Comparison of Turkish Disability Policy,the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities,and the core concepts of U.S. disability policy

This article compares Turkey's Constitution and its Disabled Persons Act with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and the core concepts of United States (U.S.) disability policy. Conclusions are that Turkey's Constitution and statutes are remarkably congruent with the UNCRPD and the core concepts. They are not, however, identical. This fact suggests that Turkey can still improve its statutes to reflect more closely the UNCRPD and core concepts. The review of these policy documents suggests that there are other steps Turkey can take to improve disability policy and its implementation. They are to amend Turkey's laws, determine the status of individuals and families affected by disability, and pursue vigorous implementation of their rights.     

Toward a Model for Counseling the Wives of Alcoholics

Earlier literature on the wives of alcoholics confused the causes with the effects of alcoholism. Wives of alcoholics were thought to be highly neurotic contributors to their husbands' illness. Furthermore, sexist biases influenced opinion and research with the result that while wives were blamed for their spouses' illness, husbands of alcoholic wives were considered blameless victims. Despite recent gains in the understanding of alcoholism and its effects on family dynamics, treatment of alcoholic marriages continues to reflect subtle sexist attitudes and values. For example, wives are often viewed as little more than adjuncts to their husbands' treatment. Such approaches undermine reality-centered and effective treatment. A model for counseling wives of alcoholics is proposed which addresses her special and separate concerns.     

Optimising nearest neighbour information—a simple,efficient sampling strategy for forestry plot imputation using remotely sensed data

The rapid adoption of LiDAR-assisted forest inventory, together with nearest neighbour imputation, has created new challenges for those involved in sample selection. It is not obvious a priori what type of sample will be the most efficient when used with imputation. In this paper we explore a number of sampling approaches, including conventional methods such as stratification, spatial methods based on tessellations, and balanced sampling. We introduce a new approach called nearest centroid (NC) that optimises the survey design by using the distance properties of the sample in the space defined by the auxiliary variables, and examine this and other methods across a range of survey situations and objectives. The NC method is shown to be highly efficient when compared with other methods and is very flexible in the way it can be implemented.     

针灸调理髓海、疏通经络方法治疗脑膜瘤术后并发眩晕、一侧肢体不利1例

方法：利用针灸调理髓海、疏通经脉方法治疗脑膜瘤术后并发眩晕、一侧肢体不利1例患者，经治疗6周后，观察疗效。结果：患者并发症状基本消除。结论：该疗法是治疗脑膜瘤术后并发眩晕、一侧肢体不利的有效方法。     

Impairments,Disabilities and Handicap in Children with Epilepsy

Motor and sensory function were evaluated in 269 children with epilepsy. The EB test, the Bruininks Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, the Cailler Asuza Scale and the International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicap (WHO) were used.

An evaluative measure of motor and sensory function, the EB test, was developed for children aged 6–16 years with epilepsy. The new physiotherapy protocol included gross motor function, balance, coordination, strength, range of motion, velocity, fine motor function, sensation, perception and performance in neurological tests. The quality and level of sensorimotor function were scored and classification of handicap was performed. The reliability of the test was found to be good, r₈ = 0.9, as well as validity and responsiveness to change.

In 72 children with intractable epilepsy, sensorimotor impairments were found in 88% and also present in the absence of major disorders such as mental retardation and cerebral palsy.

The motor and sensory function of 50 children were investigated before and 6 months, after epilepsy surgery, in 34 children also 2 years after surgery. Significant motor and sensory improvements were found in 72% of the children, including those with multiple disabilities. Improvements were seen in 95% in the seizure-free group (n = 20) and in 64% in those with reduced seizure frequency (n = 22). The younger children (n = 13) benefited more (85%) from surgery as regards sensorimotor function than did older children and adolescents (n = 37) (68%).

In 88 mentally retarded children with epilepsy, motor and sensory impairments, resulting in disabilities and handicap, were found in 97%. The severity of the mental retardation and of the epilepsy correlated with the severity of the motor and sensory dysfunction. In another 84 children and adolescents with epilepsy but without additional neurodisorders, deficits in gross motor function—balance, coordination and speed—were found in about 30%. Boys performed better than girls. Motor function scores improved with age but motor problems persisted in the teenage years. The children on monotherapy performed significantly better than those on polytherapy.

The pattern of handicap was assessed in 217 children and adolescents with epilepsy. Handicap was most severe in the dimensions of physical independence and orientation. It was more severe with a long duration of epilepsy and when the onset of seizures was early in life. Handicap was significantly reduced after epilepsy surgery.     

Quality of life,effort and disturbance perceived in noise: A comparison between employees with aided hearing impairment and normal hearing

Abstract

Objectives: The aims were to compare health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and hearing handicap between two groups of employees with normal hearing and aided hearing impairment (HI). HRQOL was also compared to a normative population. The second aim was to compare perceived effort (PE) and disturbance after completing a task in office noise between the two study groups. Design: A Swedish version of the short form-36 (SF-36) and the hearing handicap inventory for adults (HHIA) was used to determine HRQOL and hearing handicap. The Borg-CR 10 scale was used to measure PE and disturbance. Study sample: Hearing impaired (n = 20) and normally hearing (n = 20) participants. The normative sample comprised of 597 matched respondents. Results: Hearing-impaired employees report relatively good HRQOL in relation to the normative population, but significantly lower physical functioning and higher PE than their normally-hearing peers in noise. Results from the HHIA showed mild self-perceived hearing handicap. Conclusions: The current results demonstrate that physical health status can be negatively affected even at a mild-moderate severity of HI, and that a higher PE is reported from this group when performing a task in noise, despite the regular use of hearing aids.