Investigating the clinical utility of wearable motion sensors to guide therapy in children with cerebral palsy

Background: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) experience a wide range of motor impairments and rarely achieve the recommended level of daily physical activity. To recognise environmental barriers and facilitators, clinicians depend upon an objective evaluation of performance in daily life. Wearable inertial sensors (Physilog®) have recently been developed to measure meaningful spatio-temporal gait parameters. In this study, we investigated the clinical utility of wearable sensors to guide therapy in children with CP. Methods: 9 patients with CP wore inertial sensors at baseline (= week 0), at pre- (= week 4) and post-intervention (= week 8) and follow-up (= week 12). Physiotherapists were asked to develop the intervention phase (i.e., a training plan integrated in their patient’s daily routine) according to the sensors outcomes. To assess the clinical utility of inertial sensors, we designed three different questionnaires for the patients, caregivers and physiotherapists, respectively. The answers were recorded using a visual analogue scale (VAS; 0 representing the worst score, 100 representing the best score; ≤30 not satisfied, 31–69 average, ≥70 satisfied) and comments were noted down during the interviews. Furthermore, technical problems and training plans were gathered in a case report form. Results: Overall, patients were satisfied with the sensors (mean 70.6 - 87.4) but experienced tiredness (mean 53.4) during the month of personal training. Caregivers found the sensors useful (mean 77.4) and six out of eight parents noticed an improvement of their child’s physical performance. All physiotherapists would consider using sensors in their practice (mean 82.0) even though they scored their usefulness as average (mean 66.0). Despite having a better representation of patients’ physical activities with sensors (mean 70.0), physiotherapists had trouble adapting the exercises proposed to their patients (mean 49.0). Conclusion: Despite some technical issues, Physilog® sensors presented fairly good acceptability and practicability. Nevertheless, several physiotherapists faced difficulties in adapting existing therapy according to sensor outcomes. Therefore, the implementation of the sensors in clinics to guide therapy will require further adaptations of the setting to increase its relevance

Art therapy as a healing concept for the mentally challenged: Artistic approach

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AN INVESTIGATION OF ALBANIAN ORPHANS’ ACCOMMODATION AND EDUCATION ISSUES FROM A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE

Among the most vulnerable groups in Albania, orphans are the ones who have been encountering a lot of problems due to the neglect of the government on providing the support they need. This work focuses on the Albanian orphans’ accommodation and education issues while at and after leaving the residential care. There will be an elaboration of two articles (27 and 28) from the convention of the children’s rights, which address their rights on such issues. After a detailed analysis of the situation further recommendations will be suggested based on the national law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child

The Role of the Media in Achieving a Fair Trial in the Republic of Kosovo

Transparency of the courts and access to public documents are considered as basic principles that directly affect citizens' trust in judicial institutions, and are the primary vehicles for increasing the levels of accountability and responsibility in the judiciary system. A link and line of communication between institutions and the public is mainly done through the media, a global trend that also applies in the Republic of Kosovo. Media as judiciary monitors the work of the judiciary, continuously reporting to the public and informing them of the work these institutions do, their challenges and successes, their adherence to human rights, and even their violations. In short, as the courts divide justice, the media sees how it is shared. This article aims to reflect the real state of the media’s role in Kosovo as a factor of attaining fair trial, based on Kosovo’s criminal legislation and provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights and Freedoms. For a comparison between them and the case of law, some of the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg have been taken into account. The Constitution of Kosovo guarantees the human rights and freedoms enshrined in this Convention

Youth Civic Engagement in Albania

Civic engagement is beneficial for young people and for democracy, especially for post-Communist countries like Albania which is struggling to establish a stable and fair democracy. To describe citizens’ civic behavior using social capital as a framework, this work hypothesized that there would be significant age, gender, and urbanicity differences related to youth civic engagement. Moreover, both youth optimism and young people’s attitudes to the political system were hypothesized to be positively associated with youth civic engagement when controlling for age, gender, and urbanicity. Finally, this study hypothesized that age, gender, and urbanicity would significantly moderate the associations between youth optimism and young people’s attitudes to the political system with youth civic engagement. Using data from the Child Well-being 2016 dataset, results showed that there are significant age differences related to youth civic engagement where younger adolescents ages 12-14 had significantly higher levels of civic engagement than older adolescents ages 15-19. Next, the results revealed that there were unique associations between youth optimism and young people’s attitudes to the political system with youth civic engagement when controlling for age, gender, and urbanicity. Young people’s attitudes to the political system, youth optimism, and age (12-14 years old) contributed most to the prediction of youth civic engagement. In addition, moderation analysis uncovered that age (12-14 years old) significantly moderated the associations between youth optimism and young people’s attitudes to the political system with youth civic engagement. Finally, the results indicated that urbanicity (urban youth) significantly moderated the association between youth optimism and youth civic engagement. This work was limited by its use of secondary data reported by adolescents. Future research is needed to develop more strategies and programs to increase and improve youth civic engagement, especially among older adolescents living in rural areas in a post-Communist country like Albania. Keywords: youth civic engagement, political system, attitudes, optimism, post-Communis

INVESTMENT DECISION ANALYSIS Case study: AAA Company

This assignment presents and hypothetical case regarding financial and investment decisions of the firm. Based on the critical analyses this paper work will identify the best possible project available for investment. The financial data presented on this assignment are done according to the information/data that has been provided, therefore analysing them in order to arrive to the best possible decision for investment. In order to facilitate managerial decisions there has been presented necessary calculations. However, the evaluation and the importance of risk factors have been taken to concern. Furthermore, in order to accomplish this assignment, where on use various relevant books and journals. Therefore, this assignment will present academic and critical analysis. By the end of this assignment, one can be able to understand financial analysis that company should take to concern, the activities has to follow by creative planning and forecasting the future plans in order to re-enforce the decisions on the investment that is about to be made. Author (2006) states: ‘Investment gives to the investor always the benefits on gaining experience but not necessary gaining money, therefore investing gives the experience, and experience is something that money can’t buy, however the investors are investing in increase its wealth. - therefore, the investment decision analysis is taking a great concern on return that the project it (may) returns, or gives an option to later return so current operation is to achieve the future benefits.

Start-ups through the Lens of Marketing: The importance of Branding for Start-ups and Brand Awareness

The purpose of this study is to examine the importance of branding among start-ups, with a specific focus on start-ups in Kosovo. The role of branding has been drastically increasing in the last decades, as branding is becoming one of the most valuable intangible assets that a company owns regardless of whether it is a matured company or a start-up, the high growth potential newly established companies. In an effort to better understand the role of branding for Kosovo’s start-ups, this study provides qualitative insight obtained directly from start-ups’ representatives to identify whether start-ups in Kosovo recognize branding as an important component of their development process. This study identifies branding efforts utilized by the start-ups and analyzes the correlation between these efforts and the brand awareness of their brand. The data for this study were collected through in-depth interviews, a survey, and the review of exiting literature

COVID 19 RECESSION THROUGH POLICYMAKERS HIBRENATE ECONOMY Case study: Kosova

In the first half of the year 2020 we have witnessed a pandemic spread all over the globe. The harmful impacts of Covid-19 on the health of humans that could end in “death- penalty” were tried to be prevented by locking down almost all businesses/economy expect the medical sector and businesses that offer essential goods and bakery. The lock-down had massive negative effects on the businesses that were effecting therefore global economy is facing a recession. The main aim of this paper is to understand the policymakers’ decision towards the “Covid-19 first era” by tuning economical tools such as lower interest rate by central bank; justifying tax & fiscal policies; cut the government spending; the lock-down and the post-pone of the utility payments (roll over debt), rents and other regular payment such as loans (don’t pay debts) which will hibernate the economy. Furthermore, this paper elaborates the economical tools that should be taken in concern in order to overcome the pandemic recession also known as “the post “Covid-19 first era”. This paperwork objectives are defined through dependable, intermediary and independent variables, in order to overcome the hibernation of the country’s economy. The Covid-19 impact in Kosova economy’s to overcome the recession through sustainable pro-jobs investment, fair taxation and other economical tools such as Remittance and Kosova Pension Trust Fund, in order to accelerate the economy

Environmental communication and visual pollution: Its philosophical and psychological impact

This research examines the relationships between the environment, visual communication as a resource and their significance to the aesthetics of the people. The research will look into the psychology and philosophy effect. Visual pollution on humans can be manifested in two forms which have been already recognized:- direct, the effects being psychological and physiological; - indirect, the effects being various, from road accidents caused by distraction, to the economic decline of a community. Environmental design professional/students should work and educate cultural planners, city planners, architects and engineers to enhance the visual aesthetic qualities of the built environment in some Nigerian cities. Visual Arts research provides a forum for historical, critical, cultural, psychological, educational and conception research in visual arts and aesthetic educatio