Search results for "SSN"

Does the centre of mass remain stable during complex human postural equilibrium tasks in weightlessness?

2001

In normal gravity conditions the execution of voluntary movement involves the displacement of body segments as well as the maintenance of a stable reference value for equilibrium control. It has been suggested that centre of mass (CM) projection within the supporting base (BS) is the stabilised reference for voluntary action, and is conserved in weightlessness. The purpose of this study was to determine if the CM is stabilised during whole body reaching movements executed in weightlessness. The reaching task was conducted by two cosmonauts aboard the Russian orbital station MIR, during the Franco-Russian mission ALTAIR, 1993. Movements of reflective markers were recorded using a videocamera…

Epidemiology and Characteristics of Episodic Breathlessness in Advanced Cancer Patients. An Observational Study

2016

Abstract Context Episodic breathlessness is a relevant aspect in patients with advanced cancer. Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the different aspects of this clinical phenomenon. Methods A consecutive sample of patients with advanced cancer admitted to different settings for a period of six months was surveyed. The presence of background breathlessness and episodic breathlessness, their intensity (numerical scale 0–10), and drugs used for treatment were collected. Factors inducing episodic breathlessness and its influence on daily activities were investigated. Results Of 921 patients, 29.3% ( n  = 269) had breathlessness and 134 patients (49.8%) were receiving drugs for backg…

The role of attachment dimensions and perceived social support in predicting adjustment to cancer.

2009

Objective: Several studies carried out over the last years show that patients' adjustment is very important to the past experiences of people with cancer. In our study of 96 subjects with cancer, we examined whether patient's working model of attachment anxiety/avoidance and perceptions of social support predicts adjustment to cancer. Methods: All participants filled in a demographic questionnaire, the Relationship Scale Questionnaire (RSQ), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC). Results: Anxious attachment predicted psychological adjustment: patients with high levels of anxious attachment showed high levels of helplessness…

A translational paradigm to dtudy the rffects of uncontrollable stress in humans

2020

Theories on the aetiology of depression in humans are intimately linked to animal research on stressor controllability effects. However, explicit translations of established animal designs are lacking. In two consecutive studies, we developed a translational paradigm to study stressor controllability effects in humans. In the first study, we compared three groups of participants, one exposed to escapable stress, one yoked inescapable stress group, and a control group not exposed to stress. Although group differences indicated successful stress induction, the manipulation failed to differentiate groups according to controllability. In the second study, we employed an improved paradigm and co…

Measuring elderly people's quality of life through the Beck Hopelessness Scale: a study with a Spanish sample.

2016

Hopelessness is a key element of suicidal intent. It can instill a pessimistic outlook on the future, leading an individual to believe that suicide is the only answer to their problems. Hopelessness operates as a modulating variable between depression and suicidal behavior. The aim of this study was to confirm the factor structure of the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) in a non-clinical sample.Three hundred and sixty-two Spanish individuals, aged over 60, free of cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms, completed the BHS scale. Participants were tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), using one-, two- and three-factor models.The one- and two-factor models presented adequate fit …

Comparison of actual and imagined execution of whole-body movements after a long exposure to microgravity

2003

Five cosmonauts were tested 30 days before a six-month space flight and also on the 2nd and the 6th day after their return to Earth. Cosmonauts performed and imagined a task that involved climbing two stairs to step onto a platform, jumping down with both feet and walking normally for a distance of 4 m. Durations of actual and imagined movements were measured by an electronic stopwatch. Results indicated that cosmonauts performed actual and imagined movements with similar durations before and after the space flight. However, the 2nd day after their return to Earth, cosmonauts significantly increased the durations of both actual and imagined movements. The durations of the imagined and actua…

''Active Collisions in Altered Gravity Reveal Eye-Hand Coordination Strategies''

2012

White, Olivier | Lefevre, Philippe | Wing, Alan M. | Bracewell, R. Martyn | Thonnard, Jean-Louis; International audience; ''Most object manipulation tasks involve a series of actions demarcated by mechanical contact events, and gaze is usually directed to the locations of these events as the task unfolds. Typically, gaze foveates the target 200 ms in advance of the contact. This strategy improves manual accuracy through visual feedback and the use of gaze-related signals to guide the hand/ object. Many studies have investigated eye-hand coordination in experimental and natural tasks; most of them highlighted a strong link between eye movements and hand or object kinematics. In this experime…

Goals and Principles of Providers Working with People Experiencing Homelessness: A Comparison Between Housing First and Traditional Staircase Service…

2019

Contains fulltext : 207157.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) The implementation and adaptation of the Housing First (HF) model represented profound changes the structure and delivery, goals, and principles of homeless services. These features of homeless services directly influence providers, their work performance and the clients' outcomes. The present research, conducted in eight European countries, investigated how social providers working in HF or TS (Traditional Staircase) describe and conceptualize the goals and the principles of their services. Data were collected through 29 focus group discussions involving 121 providers. The results showed that HF and TS had similar and diff…

Viva voce: Voice and Voicelessness among Twelfth-Century Clerics

2015

Writing in his Summa on Gratian’s Decretum1 toward 1164, canonist Rufinus of Bologna2 evokes criminal prelates, saying, “vocem accusandi, reprehendi, docendi non habent” (they do not have a voice to accuse, punish, teach).3 Should this enumeration be understood as a commonplace statement about three possible functions of the voice, or should we suspect a set of deeper associations? Is Rufinus’s use of the word “voice” simply an alternative to other rhetorical or stylistic possibilities—such as the word “word” in particular—or is it truly a deliberate choice on the part of the canonist?

2015

Previous studies have documented the detrimental effects of microgravity on human sensorimotor skills. While that work dealt with simple, laboratory-type skills, we now evaluate the effects of microgravity on a complex, realistic instrument-control skill. Twelve participants controlled a simulated power plant during the short-term microgravity intervals of parabolic flight as well as during level flight. To this end they watched multiple displays, made strategic decisions and used multiple actuators to maximize their virtual earnings from the power plant. We quantified control efficiency as the participants’ net earnings (revenue minus expenses), motor performance as hand kinematics and dyn…