Life Activities Research Articles

The development of checklists and reference charts for activities of daily living of normal developing children

AimTo measure the performance in activities of daily living and obtain reference charts in normal developing children. MethodThis is a cross-sectional survey study. We identified relevant items suitable to describe a wide range of daily life activities and set up a self-administered questionnaire. An initial set of items underwent a correlation analysis integrated with clinical judgment, to remove those items providing limited additional information. Factor analysis was used to identify latent variables, enabling the grouping of selected items into specific skill-related areas. For each latent variable, a model was developed to represent the progression of performance in activities of daily living as the child advanced in age. ResultsWe collected data related to 3079 children, 1478 females and 1601 males, of median (IQR) 10.7 (7.2) years of age. The initial 268-item set was reduced to 154-item related to 14 domains and gathered into 30 latent variables. InterpretationThe results describe the age-related performance in activities of daily living and produce reference values associated to an Italian population of normal children less than 18 years of age.

Effects of water immersion on immune, intestinal flora and metabolome of Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) after air exposure

Air exposure stress can induce stress response of Eriocheir sinensis and affect its normal life activities. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of water immersion on the recovery of hepatopancreas immune-related enzyme activity, intestinal microbial diversity and metabolic level of Chinese mitten crabs after exposure to air. The results show that immersion can effectively alleviate the adverse effects of air exposure on the antioxidant capacity and immune capacity of Chinese mitten crabs, and the longer the time of immersion, the more obvious the recovery effect. Among them, the levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and acid phosphatase significantly increased after exposure to air (P < 0.05), reached a peak at 3 h, began to decline after immersion, and returned to a level close to the initial value at 24 h (P < 0.05). In addition, after exposure to air, the glucose and total cholesterol in haemolymph of Eriocheir sinensis were significantly different from the initial values (P < 0.05), gradually recovered to the initial level after re-immersion. However, changes in intestinal flora and hepatopancreas metabolism caused by air exposure did not fully recover after water exposure, and its negative effects did not completely disappear. The sequencing results showed that the species composition and diversity of intestinal microorganisms of Chinese mitten crab changed after air exposure and immersion treatment. The relative abundance of Actinomycetes increased significantly, while that of Proteobacteria and Firmicutes decreased significantly. Metabolomics analysis showed that air exposure and immersion destroyed the metabolic balance of amino acids and carnitine, reduced the level of carnitine metabolism, hindered the absorption of nutrients, and led to the accumulation of harmful substances.

Practices and barriers to cancer care among oncologists for patients with serious mental illness.

171 Background: Serious mental illness (SMI), defined as a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder resulting in serious functional impairment, that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities, includes schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression. Patients with SMI and cancer have poor survival rates attributed to inequities in cancer care. Such patients are often diagnosed at an advanced stage and are more likely to have their cancer care interrupted. This study surveyed the general practices oncologists apply to integrate mental health and cancer care in their clinical practice. The study also surveyed perspectives on personalized collaborative care intervention to improve cancer outcomes in patients with SMI while identifying the barriers to adapting such intervention in clinical settings. Methods: In February and March 2024, US-based hematologists/oncologists convened at live meetings to discuss abstracts presented at the 2023 ASCO Quality Care Symposium. An online premeeting survey was used to collect participants’ demographics. Participants’ approach to mental health care for patients with cancer were captured via an audience response system during the live meetings. Responses were aggregated and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Among 125 participants, 77% were community providers. The majority of participants (60%) reported frequently discussing mental health with their patients with cancer. Respondents support the mental health needs of their patients with cancer by utilizing in-house social workers (52%) or in-house counseling services (31%), or by referring to in-house clinical psychologist (40%) or an external psychiatrist (41%). They identified challenges to integrating mental health care into cancer treatment: lack of dedicated staff (54%), high patient volume (44%), and lack of available psychosocial tools (40%). Additionally, a subset of participants was asked about their perspectives on collaborative care intervention for cancer care of patients with SMI, and while most participants were encouraged, they also reported that mental health services should be coordinated primarily through either a psychiatrist (25%) or a social worker (25%). Interestingly, limited access to psychiatric care (78%) and lack of resources to screen patients for SMI (56%) were the primary barriers to adapting a personalized and collaborative care approach in the real-world setting. Conclusions: Participants were inclined to incorporate personalized mental health assessments into routine clinical care for their patients with cancer, however they face several barriers to implementation. Further research is needed to address those modifiable barriers and assess the impact of a personalized and collaborative care approach on timely diagnosis and mitigating inequities in cancer care to improve cancer outcomes in patients with SMI.

Medium-term forecast of the dynamics of life attitudes of Russians

The article presents a method for forecasting trends in changes in mass consciousness in terms of life attitudes, i.e. those values according to which people try to build their lives. Modern applied sociology successfully uses the forecast of electoral and consumer behaviour of citizens. The time lag of forecast reliability: for electoral behaviour - 4-5 weeks, for consumer behaviour - up to a year. Forecasting for 10-20 years is practiced mainly in demography. It is more difficult to forecast changes in mass consciousness based on value attitudes of citizens. If we assume that the development of the state is evolutionary, then the combination of heuristic and mathematical methods allows us to forecast trends in the attitudes of the population aged 40 and older, as basic for the economic and political functioning of the state. In methodological terms, the article proposes a procedure for forecasting trends only, without claiming high accuracy of numerical indicators, with mandatory consideration of weak variability of basic numerical indicators measured as of 2024. To forecast trends, there were used data from an all-Russian representative sociological study, accumulated in integral indices, as well as in verbal constructs using factor analysis. The combination of these methods allowed to make a generally stable 20-year forecast of trends in changes in the life attitudes of Russians. As a tool for a detailed forecast indices as integrated indicators of the intensity and direction of a trend were used, and for a generalised forecast - verbal constructs formed on the basis of factor analysis. The choice of the subject of the forecast is based on the hypothesis that the &amp;amp;quot;catalyst&amp;amp;quot; of life attitudes are three components of life activity: the life trajectory chosen by the individual, including the preferred types of life activity; the identification of the individual with reference groups as a contact environment, a mechanism of value communication and self-realisation; the choice of forms of social behaviour by the individual based on the basic moral principles of people's life activity. These three aspects of the population's life activity are not only socially (phylogenetically), but also to a large extent biologically (ontogenetically) determined, therefore they are highly stable, that allows us to talk about the stability of the medium-term forecast of trends in the interval of up to 20 years. Thus, the article proposes the tested in an applied sociological study combined method of medium-term forecast of social groups' attitudes in a situation where repeated studies are not conducted to build a dynamic series of empirical indicators. The forecast presented in the article operates with indicators that are important for consideration in the practice of medium-term planning of the state’s social policy.

Informal Life Safety Education for Students in the Context of Globalisation: Insights From International Practices

Informal education is a process of self-organised acquisition of specific competencies. Although not necessarily goal-oriented and structured, it actively contributes to expanding professional knowledge and skills and is positioned as one of the critical competencies of an individual. Informal education has gained particular significance in the era of internationalisation. The article aims to analyse the specifics of organising informal education for students in the field of life safety against the backdrop of global internationalisation, based on the experience of foreign countries. The research identifies the primary forms of informal education, including single lectures, video lessons, online consultations, and communication tools. It has been established that informal education creates preconditions for self-realisation, acquisition of new knowledge, skills, and competencies, increased motivation, and professional competence. Mechanisms for crediting the results of informal learning to formal education have been provided. It has been found that the educational environment in the era of internationalisation involves academic mobility, active international relations, projects, research initiatives, and academic programs, as well as the integration of international, intercultural, and global dimensions into higher education goals. Policies and programs appropriate to implement in response to globalisation as a tool for maximising its opportunities have been identified. An analysis of the national internationalisation of informal education in life safety, consideration of its organisational strategies through the prism of target programs and personal motivation of higher education students has been conducted. It has been proven that informal education in life safety enhancement is flexible, not limited by time frames, and does not involve certain procedural formalities. It aims to improve students’ life activities, allowing them to actively socialise and enhance their socio-economic status.

Особенности саморегуляции социокультурных девиаций молодежи

In the youth environment in transition conditions, processes related to the rethinking of life goals and ways of achieving them become more active. In social reality, deviant ways of achieving goals are presented in the form of meaningsjudgements, reflecting the principles of separation and self-assertion at the expense of others. In the article they are understood as sociocultural deviations. Their formation in social reality is conditioned by the contradictions forming in society. The selfregulation of sociocultural deviations is understood as a conscious choice by young people in their own self-determination of the principles of dissociation and selfaffirmation as optimal, from their point of view, in the emerging conditions of the ways of achieving the goals of life activity. Based on empirical research by the Centre for Sociology of Youth (Institute of Social and Political Research, Federal Research Centre for Sociology, Russian Academy of Sciences), the author considers the peculiarities of self-regulation of socio-cultural deviations of young people depending on their age, place of residence, religious identification, family and trust factor. Young people aged 15-17 are more often oriented in their life activities towards the choice in favour of sociocultural deviations than young people from older age groups. Respondents from low-income groups are more willing to use physical force in a dispute with opponents. In groups in which respondents conceptualise family as an instrumental value, young people are more likely to assert themselves at the expense of others and show disrespect for adults in order to achieve their goals than in groups in which family is conceptualised as a terminal value. Young people who do not trust others are more likely to focus on socio-cultural deviations to achieve their life goals, compared to respondents who build relationships with others on trust.

TASAVVUF TARIQATI VA UNING FALSAFIY TAHLILI

In this article, issues such as the socio-spiritual essence of a person in Sufism, his activities in real life, the issue of his relationship with society and people, and the ways of educating a perfect person on the path of Sufism of the Naqshbandi doctrine are philosophically analyzed.

THE IMPACT OF PERSONAL INNOVATIVENESS ON THE BEHAVIORAL INTENTION TO USING TOURISM MOBILE APPLICATIONS OF GENERATION Z IN HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM

The advancement of technology has significantly transformed various activities in human life, including tourism. Mobile technology, especially mobile applications, has become an integral part of users’ travel experiences. Generation Z, with their natural and proficient access to technology, has become one of the primary user groups of mobile applications in the tourism industry. Recognizing the lack of research on the intention to use mobile applications in tourism, particularly of Generation Z in Vietnam, a generation expected to reshape the tourism industry in the future, this study aims to investigate how personal innovativeness influences the intention to use mobile applications in tourism among Generation Z and mediation of attitudes. To test the proposed hypotheses, the study conducted an online survey using Google Forms targeting Generation Z individuals living and working in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. A total of 318 participants took part in the survey. The collected data were analyzed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) method. Based on the research findings, the study proposed potential solutions for mobile application development businesses, destination management organizations, tourism businesses to enhance the intention to use mobile applications in tourism among Generation Z in Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam as a whole.

Academic Ethics of Islamic Higher Education Institutions in the Digital Era

This article is the result of field research conducted at Islamic higher education institutions with the aim of obtaining valid and credible information about academic ethics amid the advancements in technology and information. The digital era has transformed the conditions of the inhabitants of the earth, serving as a blessing from the advancement of information technology. The face of education and scientific activities has also been influenced by this era, with the advent of digitalization as an enhancement to previous technologies. Misuse of digital media can erode ethical values both in social life and academic activities. Cheating and scientific dishonesty have become serious issues in higher education, particularly related to research and other scientific activities. The method used is descriptive qualitative, involving observations, interviews, and document reviews. The findings indicate that Islamic higher education institutions have established academic ethics based on laws, government regulations, and mutual agreements. Furthermore, there is a lack of research conducted by educators or lecturers as well as students, along with other academic activities. In the educational institutions where the observations were made, no serious academic violations such as plagiarism were found. The digital era still leaves a significant challenge, particularly in scientific activities, in reinforcing academic ethics.

Enhancing chronic low back pain management: an initial neuroimaging study of a mobile interoceptive attention training.

Chronic low back pain (cLBP) poses significant challenges, often addressed through avoidance or distraction. Emerging evidence suggests that mind-body interventions, like our novel Mind Your Pain (MyP) smartphone mobile application, may offer relief. We conducted a single-arm, mixed-methods neuroimaging study to assess the degree to which treatment response to our 8-week intervention, as measured by the reduction in the Pain, Enjoyment of Life and General Activity Scale (PEG), was associated with enhanced pain-related insula activation over time. Twenty-nine individuals with cLBP completed patient-reported assessments, qualitative sensory testing (QST) measures, and neuroimaging pre- and post-MyP. Functional MRI data during experimental heat pain on the left forearm were collected and analyzed, comparing responders (≥50% reduction in PEG scores) and non-responders. MyP led to significant decreases in PEG scores overall. Furthermore, MyP responders exhibited increased pain-related activation in key brain regions, including the contralateral posterior insula, bilateral ventral anterior insula, ventral anterior cingulate, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens. Although baseline behavioral and sensory measures did not differ between the two responder groups, baseline neural differences related to the impact of the endogenous back pain were observed. MyP appears to modify pain response and underlying neural circuitry, suggesting neural changes in interoception may serve as biomarkers for mind-body interventions in cLBP. This study highlights the potential of MyP as a novel approach for cLBP management, warranting further investigation.

Conrad Wilhelm Roentgen in the Reflection of Commemorative Medals and Coins

Аnnotation In this research article, its author presents the results and analysis of his research devoted to the study of the issue of representing the memory of the famous German scientist, Nobel Prize winner, Conrad Wilhelm Roentgen, in the reflection of such a collecting tool as numismatics - on 45 commemorative medals and coins, issued for circulation and timed to coincide with various events, by a number of countries around the world, in different years. Aim of studyThe purpose of this article is to present the results of the research conducted by the author, thematically dedicated to the issue of reflecting the memory of the German scientist, Nobel Prize (1901) winner in physics, Conrad Wilhelm Roentgen, in such a collecting medium as numismatics, on commemorative medals and commemorative coins, accompanied by their image (obverse and reverse), with accompanying comments. Research objectives 1. Find any sources of information regarding the reflection of the memory of Conrad Wilhelm Roentgen in various collecting media. 2. Select and systematize all found numismatic materials, both commemorative medals and commemorative coins dedicated to this scientist. 3. Convert all found numismatic materials into color and black and white screenshot copies. 4. Conduct an analysis of all the results obtained as a result of the scientific research carried out by the author of the article. with their help, form the text part of this research article. 5. From all the data obtained, both textual and illustrative, form a solid body of this research and author’s article. Hypothesis of the study In the process of starting to prepare for this study, its author came up with the following working hypothesis - there is a fairly large amount of a wide variety of collection materials, not only philatelic and phaleristic, but, first of all, numismatic - on commemorative medals and coins dedicated to the memory, about the life and scientific activities of the famous German physicist and inventor, Conrad Wilhelm Roentgen, in the reflection of numismatic materials, different years of issue and many countries of the world, in the form of commemorative medals and coins dedicated to him.

Investigation of the relationship between hallux valgus, quadriceps angle, and body image perception in young adults

Purpose: Our study aimed to identify the presence and severity of hallux valgus deformity in young adults, using both by the Manchester classification and goniometry, to evaluate the Quadriceps angle (Q angle), and to examine the relationship between some anatomical parameters and body image perception. Materials and Methods: A total of 158 individuals aged 18-30 (111 females, 47 males) who voluntarily agreed to participate in the study were included. Demographic characteristics, Quadriceps angle, and hallux valgus angle were measured. Hallux valgus and Quadriceps angles were determined using a goniometer, while the Manchester scale was employed to evaluate the level of Hallux valgus deformity. The Golden Ratio for the lower extremity was calculated by taking the ratio of lower extremity length to leg length, and the body image perception score was determined. Results: Body weight, height and body mass index showed statistically significant differences in terms of gender, while age parameter did not show statistically significant difference between genders. Also, no significant difference in Quadriceps angle was observed between genders for both right and left sides, while a significant difference in Hallux valgus angle was noted. A high, positive, and significant relationship was found between Manchester classification and hallux valgus, while Golden ratio values did not significantly differ by gender. Additionally, body image perception scores were higher in males (162.60±25.45 points) than in females (153.51±25.89 points). Conclusion: Deviations from their normal values of the hallux valgus and quadriceps angle which affect the musculoskeletal system, may lead to some health problems, as well as difficulties in performing daily life activities, and concerns about aesthetics. Failure to fulfil one’s normal functions or not to find oneself aesthetically insufficient will also make it likely that the body image perception will deteriorate.

Patient-reported outcome measures for lupus nephritis: content validity of LupusQoL and FACIT-Fatigue

BackgroundLupus nephritis (LN), a severe organ manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), significantly impacts health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-Fatigue) and Lupus Quality of Life (LupusQoL) have been validated to measure HRQoL in SLE, but not specifically in LN. Patient-reported symptoms of LN are not well-reported. We assessed the content validity and relevance of these measures in evaluating patients with LN and their LN-related experiences.MethodsThis qualitative, interview-based study enrolled patients with LN from three US sites from a larger, retrospective survey study. The interview comprised an open-ended concept elicitation part and a more structured cognitive part. Concept elicitation was used to identify relevant themes describing the patients’ experiences. Patients were asked to describe their LN-related symptoms, the severity and impact of those symptoms and their satisfaction with treatment. A cognitive interview approach evaluated the appropriate understanding of the items, instructions, and response options and asked patients about their understanding of the FACIT-Fatigue or LupusQoL measures, their relevance to the condition, and any aspects of confusion or need for better clarity of the questionnaires. All interviews were recorded and transcribed. The concept elicitation data were coded, while the cognitive interview data were tabulated to present the participants’ responses next to the interview questions to support the evaluation of their understanding of the questionnaire items.ResultsOverall, 10 patients participated in FACIT-Fatigue and another 10 in LupusQoL interviews; 18 patients were female, 10 were Black (self-reported) and 17 were receiving maintenance treatment for LN with stable disease activity. When patients recalled their symptoms, 670 expressions of varying symptoms were reported. All patients described pain, discomfort, and energy-related symptoms. Urinary frequency and non-joint swelling were most frequently attributed to LN rather than SLE. Patients felt the questions asked in the FACIT-Fatigue and LupusQoL surveys were relevant to their LN experience.ConclusionsThe symptoms reported by patients with LN were consistent with symptoms reported by the overall SLE population. However, patients indicated that some symptoms of LN were more profound than symptoms of SLE alone, affecting a broad range of areas of daily life activity and resulting in a higher burden on their HRQoL. FACIT-Fatigue and LupusQoL demonstrated content relevance as meaningful tools for patients with LN. However, further quantitative data collection is needed to ensure that these patient-reported outcome tools demonstrate good measurement properties in an LN population.

Caring for Carers: Association between Care-giving and Quality of Life of Family Carers of Spinal Cord Injury Survivors in Pakistan

Caring for someone with a spinal cord injury (SCI) has always been a family endeavor in developed as well as developing countries like Pakistan. Majority of people with SCI need assistance of others to carry out daily life activities i.e., eating, self-care, transportation and this functional dependence of patients on their attendant affect Quality of Life (QOL) of caregivers. Present study was designed to find the relationship between caregiver burden, psychosocial factors and QOL among caregivers. Caregiver Burden Inventory-SCI and WHOQOL was used to measure study variables. Cross-sectional research design having purposive sampling technique was used to gather data from spinal units of various hospitals of Pakistan. Sample size includes N= 255 family caregivers of SCI patients. Correlation analyses were applied to find the relationship between psychosocial factors, caregiver burden and QOL. Results showed that caregiver burden was significantly negatively correlated with quality of life and positively correlated with care-giving hours, duration of injury, and number of helpers involved in care-giving process. Furthermore, female caregivers showed high level caregiver burden and low levels of quality of life as compared to male counterparts. Similarly, married persons scored higher on caregiver burden and whose patients had paraplegic nature of injury. In Pakistan, there are no respite care programs for carers, The abovementioned findings are helpful in planning psychotherapeutic interventions and tailored caregiver training programs to lessen the impact of caregiver burden on caregivers and to boost their quality of life.

Жизненный мир студенчества: от государственного регулирования к активным практикам

The article presents a rationale for the centrality of the methodological framework of life world research as the most crucial reference point for empirical studies of students. It considers the unity in the study of objective and subjective, individual, group, social consciousness and behaviour as social action, diverse types and forms of activity, and the conditions for their implementation. A comprehensive and multifaceted understanding of youth, achieved through a pluralistic approach to methodology and the unification of the life world construct, enables a novel comprehension of not only the heterogeneous and multifaceted student community, but also the ways in which the state and society can facilitate the socialisation of the younger generation, its self-realisation within the education system, its integration into the environment of daily life activities, professional employment and leisure. It provides an overview and description of the key problematic aspects revealed in the articles of the issue.

Evaluation of an Occupational Therapy led Cognitive Stimulation Therapy Programme in an Integrated Care Programme for Older Persons

Abstract Background Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) is a non-pharmacological, evidence-based approach specifically designed to support people with dementia to maintain their cognitive functions e.g. reminiscence, higher executive skills, sensory integration, orientation, memory strategies and day-to-day activities. Methods Participants referred to a community specialist ICPOP team were identified for CST following Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA), where cognitive impairment or dementia was identified. Inclusion criteria: Rockwood Clinical Frailty Scale ≤5, Barthel Index of Activities of Daily Living ≥11, Lawton Brody Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (IADL) ≥4, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) ≥10, and ability to consent to participate. Addenbrooks Cognitive Examination (ACE-III) scores were obtained pre and post CST, alongside post CST feedback questionnaires. Results 5 CST programmes of seven weeks duration were conducted over a ten-month period. 31 (male=16, female=15) participants completed the programme. 3 participants dropped out due to lack of transport/interest. The average ACE-III score pre-CST was 68.3 +/- 14.31; post-CST was 76.1 +/- 11.4. 28 participants completed feedback questionnaires. Positive feedback included “Got a great sense of achievement with each session, and eagerly looked forward to the coming weeks”, “Each session topped the previous session” “Gave me a reason to get out, a routine to my week”. 45 % commented that they felt safe sharing difficulties/problems with the group. 71% reflected that CST provided an opportunity to meet others in a similar situation. 100% would recommend CST to others. Conclusion Experience of CST was overwhelmingly positive demonstrating benefit not only from a cognitive perspective but from informal peer support and connections made in group settings. Participants commented on lack of follow-on programmes, identifying the need to develop maintenance CST programmes led by trained community stakeholders which would sustain these benefits long-term as well as increasing awareness and knowledge of dementia within communities.

Muscle Fat and Volume Differences in People With Hip-Related Pain Compared With Controls: A Machine Learning Approach.

Hip-related pain (HRP) affects young to middle-aged active adults and impacts physical activity, finances and quality of life. HRP includes conditions like femoroacetabular impingement syndrome and labral tears. Lateral hip muscle dysfunction and atrophy in HRP are more pronounced in advanced hip pathology, with limited evidence in younger populations. While MRI use for assessing hip muscle morphology is increasing, with automated deep-learning techniques showing promise, studies assessing their accuracy are limited. Therefore, we aimed to compare hip intramuscular fat infiltrate (MFI) and muscle volume, in individuals with and without HRP as well as assess the reliability and accuracy of automated machine-learning segmentations compared with human-generated segmentation. This cross-sectional study included sub-elite/amateur football players (Australian football and soccer) with a greater than 6-month history of HRP [n = 180, average age 28.32, (standard deviation 5.88) years, 19% female] and a control group of sub-elite/amateur football players without pain [n = 48, 28.89 (6.22) years, 29% female]. Muscle volume and MFI of gluteus maximus, medius, minimis and tensor fascia latae were assessed using MRI. Associations between muscle volume and group were explored using linear regression models, controlling for body mass index, age, sport and sex. A convolutional neural network (CNN) machine-learning approach was compared with human-performed muscle segmentations in a subset of participants (n = 52) using intraclass correlation coefficients and Sorensen-Dice index. When considering adjusted estimates of muscle volume, there were significant differences observed between groups for gluteus medius (adjusted mean difference 23 858 mm3 [95% confidence interval 7563, 40 137]; p = 0.004) and tensor fascia latae (6660 mm3 [2440, 13 075]; p = 0.042). No differences were observed between groups for gluteus maximus (18 265 mm3 [-21 209, 50 782]; p = 0.419) or minimus (3893 mm3 [-2209, 9996]; p = 0.21). The CNN was trained for 30 000 iterations and assessed its accuracy and reliability on an independent testing dataset, achieving high segmentation accuracy (mean Sorenson-Dice index >0.900) and excellent muscle volume and MFI reliability (ICC2,1 > 0.900). The CNN outperformed manual raters, who had slightly lower interrater accuracy (Sorensen-Dice index >0.800) and reliability (ICC2,1 > 0.800). The increased muscle volumes in the symptomatic group compared with controls could be associated with increased myofibrillar size, sarcoplasmic hypertrophy or both. These changes may facilitate greater muscular efficiency for a given load, enabling the athlete to maintain their normal level of function. In addition, the CNNs for muscle segmentation was more efficient and demonstrated excellent reliability in comparison to manual segmentations.

Dance for Parkinson, multifaceted experiences of persons living with Parkinson’s Disease

Background Dance classes for people with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) are offered worldwide; however, further studies are needed to explore patients’ experiences of how dance affects well-being. Purpose To explore how Dance for Parkinson (Dance for PD) is experienced, and how it contributes to the well-being and health of participants in Sweden. Methods This qualitative study collected data from four focus groups. Participants were asked how dance classes impacted their well-being, and their ability to perform activities of daily life. The focus groups were recorded and transcribed. Data were analysed using content analysis, meaning units were coded, and codes were coalesced into categories from which themes were abstracted. Results Dance for PD provided a multifaceted experience related to social relationships, aesthetic context, feelings of wellbeing and the physical experience of dancing. The main theme contained four sub-themes: Connectedness, Pleasure and glamour, Well-being in mind and body and Customized movements. Conclusion The present study highlights that health and well-being are improved by Dance for PD. It is an enjoyable activity that meets the specific needs of persons living with the consequences of PD and should therefore be promoted by occupational therapists.

Psychometric Properties of the PLAYself in a Cohort of Secondary School Student-Athletes.

Physical literacy is the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge, and understanding, enabling individuals to value and take responsibility for engagement in physical activities for life. While tools exist to measure physical literacy in most populations, the psychometric properties of the Physical Literacy Assessment for Youth (PLAY) tool in an older adolescent age group are currently unknown. The purpose of this work was to determine the psychometric properties of the PLAY tool, specifically the PLAYself, in an older adolescent age group (~14-18 years). One hundred and fifty-one secondary school in-season student-athletes completed the PLAYself, with construct validity assessed using an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). Results from the EFA yielded a 7-factor model across the three subsections (environment, physical literacy self-description, relative rankings of literacies) of the PLAYself, all with acceptable levels of internal consistency. The PLAYself produced acceptable estimates for construct validity and reliability, making it a useful tool for measuring physical literacy in secondary school student-athletes.

A Camel-Fur-Inspired Micro-Extrusion Foaming Porous Elastic Fiber for All-Weather Dual-Mode Human Thermal Regulation.

Maintaining the stability of human body temperature is the basis of ensuring the normal life activities of witness, and the emergence of various functional clothing is committed to assisting the human body temperature in thermal comfort range in the changeable environment. However, achieve dual-mode thermal regulation for cooling and insulation on an integrated material without energy input and addition of functional particles has thus far been a huge challenge. Herein, a biomimetic camel-fur designed micro-extruded physically foamed porous elastic fiber (MEPF) using thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) elastomer as raw material is reported, and its dual-layered fabric (MEPFT-d) for effective personal thermal comfortable management at extreme temperature differences. Benefit from its micro-nano-pores structure, MEPFT-d represents radiate cooling capacity by high solar reflectance and emissivity, behaves low thermal conductivity delaying heat scattering, and promotes evaporative cooling by unidirectional water transport. These excellent properties ensure that MEPFT-d reduces heat loss in cold weather (7.2 °C higher than cotton) and blocks outside heat in hot weather (10.2 °C lower than cotton), which is suitable for various complex outdoor scenes. The cost-effectiveness and superior wearing comfort of this work provide innovative pathways for sustainable energy, smart textiles, and personal thermal comfort applications.