Master of Science

thesisThe focus of this research was to investigate the possible existence of an indirect inhibitory mechanism working on activated yet unattended information in long-term memory (LTM). There exists evidence in the cognition and memory literature, specifically the retrieval-induced forgetting and negative priming literature, as well as others, that suggests indirect inhibition may be acting to moderate activation levels in conjunction with semantic activation. Participants (n=120) were given a memory load of different category exemplars and were then instructed to either recall a given dominant category membership or a novel subordinate category membership. The novel category recall instruction required a reorganization of exemplar category associations and the hypothesized inhibition of dominant categories. Following recall, a series of category comparison frames presented new exemplars from the dominant categories of the memory load. Indirect inhibition of the dominant categories would be evidenced by longer response time (RT) on subordinate relative to dominant recall trials. RTs for the category comparisons associated with subordinate recall were not significantly different from the comparisons associated with dominant category recall. These data are incongruent with the hypothesis of an indirect inhibitory mechanism acting on activated yet unattended information in LTM. Instead, they are consistent with Cowan's (1999) model of working memory (WM) that posited active-but-unattended information in WM is subject to tome-based decay but not interference

Reduction of gait abnormalities in type 2 diabetic patients due to physical activity: a quantitative evaluation based on statistical gait analysis

The aim of this study is the objective assessment of gait abnormalities in diabetic patients and the quantification of the benefits of physical activity in improving the gait quality. Patients were equipped with foot-switches and knee goniometers and were asked to walk at their natural pace for 2.5 minutes. A statistical gait analysis was performed extracting from hundreds of strides the ‘atypical' cycles, i.e. the cycles which do not show the usual sequence of gait phases (heel contact, flat foot contact, push off, swing), the duration of the heel contact phase and the knee kinematics in the sagittal plane. A sample population of 27 non-neuropathic type 2 diabetic patients was examined before and after attending a light-intensity physical activity program that lasted four months. A fuzzy classifier was used to assign a score to the gait abnormalities of each patient in baseline conditions and after the program completion. More than 50% of the subjects reduced significantly their gait abnormalities and, on the average, the most frequent improvements were the reduction of atypical cycles and heel contact duration. Furthermore we found that, in basal conditions, the left side is more affected by gait abnormalities than the right one (P < 0.003

Theory and uses of low temperature photoluminescence spectroscopy

Thesis (B.S.) in Chemistry -- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1988.Bibliography: leaves 18-19.Microfiche of typescript. [Urbana, Ill.]: Photographic Services, University of Illinois, U of I Library, [1988]. 1 microfiche (24 frames): negative

An Assessment of a 13-week Teaching Gardens Intervention on Healthy Behavior Outcomes in 4th and 5th grade students at Crestwood Elementary School in Las Vegas, Nevada

Nearly 13 million children and adolescents are considered to be obese in the United States, with children enrolled in Clark County School District showing elevated overweight and obese weight statuses compared to national averages. Carrying an excessive amount of weight can lead children to experience a multitude of complications with their physical and mental health as well as increase their risk of developing various chronic diseases. The American Heart Association\u27s Las Vegas Teaching Gardens program implemented a school-based garden pilot study to target environmental causes of obesity in 4th and 5th grade students at Crestwood Elementary School. The objective of this study was to assess the success of the program to increase fruit and vegetable intake, increase physical activity, decrease sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and increase healthy behavior knowledge in the children through participation in garden activities and healthy family nights. A total of 105 students were assessed on their health behavior changes through the analysis of pre- and post-surveys. Data from the pre-test were compared to the post-test data using Wilcoxon match pair tests, McNemar\u27s chi square tests and t-tests. The results showed a significant decrease in children\u27s sugar-sweetened beverage consumption after the intervention (P=0.045) and a significant increase in children\u27s reported participation in physical activity (

Can the Rorschach be administered remotely? A review of options and a pilot study using a newly developed R-PAS App

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has required psychologists to adopt measures like physical distancing and mask wearing, though other safety procedures such as travel restrictions or prohibitions on in-person practice and research have fostered the use of tele-health tools. In this article, we review options for using the Rorschach task via videoconference and provide preliminary data from using a new electronic app for remote R-PAS administration to determine whether the remote administration in an electronic form yields different information than in-person administration with the cards in hand. As a pilot study, our focus is on the “first factor” of all Rorschach scores, i.e., complexity. Data were collected from 60 adult Italian community volunteers, and statistical analyses evaluated the extent to which the average complexity score significantly departed from R-PAS normative expectations (SS = 100), accompanied by Bayesian likelihoods for supporting the null hypothesis. Results suggest that the general level of complexity shown by the test-takers when administered the Rorschach remotely with the new R-PAS app closely resembles that previously observed using “standard” in-person procedures. Tentative analyses of other R-PAS scores suggested normative departures that could be due to the effects of the app, testing at home, or responses to the pandemic. We offer recommendations for future research and discuss practical implications

High tibial osteotomy in varus knees: indications and limits

Opening wedge high tibial osteotomy (OWHTO) is a surgical procedure that aims to correct the weight-bearing axis of the knee, moving the loads laterally from the medial compartment. Conventional indications for OWHTO are medial compartment osteoarthritis and varus malalignment of the knee; recently OWHTO has been used successfully in the treatment of double and triple varus. OWHTO, in contrast to closing wedge high tibial osteotomy, does not require fibular osteotomy or peroneal nerve dissection, or lead to disruption of the proximal tibiofibular joint and bone stock loss. For these reasons, interest in this procedure has grown in recent years. The aim of this study is to review the literature on OWHTO, considering indications and prognostic factors (body mass index, grade of osteoarthritis, instability, range of movement and age), outcomes at mid-term follow-up, and limits of the procedure (slope modifications, patellar height changes and difficulties in conversion to a total knee arthroplasty)

Quality of life and treatment satisfaction in adults with Type 1 diabetes: A comparison between continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion and multiple daily injections

Aims: The aim of this case-control study was to compare quality of life (QoL) and treatment satisfaction in adults with Type 1 diabetes (T1DM) treated with either continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) or multiple daily injections (MDI). Methods: Consecutive patients aged between 18 and 55 years, and attending diabetes clinics for a routine visit, completed the Diabetes-Specific Quality-of-Life Scale (DSQOLS), the Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (DTSQ) and the SF-36 Health Survey (SF-36). Case (CSII) and control subjects (MDI) were recruited in a 1 : 2 ratio. Results: Overall, 1341 individuals were enrolled by 62 diabetes clinics; 481 were cases and 860 control subjects. Cases had a longer diabetes duration and were more likely to have eye and renal complications. Age, school education, occupation and HbA1c were similar. Of control subjects, 90% followed glargine-based MDI regimens and 10% used NPH-based MDI regimens. On multivariate analysis, after adjusting for socioeconomic and clinical characteristics, scores in the following areas of the DSQOLS were higher in cases than control subjects: diet restrictions (β = 5.96; P &lt; 0.0001), daily hassles (β = 3.57; P = 0.01) and fears about hypoglycaemia (β = 3.88; P = 0.006). Treatment with CSII was also associated with a markedly higher DTSQ score (β = 4.13; P &lt; 0.0001) compared with MDI. Results were similar when CSII was compared separately with glargine- or NPH-based MDI regimens. Conclusions: This large, non-randomized, case-control study suggests quality of life gains deriving from greater lifestyle flexibility, less fear of hypoglycaemia, and higher treatment satisfaction, when CSII is compared with either glargine-based or NPH-based MDI regimens. © 2008 The Authors