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The theme of this work is to compare anthropometric measurements and motor performances of children aged 9-11 years from towns and villages. The results of anthropometric measurements and the found values in the selected motor tests are compared with tables that have been converted to the norms, standards, using a tenpoint scoring scale for motor tests. The statistical significance of the observed values, the differences between the two tested groups of probands, is evaluated by t-test.

This study attempts to identify a difference between a virtually simulated program of repetitive task practice and a similar program of traditionally presented activities. 30 subjects with chronic stroke performed one of the two programs for eight three hour sessions which were performed in a two week period. Both groups demonstrated statistically significant improvements in Upper Extemity Fugyl-Meyer Assessment (UEFMA), Wolf Motor Test and Jebsen-Taylor Tests of Hand Function. Gains in UEFMA were maintained at follow-up. WMFT and JTHF retention scores exceeded baseline at a less than significant level. When comparing the two groups, there were no statistically significant differences at any of the three measurement times and no significant group time interactions. Notable differences in therapist supervision and space requirements suggest that VR based interventions may be able to produce comparable outcomes in a more efficient manner. Continued decreases in the cost of technology may leverage these efficiencies to the point that VR based interventions may become a more cost effective alternative than real-world based therapy.

Decline in brain intracellular free magnesium concentration following experimental traumatic brain injury has been widely reported in a number of studies. However, to date, these studies have been confined to focal models of brain injury and temporally limited to the immediate 8-h period post-trauma. Recently, a new model of impact-acceleration brain injury has been developed which produces nonfocal diffuse axonal injury more typical of severe clinical trauma. The present study has used phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy and the rotarod motor test to characterise magnesium homeostasis and neurologic outcome over a period of 8 days after induction of severe impact-acceleration injury in rats. Severe impact-acceleration induced injury resulted in a highly significant and sustained decline in intracellular free magnesium concentration that was apparent for 4 days post-trauma with recovery to preinjury levels by day six. There were no significant changes in pH or ATP concentration at any time point post-injury. All animals demonstrated a significant neurologic deficit over the assessment period. The extended period of magnesium decline after severe diffuse brain trauma suggests that repeated administration may be required for pharmacotherapies targeted at restoring magnesium homeostasis.

This study used simple and multiple regression to examine the relation between auditory comprehension of language, fine motor skill, phoneme perception, and mental age in children between the ages of 4 and 7 years 9 months with receptive language delay. Participants were assessed using the Test of Auditory Comprehension of Language‐Revised (TACL‐R), the fine motor components of the Bruininks‐Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, a test of phoneme perception, and the Goodenough‐Harris Draw‐A‐Man Test. The subsets of the motor test made different demands of the child for speed, precise timing, and repetitive sequencing, whereas subsets of the TACL‐R varied length of processing and linguistic demands. The pattern of results showed that performance declined on both language and fine motor tasks as the requirements for rapid timing and repetitive sequencing increased, suggesting that some aspects of timing may be shared by both language and fine motor skill. The test of phoneme perception, but not mental age, w...

Background: Eclectic treatment method is a flexible approach that uses techniques drawn from various schools of thought involving several treatment methods and allows the therapist to adapt to each client's individual needs. Wider application for eclectic approach is however limited in stroke rehabilitation. Aim: The objective is to find out whether eclectic approach improves upper extremity (UE) functional recovery in acute stroke rehabilitation. Methodology: Twenty-five postacute unilateral supratentorial stroke subjects recruited from tertiary care hospitals recovered with Stage 2–5 in Brunnstorm stage of UE motor recovery (BRS-UE) underwent 45 min of eclectic approach for UE every day involving seven different treatment methods (5 min for each method) for 6 days consecutively. The outcome was UE subscale of the Fugl-Meyer Motor test (UE-FM), UE subscale of the Stroke Rehabilitation Assessment of Movement (UE-STREAM), Wolf Motor Function test (WMFT-FAS), and Stroke Impact Scale-16 (SIS-16) was collected at the end of the sixth session. Results: All the participants showed significant improvement in all the outcome measures. The Stage 2 and 3 subjects showed UE-STREAM (P = 0.007) WMFT-FAS (P < 0.001), SIS (P = 0.023) respectively and for Stage 4 and 5 the subjects have shown UE FM (P < 0.001), WMFT-FAS (P < 0.001), SIS (P = 0.004) with large magnitude of treatment effect for all stages of BRS-UE. Conclusion: Our study findings are in favor of integrating eclectic approach than single intervention/approach in clinical practice to improve the UE functional recovery for motor rehabilitation when the stroke occurs.

Basic motor competencies (in German: Motorische Basiskompetenzen; MOBAK) are motor performance dispositions formulated as minimum standards that empower children to participate in the culture of human movement. In opposition to movement-specific and process-oriented fundamental movement skills assessing the quality of movement execution, basic motor competencies are context-specific and product-oriented and focus on the mastery of minimum motor demands. Consequently, the promotion of basic motor competencies is a central goal of physical education, as they are essential prerequisites to be able to develop a physically active lifestyle. For the diagnosis of basic motor competencies, teachers need valid survey instruments that can help them to adapt their didactic-methodical action. For this purpose, a test battery for the assessment of the basic motor competencies of third graders was developed (MOBAK-3) and subjected to empirical validation (N = 399; 50.4% female; M = 8.45 years, SD = .52). The exploratory structural equation modeling indicates a structure with three factors named “Locomotion,” “Object-control” and “Moving in water”. This structure could be confirmed in the confirmatory factor analysis (CFI = .998; RMSEA = .009) and there was no differential item functioning (DIF) between boys and girls and the age. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the test instrument with regard to pedagogical diagnosis was confirmed based on a normative definition of support needs in motor competence. The MOBAK-3 test battery satisfies the requirements of test theory and is suitable for an analysis of basic motor competencies and the identification of motor deficiencies in students.

Although widely used in data acquisition system, LabVIEW doesn't provide direct accesses to database. In this paper, several methods accessing to database indirectly in LabVIEW are presented, and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed. Based on the discussion, the method that using user-developed database toolkit LabSQL is adopted, and the principle communicating with Microsoft Access Database is illustrated. In addition, according to the actual requirements of data acquisition system used for electric vehicle's driving motor test bench, programs realizing function of add, query and delete operations are designed to manage data automatically. And with the help of this database system, the information management for the experiment of electric vehicle's driving motor is improved drastically.

Namen diplomskega dela z naslovom Thera-band kot pripomoček za razvoj gibalnih sposobnosti je bil otrokom eksperimentalne skupine povečati telesno moč ter izboljšati ravnotežje in koordinacijo s pomočjo elastičnega traku Thera-band. V teoretičnem delu je predstavljen elastični trak Thera-band, njegova uporaba, lastnosti ter vaje, ki jih lahko izvajamo s pomočjo elastičnega traku. Prav tako so podrobno predstavljene tri motorične sposobnosti, to so moč, ravnotežje in koordinacija. V empiričnem delu so predstavljeni rezultati pedagoškega eksperimenta, v katerem je sodelovalo 20 otrok, starih pet let. Izvajali smo začetno in končno testiranje motoričnih testov, pri katerih smo s pomočjo Thera-band elastičnega traku razvijali moč, koordinacijo in ravnotežje. Potekalo je 12-tedensko izvajanje različnih vaj s Thera-band elastičnim trakom. Rezultati testiranj so nam pokazali, da obstajajo razlike med kontrolno in eksperimentalno skupino, saj so otroci eksperimentalne skupine dosegali boljše rezultate ob končnem izvajanju motoričnih testov kot otroci kontrolne skupine. The purpose of the diploma paper called Thera-band as an instrument for developing motor skills was to increase the body strength of the children of experimental group as well as to improve the balance and coordination with the help of elastic band Thera-band. In the theoretical part there are presented Thera-band elastic band, its characteristics, usage of it and the exercises that can be practised with the help of this elastic band. There are also presented three motor skills which are strength, balance and coordination. At the empirical part I exposed the results of pedagogical experiment in which twenty children age of five took part. We practised the initial and final testing of motor tests, where we developed strength, coordination and balance with the help of Thera-band elastic band. The 12-week performance of several exercises with Thera-band elastic band took place. The results of testing proved that there are differences between the control group and the experimental group, because the children of the experimental group achieved better results at the final performing of motor tests than the children of the control group.

This paper presented an intelligent motor test system in order to adapt the development trend of larger data scale and more complicated acquisition environment, and solve the low efficiency problem of motor testing device. It described the scheme of computer automatic data acquisition and processing system, application program structure and distributed network group control strategy of the intelligent motor testing system. The network group control system performes automatic switching and automatic controlling under various units running conditions in motor type testing. The paper also described in detail the equivalent circuit algorithm for motor working characteristics calculation and the non-linear LSM data fitting method for experiment curve. The system took full advantage of hybrid programming technology in interface developing, and of Period Tracking Technology which could solve the problems of measurement errors and low efficiency. It had been successfully applied in several motor manufactories.

This research study was conducted to establish the influence of familiarization on the information component of movement in a motor task for the assessment of preschool children's motor skills. The sample included 50 children whose mean age was 5.9 years (71.5 months). The experimental group consisted of 27 children who were 5.9 years (71.5 months) old, and the control group consisted of 23 children who were 5.9 years (71.5 months) old. The examinees performed 2 motor tasks, standing long jump (SJ, explosive strength) and standing on 1 leg on a beam �flamingo test� (FT, balance). The experimental group underwent a period of familiarization with the motor task in 3 sessions with 5 trials every 3 days. The results indicate statistically significant differences in the final testing between both groups of examinees; the experimental group mean was 112.73 cm, and the control group mean was 100.62 in the SJ test (p = 0.00), and the experimental group mean was 27.10 seconds and the control group mean was 15.01 seconds in the FT (for balance) (p = 0.00). The results obtained in this research indicate that children significantly improved the results in the motor test of strength and balance, being influenced by familiarization. It was confirmed that it was necessary for preschool children to be familiar with the test and it is not justified to use testing and assessment protocols and standards for adults. Physical educators and coaches, when testing preschool children, should introduce children to tests to obtain the best result.

We aimed to develop and validate the first robotic-based instrument and procedure for assessing upper extremity motor impairments in patients with stroke and to test its discriminative power.The ReoGo robotic rehabilitation platform was used to design a novel, upper limb functionality assessment tool, the Reo Scale Assessment (RSA). We used the RSA to evaluate 100 patients with stroke. The RSA items were tested for internal consistency and submitted to factor analysis. The Fugl-Meyer (FM) motor test, the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT), and the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) were used to examine the validity of the RSA. RSA scores were compared and correlated with the scores of the 3 scales. The discriminative power of the RSA was tested against the FM impairment levels by analysis of variance.The total RSA score correlated closely with the upper extremity scores of the FM, WMFT, and ARAT (r = 0.95, 0.93, and 0.90, respectively). The RSA was able to discriminate between low, moderate, and high functioning patients (86% agreement with FM). Principal component analysis revealed that the RSA coefficients loaded on 3 tested components: proximal, distal, and force.Our results provide strong evidence that the validity of the RSA is comparable with that of the FM, WMFT, and ARAT. The objective measuring and scoring systems of the robotic RSA make it an efficient tool for assessing motor function of stroke patients in clinical and research settings. Additional studies are needed to test the reliability and sensitivity of the RSA.

The aim of the present follow-up study was to assess whether clumsiness persists beyond the age of 12 and to describe the characteristics of motor and other problems, if present. From 62 children studied in 1984, 12 clumsy and 14 control children were reassessed in 1989. Reasons for dropout were a change of address, unwillingness to participate, and exclusion of hyperactive children with clumsiness. The Test of Motor Impairment indicated that at least 50% of the clumsy children were still markedly below the level of normal motor performance. This outcome was also validated by parent and teacher opinions. Persistent problems were not specifically related to one domain of fine or gross motor ability or general coordination. Concomitant problems reported by teachers and parents were lack of concentration and problems in social behavior.

The objective of the present study is to evaluate health-related physical fitness level in children of integral time public school of Ponta Grossa city, in the state of Parana. The sample constituted of 104 children of 8 to 10 years old, 47 male and 57 female. The evaluation constituted of the PROESP-BR motor test battery, with emphasis in health-related physical qualities like: sit-and-reach flexibility test, 9 minutes run or walk cardio-respiratory test and muscular resistance identified through abdominal test. Body composition was assessed utilizing body mass index (BMI). Sample presented differences between sexes in the following tests: flexibility test, in eight age group; abdominal tests, in eight and nine groups; and 9 minutes test in ten group. Female group presented higher overweight characteristics comparing with male group. Statistically significant differences among ages have not been identified. Observed results did not present satisfactory health-related physical fitness levels, revealing an increased risk of chronic noncommunicable diseases in schoolchildren.

O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar associação entre a aptidão funcional (AF) e o excesso de peso (EP) em mulheres idosas. Foram avaliadas 394 mulheres com idade média de 69.4 anos (DP = 3.4 anos). A AF foi mensurada por meio da bateria de testes motores. O EP foi determinado pela mensuração das variáveis de massa corporal e estatura. Posteriormente foi calculado o índice de massa corporal. Os resultados da aptidão funcional foram comparados com os valores normativos da bateria de testes da AAHPERD para mulheres idosas. Para análise dos dados utilizou-se a análise descritiva. A associação entre a AF e o EP de peso foi verificado pelo teste do Qui-quadrado (p < .05). Os resultados apontam para uma prevalência de EP de 46.5%. Observou-se uma associação estatística (p < .05) entre o índice de AF (IAFG) e o EP entre as idosas, sendo que 87.8% das idosas com EP apresentaram um IAFG considerado como fraco. Idosas com EP apresentaram 5.07 (IC 95% = 3.12 - 7.14) vezes mais probabilidade de terem baixa AF quando comparadas com idosas eutróficas. Os resultados permitem concluir que a condição morfológica (EP) necessita ser considerada na avaliação da AF de mulheres idosas. The purpose of this study was to verify the association between functional fitness (FF) and excessive fatness (EF) in aged women. Three hundred ninety four women, averaged 69.4 years of age (DP = 3.4 years), participated in the study. FF was measured by means of a battery of motor tests. EF was determined by corporal mass and height measurements. FF was compared with AAHPERD normative values. Chi-square test (p < .05) was applied in order to verify an association between FF and EF. EF prevalence was 46.5% and there was an association (p < .05) between the index of functional aptitude (IAFG) and EF. Among those with EF, 87.8% presented a weak IAFG. EF was associated with a 5.07 (IC 95% = 3.12 - 7.14) times greater chance of lower FF. Results point to the conclusion that morphologic condition (EF) needs to be considered in evaluating FF in aged women.

The overall aim of this thesis was to develop, deploy and evaluate new IT-based methods for supporting treatment and assessment of treatment of advanced Parkinson’s disease. In this condition a number of different motor and non-motor symptoms occur in episodes of varying frequency, duration and severity. In order to determine outcome of treatment changes, repeated assessments are necessary. Hospitalization for observation is expensive and may not be representative for the situation at home. Paper home diaries have questionable reliability and storage and retrieval of results are problematic. Approaches for monitoring using wearable sensors are unable to address important non-motor symptoms. A test battery system consisting of both self-assessments of symptoms and motor function tests was constructed for a touch screen mobile phone. Tests are performed on several occasions per day during test periods of one week. Data is transmitted over the mobile net to a central server where summaries in different symptom dimensions and an overall test score per patient and test period are calculated. There is a web application that graphically presents the results to treating clinical staff. As part of this work, a novel method for assessment of spiral drawing impairment useful during event-driven sampling was developed. To date, the system has been used by over 100 patients in 10 clinics in Sweden and Italy. Evidence is growing that the test battery is useful, reliable and valid for assessment of symptoms during advanced Parkinson’s disease. Infusion of a levodopa/carbidopa gel into the small intestine has been shown to reduce variation in plasma drug levels and improve clinical response in this patient category. A pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic model of this intestinal gel infusion was constructed. Possibly this model can assist the process of individualization of dosage for this treatment through in numero simulations. Results from an exploratory data analysis indicate that severity measures during oral levodopa treatment may be factors to consider when deciding candidates for infusion treatment.

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of motor learning on efficiency of standing long jump test. For the needs of this experimental program the sample was made of 52 female students (27 in experimental group and 25 in control group) from the first and second year of the Faculty of Teacher Education. Both groups have been tested with single motor test - standing long jump - two times ranging of one month. Between initial and final measurement the experimental group have been practicing a dynamic stereotype of standing long jump during a regular class of physical education over a period of three weeks, once a weak. The efficiency of motor learning was determined by using ANOVA and the t-test analysis for dependent samples. The obtained results of both analysis showed that in experimental group there were statistically significant changes in results in standing long jump between initial and final measurement, while control group had no statistically significant progress. These findings indicate that the efficiency of standing long jump performance can be significantly affected by the process of motor learning. According to results of this research, it can be concluded that before applying a standing long jump test it would be desirable to conduct (repeat) the test a several times before using it for prediction of the lower body strength and power.

The overall aim of this thesis was to develop, deploy and evaluate new IT-based methods for supporting treatment and assessment of treatment of advanced Parkinson’s disease. In this condition a number of different motor and non-motor symptoms occur in episodes of varying frequency, duration and severity. In order to determine outcome of treatment changes, repeated assessments are necessary. Hospitalization for observation is expensive and may not be representative for the situation at home. Paper home diaries have questionable reliability and storage and retrieval of results are problematic. Approaches for monitoring using wearable sensors are unable to address important non-motor symptoms. A test battery system consisting of both self-assessments of symptoms and motor function tests was constructed for a touch screen mobile phone. Tests are performed on several occasions per day during test periods of one week. Data is transmitted over the mobile net to a central server where summaries in different symptom dimensions and an overall test score per patient and test period are calculated. There is a web application that graphically presents the results to treating clinical staff. As part of this work, a novel method for assessment of spiral drawing impairment useful during event-driven sampling was developed. To date, the system has been used by over 100 patients in 10 clinics in Sweden and Italy. Evidence is growing that the test battery is useful, reliable and valid for assessment of symptoms during advanced Parkinson’s disease. Infusion of a levodopa/carbidopa gel into the small intestine has been shown to reduce variation in plasma drug levels and improve clinical response in this patient category. A pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic model of this intestinal gel infusion was constructed. Possibly this model can assist the process of individualization of dosage for this treatment through in numero simulations. Results from an exploratory data analysis indicate that severity measures during oral levodopa treatment may be factors to consider when deciding candidates for infusion treatment.

Neurodegenerative disorders which involve motor impairment is characteristic of old age. Although there are a few tests which attempt to assess motor incapacities, many have utilized scales which have either a great deal of subjective evaluations or are subject to learning-performance complexities. This study describes a method able to measure motor impairment of aging rats which is subject to dopaminergic influences and has negligible practice effects. The test is designed so that rats have to traverse 2 meter beams of 15° inclination whose widths 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 mm are changed on each test session using a table of random numbers. The time ceiling allowed for traversing the 2 m beams was established at 120 sec. 3-month-old rats (n = 20) and aged rats (n = 20) with a mean age of 26.5 ± 3.8 months ranging from 23 to 34 months were utilized in this study. All young rats traversed the beams, independently of beam width, while virtually none of the old rats traversed the 3 and 6 mm beams. However, as the beam width increased more and more aged rats ascended the beam. Nevertheless, there were always a few old rats who were unable to cross even on the widest beam. When young rats were fitted with a lead belt which increased their body weight by approximately 40%, they still traversed all beam widths. On the other hand, haloperidol (0.1 and 0.2 mg/kg) severly impaired the performance of young rats. Conversely, administration of amphetamine (1.0 mg/kg) or l-dopa (50 mg/kg) to old rats substantially improved their performance. The results suggest that beam taxis appears to be an effective and efficient test for screening motor dysfunction in aged rats and can be amenable to studies on changes of motor capabilities as a result of drugs and/or brain damage.

������������ ������ ���������������� �������������� ��������, ���� ���������������� ���� ������ �������� �������� ���� ���������������� �������� Movement Assessment Battery for Children ��� 2 (Henderson, Sugden & Barnett, 2007), ������ ������ ������������������ �������������� ���� ������������������ ������������������ ���������� ������������������. �������� ������������ ���������������������� 33 ������������ ( 16 ������������ ������ 17 ����������������) ���� ������������������ (14-15 ��������). ���� �������� ������ ������������������������������ �������� �������������� ������������ ������ ������ �������������������� ������ �������������� ���������� ���� ���������������� �������� Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2. �������� ���������� ������������������������ ������ ���������� �������� ������ ������ ���������� ����������������. ���� ������ ������������������ ���������� ���������������� ������������ �������� ������ ����������������. �� ���������������������� �������������������� ICC ������ ������������������ �������� �������� 0,759, �������������������� ������ ������������������������ ���� �������� ���� ������������������. �������� ���������� ���� �������������������������� ������ ������ ������������������ ���� ������������ ������ �������������������� �������������������� ������������������. ������������, ���� ���������� ������ t-test ������ �������� ������ ���������������� �������������� ������ ���������������� �������������������� �������������������� ���������������� ������������ ������ ������ ������������������ �������� �������� ������ ���������������� �������������������� ���������������� ������ ���������������� ������������������������ ���� ���� ������ ����������. ����������������������������, ���� Movement ABC-2 �������� ���������� ������ ������������������ ���������������� �������������������� �������������� ���� ���������������� ��������������������, �������������� ������ 3-16 �������� ������ �������������� ���� ������ �������������� ������������ �������� �������� ������������������������ ������ ������ ���������� ���������������� ������������������., The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of the motor test Movement Assessment Battery for Children - 2(Henderson, Sugden & Barnett, 2007). The sample was 33 children (16 boys and 17 girls) of third grade in High school (14-15 years). Each child was evaluated two times under the same conditions. The interval between two measurements was one week. T-test results showed statistical semantic difference between two measurements for the general movement score. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) for the total score was 0,759. The sample did not perform any significant differences to the variability of the two measurements. Also the values of t-test for all tasks showed, that exist statistically important differences between first and second measurement in two tasks "turning pegs" and "catching with one hand". Movement ABC-2 test seems to be a reliable tool for the detection of children with kinetic difficulties, aged from 3-16 years and according to the present study this has been confirmed for the third age-band.

Large quantities of electric power are used by electric motors in the production and processing of food, feed, and fiber. The literature indicates that many individuals responsible for the selection and application of motors have a limited knowledge of motor performance characteristics - specifically, efficiency and power factor. To enhance student understanding of these concepts, two motor testing stations were assembled. A manually operated motor testing station provides students an opportunity for hands-on laboratory exercises in determining efficiency and power factor. A computer-assisted motor testing station allows students to experience a complete motor test, described by the IEEE Standard 114-1982, using a menu-driven interface to computerize the data collection process. Motor performance data is graphically represented on a monitor, printer, or plotter. Instructors and students have expressed that using those state-of-the-art stations enhances instructional effectiveness and student learning.

In this paper, we describe our experience in designing a virtual environment-based (VE) telerehabilitation system, and the results of a clinical study of the first 11 subjects with stroke to use the system. Our telerehabilitation system allows a therapist to conduct interactive VE treatment sessions remotely with a patient who is located at home. The system, software architecture, and development experience are described. Results of the clinical study on subjects with stroke showed significant improvements in upper extremity function following 30 1-h VE treatment sessions as measured by three standard clinical tests: Fugl-Meyer test of motor recovery (FM) (p0.0001), Wolf motor test (WMT) (p = 0.0097, and shoulder strength (ShS) (p = 0.0027). Grip strength (GS) showed a trend toward improvement (p = 0.025). These changes were maintained, for the most part, at four-months follow-up (FM +7.6, WMT -18.4 s, ShS, +169%, GS, +53%).

Body image is viewed as the picture people have in their minds of the size, shape and form of their bodies, together the feelings concerning these characteristics and body parts. In bodily self-perception, therefore, besides anatomical and physiological aspects, cognitive and emotional components influence subjective experience. The aim of the present study was to analyse the relationship among body image, physical self-efficacy and motor abilities in 160 subjects aged 8 and 10 years (40 males and 40 females of each age), and to check possible differences by gender and age.This study was designed to assess age and gender differences in some motor abilities, body discrepancy, and physical self-efficacy. Results by gender confirm that males showed a higher perceived physical ability than females [20], but do not support previous research indicating the existence of gender differences in Body Discrepancy.. Males are usually more involved than girls in motor activities and sport, with greater opportunities to develop physical abilities and skills, increasing perceptions of their competence as a consequence. Nevertheless gender differences in perceived physical abilties may reflect the different socio-cultural stereotyped perception, which induces females to perceive themselves as less skillful than males.Stereotyped beliefs regarding males and females may thus play a role in the context of the relations linking psychological factors and performance, and may influence attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors in significant ways. For instance, it was found that boys value sports and believe in their sport abilities more than girls. Other research has also pointed out that girls are less likely to participate in activities promoting the development of motor skills associated with sports.As far as age was concerned, in the Physical Self-Efficacy Scale the 10-yr.-old subjects rated themselves higher than younger children. Perceptions of physical competence of pupils aged 10 are problably congruent with their actual competence given the increased cognitive maturity of accurately estimating their ability. Regarding body image, the significant differences by age found are problably correlate with physiological characteristics of children, such as body mass and maturational status.In light of the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity, and the concomitant becoming thinner of the aesthetic ideal, longitudinal research should investigate the relationships between physical performance and perceptual, attitudinal, and behavioral components in obese and non-obese children. Additional studies should be designed to analyze whether type, quality and quantity of childhood sport practice are able to determine significant differences in psychological constructs.

Date Presented 4/17/2015 This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Specific Test of Early infant motor Performance (STEP) against current validated infant motor assessments. Although this is just a preliminary analysis, the strength of the associations is encouraging and provides proof of concept for future validity studies.

The goal of the present investigation was to determine the precision of goal-directed hand movements in the lack of visual information. The movement amplitude and direction was examined under different experimental conditions. Subjects were ten female and ten male university students. The motor test was drawing 10 cm long straight line and 24 cm long zigzag line in four different experimental conditions. 1) The drawing with open eyes was followed immediately with drawing with closed eyes. 2) The drawing was executed from memory in the lack of visual information. 3) Drawing with restricted amplitude or direction. 4) Drawing with verbal feedback. The errors of the target distance and the lateral deviations from the target were different under the different experimental conditions. The largest errors and underestimation of the target distance occurred in drawing horizontal straight line with closed eyes. No statistically significant gender differences were found. It is concluded that the practice, adjustment of single movement parameter to the target, and the verbal feedback assist better the accuracy of unseen goal-directed hand movement than the recent visual memory.

Background and Purpose. The psychometric properties of the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales–Second Edition (PDMS-2), a revised motor test to assess both gross motor and fine motor composites in children with cerebral palsy (CP), are largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the test-retest reliability and the responsiveness of the PDMS-2 for children with CP. Subjects. A sample of 32 children who had CP (age=27–64 months) and who received intervention participated in this study. Methods. The PDMS-2 was administered to each child 3 times (at the beginning of the study, at 1 week, and at 3 months later) by a physical therapist. The agreement between the first 2 measurements was used to examine the reliability. The change between the first and the third measurements was used to examine the responsiveness. Results. The composite scores on the PDMS-2 had good test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient=.88–1.00). The sensitivity-to-change coefficients ranged from 1.6 to 2.1, and the responsiveness coefficients ranged from 1.7 to 2.3. Discussion and Conclusion. Our results provide strong evidence that the 3 composites of the PDMS-2 had high test-retest reliability and acceptable responsiveness. The PDMS-2 can be used as an evaluative motor measure for children with CP and aged 2 to 5 years.

Objectives – The aim of this study was to assess the sensitivity of the visuo-motor test (VMT) compared with the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) in newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Methods – VMT and UPDRS were carried out in 20 patients before treatment onset, 2 weeks after treatment with ropinirole 1.5 mg/day and 2 weeks following increasing the dose of ropinirole to 3.0 mg/day. Results – Improvement in clinical status was seen in all patients, with a mean UPDRS reduction of 16.6% following treatment with ropinirole 1.5 mg/day, and 38.9% reduction in UPDRS observed with ropinirole 3.0 mg/day. Initial improvement was not correlated with severity of PD, although further improvement with ropinirole 3.0 mg/day correlated linearly with patient's baseline UPDRS. Improvement in the ability to control the direction of the moving hand during tracing is expressed by the reduction of VMT variables following treatment. Mean VMT variables were 36.2% at baseline, 34.0% with ropinirole 1.5 mg/day and 31.7% with ropinirole 3.0 mg/day. Although changes in VMT variables were less uniform across patients, on average, it did correlate with patients UPDRS. Conclusions – We suggest that VMT can be useful in the assessment of treatment effect on high-level motor planning and cognitive capabilities in newly diagnosed PD patients, added to the UPDRS which does not appropriately comply with those skills.

To date many studies investigated the coordination abilities in school age, but there is a lack information about the validity and reliability of coordination test in the Italian scholar population. The aim of this research was to establish the reliability and the validity of a battery of motor tests used in school age. 295 children (160 male, 135 female) aged between 7 and 11 were tested with 10 motor tests to assess: balance, speed, eye-hand coordination, muscular explosive stength of lower and upper limbs (at 100% and 75% of maximum effort), laterality, kinaestetic differentiation, frequency and precision of movements. Anthropometric data of height and weight were determined in 174 subjects. To value the reliability and the validity were used the statistical correlation cluster analysis and factorial analysis. The reliability was studied through the Test-Retest method calculating the correlation index (R) between the trials of the same test. R was over the 0,80 for all test, except of balance (0,78) and the basketball throw with 75% of the maximum effort (0,76) but this results were still sufficient. Best reliabilities resulted from the sprint (0,93) and the standing broad jump (0,92). Results showed a good correlation between conditional tests, that tended to make homogeneous groups based on cluster an factorial analysis. Coordination tests seemed more independent. Balance and kinaesthetic differentiation test were combined with the other tests resulting in inferior levels of correlation. The conditional and coordination factorial structure results stable dividing the subjects in class age of a year. The used tests are good indicators of the conditional and coordination abilities for all age tested.

Studies of age-related changes in motor function in nonhuman primates have been based exclusively on unimanual motor tasks. In this study, we examined whether aging affects bimanual motor coordination in the monkey model. In addition, we compared performance of ovariectomized and intact females on the task, to examine whether estrogen deficiency impairs motor function. The task required 29 rhesus monkeys (6-26 years old) to extract a maximum of 15 raisins from a testing hole-board. While the task could most efficiently be performed with two hands, other motor strategies were possible. The number of raisins extracted per minute was measured in each of eight sessions, the first and last of which were videotaped for analysis of motor patterns. The number of raisins retrieved per minute declined significantly with age. All monkeys improved with practice, but aged monkeys improved more slowly than young ones. The proportion of bimanual actions tended to increase between the first and the last sessions but was not significantly different between young and aged monkeys. Hormonal status did not affect performance. Finally, performance on the bimanual task was significantly correlated with performance on a previously administered unimanual motor test emphasizing speed, suggesting that age-related motor slowing may explain deficits in both tasks.

Direct observation of postural and motor abilities appears as very important in assessment of patients showing psychomotor disadaptation syndrome (PDS). We examine feasibility and reliability of mini motor test (MMT) which has been developed in order to establish rehabilitation goals in this population. MMT is a 20-item score which assesses abilities in bed, quality of sitting position, abilities in the standing position, and quality of gait. MMT has been conducted by two different independent investigators, a physiotherapist and a physician, in four different geriatric centers. One hundred and one subjects (mean age: 84.9 +/- 6.0 years) were included in the study. The agreement between the two investigators was highly satisfying for both MMT total score and each item of MMT. Redundancy between items appeared very limited. The difference between investigators for MMT total score did not vary significantly with score of the mini-mental-state examination (MMSE). The correlation between MMT and the Katz index was found significantly negative. MMT is an easy direct-observation test which may be particularly useful in patients who present with severe postural and gait impairment. This test can be used in clinical practice by different professional actors in order to allow an interdisciplinary approach for a common rehabilitation goal in the PDS patients.

A group of 7 subjects underwent an experimental procedure which studied the potential changes in the maximal strength of the non-dominant arm elbow flexors. The programme duration was limited to 6 weeks during which the subjects practiced exercises 3 times a week, 3 series, on a Scott bench. Individual approach was applied to the external load and it was designed so that the weight being lifted would increase if the number of lifts in one series would exceed 3. The subjects were monitored through the one-repetition maximum 1 RM motor test and the isokinetic tests performed on biodex system, tested in 3 time periods (at the beginning, after 3 weeks, and after the 6th week). Of the 6 isokinetic tests, only the test for the maximum torque and the time for achieving the maximum torque have shown statistically important changes in terms of reduction in values, which was not expected. The one-repetition maximum test, unlike the isokinetic tests, has shown statistically important increase of the maximal muscle strength of 32.1% after the third week of exercising, and 46.8% after the six weeks of exercising. The statistical test for the correlation between the two variables has shown low correlation between these two tests. The values of the data of the two test types have not shown any correspondence among the subjects possibly due to the type of performance of the maximal muscle load during exercises, performed in conditions identical to the one-repetition maximum test, with similar and yet different conditions in the case of isokinetic tests. Most probably, due to the conditions in which the exercises and the tests took place, there is difference in the obtained results.

Abstract Underbalanced drilling with coiled tubing requires the use of a positive displacement motor (PDM) to drive the drill bit. Motor performance characteristics are essential to ensure drilling success and efficiency, and the pressure drop across the motor must be specified to accurately simulate underbalanced conditions at bottom hole. In this study, five positive displacement motors were tested under a variety of mixed ratios of nitrogen and water and different back pressures. The experimental results in this study show that the performance of PDMs powered by commingled fluids is different from water baseline tests. With the commingled fluid at the same effective flow rate, the outputs of torque and mechanical power and the pressure drop across the motor are lower than those for a water baseline test. The torque output is more sensitive to the water rate, while the RPM is more sensitive to the nitrogen rate. It was also found that back pressure has a significant impact on the performance of a PDM for commingled fluids. A higher back pressure results in a lower output of torque, mechanical power and pressure drop across the motor for constant of N2 and water rates.

The effect of retrieval enactment on memory for nouns (objects) or verbal phrases describing simple actions (e.g., "lift the box") was addressed in two experiments. In Experiment 1, the type of object involved in the actions was manipulated, with three different types of object being used (body parts, laboratory-related objects, and external objects). In Experiment 2, the integration between the verb-noun pairs was manipulated (well-integrated vs. poorly integrated). Results from both experiments showed that whereas encoding enactment (motor encoding and verbal test) substantially improved the memory performance compared with a verbal condition (verbal encoding and verbal test), retrieval enactment (verbal encoding and motor test) had no major impact on the number of recalled nouns or phrases. Moreover, there was no additional effect of dual enactment (motor encoding and motor test). The overall pattern of the results suggests that there is a fundamental difference between motor processing at encoding and motor processing at retrieval, and the lack of encoding specificity advantage for the motor modality contradicts the view that encoding enactment of verbal commands results in storage of motor representations.

This paper presents a status update of the design and development of an improved nozzle for the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM). The ASRM nozzle incorporates advanced state-of-the-art design features and materials which contribute to enhanced safety, reliability, performance, and producibility for the space shuttle boosters. During 1992 the nozzle design progressed through a successful Preliminary Design Review (PDR). An improved ablative material development program also culminated in the selection of new standard and low density carbon cloth phenolic prepreg offering reduced variability and improved process attributes. A subscale motor test series to evaluate new materials and design features was also completed. An overview update of the matured design characteristics, supporting analysis, key development-program results and program status and plans is reported.

Objective: Although a large number of very preterm children follow a normal school cursus, they nevertheless present cognitive difficulties affecting visuo-spatial abilities especially. In this study, we investigated whether these visuo-spatial difficulties could originate in a dysfunction of the visual cerebral pathways (i.e., dorsal and ventral pathways). Methods: A group of 7 young adults (MA = 19.4 ± 0.8 years) who were born preterm (GA: 29.9 ± 1.7 wks), and a group of 7 term born controls (MA = 20.22 ± 1.5 years; GA: 39.14 ± 1.4 wks) underwent a complete neurologic examination, an IQ battery, a standardized motor test and a task which was developed to investigate specific cerebral responses of the dorsal and ventral visual stream, both in terms of processing of visual information (bottom-up) and allocation of attention (top-down). Results: No significant difference between groups was found for IQ, motor performances and behavioral dorsal and ventral functionning. The fMRI data showed an additional activation of ventral occipital areas during dorsal stream tasks in preterms compared to their controls. Conclusion: By showing an additional ventral activation in a task that typically relies on dorsal stream activation, our finding strongly suggest that preterm adults use alternative strategies to behaviorally perform as term born adults. They also suggest that the dorsal stream is more vulnerable during early development and that ventral stream brain areas are more susceptible to plasticity than their dorsal counterparts.

Interest in age-related problems of sports has increased considerably in the field of sports sciences during the past decade (Kapustin 1980; Meusel 1980; Singer 1981). The literature has been devoted primarily to the pedagogic-didactic aspects of “sports for senior citizens”.

Quantitative and qualitative motor performance on the Maastricht Motor test was evaluated in 401 children ages 5 to 6 years (232 males, 169 females) who were tested 18 months later for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and ODD/CD, in a study at the University Hospital of Maastricht, Department of Neurology, the Netherlands.