Sammanfattning Syfte och frågeställningar Syftet med studien var att i ett test-retest utvärdera tillförlitligheten i den nyutvecklade kraftmätaren ISOP vad gäller isometrisk muskelkraft i handledens tre rörelseplan. Den frågeställning som låg till grund för studien var följande: Föreligger det någon signifikant skillnad i uppmätta värden vid upprepade mätningar av handledskraft vid två separata testtillfällen (s.k. “test-retest”)? Metod Ett test-retest utfördes på 20 stycken testpersoner (tio kvinnor/tio män, ålder 28-48 år, medelvärde 38,6 år), utan tidigare hand- eller handledsskada. Åtta mätningar utfördes i sex olika handledsriktningar: flexion, extension, radialdeviation, ulnardeviation, pronation och supination av dominant hand samt flexion och extension av icke-dominant hand. Varje mätning bestod av tre stycken tryck med maximal kraft i följd, samt i varje rörelseriktning, och resultatet beräknades som ett medelvärde av dessa (test 1). Testprotokollet upprepades identiskt efter en vecka (test 2). Som intern kontroll användes Jamar handdynamometer, vilken är sedan tidigare reliabilitetstestad. Resultat Sambandet mellan test 1 och test 2 analyserades med Pearson’s korrelations koefficient (r) samt Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) med ett p-värde satt till 0,001. Resultatet av Pearson r visade ett mycket starkt samband för 9 av 10 par med värden mellan 0,84-0,98, och ett starkt samband för det tionde paret med ett värde på 0,77. Sambandet stärks ytterligare av att ICC ligger mellan 0,88-0,99 för samtliga par. Ett beroende student’s t-test utfördes för att påvisa eventuella skillnader mellan testerna men inga signifikanta skillnader hittades och detta stärker sambandet mellan testerna. Signifikanta skillnader om p är mindre än 0,05. Slutsats Den nyutvecklade kraftmätaren ISOP uppvisar god reliabilitet med mycket starka – starka samband vad gäller test-retest. Inga signifikanta skillnader mellan mätningarna kunde påvisas. ISOP kan således anses vara tillförlitligt för bruk vid rehabilitering och utvärdering av handledsfunktion. / Abstract Aim and hypothesis The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of ISOP – a new isometric power device with regard to evaluating isometric muscle force in the three planes of wrist motion. The hypothesis was as follows: Is there a significant difference in isometric power when repeated measurements are conducted at two different time-intervals (so called ”test-retest”)? Method A test-retest protocol was performed in 20 volunteers (ten women/ten men, age range 28-48 years, average 38.6), with no prior hand or wrist injury. Eight measurements were done in six different directions of the wrist: flexion, extension, radial deviation, ulnar deviation, pronation and supination of the dominant hand, as well as flexion and extension of the non-dominant hand. Each measurement consisted of three sequential maneuvers using maximum force, and the results were calculated as an average of these (test 1). The exact same protocol was repeated after a week (test 2). As an internal control, the Jamar hand dynamometer was used as it has previously been proven reliable. Results The relationship between test 1 and test 2 were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) with a p-value set at 0.001. The result of Pearson’s r showed a very strong correlation between 9 of 10 pairs tested, with values between 0.84-0.98, and a strong correlation for the tenth pair with a value of 0.77. The strength of the correlations were confirmed by the ICC which showed 0.88-0.99 for all pairs. A dependent t-test was additionally performed to test for possible deviations between the tests, but no significant differences were found (p>0.05) which strengthens the relationship between the tests. Conclusion The new isometric power device, ISOP, has a very strong to strong correlation in a test-retest situation. No significant differences between the measurements could be demonstrated. ISOP may thus be considered a reliable device for use in wrist rehabilitation and evaluation.

The purpose of the present investigation was to gather data on the performance of nonpatient elderly subjects on the Rorschach Psychodiagnostic Test. The Comprehensive System (Exner, 1985, 1986) was used for administering, scoring, and interpreting the Rorschach because it is a research-based form with demonstrated reliability and validity and it has become the most widely used approach to the Rorschach in the past 13 years. However, the norms were based upon an adult sample, ages 18 to 64. Therefore, the present study addressed the following problems: What are the normative data for the Rorschach of a nonpatient group of elderly? How do these normative data of the elderly compare with the normative data for younger adults?Method The study used 60 men and women, ages 65 to 94, all active, nonpatient volunteers with no psychiatric history. They lived independently of any institutional supervision or care.Results Means of Rorschach variables for elderly subjects were compared with the means for a younger adult population. The elderly had significantly lower means for R, P, W, D, S, DQ+, DQ v/+, FQo, M, Ma, Mp, a (active), FC, CF, Wgt Sum C, FC'+C'F+C', FY+YF+Y, Sum Shading, (2), FD, Zd, EA, D score, ADJ D, Blends, Col-Sh B1, X+%, F+%, Pure H, ALL H Cont, DV, DR, INCOM, SUM6 SP SC, and SUM 6 SP SC.The aged subjects produced significantly higher means for the following indices: Dd, FQ-, M-, FM, C+Cn, Lambda, Z-%, S-Constell, SCZI, DEPRI, PER, and PSV.The older adults performed neither significantly higher or lower for these variables: DQo, DQv, FQ+, FQu, m, p (passive), FT+TF+T, FV+VF+V, Fr + rF, F, Zf, es, 3r+(2)/R, FABCOM, ALOG, CONTAM, AG, CONFAB, CP, and MOR.These results indicate that the elderly in this study give responses which are less embellished, complex, synthesized, and conventional and to have percepts that are of poorer quality and are more distorted than those of younger adults.The following nine percentages for the elderly group were significantly higher than for the younger adult group with whom they were compared: M - WSUM C = +1.5 to -1.5, D SCORE < 0, ADJ D SCORE < 0, Zd SCORE < -3.0, X+% < .70, F+% < .70, X-% > .15, Afr < .55, and Pure H < 2.These percentages show that the aged had no preferred problem-solving style, had more stressors than skills to cope with them, are somewhat negligent and less accurate in processing information, avoid emotion, and have less interest in the social environment. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

The primary purpose of this study was to determine if significant differences exist in responses to pictures of diagnosed abnormal subjects between normal and emotionally handicapped (EH) children. The Szondi Test, which contains 48 pictures of mental patients divided into six sets, was utilized. Each of the eight pictures within a set represents one of the following mental disorders: sadist, homosexual, epileptic, hysteric, catatonic schizophrenic, paranoid schizophrenic, manic, and depressive. The subject is asked to choose the two most liked and two least liked pictures from each set. The composite responses constitute a profile which is interpreted in terms of psychological meanings of the clinic types chosen and rejected.A random sample of 112 intermediate-age Caucasian subjects was selected from emotionally handicapped classes. These subjects were assessed on the characteristics of age, intelligence, socioeconomic status, and sex. Normal subjects were then randomly sampled and selectively discarded until the proportions for the normal group were the same as the group with respect to age, intelligence, socioeconomic status, and sex. All subjects were given an administration of the Szondi Test.Multivariate analysis of variance and discriminant analysis were used to determine if differences in responses between the normal and EH groups were significant. The conclusion was made that the normal and EH groups did differ significantly (p <.O1) on personality factor profiles of the Szondi Test. Based on the obtained profiles, the discriminant analysis showed that 62% of the subjects in the EH group were correctly classified while 61% of those in the normal groups were classified accurately. The univariate F tests revealed that the significant multivariate F was accounted for, for the most part, by the catatonic and manic factors.The results of this study appear to represent a first step in supporting the potential usefulness of the Szondi Test as a diagnostic instrument for discriminating between EH and normal intermediate-age children.

The purpose of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of an 8-flight tower climb test (TCT) to assess anaerobic performance in urban firefighters. Twenty-five professional urban firefighters participated in the validity testing of the TCT versus the Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAT) over 2 randomly sequenced testing sessions. Test-retest reliability was assessed separately in 21 active male and female participants over 2 TCT trials. During both validity and reliability testing for the TCT, participants ascended a firefighting training tower as fast as possible from a 1.7m running start while wearing firefighter protective equipment. Time was measured and power was calculated from the foot of the training tower to the top of the first (height = 1.75m) and eighth (height = 13.89m) flights of stairs. During the other session assessing TCT validity, participants completed a 30-second WAT using a resistance of 85gkg-1 body weight (BW). Several significant correlations were found including those between TCT power and: 1) mean WAT power generated for the duration equivalent to TCT time (r = 0.869), 2) peak power for the first 2 seconds of the WAT (r = 0.868), and 3) WAT peak power (r = 0.864). TCT test-retest performance in 21 active males and females showed that the test is highly reproducible. The mean time of completion of the 8-flight TCT was 21.81 + 5.03 seconds and 21.38 + 4.86 seconds for Trials 1 and 2, respectively. Intraclass correlations for time and power data from the first and eighth flights ranged from 0.94 to 0.99, and coefficients of variance ranged from 2.0% to 7.5%. These findings provide strong evidence that the TCT is a valid and reliable field-based assessment of occupation-specific anaerobic performance in urban firefighters. / Graduate

No description available.

No description available.

A finite element code has been developed at the University of Sheffield to simulate the structural response of steel and composite framed buildings subjected to fire. The steel skeleton is represented using two-noded line elements, the steel-to-steel connections using spring elements and the flooring system by isotropic flat shell elements. Structures are therefore considered as a complete entity, allowing a more realistic prediction of structural behaviour at elevated temperature. A series of numerical simulations of fire tests carried out on the full-scale, eight-storey composite frame at the BRE laboratory at Cardington in 1995 and 1996 have been conducted. These tests have been subject to a number of significant parametric studies including slab thickness and secondary beam connection strength and stiffness. The concrete floor slab element has also been extended to a layered flat shell element allowing the inclusion of material non-linearities, thermal bowing, thermal degradation, anisotropic properties and a more advanced cracking model. Using the new concrete floor slab element the Cardington fire tests have been simulated in detail, to further understanding of the structural reaction in fire. Another series of parametric studies have been conducted considering again the thickness of the floor slab, the effect of the slab temperature gradient, the compressive strength, tensile strength and load ratios. These have all been compared to results from the Cardington fire tests. Current design methods based on isolated element design are considered by comparing the results of analyses in which the concrete floor is either included as a continuous slab in an extensive subframe, or is treated simply as forming the flanges of composite beams in a three-dimensional skeleton. These examples show clearly the effects of membrane and bridging actions of the continuous floor slab. The implications for future design developments are discussed with particular reference to the parametric studies conducted.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio University, November, 1992. / Title from PDF t.p.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Also available in print.

Univ., Diss--Kassel, 2007.