Retrograde amnesia for semantic information in Alzheimer's disease

Patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease and normal controls were tested on a retrograde amnesia test with semantic content (Neologism and Vocabulary Test, or NVT), consisting of neologisms to be defined. Patients showed a decrement as compared to normal controls, pointing to retrograde amnesia within semantic memory. No evidence for a gradient within this amnesia was found, although one was present on an autobiographic test of retrograde amnesia that had a wider time scale. Several explanations for these results are presented, including one that suggests that extended retrograde amnesia and semantic memory deficits are in fact one and the same defici

Impact of time on improvement of outcome after stroke

Contains fulltext : 51306.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Longitudinal conducted studies show that neurologic and functional recovery show faster recovery in the first weeks poststroke. The aim of the present study was to study the effects of progress of time on observed improvements in motor strength, synergisms, and activities during the first 16 weeks poststroke. METHODS: Based on data from a previous study, 101 patients with first-ever ischemic middle cerebral artery strokes were prospectively investigated during the first 16 weeks after stroke. Progress of time was categorized into 8 biweekly time intervals and was used as the independent covariate in a first-order longitudinal regression model. The biweekly time change (progress of time) was related to improvement in upper and lower limb motor recovery assessed with Fugl-Meyer score and Motricity Index, reduction in visuospatial inattention based on the letter cancellation task, and improvement in walking ability, dexterity, and activities of daily living measured with the Functional Ambulation Categories, Action Research Arm test, and Barthel Index. RESULTS: Time explained a significant change of 8.4 (42%) measurement units on the Barthel Index for the first 10 weeks poststroke, 1.1 (22%) measurement units on Functional Ambulation Categories, and 19% on the Action Research Arm test for the first 6 and 8 weeks poststroke. Approximately 25% (for Fugl-Meyer-arm) to 26% (for Motricity Index-arm) of the significant change in measurements units was explained by time alone for the upper limb compared with 33% for Fugl-Meyer-leg and 39% for Motricity Index-leg of the lower limb. Time accounted for a reduction of 16% in the letter cancellation task. Observed associations did not change after controlling for covariates such as age, gender, hemisphere of stroke, type of stroke, or intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Progress of time is an independent covariate that reflects spontaneous recovery of body functions and activities explaining &16% to 42% of the observed improvements in the first 6 to 10 weeks after stroke onset

Een beter milieu begint bij jezelf….

In oktober 1990 is een milieu-campagne van de overheid begonnen onder het motto: "een beter milieu begint bij jezelf ". De campagne heeft tot doel het relatief milieuonvriendelijke gedrag in de maatschappij te veranderen in milieuvriendelijker gedrag

Patients' experiences with continuum of care across hospitals:A multilevel analysis of Consumer Quality Index Continuum of Care

Objective: Communication between professionals is essential because it contributes to an optimal continuum of care. Whether patients experience adequate continuum of care is uncertain. To address this, a questionnaire was developed to elucidate this care process from a patients' perspective. In this study, the instrument's ability to measure differences in "Consumer Quality Index Continuum of Care" scores between hospitals was investigated. Methods: The questionnaire was mailed to a random sample of 2159 patients and comprised of 22 items divided over four domains, GP approach, GP referral, specialist and collaboration. Multilevel analysis was conducted to identify case-mix and determine this questionnaire's ability to measure differences in domain scores between hospitals. Results: Based on a 65% response rate, 1404 questionnaires were available for analysis. Case-mix of patient characteristics across hospitals could not be demonstrated. Some differences in scores between hospitals were observed. At most two in eight hospitals showed different domain scores. Conclusion: The ability of this questionnaire to measure differences in continuum of care scores between hospitals is limited. The outcome of this survey suggests that hospitals provide a similar level of continuum of care from a patient's perspective. Practical implications: This questionnaire is especially useful for measuring differences between patients. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Rapid and Non-intrusive Measurements of Moisture in Road Constructions Using Passive Microwave Radiometry and GPR – Full Scale Test

AbstractHigh groundwater tables and moisture in road materials strongly reduce the service life of pavements. Two types of non-intrusive instruments have been tested for their potential to detect moisture in road constructions: a passive microwave radiometer (MIRA scanner), and a 900MHz Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR). Measurements were made at the surface of a 2.5 m x 2.5 m x 1.5 m full scale model of an asphalt pavement on a granular road base and a sand subgrade. The model allowed the controlled raising and lowering of the groundwater table. The moisture conditions in the subgrade and road base were monitored in observation wells and using Time Domain Reflectometry sensors for the validation of the non-intrusive measurements. This paper describes the non-intrusive instruments and the test set-up. The response of the instruments to raising the groundwater table in the full scale model is analysed. It is shown that the MIRA scanner is capable of detecting variations in moisture in the upper 0.40 m of the road construction, while the GPR clearly detects the groundwater table at greater depths. An analytical model is presented that is well capable of predicting moisture conditions during the test. Finally, the paper discusses the potential of both non-intrusive instruments in practice

Fremveksten av offshoreskipsfarten på Vestlandet 1970-2010

This master thesis has been revised with corrections of spelling- and formatting errors.This master thesis examines how the offshore shipping in the western part of Norway has developed from 1970 to 2010. Since the offshore shipping is contained by many different shipowning actors. Of this reason the thesis will explain how the actors in the offshore shipping made it through the period within the offshoremarket. The thesis will also investigate how the development in the four maritime regions that the western part consists of. This will be explained through the segments that the offshore shipping consists of. The offshore shipping is a part of the offshore sector, and is also a kind of shipping that does different kind of services for the oil industry and more often for wind warm projects in the last decade. After the oil discovery in December 1969 several actors from the shipping business entered the offshore shipping. Between 1970 and 2010 the development in this shipping branch has been tremendous. Maybe the most interesting change that happened in the Norwegian offshore shipping was the change in the geographical structure. From being based in different parts of Norway, the offshore shipping became strongly based in the Western Part of the country. In the last decade, from 2000 to 2010 the offshore shipping in the western part has experienced an enormous expansion, both in size and territory, where the actors developed their businesses in foreign offshoremarkets around the globe. Despite the significant growth and importance the offshore shipping have been for the norwegian shipping, it have been little attention in the historical research litterature. By this reason there have been big opportunities to fill out the holes in the historical science of this topic

Tackling New Federal Agency Public Access Mandates at the University of Arizona

Objective: In 2014, federal agencies began releasing their implementation plans in response to the 2013 White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Research policy memorandum. The University has in place an established Data Management support service, which has addressed new data requirements. However, in early 2016 the University of Arizona Libraries (UAL) and Office of Research, Discovery & Innovation (RDI) convened to discuss how the university can help researchers address these new growing federal agency mandates on manuscripts and data. Methods: By the summer of 2016, a collaboration of UA Libraries and the office of RDI formed the University of Arizona Public Access Working Group. Results: Since receiving its charge, the working group has continued to meet on a regular basis. Thus far, the group activities have included scheduled campus informational sessions and the development of guides and a resource page. Conclusions: Next steps include expanding the list of entities covered to go beyond federal agencies. Additionally, the working group will soon start conversations with faculty stakeholders on developing a robust Open Science infrastructure and ecosystem for the University of Arizona

Predicting improvement in gait after stroke: a longitudinal prospective study

0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Improvement in standing balance control is more important than improvement in leg strength or synergism to achieve improvement in walking ability, whereas reduction in visuospatial inattention is independently related to improvement of gait. Finally, time itself is an independent covariate that is negatively associated with change on FAC, suggesting that most pronounced improvements occur earlier after strok