Metacognitive Awareness And Use Of Reading Strategies On The Narrative Text By Iraqi EFL College Students

The aim of this study is to examine EFL readers' metacognitive awareness level of reading strategies and use of reading strategies to comprehend the narrative text. The study was done in Basrah University, Iraq and the respondents are Arabic students in the College of Education – Department of English language. The study was carried out by giving the students a questionnaire to investigate their awareness of reading strategies which is an Arabic translated version of Metacognitve Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (MARSI) and a reading comprehension exercise. The correlation between good and poor readers' awareness of reading strategies in comprehension of the narrative text was investigated

Prolonged Quadriceps Activity Following Imposed Hip Extension: A Neurophysiological Mechanism for Stiff-Knee Gait?

The biomechanical characteristics of stiff knee gait following neurological injury include decreased knee flexion velocity at toe-off, which may be due to exaggerated quadriceps activity. The neuromuscular mechanism underlying this abnormal activity is unclear, although hyperexcitable heteronymous reflexes may be a source of impaired coordination. The present study examines the contribution of reflex activity from hip flexors on knee extensors following stroke and its association with reduced swing-phase knee flexion during walking. Twelve individuals poststroke and six control subjects were positioned in supine on a Biodex dynamometer with the ankle and knee held in a static position. Isolated hip extension movements were imposed at 60, 90, and 120°/s through a 50° excursion to end-range hip extension. Reflexive responses of the rectus femoris (RF), vastus lateralis (VL), and vastus medialis (VM) were quantified during and after the imposed hip rotation. Gait analysis was also performed for all subjects in the stroke group. In subjects with stroke, imposed hip extension evoked a brief reflexive response in the quadriceps, followed by a heightened level of sustained activity. The initial response was velocity dependent and was larger in the stroke group than in the control group. In contrast, the prolonged response was not velocity dependent, was significantly greater in the VL and RF in subjects with stroke, and, importantly, was correlated to decreased swing-phase knee flexion. Hyperexcitable heteronymous connections from hip flexors to knee extensors appear to elicit prolonged quadriceps activity and may contribute to altered swing-phase knee kinematics following stroke

Active robotic training improves locomotor function in a stroke survivor

Abstract Background Clinical outcomes after robotic training are often not superior to conventional therapy. One key factor responsible for this is the use of control strategies that provide substantial guidance. This strategy not only leads to a reduction in volitional physical effort, but also interferes with motor relearning. Methods We tested the feasibility of a novel training approach (active robotic training) using a powered gait orthosis (Lokomat) in mitigating post-stroke gait impairments of a 52-year-old male stroke survivor. This gait training paradigm combined patient-cooperative robot-aided walking with a target-tracking task. The training lasted for 4-weeks (12 visits, 3 × per week). The subject’s neuromotor performance and recovery were evaluated using biomechanical, neuromuscular and clinical measures recorded at various time-points (pre-training, post-training, and 6-weeks after training). Results Active robotic training resulted in considerable increase in target-tracking accuracy and reduction in the kinematic variability of ankle trajectory during robot-aided treadmill walking. These improvements also transferred to overground walking as characterized by larger propulsive forces and more symmetric ground reaction forces (GRFs). Training also resulted in improvements in muscle coordination, which resembled patterns observed in healthy controls. These changes were accompanied by a reduction in motor cortical excitability (MCE) of the vastus medialis, medial hamstrings, and gluteus medius muscles during treadmill walking. Importantly, active robotic training resulted in substantial improvements in several standard clinical and functional parameters. These improvements persisted during the follow-up evaluation at 6 weeks. Conclusions The results indicate that active robotic training appears to be a promising way of facilitating gait and physical function in moderately impaired stroke survivors.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112853/1/12984_2011_Article_375.pd

Caracterização de materiais soldados com base na medição de perfis de condutividade eléctrica

Trabalhos recentes têm demonstrado que a medição de perfis de condutividade eléctrica é uma técnica eficaz, rápida e não destrutiva para a caracterização de materiais metálicos ligados por soldadura por fusão ou no estado sólido. Os resultados referentes às ligas de alumínio mostram que existe uma estreita correlação entre os perfis de condutividade eléctrica e os perfis de dureza, sendo os primeiros determinados sobretudo pelo tamanho de grão. Relativamente às ligas de aço, verifica-se que os perfis de condutividade eléctrica também permitem identificar as diferentes zonas termicamente afectadas devido aos processos de soldadura por fusão, as quais são geralmente descritas por zona fundida (ZF) e zona termicamente afectada (ZTA), sendo a sua extensão dependente sobretudo da Entrega Térmica (ET). Contudo, em algumas ligas, as características metalúrgicas que controlam as variações de condutividade eléctrica não estão devidamente descritas ou compreendidas. Nesse sentido, o objectivo do presente trabalho foi caracterizar os perfis de condutividade eléctrica em diferentes ligas de aço soldadas por fusão, identificando os principais aspectos metalúrgicos que lhes estão subjacentes. Foram realizados cordões de soldadura SER e TIG de aços P11, P22 e não ligado com diferentes parâmetros de soldadura. Os perfis de condutividade eléctrica foram medidos com sondas de correntes induzidas e com sondas de quatro pontos a diferentes profundidades, tendo sido comparados com os respectivos perfis de microdureza Vickers. Os resultados mostram que existe uma boa correlação entre a condutividade e a dureza, sendo que a condutividade é essencialmente determinada pelo tamanho de grão, e pela morfologia da fase ferrítica. A ferrite Witmanstatten facilita a passagem de corrente eléctrica ao contrário da ferrite poligonal que constitui um obstáculo à passagem de electrões. Pode confirmar-se que a medição dos perfis de condutividade é uma técnica com elevado potencial para complementar, ou em alguns casos substituir, a medição de durezas em ligas de aço soldadas por fusão

Biomechanical impairments and gait adaptations post-stroke: Multi-factorial associations

Understanding the potential causes of both reduced gait speed and compensatory frontal plane kinematics during walking in individuals post-stroke may be useful in developing effective rehabilitation strategies. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to select the combination of paretic limb impairments (frontal and sagittal plane hip strength, sagittal plane knee and ankle strength, and multi-joint knee/hip torque coupling) which best estimate gait speed and compensatory pelvic obliquity velocities at toeoff. Compensatory behaviors were defined as deviations from control subjects’ values. The gait speed model (n = 18; p = 0.003) revealed that greater hip abduction strength and multi-joint coupling of sagittal plane knee and frontal plane hip torques were associated with decreased velocity; however, gait speed was positively associated with paretic hip extension strength. Multi-joint coupling was the most influential predictor of gait speed. The second model (n = 15; p < 0.001) revealed that multi-joint coupling was associated with increased compensatory pelvic movement at toeoff; while hip extension and flexion and knee flexion strength were associated with reduced frontal plane pelvic compensations. In this case, hip extension strength had the greatest influence on pelvic behavior. The analyses revealed that different yet overlapping sets of single joint strength and multi-joint coupling measures were associated with gait speed and compensatory pelvic behavior during walking post-stroke. These findings provide insight regarding the potential impact of targeted rehabilitation paradigms on improving speed and compensatory kinematics following stroke

Fatty infiltration of the cervical multifidus musculature and their clinical correlates in spondylotic myelopathy.

This work was supported by the National Institute of Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (US), (NIH-NINDS), grant number 1K23NS091430-01A1Peer reviewe

Regulatory Taking: A Contract Approach

This Article begins by defining the parameters of the fifth amendment\u27s taking clause. The Article then reviews the various tests used in determining whether governmental action constitutes a taking, and discusses the recent Supreme Court decisions within the framework of case law as it has evolved since the Court\u27s 1922 landmark decision, Pennsylvania Coal Co. v. Mahon. Finally, the Article suggests a formula based on well-established contract principles for analyzing the impact of land use regulation on private property interests

The Role of Early Life Experience and Species Differences in Alcohol Intake in Microtine Rodents

Social relationships have important effects on alcohol drinking. There are conflicting reports, however, about whether early-life family structure plays an important role in moderating alcohol use in humans. We have previously modeled social facilitation of alcohol drinking in peers in socially monogamous prairie voles. We have also modeled the effects of family structure on the development of adult social and emotional behaviors. Here we assessed whether alcohol intake would differ in prairie voles reared by both parents compared to those reared by a single mother. We also assessed whether meadow voles, a closely related species that do not form lasting reproductive partnerships, would differ in alcohol drinking or in the effect of social influence on drinking. Prairie voles were reared either bi-parentally (BP) or by a single mother (SM). BP- and SM-reared adult prairie voles and BP-reared adult meadow voles were given limited access to a choice between alcohol (10%) and water over four days and assessed for drinking behavior in social and non-social drinking environments. While alcohol preference was not different between species, meadow voles drank significantly lower doses than prairie voles. Meadow voles also had significantly higher blood ethanol concentrations than prairie voles after receiving the same dose, suggesting differences in ethanol metabolism. Both species, regardless of rearing condition, consumed more alcohol in the social drinking condition than the non-social condition. Early life family structure did not significantly affect any measure. Greater drinking in the social condition indicates that alcohol intake is influenced similarly in both species by the presence of a peer. While the ability of prairie voles to model humans may be limited, the lack of differences in alcohol drinking in BP- and SM-reared prairie voles lends biological support to human studies demonstrating no effect of single-parenting on alcohol abuse