742 research outputs found
Aircraft of the future
Some basic problems connected with attempts to increase the size and capacity of transport aircraft are discussed. According to the square-cubic law, the increase in structural weight is proportional to the third power of the increase in the linear dimensions of the aircraft when geomettric similarity is maintained, while the surface area of the aircraft increases according to the second power. A consequence is that the fraction of useful weight will decrease as aircraft increase in size. However, in flying-wing designs in which the whole load on the wing is proportional to the distribution of lifting forces, the total bending moment on the wing will be sharply reduced, enabling lighter construction. Flying wings may have an ultimate capacity of 3000 passengers
Scoping review: The trajectory of recovery of participation outcomes following stroke
Participation is a central concept in health and well-being and healthcare, yet operationalizing this concept has been difficult. Its definition, uses in healthcare, and impacts on recovery require ongoing research. Our review question goes like this: from the longitudinal evidence investigating participation among stroke survivors, what are the patterns of participation recovery in stroke survivors over time, and what interventions are used to improve participation? To fully understand these questions, we also ask, how is participation defined in the stroke literature, and what are the measures of participation used in the stroke literature? A systematic scoping review was undertaken using the search terms âstroke,â âlongitudinal,â âparticipation,â and âoutcomeâ in seven databases. Articles included were published until April 2017, written in English, and had at least two longitudinal assessments of participation. Fifty-nine articles met the inclusion criteria. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health was the most frequent definition of participation used (34%). There were 22 different measures of participation. Eight of ten studies demonstrated significant improvements in participation up to 12 months poststroke. Efficacy of interventions and their impact on participation varied. The various definitions, measures, and intervention efficacies of participation highlight the need for further research worldwide into achieving meaningful participation and quality of life among stroke survivors. Future practice should include participation as a main outcome measure
Association between Sensory Processing by Children with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder and their Daily Routines
Background: Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder exhibit persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction accompanied by restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. Those with normal intelligence are considered to have high functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD).
Method: The study participants were 20 children with HFASD aged 5 to 7 years old attending mainstream educational programs and their parents (study group) and 30 typically-developing age-matched children from the same socio-economic background and their parents (control group). Parents from both groups completed the Short Sensory Profile to investigate their childrenâs sensory processing and the presence of Sensory Processing Disorder. Children and parents from both groups were administered the Make My Day (MMD) to obtain information regarding the childrenâs participation and performance in daily activities.
Results: The study group had significantly more sensory difficulties, which correlated with restricted daily routines, compared with the control group. SPD significantly predicted the quality and independence of the performance of daily activities by children with HFASD as measured by the MMD.
Conclusions: SPD may be a worthwhile therapeutic target for therapists seeking to improve participation in and performance of daily activities, as identified by the MMD, among children with HFASD
Predictors of Daily Activity Performance of Children with Autism and its Association to Autism Characteristics
Background: The daily activity performance of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a central focus of occupational therapists. Yet, the existing performance-based assessments of basic and instrumental daily activities in children are limited and their application on children with ASD is scarce. The purpose of this study is to examine if daily activity performance of children with ASD is impaired as compared to children with typical development (TD), and to examine possible predictors of daily activity performance in children with ASD.
Method: The participants included 39 children with ASD and 40 children with TD, 6â10 years of age, who performed the Do-Eat, a performance based assessment of daily activities. The parents of children with ASD completed the Childhood Autism Spectrum Test (CAST), the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (RBS-R), and the Sensory Experience Questionnaire (SEQ).
Results: Differences were found between activity performance of children with ASD and children with TD, who achieved significantly better (t (40.3) = -8.92, p \u3c .001.
Conclusion: Children with ASD present difficulties in performance of daily activities and may benefit from occupational therapists\u27 input concerning the impact of sensory features, specifically hyper-responsiveness, on daily function
ASIP tandem queues with consumption
The Asymmetric Inclusion Process (ASIP) tandem queue is a model of stations in series with a gate after each station. At a gate opening, all customers in that station instantaneously move to the next station unidirectionally. In our study, we enhance the ASIP model by introducing the capability for individual customers to independently move from one station to the next, and by allowing both individual customers and batches of customers from any station to exit the system. The model is inspired by the process by which macromolecules are transported within cells. We present a comprehensive analysis of various aspects of the queue length in the ASIP tandem model. Specifically, we provide an exact analysis of queue length moments and correlations and, under certain circumstances, of the queue length distribution. Furthermore, we propose an approximation for the joint queue length distribution. This approximation is derived using three different approaches, one of which employs the concept of the replica mean-field limit. Among other results, our analysis offers insight into the extent to which nutrients can support the survival of a cell.</p
Enrichment and aggregation of topological motifs are independent organizational principles of integrated interaction networks
Topological network motifs represent functional relationships within and
between regulatory and protein-protein interaction networks. Enriched motifs
often aggregate into self-contained units forming functional modules.
Theoretical models for network evolution by duplication-divergence mechanisms
and for network topology by hierarchical scale-free networks have suggested a
one-to-one relation between network motif enrichment and aggregation, but this
relation has never been tested quantitatively in real biological interaction
networks. Here we introduce a novel method for assessing the statistical
significance of network motif aggregation and for identifying clusters of
overlapping network motifs. Using an integrated network of transcriptional,
posttranslational and protein-protein interactions in yeast we show that
network motif aggregation reflects a local modularity property which is
independent of network motif enrichment. In particular our method identified
novel functional network themes for a set of motifs which are not enriched yet
aggregate significantly and challenges the conventional view that network motif
enrichment is the most basic organizational principle of complex networks.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure
Report on the fifth international workshop on the CCN family of genes
The Fifth International Workshop on the CCN Family of Genes was held in Toronto October 18â22, 2008. This bi-annual workshop provides a unique opportunity for the presentation and discussion of cutting edge research in the CCN field. The CCN family members have emerged as extracellular matrix associated proteins which play a crucial role in cardiovascular and skeletal development, fibrosis and cancer. Significant progress has been made in the development of model systems to tease apart the CCN signalling pathways in these systems. Results presented at the conference suggest that targeting these pathways now shows real promise as a therapeutic strategy
Exaggerated neurophysiological responses to stressor in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria
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