Search results for "Motor"

Associations between cardiorespiratory fitness, motor competence, and adiposity in children

2020

We investigated the associations of motor competence (MC) with peak oxygen uptake (V.O-2peak), peak power output (W-max), and body fat percentage (BF%) and whether measures of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) modify the associations between MC and BF%. Altogether, 35 children (aged 7-11 years) in the CHIPASE Study and 297 in PANIC Study (aged 9-11 years) participated in the study. MC was assessed using KTK and modified Eurofit tests. V.O-2peak and W-max were measured by maximal exercise test on a cycle ergometer and scaled by lean mass (LM) or body mass (BM). BF% was assessed either by bioimpedance (CHIPASE) or DXA (PANIC). MC was not associated with V.O-2peak/LM (standardized regression coe…

A socio-ecological approach to physical activity interventions in childcare: a systematic review

2014

The promotion of physical activity (PA) in young children requires effective interventions. This article reviews the evidence on PA interventions in childcare by applying a socio-ecological approach. A computer-based literature search for intervention studies aimed at increasing children's PA levels was run across four databases: SPORTDiscus, ISI Web of Science, PsycINFO and ERIC. The participants had to be in childcare, aged 2-6-year-old, and their pre- and post- intervention PA levels measured. Selection was restricted to peer-reviewed publications and to studies conducted in childcare settings. Twenty-three studies met the inclusion criteria and their methodological quality was assessed.…

Physical performance in relation to menopause status and physical activity

2018

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine differences in physical performance (muscle power, muscle strength, aerobic capacity, and walking speed) across menopausal stages and potential of leisure physical activity (PA) to modify the impact of menopause on physical performance. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, women aged 47 to 55 were randomly selected from the Finnish National Registry and categorized as premenopausal (n ¼ 233), perimenopausal (n ¼ 381), or postmenopausal (n ¼ 299) based on serum concentrations of follicle-stimulating hormone and bleeding diary. Physical performance was measured by knee extension force, handgrip force, vertical jumping height, maximal walking …

Indications and limits of the Fixator TGF "Gex-Fix" in fractures of the proximal end of the humerus

2011

Advances in Design, Simulation and Manufacturing IV

2021

This book reports on topics at the interface between mechanical and chemical engineering, emphasizing design, simulation, and manufacturing. Specifically, it covers recent developments in the mechanics of solids and structures, numerical simulation of coupled problems, including fatigue, fluid behavior, particle movement, pressure distribution. Further, it reports on developments in chemical process technology, heat and mass transfer, energy-efficient technologies, and industrial ecology. Based on the 4th International Conference on Design, Simulation, Manufacturing: The Innovation Exchange (DSMIE-2021), held on June 8-11, 2021, in Lviv, Ukraine, this second volume of a 2-volume set provide…

Adiabatic invariants drive rhythmic human motion in variable gravity.

2019

Voluntary human movements are stereotyped. When modeled in the framework of classical mechanics they are expected to minimize cost functions that may include energy, a natural candidate from a physiological point of view also. In time-changing environments, however, energy is no longer conserved---regardless of frictional energy dissipation---and it is therefore not the preferred candidate for any cost function able to describe the subsequent changes in motor strategies. Adiabatic invariants are known to be relevant observables in such systems, although they still need to be investigated in human motor control. We fill this gap and show that the theory of adiabatic invariants provides an ac…

The sensorimotor and cognitive integration of gravity.

1998

In order to demonstrate that gravity is not only a load acting locally and continuously on the body limbs, but is also used by higher levels of the nervous system as a dynamic orienting reference for the elaboration of the motor act, a review of several experiments conducted both in 1 g and 0 g are presented. During various locomotor tasks, the strategy that consists of stabilizing the head with respect to gravity illustrates one of the solutions used by the CNS to optimize the control of dynamic equilibrium. A question which remains to be solved when considering experimental results obtained in weightlessness concerns, however, the maintenance of motor schema that has evolved under normal …

Grip Force Adjustments Reflect Prediction of Dynamic Consequences in Varying Gravitoinertial Fields

2018

International audience; Humans have a remarkable ability to adjust the way they manipulate tools through a genuine regulation of grip force according to the task. However, rapid changes in the dynamical context may challenge this skill, as shown in many experimental approaches. Most experiments adopt perturbation paradigms that affect only one sensory modality. We hypothesize that very fast adaptation can occur if coherent information from multiple sensory modalities is provided to the central nervous system. Here, we test whether participants can switch between different and never experienced dynamical environments induced by centrifugation of the body. Seven participants lifted an object …

Effectiveness of a Physical Education Program on the Motor and Pre-literacy Skills of Preschoolers From the Training-To-Health Project: A Focus on We…

2020

Many studies reported a positive relationship between motor skills, cognitive functions, and school performance in school-age children; however, little is known in preschool children. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of a physical education program (PEP) on locomotor, object control skills, and pre-literacy cognitive functions in a wide population of preschoolers and verify whether weight status could influence these abilities. In the context of the Training-to-Health Project, a sample of 1,029 preschoolers was recruited in kindergartens from the urban area of Palermo (Italy). Their gross motor and pre-literacy skills were tested before (PRE) and after (POST…

Extraction of thermal characteristics of surrounding geological layers of a geothermal heat exchanger by 3D numerical simulations

2016

Ground thermal conductivity and borehole thermal resistance are key parameters for the design of closed Ground-Source Heat Pump (GSHP) systems. The standard method to determine these parameters is the Thermal Response Test (TRT). This test analyses the ground thermal response to a constant heat power injection or extraction by measuring inlet and outlet temperatures of the fluid at the top of the borehole heat exchanger. These data are commonly evaluated by models considering the ground being homogeneous and isotropic. This approach estimates an effective ground thermal conductivity representing an average of the thermal conductivity of the different layers crossed by perforation. In order …