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Abstract: This study examines the motor skills and executive functioning (EF) of 28 children diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS; mean age: 10 years 6 months, range: 7–12 years; 19 boys, 9 girls) in comparison with age- and gender-matched typically developing children. The potential relationship between motor performance and EF in children with PDD-NOS is investigated as well. The children''s motor skills were evaluated with the Movement ABC. EF, in terms of planning ability, strategic decision making, and problem solving, was gauged with the Tower of London (TOL) task. Compared with their typically developing peers, the children with PDD-NOS scored poor on the Movement ABC (p <0.01) and the TOL (p <0.05). They had significantly more definite motor problems than the normative sample of the Movement ABC: 43% (manual dexterity, p <0.001), 25% (ball skills, p <0.001), and 25% (balance skills, p <0.001). There were significant inverse relationships between manual dexterity and the TOL score (r =−0.46, p <0.01), and balance and the TOL score (r =−0.41, p <0.05), indicating that children with a better performance on the manual dexterity subtest and the balance subtest had a better TOL score than children with a worse performance. Children with PDD-NOS have inferior motor skills, and these deficits are interrelated with planning ability, strategic decision making, and problem solving. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

There is a relatively small body of research on the motor performance of children with mild intellectual disabilities (MID) and borderline intellectual functioning (BIF). Adequate levels of motor skills may contribute to lifelong enjoyment of physical activity, participation in sports and healthy lifestyles. The present study compares the motor skills of children with intellectual disability (ID) to the abilities observed in typically developing children. It also aimed to determine whether there is an association between degree of ID and motor performance. A total of 170 children between 7 and 12 years old with MID or BIF, who attended schools for special education, were examined on the test component of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC) test. Both groups were compared with the norm scores of the total score, sub-scale scores and individual items of the MABC test. Of the children, 81.8% with MID and 60.0% with BIF performed below the 16th percentile on the total score of the MABC. Both groups demonstrated a relative weakness in the area of manual dexterity. Comparisons between both groups showed small to moderate effect sizes on the total score of the MABC, as well as for all three sub-scales, favouring the children with BIF. Children with ID had significantly more borderline and definite motor problems than the normative sample and there was an association between degree of ID and performance of manual dexterity, ball skills and balance skills. This study highlights the importance of improving motor skill performance in both children with borderline and mild ID, and the results support the notion that the level of motor and cognitive functioning are related in children with ID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background It has been suggested that children with intellectual disabilities (ID) have motor problems and higher-order cognitive deficits. The aim of this study was to examine the motor skills and executive functions in school-age children with borderline and mild ID. The second aim was to investigate the relationship between the two performance domains. Methods Sixty-one children aged between 7 and 12 years diagnosed with borderline ID (33 boys and 28 girls; 71 < IQ < 79) and 36 age peers with mild ID (24 boys and 12 girls; 54 < IQ < 70) were assessed. Their abilities were compared with those of 97 age- and gender-matched typically developing children. Qualitative motor skills, i.e. locomotor ability and object control, were evaluated with the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2). Executive functioning (EF), in terms of planning ability, strategic decision-making and problem solving, was gauged with the Tower of London (TOL) task. Results Compared with the reference group, the full ID cohort scored significantly lower on all assessments. For the locomotor skills, the children with mild ID scored significantly lower than the children with borderline ID, but for the object control skills and the TOL score, no significant differences between the two groups were found. Motor performance and EF correlated positively. At the most complex level, the TOL showed decision time to be a mediator between motor performance and EF: the children with the lower motor scores had significantly shorter decision times and lower EF scores. Analogously, the children with the lower object control scores had longer execution times and lower EF scores. Conclusions The current results support the notion that besides being impaired in qualitative motor skills intellectually challenged children are also impaired in higher-order executive functions. The deficits in the two domains are interrelated, so early interventions boosting their motor and cognitive development are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asthma, the most common chronic disease in children, is characterized by chronic inflammation of the respiratory system. If left uncontrolled, persistent asthma can have serious negative clinical outcomes. Thus, the earliest possible diagnosis based on the recognition of specific clinical indicators, treatment with anti-inflammatory controller medications such as an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) or a leukotriene receptor antagonist (LTRA), and patient-centered strategies for monitoring disease and improving patient adherence are essential to successful asthma care. Recent clinical studies support the efficacy of ICSs over LTRAs as daily treatment for pediatric asthma. Routine follow-up and patient education can facilitate adherence to daily controller therapy and successful asthma control in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to examine the performance of children with visual impairments (VI) aged 7 to 10 years on different types of motor skills. Furthermore, the association between the degree of the VI and motor performance was examined. The motor performance of 48 children with VI (32 males, 16 females; mean age 8y 10mo [SD 1y 1mo]) was assessed using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC). Their performance was compared with 48 children without VI (33 males, 15 females; mean age 8y 9mo [SD 1y 1mo]). Children with VI showed the poorest performance compared with peers without VI on unimanual speed, eye-hand coordination, catching, static balance, and dynamic balance while moving slowly. There was no significant difference between children with moderate and severe VI, except for bimanual coordination in 7- to 8-year-olds and eye-hand coordination in both the 7- to 8-year-olds and 9- to 10-year-olds, favouring the children with moderate VI. The poor performance compared with children without VI is related to vision, but the degree of the VI does not appear to relate to motor performance, except when associated with bimanual and eye-hand coordination. For children with VI, it seems very important to adjust the environmental context and task to enhance motor performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The soccer 'penalty shootout' in the knock-out phase of major international tournaments is one of the most dramatic events in international soccer. The outcome of these kicks is typically attributed to factors such as psychology (e.g. coping with stress), skill (e.g. kicking technique), physiology (e.g. overcoming the fatigue of 120 min play), and chance (e.g. in what direction the goalkeeper moves). The purpose of this study was to use internet game record data to estimate the relative importance of these performance components for the outcome of penalty kicks in international matches. Data were collected from soccer statistics internet sites on all 41 penalty shootouts and 409 kicks taken in the World Cup, European Championships, and Copa America between 1976 and 2004. The results showed that the importance of the kicks (indicative of stress) was negatively related to the outcomes of the kicks, whereas skill and fatigue were less, or not, related to outcome. It was concluded that psychological components are most influential for the outcome of penalty kicks. We recommend that practitioners work with players to reduce the perceived importance of each kick. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the selective use of prophylactic antibiotics after preoperative microbiological analysis of the oral and nasal cavity. In a retrospective study of wound infections after palatal surgery, 124 patients were included (134 procedures) who underwent all types of corrections of the palate. Standardized cultures from nasal and oropharyngeal mucosa were routinely obtained from all patients admitted for palatal surgery in the week prior to operation. According to existing protocol, every patient revealing group A Streptococcus from the nose or the throat received intravenous amoxicillin-clavulanate perioperatively. The postoperative finding of the combination of partial or complete wound dehiscence, pus, and fever was considered evidence of infection. Cultures from dehisced wounds were subsequently analyzed. Out of 134 procedures performed with this selective use of antibiotics, an infection rate of 6.0% (eight procedures) was noted. None of the patients receiving the amoxicillin-clavulanate prophylaxis showed infection. Patients showing infection revealed preoperative cultures with a diverse flora. Postoperative cultures of these patients showed group A Streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus as the main pathogens. Despite the retrospective design and limited number of infected patients, cautious conclusions are warranted. When routine cultures from the nasal and oropharyngeal mucosa are obtained preoperatively, infection rate may be reduced by selective use of antibiotics against group A Streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The empirical research presented in this article focuses on the relationships between ownership structure (family vs. non-family), the type of customer served by the business, several dimensions of organizational culture and innovation in small businesses. The study posits that organizational culture, ownership structure and the type of customer are predictor variables for innovation. MANOVA and multiple regression were used in analyzing questionnaire data from 4264 individuals in 89 small businesses. The results indicate that initiation and implementation of innovation are related to aspects of culture and ownership. Organizational support was found to be more important for implementation than for initiation of innovation. Family businesses were found to have unique characteristics positively related to implementation. Finally, the cultural support for innovation was found to be related to the type of customer to which the firm sold and ownership structure. Small business managers are provided recommendations for improving firm innovativeness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pharyngeal reconstruction can be accomplished in a variety of ways, from pedicled to free revascularized tissue transfers. The use of an extra skin paddle combined with a buried radial forearm flap, which permits long-term postoperative monitoring under direct vision, has been described before. In this study, we monitored nine patients who had undergone pharyngeal reconstruction with a buried reversed radial forearm flap. Our modified technique gave better coverage of the large vessels and a better postoperative neck contour, prevented esophageal leakage and facilitated continuous postoperative patient monitoring, without any significant additional donor site morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treatment of neuromas of the large nerves in the hand with or without post-traumatic dystrophy remains difficult. As a hypothesis, sufficient cover of the painful area should decrease the influence of pressure on neuromas, cope with the dystrophic condition and therefore improve function and quality of life. In ten consecutive patients suffering from incapacitating complaints after one or more interventions for treatment of painful neuromas a reverse fasciocutaneous flap was transposed to the area involved. Over all, patients considered the operation to be a breakthrough in their chronic pain situation. A positive benefit was obtained with respect to dystrophic symptoms, use of the hand and quality of life. The procedure can be an important step in the rehabilitation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A particularly intense form of conflict is uelative conflict. It is a situation in which at most one of some set of participants may obtain an objective and in which it is possible that none will obtain their objective. A mathematical model is derived from basic assumptions about the decision making process in a three-person uelative conflict situation, a truel. It is proposed that the model is generalizable to re-person situations. A preliminary test of the model that varied only one of the parameters revealed support for the model. More extensive tests of the model are warranted. In addition, the applicability of the model to internation or intergroup conflict is explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies comparing male and female choice behavior in a prisoner's dilemma game (PDG) have often confounded contingency of strategy with level of cooperation. Also the motivational basis of the choices was often unclear. A standard PDG and a six-alternative matrix, which separated the various motivations for making the noncooperative alternative, were employed. The subjects, 64 males and 64 females, played under one of four simulated strategies created by crossing two levels of cooperation with two levels of contingency. There were no sex differences under the PDG but there were under the six-alternative matrix. Females, in comparison to males, chose the maximum absolute gain alternative more and the minimize risk alternative less. The results were used to clarify the research on the generalizability of game-playing behavior to other settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study of conflictive behavior in a three-person laboratory game provided support for five hypotheses or principles of survival in multipolar power systems: (1) the probability of survival is maximized by having as much or more power than the combination of all potential enemies; (2) if such hegemony is not possible, the probability of survival increases and conflict decreases following a transition from a multipolar to a bipolar power system; (3) disparity of power tends to increase conflict and reduce survival probabilities; (4) if power hegemony does not exist, survival is inversely related to power; and (5) aggressive (as opposed to pacific) behavior is positively related to survival In addition, the conflict process was found to be a function of both structural and motivational factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questionnaire data from 1,582 employees in 27 firms were analyzed using MANOVA and multiple regression to relate information sources to innovation activity in small businesses. Results show that: (1) employees at all organizational levels are involved in innovation activities to varying degrees, (2) employees at all levels utilize a variety of idea sources and have similar perceptions of the relative importance of these sources, and (3) the relationship between idea sources and innovation activities differs across organizational levels. The authors conclude that there is a need for all employees to be considered in idea source research, a need for managers to better integrate administrative and operational level employees into the innovation process, and a need to better utilize information gained from various sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of 70 black South African infants and children with acute summer diarrhoea, 30 (43%) were infected with enteropathogenic serogroups of Escherichia coli (EPEC), 13 (19%) with enterotoxigenic Gram-negative bacilli, 12 (17%) with Salmonella sp., 6 (9%) with Shigella sp., and 3 (4%) with rotaviruses. 13 (19%) patients were infected simultaneously with more than one enteropathogen, and no pathogen was detected in 22 (31%). In addition, 6 (15%) of 41 unselected patients were excreting Campylobacter fetus. Of 30 age-matched controls drawn from the same population, 5 (17%) were infected with EPEC serotypes, and 1 each with Salmonella sp. and rotavirus. This study stresses the polymicrobial nature of paediatric diarrhoea in a developing community and shows the continued importance of EPEC in this setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The burnout literature is reviewed, compared, and summarized. Based on this process a definition of burnout is proposed encompassing three components: emotional and/or physical exhaustion, lowered work productivity, and overdepersonalization. A model to aid researchers is presented accompanied by research questions in need of answer if burnout is to be more fully understood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of its acceptance by the leading banking and insurance interests and other investors in real estate securities, by the National Association of Real Estate Boards and other leaders in real estate by public service interests, both public and private, and by home owners generally and by the leaders in the health, legal, engineering and architectural professions, it is assumed that the future of zoning is secure. This is probably a right assumption. The rapid spread of the movement and its far reaching and beneficent results give good grounds for hope. The needs of the situation are becoming apparent to the people in ever widening circles. People who never before did any public work or took any interest in public affairs, are interesting themselves in zoning and are working to bring about administration in accord with the spirit and purpose of the laws.