University of Haifa

About: University of Haifa is a education organization based out in Haifa, Israel. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 7558 authors who have published 27141 publications receiving 711629 citations. The organization is also known as: Haifa University & Universiṭat Ḥefah.

The effect of treadmill training on the ambulation of stroke survivors in the early stages of rehabilitation: a randomized study.

Abstract: The objective of this study was to compare the effects of conventional over-ground gait training with treadmill training on the restoration of gait in people with hemiparesis following a stroke. Twenty-five individuals in the early stages of rehabilitation were alternately assigned to one of two treatment groups. In addition to conventional physical therapy, the experimental group participated in 15 treadmill-training sessions in which a handrail was used for external support. The control group received the same number of equal length sessions of over-ground ambulation. Treatment effects were established by pre- and posttreatment assessment of: 1) functional walking ability, 2) walking speed, 3) stride length, 4) temporal characteristics of gait, and 5) electromyographic activity of calf muscles. Normal values were obtained from eight healthy individuals of approximately the same age as the stroke survivors. The study demonstrates that individuals following a stroke are well able to tolerate treadmill training in the early stage of their rehabilitation process without the use of a weight support apparatus. Furthermore, the findings suggest that treadmill training may be more effective than conventional gait training for improving some gait parameters such as functional ambulation, stride length, percentage of paretic single stance period, and gastrocnemius muscular activity.

Multigenerational perspectives on coping with the Holocaust experience : An attachment perspective for understanding the developmental sequelae of trauma across generations

Abstract: In this paper, we advance a new approach to the intergenerational transmission of Holocaust experiences, by focusing on attachment theory The approach is used as a framework for interpretation of the results of three studies on Holocaust survivors and their offspring, from different countries (The Netherlands, Canada, and Israel), and based on different conceptual approaches and methods of data collection (quantitative as well as qualitative)

Individual and Contextual Correlates of Trust in Media Across 44 Countries

Abstract: Media research demonstrates that audience trust in the news media is a highly consequential factor, shaping audience selection of and response to media, and potentially impacting citizens’ perceptions of the political system at large. Still, our knowledge about the correlates of trust in media is limited. Only a few studies have utilized a correlational design to explore the associations between trust in media and other factors, and almost all of these studies originate in the U.S. context. The current investigation utilizes data from 44 diverse countries (n = 57,847), collected as part of the World Values Survey, to broaden our understanding of trust in media. The aim is two-fold—to learn about individual-level correlates across contexts and to demonstrate that macro-level factors play a part in shaping such trust. Our findings indicate that levels of political interest, interpersonal trust, and exposure to television news and newspapers are positively correlated with trust in media, while education and ...

Fact-Checking: A Meta-Analysis of What Works and for Whom

Abstract: Despite its growing prominence in news coverage and public discourse, there is still considerable ambiguity regarding when and how fact-checking affects beliefs. Informed by theories of motivated r...

Energetic considerations of ciliary beating and the advantage of metachronal coordination

Abstract: The internal mechanism of cilia is among the most ancient biological motors on an evolutionary scale. It produces beat patterns that consist of two phases: during the effective stroke, the cilium moves approximately as a straight rod, and during the recovery stroke, it rolls close to the surface in a tangential motion. It is commonly agreed that these two phases are designed for efficient functioning: the effective stroke encounters strong viscous resistance and generates thrust, whereas the recovery stroke returns the cilium to starting position while avoiding viscous resistance. Metachronal coordination between cilia, which occurs when many of them beat close to each other, is believed to be an autonomous result of the hydrodynamical interactions in the system. Qualitatively, metachronism is perceived as a way for reducing the energy expenditure required for beating. This paper presents a quantitative study of the energy expenditure of beating cilia, and of the energetic significance of metachronism. We develop a method for computing the work done by model cilia that beat in a viscous fluid. We demonstrate that for a single cilium, beating in water, the mechanical work done during the effective stroke is approximately five times the amount of work done during the recovery stroke. Investigation of multicilia configurations shows that having neighboring cilia beat metachronally is energetically advantageous and perhaps even crucial for multiciliary functioning. Finally, the model is used to approximate the number of dynein arm attachments that are likely to occur during the effective and recovery strokes of a beat cycle, predicting that almost all of the available dynein arms should participate in generating the motion.