MSc Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand / Background and purpose of the study The length of stay for patients with stroke in some South African government hospitals has been shown to be inadequate and there is little information on the physical impairments and functional abilities of this population once they return to the community. An assessment was done of the strength, range of movement and the presence of pain experienced by patients with stroke in the Daveyton community and the relationship between these impairments and the functional abilities of these patients was established. Research methods and procedures employed This was a quantitative study using a descriptive cross sectional study design. Thirty-four conveniently sampled patients with stroke were assessed in their Daveyton homes. The functional measures used were the Modified rivermead mobility index (MRMI) and Barthel index (BI). The strength was assessed using a hand-held dynamometer, range of movement (RoM) with a standard universal goniometer and pain with the Eleven faces pain scale. The significance of the study was set at 0.05 and the relationships between impairments and functional abilities were expressed using the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Results Significant differences were found between the strength, as well as the RoM of the affected and unaffected sides (p < 0.05). The muscles most affected by were: Biceps, Gastrocnemius and Tibialis Anterior. The smallest strength difference was found in Gluteus maximus. The ranges of movement most affected were: shoulder flexion and elbow extension. The smallest difference was found in knee extension. Eighty-five percent of the sample attained scores indicating that they were independently mobile (measured by the MRMI), and 82% were independent in activities of daily living (measured by the BI). There were good correlations between the patients’ strength impairments and their functional abilities (r = 0.54 to 0.79) and mobility (r = 0.51 to 0.76). Functional abilities and mobility had moderate to good relationships with active range of movement of shoulder flexion, lateral shoulder rotation and dorsiflexion. The percentage of patients experiencing pain was 73%, but pain displayed no relationship with functional ability (r = 0.14) and mobility (r = 0.15). Conclusion Most people living with stroke in the Daveyton community are functionally independent despite the high prevalence of pain. Stroke results in significant strength and active range of movement deficits on the affected side. Most strength impairments correlated well with the functional ability and mobility of this sample, but active range of movement impairments that influenced functional measures were mainly shoulder and ankle movements.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(人間健康科学) / 甲第24540号 / 人健博第111号 / 新制||人健||8(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科人間健康科学系専攻 / (主査)教授 澤本 伸克, 教授 稲富 宏之, 教授 髙橋 良輔 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Human Health Sciences / Kyoto University / DFAM

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The development of postural stability in children with and without visual impairments (VI) was compared. Thirty eight subjects (4- 12 years old) without VI and 12 subjects with VI (5- 12 years) took part. Stability was measured in 4 quiet standing tasks (normal or foam surface, eyes open (EO) or eyes closed (EC)) and by measuring stability limits (SL) in the anterio-posterior (a-p) and lateral (lat) planes. Results for control subjects were compared using Pearson correlation coefficients, analysis of variance, and analysis of covariance (height as the covariate). For quiet standing tasks, outcome parameters were the standard deviation (SO) of the centre of pressure (CP) in the a-p and lat planes, and mean velocity (vel) of CP movements. For the leaning tasks, SL was measured (normalized to the base of support) in the a-p and lat planes, and SL was compared to CP. Individual results for subjects with VI were compared qualitatively to control subjects. For control subjects, stability increased with age. Subjects with VI were less _stable than controls on all outcome parameters. Differences between groups were more apparent as age increased, particularly for EO conditions. This could indicate a slower pattern of development for subjects with VI compared to controls. The groups were different both in the EO and EC conditions, indicating that postural control with EC is not the same as postural control with a VI, and that vision is important to the development of postural control in children. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

[pt] O diagnóstico do autismo é feito com base na tríade de prejuízos que engloba problemas na comunicação, nos comportamentos sociais e padrões restritos e repetitivos de comportamentos, interesses e atividades. Embora esse critério diagnóstico não faça referência em momento algum a prejuízos sensoriais, crescem as evidências, advindas principalmente de relatos autobiográficos de autistas de alto funcionamento, de que o transtorno autista seja uma condição diretamente relacionada a um aparato sensorial imperfeito. Essas evidências são complementadas com pesquisas científicas que levam em consideração, em sua maioria, relatos retrospectivos de pais e cuidadores. Estudos indicam que problemas sensoriais já estão aparentes no primeiro ano de vida de uma criança autista, podendo inclusive ser úteis para um rastreamento precoce do transtorno. Considerando-se a importância do aparato sensorial para o desenvolvimento das relações interpessoais do bebê e o fato de 69% a 80% dos autistas apresentarem problemas sensoriais, o objetivo do trabalho é iniciar uma reflexão sobre a possível relação da tríade de prejuízos do autismo com um aparato sensorial imperfeito no bebê, começando a se pensar no autismo como, talvez, um transtorno de natureza sensorial. / [en] The diagnosis of autism is based on a triad of impairments that includes communication problems, social impairments and repetitive and restricted patterns of behaviors, interests and activities. Although this diagnosis criterion does not make reference to sensory impairments, evidence arising from autobiographical accounts of high-functioning individuals with autism, suggests that the autistic disorder is directly related to an impaired sensory apparatus. Such evidence is complemented with scientific research based mostly on retrospective accounts from parents and caretakers. Studies indicate that by the first year of an autistic child´s life, sensory impairments are already apparent, and may be useful to an early identification of the disorder. Considering the importance of the sensory apparatus to the development of a child´s interpersonal relations and the fact that approximately 69% to 80% of autistic individuals present sensory problems, the purpose of this work is to suggest a link between the triad of impairments associated with autism and an impaired sensory apparatus in babies, thus starting to approach autism as, perhaps, a disorder of sensory nature.

Le dé cit cognitif est une cause majeure de handicap de la personne âgée. Du fait de l’augmentation de la durée de vie, le nombre de personnes âgées qui pourraient béné cier d’une prise en charge spécialisée dans le but de ralentir leur perte fonctionnelle va croitre. En dépit de traitement validé qui stoppe le processus neurodégénératif, des interventions spéci ques peuvent en ralentir les manifestations. De nombreuses études expérimentales, neuroscienti ques et comportementales ont démontré la relation étroite entre cognition en motricité.Ce travail doctoral propose d’explorer si certaines caractéristiques de la marche sont des biomarqueurs non-invasifs d’un trouble cognitif et des chutes, et de mieux comprendre les relations entre la cognition et le contrôle de la marche. Le cadre théorique était l’hypothèse de la « Perte de Complexité ». Des analyses multivariées ont été appliquées aux critères de jugement dynamiques de marche en relation avec le statut cognitif-et-chute (Le Chapitre 1).Le Chapitre 2 est une revue systématique de la littérature. Nous avons recensé 20 études longitudinales de prédiction de trouble de la marche et de dé cit cognitif. La vitesse de marche était associée à la cognition, son ralentissement était un prédicteur de la perte cognitive. Cette revue a aussi mis en évidence la nécessité d’améliorer la mesure des phénomènes concernésL’objectif du Chapitre 3 était de déterminer ce qu’apportait l’évaluation cognitive (MMSE, mémoire et fonctions exécutives) et des paramètres dynamiques précis de la marche, au bilan habituel du risque de chute. La précision de la classi cation entre chuteurs et non- chuteurs a augmenté avec l’ajout de la cognition et des paramètres de marche de AUC=0.86 à AUC=0.93. La spéci cité du modèle de classi cation a, quant à elle, augmenté de 60% à 72% avec l’ajout des mesures cognitives, et de 72% à 80% avec l’ajout des paramètres dynamiques de la marche. Dans leur ensemble, ces résultats montrent l’intérêt d’une approche multidimensionnelle incluant l’évaluation des fonctions cognitives et de la marche, dans la prédiction du risque de chute chez la personne âgée.Le Chapitre 4 détermine les paramètres de marche les plus associés au déclin cognitif. La vitesse de marche, la régularité, la prévisibilité et la stabilité ont montré que les simples et doubles-tâches étaient les plus discriminantes (score VIP moyen de 1.12). La marche des patients avec troubles cognitifs est plus lente, moins régulière et moins stable que celle de personnes âgées saines. Cependant, les résultats montrent également que la discrimination des patients âgés avec et sans dé cit cognitif, fondée sur l’exploitation des paramètres de marche uniquement, est faible, avec 57% (simple tâche) et 64% (double-tâche) des patients classés de manière erronée.Le Chapitre 5 présente une étude pilote prospective dans laquelle les paramètres de marche les plus discriminants du Chapitre 4 ont été étudiés. Les résultats ont montré qu’un déclin cognitif signi catif observé après 14.4 mois en moyenne était corrélé avec une marche plus régulière (ρ=0.579*) et plus prévisible (ρ=0.486*) mesurée pendent les mesures de ligne de base, mais pas avec la vitesse de marche de la ligne de base (ρ=0.073). Une augmentationde la régularité et de la prévisibilité de la marche est le re et d’une perte de la complexité de la marche, témoin d’une détérioration future des fonctions cognitives chez les patients âgés.Les résultats de ce travail doctoral sont résumés et discutés dans le Chapitre 6. / The rising life expectancy will result in an increased number of ‘older old adults’ who will need specialized geriatric care to slow functional decline. Cognitive impairment is a major cause of disability in geriatric patients. Even though there is no cure yet to reverse neurodegeneration, tailored interventions can slow disease progression and reduce symptoms. Because of the abundant evidence from experimental, neuroscienti c, and behavioral studies that underscored the close link between motor- and cognitive function, the present thesis proposed to use gait characteristics as non-invasive indicators of cognitive impairment and falls in geriatric patients. The main objective therefore was to increase our understanding of the relationship between gait and cognition in this vulnerable population, in which gait outcomes were calculated from 3D-acceleration signals of the lower trunk that were collected with an iPod Touch 4G. The ‘Loss of Complexity’ hypothesis provided a theoretical framework. Multivariate analyses were applied to dynamic gait outcomes in relation to cognitive- and fall-status (Chapter 1).Chapter 2 presents a systematic literature review including 20 longitudinal studies that examined associations between baseline gait function and future cognitive decline. A slow gait speed was associated with future decline in global cognition and in speci c cognitive functions, and with an increased risk for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and dementia (maximal odds and hazard ratios of 10.4 and 11.1, respectively) in 4.5 years on average. The review projected that future research could increase the speci city of the gait-cognition link by indexing gait and cognition in more detail.From this perspective, Chapter 3 examined whether an extensive cognitive evaluation (global cognition, memory, and executive functioning) and ne-grained, dynamic gait outcomes could add to a usual fall-risk screening. The overall classi cation accuracy of fallers and non-fallers increased from Area Under the Curve (AUC) =0.86 to AUC=0.93. The speci city of the fall-classi cation model increased from 60% to 72% when cognitive outcomes were added, and from 72% up to 80% when gait dynamics were added to the model. The results underscored the need for a multifactorial approach in fall risk assessment in geriatric patients, including a detailed evaluation of cognitive- and gait function.Chapter 4 explored what gait outcomes are most susceptible to change with cognitive decline, and examined multiple gait outcomes in relation to cognitive impairment. Outcomes related to gait speed, regularity, predictability, and stability revealed with the highest discriminative power, indicated by the Variable Importance in Projection (VIP)-values for single- and dual-tasking (average VIP-score of 1.12, with a VIP-score>1 indicating a high discriminative power). Geriatric patients walked slower, less regular, and less stable than healthy old controls. However, the discrimination of geriatric patients with- and without cognitive impairment based on gait outcomes alone was poor, with 57% (single-task) and 64% (dual-task) of the patients being misclassi ed.In Chapter 5, the gait outcomes with the highest discriminative power in chapter 4 were studied in a prospective pilot study. Signi cant cognitive decline (in global cognition, memory, and executive functioning) over 14.4 months on average correlated with a moreregular (ρ=0.579*) and more predictable (ρ=0.486*) gait at baseline, but not with baseline gait speed (ρ=0.073). The increased gait regularity and predictability re ected a loss of gait complexity and this loss of gait complexity may thus predict future cognitive decline in geriatric patients.The results are summarized and discussed in Chapter 6 of this thesis.

The purpose of this study was to explain the ways in which parents of children with hearing impairments access counseling services. In order to focus attention on these issues, a research question and objectives were formulated: In what ways did parents of children with hearing impairments in Zimbabwe access counseling services during the period 1999 to 2000? Five distinct but related major issues, in relation to parents of children with hearing impairments accessing counseling services in Zimbabwe during the period 1999 to 2000 emerged. This came from observation of practice, personal experiences, and discussions with parents. The objectives of the study were thus formulated as follows: · to find out who counseled parents of children with hearing impairments. · to investigate whether parents who received or did not receive counseling were aware of organizations that offered guidance and counseling. · to find out parents’ perceptions on whether or not counseling helped them to accept and cope with their children. · to establish the qualifications of the counselors who counseled parents of children with hearing impairments. · to explore recommendations by parents on ways in which counseling can be made more accessible in Zimbabwe. A pilot study was conducted in which two questionnaires that covered the research question and the five objectives were constructed and refined. Subsequently a survey was carried out on a sample of 300 parents of children with hearing impairments and 28 counseling service organizations. The questionnaires sought to find out: who counseled parents of children with hearing impairments, their views about the counseling they received, whether they were able to accept and cope with their children after counseling and their views on how counseling could be made more accessible. The questionnaire to service organizations sought to establish the qualifications of their counselors, the needs of parents of children with hearing impairments and their views on what they thought could be done to help parents access counseling services. Female and male parents were compared in terms of their sources of counseling, acceptance and coping with children of different genders and different age groups. Quantitative data on organizations and parents’ responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative analysis was used to analyze data from open-ended questions collected from parents of children with hearing impairments. Results from the study indicate that the majority of the parents received counseling from special schools, followed by individuals, then hospitals, churches, registered counseling organizations and friends. Slightly more than half of the parents were aware of registered organizations that offer counseling services. Most parents believed that counseling helped them and were able to cope with their children after counseling. The majority of the counselors who counseled parents of children with hearing impairments were not qualified. Most parents indicated that they faced difficulties in communication, financial constraints, societal attitude, lack of transport and lack of skills to teach children basic living skills. Parents suggested the use of parent support groups, workshops and advertisements as means of making counseling services more accessible. / Thesis (PhD (Learning Support, Guidance and Counceling))--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

Syftet med studien var att studera tidigare forskning om barn med funktionsnedsättningar som fått tidiga insatser i skolan, för att förstå vilka värden som tillmäts betydelse för en likvärdig skolgång. Studiens upplägg bygger på en litteraturstudie som har genomförts genom en metaanalys. Den teoretiska delen har varit en central del av arbetet, för att kunna förstå och besvara mina frågeställningar. Empirin som har samlats in och studiens resultat har analyserats med hjälp av teorierna om jämlikhet/ojämlikhet eller rättvisa och livsvillkor eller livskvalité. Resultatet visar att värden som fysisk hälsa, psykisk hälsa, hur närvarande vuxna spelar en viktig roll, hur samverkan går till eller vilka verktyg man använder i tidiga insatser samt skolledningens betydelse är centrala delar för barnens livsvillkor och livskvalité för att främja jämlikhet och rättvisa. Det framkommer även att det finns underlag för tidiga interventioner hos barn med funktionsnedsättningar som förbättrar barnens olika förmågor. / The purpose of the study was to examine previous research on children with disabilities who received early interventions in school, in order to understand the values attributed to ensuring equal educational opportunities. The study design was based on a literature review conducted through a meta-analysis. The theoretical framework was a central part of the work to understand and address my research questions. The empirical data collected, and the study's findings were analysed using theories of equality/inequality or justice and living conditions or quality of life. The results show that values such as physical health, mental health, the presence of supportive adults, collaboration methods, tools used in early interventions, and the importance of school leadership are crucial for children's living conditions and quality of life to promote equality and justice. It also emerged that there is evidence for early interventions in children with disabilities that improve their various abilities.

Abstrakt Titel: Svenska revisorers uppfattning av goodwillredovisning enligt IFRS Nivå: C -uppsats i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Elin Elmehagen och Tomas Friberg Handledare: Jan Svanberg Datum: 2014- maj Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka svenska revisorers uppfattning av goodwillredovisning enligt internationella redovisningsstandarder, IFRS. Mer specifikt syftar studien till att undersöka huruvida svenska revisorer anser att det existerar ett manipulativt beteende vid goodwillredovisning enligt IFRS och vilka bakgrundsfaktorer som kan förklara revisorernas uppfattningar. Metod: Vi har använt oss av en elektronisk enkätundersökning. Enkäten skickades ut till 732 svenska godkända och auktoriserade revisorer. Vi fick 92 svar vilket ger en svarsfrekvens på 12,57 %. Resultaten redovisas genom att vi presenterar tabeller med förklarande text. Resultat &amp; Slutsats: Utifrån studien har det framgått att det finns två linjer av tankegångar angående goodwillredovisning enligt IFRS bland svenska revisorer. Den första linjen anser att företagsledningen har ett opportunistiskt beteende vid goodwillnedskrivningar. Den andra linjen anser att värderingar av goodwill baserade på framtida kassaflöden är att föredra samt att IFRS bestämmelser om regelbundna prövningar av goodwillnedskrivning anses som god praxis jämfört med tidigare bestämmelser då avskrivningar skedde på årsbasis. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Det vore intressant att se en liknande studier efter förändringarna i det nya reglementet som kommer att gälla från och med 2016. Dessa kommer ändra reglerna för hur goodwillnedskrivningar ska göras. Det vore också intressant att göra en mer kvalitativ undersökning på samma problemområde för att få fram en mer djupgående förståelse för revisorernas åsikter. Uppsatsens bidrag: Studien har identifierat vilka åsikter revisorer har angående goodwillredovisning enligt IFRS den resultatstyrning reglerna ger möjlighet till. Detta är intressant att studera för andra revisorer, standardsättare, företag och intressenter.  Nyckelord: Goodwill, Goodwillredovisning, IFRS, Nedskrivningar, IAS, Sverige / Abstract Title: Swedish auditors' perception of goodwill accounting under IFRS Level: Final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration Author: Elin Elmehagen and Tomas Friberg Supervisor: Jan Svanberg Date: 2014 – May Aim: The purpose of this study is to investigate Swedish accountants perception of goodwill accounting in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards, IFRS. More specifically, the study aims to investigate whether Swedish auditors believe that there exists a manipulative behavior in goodwill accounting under IFRS and the background factors that may explain the auditors' perception. Method: We have used an electronic survey. The questionnaire was sent to 732 Swedish approved and certified public accountants. We received 92 responses giving a response rate of 12,57 %. The results are reported by presenting tables with explanatory text. Result &amp; Conclusions: Based on the study there has shown that there are two lines of thoughts regarding goodwill accounting under IFRS among Swedish auditors. The first line thinks that management behaves opportunistically in goodwill impairment. The second line believes that valuations of goodwill based on future cash flows are preferable and that the IFRS provisions on periodic tests of goodwill impairment is considered as a good practice compared to the precious rules when deprecations were done on an annual basis Suggestions for future research: It would be interesting to see a similar study after the changes that will take place 2016. These will change the rules for how goodwill impairment should be done. It would also be interesting to make a more qualitative survey on the same problem area in order to obtain a deeper understanding of auditors' opinions.  Contribution of the thesis: This study has identified the opinion of auditors regarding goodwill accounting under IFRS and the management earnings these rules allow for. This is interesting to study for other auditors, standard setters, companies and stakeholders. Key words: Goodwill, Goodwill Accounting, IFRS, Impairments, IAS, Sweden