are: to design and build sufficient stimulators; to
develop stimulation protocols by means of mathematical
models, animal experiments, and practice in humans with
denervated lower limbs; to develop examination methods
and devices for evaluation of electrical stimulation training
effects; and to acquire basic scientific knowledge on denervated and stimulated denervated muscle. In the clinical
study 27 spinal cord injured individuals were included, furthermore 13 pilot patients participated. After a series of
initial examinations they underwent an electrical stimulation program for their denervated lower limb muscles.
Some of the patients have already follow up examinations.
A marked increase of muscle mass and quality was
observed, the trophic situation of the denervated lower
limbs had improved obviously. Key Words: Denervated
muscle—Spinal cord injury—Electrical stimulation—
Computerized tomography scan—Force measurement—
Human
Übersetzungsfehler und deren Auswirkungen in der Praxis
No full textL'articolo prende in esame alcune categorie di conseguenze degli errori traduttivi nella prassi
Gastrointestinal mucus, a medium for survival and for elimination of parasitic nematodes and protozoa
No full textMucus is a sticky visco-elastic material which coats all mucosal surfaces. Florey, in 1955, noted the following three functions for gastrointestinal mucus: protection of the underlying mucosa from chemical and physical injury, lubrication of the mucosal surface to facilitate passage of luminal contents, and removal of parasites by binding and entrapment. In the 31 years since Florey's review, detailed analyses of the composition of mucus and of the biochemistry of mucin glycoproteins, as well as measurements of the physical properties of mucus from different organs and sites have yielded information at the molecular level which provide additional support for his views on its function (Allen, 1981; Forstner, Wesley & Forstner, 1982).</jats:p
Bacterial Growth Kinetics under a Novel Flexible Methacrylate Dressing Serving as a Drug Delivery Vehicle for Antiseptics
No full textA flexible methacrylate powder dressing (Altrazeal®) transforms into a wound contour conforming matrix once in contact with wound exudate. We hypothesised that it may also serve as a drug delivery vehicle for antiseptics. The antimicrobial efficacy and influence on bacterial growth kinetics in combination with three antiseptics was investigated in an in vitro porcine wound model. Standardized in vitro wounds were contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA; ATCC 33591) and divided into six groups: no dressing (negative control), methacrylate dressing alone, and combinations with application of 0.02% Polyhexamethylene Biguanide (PHMB), 0.4% PHMB, 0.1% PHMB + 0.1% betaine, 7.7 mg/mL Povidone-iodine (PVP-iodine), and 0.1% Octenidine-dihydrochloride (OCT) + 2% phenoxyethanol. Bacterial load per gram tissue was measured over five days. The highest reduction was observed with PVP-iodine at 24 h to log10 1.43 cfu/g, followed by OCT at 48 h to log10 2.41 cfu/g. Whilst 0.02% PHMB resulted in a stable bacterial load over 120 h to log10 4.00 cfu/g over 120 h, 0.1% PHMB + 0.1% betaine inhibited growth during the first 48 h, with slightly increasing bacterial numbers up to log10 5.38 cfu/g at 120 h. These results indicate that this flexible methacrylate dressing can be loaded with various antiseptics serving as drug delivery system. Depending on the selected combination, an individually shaped and controlled antibacterial effect may be achieved using the same type of wound dressing
First Sound Evidence of Muscle Regeneration in Recovery of Function of Human Permanent Denervated Muscles by a Long-Lasting Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) Training: Biopsy Findings
No full textContrary to general believe, in one case of 18month cauda equina lesion four-month electrical stimulation of thigh muscles (impulse energy 1.92 Joule) increased stimulation frequency from 2 to 20 Hz, i. e., up to tetanic contractions. After 2 years of treatment, CT-cross sectional area of quadriceps improved 58.3% (right) and 44.4% (left) with increased muscle density. Mean myofiber size was 37.2 ± 24.8 µm (right) and 40.5 ± 24.9 µm (left). Improvement of stimulated knee torque, from zero to 12.0 Nm and 10.5 Nm, respectively, enabled to stand up trials. Surviving myofibers undergo re-growth (they show the chess board appearance of normal muscle), and dying myofibers continuously regenerate (up to 3% are embryonic myosin positive 3-year post-FES). Regeneration events are essential components of the FES rehabilitation protocol due to superior excitability of regenerated myofibers in comparison to long-term denervated, degenerated myofibers, which were almost not excitable before FES training.<br /
Precisie van lijnvolging in digitale beelden
No full textIn digital images lines can be detected using certain digital image processing techniques. The most important goal of this research is to determine the precision of two line following operators. To achieve this, a large scale aerial colour photo has been scanned. The technique which has been applied can be divided in three phases : 1. smoothing Smoothing of noise without affecting the edges in the image. The unweighted conditioned filter, the Kuwahara filter and the median filter have been used. 2. edge detection Determination of an edge image. The normal gradient, the Prewitt and the Sobel operator and the Forstner operator have been applied. 3. line following Connection of the candidate edges by using neighbourhood information. Edge relaxation and dynamic programming have been used.Civil Engineering and Geoscience
- …
