Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Relearning'

This research reflects the vision of the architect starting from an interpretation of some philosophical principles, which guide the structure of this thesis, related to the actual issue of architectonic creation, and has as a case study architect Álvaro Siza Vieira, applied to and explained by the project of Quinta da Malagueira, in Évora. I will be researching a specific period, line of thinking, school of architecture and architecture project, and the in-between modern and post-modern thinking, inbetween a regime and democracy, in-between modernity and tradition, global and individual, abstract and imagery, and also the present, the past and the future. The in-between is the route that has not yet been submitted to rigid and intellectualised principles and has not yet been brought into academia. This thesis analyses the role of the architect in contemporary society, considering the questions put in its various sectors, its relationship with the constructed world, and the implications in the structure of the present architecture with its new methodological strategies. In this context, it will try to understand the interactions between the built world, the natural, the humane, technology and space-time dialectics, achieving through this interaction, an instrumental re-reading of the whole process. So, using studies not only at a local (background) level but also in the scope of contemporaneous architectural intervention, this study will suggest an instrumental re-reading and re-learning which will favour the first creative act. Based on these phenomenological values, in this thesis a genetic connection between the architect Álvaro Siza Vieira's project 'Quinta da Malagueira' in Évora (Portugal), Siza in the context of the 'Porto School' and the work of Le Corbusier is traced. From an examination of this period (after the 1974 revolution in Portugal), poised between the Modern Movement and Post- Modernism, but with its own specific space-time, this thesis will also present an understanding of the present situation, and (acknowledging existing variety), will propose a different direction for architectonic creation, which embodies continuity and rupture, accumulation of experience and knowledge and also new ways of thinking. In order to understand how space can transgress the connection between spatiality and temporality it becomes necessary to understand the essential starting point. At a moment when society understands space and is understood in space, the author asserts the importance of new perspectives for society based on some other paradigm, in order to determine the role of individual action, and the artistic framing and ranging of both the architect and architecture.

This thesis investigated the role of the anterior temporal lobes (ATLs) in conceptual knowledge and name relearning by studying people with semantic dementia (SD). People with SD have atrophy focussed on the ATLs and they exhibit a pan-modal semantic impairment (e.g., Hodges, Patterson, Oxbury, & Funnell, 1992). Recent evidence suggests that modality-invariant concept representations are built up in the ATLs and that these modality-invariant representations are crucial for abstracting away from the surface features of items in order to generalise conceptual information based on their core semantic similarity (e.g., Lambon Ralph & Patterson, 2008). In order to test this, two of the studies described in this thesis (Chapters 2 and 3) assessed semantic generalisation in people with SD. These studies showed that people with SD are less able to generalise conceptual information on the basis of the deeper semantic structure of concepts but instead are increasingly influenced by the superficial similarity of the items. These studies support the hypothesis that the modality-invariant representations formed in the ATLs are crucial for semantic-based generalisation. Previous SD relearning studies have reported relatively good learning but a lack of generalisation to untrained items, tasks, and/or contexts (i.e., under-generalisation). This has been interpreted based on the Complementary Learning Systems (CLS) (McClelland, McNaughton, & O'Reilly, 1995) to suggest that the neocortical semantic system no longer makes a meaningful contribution to relearning but instead relearning is primarily dependent upon the sparse representational medial temporal lobe (MTL) learning system. The studies described in two of the thesis chapters (Chapters 4 and 5) investigated the role of the underlying systems further and found that the neocortical semantic system does still contribute to relearning in SD (although its contribution is disordered and based on the degraded concept representations in the ATL) but there is a shift in the division of labour such that the MTL system takes over more of the work. Finally, in order to clarify the outcomes of relearning in SD, Chapter 6 reviewed all of the previous SD relearning studies and confirmed that people with SD are able to relearn the specific information that they study but that this relearning is rigid. The review and a subsequent re-analysis of the data from Chapters 4 and 5 also showed that relearning in SD can have negative side-effects as well as positive effects.

The increasingly complex demands placed on control systems have resulted in a need for intelligent control, an approach that attempts to meet these demands by emulating the capabilities found in biological systems. The need to exploit existing knowledge is a desirable feature of any intelligent control system, and this leads to the relearning problem. The problem arises when a control system is required to effectively learn new knowledge whilst exploiting still useful knowledge from past experiences. This thesis describes the adaptive critic system using reinforcement learning, a computational framework that can effectively address many of the demands in intelligent control, but is less effective when it comes to addressing the relearning problem. The thesis argues that biological mechanisms of reinforcement learning (and relearning) may provide inspiration for developing artificial intelligent control mechanisms that can better address the relearning problem. A conceptual model of biological reinforcement learning and relearning is presented, and the thesis shows how inspiration derived from this model can be used to modify the adaptive critic. The performance of the modified adaptive critic system on the relearning problem is investigated based on simulations of the pole balancing problem, and this is compared to the performance of the original adaptive critic system. The thesis presents an analysis of the results from these simulations, and discusses the significance of these results in terms of addressing the relearning problem.

Distonia focal é uma desordem neurológica do movimento que pode ser altamente incapacitante afetando de maneira importante a vida, carreira professional e práticas interpretativas dos músicos. Segundo pesquisas a distonia focal pode manifestar-se em até 1% dos músicos. O objetivo principal da presente pesquisa foi investigar as estratégias de estudo utilizadas por três músicos profissionais com distonia focal (dois flautistas e um violinista). Adicionalmente se realizou um auto relato, no qual o autor (que também sofre da doença) descreve e analisa seu processo, focalizando-se nos mesmos aspectos investigados nas entrevistas. Os resultados obtidos foram confrontados com a literatura sobre o tema, a experiência pessoal do autor e com as respostas proporcionadas por um músico, neurologista e especialista em distonia focal (por meio de uma outra entrevista). A coleta de dados dos participantes foi realizada através de entrevistas semiestruturadas. Os resultados obtidos apontam que o uso das estratégias de estudo é variado e individualizado conforme: as características particulares de cada caso, gravidade da doença, instrumento interpretado, o processo pessoal com a doença, as expectativas pessoais, etc. Porém, a pesquisa destaca a importância da terapia física para desenvolver novas habilidades motoras interpretativas e também a utilização de terapia psicológica para reduzir os níveis de ansiedade no estabelecimento de uma nova relação com o instrumento. Dentre as estratégias musicais encontradas para lidar com a doença estão: adequações no repertorio de estudo, práticas musicais paralelas e modificações no instrumento.
Focal dystonia is a neurological movement disorder that can be highly incapable, affecting life, professional career and music performing. According to studies, up to 1% of musicians can be affected. The principal objective of this research was to explore the study methodologies used by three professional musicians with focal dystonia. Additionally a selfreport developed by the author (who also is affected by disease) narrates and analyze his personal process focusing on the same aspects that are investigated in the interviews. Data was collected from participants using semi-structured interviews. The results were compared with academic publications, personal experience of the author and with answers given by a musician, neurologist and specialist in focal dystonia, (collected in another interview). Part of the data is the Self- report, where the author presents its personal process with focal dystonia, based on self-observation, motor re-learning and Alexander Technique. The results obtained highlighted that the use of methodological studies diverse and personalized, according to particular characteristics of each case (the state of the disease, the instrument played by the musician, the personal process, recovery expectations, etc.). However, in general, the following aspects were founded: physical therapy, for constructing new motor patterns and psychological therapy to reduce the levels of anxiety and begin to establish a new relationship with the instrument. Among musical methodologies to face disease the following are included: adjustments in the musical repertory, parallel musical practice and instrument modifications.

Si l'apprentissage organisationnel est un thème central des théories de l'organisation, l'oubli organisationnel a été beaucoup moins étudié. Dans un environnement en mutation, les risques d'obsolescence des savoirs et des capacités retiennent prioritairement l'attention des entreprises et des chercheurs. Cette thèse entend montrer que de nombreuses transformations contemporaines des entreprises (de leur organisation comme de leurs ressources) invitent à reconsidérer les risques associés à la continuité de leurs capacités d'action. Dans le cadre d'une recherche menée en collaboration avec un centre d'ingénierie spécialisé dans la réalisation de grands projets industriels complexes, nous avons montré que des difficultés opérationnelles liées à un contexte de forte croissance de la charge de travail et des effectifs révélaient en fait un problème plus profond. Une longue période d'absence de projets et un profond renouvellement générationnel des équipes d'ingénieurs avaient en effet rendu nécessaire une phase de réapprentissage collectif. Mais les travaux de recherche existants sur l'oubli organisationnel ne permettent que très partiellement de penser et gérer ce type de situation. À travers notre cas d'étude, nous montrons que dans une activité d'ingénierie, le diagnostic de l'oubli organisationnel doit moins reposer sur une analyse de la performance que sur une attention aux signaux envoyés par les ressources humaines ainsi qu'aux temps et aux modes de constitution des capacités d'action. Ce changement de posture nous permet, dans un premier temps de qualifier une situation de « mur d'apprentissage » comme paroxystique des phases de réapprentissage. Nous mettons ensuite en évidence le caractère pluriel et hétérogène des sources de l'oubli organisationnel, qui complique les opérations de diagnostic et d'orientation de l'action. Nous nous efforçons enfin d'appréhender les conditions macro- et micro-organisationnelles qui permettent de franchir ce « mur »
Although organizational learning is a central topic in organization theory, organizational forgetting has been much less studied. In a changing environment, researchers and practicioners have primarly focused on the risk of knowledge and skills obsolescence. This thesis starts from the idea that the transformations undergone by many companies make it necessary to tackle the risks related to the maintenance of their capabilities. As part of a collaborative research with an engineering department in charge of steering large and complex industrial projects, we have shown that operational difficulties, in a context of rapid growth of workload and staff, revealed a deeper problem. Indeed, a deep generational renewal of teams along with a long period without new projects, generated a need for a collective relearning process. However, existing research on organizational forgetting is silent on how to think and manage this kind of situations. Through our case study, we show that, in engineering environments, diagnosing organizational forgetting requires paying attention to human signals and to capability building processes and length. First, it enables us to describe a situation of "learning wall" as a paroxysmal phase of relearning. We then highlight the plural and heterogeneous sources of organizational forgetting, which complicate diagnosis and action. Finally, we strive to identify the macro- and micro- organizational conditions that bridge this learning wall

Disorders of brain bloodstream, the most serious of which is stroke, take the third place of death causes. Restoration of limb functions for the patients after the brain stroke requires much time and efforts. As a result, this experiment involved the motor relearning programme of Carr J. and Shepherd R. as an adaptive physical activity along with the traditional kinesitherapy. The main focus of the motor relearning programme is training and learning as the patient actively participates in the treatment process. The aim of the paper is to evaluate the effect of the motor relearning programme on the people after the brain stroke to restore limb functions. The tasks of the paper are the following: 1. To evaluate the functional limb condition of patients after the brain stroke before the application of treatment methods. 2. To evaluate the functional limb condition after the application of treatment methods. 3. To evaluate the efficiency of the motor relearning programme. 4. To determine the influence of age on the alterations of limb functions for the patients after the brain stroke. The quantitative experiment was performed in the neurological department of Šiauliai Hospital. Experimental group was composed of 60 patients with affected upper extremity. The adaptive physical activity was applied to the present patients in order to restore the functions of their affected upper extremities along with the traditional kinesitherapy. 60 patients composed auditorial group and the... [to full text]

Dissertação de Mestrado em Fisioterapia. Relatório de Projeto de Investigação
Enquadramento: As disfunções do complexo articular do ombro, apresentam uma elevada incidência e prevalência, e o seu impacto na qualidade de vida do utente, torna relevante a procura pela melhor estratégia de intervenção que responda às suas necessidades. As patologias músculo-esqueléticas do ombro têm sido associadas à discinésia escapular, que consiste numa alteração da posição inicial da omoplata e do seu movimento durante os movimentos do membro superior. Os exercícios focados na estabilidade dinâmica da escápulo-torácica permitem ao sistema nervoso central readquirir padrões de movimento que não coloquem em risco as estruturas do complexo articular do ombro e que estão alterados na presença de disfunção. O biofeedback cinemático tridimensional tem-se demonstrado efetivo no reconhecimento da zona neutra e na melhoria da qualidade de execução dos exercícios. Metodologia: O presente estudo de natureza metodológica, consistiu num contributo para o desenvolvimento de um programa de exercícios escápulo-torácicos para a intervenção em fisioterapia direccionado para utentes com disfunções no complexo articular do ombro (DCAO). Este estudo envolveu uma pesquisa bibliográfica em distintas bases de dados internacionais eletrónicas de forma a reunir e sintetizar a evidência existente e foi desenvolvido em 4 fases interligadas: análise crítica da efectividade de intervenções dirigidas a utentes com DCAO; descrição dos modelos e teorias, nos quais a fisioterapia se pode alicerçar para estruturar um programa de intervenção dirigido a utentes com DCAO; identificação e análise crítica de ferramentas relacionadas com movimento humano para informação de retorno e do seu enquadramento no processo de reabilitação; e por fim, o desenho e descrição detalhada de um programa de exercícios escápulo-torácicos dirigidos a utentes com DCAO com base no resultado das três fases anteriores. Resultados: Desenvolveu-se um programa de exercícios escápulo-torácicos baseado em três estadios segundo um modelo de reaprendizagem motora e estabilidade dinâmica, utilizando exercícios e estratégias descritas como mais efetivos para as disfunções do ombro, recorrendo ao uso de biofeedback cinemático tridimensional. O programa de exercícios realizado visa diminuir a dor, restaurar a função e promover corretos padrões cinemáticos, levando à adoção de apropriadas estratégias de movimento por parte do utente. Conclusão: Foi realizado o primeiro passo para o desenvolvimento de um programa de exercícios escapulo-torácicos que visa responder às necessidades de utentes com disfunção do complexo articular do ombro, contudo novos estudos são importantes para testar quanto à sua viabilidade, avaliar e implementar este programa de forma a poder verificar a sua efetividade e generalizar resultados à população.
Abstract: Introduction: The shoulder disorders have a high incidence and prevalence and its impact on patients’ life quality, makes relevant the search for the best intervention strategy in response to their needs. Musculoskeletal disorders of the shoulder have been associated with scapular dyskinesis, which is an alteration on resting position or dynamic motion of the scapula. The exercises for scapulothoracic dynamic stability allow the central nervous system regain movement patterns that do not compromise the shoulder joint structures and that are altered in the presence of dysfunction. The three-dimensional kinematic biofeedback has been shown to be an effective tool for recognizing the neutral zone and improving the quality of the scapula-focused exercises execution. Methodology: This methodological study aims to contribute to the development of a physiotheraphy scapula-focused exercise program for patients with shoulder dysfunction. This study involved a literature search in different international electronic databases in order to gather and synthesize existing evidence, and its development step involved four interlinked phases: critical analysis of the effectiveness ofphysiotherapy interventions for patients with shoulder dysfunction; description of the models and theories, in which physical therapy can be based to structure an intervention program for patients with shoulder dysfunction; identification and critical analysis of tools related to human movement used as feedback in the rehabilitation process; and, finally, development and detailed description of a physiotheraphy scapula-focused exercise program for patients with shoulder dysfunction, based on the result of the three previous stages. Results: A scapula-focused exercise program was developed based on three stages in accordance with a motor relearning model and dynamic stability using exercises and strategies described as more effective for the shoulder dysfunction, such as the use of three-dimensional kinematic biofeedback. This exercise program aims to reduce pain, restore function and promote correct kinematic patterns, leading to the adoption of appropriate movement strategies by the patient. Conclusion: This study represents the first step towards the development of a scapula-focused exercise program that aims to respond to the needs of patients with shoulder dysfunction. However further studies are important to test for feasibility, evaluate and implement in order to be able to verify the program effectiveness and generalize results to the population.

Doutoramento em Ciências e Tecnologias da Saúde
Nervous system disorders are associated with cognitive and motor deficits, and are responsible for the highest disability rates and global burden of disease. Their recovery paths are vulnerable and dependent on the effective combination of plastic brain tissue properties, with complex, lengthy and expensive neurorehabilitation programs. This work explores two lines of research, envisioning sustainable solutions to improve treatment of cognitive and motor deficits. Both projects were developed in parallel and shared a new sensible approach, where low-cost technologies were integrated with common clinical operative procedures. The aim was to achieve more intensive treatments under specialized monitoring, improve clinical decision-making and increase access to healthcare. The first project (articles I – III) concerned the development and evaluation of a web-based cognitive training platform (COGWEB), suitable for intensive use, either at home or at institutions, and across a wide spectrum of ages and diseases that impair cognitive functioning. It was tested for usability in a memory clinic setting and implemented in a collaborative network, comprising 41 centers and 60 professionals. An adherence and intensity study revealed a compliance of 82.8% at six months and an average of six hours/week of continued online cognitive training activities. The second project (articles IV – VI) was designed to create and validate an intelligent rehabilitation device to administer proprioceptive stimuli on the hemiparetic side of stroke patients while performing ambulatory movement characterization (SWORD). Targeted vibratory stimulation was found to be well tolerated and an automatic motor characterization system retrieved results comparable to the first items of the Wolf Motor Function Test. The global system was tested in a randomized placebo controlled trial to assess its impact on a common motor rehabilitation task in a relevant clinical environment (early post-stroke). The number of correct movements on a hand-to-mouth task was increased by an average of 7.2/minute while the probability to perform an error decreased from 1:3 to 1:9. Neurorehabilitation and neuroplasticity are shifting to more neuroscience driven approaches. Simultaneously, their final utility for patients and society is largely dependent on the development of more effective technologies that facilitate the dissemination of knowledge produced during the process. The results attained through this work represent a step forward in that direction. Their impact on the quality of rehabilitation services and public health is discussed according to clinical, technological and organizational perspectives. Such a process of thinking and oriented speculation has led to the debate of subsequent hypotheses, already being explored in novel research paths.
As doenças do sistema nervoso estão associadas a défices cognitivos e motores, sendo responsáveis pelas maiores taxas de incapacidade e impacto global. A sua recuperação é difícil e depende em simultâneo da plasticidade cerebral e de programas de neurorreabilitação complexos, longos e dispendiosos. Este trabalho explora duas linhas de investigação, que visam soluções sustentáveis para melhoria do tratamento de défices cognitivos e motores. Ambos os projetos foram desenvolvidos em paralelo, partilhando uma abordagem assisada onde se combinam tecnologias de baixo custo com processos clínicos comuns. O objetivo era obter tratamentos mais intensivos e supervisionados, melhorar o processo de decisão clínica e eliminar barreiras no acesso aos cuidados de saúde. O primeiro projeto (artigos I – III) permitiu o desenvolvimento e avaliação de uma plataforma online para treino cognitivo (COGWEB), adequada para uso intensivo, em casa ou instituições, e num largo espectro de idades e doenças com envolvimento das funções cognitivas. A sua usabilidade foi testada numa consulta de memória, sendo de seguida implementada numa rede colaborativa que envolveu 41 centros e 60 profissionais. A taxa de adesão aos planos de treino cognitivo online foi 82,8% aos 6 meses, verificando-se uma intensidade média de 6 horas/semana. O segundo projeto (artigos IV – VI) originou a construção e validação de um dispositivo de reabilitação inteligente para doentes com acidente vascular cerebral (AVC). Permite estímulos proprioceptivos no lado hemiparético, enquanto caracteriza o movimento tridimensional em ambulatório (SWORD). A estimulação vibratória foi bem tolerada pelos doentes e um sistema automático de caracterização motora revelou resultados comparáveis aos de uma escala utilizada frequentemente na prática clínica. O sistema integrado foi testado num ensaio clínico randomizado e controlado com placebo para avaliação do impacto numa tarefa de reabilitação motora na fase subaguda após AVC. O número de movimentos correctos numa tarefa mão-boca aumentou em média 7,2/minuto, enquanto a probabilidade de ocorrência de erro se reduziu de 1:3 para 1:9. A neurorreabilitação e a neuroplasticidade têm incorporado abordagens de múltiplos domínios das neurociências. Em simultâneo, a sua utilidade para os doentes e sociedade está dependente do desenvolvimento de tecnologias mais eficazes que facilitem também a disseminação do conhecimento entretanto produzido. Os resultados obtidos através do presente trabalho representam um passo adicional nessa direcção. O seu impacto na qualidade dos serviços de reabilitação e saúde pública são discutidos segundo perspectivas clínica, tecnológica e organizacional. Este processo de reflexão foi gerador de novas hipóteses, algumas já em exploração através de linhas de investigação específicas.

Experiments reported here examined the effects of distributing practice during relearning. Specifically, they provide an initial test of the prediction by R. A. Bjork and C. O. Fritz (1994), based on the new theory of disuse (R. A. Bjork & E. L. Bjork, 1992), that spacing practice is not important for relearning. In Experiment 1a, the speed to respond to simple numeric multiplication problems was measured after subjects practiced the problems under three different relearning schedules: (1) A massed condition in which all of the practice on a specific problem occurred consecutively, (2) a spaced condition in which there was a uniform spacing of one intervening problem between each practice on a particular problem, and (3) an expanded condition in which the practice was spaced in an expanded fashion, such that first there were no intervening problems between practices, then there were 4 problems, followed by 8. No significant differences among these three conditions were found. In Experiment 1b, original learning on an analogous task, mental arithmetic involving letters rather than numbers, was performed under the same three learning schedules. A spacing effect was found under the original learning conditions of Experiment 1b. Experiment 2 was similar to Experiment 1a, except that the instructions placed more stress on accuracy in order to avoid problems associated with a speed/accuracy trade-off. As with Experiment 1a, there was no significant effect of condition. The results provide preliminary support for Bjork and Fritz's prediction regarding the distribution of practice during relearning. The findings are encouraging from a practical standpoint and support the notion that level of expertise is an important factor in research on long-term retention.

The basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA) is a key component of the neuronal circuitry underlying the acquisition and the extinction of Pavlovian conditioned fear. The present series of experiments examined the role of neuronal activity and NMDA receptors (NMDAr) activation in the BLA on learning and relearning context conditioned fear and its extinction. Disruption of neuronal activity in the BLA prevented the acquisition of fear responses to a novel, a moderately familiar or a highly familiar context. It also prevented the reacquisition of fear responses to a conditioned or an extinguished context. Local blockade of NMDAr containing the NR2B subunit prior to training extinction or re-extinction impaired the short- and long-term loss of fear responses. In contrast, a similar blockade subsequent to training extinction or re-extinction left the long-term loss of fear responses unaffected. Disruption of neuronal activity in the BLA prior to training extinction and re-extinction depressed fear responses. It impaired the long-term loss of fear produced by extinction training but spared and even facilitated the long-loss of fear produced by re-extinction training when extinction had already been learned. The exact same outcome was observed when neuronal activity in the BLA was disrupted subsequent to training extinction and re-extinction. These findings suggest that the BLA is critical for both learning and relearning context conditioned fear. In contrast, the BLA is necessary for learning but not relearning extinction of conditioned fear. This implies that once extinction has been learned, others structures support the retrieval and the expression of extinction memory. This is consistent with current neural model of extinction that involves interactions between several neural substrates including the BLA and the medial prefrontal cortex.

碩士
慈濟大學
物理治療學系碩士班
106
Difficulty walking is a major problem faced by central nervoud system (CNS) lesion patients. The current neuroscience provides a new concept for the prognosis of CNS lesion.The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of Motor Relearning Program (MRP) on walking ability inpatientswith CNS lesionsas compared with the conventional physical therapy. The MRP including task analysis, practice missing component, practice the entire task and transfer training mission.This thesis is divided into two parts. First, MRP was adopted in a severe degenerative cerebellar ataxia patient which received a three-week, 45~60minute, eightweek training. In the second part, Stroke patients were enrolled in the case series and randomized control trial for a three-week, 60-minute, 12-week training.The plan is from January 01, 2017 until December 31, 2017. The first part of the thesis show that the ability of walking and standing balance improved significantly after intervention.The second part of the three stroke patients with abnormal gait, walking speed and distance are relatively improved.The results of the double-blind randomized control trials showed that the EQ5D(F=12.1, p<0.001) and the posterior knee angle(F=5.30, p=0.03) has significant change , there was no significant difference between hip flexion strength (F=0.69, p= 0.41), knee extensor muscle strength (F= 1.77, p= 0.20), six minute walk test (F= 0.59, p=0.45), gait speed (F=0.01, p= 0.94). Due to the large variability of CNS disorders, follow-up studies are still needed in the future to clarify the contribution of each factor in the MRP program.

碩士
國立高雄第一科技大學
應用英語研究所
100
Considering the influence of English in technology, commerce, education, and other fields, English has become the most popular foreign language taught and learned by people around the world. In the process of learning English, vocabulary retention seems to be a widespread problem that brings frustration to many EFL learners, thus impeding their learning outcomes. A commonly seen situation is when students learn new vocabulary and then quickly forget it, perhaps due to the lack of reviewing and practicing the vocabulary they previously learned. This is one important issue that studies on language attrition have been concerned with. The current study replicates and extends Kees de Bot et al.’s (2004) study involving the savings method, which posits that forgotten vocabulary can be relearned more quickly than new vocabulary can be acquired. The savings is seen as supporting the view that residual or sub-threshold knowledge of vocabulary can be demonstrated even though subjects may not be able to recall the meaning of L2 words on demand. Results show that attrition in the area of vocabulary can be reversed. In order to assess non-English major freshmen’s relearning of English vocabulary that they learned during their secondary school years, a vocabulary display program was designed to test for forgotten knowledge and to investigate whether “old” words were indeed learned at a higher rate than “new” words. The researcher recruited 30 Chinese-speaking freshmen studying Level 1 General English courses at one national university of science and technology in southern Taiwan. Two groups of 15 students from engineering majors and 15 students from business majors participated in the main study. Level 1 is the lowest proficiency level of the four levels in the university’s General English program. MANOVA (Multi-variance ANOVA) was used as the statistical paradigm for analyzing the results of the study to answer research questions about 1) Will subjects perform significantly better on old words than new words? 2) Will Business Majors or Engineering Majors perform significantly better than the other group? 3) Will subjects perform significantly different at four different points of time? The findings show (1) mean scores for retention of old words (words that seem to have been forgotten) are higher than for new words (words never learned before by the freshmen). This supports the view of residual vocabulary knowledge and suggests a way to revive apparently forgotten vocabulary. Thus, after only 8 seconds of presentation of an English-Chinese word pair on the computer screen (a total of 60 words) in the learning phase, subjects were able to retain some of the words and their L1 (Chinese) equivalent, and more of the old words than the new words. After two weeks, the mean scores in a delayed post-test are lower than post-test 1, meaning they had not retained all of the words the first post-test shows. Nevertheless, they still remembered more of the old words than the new ones showing that the previous 8 second exposure led to greater old word retention even two weeks later. The findings also show that the mean scores for business majors are higher than for engineering majors. In conclusion, the above results support the assumption of the savings method that words, once learned, are never totally lost. In other words, there is residual vocabulary knowledge that can be reactivated (de Bot & Stoessel, 2004, p. 375). It was also found that a mere 8 seconds of exposure per word in the learning phase resulted in the revival and subsequent retention of vocabulary. The savings method offers hope to language learners who have ostensibly forgotten some of their English vocabulary and who want to recover it.

碩士
開南大學
商學院碩士在職專班
99
With the change of educational philosophy and improvement of information technology, modern teachers need to enrich the variety of teaching materials and use of tools to help students learn more willingly and more effectively. Hopefully, the results and findings of this study could benefit the teachers of science and the education authorities. This study focuses on the relationship between the elementary school science materials and the learning willingness of students in the fifth and sixth grades in the area of Taoyuan County. After a relevant literature review and design of questionnaire, a total of 360 questionnaires were distributed and 326 questionnaires were returned, with 304 effective ones. The effective rate of questionnaire was 84.44%. The findings are: (1)The learning function of supplementary materials has a positive significant relationship with learning satisfaction. (2) Learning functions of supplementary materials and the commitment have a significant positive relationship. (3)The Learning satisfaction and the willingness to learn have a positive significant relationship. (4) The commitment and the willingness to learn have a positive significant relationship. (5)There is no significant relationship between the learning satisfaction and the commitment. In the conclusions of this research, the schools should encourage teachers in the same area to discuss, analyze, and develop a set of supplementary materials with local characteristics. Furthermore, through studying together it can encourage teachers to learn, and via field study courses it will enhance knowledge and skills of teaching to response to the changing environments. Teachers should improve the teaching abilities as well to give students a better curriculum. Having the parent education program will encourage parents and students to participate in school activities together, like the scientific break through barrier. They will understand the science education in school, and grow together with the students.

碩士
國立陽明大學
物理治療暨輔助科技學系
96
Background and Purpose: Ankle control is one of the most important factors for balance and gait performance after stroke. Subjects with spastic foot following stroke demonstrate abnormal muscle activation patterns which further affect the gait velocity and symmetry. Previous evidences have demonstrated that electrical stimulation (ES) combining movements can increase the excitability of the motor cortex. However, the benefits of ES combining motor relearning focusing on ankle control to balance, functional activities and motor cortex reorganization are still unclear. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of the motor relearning combining ES for spastic foot on dynamic spasticity, balance and gait performances, and cortical activity in subjects with stroke. Methods: 15 subjects with spastic foot after stroke were recruited and randomly assigned to experimental or control group. Subjects in the experimental group received 12 sessions of ES combining ankle movements challenged by a rocker board in standing for 30 minutes followed by 15 minutes ambulation training focusing on the ankle control. Subjects in the control group received general exercises for 30 minutes followed by 15 minutes ambulation training without focusing on the ankle control each session for a total of 12 sessions. All subjects received the baseline and post-treatment assessments. Maximal isometric strength of dorsiflexors was measured by a handheld dynamometer. Dynamic spasticity of plantarflexor during gait was measured to quantify the change of spasticity. Limit of stability (LOS) indicating the balance performance was measured by the Balance Master. Spatial and temporal gait parameters were measured by GAITRite system to document the gait performance. The Emory Functional Ambulation Profile (E-FAP) was used for measuring the functional gait performance. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used to obtain motor threshold of bilateral tibialis anterior (TA) for cortical excitability. Mann-Whitney U-test was used to compare continuous variables between groups, and chi-square test was used to compare categorical variables between groups. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to analyze the training effects within group. Significant level was set at 0.05. Results: Based on the change scores for between group comparison, the experimental group demonstrated significantly decrease in dynamic spasticity at self-selected speed (p=0.049), significant improvement in spatial symmetry (p=0.015), significant decrease in time spent of total E-FAP time (p=0.015), and the subtasks, including floor (p=0.049), obstacles (p=0.015), and stairs (p=0.005). The motor threshold of affected TA was also decreased, but not to a significant level (p=0.060). Discussion and conclusion: Our results suggest that electrical stimulation combining ankle movements can decrease the ankle spasticity in subjects with chronic stroke. Furthermore, the improvement concurs with better gait symmetry and functional gait performances. In addition, such combining treatment might facilitate stronger cortical excitability and possibly brain reorganization.