Evaluation of the Tokyo Cognitive Assessment for Predicting Cognitive Impairment in Rehabilitation Users

[Purpose] This study aimed to evaluation of the Tokyo cognitive assessment (Toca) for predicting cognitive impairment in rehabilitation users. [Method] The variables of age, BMI, educational background, Toca for 36 rehabilitation users and 22 healthy elder were assessed. We compared cognitive functions in rehabilitation users who need support and healthy elders. [Results] Of the Toca 1 to 11 trials, there was a significant difference other than 9, 10 rials. The Toca scores with 8 points higher were significantly higher in healthy elders than in rehabilitation users. The area under the receiver-operator curve (AUC) for predicting mild cognitive impairment (MCI) by the Toca was 0.874. Using a cut-off point of 19/20, the Toca demonstrated a sensitivity of 83.9% and a sensitivity of 85.0% in diagnosing MCI. [Conclusion] The Toca is a brief cognitive screening tool with high sensitivity and specificity for detecting MCI as currently conceptualized in rehabilitation users.

Smooth Trajectory Planning for a Cable Driven Parallel Waist Rehabilitation Robot Based on Rehabilitation Evaluation Factors

Rehabilitation robots can help physiatrists to assist patients in improving their movement ability.Due to the interaction between rehabilitation robots and patients,the robots need to complete rehabilitation training on a safe basis.This paper presents an approach for smooth trajectory planning for a cable-driven parallel waist rehabilitation robot(CDPWRR)based on the rehabilitation evaluation factors.First,motion capture technology is used to collect the motion data of several volunteers in waist twisting.Considering the impact of motion variability,the feature points at the center of the human pelvis are obtained after eliminating unreasonable data through rationality judgments.Then,point-to-point waist training trajectory planning based on quintic polynomial and cycloid functions,and multipoint waist training trajectory planning based on quintic B-spline functions are carried out.The corresponding planned curves and kinematics characteristics using three methods are compared and analyzed.Subsequently,the rehabilitation evaluation factors are introduced to conduct smooth trajectory planning for waist training,and the waist trajectory with better compliance is obtained based on the safety and feasibility of waist motion.Finally,the physical prototype of the CDPWRR is built,and the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed smooth trajectory planning method are proved by numerical analysis and experiments.

Longitudinal Evaluation of Hemiplegic Ankle Rehabilitation Efficacy by Wearable Inertial Sensor Systems with an Assortment of Machine Learning Algorithms

With the amalgamation of wearable systems equipped with inertial sensors, such as a gyroscope, and machine learning a therapy regimen can be objectively quantified, and then the initial phase and final phase of a one year therapy regimen can be distinguished through machine learning. In the context of rehabilitation of a hemiplegic ankle, a longitudinal therapy regimen incorporating stretching and then a series of repetitions for raising and lowering the foot of the hemiplegic ankle can be applied over the course of a year. Using a smartphone equipped with an application to function as a wearable and wireless gyroscope platform mounted to the dorsum of the foot by an armband, the initial phase and final phase of a one year longitudinally applied therapy regimen can be objectively quantified and recorded for subsequent machine learning. Considerable classification accuracy is attained to distinguish between the initial phase and final phase by a support vector machine for a one year longitudinally applied hemiplegic ankle therapy regimen based on the gyroscope signal data obtained by a smartphone functioning as a wearable and wireless inertial sensor system. .

Pathogenesis, Rehabilitation Assessment, Treatment Status, and Research Progress of Vascular Dementia

Given the global trends in population aging,the prevalence of vascular dementia(VD)is increasing year by year.VD has become the second most common type of dementia and can seriously threaten the quality of life of patients.Since VD is preventable,it is important to study VD clinically in order to improve the prognosis of patients.In recent years,a large number of studies have been carried out at home and abroad,focusing on the pathogenesis,rehabilitation assessment,and treatment of VD.This article is a concise overview of these studies.

Risk Assessment of Deep-Water Horizontal X-Tree Installation

Due to the high potential risk and many influencing factors of subsea horizontal X-tree installation,to guarantee the successful completion of sea trials of domestic subsea horizontal X-trees,this paper established a modular risk evaluation model based on a fuzzy fault tree.First,through the analysis of the main process oftree down and combining the Offshore&Onshore Reliability Data(OREDA)failure statistics and the operation procedure and the data provided by the job,the fault tree model of risk analysis of the tree down installation was established.Then,by introducing the natural language of expert comprehensive evaluation and combining fuzzy principles,quantitative analysis was carried out,and the fuzzy number was used to calculate the failure probability of a basic event and the occurrence probability of a top event.Finally,through a sensitivity analysis of basic events,the basic events of top events significantly affected were determined,and risk control and prevention measures for the corresponding high-risk factors were proposed for subsea horizontal X-tree down installation.

A risk assessment method considering risk attributes and work safety informational needs and its application

The technological revolution has spawned a new generation of industrial systems,but it has also put forward higher requirements for safety management accuracy,timeliness,and systematicness.Risk assessment needs to evolve to address the existing and future challenges by considering the new demands and advancements in safety management.The study aims to propose a systematic and comprehensive risk assessment method to meet the needs of process system safety management.The methodology first incorporates possibility,severity,and dynamicity(PSD)to structure the“51X”evaluation indicator system,including the inherent,management,and disturbance risk factors.Subsequently,the four-tier(risk point-unit-enterprise-region)risk assessment(RA)mathematical model has been established to consider supervision needs.And in conclusion,the application of the PSD-RA method in ammonia refrigeration workshop cases and safety risk monitoring systems is presented to illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed PSD-RA method in safety management.The findings show that the PSD-RA method can be well integrated with the needs of safety work informatization,which is also helpful for implementing the enterprise's safety work responsibility and the government's safety supervision responsibility.

Durability evaluation for existing railway engineering: a review

Purpose – This study aims to analyze the factors, evaluation techniques of the durability of existing railwayengineering.Design/methodology/approach – China has built a railway network of over 150,000 km. Ensuring thesafety of the existing railway engineering is of great significance for maintaining normal railway operationorder. However, railway engineering is a strip structure that crosses multiple complex environments. Andrailway engineering will withstand high-frequency impact loads from trains. The above factors have led todifferences in the deterioration characteristics and maintenance strategies of railway engineering compared toconventional concrete structures. Therefore, it is very important to analyze the key factors that affect thedurability of railway structures and propose technologies for durability evaluation.Findings – The factors that affect the durability and reliability of railway engineering are mainly divided intothree categories: material factors, environmental factors and load factors. Among them, material factors alsoinclude influencing factors, such as raw materials, mix proportions and so on. Environmental factors varydepending on the service environment of railway engineering, and the durability and deterioration of concretehave different failure mechanisms. Load factors include static load and train dynamic load. The on-site rapiddetection methods for five common diseases in railway engineering are also proposed in this paper. Thesemethods can quickly evaluate the durability of existing railway engineering concrete.Originality/value – The research can provide some new evaluation techniques and methods for thedurability of existing railway engineering.

Multiparametric ultrasound as a new concept of assessment of liver tissue damage

Liver disease accounts for approximately 2 million deaths per year worldwide.All chronic liver diseases(CLDs),whether of toxic,genetic,autoimmune,or infectious origin,undergo typical histological changes in the structure of the tissue.These changes may include the accumulation of extracellular matrix material,fats,triglycerides,or tissue scarring.Noninvasive methods for diagnosing CLD,such as conventional B-mode ultrasound(US),play a significant role in diagnosis.Doppler US,when coupled with B-mode US,can be helpful in evaluating the hemodynamics of hepatic vessels and detecting US findings associated with hepatic decompensation.US elastography can assess liver stiffness,serving as a surrogate marker for liver fibrosis.It is important to note that interpreting these values should not rely solely on a histological classification.Contrast-enhanced US(CEUS)provides valuable information on tissue perfusion and enables excellent differentiation between benign and malignant focal liver lesions.Clinical evaluation,the etiology of liver disease,and the patient current comorbidities all influence the interpretation of liver stiffness measurements.These measurements are most clinically relevant when interpreted as a probability of compensated advanced CLD.B-mode US offers a subjective estimation of fatty infiltration and has limited sensitivity for mild steatosis.The controlled attenuation parameter requires a dedicated device,and cutoff values are not clearly defined.Quan-titative US parameters for liver fat estimation include the attenuation coefficient,backscatter coefficient,and speed of sound.These parameters offer the advantage of providing fat quantification alongside B-mode evaluation and other US parameters.Multiparametric US(MPUS)of the liver introduces a new concept for complete noninvasive diagnosis.It encourages examiners to utilize the latest features of an US machine,including conventional B-mode,liver stiffness evaluation,fat quantification,dispersion imaging,Doppler US,and CEUS for focal liver lesion characterization.This comprehensive approach allows for diagnosis in a single examination,providing clinicians worldwide with a broader perspective and becoming a cornerstone in their diagnostic arsenal.MPUS,in the hands of skilled clinicians,becomes an invaluable predictive tool for diagnosing,staging,and monitoring CLD.

The Application of Formative Assessment in Interactive Comprehensive English Classroom Teaching

Teaching evaluation is an important part of the teaching process of college English courses,and effective formative assessment can reflect the entire teaching process from multiple perspectives and ensure the smooth achievement of teaching objectives.Formative assessment is an assessment that runs through the entire learning process,based on humanism and constructivism,with various forms of evaluation.

Item-Level Analysis of the Revised Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Performance Evaluation Applied in Practice

Competency-based assessments for healthcare professionals are critical for safe and effective client outcomes. Rehabilitation clinical skill competency assessments must be validated and revised to produce safe and skilled practitioners. The revised American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) Fieldwork Performance Evaluation (FWPE) instrument measures occupational therapy student performance to determine readiness for practice. The assessment includes thirty-seven competencies that address both profession specific clinical skills and general professional behavior skills. The objective of this study was to use Rasch methods to explore the use of the revised FWPE in actual fieldwork practice and to determine the instrument’s psychometric properties when separating the item components into two distinct subdomains: General Health Professions Competences and Occupational Therapy-Specific Competencies. Internal construct validity and test reliability were analyzed using data from 149 occupational therapy students after completing their initial Level II A fieldwork clinical internship. This study examined the item difficulty hierarchy, item fit, person-fit to model, person separation index, person separation reliability coefficient, strata, ceiling and floor effect, and unidimensionality of the FWPE instrument as a whole and as two separate domains. With the exception of not meeting the criteria for unidimensionality, the full FWPE instrument and the Occupational Therapy-Specific Competencies subdomain showed acceptable item-level psychometrics for reliability and precision. While the General Health Professions Competencies subdomain showed good item-level psychometrics, it was below the criterion for reliability and only separated the sample into two strata. Results support the validity, reliability, and clinical use of the revised FWPE full instrument and the Occupational Therapy-Specific Competencies subdomain to measure entry-level clinical skill competencies in practice.

Research on the Assessment System of Computational Mechanics Courses Based on the TOPSIS Entropy Weight Model

This paper takes the assessment and evaluation of computational mechanics course as the background,and constructs a diversified course evaluation system that is student-centered and integrates both quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods.The system not only pays attention to students’practical operation and theoretical knowledge mastery but also puts special emphasis on the cultivation of students’innovative abilities.In order to realize a comprehensive and objective evaluation,the assessment and evaluation method of the entropy weight model combining TOPSIS(Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution)multi-attribute decision analysis and entropy weight theory is adopted,and its validity and practicability are verified through example analysis.This method can not only comprehensively and objectively evaluate students’learning outcomes,but also provide a scientific decision-making basis for curriculum teaching reform.The implementation of this diversified course evaluation system can better reflect the comprehensive ability of students and promote the continuous improvement of teaching quality.

Assessment of outcomes of hearing and speech rehabilitation in children with cochlear implantation

Objectives:This study aimed to assess the effect of hearing and speech rehabilitation in patients with Nurotron■cochlear implants.Design:Ninety-eight paediatric patients with bilateral severe-to-profound sensorineural deafness who received cochlear implantation were divided into three groups according to age:group A(≤3 years),group B(4-7 years),and group C(8-16 years).All patients were followed up for one year for hearing and speech performance after the surgery.The comprehensive Auditory Perception Assessment,MAIS,CAP and SIR hearing and speech assessments and rating materials were used for assessment before the surgery and at 3,6,and 12 months after implant activation.Results:The scores of patients in the open-set speech assessment,Chinese Auditory Perception Assessment,MAIS,CAP and SIR significantly improved after cochlear implantation in all age groups.The younger the age at implantation,the better the results.Moreover,the hearing and speech performance of cochlear implant recipients gradually improved with the extension of rehabilitation time.Conclusions:Nurotron■Venus^TM cochlear implantation can improve the hearing and speech performance of patients with bilateral severe-to-profound sensorineural deafness.

Green evaluation of microwave-assisted leaching process of high titanium slag on life cycle assessment

A greenness evaluation index and system of microwave-assisted leaching method were established.The effects of the life cycle assessment variables,such as the resource consumption,environment impact,cost,time and quality,were investigated,and the concept of green degree was applied in the production of synthetic rutile.An analytic hierarchy process was utilized to assess matrix of greenness evaluation.The Gauss-Seidel iterative matrix method was employed to solve the assessment matrix and obtain the weights and membership functions of all evaluation indexes.A fuzzy decision-making method was applied to build the greenness evaluation model,and then the scores of green degree in microwave-assisted leaching process was obtained.The greenness evaluation model was applied to the life cycle assessment of the microwave-assisted leaching process.The results show that the microwave-assisted leaching process has advantages over the conventional ones,with respect to energy-consumption,processing time and environmental protection.

The clinical rehabilitation of spine and spinal cord disorders: detection and evaluation using SPECT/CT

Spine-related disorders are caused by several factors including （1） spinal nerve/visceral nerve stimulation by perivertebral aseptic inflammation, （2） spinal nerve/visceral nerve compression by injured periverterbal soft tissue, dislocated perivertebral small joint, and proliferative/degenerative tissue and, （3） secondary damage to the spinal cord, peripheral nerve, vessels and autonomic nerve, which further stimulate nerve root sheath and surround- ing pain-carrying nerve fibers. In many cases, the source of pain cannot be detected by standard image modalities. Particularly in anatomically complex regions like the spine, SPECT/CT can be helpful for some aspects by intro- ducing a metabolical dimension to the classical way of morphology-based diagnostic. The aim of the present review was to give an overview of the adoption of SPECT/CT in a clinical spine-focused setting.

Integrated evaluation system under randomness and fuzziness for groundwater contamination risk assessment in a little town, Central China

An integrated evaluation system under randomness and fuzziness was developed in this work to systematically assess the risk of groundwater contamination in a little town, Central China. In this system, randomness of the parameters and the fuzziness of the risk were considered simultaneously, and the exceeding standard probability of contamination and human health risk due to the contamination were integrated. The contamination risk was defined as a combination of "vulnerability" and "hazard". To calculate the value of "vulnerability", pollutant concentration was simulated by MODFLOW with random input variables and a new modified health risk assessment(MRA) model was established to analyze the level of "hazard". The limit concentration based on environmental-guideline and health risk due to manganese were systematically examined to obtain the general risk levels through a fuzzy rule base. The "vulnerability" and "hazard" were divided into five categories of "high", "medium-high", "medium", "low-medium" and "low", respectively. Then, "vulnerability" and "hazard" were firstly combined by integrated evaluation. Compared with the other two scenarios under deterministic methods, the risk obtained in the proposed system is higher. This research illustrated that ignoring of uncertainties in evaluation process might underestimate the risk level.

Physiotherapists’ and occupational therapists’ perceptions of the assessment of stroke patients for musculoskeletal rehabilitation in the UK national health service

Background and Purpose: This exploratory study focused on the assessment of stroke patients for musculoskeletal rehabilitation in the United Kingdom National Health Service. It was the first phase of research on developing telerehabilitation for the assessment of patients who have had a stroke. The assessment of stroke patients for musculoskeletal rehabilitation is currently performed at the therapist’s discretion using different outcome measures. When looking at the Department of Health’s “National Clinical Guidelines for Stroke”, it is stated that there are a variety of outcome measures, yet no particular one is recommended. It is specified that each rehabilitation sector should select its own methodologies. Aim: The aim of this exploratory study was to understand physiotherapists’ and occupational therapists’ perspectives of the strengths and weaknesses of current rehabilitative assessment of stroke patients in the UK National Health Service. Methods: This study had 2 parts, non-participant observation with 2 therapists and 3 patients, and 10 semi-structured interviews with 5 physiotherapists and 5 occupational therapists to identify current practice, problem areas, and what types of improvements could be made. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic coding. Results: Seven emergent themes were identified portraying how outcome measures are currently not being used in a standardized way within National Health Service?hospitals. This means that the feedback provided to patients, therapists and healthcare commissioners is limited. Therapists are currently performing more informal assessments each time a patient begins therapy and concerns are shown with these methods of assessment, including subjectivity, standardization issues and time. Interviewed therapists were clear that they believed that change is required within this field. Conclusions: This study raises concerns about the methodologies used for the assessment of stroke patients for rehabilitative purposes in the United Kingdom National Health Service.

Perceptual Quality Assessment of Omnidirectional Images:Subjective Experiment and Objective Model Evaluation

Virtual reality(VR) environment can provide immersive experience to viewers.Under the VR environment, providing a good quality of experience is extremely important.Therefore, in this paper, we present an image quality assessment(IQA) study on omnidirectional images. We first build an omnidirectional IQA(OIQA) database, including 16 source images with their corresponding 320 distorted images. We add four commonly encountered distortions. These distortions are JPEG compression, JPEG2000 compression, Gaussian blur, and Gaussian noise. Then we conduct a subjective quality evaluation study in the VR environment based on the OIQA database. Considering that visual attention is more important in VR environment, head and eye movement data are also tracked and collected during the quality rating experiments. The 16 raw and their corresponding distorted images,subjective quality assessment scores, and the head-orientation data and eye-gaze data together constitute the OIQA database. Based on the OIQA database, we test some state-of-the-art full-reference IQA(FR-IQA) measures on equirectangular format or cubic formatomnidirectional images. The results show that applying FR-IQA metrics on cubic format omnidirectional images could improve their performance. The performance of some FR-IQA metrics combining the saliency weight of three different types are also tested based on our database. Some new phenomena different from traditional IQA are observed.

Associations between rehabilitants’ functional limitations and conclusions made by a multidisciplinary team during vocational rehabilitation evaluation: Turku ICF Study

Purpose: To investigate associations between functional limitations experienced by rehabilitants and multidisciplinary team’s recommendations during vocational rehabilitation evaluation. Methods: The descriptions of functional limitations were retrospectively identified for 32 patients with chronic musculoskeletal disorders. Vocational rehabilitation evaluation was conducted by a multidisciplinary team in an outpatient clinic of a university hospital. The descriptions were converted to ICF second-level categories. Square contingency coefficient Phi (φ) was calculated to describe the associations between ICF-categories appearing ≥10 times in the study sample and the recommendations given by a professional team. Results: In the study sample, 84 different ICF second-level categories were identified (average 18 codes/subject, range 9 - 25). Of them, 18 categories were observed for at least in 10 rehabilitants. Three statistically significant correlations were observed between these 18 categories and recommendations given by a rehabilitation team. Of them, positive association of moderate strength was found between joint mobility and muscle power functions and recommendation for retirement. Difficulties in walking showed weak negative correlation with recommendation for vocational rehabilitation. Conclusions: During vocational rehabilitation evaluation, the final recommendations given by rehabilitation professionals were only weakly correlated with functional limitations experienced by rehabilitants.

Application of Matrix Approach for Evaluation and Assessment the Potential of Recreational Ecosystem Service in Model Regions in Slovakia

Recreation and tourism are important for economic growth and human wellbeing. They are directly related to the cultural services provided by ecosystems. Recreational services, as part of tourism, have the greatest potential for development within the sector of services in the Slovak economy, and they are able to generate a significant number of new jobs especially in small rural regions. There is a gap in the literature providing assessments of geographically small regions in relation to their potential to provide different types of ecosystem services. The aim of the article was to evaluate and assess the recreational potential of ecosystem services in two small pilot regions of the Slovak Republic, Brezno district and Krupina district. Modified matrix of indices was used. Results showed that Brezno district has a higher area of ecosystems with a higher potential for recreation, therefore the conditions for recreation and tourism are much better in comparison to Krupina district. However, the use of recreation potential in Brezno district is negatively affected by the availability of sites and transport options, which is reflected in a lower ratio of visitors to the capacity of recreation potential. This finding opens up discussion about opportunities to create new jobs within sustainable tourism in Brezno district. This study provides an alternative view to the assessment and evaluation of the recreational potential of ecosystem services in small regions. Moreover, the methodology developed in this paper is replicable and could be applied by planners using geographical information systems.

Pain Assessment as a Tool in Back-to-Work Rehabilitation

The purpose of this study was to elucidate participant experiences with a way to use pain assessment as a tool in vocational rehabilitation and see if the process is perceived to be important for the rehabilitation process in a four-week lasting rehabilitation back to work program for people with chronic pain, mental illness and fatigue symptoms. Design: A qualitative study. Purposeful typical case sampling. Semi-structured qualitative interviews with rehabilitation back to work participants were thematic content analyzed. Setting: Interviews at the end of the 4th week of rehabilitation took place at a Rehabilitation Center in Central Norway. Subjects: Six women and four men aged 23 to 57 years, suffering from chronic pain and mild mental illness symptoms. Main outcome measure: This paper describes the participants’ experiences with pain mapping in back-to-work rehabilitation, used as a tool in a rehabilitation model for people suffering from chronic pain and mild mental illness. Results: The main topic was “empowered to insights”. The results illustrate a process where mapping tools were experienced relevant in the process of growing discovery of pain and ways of pain management. Pain assessment as a joint aid for both themselves and the staff provided a clearer pain understanding. Conclusion: Mapping as own activity, and cooperation with supportive personnel showing respect for patients’ own experiences, may promote empowerment, and further motivate own efforts and progress of the rehabilitation process.