1,721,048 research outputs found
Additional exercises improve trunk performance after stroke: an assessor-blinded randomised controlled trial
Reliability and concurrent validity of a modified timed up and go test for healthy preschoolers
The purpose of this study was to assess the interrater and test-retest reliability and the concurrent validity of the modified timed up and go test for preschoolers. As such, we aim to determine the most suited outcome of the modified timed up and go test: the best or the average performance. Thirty-two children (age 3-5) performed three timed up and go test trials as fast as possible on two separate occasions. During the first session, two researchers recorded the time to perform the task simultaneously. For reliability analyses, intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) and the minimal detectable change were determined. A Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated to determine concurrent validity between the timed up and go test and the balance subscale of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, 2nd edition. Interrater (ICC > 0.97) and test-retest (ICC > 0.75) reliability were good both for the average and the best timed up and go test performance. A minimal detectable change of 1.86 s was found for the best performance, and 2.30 s for the average performance. Only the best timed up and go test performance correlated significantly with the balance subscale of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, 2nd edition, though fair (r = -0.347, p = 0.007).Conclusion: The modified timed up and go test for preschoolers using the best performance is reliable and recommended to reduce standard and measurement error. What is Known: • A large variety of timed up and go test protocols is available for children • The protocols differ in the instructions on walking speed (self-selected/fastest), the use of an extra motivation (e.g., touch a star on the wall) and the applied outcome (average/best performance) What is New: • The best timed up and go test performance induces more consistent test results between raters and sessions and also less standard and measurement error in 3- to 5-year-old children • The best timed up and go test performance should be preferred over the average performance to achieve both reliable and valid test results in 3- to 5-year-old children.status: Publishe
Effect of age on treatment outcomes in benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: A systematic review
Background: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) can lead to an
increased fall risk in older adults. Therefore, we examined the influence of age
on the effectiveness of canalith-repositioning procedures (CRPs) for the treatment of BPPV.
Methods: Pubmed, Web of Science, and the bibliographies of selected
articles were searched for studies conducted before September 2020 that
examined the effectiveness of treatments for BPPV in various age groups.
Meta-analyses were performed to compare treatment effectiveness and
recurrence rates for younger and older adults. Odds ratios were calculated
in a random-effects model. Mean differences were calculated using a fixedeffects model. A significance level of p < 0.05 (95% confidence interval) was
set. The risk of bias and the methodological quality of all included articles
were examined.
Results: Forty-five studies were retrieved after full-text screening, of which
29 studies were included for a qualitative review. The remaining 16 studies
were eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis (3267 participants with BPPV).
The success rate of a single CRP was higher in the younger group (72.5%
vs. 67%, p < 0.001). An average of 1.4 and 1.5 CRPs was needed for complete
recovery in the younger and older groups, respectively (p = 0.02). However,
global treatment success did not differ between these groups (97.5% vs. 94.6%,
p = 0.41). The recurrence rate was higher in the older population (23.2% vs.
18.6%, p = 0.007).
Conclusions: Although more CRPs are needed, the rate of complete recovery
in older adults is similar to that observed in younger adults.Hasselt University, Grant/Award Number: BOF21OWB0
Trunk performance after stroke and the relationship with balance, gait and functional ability
Objective: To evaluate trunk performance in non-acute and chronic stroke patients by means of the Trunk Control Test and Trunk Impairment Scale and to compare the Trunk Control Test with the Trunk Impairment Scale and its subscales in relation to balance, gait and functional ability after stroke.Subjects: Fifty-one stroke patients, attending a rehabilitation programme, participated in the study.Main measures: Subjects were evaluated with the Trunk Control Test, Trunk Impairment Scale, Tinetti balance and gait subscales, Functional Ambulation Category, 10-m walk test, Timed Up and Go Test and motor part of the Functional Independence Measure.Results: Participants obtained a median score of 61 out of 100 on the Trunk Control Test and 11 out of 23 for the Trunk Impairment Scale. Twelve participants (24%) obtained the maximum score on the Trunk Control Test; no subject reached the maximum score on the Trunk Impairment Scale. Measures of trunk performance were significantly related with values of balance, gait and functional ability. Multivariate linear regression analysis showed an additional, significant contribution of the dynamic sitting balance subscale of the Trunk Impairment Scale in addition to the Trunk Control Test total score for measures of gait and functional ability (model R2 = 0.55 - 0.62).Conclusions: This study clearly indicates that trunk performance is still impaired in non-acute and chronic stroke patients. When planning future follow-up studies, use of the Trunk Impairment Scale has the advantage that it has no ceiling effect
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
We provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
We conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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