Παρασκευή 25 Νοεμβρίου 2016

A Flexible Question-and-Answer Task for Measuring Speech Understanding

This report introduces a new speech task based on simple questions and answers. The task differs from a traditional sentence recall task in that it involves an element of comprehension and can be implemented in an ongoing fashion. It also contains two target items (the question and the answer) that may be associated with different voices and locations to create dynamic listening scenarios. A set of 227 questions was created, covering six broad categories (days of the week, months of the year, numbers, colors, opposites, and sizes). All questions and their one-word answers were spoken by 11 female and 11 male talkers. In this study, listeners were presented with question-answer pairs and asked to indicate whether the answer was true or false. Responses were given as simple button or key presses, which are quick to make and easy to score. Two preliminary experiments are presented that illustrate different ways of implementing the basic task. In the first experiment, question-answer pairs were presented in speech-shaped noise, and performance was compared across subjects, question categories, and time, to examine the different sources of variability. In the second experiment, sequences of question-answer pairs were presented amidst competing conversations in an ongoing, spatially dynamic listening scenario. Overall, the question-and-answer task appears to be feasible and could be implemented flexibly in a number of different ways.



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A Flexible Question-and-Answer Task for Measuring Speech Understanding

This report introduces a new speech task based on simple questions and answers. The task differs from a traditional sentence recall task in that it involves an element of comprehension and can be implemented in an ongoing fashion. It also contains two target items (the question and the answer) that may be associated with different voices and locations to create dynamic listening scenarios. A set of 227 questions was created, covering six broad categories (days of the week, months of the year, numbers, colors, opposites, and sizes). All questions and their one-word answers were spoken by 11 female and 11 male talkers. In this study, listeners were presented with question-answer pairs and asked to indicate whether the answer was true or false. Responses were given as simple button or key presses, which are quick to make and easy to score. Two preliminary experiments are presented that illustrate different ways of implementing the basic task. In the first experiment, question-answer pairs were presented in speech-shaped noise, and performance was compared across subjects, question categories, and time, to examine the different sources of variability. In the second experiment, sequences of question-answer pairs were presented amidst competing conversations in an ongoing, spatially dynamic listening scenario. Overall, the question-and-answer task appears to be feasible and could be implemented flexibly in a number of different ways.



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A Flexible Question-and-Answer Task for Measuring Speech Understanding

This report introduces a new speech task based on simple questions and answers. The task differs from a traditional sentence recall task in that it involves an element of comprehension and can be implemented in an ongoing fashion. It also contains two target items (the question and the answer) that may be associated with different voices and locations to create dynamic listening scenarios. A set of 227 questions was created, covering six broad categories (days of the week, months of the year, numbers, colors, opposites, and sizes). All questions and their one-word answers were spoken by 11 female and 11 male talkers. In this study, listeners were presented with question-answer pairs and asked to indicate whether the answer was true or false. Responses were given as simple button or key presses, which are quick to make and easy to score. Two preliminary experiments are presented that illustrate different ways of implementing the basic task. In the first experiment, question-answer pairs were presented in speech-shaped noise, and performance was compared across subjects, question categories, and time, to examine the different sources of variability. In the second experiment, sequences of question-answer pairs were presented amidst competing conversations in an ongoing, spatially dynamic listening scenario. Overall, the question-and-answer task appears to be feasible and could be implemented flexibly in a number of different ways.



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Selective motor control correlates with gait abnormality in children with cerebral palsy

Publication date: February 2017
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 52
Author(s): Emily Chruscikowski, Nicola R.D. Fry, Jonathan J. Noble, Martin Gough, Adam P. Shortland
Children with bilateral cerebral palsy (CP) commonly have limited selective motor control (SMC). This affects their ability to complete functional tasks. The impact of impaired SMC on walking has yet to be fully understood. Measures of SMC have been shown to correlate with specific characteristics of gait, however the impact of SMC on overall gait pattern has not been reported. This study explored SMC data collected as part of routine gait analysis in children with bilateral CP.As part of their clinical assessment, SMC was measured with the Selective Control Assessment of the Lower Extremities (SCALE) in 194 patients with bilateral cerebral palsy attending for clinical gait analysis at a single centre. Their summed SCALE score was compared with overall gait impairment, as measured by Gait Profile Score (GPS).Score on SCALE showed a significant negative correlation with GPS (rs=−0.603, p<0.001). Cerebral injuries in CP result in damage to the motor tracts responsible for SMC. Our results indicate that this damage is also associated with changes in the development of walking pattern in children with CP.



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Selective motor control correlates with gait abnormality in children with cerebral palsy

Publication date: February 2017
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 52
Author(s): Emily Chruscikowski, Nicola R.D. Fry, Jonathan J. Noble, Martin Gough, Adam P. Shortland
Children with bilateral cerebral palsy (CP) commonly have limited selective motor control (SMC). This affects their ability to complete functional tasks. The impact of impaired SMC on walking has yet to be fully understood. Measures of SMC have been shown to correlate with specific characteristics of gait, however the impact of SMC on overall gait pattern has not been reported. This study explored SMC data collected as part of routine gait analysis in children with bilateral CP.As part of their clinical assessment, SMC was measured with the Selective Control Assessment of the Lower Extremities (SCALE) in 194 patients with bilateral cerebral palsy attending for clinical gait analysis at a single centre. Their summed SCALE score was compared with overall gait impairment, as measured by Gait Profile Score (GPS).Score on SCALE showed a significant negative correlation with GPS (rs=−0.603, p<0.001). Cerebral injuries in CP result in damage to the motor tracts responsible for SMC. Our results indicate that this damage is also associated with changes in the development of walking pattern in children with CP.



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Selective motor control correlates with gait abnormality in children with cerebral palsy

Publication date: February 2017
Source:Gait & Posture, Volume 52
Author(s): Emily Chruscikowski, Nicola R.D. Fry, Jonathan J. Noble, Martin Gough, Adam P. Shortland
Children with bilateral cerebral palsy (CP) commonly have limited selective motor control (SMC). This affects their ability to complete functional tasks. The impact of impaired SMC on walking has yet to be fully understood. Measures of SMC have been shown to correlate with specific characteristics of gait, however the impact of SMC on overall gait pattern has not been reported. This study explored SMC data collected as part of routine gait analysis in children with bilateral CP.As part of their clinical assessment, SMC was measured with the Selective Control Assessment of the Lower Extremities (SCALE) in 194 patients with bilateral cerebral palsy attending for clinical gait analysis at a single centre. Their summed SCALE score was compared with overall gait impairment, as measured by Gait Profile Score (GPS).Score on SCALE showed a significant negative correlation with GPS (rs=−0.603, p<0.001). Cerebral injuries in CP result in damage to the motor tracts responsible for SMC. Our results indicate that this damage is also associated with changes in the development of walking pattern in children with CP.



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Does Nintendo Wii Balance Board improve standing balance? A randomised controlled trial in children with cerebral palsy.

Does Nintendo Wii Balance Board improve standing balance? A randomised controlled trial in children with cerebral palsy.

Eur J Phys Rehabil Med. 2016 Nov 24;

Authors: Gatica-Rojas V, Méndez-Rebolledo G, Guzman-Muñoz E, Soto-Poblete A, Cartes-Velásquez R, Elgueta-Cancino E, Cofré Lizama E

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Evidence on the effect of systemic exercise programs to improve the standing balance with the Nintendo Wii system is very limited and its post- treatment effectiveness is unknown in cerebral palsy (CP) patients.
AIM: Primary aim was to compare the effect of Nintendo Wii balance board (Wii- therapy) and standard physiotherapy (SPT), on the performance of standing balance in children and adolescents with CP. Secondary aim was to determine the post-treatment effectiveness of Wii-therapy and SPT.
DESIGN: Two-arm, matched-pairs, parallel-groups, randomized, controlled clinical trial.
SETTING: Outpatient Rehabilitation Centre in the city of Talca.
POPULATION: Patients with CP type spastic hemiplegia (SHE) and spastic diplegia (SDI), aged 7 to 14 years, and level I or II of GMFCS or GMFCS-ER. Were excluded patients with FSIQ <80, epilepsy, previous surgeries and application of Botulinum Toxin-A in the lower limb, uncorrected vision and hearing disorders.
METHODS: Thirty-two CP patients (10.7±3.2 years old) were randomly assigned to either Wii-therapy (SDI=7; SHE=9) or SPT intervention (SDI=7; SHE=9). In each group, patients received three sessions per week over a period of 6 weeks. Standing balance was assessed at baseline and every 2 weeks. Additionally, two follow-up assessments (4 additional weeks) were performed to determine post- treatment effectiveness. Standing balance was quantified on force platform obtaining the outcomes area of centre-of-pressure (CoP) sway (CoPSway), standard deviation in the medial-lateral (SDML) and the anterior-posterior (SDAP) directions, and velocity in both directions (VML and VAP).
RESULTS: Compared to SPT, Wii-therapy significantly reduced the CoPSway (p=0.02) and SDAP in the eyes-open condition (p=0.01). However, the effects wane after 2-4 weeks. Post hoc analysis revealed that only SHE children benefited from Wii-therapy.
CONCLUSION: Wii-therapy was better than SPT in improving standing balance in patients with CP, but improves the balance only in SHE patients. Also, Wii-therapy effectiveness waned 2-4 weeks after the end the intervention.
CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: A systematic exercise program like Wii- therapy using the Nintendo Wii Balance Board device can be considered to improves the standing balance in patients with CP, specifically in the SHE type. This program is easy to transfer to physiotherapists and rehabilitation centres.

PMID: 27882910 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]



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Does Nintendo Wii Balance Board improve standing balance? A randomised controlled trial in children with cerebral palsy.

Does Nintendo Wii Balance Board improve standing balance? A randomised controlled trial in children with cerebral palsy.

Eur J Phys Rehabil Med. 2016 Nov 24;

Authors: Gatica-Rojas V, Méndez-Rebolledo G, Guzman-Muñoz E, Soto-Poblete A, Cartes-Velásquez R, Elgueta-Cancino E, Cofré Lizama E

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Evidence on the effect of systemic exercise programs to improve the standing balance with the Nintendo Wii system is very limited and its post- treatment effectiveness is unknown in cerebral palsy (CP) patients.
AIM: Primary aim was to compare the effect of Nintendo Wii balance board (Wii- therapy) and standard physiotherapy (SPT), on the performance of standing balance in children and adolescents with CP. Secondary aim was to determine the post-treatment effectiveness of Wii-therapy and SPT.
DESIGN: Two-arm, matched-pairs, parallel-groups, randomized, controlled clinical trial.
SETTING: Outpatient Rehabilitation Centre in the city of Talca.
POPULATION: Patients with CP type spastic hemiplegia (SHE) and spastic diplegia (SDI), aged 7 to 14 years, and level I or II of GMFCS or GMFCS-ER. Were excluded patients with FSIQ <80, epilepsy, previous surgeries and application of Botulinum Toxin-A in the lower limb, uncorrected vision and hearing disorders.
METHODS: Thirty-two CP patients (10.7±3.2 years old) were randomly assigned to either Wii-therapy (SDI=7; SHE=9) or SPT intervention (SDI=7; SHE=9). In each group, patients received three sessions per week over a period of 6 weeks. Standing balance was assessed at baseline and every 2 weeks. Additionally, two follow-up assessments (4 additional weeks) were performed to determine post- treatment effectiveness. Standing balance was quantified on force platform obtaining the outcomes area of centre-of-pressure (CoP) sway (CoPSway), standard deviation in the medial-lateral (SDML) and the anterior-posterior (SDAP) directions, and velocity in both directions (VML and VAP).
RESULTS: Compared to SPT, Wii-therapy significantly reduced the CoPSway (p=0.02) and SDAP in the eyes-open condition (p=0.01). However, the effects wane after 2-4 weeks. Post hoc analysis revealed that only SHE children benefited from Wii-therapy.
CONCLUSION: Wii-therapy was better than SPT in improving standing balance in patients with CP, but improves the balance only in SHE patients. Also, Wii-therapy effectiveness waned 2-4 weeks after the end the intervention.
CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: A systematic exercise program like Wii- therapy using the Nintendo Wii Balance Board device can be considered to improves the standing balance in patients with CP, specifically in the SHE type. This program is easy to transfer to physiotherapists and rehabilitation centres.

PMID: 27882910 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]



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