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The objective this article is to verify the effects of an intervention program with exergames on the motor performance of children aged 8 to 10 years. The study included 64 children divided into experimental group and physical education group. The motor intervention used in this study was an exergame program with 18 sessions lasting 45 minutes each, twice a week. To evaluate motor performance before and after the intervention, the authors used the Test of Gross Motor Development -- Second Edition (TGMD-2). This study showed a positive effect on the motor performance of children ages 8 to 10 years. However, no significant differences were found in relation to the effect of exergames intervention in the experimental group when compared to the physical education group that participated in PE classes. The results of this study indicate that exergames are effective tools for the significant improvement of motor skills.

The current study aimed at investigating how mobile seamless technology can be used to enhance the pragmatic competence of learners of Chinese as a second language (CSL). 34 overseas CSL learners participated in this study. They were randomly assigned into two groups: the classroom group, executing language tasks in fake contexts in a traditional classroom; and the real-world group, executing identical tasks in real world with the support provided by a mobile seamless learning platform (MOSE). All the CSL learners were asked to make a plan of receiving a friend abroad after collecting the information about the shops or stores in the neighborhood of the campus. Both quantitative (Mandarin communication performance test) and qualitative data (videos recorded during the learning process) were collected and analyzed in this 4-week study. The analytical results show that both groups made significant improvements in the test-based Mandarin communication performance. However, according to the qualitative data, the CSL learners in the real-world group made significantly fewer errors when executing language tasks than did those in the classroom group. Furthermore, they did not depend on their first language to communicate with the people they visited in the real world and they had more peer cooperation with the support provided by the MOSE platform compared with those in the classroom group.

Objective: The present study investigated the performance of Brazilian children in the Continuous Performance Test, CPT-II, and compared results to those of the norms obtained in the United States. Method: The U.S. norms were compared to those of a Brazilian sample composed of 6- to 11-year-olds separated into 4 age-groups (half boys) that represented the socioeconomic class distribution of Sao Paulo City. The children were prescreened for attention deficit disorders (ADHD). Results: Age and gender effects in the Brazilian sample were similar to those previously described. However, the Brazilian sample showed better performance in almost all measures in all age-groups compared to that of the United States. Conclusion: It is discussed that differences between samples probably reflect lack of ADHD screening of the U.S. children. More studies are necessary to determine if the CPT-II is a cross-cultural test with participants from different samples matched for age, gender, and socioeconomic status screened for ADHD. (Contains 7 tables.)

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Objective: To compare the motor development of infants from three population samples (Brazil, Canada and Greece), to investigate differences in the percentile curves of motor development in these samples, and to investigate the prevalence of motor delays in Brazilian children. Methods: Observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study with 795 Brazilian infants from zero to 18 months of age, assessed by the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) at day care centers, nurseries, basic health units and at home. The Brazilian infants' motor scores were compared to the results of two population samples from Greece (424 infants) and Canada (2,400 infants). Descriptive statistics was used, with one-sample t-test and binomial tests, being significant p=0.05. Results: 65.4% of Brazilian children showed typical motor development, although with lower mean scores. In the beginning of the second year of life, the differences in the motor development among Brazilian, Canadian and Greek infants were milder; at 15 months of age, the motor development became similar in the three groups. A non-linear motor development trend was observed. Conclusions: The lowest motor percentiles of the Brazilian sample emphasized the need for national norms in order to correctly categorize the infant motor development. The different ways of motor development may be a consequence of cultural differences in infant care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate predictors of low back and lower extremity musculoskeletal injury in a cohort of Naval cadets., Design: Prospective Cohort Study METHODS: 545 Naval cadets (Males, n = 394, 72%) were followed-up over eight months. Nine variables were investigated as predictors: history of musculoskeletal symptoms in the last 12 months, ankle dorsiflexion range of motion, sit and reach test, isometric hip abduction and external rotation strength, alignment during the single leg squat test, single leg hop test for distance, prone plank and side plank tests. All injuries that required medical attention were registered. Predictive associations were examined using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses., Results: The incidence of all injuries was 7%. Cadets who failed the 60-second plank test (OR = 3.3; 95% CI, 1.2-8.8, P = 0.04), had ≤18 cm in the sit and reach test (OR = 4.0; 95% CI, 1.4-11.2, P = 0.01), or reported pain in the last 12 months in two or more body regions (OR = 2.7; 95% CI, 1.02-7.3, P = 0.04), had greater odds of sustaining an overuse injury. No predictors were identified for acute injuries., Conclusion: Decreased trunk endurance on the prone plank test, reduced posterior chain flexibility on the sit and reach test, and a history of pain reported in two or more sites in the last 12 months were predictors of overuse injuries in Naval cadets. Assessment and intervention of these modifiable risk factors may be clinically relevant in injury screening and prevention., (Copyright © 2020 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)