From satisfaction to expectation: The patient's perspective in lower limb prosthetic care

Neck pain is a common musculoskeletal complaint and a relationship with reduced work-related functional capacity is assumed. A validated instrument to test functional capacity of patients with neck pain is unavailable. The objective of this study was to develop a Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE), which is content valid for determining functional capacity in patients with work related neck disorders (WRND). A review of epidemiological review literature was conducted to identify physical risk factors for WRND. Evidence was found that physical risk factors contribute in development of WRND. Physical risk factors were related to repetitive movements, forceful movements, awkward positions and static contractions of the neck or the neck/shoulder region. An FCE was designed based on the risk factors identified. Eight tests were selected to cover all risk factors: repetitive side reaching, repetitive reaching overhead, static overhead work, front carry, forward static bend neck, overhead lift and the neck strength test. Content validity of this FCE was established by providing the rationale, specific objectives and operational definitions of the FCE. Further research is needed to establish reliability and other aspects of validity of the neck-FCE Aim Worldwide, family- centred and co- ordinated care are seen as the two most desirable and effective methods of paediatric care delivery. This study outlines current views on how team collaboration comprising professionals in paediatric rehabilitation and special education and the parents of children with disabilities should be organized, and analyses the policies of five paediatric rehabilitation settings associated with the care of 44 children with cerebral palsy ( CP) in the Netherlands. Methods For an overview of current ideas on collaboration, written statements of professional associations in Dutch paediatric rehabilitation were examined. The policy statements of the five participating settings were derived from their institutional files. Documents detailing the collaborative arrangements involving the various professionals and parents were evaluated at the institutional level and at the child level. Involvement of the stakeholders was analysed based on team conferences. Results Also in the Netherlands collaboration between rehabilitation and education professionals and parents is endorsed as the key principle in paediatric rehabilitation, with at its core the team conference in which the various priorities and goals are formulated and integrated into a personalized treatment plan. As to their collaborative approaches between rehabilitation centre and school, the five paediatric settings rarely differed, but at the child level approaches varied. Teams were large ( averaging 10.5 members), and all three stakeholder groups were represented, but involvement differed per setting, as did the roles and contributions of the individual team members. Conclusion Collaboration between rehabilitation and education professionals and parents is supported and encouraged nationwide. Views on collaboration have been formulated, and general guidelines on family- centred and co- ordinated care are available. Yet, collaborative practices in Dutch paediatric care are still developing. Protocols that carefully delineate the commitments to collaborate and that translate the policies into practical, detailed guidelines are needed, as they are a prerequisite for successful teamwork

Persistence of attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder into adulthood: a study conducted on parents of children diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

No Abstract.South African Psychiatry Review Vol. 10 (2) 2007: pp.93-9

“It’s like uprooting trees”: responsive treatment for a case of complex post-traumatic stress disorder following multiple rapes

This systematic case study documents 27 sessions of assessment and treatment with cognitive therapy of Bongi (23)who presented with major depression, posttraumatic stress disorder and borderline traits. Bongi had been raised in a punitive environment, had been raped three times, the first time at age 9, and had been in a series of abusive relationships. The treatment illustrates the importance of therapist responsiveness in addressing this kind of complex presentation, the importance of drawing on case formulation to guide the course of treatment and the range of different interventions that need to be incorporated into an integrative treatment of a complex case. Self-report measures of depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress indicators provided evidence that the therapy contributed to positive changes and the qualitative therapy narrative gives details of the nature of some of those changes. Although treatment was not complete when Bongi moved away, Bongi herself judged that the therapy had been a valuable experience which had resulted in her feeling more alive, more confident, and better able to take care of herself

Stability criteria for a pyramidal shaped asperity ploughing through a plastically deforming substrate

In two body abrasion processes hard asperities plough through a soft surface. If the asperities can resist the forces that act on it, scratches will develop in the soft material. If the asperities cannot withstand these forces, they will break off and not cause direct abrasion damage. The same is the case for galling, where lumps develop on one of the surfaces because of material transfer. These lumps will abrade the counter surface, if the lumps are strong enough to withstand the forces that act on it. In order to describe these phenomena, simple criteria are desired to describe the mechanical stability of asperities and lumps.\ud \ud In this work, an analytical model is presented for the mechanical stability of asperities. In the analysis, a pyramidal asperity shape will be assumed. Given the pyramidal asperity shape, several cases will be studied: the load is carried by a pyramid with a triangular base, a pyramid with a triangular base and an extended backside and the case where a crack has developed. Based on these models stability criteria of ploughing pyramidal asperities will be developed. Important results of the model will be discussed in the context of abrasion and adhesive wear processes

The effect of a project management office on project and organisational performance

Depending on the specific needs of the host companies, Project Management Offices (PMOs) are created and mandated for different reasons. As a result of varying mandates and functions of PMOs, there is no agreed method to determine the value of a PMO. By studying the case of an organisation that recently implemented a PMO, this paper provides some insight into ways to determine the value of a PMO. Three new methods for determining the value of a PMO are proposed.Projekbestuurkantore (PKe) word geskep en ontvang mandate vir verskillende redes wat bepaal word deur die spesifieke behoeftes van die gasheer maatskappy. As gevolg van die verskille in mandate en funksies van PKe, bestaan daar tans geen algemeen aanvaarde metode om die waarde van ’n PM te bepaal nie. Deur die studie van ’n geval van ’n organisasie wat onlangs ’n PK geïmplementeer het, bied hierdie artikel insig oor maniere waarop die waarde van ’n PK bepaal kan word. Drie nuwe metodes vir bepaling van die waarde van ’n PK word voorgestel.http://sajie.journals.ac.za/pubam2016Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM

New Species of \u3cem\u3eGondwanamyces\u3c/em\u3e From Dying \u3cem\u3eEuphorbia\u3c/em\u3e Trees in South Africa

Gondwanamyces and its Custingophora anamorphs were first described from Protea infructescences in South Africa. Subsequently these unusual fungi were also found on Cecropia in Central America. During an investigation into the decline and death of native Euphorbia trees in South Africa, several fungal isolates resembling the anamorph state of Gondwanamyces were obtained from diseased tissues. In this study these isolates are identified based on morphology and comparisons of DNA sequences. Two previously unknown Gondwanamyces species were identified, both were associated with damage caused by beetles (Cossonus sp.). Inoculation studies showed that the new species of Gondwanamyces are pathogenic on Euphorbia ingens and may contribute to the decline of these trees

Challenging design paradigms for the aged and aging

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2011.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references.Internationally the world is undergoing a grey revolution, with the average age of the human population being higher than it has ever been before. Within the U.S. context this trend is driven by the Baby Boomers, the 80 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964. As more Boomers enter into late adulthood they will require an increased degree of support as age related needs increase. Historically three approaches have been followed in order to address the needs of the aged: aging in place or in-home care, assisted living and nursing homes. Continuing care communities have attempted to provide an integrated model to assist through all the stages of late adulthood. With the exception of in home care, all architectural models for elderly care have been driven by a paradigm of 'aging as disease' which, through isolation and differentiation, sets up homogenous 'enclaves' for the elderly. This has attributed to the stigmatization associated with the aged and architecture for the aged. This thesis attempts to challenge the paradigms informing architecture for the elderly by proposing a diverse, urban, mixed-use residential development supporting the needs of the aged and the aging. Essential to this is a reconsideration of the contemporary nature of late adulthood which requires an emphasis on lifestyle rather than illness and a manifestation of an architecture that is urban, programmatically mixed, age integrated, specific and flexible.by Gerhard J. van der Linde.M.Arch