McMaster University

About: McMaster University is a education organization based out in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 41361 authors who have published 101269 publications receiving 4251422 citations.

Reliability of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Testing Motor Performance in Patients Following Stroke

Abstract: Background and Purpose. The purpose of this study was to establish the interrater reliability of assessments made with the Fugl-Meyer evaluation of physical performance in a rehabilitation setting. Subjects. Twelve patients (7 male, 5 female), aged 49 to 86 years (X=66), who had sustained a cerebrovascular accident participated in the study. All patients were admitted consecutively to a rehabilitation center and were between 6 days and 6 months poststroke. Methods. Three physical therapists, each with more than 10 years of experience, assessed the patients in a randomized and balanced order using this assessment. The therapists standardized the assessment approach prior to the study but did not discuss the procedure once the study began. Results. The overall reliability was high (overall intraclass correlation coefficient=.96), and the intraclass correlation coefficients for the subsections of the assessment varied from .61 for pain to .97 for the upper extremity. Conclusion and Discussion. The relative merits of using the Fugl-Meyer assessment as a research tool versus a clinical assessment for stroke are discussed.

Postactivation potentiation: role in human performance.

Abstract: Postactivation potentiation (PAP) is the transient increase in muscle contractile performance after previous contractile activity. This review describes the features and mechanism of PAP, assesses its potential role in endurance and strength/speed performance, considers strategies for exploiting PAP, and outlines how PAP might be affected by training.

Cutover peatlands: A persistent source of atmospheric CO2

Abstract: [i] Peatlands represent an important component of the global carbon cycle, storing 23 g C m -2 yr -1 . Peatland mining eliminates the carbon sink function of the peatland. In this paper we measure the total ecosystem respiration in a natural, 2 and 3 year (young) and 7 and 8 year (old) postcutover peatland near Sainte-Marguerite-Marie, Quebec, during the summers of 1998 and 1999. Although the natural site was a source of CO 2 during the dry 1998 study season (138 g C m -2 ), CO 2 emissions were between 260 and 290% higher in the cutover sites (363 and 399 g C m -2 for young and old, respectively). Cutover site CO 2 emissions were only 88 and 112 g CO 2 .C m -2 at the young and old sites during the wet 1999 study season. Total ecosystem respiration was more dependent on the water table position than on changes in the thermal regime or the labile carbon of the peat in a dry summer, but the opposite was the case in a wet summer. CO 2 emissions increased with postharvest time regardless of a decrease in labile carbon, demonstrating that cutover peatlands are a large persistent source of atmospheric CO 2 . Direct measurement of the net ecosystem CO 2 exchange in cutover peatlands, as opposed to determining the loss of carbon from bulk density determinations, provides a better understanding of how peat drainage and harvesting operations affect the carbon balance in peatlands.