Search results for " Skills"
showing 10 items of 1084 documents
Early language and behavioral regulation skills as predictors of social outcomes.
2012
Purpose In the present study, the authors examined the prospective associations among early language skills, behavioral regulation skills, and 2 aspects of school-age social functioning (adaptability and social skills). Method The study sample consisted of children with and without a familial risk for dyslexia. The authors analyzed the relations among children’s language (at age 2;6 [years;months] and age 5;0), behavioral regulation skills (at age 5;0), and social functioning (at age 8;0) using structural equation modeling. Subgroups of children with respect to language and behavioral regulation skills (at age 5;0) were identified through the use of mixture modeling. Results Among at-risk …
Effects of whole-body vertical shock-type vibration on human ability for fine manual control
1991
The effects of vertical (z-axis) whole-body shock-type vibration on the ability for fine manual control were examined. The amplitudes and frequency of the shocks was varied, but a constant frequency-weighted acceleration of 1.25 m/s2 r.m.s. was maintained. The examination of the shock's effects was carried out using an experimental system that simulated the actual workplace of earth-moving machinery. Control was measured using a first-order pursuit tracking-test, in which a seated subject was asked to use both hands to direct a cursor on a monitor using a steering wheel. Although the magnitude of shocks (peak amplitude of 6-10 m/s2) and the number of shocks per unit time (shock cycle of 10-…
Predictors of neurocognitive impairment at 3years after a first episode non-affective psychosis
2013
Abstract Background Neurocognitive impairment is a core component of schizophrenia. However, patients show great variability in the level and course of deficits. The goal of the present longitudinal study was to identify predictors of neurocognitive impairment in first episode psychosis patients. Methods N eurocognitive performance was analyzed in a cohort of 146 patients 3 years after a first episode non-affective psychosis. Subgroups, impaired vs. unimpaired, were compared on baseline clinical, neuropsychological, premorbid and sociodemographic characteristics. Results Fifty-nine percent of participants presented general neurocognitive impairment and regression analyses demonstrated that …
Early age of onset, brain morphological changes and non-consistent motor asymmetry in schizophrenic patients.
1999
Previous data suggest abnormalities in the consistence of motor dominance in schizophrenia (e.g. mixed-handedness, poor correlation between hand, eye and foot preferences and an increase of hand-eye crossed dominance). The aim of this work is to examine the clinical significance of hand-eye and hand-foot crossed dominance in a sample of 61 right-handed schizophrenic patients. The application of multivariate analysis revealed that 23 right-handed and non-right-eyed patients (crossed hand-eye dominant group) had a significant earlier clinical onset and smaller brain size, global and frontal area, than 38 right-handed and right-eyed schizophrenics (consistent hand-eye dominance group). These f…
Well-being among Italian medical oncologists: An exploratory study
2013
<b><i>Background:</i></b> Recently, attention has been focused on physicians' stress and quality-of-life improvement. Due to their relationship with patients, oncologists in particular are overloaded physically, emotionally and psychologically. Previous studies showed that training of communication skills improves the satisfaction and well-being of physicians and patients. <b><i>Aims:</i></b> Our research investigates the relationship between work stress and engagement and personal well-being in physicians working in Italian hospitals. <b><i>Materials and Methods:</i></b> 176 physicians were included. Doctors filled out…
Segment coupling and coordination variability analyses of the roundhouse kick in taekwondo relative to the initial stance position.
2016
The initial stance position (ISP) has been observed as a factor affecting the execution technique during taekwondo kicks. In the present study, authors aimed to analyse a roundhouse kick to the chest by measuring movement coordination and the variability of coordination and comparing this across the different ISP (0°, 45° and 90°). Eight experienced taekwondo athletes performed consecutive kicking trials in random order from every of the three relative positions. The execution was divided into three phases (stance, first swing and second swing phase). A motion capture system was used to measure athletes' angular displacement of pelvis and thigh. A modified vector coding technique was used t…
Determining the Corticospinal Responses to Single Bouts of Skill and Strength Training
2019
Mason, J, Frazer, AK, Jaberzadeh, S, Ahtiainen, JP, Avela, J, Rantalainen, T, Leung, M, and Kidgell, DJ. Determining the corticospinal responses to single bouts of skill and strength training. J Strength Cond Res 33(9): 2299-2307, 2019-Neuroplastic changes in the primary motor cortex accompany performance improvements following motor practice. Recent evidence suggests that the corticospinal responses to strength and skill training are similar, following both a single session and repeated bouts of training, promoting discussion that strength training is a form of motor learning. However, these findings are limited by the lack of a light-load strength training group. Therefore, the aim of the…
Age and Grip Strength Predict Hand Dexterity in Adults.
2015
In the scientific literature, there is much evidence of a relationship between age and dexterity,\ud where increased age is related to slower, less nimble and less smooth, less coordinated\ud and less controlled performances. While some suggest that the relationship is a direct consequence\ud of reduced muscle strength associated to increased age, there is a lack of research\ud that has systematically investigated the relationships between age, strength and\ud hand dexterity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the associations between\ud age, grip strength and dexterity. 107 adults (range 18-93 years) completed a series of hand\ud dexterity tasks (i.e. steadiness, line tracking…
Brain Function and Upper Limb Outcome in Stroke: A Cross-Sectional fMRI Study
2015
Objective The nature of changes in brain activation related to good recovery of arm function after stroke is still unclear. While the notion that this is a reflection of neuronal plasticity has gained much support, confounding by compensatory strategies cannot be ruled out. We address this issue by comparing brain activity in recovered patients 6 months after stroke with healthy controls. Methods We included 20 patients with upper limb paresis due to ischemic stroke and 15 controls. We measured brain activation during a finger flexion-extension task with functional MRI, and the relationship between brain activation and hand function. Patients exhibited various levels of recovery, but all we…
Impact of psychological risk factors on disaster rescue operations: the case of Italian volunteers.
2007
This paper reports on research into the characteristics of emergency rescue workers, with a focus on psychological distress. We present the results of a study of volunteers from the Italian national civil protection programme. A questionnaire was administered to 2,576 subjects from all over Italy. Most respondents were men, mostly unemployed, whose average level of education was higher than that among most Italian volunteers. Many were poorly endowed with basic skills, with large differences according to geography. Many expected to convert their volunteer activities into permanent jobs. Using this data, we employed a logistical regression model to analyse the risk of low, moderate and sever…