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

Advancing the Business and Human Rights Agenda: Dialogue, Empowerment, and Constructive Engagement

As corporations are going global, they are increasingly confronted with human rights challenges. As such, new ways to deal with human rights challenges in corporate operations must be developed as traditional governance mechanisms are not always able to tackle them. This article presents five different views on innovative solutions for the relationships between business and human rights that all build on empowerment, dialogue and constructive engagement. The different approaches highlight an emerging trend toward a more active role for corporations in the protection of human rights. The first examines the need for enhanced dialogue between corporations and their stakeholders. The next three each examine a different facet of empowerment, a critical factor for the respect and protection of human rights: empowerment of the poor, of communities, and of consumers. The final one presents a case study of constructive corporate engagement in Myanmar (Burma). Altogether, these research projects provide insight into the complex relationships between corporate operations and human rights, by highlighting the importance of stakeholder dialogue and empowerment. All the five projects were presented during the Second Swiss Master Class in Corporate Social Responsibility, held in Lausanne, Switzerland on December 12, 2008. The audience for this conference, which examined business and human rights, was composed of researchers, governmental representatives, and business and non-governmental organization practitioner

Advancing the business and human rights agenda: Dialogue, empowerment, and constructive engagement

As corporations are going global, they are increasingly confronted with human rights challenges. As such, new ways to deal with human rights challenges in corporate operations must be developed as traditional governance mechanisms are not always able to tackle them. This article presents five different views on innovative solutions for the relationships between business and human rights that all build on empowerment, dialogue and constructive engagement. The different approaches highlight an emerging trend toward a more active role for corporations in the protection of human rights. The first examines the need for enhanced dialogue between corporations and their stakeholders. The next three each examine a different facet of empowerment, a critical factor for the respect and protection of human rights: empowerment of the poor, of communities, and of consumers. The final one presents a case study of constructive corporate engagement in Myanmar (Burma). Altogether, these research projects provide insight into the complex relationships between corporate operations and human rights, by highlighting the importance of stakeholder dialogue and empowerment. All the five projects were presented during the Second Swiss Master Class in Corporate Social Responsibility, held in Lausanne, Switzerland on December 12, 2008. The audience for this conference, which examined business and human rights, was composed of researchers, governmental representatives, and business and non-governmental organization practitioners

Patients’ perceptions of conservative treatment for a small abdominal aortic aneurysm

Vascular Surger

Finding a third archetypal technical system in architectural phenomenology

Within the scope of phenomenology and in order to understand architecture, the role of the technical system is as important as those of the purpose of the building or its form. Mass construction and skeletal construction relate to the architectural theory concepts stereotomy and tectonics respectively, which are suitable for describing the fundamental structural and constructive form of architecture. These two systems became established as man built his first shelters and, so far, represented opposite sides of the building industry’s possibilities. The development of new construction techniques and the relationship between research and technology have a great impact on architecture, although new processing methods and materials may not necessarily cause genuine tectonic changes. The technical dimension of architecture is analysed in this work describing how technical elements are built from materials, and then organised in systems. First, the paper examines the division of technical systems in two categories (massive systems and skeletal systems); then it studies timber’s modern production technologies and subsequently the paper critically analyses how these influence the architectural form. The paper concludes that a third archetypal technical system can be perceived with the assembly of surface elements, joining both the multifunctional aspect of the massive systems and the flexibility of the skeletal systems, this third category being fundamental in phenomenological terms

Effects of circuit training as alternative to usual physiotherapy after stroke: randomised controlled trial

Objective To analyse the effect of task oriented circuit training compared with usual physiotherapy in terms of self reported walking competency for patients with stroke discharged from a rehabilitation centre to their own home

A longitudinal cohort study on quality of life in stroke patients and their partners: Restore4Stroke Cohort

BACKGROUND: Stroke is a major cause of disability in the Western world. Its long-term consequences have a negative impact on the quality of life of both the patients and their partners. AIM: The aim of the Restore4Stroke Cohort study is to investigate the changes in quality of life of stroke patients and their partners over time, and to determine factors predicting quality of life in several domains, especially personal and environmental factors. METHOD: Multicentre prospective longitudinal cohort study. Inclusion and the first assessment take place during hospital stay in the first week post-stroke. Follow-up assessments take place at two months, six months, one year, and two years post-stroke. Recruitment of 500 patients from stroke units in six participation hospitals is foreseen. If the patient has a partner, he or she is also asked to participate in the study. OUTCOMES: The main outcome is quality of life, considered from a health-related quality of life and domain-specific quality of life perspective. Factors predicting long-term quality of life will be determined by taking into account the health condition (pre-stroke health condition and stroke-related health condition), personal factors (e.g. coping and illness cognitions), and environmental factors (e.g. caregiver burden and social support). DISCUSSION: This study is expected to provide information about the changes in quality of life of stroke patients and their partners over time. Furthermore, the identification of factors predicting quality of life can be used to improve rehabilitation care and develop new interventions for stroke patients and their partners