bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Physiotherapy Internship: An Alternative Collaborative Learning Model
Authors: Miller Alison , Pace Theresa , Brooks Dina , Mori Brenda 
Published: September 2008

Purpose: The purposes of this article are to (1) present a descriptive qualitative field report of a collaborative learning internship of four students assigned to two clinical instructors (CIs) (4:2 ratio) in the area of cardiorespiratory physiotherapy practice and (2) provide recommendations to CIs and universities based on this field study. Summary of Key Points: From the perspective of the students, the main advantages of this collaborative internship included increased peer support, knowledge sharing, problem solving, and a comfortable learning environment. The CIs found advantages to include more instructor peer support, increased student collaboration with assessment and treatment planning, and more opportunity for group discussion. The main disadvantages from the perspectives of both the students and the CIs were accommodating various learning styles and personalities and having less 1:1 time with the CIs. Conclusion: This collaborative learning model did not impede the quality of student education or patient care and was shown to be an educational experience appropriate for implementation in student internships. Given the positive outcomes and the recommendations provided, this 4:2 collaborative learning internship could be implemented to help meet the growing demands of increased enrolment and “hard-to-find” internships and to foster stronger supervisory skills for clinicians.
Reliability of Four Functional Tests and Rating of Perceived Exertion in Persons with Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Fry Donna K. , Pfalzer Lucinda A. 
Published: September 2008

Purpose: Test-retest reliability and convergent and discriminant validity for four commonly used clinical tests of physical function were examined in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). Method: Twelve ambulatory adults with clinically diagnosed MS (Expanded Disability Status Scale scores: mean = 3.6, range = 2.0−6.5) participated in a test-retest reliability study with a one-week interval between testing sessions. Functional tests included the 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), Functional Stair Test (FST), Static Standing Balance Test (BAL), and six-repetition Sit-to-Stand Test (SST). Distance was recorded for the 6MWT. All other tests were timed. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was recorded following each test. Intraclass correlation coefficients and Spearman rho correlation coefficients were used to examine agreement between test sessions. Results: Test-retest reliability for best trial of each test was significant for all tests (p < .01): the 6MWT (r2 = .97), FST (r2 = .97), BAL (r2 = .81), and SST (r2 = .94). Subjects rated RPE consistently each week for all tests (p < .05). RPE was significantly correlated with the associated test for only the BAL and FST. Conclusion: The 6MWT, FST, BAL, and SST are highly reliable tests in ambulatory persons with MS. Although subjects were consistent in the RPE following each of the functional tests, RPE did not always correlate well with performance on functional tests.
Inspiratory Muscle Training for Individuals with Cervical Spinal Cord Injury or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Survey of Canadian Physical Therapists
Authors: Crowe Jean , Geddes E. Lynne , Brooks Dina , Reid W. Darlene 
Published: September 2008

Purpose: The objective of this study was to describe the current practice of Canadian physical therapists (PTs) using inspiratory muscle training (IMT) in the management of patients with cervical spinal cord injury (CSCI) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Method: A postal survey was sent to all Canadian acute-care hospitals (. 250 beds) and to all centres providing rehabilitation for patients with CSCI or COPD. PTs were asked whether they used IMT and, if so, to describe patients for whom IMT was appropriate, as well as the devices and training protocols used. They were asked to list any contraindications to IMT. Results: One hundred nineteen questionnaires were sent to PTs treating patients with CSCI and 145 to PTs treating patients with COPD. The response rates were 70.6 per cent (CSCI) and 65.5 per cent (COPD). The rates of IMT use were 17.4 per cent (CSCI) and 4.7 per cent (COPD). The reasons for non-use included no knowledge about or training in IMT, a lack of resources, patients who were inappropriate for this treatment and no evidence of effectiveness. Conclusions: Few PTs are using IMT for patients with either CSCI or COPD. Little evidence exists of the effectiveness of IMT with CSCI patients, with stronger evidence of effectiveness in patients with COPD. A potentially effective modality for patients with COPD and CSCI, IMT appears to be underused by Canadian PTs.
Acustim in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Single-Subject Research Design
Authors: O'Sullivan Sinéad 
Published: September 2008

Purpose: Acustim provides a non-invasive means for controlling pain and restoring function. The following research question was addressed in this study: Does stimulation of specific acupuncture points via acustim reduce impairment and functional limitation among patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA)? Methods: A single-subject research design was employed and replicated across three subjects. Data were collected over two specified time periods, baseline and intervention, for measures of pain, stiffness and function (as assessed by two items on the Patient Specific Functional Scale). During the intervention phase, acustim was administered. Celeration lines and two standard deviation methods were used to analyze the data. In addition, the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) was administered at three time points: prebaseline, pre-intervention and post-intervention. Results: During the intervention phase, pain and stiffness were considerably reduced in all subjects (. 228 mm on a visual analog scale). A clinically important difference in function (decrease of .9 points on the LEFS) was demonstrated for all subjects between pre-baseline and post-intervention. Conclusions: Acustim may be an effective treatment for knee OA. Given the ease with which acustim can be administered, this modality may be promising for treating other joints affected by OA.
Safety and Effectiveness of Breath Stacking in Management of Persons with Acute Atelectasis
Authors: Crowe Jean , Rajczak Judi , Elms Brad 
Published: September 2008

Purpose: Atelectasis is frequently observed in acutely ill, intubated patients. One technique for management of the secretion retention is breath stacking, a two-part procedure comprising manual hyperinflation using a resuscitation bag and a one-way valve, followed by a manually assisted cough and suctioning as required. The purpose of this preliminary study was to compare the safety and effectiveness of breath stacking combined with conventional physiotherapy (PT) care (PT composed of modified postural drainage combined with percussions, vibrations and suctioning) compared with PT alone in the management of acute atelectasis. Method: Intubated subjects with acute (, 72 hours) major atelectasis (lobar or greater) were randomized to receive breath stacking plus PT or PT alone twice daily for 3 days. Results: Twenty subjects entered the study. There was no difference between the groups on chest radiograph (p 5 .94) or volume of sputum suctioned. There were no respiratory or cardiac complications. Conclusions: Although this study had less than adequate power, the results demonstrated that breath stacking plus PT was no more effective than conventional PT alone for these patients. Breath stacking was a safe procedure as practised in this study.
Influence of Symptom Longevity on Outcomes Following a Customized Rehabilitation Program for Painful Temporomandibular Disorders
Authors: Badke Mary Beth , Dussault Lisa , Boissonnault William 
Published: September 2008

Purpose: To assess the impact of symptom longevity on functional outcomes, pain and patient perception of recovery following a rehabilitation program for temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) and to determine which variables were associated with improved function. Methods: Forty-eight patients who received TMD rehabilitation in an outpatient setting at a tertiary care facility were divided into acute, subacute and chronic groups based on symptom duration. A customized intervention program was developed for each patient according to assessment results and included the following interventions: manual therapy, neuromuscular re-education, orthotic and other modalities and self-management training. Functional indices, perceived pain and perceived improvement in the CareConnections Outcomes System were measured using a self-report questionnaire at initiation and completion of the therapy program. Results: Within each group, the average functional improvement score and pain score improved significantly from pre-treatment to post-treatment (p ≤ .05). Among the groups, no differences were noted for functional improvement, per cent decrease in pain and patient perception of improvement. In regression analyses, a model with initial pain intensity score (p = .002) and symptom longevity (p = .05) fit the data well and explained 25 per cent of the variance in functional outcome score. Conclusions: Patients with TMD showed improvements in function and pain after a customized rehabilitation program. Baseline pain scores and symptom longevity were highly associated with functional outcomes.
The Effects of Early Continuous Passive Motion after Total Knee Arthroplasty
Authors: Léonard Guillaume M. , Tremblay Louis E. , Chabot Madeleine , Larivière Julien , Papadopoulos Platon 
Published: September 2008

Purpose: Continuous passive motion (CPM) is a common intervention following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, CPM efficacy remains controversial and its application parameters have not been clearly established. This study's purpose was to investigate whether early application of CPM (initiated 6 hours following surgery) would increase knee range of motion (ROM) more rapidly than conventional CPM application (initiated 52 hours following surgery). Methods: Sixty participants were alternately assigned to a conventional group (CPM initiated 52 hours after surgery) or an early group (CPM initiated 6 hours after surgery). During the course of the study, 17 participants in the early group were reassigned to a third, intermediate group (CPM 24 hours after surgery) owing to medical concerns, for example, nausea and extreme joint pain. All participants received CPM twice daily for two hours. Results: Five, six and seven days following surgery, a statistically significant increase in flexion ROM occurred in the early group compared with the conventional group (p <.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups after day 7 (p >.05). Conclusions: Our results suggest that early CPM provides short-term ROM benefits in patients following TKA. Due to methodologic limitations, however, the present results should be considered exploratory. Further studies are needed to examine the benefits of early CPM on patient function, length of hospital stay and hospital costs.
Effectiveness of a Modified Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy Regimen for Upper Limb Ability after Stroke: A Retrospective Case Series
Authors: Stevenson Ted J. , Thalman Leyda P. 
Published: September 2008

Purpose: To examine the responses of individuals living with the effects of stroke to the modified regimen of constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) provided at our facility. Method: The charts of 12 individuals who had completed our facility's modified CIMT regimen were reviewed. This regimen is composed of four hours per day of supervised training of upper limb activities for 10 consecutive weekdays concurrent with restraint of the less involved limb for a goal of 90 per cent of waking hours. Before beginning training, all participants were able to pick up and release a water glass. Pre-training, post-training and followup assessments were performed using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, a modified version of the Box and Block test and the 30-item Motor Activity Log. Results: Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed statistically significant improvements over the treatment period with maintenance of these improvements six months later. Clinically significant improvements were seen for 10 of the 12 participants after the training period. Eight of these 10 participants continued to show clinically significant improvements at the six-month assessment. Conclusions: This project provides preliminary evidence that this CIMT regimen, modified for routine clinical application, may be effective.
Transmission of Light through Human Skin Folds during Phototherapy: Effects of Physical Characteristics, Irradiation Wavelength, and Skin-Diode Coupling
Authors: Nussbaum Ethne L. , Van Zuylen Jeffrey , Jing Fang 
Published: September 2008

Purpose: There are no available guidelines for adjusting radiant exposure of phototherapy to accommodate for certain patient characteristics, as well as for the light source being used. We examined factors that affect light transmission using light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Methods: Age, gender, height, and weight were recorded. Skin colour, skin-fold thickness, and light transmission through a skin fold were measured over biceps and triceps muscles and at the waistline. Light was generated using LED arrays at 840 and 660 nm. Transmission was measured using three skin-diode coupling conditions. Results: Transmission was greatest when diodes were coupled directly to skin with pressure, with transmission of infrared light 2.5 times that of red light. As body mass index (BMI) increased, transmission decreased. Transmission of red light decreased with increasing skin darkness. Skin colour did not affect transmission of infrared light. There was a gender difference for infrared light transmission in individuals with a low BMI. Conclusions: Radiant exposure of LED phototherapy should be adjusted based on patient characteristics, as well as on laser system characteristics, to ensure that the needed fluence reaches the target tissue.
Glacial changes of five southwest British Columbia icefields, Canada, mid-1980s to 1999
Authors: VanLooy Jeffrey A. , Forster Richard R. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractThis study adjusts and compares digital elevation models (DEMs) created from photogrammetric and interferometric synthetic aperture radar techniques to determine volume and surface elevation changes of five icefields in a remote region of southwest British Columbia, Canada, between the mid-1980s and 1999. Preliminary differences between the DEMs in ice-free and vegetation-free areas indicated variable elevation offsets with increasing altitude (11 m km−1) and with increasing slope (2.7 m (10°)−1). Results indicate a surface elevation change of −6.0 ± 2.7 m (−0.5 ± 0.2 m a−1) and a total volume loss of −19.4 ± 8.8 km3 (−1.5 ± 0.7 km3 a−1), which represents a potential sea-level rise contribution of 0.004 ± 0.002 mm a−1. Temperature and snowfall data from four nearby meteorological stations indicate that increased temperatures and decreased snowfall throughout the late 1980s and 1990s are a likely cause of the thinning. Glacier terminus positions were compared between a historical map (1927) and satellite images (1974, 1990/91 and 2000/01). All observed glaciers were in retreat between 1927 and 1974, as well as between 1990/91 and 2000/01, but many glaciers advanced or significantly slowed in their retreat between 1974 and 1990/91.
Secular trend of the equilibrium-line altitude on the western side of the southern Andes, derived from radiosonde and surface observations
Authors: Carrasco Jorge F. , Osorio Roberto , Casassa Gino 
Published: September 2008

AbstractThe altitude of the 0°C isotherm obtained from radiosonde data of the aerological Chilean stations Antofagasta, Quintero/Santo Domingo, Puerto Montt and Punta Arenas are analyzed, along with surface temperature and precipitation records from nearby stations. The strong effect of the 1976/77 climate shift due to a change in the Pacific Decadal Oscillation is evident in the temperature and precipitation data. The data are used as input for an empirical model which reconstructs annually the equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) for the last 49 years on the western side of the southern Andes. The model takes air temperature, precipitation and altitude as the main parameters, and was first developed by Fox (1993) and applied by Condom and others (2007). From the radiosonde data, a significant positive trend of the 0°C isotherm has occurred in the northern, central and southern regions, indicating an ELA rise due to regional warming. General glacier retreat, ice thinning and negative mass balance observed during the past few decades in virtually all the Chilean Andes concur with the observed ELA reconstruction. In the Punta Arenas radiosonde record there is slight evidence for precipitation increase but no evidence for significant warming in the past few decades. This results in a slight lowering of the ELA according to the model reconstruction, which does not agree with the strong and increased glacier retreat observed in recent decades in Patagonia.
Glaciological and volumetric mass-balance measurements: error analysis over 51 years for Glacier de Sarennes, French Alps
Authors: Thibert E. , Blanc R. , Vincent C. , Eckert N. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractThe mass balance of Glacier de Sarennes, French Alps, has been measured since 1949, using the glaciological method based on core and ablation stake data, and area extrapolations, to find the overall glacier balance. The cumulative balance obtained in this way is very dependent on systematic errors that can increase linearly with the number, N, of measurement years, whereas random errors rise with . The volumetric-balance method based on aerial photogrammetry provides results whose errors do not depend on the number of years. This method was used to test field measurements for the period 1952–2003 and gives a mass balance of −32.30 ± 1.04 m w.e. compared to −34.89 ± 1.15 m w.e. based on field data. The discrepancy between the two methods is discussed on the basis of a careful error analysis. Moreover, the possibility of using the volumetric method to detect biases in field measurements is evaluated in terms of two types of errors. The number and locations of measurement sites required to account for all the spatial and temporal variabilities of the mass balance is discussed by variance analysis. Methodological implications and recommendations are presented to provide mass-balance measurements of the best possible accuracy.
A study of the novel intumescent flame‐retarded PP/EPDM copolymer blends
Authors: Zhou Shun , Wang Zhengzhou , Gui Zhou , Hu Yuan 
Published: September 2008

AbstractFlammability of polypropylene/ethylene–propylene‐diene copolymer (PP/EPDM) filled with melamine phosphate (MP) and pentaerythritol phosphate (PEPA) was studied by limiting oxygen index (LOI), UL 94, and cone calorimetry. The thermal degradation of the composites was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and real‐time Fourier transform infrared spectrum (RT‐FTIR), and the mechanical properties of the materials were also studied. It had been found that the PP/EPDM/PEPA/MP composites (PEPM series) showed better flame retardancy than that of the PP/EPDM composites containing MP or PEPA. TG and RT‐FTIR studies indicated that the interaction occurs among MP, PEPA, and PP/EPDM. The incorporation of the flame retardants deteriorated the mechanical properties of the materials. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Diametric swelling and hydrophilic characteristics of fibrous acrylic ion exchanger
Authors: Zargaran Mojdeh , Shoushtari Ahmad M. , Abdouss Majid 
Published: September 2008

AbstractIn our previous works, modified acrylic fiber samples with highly ion‐exchange ability were described. These fibers contain suitable functional groups such as amidoxime, amid, and amine groups in their molecular chains. In this work, swelling in fiber diameter and hydrophilic properties of the modified acrylic fiber samples, as important parameters affecting on ion‐exchange efficiency, were investigated. The results showed that all modification treatments gave rise to diameter swelling ratio, but this does not mean that sample with highest swelling ratio in all cases can result in highest ability to ion‐exchange. In other words, the relation between them was complicated, and several factors such as the kind and the size of ion adsorbent and crosslinking ability of chemical reagent were used for modification interfere in ion‐exchange phenomena.The results of moisture adsorption indicate that incorporating functional groups by modification treatments enhance moisture adsorption in which samples with higher ion‐exchange ability possess higher hydrophilic property. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
Heterogeneous Pd catalyst for oxidative carbonylation of bisphenol A to polycarbonate
Authors: Okamoto Masaya , Sugiyama Jun‐ichi , Yamamoto Takakazu 
Published: September 2008

AbstractPolycarbonates (PCs) were prepared by oxidative carbonylation of bisphenol A and carbon monoxide, using a Pd‐polybipylidyl complex, Pd‐polyvinylpyridine complex, smectite‐supported Pd complex, or hydrotalcite‐supported Pd complex as a heterogeneous Pd catalyst to separate the PC solution and the Pd catalyst after the reaction. Propylene carbonate was used as a halogen‐free solvent. When Co(OAc)2·4H2O was used as the inorgano‐redox catalyst, all of the Pd compounds gave a good PC yield with the recycling potential of the catalyst. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008
EWOD‐Driven translational movement of a liquid polyelectrolyte droplet
Authors: Ricks‐Laskoski Holly L. , Buckley Mary A. , Snow Arthur W. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractControlled transportation of air‐ and electrochemically stable materials is of interest in many areas of science. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of an ionic liquid monomer and its corresponding polyelectrolyte. The translational movement of these ionic liquid droplets across a substrate using the mechanism of electrowetting on a dielectric (EWOD) is demonstrated with emphasis given to electrode design and selective switching in the device construction. Directional control of a 2 mm sized polyelectrolyte droplet is shown to laterally move across the substrate surface on the order of 10s of minutes due to its increased viscosity, whereas its ionic liquid monomer also transverses but at a much faster pace‐on the order of 10s of seconds. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008