Investigation of the Effectiveness of a Speech Improvement Program for Preschool Children

It was the purpose of this study to investigate the effectiveness of a speech improvement program for preschool children

Survey of the research done on art among schizophrenic children.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Exploring brand associations: an innovative methodological approach

Purpose The objective of this exploratory study is to propose a new methodological approach to investigate brand associations. More specifically, the study aims to show how brand associations can be identified and analysed in an online community of international consumers of fashion in order to determine the degree of matching with company-defined brand associations. Design/methodology/approach The methodology is two-pronged, integrating qualitative market research techniques with quantitative text mining. It was applied to determine types and perceptions of brand associations among fashion bloggers with reference to three leading Italian fashion houses. These were then compared to brand associations found in company-generated texts to measure the degree of matching. Findings The results showed consistent brand associations across the three brands, as well as substantial matching with company-defined brand associations. In addition, the analysis revealed the presence of distinctive brand association themes that shed further light on how brand attributes were perceived by blog participants. Practical implications The methods described can be used by managers to identify and reinforce favourable brand associations among consumers. This knowledge can then be applied towards developing and implementing effective brand strategies. Originality/Value The authors propose an interdisciplinary approach to investigate brand associations in online communities. It incorporates text mining and computer-assisted textual analysis as techniques borrowed from the field of linguistics which have thus far seen little application in marketing studies, but can nonetheless provide important insights for strategic brand management

Brand personality alignment and consumer engagement to define competitive positioning in online fashion communities: An interdisciplinary methodology

New communication challenges for companies that use social media are: 1) the knowledge and control of the degree of alignment between communicated and perceived brand personality in order to measure the effectiveness of competitive positioning, and 2) the measurement of engagement among consumers who share comments about brands in online communities. Our research proposes research tools that can help fashion companies meet these challenges. In particular, we present an innovative methodological approach that combines netnography and text-mining to extract and analyze data from online communities of fashion brands

Analysis of auditory functions in grades one, two, and three.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

fMRI Randomized Study of Mental and Motor Task Performance and Cortisol Levels to Potentiate Cortisol as a New Diagnostic Biomarker.

Cortisol is an important hormone in the protective stress response system, the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA axis). It becomes especially salient in immune suppression syndromes such as multiple sclerosis and Cushing’s disease. Fatigue is a common symptom and mental and motor tasks are difficult and labored. The role of cortisol is mental and motor tasks and the recruitment of key brain regions in completion of these tasks is explored together with functional magnetic resonance imaging in healthy participants. Cortisol levels were found to be higher and had greater reduction in levels during mental versus motor tasks. Recruitment of brain stem and hypothalamus regions, important in cortisol activity, was affected differently. At low cortisol levels, mental task participants had less activity in the regions than their physical task counterparts. When cortisol levels were higher, widerspread recruitment of these brain regions was seen in the mental task participants, and for the physical task participants, the spread was at comparative low levels of cortisol. It is concluded that cortisol is implicated in these brain regions supporting the Thompson Cortisol Hypothesis and that brain region recruitment is likely to be dependent upon factors including cortisol levels as well as perception of stress in the task. It is suggested that mental tasks are perceived more stressful than physical but demand higher cortisol levels to promote wider spread brain region activity. Implication for neurological disease includes the use of cortisol in the proposed development of a potential new diagnostic biomarker for early detection of neurological sequelae

A Model To Measure Supination And Pronation Of The Foot Over Different Levels Of Physiological Stress Using An In-Shoe Force Monitoring System

The purpose of this study was to create a diagnostic model of supination and pronation of the foot using vertical ground reaction forces. A size adjustable capacitive transducer retaining 960 individual pressure cells was used to assess orthopaedic parameters of gait cyale timing and vertical ground reaction forces. A pilot sample of five males were used for this model. The subjects were exposed to six experimental conditions. These being; a) a walk, b) jog, c) walk on treadmill, and d) three levels of perceived exertion (mild, moderate and hard running). Perceived exertion was measured with the Borg (RPE) scale. All subjects were measured in the same brand of athletic shoe to control for intershoe differences. The ptonation/supination model was determined by medial/lateral force and timing measurements of the calcaneus, forefoot prominence, arch, the first and fifth metatarsal heads and the toe off (end of gait cycle). Results indicated bi-Iateral differences in the medial and lateral force measurements of the calcaneus. Timing in this area was slightly different. Medial to lateral timing pronation was evidenced in the treadmill walking and moderate running condition. As well, the loading of the first and fifth metatarsal heads as a percentage of the gait cycle did not change over the running conditions. The preliminary results of five subjects provides for limited support of a vertical ground reaction model to assess pronation and supination. Further research with techniques such as high speed photography will allow for clarification of this model

DYNAMIC MEASUREMENT OF FORCE WITHIN THE SHOE DURING CONDITIONS OF PERCEIVED EXERTION

INTRODUCTION Athletics and recreation are becoming a very large component of modem day society. Now, more than ever, more people are becoming very active and involved in recreational pursuits that include aerobics and running/jogging. The resultant increase in activity has lead to a noted increase in injuries (Nigg, 1985; Mckenzie et al., 1985). James et al (cited in Cavanagh, 1990), in a study of 180 injured runners identified three categories of running injury problem areas. These areas being: a) training errors; b)anatomic factors (biomechanics); and c) shoes and surfaces. Two thirds of these injuries were accounted for by training errors (increased mileage or increased intensity). Training errors concerning sudden increases in mileage or intensity tend to subject the body to new or greater than expected physiological stressors. Voloshin and Wosk (1981), have investigated the relationship between heel strike shock wave transmission and joint degeneration in walking subjects. Taken one step further, the implications of damage to the muscle-skeletal system by running is noted by Cavanagh (1990). This combined with the Nigg et al. (1983) data that suggests a relationship between the hardness of the athletic (running) surface and the incidence of injury has serious implications for the recreational runner/athlete. Clarke et al. (1985) have highlighted the possible injurious force involved in tibial accelerations that are the result of the runner taking longer strides. Since most people retain a constant stride frequency, as velocity increases, the athlete tends to increase their stride length. The resultant increase in stride length increases impact forces at the joint. This combined with the increase of ground reaction forces with higher running speeds (Munro et al., 1987) identifies high impact forces as a major factor to be considered when investigating the causal nature of running injuries. Research into the type of shoe and ground reaction forces has been equivocal. Nigg and Bahlsen (1988) have stated that shoes with the hardest mid soles elicit the lowest maximal vertical forces. Conversely other research has indicated that shoe hardness is related to higher (vertical) loading rates. Listed above are a number of factors involved in the prediction of running injuries. Further research is needed to discover the causative factors involved in etiology of sport medicine running injuries. An analysis of running shoes, in particular the vertical ground reaction forces, may account for dynamic patterns of gait. Running at different levels of perceived exertion may elicit clues as to the biomechanics patterns that may be injurious to runners. For example, the gait of a runner at the beginning of the run may be markedly different from the gait at the end of the run. Variables such as intensity and distance will greatly affect the athlete's form as they become more tired. Thus, the number of running injuries (2/3 of Clarke's population) as a result of improper training may be the function of bad form (gait mechanics). An analysis under different levels of exertion will identify patterns of pressure with the foot that may have implications for the construction and design of athletic footwear as well as training methods for runners. This study was an attempt to understand the dynamic of in-shoe vertical ground reaction forces within the shoe under differing levels of perceived exertion. Research in the area of running shoe forces may lead to the development of a better product that will decrease the rate and type of running injuries