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Supratentorial Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumors: A Casereport, Chien-Min Chen, Chin-Man Wang, Shih-Ming Jung, Pao-Tsai Cheng, Alice M.K. Wong

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumors are a very rare brain tumor. This reports the case of a 14 year old girl who visited our emergency department owing to severe headache and vomiting. One 72mm×45mm mass located at the left corpus callosum and extending to the left ventricle was identified by Brain magnetic imaging. The tumor was removed and the pathology demonstrated highly cellular tumor with poorly differential cells and brisk miotic activity. Based on the tumor location and pathology, a supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumor was diagnosed. Following the surgery the patient presented with right side weakness, unsteady gait, and speech difficulty. …

Relationships Between Clinical Symptoms And Electrodiagnosis In Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Pei-Ying Chao, Hui-Lin Lin, Shin-Liang Pan, Chein-Wei Chang

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most common peripheral entrapment neuropathies. Patients with carpal tunnel syndrome experience numbness, pain, and/or weakness in the hands over the median nerve distribution area. In current practice, diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome is based on subjective symptoms and objective findings from physical examinations and electrodiagnosis. We examined 40 hands with carpal tunnel syndrome in 24 patients and evaluated the relation between symptom severity and electrodiagnosis. Subjective hand symptoms were obtained by self-administered questionnaire and were categorized as numbness, pain, or motor function according to factor analysis methods. Numbness symptoms were significantly related to …

Churg-Strauss Syndrome: A Casereport, Wan-Chia Lee, Cheng-Liang Chou, Po-Zong Pan, Tcho-Jen Liu, Rai-Chi Chan

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) is a rare systemic vasculitis of unknown cause, occurring in patients with asthma and accompanied by hypereosinophilia. Pathologically, CSS is characterized by necrotising eosinophilic vasculitis which may involve multiple organ systems, commonly including the lungs, skin, and peripheral nervous system. Corticosteroids are the first-line therapy, with cyclophosphamide as adjuvant therapy. The overall prognosis is good.We report a case of CSS with the clinical pattern of asthma, hypereosinophlilia (＞10%), pulmonary infiltration, and mononeuritis multiplex. Progressive weakness and numbness in the bilateral hands and lower limbs, with associated walking inability, remained a concern despite steroid treatment. The patient underwent …

Lower-Leg Compartment Syndrome And Ischemic Spinal Cord With Lumbosacral Plexopathy After Aortic Dissection: A Casereport, Wen-Hsuan Hou, Huey-Wen Liang, Yen-Ho Wang, Fang-Yue Lin

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Aortic valve replacement (AVR) is a common surgical procedure to treat severe valvular heart disease. Major complications of AVR include perioperative myocardial infarction, thromboemboli, hemorrhage, prosthetic endocarditis, aortic dissection, prosthetic dehiscence, and prosthetic dysfunction. Ischemic myeloradiculopathy due to aortic dissection after AVR is another complication documented in the medical literature, but the combination of lower-extremity compartment syndrome and ischemic myeloradiculopathy is rarely reported. We describe the clinical course and recovery of a 57-year-old man with this unusual combination and discuss the proper management to reduce long-term disability.

The Pediatric Functional Performance Scales: Establishment And Preliminary Report On Taiwanese Children, Yung-Wen Hsu, Ting-Yi Li, Tsan-Hsun Huang, Nai-Wen Guo, Rong-Ju Cherng, Ta-Shen Kuan, Chii-Jeng Lin

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

This study planed to develop a functional performance measure in order to systematically describe and evaluate the ability and limitation of Taiwanese children in their daily life activities. This study includes two pilot studies investigating content validity of this newly developed test: The Pediatric Functional Performance Scales (PFP Scales).Parents of 49 children aged 2-12 years were interviewed face to face or through telephone in the first study. After revised, the test was administered to another 203 children aged 2-8 years. According to the result of the first pilot study, total items of the PFP Scales were increased from 14 to …

Lumbar Pathological Fracture Due To Salmonella Osteomyelitis Mimics Compression Fracture, Ming-Fong Tsai, Zong-Jing Wang, I-Chiun Lu, Chi-Hung Chiu

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

We describe a patient with Salmonella vertebral osteomyelitis who presented with severe low back pain. An initial diagnosis of compression fracture was based on clinical symptoms and signs, as well as imaging studies. During hospitalization, the patient developed a fever. A repeat MRI, positive blood cultures, and abscess culture results obtained during an operative procedure confirmed the diagnosis of Salmonella vertebral osteomyelitis. Salmonella vertebral osteomyelitis is rare, and its clinical presentation may mimic other common diseases such as compression fracture. This case illustration suggests that in patients with rapidly progressive low back pain, fever, and poor response to treatment, vertebral …

Diffuse Positive Sharp Waves In A Patient With Left Radial Nerve Palsy: “Emg” Disease, Meng-Jer Lee, Jan-Wei Chiu, Han-Wen Lee, Tcho-Jen Liu, Rai-Chi Chan

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Positive sharp waves (PSW) and fibrillations are frequently seen together in a variety of neuromuscular diseases and share the same clinical significance. However, PSW alone are also reported to occur in myotonic disorders, periodic hypokalemic paralysis, and local muscle trauma.Our patient, a 32-year-old man, fractured his left humerus in a traffic accident 3 weeks prior to presentation. He was referred to our electrodiagnostic laboratory due to left wrist and hand drop. On physical examination, he was found to have grade 0 muscle power in his left wrist and finger extensors. There was numbness over the dorsal aspect of the first …

Alcohol-Related Central Pontine Myelinolysis: A Casereport, Tai-Te Lee, Vikey Huang

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) characterizes demyelinolysis of the central basal pons without involving the nerve axon. The etiology and incidence are unclear. According to previous reports, CPM occurs most often in chronic alcoholism, followed by hyponatremia due to rapid correction of electrolyte imbalance. Clinical manifestations of CPM include consciousness disturbance, lethargy, impaired brain function, dysphasia, dysarthria, four limbs weakness, ataxia, decreased deep tendon reflex, hypotension and seizure. The treatment of CPM includes supportive management with enough nutrition intake and rehabilitation programs. Our casereport is a 47 year old male with the history of diabetics mellitus, hypertension and chronic alcoholism. He …

Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program For A Patient With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Complicated With Acute Infection, Lobar Atelectasis And Severely Restrictive Ventilatory Impairment: A Casereport, Ya-Wen Hsu, Jue-Long Wang, Jin-Shen Yang, Ko-Long Lin

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

An exact identification among the subsets of pulmonary lupus is important in planning efficacious therapy. Asymptomatic pulmonary lupus needs no specific treatment, while prompt and aggressive treatment is mandatory for the potential life-threatening pulmonary version. We present a case of systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)with lobar atelectasis and severely restricted lung impairment and illustrate how a pulmonary rehabilitation program aided therapy during the acute infectious episode. An individualized pulmonary rehabilitation program for SLE patients compromised with chest distress may thus be a prudent course of action.

Cetacean Brain Evolution: Multiplication Generates Complexity, Lori Marino

Anatomy Collection

Over the past 55-60 million years cetacean (dolphin, whale, and porpoise) brains have become hyperexpanded so that modern cetacean encephalization levels are second only to modern humans. At the same time, brain expansion proceeded along very different lines than in other large-brained mammals so that substantial differences between modern cetacean brains and other mammalian brains exist at every level of brain organization. Perhaps the most profound difference between cetacean and other mammalian brains is in the architecture of the neocortex. Cetaceans possess a unique underlying neocortical organizational scheme that is particularly intriguing in light of the fact that cetaceans exhibit …

Entrepreneurship Among Black Americans: A Theoretical Perspective On Modes Of Adjustment And Entrepreneurial Education, John Sibley Butler

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

In this paper Butler argues that despite a stronger, group-wide emphasis on new venture creation among black Americans in the past, entrepreneurship continues to be a means of economic security and wealth creation for this group. To frame his argument, Butler examines Modes of Adjustment theory and the decline of venture development among African Americans. His emphasis is on understanding the theory's implication for black entrepreneurship and for the entrepreneurial education of future generations. Using data from both the Survey of Minority-owned Business Enterprises and Characteristics of Business Owners, Butler highlights the present status of black entrepreneurship to explain patterns …

Entrepreneurship Education At 1890 Land Grant Institutions: A Profile Of Programs And Consideration Of Opportunities, Caroline E. W. Glackin

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Entrepreneurship education at U.S. universities formally began at Harvard University in 1947 with a single course and most significant efforts began in the past 30 years (Katz 2003). This paper provides entrepreneurship education profiles of top ranked programs, emerging campus-wide programs, and 1890 Land Grant Institution programs. Entrepreneurship Centers (ECs), typically in Schools of Business, are components of entrepreneurship education at many institutions. ECs have programs and services from research to academic instruction to community outreach and programming. This paper introduces a typology of ECs predicated upon their academic programs and community outreach. Detailed program information on and recommendations for …

So What? A Primer On Methods For Identifying, Measuring, And Analyzing Program Impacts And Outcomes, Ronald L. Williams

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This paper offers insights on the need for increased program accountability and the benefits that arise from the use of better performance measures. Examples of impact and accountability reports are presented to highlight the best practices. Weaker impact reports are analyzed so as to emphasize more effective ways to demonstrate outputs and impact to funders.

Entrepreneurship And Small Business Development As A Rural Development Strategy, Kenneth L. Robinson, Wylin Dassie, Ralph D. Christy

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Many social scientists believe that supporting entrepreneurship development within low-income communities is a viable development strategy to combat poverty. Some even suggest that if economic development is to be effective, new businesses in low income areas must be started through local initiatives, and that entrepreneurship is critical to the maintenance of a healthy economy. Underpinned by recent scholarship and grassroots movements that suggest that presence of smaller scale, locally-controlled enterprises can help determine whether communities prosper or decline, this paper explores the links between entrepreneurship and rural development. Using a theory of change framework (Oldsman and Hallberg 2002), the authors …

University-Wide Entrepreneurship Education: Alternative Models And Current Trends, Deborah H. Streeter, John P. Jaquette Jr.

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

The paper examines the trend towards university-wide programs in entrepreneurship education. We present a conceptual framework for dividing university-wide programs into two categories: "magnet programs," which draw students into entrepreneurship courses offered in the business school, and "radiant programs," which feature entrepreneurship courses outside the business school, focused on the specific context of the nonbusiness students. Examining 38 ranked entrepreneurship programs, we found that about 79 percent now have university-wide programs, most of which follow a magnet model. In interviews with stakeholders at sample institutions, we found that magnet and radiant programs differ in terms of program definition, motivation for …

Heterogeneous Multi-Sensor Data Fusion Using Geometric Transformations And Parzen Windows For The Nondestructive Evaluation Of Gas Transmission Pipelines, Joseph Anthony Oagaro

Theses and Dissertations

The natural gas transmission pipeline network in the United States is a key component of the nation's energy supply infrastructure and extends for over 280,000 miles and has an average age of over 60 years. The integrity of the pipeline is maintained by periodic inline inspections using magnetic or ultrasonic pigs. Defect characterization algorithms developed using current pigging data are hampered by the fact that single inspection techniques (either magnetic or ultrasonic) do not yield sufficient information for accurately and repeatably characterizing defects. This thesis demonstrates that defect characterization algorithms using multiple inspection techniques can accomplish this task. In particular, …

An Investigation Of Multi-Dimensional Evolutionary Algorithms For Virtual Reality Scenario Development, Scott Papson

Theses and Dissertations

Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a powerful visualization tool for design, simulation, and analysis in modem complex industrial systems. The primary motivation for this thesis is to develop a framework for the effective use of VR in design-simulation-analysis cycles, particularly in situations involving large, complex, multi-dimensional data-sets. This thesis develops a framework that is intended to support not only the integration of such data for visual, interactive, and immersive displays, but also provides a method for performing risk analysis. Previously "static" VR environments are enhanced with time-evolutionary capabilities. Four candidate algorithms are evaluated for this purpose – deterministic modeling, …

Growth And Body Composition Analysis In Children With Cerebral Palsy, Tsui-Fen Yang, Pei-Hsin Lin, Chueh-Lien Yang, Rai-Chi Chan, Nien-Tzu Kao

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

The objective of the present study was to investigate the growth and body composition of younger children with cerebral palsy, using anthropometric measures and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). We also looked into the relative strength and consistency between different measurements in analyzing body composition. Thirty-nine patients, aged 3 to 13, with an established diagnosis of cerebral palsy, and age- and sex-matched control subjects, were recruited for this study. Distribution of height-by-age and weight-by-age percentiles differed significantly between the study and the control groups, whereby the subjects of cerebral palsy grew shorter and lighter than normal subjects. The body fat percentage …

Primary Adrenal Insufficiency Developing After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Casereport, June-Kai Chen, Tien-Wen Chen, Ming-Cheng Weng, Mao-Hsiung Huang

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

There have been isolated reports in the literature of the natural history and less than complete knowledge of the epidemiology and the pathophysiology of endocrine alteration occurring after traumatic brain injury (TBI). This article describes one primarily adrenal-dysfunction patient with severe TBI who had no evidence of present or prior adrenal autoimmune disease, infection, hemorrhage, or malignancy. It is suggested that this distinct condition can be labeled as ”primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) developing after TBI”.

Metatarsal Stress Fracture: A Casereport, Chwan-Chin Leu, Chorng-Song Chou, Chin-Teng Chung, Chun-Fu Wang

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

A stress fracture is defined as a partial or complete fracture of bone due to the inability to withstand non-violent stress applied in a rhythmic, repeated, subthreshold manner. It could occur in any kind of sport. However, it usually occurs in running-based sports and running or jogging. Initial diagnosis of stress fracture is difficult. A careful study of the patient's history amd physical examination combined with appropriate radiographic examination, or if indicated, scintigraphy, provides a highly accurate diagnosis.A 19-year-old male athlete suffered from insidious onset of pain in the right forefoot after judo training. This focal pain eventually precluded any …

Long-Term Prosthesis Use And Functional Outcome Among Patients With Lower Extremity Amputations, Je-Kuei Yang, Ming-Chuan Lin, Ssu-Yuan Chen, Ching Lan, Jin-Shin Lai, I-Nan Lien

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

The purpose of this study was to investigate prosthesis use among patients who underwent lower extremity amputation owing to peripheral vascular disease and evaluate their functional outcome after returning to the community. We retrospectively reviewarticleed medical charts of patients who underwent lower extremity amputation from 1993 to 1999. The causes of amputation, the level of amputation and patient's health condition were recorded. We then surveyed the patients by telephone, and recorded the stump condition, difficulties encountered in daily activities, and functional status. From January 1993 to December 1999, 347 patients underwent lower-limb amputations in our hospital. Of them, 174 died, …

Differential Impairment And Recovery Of Two Languages In A Bilingual Aphasic Patient: A Casereport, I-Ru Chen, Su-Fen Liao, Ta-Sen Wei

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

According to the definition proposed by Grosjean, more than half of the world population is multilingual. Bilingual aphasia is more complex and variable; thus it may need a more individualized rehabilitation program than monolingual aphasia. However, many instances of bilingual aphasia may have been misdiagnosed and treated as monolingual aphasia due to a lack of comprehensive assessment.We present here a change in the language pattern of a bilingual Chinese woman, who initially spoke Cantonese (mother language) and Mandarin (2nd language) very well. She was afflicted by aphasia due to a stroke involving cortical and subcortical lesions in 1999. After rehabilitation …

The Effects Of Education Level On Physical Fitness Among Middle-Aged Adults In Taiwan, Shih-Wei Chou, Yin-Chou Lin, Chi-Te Li, Alice M. K. Wong

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Health-related physical fitness can be assessed with four main attributes: body composition, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and cardiorespiratory endurance. Regular exercise is thought to improve physical fitness, and objective physical fitness assessment and appropriate exercise prescriptions may help unfit individuals to become fit. Assessment of physical fitness among the general population can aid the understanding of general levels of physical fitness in the community, promote healthy habits, and reduce the burden of chronic illness caused by physical inactivity. A total of 13,187 healthy adult Taiwanese citizens between 40 and 65 years of age were enrolled in this study between …

Quantitative Emg Evaluation In Spastic Upper Extremity After Botulinum Toxin Injection-A Preliminary Report, Chiao-Wen Hwang, Ching-Hsiang Lu, Pei-Te Sheu, Ya-Wen Hsu, Kun-Shou Tsai, Ji-Long Wang

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Spasticity of the upper limb muscles is a common complication following stroke. Injection of botulinum toxin can decrease upper limb spasticity. The effects of botulinum toxin treatment are usually evaluated by activities of daily living, range of motion (ROM), or modified Ashworth scale. However, in this study, we evaluated the effect of botulinum toxin injection by quantitative EMG, and investigated the relationship between EMG and conventional evaluation methods.Twenty patients with chronic stroke-related spasticity of the upper limb muscles received botulinum injections. All injections were guided by EMG. Outcome measures included total modified Ashworth scale score on the elbow, wrist, metacarpal …

2004 Support For Shellfish Program And Estuarine Education, Meeker, S & Reid, A, B. Sharon Meeker, Ann S. Reid

PREP Reports & Publications

Working within the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Cooperative Extension/Sea Grant Program, the Great Bay Coast Watch (GBCW) is New Hampshire’s most wide ranging program for direct citizen involvement in monitoring estuarine and coastal systems. GBCW has a fifteen year history of educating citizens about the Great Bay Estuary, New Hampshire Seacoast, and Gulf of Maine watershed through active participation in monitoring and an accompanying education program. Based in Durham, NH, GBCW coordinates over 100 volunteers drawn from 19 New Hampshire and Southern Maine communities. In 1990, volunteers began monitoring eight sites on a monthly basis April through October. Today, …

Dover Natural Resource Mapping And Community Outreach Initiative, Bird, Dover Planning Department

PREP Reports & Publications

The grant funding has allowed us to further address the continuing need for community awareness for open space and natural resource protection in the City of Dover. This funding has enabled the City of Dover Planning Department in partnership with the City of Dover Open Lands Committee to present several events throughout October and November 2004. The events offered participants information about natural resource and open space protection as well as an opportunity to enjoy nature. They increased public awareness about the Open Lands Committee and its function. Activities and workshops from October to November 2004 included Apple Harvest Day …

Wetlands Assessment, Inventory, And Prime Wetlands Designation Project In The Taylor River Watershed, Town Of Hampton, Hampton Conservation Commission, Rockingham County Conservation District

PREP Reports & Publications

The purpose of this project was to provide significant educational efforts on wetlands functions and values, prime wetlands designation, on-the-ground inventory findings, wildlife habitat, and New Hampshire's Prime Wetlands laws and rules for the two communities located within the project focus area. The focus area for this project was the Taylor River Watershed, which comprises the Taylor River as it flows through both

Hampton and Hampton Falls, a bit of Ash Brook and Old River as it flows through Hampton, and Grapevine Run as it flows through Hampton Falls. This project assessed over 152 wetland areas containing approximately 620 acres. …

Tidal Perturbations And Variability In Mesopause Region Over Fort Collins, Co(41n, 105w): Continuous Multi-Day Temperature And Wind Lidar Observations, C. Y. She, T. Li, R. L. Collins, Tao Yuan, B. P. Williams, T. Kawahara, J. D. Vance, P. Acott, D. A. Krueger, H. L. Liu, M. E. Hagan

All Physics Faculty Publications

An unusually long data set was acquired at the sodium lidar facility at Colorado State University (41N, 105W), between Sep 18 and Oct 01, 2003, including a 9-day continuous observation. This time is long enough to average out the perturbations of gravity waves and short-period planetary waves. As such, it can be used to define tidal-period perturbations in temperature and horizontal wind. Assuming the sodium mixing ratio is a constant of motion, the observed tidal-period oscillation in sodium density follows that of vertical wind. Thus, the data set defines tidal-period perturbations of temperature and wind vector. The observed amplitudes and …

The Improvement Of Pain Symptoms And Activities Of Daily Living In People With Knee Osteoarthritis After Intra-Articular Hyaluronic Acid Injection, Carl P. C. Chen, Chih-Kuang Chen, Max J. L. Chen, Yin-Chou Lin, Tony H. C. Hsu, Ju-Wen Cheng, Simon F. T. Tang

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a slowly evolving articular disease that appears to originate in the cartilage and affects the underlying bone, soft tissues, and synovial fluid. This condition usually occurs late in life, principally affecting the large weight-bearing joints such as the knee. It is particularly disabling when the knees are affected, because it limits the ability to walk, to rise from a chair, and to use stairs.The treatment selections for OA knees include analgesic drugs, physiotherapy, intra-articular (IA) drug administration, and surgical total knee replacement. We chose IA hyaluronic acid injection as the treatment method as it was documented as …

Three-Dimensional Shape Characterization For Particle Aggregates Using Multiple Projective Representations, Jonathan Paul Corriveau

Theses and Dissertations

Shape descriptors are used extensively in computer vision/automated recognition applications such as fingerprint matching, robotics, character recognition, etc. The conventional two-dimensional shape descriptors used in these applications do not readily lend themselves to compact representations in three dimensions. The situation is even more challenging when one attempts to numerically describe the three-dimensional shapes of a mixture of objects such as in an aggregate mix.

The goal of this study is the design, development and validation of automated image processing algorithms that can estimate three-dimensional shape-descriptors for particle aggregates. The thesis demonstrates that a single set of numbers representing a composite …