bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Michigan's Foster Care Case Management System
Authors: Johnson Kristen , Wagner Dennis
Published: July 2005

Objective: In 1997, Michigan's Family Independence Agency piloted casemanagement procedures designed to expedite permanency and improve services to children in foster care. Method: A 3-year evaluation examined outcomes in nine pilot and nine comparison counties to determine if children in the pilot counties achieved permanency, either returned home or another permanent arrangement, more rapidly than those in the comparison counties. Preceding implementation, pilot and comparison counties employed the same case management procedures and had similar records of achieving permanency for children entering foster care. Results: After implementation, pilot counties attained permanency for a significantly greater proportion of children entering foster care than did comparison counties. This difference was observed for subgroups defined by child ethnicity, initial placement type, and child age, although the differences were not always significant. Conclusion: Pilot counties were more likely to reunify children postimplementation than were comparison counties, and these children were no more likely to reenter foster care.
Reintegrating Children Into the System of Substitute Care: Evaluation of the Exceptional Care Pilot Project
Authors: Armour Marilyn P. , Schwab James
Published: July 2005

This pilot study presents findings from a project to evaluate a program initiated by a state child welfare agency for its most hard-to-serve youth (N = 46). This emerging population is so dangerous and unmanageable that they are difficult, if not impossible, to place or treat. One state responded to this challenge by providing exceptional care through two residential treatment facilities who followed a no-eject, no-reject policy. Outcome data show that 85% of children had reductions in state-designated level of care and movement to less restrictive treatment placements. Differences in Children's Global Assessment Scale scores for Cohort 1 were statistically significant (t = –4.947, df = 24, p < .001). Staff assessment interviews delineated target behaviors, putative causes, mechanisms for change, and outcomes for children who successfully completed the program.
Child Welfare and the Courts: A Statewide Study With Implications for Professional Development, Practice, and Change
Authors: Ellett Alberta J. , Steib Sue D.
Published: July 2005

Much anecdotal information exists about problems in courts adjudicating child welfare (CW) cases. However, little empirical research across courts, court divisions, and CW cases exists. Method: This study reports the results of a two-stage study of courts and the CW system. Stage 1 used direct, systematic court observations to identify critical features of effective and problematic courts. The second stage used interviews with judges, CWagency attorneys, and staff to identify factors that facilitate or impede timely safety and permanency decisions for children. Results: The results well document the need for making changes in the functioning of courts in CW cases. Implications for the continuing professional development of CW staff, improving the effectiveness of courts, CWpractice, and future research are discussed.
Impact of Flexible Funds on Placement and Permanency Outcomes for Children in Child Welfare
Authors: Lehman Constance M. , Liang Shu , O’Dell Kirstin
Published: July 2005

This article presents findings from the evaluation of Oregon's Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration Project. The 5-year waiver was approved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and initiated in 1997. Results showed that children from waiver branches were 3 times more likely to remain with their families 1 year after service target date than children from nonwaiver branches. In contrast, no significant association was found between access to flexible funds and likelihood of children returning home or establishing permanent placement with relatives.
Strengthening Families With First-Born Children: Exploratory Story of the Outcomes of a Home Visiting Intervention
Authors: de la Rosa Iván A. , Perry Joanne , Dalton Lisa E. , Johnson Victoria
Published: July 2005

Objective: Using a theory of change framework, this study examines outcome measures of a home visitation program that provided services to first-born children and their parents living in southwestern New Mexico. Method: Home visitation workers conducted pretest and posttest assessments for prenatal and postpartum periods for 109 families receiving services in the First-Born Program. Families were assessed using the Revised North Carolina Family Assessment Scale. Paired sample t tests were used to assess effect. Results: Clients participating in the First-Born Program displayed significantly higher posttest scores on measures of family resiliency. Specifically, clients demonstrated improved scores in operationalized measures of resilience: social support, caregiver characteristics, family interaction measures, and a reduction in personal problems affecting parenting. Conclusion: The results are promising as participants were observed to make positive improvements in specific areas related to family resiliency.
Child Maltreatment and the Justice System: Predictors of Court Involvement
Authors: Sedlak Andrea J. , Doueck Howard J. , Lyons Peter , Wells Susan J. , Schultz Dana , Gragg Francis
Published: July 2005

Objectives: Characteristics of the child victim, perpetrator, and maltreatment incident were used to examine predictors of court involvement in cases of serious child maltreatment. Method: Cases were drawn from those reported to: child protective services (n = 225), sheriff's office ( n = 225), prosecutor's office ( n = 60), and dependency court ( n = 65). Logistic regression was used to calculate predicted probabilities of criminal court involvement and dependency court involvement Results: Cases involving female victims were more likely to be filed in criminal court, and sexual abuse had the highest likelihood of prosecution. Cases involving male perpetrators, older perpetrators, and multiple victims were more likely to be filed for prosecution. Physical neglect was the most common type of maltreatment to result in dependency court filings. Perpetrator gender had opposite effects in the two systems. Conclusion: Tracking cases even in the same jurisdiction is confounded by the lack of common identifiers across the agencies involved.
Attitudes Toward the Police: The Effects of Direct and Vicarious Experience
Authors: Rosenbaum Dennis P. , Schuck Amie M. , Costello Sandra K. , Hawkins Darnell F. , Ring Marianne K.
Published: July 2005

Researchers have emphasized the importance of direct encounters with the police as a determinant of attitudes toward the police, yet cross-sectional studies allow for limited causal inference. This study includes the measurement of attitudes before and after encounters with the police among African American, Hispanic, and White residents of Chicago. Contrary to previous research, direct contact with the police during the past year is not enough to change attitudes, but vicarious experience (i.e., learning that someone else has had a good or bad encounter with the police) does influence attitudes in a predictable manner. Also, residents’ initial attitudes about the police play a critical role in shaping their judgments of subsequent direct and indirect experiences as well as their future attitudes. The findings are discussed in terms of stereotypes about the police that are resistant to change.
Citizen Satisfaction with Police Encounters
Authors: Skogan Wesley G.
Published: July 2005

This article examines the character and consequences of encounters between police and residents of the city of Chicago. It describes the frequency with which they contacted the police for assistance or support and how often they were stopped by them. Follow-up questions gathered information about the character of those contacts. The analysis contrasts the effects of experiential, on-scene factors with those of race, age, gender, and language on satisfaction with encounters. It demonstrates the great importance of the quality of routine police-citizen encounters, for things that officers did on the spot dominated in determining satisfaction. The personal characteristics of city residents played an important role in shaping who was treated in this way or that and affected satisfaction primarily through on-scene actions by police.
Determinants of Public Satisfaction with the Police
Authors: Weitzer Ronald , Tuch Steven A.
Published: July 2005

This article examines the determinants of citizen satisfaction with police. Using data from a recent nationwide survey of Whites, Hispanics, and African Americans, the authors test several hypotheses about how situational and structural factors shape attitudes toward the police. Much has been written about Black-White differences in views of the police, but most of this literature does little to explain why these differences exist. Moreover, very little is known about Hispanics’ relations with the police. We take a step toward closing this gap by developing a model of relations between police and minority-group members that focuses on such explanatory factors as personal contacts with officers, neighborhood crime conditions, and policing practices in accounting for variations in satisfaction with police.
Transforming Citizens into Suspects: Factors that Influence the Formation of Police Suspicion
Authors: Dunham Roger G. , Alpert Geoffrey P. , Stroshine Meghan S. , Bennett Katherine
Published: July 2005

The present study examines the formation of police suspicion and the mental processes and decisions officers make prior to stopping and questioning citizens. Furthermore, the authors include a brief discussion of the outcomes of stops made. The authors use both quantitative and qualitative data drawn from an observational study of police decision making in Savannah, Georgia. The reasons officers gave for becoming suspicious of citizens were coded into four categories: appearance, behavior, time and place, and information. The results do not support the speculation that it is during this prestop stage in the officers’ decision making when major levels of discrimination take place. However, the authors did uncover some stops based on nonbehavioral criteria, which are potentially problematic. The implications of these findings for understanding police decision making during the prestop stage of the decision-making process are discussed.
Measuring Influences on Public Opinion of the Police Using Time-Series Data: Results of a Pilot Study
Authors: Miller Joel , Davis Robert C. , Henderson Nicole J. , Markovic John , Ortiz Christopher
Published: July 2005

This article reports on the outcome of a pilot study that used time-series data to examine both the indirect effects on community opinion of police-public contacts as citizens recount their experiences to friends and family and the effects of negative news coverage of the police on public opinion. In the 9-month period of data collection, there was sufficient variation neither in customer satisfaction with voluntary police contacts nor in public opinion, providing strong clues about the relationship between the two. There was, however, notable variation in negative news coverage of the police in the face of stable public opinion, suggesting some resistance among the public to its influence. This article concludes with reflections and ideas for future research efforts to measure changes to public opinion and satisfaction using surveys.
Water in the Earth's mantle
Authors: Bolfan-Casanova N.
Published: July 2005

Water plays an important role in most processes within the Earth's mantle, e.g. transport phenomena, differentiation and seismic properties. This paper reviews the various aspects of water in the mantle, with a special emphasis on the water content in nominally anhydrous minerals, especially lower-mantle minerals. The saturation of the upper mantle with respect to water is calculated as a function of pressure, based on available water-solubility data obtained for upper-mantle minerals. The result indicates that the upper mantle is saturated at pressures between 2 and 4 GPa for bulk water contents of 250 to 700 ppm wt., as retrieved from measurements on mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORBs) and ocean island basalts (OIBs). Whereas up to 4000 ppm wt. of H2O could be dissolved in the upper mantle at pressures corresponding to 410 km depth, such a value is less than the 1.5–2.5 wt.% solubility stored in the hydrous phases of the transition zone. Water solubility in mantle perovskite is still controversial, because of the difficulty of synthesizing samples free of impurities. Reported data indicate that water solubility in perovskite decreases with increasing temperature and Al content. Water partitions preferentially into ferropericlase rather than into perovskite, and its water solubility increases with the incorporation of trivalent cations.
Combined neutron powder and X-ray single-crystal diffraction refinement of the atomic structure and hydrogen bonding of goslarite (ZnSO4·7H2O)
Authors: Anderson J. L. , Peterson R. C. , Swainson I. P.
Published: July 2005

The atomic structure of synthetic, deuterated goslarite (ZnSO4·7D2O),a= 11.8176(6) Å,b= 12.0755(7) Å,c= 6.8270(4)Å, space groupP212121,Z= 4, has been refined in a combined neutron powder diffraction and X-ray single-crystal data refinement towRp1.92%,Rp1.45% andR(F2)12.66% for the neutron powder data contribution andR(F2) 8.72% for the X-ray single-crystal data contribution. Both data sets were necessary to achieve the best overall fit agreement in the Rietveld refinement and reasonable geometry within structural units. The results of this study confirm that the H-bonding scheme for goslarite is the same as that of the other epsomite group minerals. Small but significant variations of the Zn–O bond lengths can be attributed to details of the H bonds to the O atoms of the Zn octahedra. This investigation of the atomic structure and hydrogen bonding of goslarite is groundwork for future studies into phase relationships and the mechanisms of hydration and dehydration in the ZnSO4–H2O system.
Equations of state of dense hydrous magnesium silicates: results from single-crystal X-ray diffraction
Authors: Crichton W. A. , Ross N. L.
Published: July 2005

The equations of state of dense hydrous magnesium silicates (DHMS), determined from high-pressure single-crystal X-ray diffraction are reviewed, including hydroxylchondrodite, hydroxylclinohumite, phase A, phase B (anhydrous and hydrous), superhydrous phase B and phase E. The phases along the forsterite–brucite join, Mg2SiO4–Mg(OH)2, display near (increasing) linearity in compressibility with respect to water content and increasing bulk moduli (KT) with density. Such trends allow prediction of the as yet unknown bulk moduli of phases such as OH-Mg norbergite. The addition of water also reduces the bulk modulus of the B-phases and the anisotropy observed in axial compression. The alternating layers of octahedra and octahedra + tetrahedra completely control compression of the B phases, with the stacking direction becoming more compressible with addition of water. The enigmatic Phase E has the highestKT'yet measured for a hydrous silicate and one of the lowestKT. In contrast with other DHMS, Phase E is only slightly anisotropic in axial compression and we attribute this to the role of the intralayer cations in the structure. The degree of hydration and the vacancy concentration appear to be coupled in Phase E.
Molecular dynamics modelling of hydrated mineral interlayers and surfaces: structure and dynamics
Authors: R. J. Kirkpatrick  , A. G. Kalinichev  , Wang J.
Published: July 2005

This paper reviews the results of recent molecular dynamics (MD) modelling studies of the interaction of water and solute species with mineral surfaces and their behaviour in mineral interlayers. Emphasis is on results for single and double hydroxide phases. Computational results are presented for water and anions in the interlayers of the Ca2Al, Mg2Al, and LiAl2 layered double hydroxides and on the surfaces of the Ca2Al phase. Detailed results for water on the (001) surface of brucite (Mg(OH)2) are presented and compared to published results for other phases. In all these cases, hydrogen bonding and the development of a hydrogen-bond network involving the H2O molecules and the solid substrate play very significant roles. The MD methods are especially effective for investigating the structure and dynamics of mineral-fluid interfaces and mineral interlayers, because they can be applied to systems containing hundreds to thousands of atoms and for extended durations of the order of nanoseconds.
Equation of state of hydrous Fo90 ringwoodite to 45 GPa by synchrotron powder diffraction
Authors: Manghnani M. H. , Amulele G. , Smyth J. R. , Holl C. M. , Chen G. , Prakapenka V. , Frost D. J.
Published: July 2005

The equation of state of Fo90 hydrous ringwoodite has been measured using X-ray powder diffraction to 45 GPa at the GSECARS beam line at the Advanced Photon Source synchrotron at Argonne National Laboratory. The sample was synthesized at 1400°C and 20 GPa in the 5000 ton multi anvil press at Bayerisches Geoinstitut in Bayreuth. The sample has the formula Mg1.70Fe0.192+ Fe0.023+H0.13- Si1.00O4 as determined by electron microprobe, Fourier transform infrared and Mössbauer spectroscopies, and contains ~0.79% H2O by weight. Compression of the sample had been been measured previously to 11 GPa by single crystal X-ray diffraction. A third-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state fit to all of the data gives V0 = 530.49±0.07 Å3, K0 = 174.6±2.7 GPa and K' = 6.2±0.6. The effect of 1% H incorporation in the structure on the bulk modulus is large and roughly equivalent to an increase in the temperature of ∼600°C at low pressure. The large value of K' indicates significant stiffening of the sample with pressure so that the effect of hydration decreases with pressure.
Ikaite (CaCO3.6H2O) compressibility at high water pressure: a synchrotron X-ray diffraction study
Authors: Lennie A. R.
Published: July 2005

Ikaite (CaCO3.6H2O), which forms in cold carbonate-rich marine environments, also crystallizes from calcite under aqueous conditions above ∼0.5 GPa at room temperature. Using synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction, measurements have been made of pressure-induced changes in unit-cell dimensions of ikaite contained in a diamond anvil cell. Ikaite shows anisotropic compressibility along the crystallographic axes in the order a > c > b up to 4 GPa. Comparison with other phases shows the relative volume compressibility of ikaite to be greater than that of gypsum (CaSO4.2H2O), calcite and aragonite. The volume of ikaite is less than that occupied by equivalent volumes of CaCO3 (calcite/aragonite) + 6H2O at all pressures below the freezing point (H2O(l) to ice VI). The bulk modulus of ikaite has been obtained from a fit to the Vinet equation of state, giving V0 = 760.3±0.1 Å3, K0 = 21.3±1.4 GPa, and K0' = 11.7±1.7. Dissolution of CaCO3 in H2O (l) at high pressure resulting in crystallization of CaCO3.6H2O suggests equilibrium behaviour between a carbonate-rich fluid species and the condensed hydrated calcium carbonate. The potential for ikaite as a candidate phase for water transport in cold subduction zones is considered.
Hydrogen incorporation in a ringwoodite analogue: Mg2GeO4 spinel
Authors: Hertweck B. , Ingrin J.
Published: July 2005

Single crystals of Mg2GeO4 spinel, a stable analogue to mantle ringwoodite at atmospheric pressure up to 800°C, were synthesized from Mg2GeO4 olivine in hydrous conditions at 1.9 GPa and ∼1000°C. Infrared (IR) spectra show OH-stretching peaks at 3531 and 3502 cm–1. Quantification of IR spectra reveals hydrogen in the order of 5 to 10 ppm wt. H2O. A complete hydrogen/deuterium exchange was achieved at 700°C leading to a diffusion coefficient of deuterium of ∼3x10–14 m2/s. This value is of the same order as diffusion coefficients observed in other mantle minerals, such as garnet and diopside.

The O–O distance of ∽ 2.9 Å calculated from the spectra of Mg2GeO4 spinel is consistent with the GeO4 tetrahedra edge length known from crystal-structure data. Whereas the hydration mechanism and the site occupancies involved are still in discussion for mantle spinel, the IR measurements on Mg2GeO4 confirm the idea of protonation at the tetrahedral edges.
Hydrogen and minor element incorporation in synthetic rutile
Authors: Bromiley G. D. , Hilairet N.
Published: July 2005

The solubility and incorporation mechanisms of H and various trivalent and divalent cations in synthetic rutile have been investigated. Experiments performed using different bulk Fe2O3 contents demonstrate that Fe3+ substitutes onto the main Ti site, charge-balanced by oxygen vacancies. Under more reducing conditions in Fe-poor systems, the concentration of Ti interstitials in rutile is increased, resulting in a decrease in H solubility. Variation in the solubility of different oxides in rutile as a function of ionic radius implies substitution onto the main Ti site, probably charge-balanced by oxygen vacancies. To a lesser degree, substitution of trivalent and divalent cations is locally charge-balanced by H incorporation. Variation in OH-stretching frequencies in infrared spectra as a function of composition implies that octahedral defects and structurally-incorporated H are coupled. However, in all samples, some of the H is also decoupled from substitutional impurities, as is evident from an OH-absorption band at 3279 cm–1. This band corresponds to the main OH band seen in spectra of many natural rutiles, implying that in most rutiles, H defects are decoupled from substitutional defects.
Kinetics of hydrogen extraction and deuteration in grossular
Authors: Kurka A. , Blanchard M. , Ingrin J.
Published: July 2005

The kinetics of hydrogen mobility in grossular with a chemically homogeneous composition of Gr83.2 And14.3 Py2.2 were studied by sequential annealing experiments monitored by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Slices of single crystals <0.5 mm thick were annealed at temperatures in the range 1073–1323 K at ambient pressure in air and in gas mixtures of Ar(90%)/D2(10%) and Ar(90%)/H2(10%). The change of total infrared (IR) absorbance in the OH-stretching region (3700–3500 cm–1) and the OD-stretching region (2750–2580 cm–1) was used to calculate the diffusion coefficients. The law for diffusion of deuterium is given by D = D0 exp[–102±45 kJ mol–1/ RT] with log D0 (m2/s) = –7.6. For hydrogen extraction in air the diffusion law is expressed by D = D0 exp[–323±46 kJ mol–1/RT] with log D0 (m2/s) = 1.0. This activation energy agrees with the values found for Dora Maira pyrope and for other pyropes from mantle xenoliths, but the diffusivity is slower for the grossular. A detailed investigation of the decrease in individual OH bands during hydrogen extraction in air revealed two different kinds of kinetics behaviour, suggesting that at least two different types of OH defects are present in this grossular.
Hereditary neuromuscular disease and multicomposite subjective health status: feasibility, internal consistency and test-retest reliability in the French version of the Nottingham Health Profile, the ISPN
Authors: Boyer F , Novella J L , Bertaud S , Delmer F , Vesselle B , Etienne J C
Published: July 2005

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility, internal consistency and reproducibility of the French version of the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) completed by adults with hereditary neuromuscular disease.

Design: Cross-sectional study with evaluation at 15±7 days for NHP test retest.

Setting: Multidisciplinary rehabilitation consultations in Reims.

Subjects: Sixty-four neuromuscular disease outpatients completed the NHP consecutively between April 2002 and December 2003.

Main measures: French version of the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP), Barthel Index and sociodemographic characteristics.

Results: The average completion percentages for the different dimensions was 84.2% (range 72-97%). With respect to the completion feasibility of the physical mobility subscale, 7-20% of neuromuscular disease patients failed to complete four items out of eight. In the pain subscale, the same difficulty was encountered for three items out of eight. Internal consistency as assessed by Cronbach's alpha was acceptable for the subscales physical mobility (0.88), emotional reaction (0.74), sleep (0.77), and pain (0.81); it was less reliable for the subscale social isolation (0.61), and poor for the subscale energy (0.47). Test-retest agreement measured by intraclass correlation coefficient was in all instances greater than 0.70.

Conclusion: Some items in the pain and physical mobility subscales pose problems related to the relevance of the wording for patients confined to wheelchairs. Recoding of the measure makes it possible to avoid missing data from these dependent patients. Scores differ statistically according to the coding used. In study reports, details of such procedures should be provided for comparison of ISPN results with those from other studies in the literature.
Movement skill assessment in children with profound multiple disabilities: a psychometric analysis of the Top Down Motor Milestone Test
Authors: van der Putten A , Vlaskamp C , Reynders K , Nakken H
Published: July 2005

Objective: To analyse the psychometric properties of the Top Down Motor Milestone Test (TDMMT), an internationally used instrument in the planning and evaluation of movement-oriented interventions.

Setting: Centres for special education in the Netherlands.

Subjects: Children with profound multiple disabilities.

Methods: Validity, reliability and utility of the TDMMT were evaluated. Validity was assessed by conducting a principal component analysis. Reliability was determined by evaluating the internal consistency, test=retest and inter-rater reliability. With regard to utility, the hierarchical item ordering was evaluated with a Mokken scale analysis. Inter-item and item-rest correlations were calculated to confirm the allocation of the items in the TDMMT.

Results: Principal component analysis did not support the presence of three underlying factors. The internal consistency was high and test=retest and inter-rater reliability varied from moderate to perfect. Scale analysis showed that the subscales of the TDMMT are strong one-dimensional scales with good internal consistency, however, the order of the items could only partly be confirmed as well as the allocation of the items into four levels of functioning.

Conclusion: The reliability of the TDMMT is good, but validity is moderate. Results indicate that adaptations to the structure of the TDMMT should be made when used for children with profound multiple disabilities. Further psychometric evaluation of the TDMMT is necessary.
Sickness impact in people with muscular dystrophy: a longitudinal study over 10 years
Authors: Boström Katrin , Nätterlund Birgitta Sjöquist , Ahlström Gerd
Published: July 2005

Objective: To describe changes of function in terms of sickness impact over 10 years in adult patients with different types of muscular dystrophy.

Design: Patients with muscular dystrophy answered the Sickness Impact Profile and Self-report ADL questionnaires in 1991 and 2001.

Setting: The study population was identified in a comprehensive prevalence study in the county of Örebro, Sweden.

Subjects: The study group comprised 44 people grouped according to whether they had myotonic dystrophy or muscular dystrophy with proximal or distal muscles affected.

Main measures: Comparison was made between assessments of sickness impact in terms of function at the two time points.

Results: Most obvious deterioration over time was in activities of daily living that require finger and arm strength. Ambulation was significantly decreased in myotonic dystrophy and proximal muscular dystrophy. Those walking without assistive devices decreased from 91% to 52%, and the number with a disability pension increased from 36 to 55%. There was a relatively small influence with regard to psychosocial dysfunction assessed by the Sickness Impact Profile.

Conclusions: This longitudinal study shows the deteriorating functions reported by patients with muscular dystrophy. This knowledge could be used to formulate new interventions in order to offer appropriate support and treatment to this patient group.
Assessing the results of thrust plate prosthesis: a comparison of four different rating systems
Authors: Unver Bayram , Karatosun Vasfi , Gunal Izge
Published: July 2005

Objective: To evaluate four rating systems designed to assess patients following provision of a thrust plate prosthesis.

Subjects: Sixty-one patients undergoing total hip replacement with thrust plate prosthesis.

Design: Patients were evaluated preoperatively and six months postoperatively by four different hip rating systems (Harris, Iowa, Charnley and Merle d'Aubigne), both on a categorical and on a numerical basis.

Setting: Department of orthopaedics and traumatology in a university hospital.

Main outcome measures: Patients were evaluated by four rating systems preoperatively and postoperatively either on a categorical or a numerical basis.

Results: All patients showed significant improvement after surgery in all rating systems. Although preoperative categorical evaluation revealed that the strongest correlation was between Charnley and Merle d'Aubigne scores (r =0.876), numerical comparison of the rating systems showed strong correlation among all systems, both pre-and postoperatively. Responsiveness analysis revealed larger effect size for the Iowa and Harris hip scores.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that hip rating systems should be compared numerically rather than by categorical evaluation and that the Iowa and Harris hip scores are more convenient in evaluating thrust plate prosthesis patients because they have larger effect sizes without floor and ceiling effects.
Manual muscle testing: does it meet the standards of an adequate screening test?
Authors: Bohannon Richard W
Published: July 2005

Objective: To describe the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy of manual muscle testing.

Design: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional strength data.

Setting: Acute rehabilitation unit.

Participants: Convenience sample of 107 consecutive qualifying rehabilitation inpatients.

Intervention: Not applicable.

Main outcome measures: Knee extension forces measured by manual muscle testing and hand-held dynamometry.

Results: The ability of manual muscle testing to detect 15, 20, 25 and 30% between-side differences and deficits in knee extension force was described. Although the specificity of manual muscle testing was acceptable (mostly>80%), its sensitivity to differences between sides and to deficits relative to normal never exceeded 75%. Its diagnostic accuracy was never greater than 78%.

Conclusion: The results of this study cast doubt on the suitability of manual muscle testing as a screening test for strength impairments.
Taping versus electrical stimulation after botulinum toxin type A injection for wrist and finger spasticity. A case—control study
Authors: Carda Stefano , Molteni Franco
Published: July 2005

Objective: To compare results from two approaches used in conjunction with botulinum toxin type A administration in rehabilitation: the application of a taping system and the electrical stimulation of the injected muscles and splinting.

Design: Case—control study.

Setting: Two tertiary care rehabilitation hospitals in Italy.

Subjects: Sixty-five adult subjects affected by spasticity of the wrist and finger flexors.

Interventions: After injection with botulinum toxin type A, the group at hospital A (n = 33) was treated with adhesive taping for six days and those at hospital B (n = 32) with electrical stimulation and splinting for six days. Spastic hypertonia at the injected muscles was assessed before treatment, one week and one month post injection.

Main measures: Modified Ashworth Scale.

Results: In group A, the mean Modified Ashworth Scale reduction was 2.76 ± 0.94 for wrist flexors and 2.45 ± 0.92 for finger flexors; in group B the mean Modified Ashworth Scale reduction was 2.18 ± 1.11 for wrist flexors and 2.1 ± 0.98 for finger flexors. The observed difference between the two groups was statistically relevant ( p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Patients treated with adhesive taping and botulinum toxin type A achieved a greater reduction in spastic hypertonia as measured with Modified Ashworth Scale, with less time dedicated for the treatment.
A pilot randomized controlled trial of a daily muscle stretch regime to prevent contractures in the arm after stroke
Authors: Turton Ailie J , Britton Elizabeth
Published: July 2005

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and effects of daily stretch positioning for prevention of contractures in stroke patients without arm function.

Design: Randomized controlled pilot study.

Setting: Stroke rehabilitation ward, UK.

Subjects: Twenty-five subjects drawn from an initial pool of 126 presenting with loss of arm function, all within four weeks of stroke.

Interventions: In addition to usual care, subjects in the experimental group (n =13) were prescribed two 30-min stretches for wrist and finger flexors and two 30-min stretches targeting shoulder adductors and internal rotators, per day for up to 12 weeks post stroke. Stretches were carried out by therapists and nursing staff.

Main measures: Passive range of wrist extension and shoulder external rotation to standard force or to pain at four, eight and twelve weeks after stroke.

Results: Compliance was variable. Frequency of positioning was fair from four to eight weeks post stroke but declined after that. Mean (SD) frequency of stretch positions completed between four and eight weeks was 36.5 (13.0) for the wrist, 31.2 (14.1) for the shoulder, out of 56 prescribed. There were no significant effects of treatment. By eight weeks post stroke the mean range of wrist extension and shoulder external rotation lost on the affected side in both groups was 30 degrees.

Conclusions: The stretch treatment was not well tolerated over many weeks. Statistical power was low due to the large degree of variability of range of motion and small sample size. The regime tested cannot be recommended as a workable treatment to prevent contractures.
New facilitation exercise using the vestibulo-ocular reflex for ophthalmoplegia: preliminary report
Authors: Kawahira Kazumi , Shimodozono Megumi , Etoh Seiji , Tanaka Nobuyuki
Published: July 2005

Objective: To study the effect of facilitation exercises using the vestibulo-ocular reflex on ophthalmoplegia due to brainstem injury.

Design: A single-baseline design (A–B: A without specific therapy, B with specific therapy) across individual subjects.

Setting: Inpatient rehabilitation facility.

Subjects: Eight patients with ophthalmoplegia (total of 15 affected muscles) due to brainstem injury.

Interventions: Basic rehabilitative treatment that included physical therapy, occupational therapy and/or speech therapy for impairments such as hemiplegia, ataxia or dysarthria was administered for two weeks (control treatment). Then, two facilitation exercise sessions (100 times/day, five days/week for two weeks) were administered in addition to the basic rehabilitative treatment for four weeks to the eight patients with ophthalmoplegia. Ophthalmoplegia was evaluated at study entry and at the end of each two-week session. The goal of the facilitation exercises is to facilitate voluntary eye movement using conjugated eye movements in the direction opposite to passive movements of the head.

Main measures: To assess ophthalmoplegia we measured the distance between the internal/external corneal margin and the canthus of the affected eye on images recorded on a video tape recorder.

Results: After the initial two-week basic rehabilitative treatment, the distance between the corneal margin and canthus decreased slightly. Subsequently, after each of the two facilitation exercise sessions, there were significant reductions in the distance between the corneal margin and canthus compared with that at the beginning of the respective facilitation exercise session.

Conclusion: Facilitation exercises significantly improved the horizontal movement of eyes with ophthalmoplegia due to brainstem injury.
Effectiveness of unilateral and symmetrical bilateral task training for arm during the subacute phase after stroke: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Desrosiers Johanne , Bourbonnais Daniel , Corriveau Hélene , Gosselin Suzanne , Bravo Gina
Published: July 2005

Objective: To evaluate the effect of an arm training programme combining repetition of unilateral and symmetrical bilateral tasks for people in the subacute phase after stroke.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Inpatient functional rehabilitation unit.

Subjects: Forty-one people who had had a stroke, in the subacute phase, receiving conventional arm occupational and physical therapy, were randomized to an experimental group (n=20) and a control group (n=21).

Interventions: In addition to the usual arm therapy in the rehabilitation unit, the experimental group received an arm therapy programme (15-20 45-min sessions) based on repetition of unilateral and symmetrical bilateral tasks. The control group received additional usual arm therapy of a similar duration and frequency to the experimental treatment.

Main measures: The effect of the programme was judged on the basis of: (1) arm impairments (motor function, grip strength, gross and fine manual dexterity and motor co-ordination), (2) arm disabilities in tasks related to daily activities, and (3) functional independence in activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADL (IADL).

Results: Although both experimental and control groups of participants improved similarly during the study period, the statistical analyses did not show any difference between the groups at the end of the treatment for the different dependent variables evaluated: (1) arm impairments: p=0.43-0.79; (2) arm disabilities: p=0.16-0.90; and (3) functional independence: p=0.63 and 0.90.

Conclusions: An arm training programme based on repetition of unilateral and symmetrical bilateral practice did not reduce impairment and disabilities nor improve functional outcomes in the subacute phase after stroke more than the usual therapy.
Children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities: the effects of functional movement activities
Authors: van der Putten A , Vlaskamp C , Reynders K , Nakken H
Published: July 2005

Objective: To determine the effect of functional movement activities within the MOVE (Mobility Opportunities Via Education) curriculum on the independence of children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities.

Subjects: Forty-four children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities.

Setting: Centres for special education.

Design: A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest with control group design.

Intervention: The children in the control group (n = 12) participated in the regular programme at the centre of special education. The children within the experimental group (n = 32) were additionally supported by the MOVE curriculum.

Method: Both group comparisons and individual analyses were conducted.

Results: The level of independence of the experimental group increased significantly in performing movement skills; the control group did not increase significantly. At an individual level, 20 children (63%) of the experimental group improved in comparison with the control group, in which four children (33%) improved.

Conclusion: Results showed that the children receiving functionally focused activities achieved the greatest improvements in independence when performing movement activities.
Continuous passive motion improves shoulder joint integrity following stroke
Authors: Lynch Daniel , Ferraro Mark , Krol Jenifer , Trudell Christine M , Christos Paul , Volpe Bruce T
Published: July 2005

Objective: In a pilot study of patients with a first stroke and hemiparesis, we sought to determine whether treatment of the upper limb with continuous passive motion (CPM) that was device delivered would alter impairment, disability or the associated adverse symptoms of shoulder joint instability, pain and tone.

Design: Patients were randomly assigned to receive daily CPM treatments or participate in self-range of motion groups under the supervision of an occupational therapist. All patients received standard daily poststroke therapy for 3.5 h per day. A blinded evaluator at admission and discharge assessed patients using standardized scales of impairment, disability and adverse symptoms.

Setting: Specialized stroke unit of an acute rehabilitation hospital.

Subjects: Two hundred and eighty consecutive patients were screened and 35 of these with a first unilateral stroke, 139-6 days following the acute event, provided informed consent and were randomly assigned to CPM treatment or supervised group self-range exercise.

Main measures: Thirty-two completed the study and were evaluated using standardized measures for motor impairment (Fugl-Meyer, Motor Status Scale and Medical Research Council Motor Power), adverse symptoms (gleno-humeral stability, pain and tone), and disability (Functional Independence Measure).

Results: CPM-treated patients demonstrated positive trends towards improved shoulder joint stability (p =0.06, confidence interval -0.03, 2.3) when compared with patients performing therapist-supervised self-range of motion. There were no significant differences in motor impairment, disability, pain or tone.

Conclusions: Device-delivered continuous passive range of motion may offer an enhanced benefit for some adverse symptom reduction in the hemiplegic arm after stroke over traditional self-range of motion exercise.
Riding the Crest of the Teachable Moment: Promoting Long-Term Health After the Diagnosis of Cancer
Authors: Demark-Wahnefried Wendy , Aziz Noreen M. , Rowland Julia H. , Pinto Bernardine M.
Published: July 2005

Purpose

Cancer survivors are at increased risk for several comorbid conditions, and many seek lifestyle change to reduce dysfunction and improve long-term health. To better understand the impact of cancer on adult survivors' health and health behaviors, a review was conducted to determine (1) prevalent physical health conditions, (2) persistent lifestyle changes, and (3) outcomes of previous lifestyle interventions aimed at improving health within this population.

Methods

Relevant studies from 1966 and beyond were identified through MEDLINE and PubMed searches.

Results

Cancer survivors are at increased risk for progressive disease but also for second primaries, osteoporosis, obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and functional decline. To improve overall health, survivors frequently initiate diet, exercise, and other lifestyle changes after diagnosis. However, those who are male, older, and less educated are less likely to adopt these changes. There also is selective uptake of messages, as evidenced by findings that only 25% to 42% of survivors consume adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables, and approximately 70% of breast and prostate cancer survivors are overweight or obese. Several behavioral interventions show promise for improving survivors' health-related outcomes. Oncologists can play a pivotal role in health promotion, yet only 20% provide such guidance.

Conclusion

With 64% of cancer patients surviving > 5 years beyond diagnosis, oncologists are challenged to expand their focus from acute care to managing the long-term health consequences of cancer. Although more research is needed, opportunities exist for oncologists to promote lifestyle changes that may improve the length and quality of life of their patients.
Air sacPO2 and oxygen depletion during dives of emperor penguins
Authors: Knower Stockard T. , Heil J. , Meir J. U. , Sato K. , Ponganis K. V. , Ponganis P. J.
Published: July 2005

In order to determine the rate and magnitude of respiratory O2depletion during dives of emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri),air sac O2 partial pressure (PO2)was recorded in 73 dives of four birds at an isolated dive hole. These results were evaluated with respect to hypoxic tolerance, the aerobic dive limit (ADL;dive duration beyond which there is post-dive lactate accumulation) and previously measured field metabolic rates (FMRs). 55% of dives were greater in duration than the previously measured 5.6-min ADL. PO2 and depth profiles revealed compression hyperoxia and gradual O2 depletion during dives. 42% of final PO2s during the dives (recorded during the last 15 s of ascent) were <20 mmHg (<2.7 kPa). Assuming that the measured air sac PO2 is representative of the entire respiratory system, this implies remarkable hypoxic tolerance in emperors. In dives of durations greater than the ADL, the calculated end-of-dive air sac O2 fraction was <4%. The respiratory O2 store depletion rate of an entire dive, based on the change in O2fraction during a dive and previously measured diving respiratory volume,ranged from 1 to 5 ml O2 kg–1min–1 and decreased exponentially with diving duration. The mean value, 2.1±0.8 ml O2 kg–1min–1, was (1) 19–42% of previously measured respiratory O2 depletion rates during forced submersions and simulated dives, (2) approximately one-third of the predicted total body resting metabolic rate and (3) approximately 10% of the measured FMR. These findings are consistent with a low total body metabolic rate during the dive.
A concept of dietary dipeptides: a step to resolve the problem of amino acid availability in the early life of vertebrates
Authors: Dabrowski Konrad , Terjesen Bendik F. , Zhang Yongfang , Phang James M. , Lee Kyeong-Jun
Published: July 2005

The premise that a dietary dipeptide approach will improve the understanding of amino acid utilization in the fastest-growing vertebrate, the teleost fish, was tested by examining the muscle free amino acid (FAA) pool and enzyme activities, in concert with growth response, when dietary amino acids were provided in free, dipeptide or protein molecular forms. We present the first evidence in fish that, in response to a synthetic dipeptide diet,muscle FAA varies as a result of both growth rate and amino acid availability of specific peptides. We demonstrate significantly diminished muscle indispensable FAA (3–10-fold) in rainbow trout alevins fed a dipeptide-based diet compared with a protein-based diet. The dipeptide-based diet did not contain proline, resulting in 10–27-fold less muscle free proline and hydroxyproline in alevins. The response of alevins fed FAA-based or peptide-based diets can be indicative of collagen turnover (Hyp/Pro ratio)and showed significant differences between dietary treatments. Pyrroline-5-carboxylate (P5C) reductase activity was detected, suggesting that P5C may ameliorate proline deficiency, but synthesis from glutamate could not maintain free proline levels in muscle. This finding will provide an impetus to test whether proline is conditionally indispensable in young fish, as in mammals and birds. This study shows that amino acids given entirely as dipeptides can sustain fish growth, result in muscle FAA and enzyme responses in line with dietary levels and identify growth-limiting amino acids. The understanding of these factors necessitates a diet formulation that will improve the accuracy of determining amino acid requirements in the early life stages of vertebrates.