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BackgroundChildren with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are known to experience difficulties in coordinating fine- and gross-motor movement. Previous interventional studies have reported significant effect of exercise-based intervention programs on improving motor skills and alleviating symptoms in ASD; however, researchers are yet to know why some participants experienced less improvement than others. One plausible explanation for suboptimal treatment outcomes is insufficient engagement in the exercise programs due to the children's difficulties in following instructions and performing the correct movements. In the proposed research, we will test the above speculation by manipulating the amount of music-therapy elements into a 10-week Taekwondo training program designed specifically for children with autism.MethodsThis is a randomized controlled trial. Seventy-two children aged 7 to 9 years who meet the diagnostic criteria of ASD will be recruited and randomized into either the "Taekwondo training with elements of music therapy" group or the "Taekwondo training alone" group. In both groups, the participating children will attend Taekwondo training sessions twice a week over 10 consecutive weeks. In the "Taekwondo training with elements of music therapy" group, elements of music therapy will be incorporated into the Taekwondo training. Assessment will be conducted before the program commences, immediately after the completion of the 10-week program, and 2 months after the post-test. The outcome domains to be evaluated include the immediate effects during the exercise sessions. These effects include the level of engagement in the exercise sessions (primary outcome), enjoyment, physical activity level, and rate of perceived exertion. Furthermore, the evaluation will also cover the overall effects of the training program on gross motor skills, Taekwondo skills performance, executive function, psychosocial functioning, and behavioral problems.Discussion/findingsThe findings of this study will inform strategies for the promotion of physical activity and engagement among children with ASD when participating in exercise training classes. The study will also suggest the importance of regular physical activity for the physical and mental well-being of children with ASD.Trial registrationClinical trial registration: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06277778. Registered on 15 February 2024.

Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are known to experience difficulties in coordinating fine- and gross-motor movement. Previous interventional studies have reported significant effect of exercise-based intervention programs on improving motor skills and alleviating symptoms in ASD; however, researchers are yet to know why some participants experienced less improvement than others. One plausible explanation for suboptimal treatment outcomes is insufficient engagement in the exercise programs due to the children's difficulties in following instructions and performing the correct movements. In the proposed research, we will test the above speculation by manipulating the amount of music-therapy elements into a 10-week Taekwondo training program designed specifically for children with autism. Methods: This is a randomized controlled trial. Seventy-two children aged 7 to 9 years who meet the diagnostic criteria of ASD will be recruited and randomized into either the "Taekwondo training with elements of music therapy" group or the "Taekwondo training alone" group. In both groups, the participating children will attend Taekwondo training sessions twice a week over 10 consecutive weeks. In the "Taekwondo training with elements of music therapy" group, elements of music therapy will be incorporated into the Taekwondo training. Assessment will be conducted before the program commences, immediately after the completion of the 10-week program, and 2 months after the post-test. The outcome domains to be evaluated include the immediate effects during the exercise sessions. These effects include the level of engagement in the exercise sessions (primary outcome), enjoyment, physical activity level, and rate of perceived exertion. Furthermore, the evaluation will also cover the overall effects of the training program on gross motor skills, Taekwondo skills performance, executive function, psychosocial functioning, and behavioral problems. Discussion/Findings: The findings of this study will inform strategies for the promotion of physical activity and engagement among children with ASD when participating in exercise training classes. The study will also suggest the importance of regular physical activity for the physical and mental well-being of children with ASD. Trial registration: Clinical trial registration: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06277778. Registered on 15 February 2024. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preparation of MgO bearing iron ore pellets in the mini and pilot scales, and the application for 4070m3 blast furnace were conducted in this paper. The results show that with increasing the MgO content, the compressive strength of fired pellets decreased significantly, while the metallurgical performances, such as RI (reducibility index), RDI (reduction degradation index) and RSI (reduction swelling index) were improved. The scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectrometry was used to test the microstructures and the compositions of iron oxide, and the slag of pellets. With increasing the MgO content, MgO exists in the form of magnesium ferrite and monticellite, which presents the high melting temperature, decreasing the content of liquid phase. The pilot scale experiment was performed on a commercial running grate-rotary kiln with the annual output of 2.4 million tons of pellets, which agrees with the results obtained in the mini scale experiment. The application of MgO-bearing pellets was carried out in the 4070 m3 blast furnace of Meisteel China, and the production indexes improved with increasing the yield and reducing the coke ratio, and the total benefits are 7067 USD/d, which presents the superior economic benefits.

ObjectiveTo investigate scaling approaches for evaluating the development of peak VO2 and improving the identification of low cardiopulmonary fitness in Southern Chinese children and adolescents.MethodsNine hundred and twenty Chinese children and adolescents (8 to 16 years) underwent graded cardiopulmonary exercise test on a treadmill until volitional exhaustion. Peak VO2 was corrected for the effects of body mass by ratio or allometric scaling. Z score equations for predicting peak VO2 were developed. Correlations between scaled peak VO2, z scores, body size and age were tested to examine the effectiveness of the approach.ResultsEight hundred and fifty-two participants (48% male) were included in the analyses. Absolute peak VO2 significantly increased with age in both sexes (both PConclusionsAbsolute and allometric scaled peak VO2 values are provided for Hong Kong Chinese children and adolescents by age and sex. Peak VO2 z scores improve the evaluation of cardiopulmonary fitness, allowing comparisons across ages and sex and will likely provide a better metric for tracking change over time in children and adolescents, regardless of body size and age.