Syfte Tidigare forskning har visat att Tai Chi träning förbättrar balansen hos äldre. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka om barns balans påverkades av träning som utfördes i ett långsamt tempo liknande Tai Chi träning. Studien syftade också till att utreda om det förelåg någon skillnad i balans mellan pojkar och flickor och om något av könen tog till sig träningen bättre. Studien syftade även till att undersöka hur balansen påverkades då barnen utförde olika kognitiva uppgifter. Metod Studien fullföljdes av 41 barn i åldern 9-10 år. En interventionsgrupp, 19 barn tränade Tai Chi liknande rörelser dagligen under åtta veckor och denna jämfördes med en kontrollgrupp, 22 barn som inte fick denna träning. Balansövningar utfördes på en kraftplatta samt på en metallprofil. Från övningarna på kraftplattan mättes standardavvikelse och amplitud av tryckcentrums mediolaterala och anterioposteriora förflyttning. Från övningarna på metallprofilen mättes antalet nedtramp. Resultat Många parametrar mättes men endast en uppvisade en signifikant träningseffekt. Pojkarna minskade standardavvikelsen på tryckcentrums mediolaterala förflyttning vid stående med öppna ögon. Studien uppmätte vissa skillnader i balans mellan pojkar och flickor. Mätningar av tryckcentrums förflyttning då barnen utförde olika uppgifter uppmätte en signifikant skillnad vid stående med öppna ögon jämfört med stående då ögonen var stängda (med eller utan utförande av en samtida kognitiv uppgift). Övningarna på metallskenan förbättrades lika mycket i tränings- som kontrollgrupp. Slutsats Studien ger indikationer att träningsformen i viss utsträckning var effektiv då daglig träning under åtta veckor gav signifikant förbättring i en av de testade parametrarna. Dessa fynd är i linje med de fåtal studier som finns på träning av balans hos barn. / Aim. Previous studies have shown that Tai Chi exercises improve postural control in elderly people. The primary aim of this study was to investigate if similar Thai Chi like training affects postural control in children. Secondary aims of the study was 1) to investigate if any such effects from training differs between boys and girls and 2) to investigate whether performing a cognitive task during balance testing had any effect on postural control in these children. Method. In the balance tests, different tasks were performed on a force plate and on a metal profile. From the tasks performed on the force plate, the standard deviations and amplitudes of the mediolateral and anterioposterior displacements of center of pressure were measured. From the tasks performed on the metal profile, the number of clampdowns were counted. The study was conducted over an eight week period with 41 children in the ages 9-10 years old. The children were divided into two groups; children in the training group (n=19) who participated in Tai Chi like training every day, and children in the control group (n=22) who did not participate in this training. Results. The study also showed some differences in postural control between boys and girls. When comparing the displacement in center of pressure between different two-legged tasks performed on the force plate, significantly less displacement was found in the task involving standing with open eyes compared to all tasks involving standing with closed eyes (with or without a concurrent cognitive task). The number of clampdowns from the metal profile were reduced after the training period, to a similar extent in the control and the training groups. Several different aspects of the postural control were measured in the study. Only one of these improved significantly with training. Boys in the intervention group showed a decrease in the standard deviation of the mediolateral displacement of the center of pressure when standing with open eyes. Conclusion. These results are also consistent with similar studies on postural control among children. This study indicates that slow motion training, similar to Tai Chi, has a small but positive effect on postural control, for boys 9-10 year old, when conducted every day over an eight week period, as one of the tested parameters shows an improvement.

Tai Chi Chuan is a safe alternative for those who wish to improve balance and physical wellbeing. It is a popular form of exercise that is supported by a growing body of research aimed towards improving the health of a sedentary elderly population. The purpose of this study was to examine the biomechanical features of the lower extremity during performance of two Tai Chi movements, the “Repulse Monkey (RM)” and “Wave-hands in clouds (WHIC).” The study’s parameters included quantitative measures of the temporospatial, kinematic, and kinetic characteristics of the lower extremities. A group of experienced male Tai Chi practitioners (n = 15) between the ages of 65 to 75, performed “Repulse Monkey (RM)”, “Wave-hand in Cloud (WHIC)”, and forward walking. Three-dimensional (3-D) kinematic and kinetic data was collected using VICON motion analysis system with 10 infrared cameras and 4 force plates. The following variables were examined: stride width, step length, step width, single- and double-support times, centre of mass (COM) displacement, peak joint angles, range of motion, peak joint moments, time to peak moment, and ground reaction force (GRF). The differences in the measurements of the two Tai Chi movements were compared with walking using two-way ANOVA. The study’s results showed that the two Tai Chi movements elicit gentle and fluid changes to position of the upper body mass and the joints in the lower extremity. In terms of joint kinematics, the knee remained flexed throughout RM and WHIC. Unlike walking, RM had larger abduction and adduction angles at the knee joints and large plantar- and dorsiflexion ROM at the ankle. Reduced posterior, mediolateral, and vertical GRF were seen; the loading joints at the ankle and hip were gentle and smaller than walking. Varus/valgus moments were notably larger at the knee joint during RM and eversion moment was larger at the ankle joint during WHIC movement. A large, but slow loading rate at the knee joint has implication towards the viscoelastic properties of the knee. A better understanding of RM and WHIC would facilitate the improvement of balance, physical capacity, and joint flexibility for the elders.

The test of homogeneity for intraclass correlation coefficients has been one of the active topics in statistical research. Several chi-square tests have been proposed to test the homogeneity of intraclass correlations in the past few decades. The big concern for them is that these methods are seriously biased when sample sizes are not large. In this thesis, data driven approaches are proposed to testing the homogeneity of intraclass correlation coefficients of several populations. Through simulation study, data driven methods have been proved to be less biased and accurate than some commonly used chi-square tests.

Purpose/aim The purpose of the research is to analyze the relationship between water pollution (WP) and the economic development in China. We found a vicious cycle that at the same time as China’s economy has developed; the WP has become the focus of attention, and has also caused huge economic losses. Faced with this situation, this topic is really worth to study. Design/methodology/approach The research adopted a quantitative methodology for the exploration, and conducted a survey through questionnaires which were answered by different people. These respondents come from four areas in China. After having conducted the survey, we selected three typical provinces as representative for each area, and surveyed the basic information about these places. The sample information was calculated by the Chi-square test. The results will be analyzed together with the findings below. Findings The findings indicated that through an analysis of GDP, population, the economic development level and the degree of WP, there is relationship between economic development and WP. When people ignore the problem of WP, and just focus on the economy, the relationship shows that the more developing of economy, the more serious the WP becomes. Originality/value The original idea in our dissertation is to discuss the relationship between economic development and WP in China. The water problem and economic development form a vicious circle. And it seriously affects the whole China. The study has a value for the improvement of the environmental awareness of all the people in China, and advocates the government to develop the economy, and at the same time protect the water sources.

During 2012, the employer of this essay carried out a telephone survey with 18000 participants and a web panel survey with 708 participants. Those who partook in the telephone survey were given a choice to join the web panel. The purpose of this work is to study the participants of the telephone survey and see if they reflect the Swedish population with regards to several socio-demographic factors. Also, we intend to investigate if the propensity to join the web panel differs for participants of the telephone survey with regards to various socio-demographic affiliations. It is also of interest to study if the response pattern is different for participants of the telephone survey that would like to join the web panel and those who reject. A comparison of response pattern between the telephone survey and web panel survey has also been done, to see if there exist any differences for these two groups of surveys. The statistical methods used in this essay are descriptive statistics, multiple logistic regression and decision trees. Conclusions to be drawn with result from these methods are that the participants from the telephone survey do reflect the Swedish population regarding certain socio-demographic factors and that there is a slight difference in propensity to join the web panel for people which have dissimilar socio-demographic affiliation. It has also been found that there is a slight difference in response pattern for participants who would or would not like to join the web panel, as well as differences in response pattern also exist between the telephone survey and the web panel survey.

Brands have become valuable assets that play a central role in differentiating the products and services to catch the attention of the customers. This research examines the significance of branding strategies for companies’ growth and survival. For this paper, models and theories from previous researches are used to give an in-depth understanding of the different brand strategies and SMEs. The data was collected through qualitative interviews with 10 companies of which five were conducted in Kampala, Uganda and the other five were in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. Although SMEs play a significant role in economic development, they are facing challenges of building brands due to the scarce resources. Financing was shown among the key prohibitions to brand establishment. The research identifies the need for SMEs to adapt branding strategies. Research findings pointed out the benefits of brand recognition in both countries. The respondents indicated that brand communication was an effective tool in creating brand recognition in SMEs. Also price, quality, innovation, and a clear vision among others are enabling factors for building strong brands.

Bakgrund: Typ 2-diabetes är en sjukdom som i ökar Sverige. En viktig uppgift som sjuksköterskan har är att motivera patienter med typ 2-diabetes till livsstilsförändringar vad gäller kost, motion, rökavvänjning och stresshantering och får dessutom skriva ut fysisk aktivitet på recept. Intresset för komplementär och alternativ medicin (KAM) ökar i västvärlden. Syfte: Syftet med föreliggande studie var att belysa möjliga effekter av yoga, tai chi och qigong på ett urval objektiva och subjektiva parametrar hos vuxna personer med eller med risk för typ 2-diabetes. Metod: Litteraturöversikt, baserad på 17 vetenskapliga studier. En innehållsanalys gjordes för att sammanställa materialet och studera likheter och skillnader. Resultat: Yoga, tai chi och qigong hade i vissa fall positiva effekter på parametrarna blodglykos, lipider, kroppsmått, blodtryck, fysiskt och psykiskt välbefinnande, vitalitet, stresshantering, och motivation för egenvård. Diskussion: Att ställa de olika studiernas resultat mot varandra var inte möjligt på grund av att de skiljde sig från varandra vad gäller urval, design och intervention. Då dessa mind-body-terapier ej är vetenskapligt bevisade får de inte rekommenderas av sjuksköterskor. Dock åligger det sjuksköterskor enligt Socialstyrelsens kompetensbeskrivning att inspirera till dialog om införande av ny kunskap. Slutsats: Innan rekommendationer kan ges bör effekten av de olika teknikerna undersökas närmare.

This paper discusses the changes of economic activities of ethnic Chinese in Ho Chi Minh City under different political regimes with different institutions. The thesis applied qualitative research methods with in-depth interviews, collected and analysed data from documents. The research result shows that under different social and political institutions, which are changed from French colonial period to the two different political systems during Vietnam War with the Communism in the North and the Capitalism in the South, and the socialist system carried out in the whole country after 1975, to the Doi Moi period after 1986, the Vietnamese Chinese conduct different economic activities in terms of business and trust in social relations. Before 1975, the Vietnamese Chinese traded heavily with the same ethnic group. The in-group business practices were changed after the institutional change after 1975, which pushed them to work more closely with other ethnic groups. The concept toward ¡§trust¡¨ (Xinyong) in Vietnamese Chinese community is gradually changed in accordance with the changes of social and political institutions.

We have previously used a two-dimensional fluorescence difference gel electrophoresis protein expression with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization of mass spectrometry to identify the serum proteomic profiles before and after the Tai Chi exercise in normal adults (Yang & Chang, et al. Clin Chem 56:127, 2010). However, the high abundant serum proteins in seyal samples might interfere the discovery of low abundance proteins in two-dimensional electrophoresis, but these low abundant proteins may play an important role on human physiology. Therefore, we looked for another way to resolve this complex issue. After multiple attempts, we chose a commercial affinity column to exclude 14 kinds of high-abundance proteins before analyses of serum proteomic displays. This column could be fit into a fast liquid chromatography separation of purified proteins and eluted for low abundant proteins. The low abundant proteins were first expressed by one-dimensional gel electrophoresis of proteins followed by a series of gel cut down for in-gel digestion by trypsin and subject to nano-liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry analysis (nano-LC ESI MS/MS ). The results obtained by software analysis were subject to its functional pathways analysis. We analysed 3 comparisons of the protein displays including differences between normal adults before and after exercise, differences of normal adults and diabetic patients before and after exercise. Experiments were next performed to validate the most significant difference of proteins between each category by enzyme-linked immunoassay. Results showed that dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) proteins were significantly higher in diabetic patients than in normal adults ( P values were 0.011 and less than 0.001), while the prolactin-inducible protein (PIP) was higher in normal adults than in diabetic patients after exercise (P value of 0.042). To our knowledge, decrease of DPP4 in type 2 diabetes has been shown to reduce blood sugar and improve the immunity; and NGAL has been confirmed to be an indicator for early diagnosis of acute kidney injury. Therefore, we have identified certain functional proteomic markers in normal and diabetic patients after Tai Chi exercise. This study model with exclusion of high-abundance serum proteins is a useful mode for identifying immune and metabolic marker with and without.

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