Coordination Skills Research Articles

Public Health Physicians; Preventive Medicine Specialists Perpetually Confined To Management And Administration

A medical specialty constitutes a branch of medical practice, in furtherance of medical education focused on groups of patients, diseases, skills, or philosophy acquired after a multiple-year residency, pursued after completion of medical school education. Specialist training in Ghana, typically state-sponsored, is aimed to ensure availability of highly skilled doctors to boost a currently sparse population of medical specialists who typically function in new professional capacities after post graduate training as specialists or consultants; this attracts higher remuneration. Public Health specialists, unlike clinical specialists, face a career, (refutablythough) defined by an unclear professional job description coupled with ambiguous professional expectations. A reliable escape from this conundrum remains that of application for public health advertised jobs that are inextricably linked to management that willbe competed for with other staff of varied backgrounds. This, by deduction, implies that Public Health specialists in the Ghana Health Service have no technical/professional job descriptions aside that of management which largely otherwise continues to define them. Management is inherently not entirely professional/technical as it essentially constitutes a responsibility that other cadre of varied professional backgrounds with recognized organizational and coordination skills can perform. The possible risk of inadvertent human resource underutilization should be averted through development of specific professional job descriptions for all public health practitioners of varying backgrounds in the health service.

Comparison of the Physical Fitness Profile of Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Athletes with Reference to Training Experience.

Background: In combat sports, successful competition and training require comprehensive motor fitness. The aim of this study was to diagnose the level of physical fitness and to determine the level of differences between athletes of combat sports characterized by stand-up fighting, such as Muay Thai; and ground fighting, such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Methods: The study examined and compared 30 participants divided into two equal groups: Muay Thai athletes (n = 15; age: 24.24 ± 3.24; body height: 174.91 ± 5.19; body weight: 77.56 ± 7.3), and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) (n = 15; age: 22.82 ± 1.81; body height: 175.72 ± 7.03; body weight: 77.11 ± 8.12). Basic characteristics of the somatic build were measured. Selected manifestations of the motor potential of motor skills were also evaluated using selected tests from the EUROFIT test battery, the International Test of Physical Fitness, and computer tests of coordination skills. Relative strength and maximal anaerobic work (MAW) indices were calculated. The strength of the relationship between the effect of motor fitness and training experience was also assessed. Results: The athletes of both groups (Muay Thai and BJJ) presented similar levels of basic characteristics of the somatic build. Motor fitness in the tested groups showed significant differences between the athletes of these sports in static strength (p = 0.010), relative strength (p = 0.006), arm muscle strength in pull-ups (p = 0.035), and functional strength in bent arm hanging (p = 0.023). Higher levels of these components of motor fitness were found for the athletes in the BJJ athletes. In the Muay Thai group, significant very high strength of association was found between training experience and five strength tests. Furthermore, a significantly high strength of association was found in two tests. In the BJJ group, significant relationships with very high correlation were found between the variables in five strength tests. Conclusions: Brazilian jiu-jitsu athletes performed better in strength tests (static strength, relative strength, shoulder girdle strength, functional strength). High correlations between the training load and the level of physical fitness were found in flexibility and strength tests in BJJ athletes and most strength tests in Muay Thai athletes.

Put Your Finger on it: The role of Explicit Cognitive Strategies in Laparoscopic Surgery.

This brief commentary highlights the importance of understanding the nature of explicit strategy (or heuristic) use in laparoscopic surgery including why such strategies might be useful and/or necessary in the first place. The use of strategies and other tricks warrants careful experimental investigation to determine their precise impact, and how they can be most effectively leveraged to improve surgical training. Experienced laparoscopic surgeons are familiar with the unsettling phenomenon of making a particular instrument movement (or sequence of movements), only to find that the movement of the instrument tip deviates greatly from their intention. In laparoscopic surgery, at least in complex laparoscopic surgery where the relationship between the camera and instrument ports can vary widely, these surprises can happen frequently. A common example occurs when the laparoscope faces the operator and, although upward hand motion produces the expected downward deflection of the instrument tip (reflective of the normal sensorimotor mapping in laparoscopic surgical contexts), leftward motion produces leftward tip motion and rightward motion produces rightward tip motion. Contending with this mismatch can be challenging for the surgeon. The surgeon is often so absorbed in the laparoscopic image as to feel completely present “within” the laparoscopic domain, oblivious to the screen to the extent that they may reposition their head to look behind a structure. The surgeon must deliberately shift their frame of reference to the outside world by pressing the abdominal wall with their finger at the location they want the instrument tip to go. Applying pressure to the abdominal wall with one’s hand seems to recruit proprioception as another source of information for “where things are.” The technique has the added benefit of bringing degrees of freedom from beyond the instrument, effectively delivering tissue to the instrument rather than having the instrument find the tissue; it is a subtle but powerful technique. This simple action seemingly provides both proprioceptive information and a useful visual reference that can improve target localization and simplify the motor control task. “Stop looking at the screen and look at the patient for a moment” can be a useful admonition. Ask “where do you want the instrument to go?” In surgery, useful tricks like this are called “heuristics.” In the scientific field of motor learning, they are called “explicit cognitive strategies,” which are thought to augment slower, implicit forms of learning in the motor system that tend to occur below the purview of conscious awareness.1 For example, prism goggles that shift the entire visual field to the right by a few degrees perturb the normal relationship between movements and the resulting sensory feedback.2 This change in the sensorimotor mapping immediately causes movement errors. Over successive attempts, the motor system gradually recalibrates this mapping so that movements become accurate once again—a process known as “sensorimotor adaptation.”3 When the shift or perturbation is large enough and human subjects become aware of it, they can volitionally compensate for the perturbation by using an explicit aiming strategy (eg, “If I aim to the left, I’ll be on target”). More generally, there is evidence that explicit strategies can serve as “instructional nudges” during the learning of new motor skills, helping to scaffold lower-level processes of motor skill acquisition and consolidation.4 For this reason, incorporating information about these and other related strategies into training programs could help reduce the learning curve for acquiring the complex hand-eye coordination skills needed for laparoscopic surgery. Although surgical expertise has been the topic of considerable experimental and theoretical investigation,5,6 there are a number of important aspects of skilled surgical performance that remain unexplored.7 This brief commentary highlights the importance of understanding the nature of explicit strategy (or heuristic) use in laparoscopic surgery including why such strategies might be useful and/or necessary in the first place. Second, if strategy use confers performance benefits, there is an important need to document these strategies as well as the specific contexts in which they are useful so that this information can be communicated consistently to trainees. Finally, the use of strategies and other tricks warrants careful experimental investigation to determine their precise impact, and how they can be most effectively leveraged to improve surgical training.

Local Officials’ Perceptions of Climate Victim Management Challenges on Bangladesh’s Southeast Coast

In Bangladesh, extreme weather events displace about one million people each year. The national government resettles these climate victims by allocating houses in so-called cluster villages. This paper examines how local disaster management officials manage the resettlement of climate victims in Bangladesh’s coastal areas. For this paper, we conducted a preliminary field work, questionnaire survey, and informal phone interviews. The questionnaire survey was conducted from March to July 2020 among 70 central government civil servants who worked as disaster management officials and played a pivotal role in local decision making for climate victim resettlement. This paper first examines how national disaster response policies were implemented in local areas before, during, and after disasters. Our questionnaire survey results show five management challenges local officials faced in managing displaced people: (1) local officials’ limited onsite experience, (2) varied impacts of natural disasters on islands and the mainland, (3) arbitrary engagement in disaster response actions, (4) lack of evacuation drills, and (5) weak coordination skills among relevant stakeholders. In particular, these challenges were acute among island officials. Our multiple regression analyses show that the respondents’ age and onsite work experience (p < 0.05) significantly affected their perceptions. Overall, these findings suggest a need to drastically improve local disaster governance capacity. This study offers insights into how countries with similar challenges may respond to climate-induced displacement in the future.

The Effect of Fatigue on Soccer Players’ Coordination Abilities

Background: Coaches must translate what has occurred in the match into training activities which are linked to these guidelines. This must be done in such a way that they can be executed again in the matches, most coaches do not reach the final step, they do not reach further than creating general training exercises, which hardly have any relation to problems that occurred in the match, fatigue is one of the main problems which effect on performance skills and other variables, nonetheless, co-ordination abilities during matches and high intensity exercise are still controversial. Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of acutely induced fatigue on soccer players ‘coordination skills Methods: , The researcher used quasi-experimental method and conducted the study on a purposive sample (S) of (11) eleven experienced elite male soccer players performed three co-ordination abilities tests (dribbling 30 seconds, weight passing correctly to specified distance 15,25,35 m, and short dribbling test) prior to and after the implementation of an intensive and intermittent exercise protocol. In order to process the data T-test was used, the results revealed significant difference between pre-test and post-test values of co-ordination abilities test scores (p<0.01). Heart rate before the shooting test was HR (89.28 ±4.03) bmp, and heart rate after fatigue was measured at (174.39±12.24) bmp. Results: The results confirmed the study hypothesis regarding the negative influence of fatigue on co-ordination abilities (rhythm, differentiation, orientation). Conclusion: It is concluded that coaches should train the players under exertion condition to decrease the effects of fatigue on co-ordination abilities level. Keywords: co-ordination abilities , orientation, Differentiation, Rhythm, fatigue protocol

Improving Coordinative Skills In 4th Grades Students Through Additional Programs Taught Online

The present study aims to improve coordination skills in fourth grade students, through additional programs conducted online. The present paper starts from the premise that by expanding the opportunities to practice exercises specific to motor coordination, their level of manifestation would improve significantly. In this sense, we made exercise programs that were taught online, their presentation being made through various videos, video clips, active video games, illustrative images and presentations using Microsoft Office Power Point, accompanied by theoretical explanations to make them better understand the exercise as well as the role of each movement in its development. The analysis of the results found that students who benefited from additional programs taught online had in addition to a better development of coordination skills, a greater willingness to practice exercise independently and an ease in understanding and performing various activities taught.

Determining the level of physical fitness of law enforcement officers in European countries: a comparative analysis

The article argues that the proper level of physical fitness of law enforcement officers is a necessary condition for professional readiness for effective performance of official duties related to public safety and order, detention of offenders, countering attacks by armed and aggressive individuals. The analysis of normative documents and scientific works, which highlight the features of determining the level of physical fitness of law enforcement officers of foreign countries, the requirements for the level of physical fitness of candidates for service in the police and practitioners. It has been established that foreign police units accept citizens with secondary education, proper physical and mental health, and a sufficient level of physical fitness. Training is preceded by competitive selection, which includes, among other things, a number of physical exercises. There is a lack of consensus on the criteria for assessing the level of physical fitness. It has been found that most of the most significant physical qualities are tested, but the evaluation criteria differ. It was found that in addition to performing well-known control exercises, including running and gymnastic exercises, preference is given to practical exercises. During the selection of candidates for service in the police of Western Europe, the level of development of endurance, coordination skills, speed, agility and speed and strength abilities is tested; in the countries of Eastern Europe - the level of development of speed, agility, strength, endurance. It is established that the organization of physical training of police officers of foreign countries has a special focus, provides for the formation of special applied skills, implementation of combat techniques, modeling situations of forcible detention of offenders. Due attention is paid to sports and mass work. Prospects for further research are to study the issue of assessing the level of physical fitness of law enforcement officers, taking into account gender.

Strength and VO2max Changes by Exercise Training According to Maturation State in Children.

The health benefits of physical activity (PA) are widely recognized; however, biological maturation contributions are a subject that has been little studied, which is why the aim of this study was to analyze the effect of a six-week training program at moderate-intensity on the muscular strength and aerobic capacity in children between nine and 13 years (13 ± 1.0 years) according to their maturation state. Twenty-six schoolchildren (15 girls) participated in a six-week physical exercise program based on aerobic/anaerobic capacity and coordination skills. Maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), trunk-lift, push-ups, curl-ups, and handgrip strength (both hands) were measured as response variables. Body mass index (BMI), skeletal maturity indicator (SMI), peak height velocity (PHV), age on peak height velocity (APHV) and sex were considered as covariates. The results of VO2max, push-ups, curl-ups, and handgrip strength were higher after the exercise program in the whole group (p < 0.05). The VO2max showed a greater increase in the normal-weight than in the overweight-obesity children (p = 0.001). Higher results in dominant handgrip strength were observed in girls (p = 0.003). The PHV before intervention presented a positive correlation with the dominant handgrip strength in all kids (r = 0.70, p = 0.001). As a conclusion, the six-week training program improved the physical fitness of children independent of the maturation state. Somatic maturation increases the physical abilities in schoolchildren.

Associations Between Gross Motor Coordination and Executive Functions: Considering the Sex Difference in Chinese Middle-Aged School Children.

Considering that motor and cognitive processes are intertwined and inhibit or help each other throughout life and that primary school age is one of the most critical stages of children's cognitive and motor development, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between executive functions and gross motor skills in Chinese children aged 9–10 years, as well as gender differences. The flanker task, the 1-back task, the more-odd shifting task, and the test of gross motor coordination (Körperkoordinationtest für Kinder) were used to collect data on executive functions and gross motor coordination. The results were as follows. First, there was a weak association between gross motor coordination and the inhibition reaction time in the congruent test and the reaction time of working memory (r = −0.181 to −0.233), but no association was found between gross motor coordination and cognitive flexibility. Second, a weak-to-moderate correlation was presented between the move sideways test and the inhibition reaction time in the congruent test and the reaction time in the refreshing test of the working memory (r = −0.211 to −0.330). Finally, gender influenced on the relationship between gross motor coordination and the reaction time of both inhibition (βGender = −0.153, p < 0.05) and working memory (βGender = −0.345, p < 0.01). To conclude, our results suggest that children with better motor coordination skills require less reaction time, especially girls, and this association was more substantial than in boys. The finding supports the current assertion that there are commonalities between gross motor coordination and cognitive control by showing the relationship between gross motor coordination and complex cognitive processes (executive function) in preadolescent children.

961 ‘WE CARE!’: CARE WORKERS’ SELF-PERCEIVED MEANING OF RESIDENTIAL AGED CARE WORK

Abstract Introduction Aged care workers in residential care homes of the elderly (RCHEs) are socially devalued as less skilled, low-paid, and doing ‘dirty work’. Care workers’ insider experiences with the meaning of residential aged care work are largely absent from the community and the literature. Method A qualitative study was conducted to examine the self-perceived meaning of work (MOW) among care workers in RCHEs in Hong Kong, an East Asian metropolis with a rapidly aging population, and unique socio-cultural meanings of elderly care. Adopting the Grounded Theory Method, in-depth interviews with 27 care workers in 6 RCHEs were conducted. Results Findings suggest that regardless of the job requirements of carrying out ‘dirty tasks’ and shared experiences of public devaluations, RCHE care workers find positive meanings in their work including: contributing to the greater good of helping the elderly; establishing meaningful relationships; forming a professional identity of geriatric care; achieving personal growth; ensuring job security and benefits in the aged care job market. Care workers find their work meaningful primarily because it is essential to maintain the elderly’s health and quality of life, which echoes with the Chinese cultural values of ‘accumulating fortune’ and ‘respecting the elderly’. Engaging in residential care work allows care workers to build long-term relationships with the elderly, through which they found joys and knowledge of life such as letting go. Care workers propose that geriatric care is highly skillful and professional, requiring communication, coordination, and chronic illness care skills. Care workers identify several inhibitors of attaining MOW, including heavy workloads, manpower shortage, and dehumanizing bureaucratic practices. Conclusion Care workers offer counter-narratives of public devaluation and reframe the meaning of care work in RCHEs. These findings have broader implications on policy, professional, and education interventions in promoting the public recognition of aged care work. The work described in this paper was fully supported by a grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (UGC/FDS16/M12/20).

Dynamics of Cadets' Physical Fitness in the Process of Arm Wrestling

The article examines the impact of arm wrestling on the level of cadets' physical fitness during their training. The research involved male cadets of the Odessa Military Academy. We formed two groups of cadets to achieve the aim of the research: the experimental (EG) and the control (CG) groups. The EG included cadets who were engaged in arm wrestling during their sporting and mass participation events at the academy (n = 36), and the CG included cadets who were engaged in sporting and mass participation events in compliance with the traditional training methods (n = 36). The level of development of strength qualities was studied according to the following tests: pull-ups on the horizontal bar, hip pull-overs on the horizontal bar, breast-ups on the horizontal bar, kettlebell jerks weighing 24 kg, dip-ups on the parallel bars, push-ups. The speed was studied according to the results of the 100 m run, agility and coordination skills – according to the test on the obstacle course (400 m); endurance – according to the results of the 3 km run. A significantly (p ≤ 0.001) better level of strength development in the EG cadets was revealed at the end of the experiment, compared to the CG cadets, according to the results of all strength exercises. The EG cadets also showed better indicators than the CG cadets according to the tests that characterize other motor qualities (100 m run, overcoming the obstacle course, 3 km run), but the difference was insignificant (p ˃ 0.05).

Розвиток координаційних здібностей дзюдоїстів 8-10 років з використанням спеціальних вправ та сучасних технологій

Purpose: to investigate the dynamics of development of coordination abilities of judoists 8-10 years old using special exercises and modern technologies. Material and methods. The following methods were used in the study: analysis of scientific and methodological literature, pedagogical testing, pedagogical experiment, methods of mathematical statistics. The experimental study involved 16 of judoists of 8-10 years of initial training groups (8 athletes in the control and experimental groups). At the beginning and end of the pedagogical experiment, which lasted 6 months, pedagogical testing was conducted using 8 test exercises. Results: аs part of the study, the training process of the experimental group of judoists aged 8-10 included special exercises using modern technology, such as the balancing platform BOSU, fitballs, stepladders and others to develop the coordination skills of judoists. After the experiment, there was a statistically significant difference between the results of athletes of the experimental and control groups in test exercises that characterize the ability to balance: the Flamingo test decreased the number of attempts by 13,0 % in the experimental group compared with the control group (p &lt;0,01); according to the test «Statistical equilibrium according to the method of Bondarevsky with open eyes» in the experimental group during the experiment the increase was 31,6 %, in the control – 10,7 % (p &lt;0,01). The best results were found in the ability to maintain dynamic balance on the gymnastic bench: athletes in the experimental group increased by 11,9 % (p&lt;0,001), and in the control group - by 4,8 %. It is necessary to note the improvement of the quality of overcoming the distance in the test «Walking to the goal» in the judokas of the experimental group. The results of the test «Three overturns» in judoists of the experimental group significantly increased by 9,7 %. Conclusions. The selection of special exercises with the use of modern technologies for the development of coordination abilities of judokas aged 8-10, aimed at the formation of certain coordination skills and their integrated development. The offered special exercises with the use of modern technologies, such as the balancing platform BOSU, fitballs, coordination ladders and others, allow you to develop spatial orientation, coordination of movements, interaction with objects and other athletes. This is evidenced by the results of comparing the averages obtained at the beginning and end of the pedagogical study, which showed a statistically significant difference between them. Keywords: judostas, coordination skills, special exercises, modern technology.

Effect of the Complex Exercises in Hemsball on Attention and Coordinative Skills of Adolescents with Hearing Loss

Introduction: In this study the objective was to determine the effects of the complex exercises in hemsball on the attention and coordinative skills among adolescents with hearing loss.Method: 20 hearing-impaired students were divided into two groups as experimental and control. A training program consisting of the complex exercises in hemsball was applied to adolescents with hearing loss for one hour, three days per week, for a period of 10 weeks. Bourdon Attention Test, Simple Reaction Time Test and balance test of Bruininks-Oseretsky Motor Profiency (BOT-2) motor competence sub-items and Alternate Hand Wall Toss Test for hand-eye coordination measurements were utilized for data collection. In the analysis of the data, descriptive statistics and two factor analysis of variance for repeated measures were used for the difference between pre-test and post-test average values for each group.Findings: While significant effect of complex exercises in hemsball on attention, hand-eye coordination, balance and reaction test (dominant hand) was observed in the experimental group, no significant difference was noted in the mean values of the reaction test (non-dominant hand).Discussion: It is especially important to develop and promote exercise programs tailored to the needs of adolescents with hearing loss with attention and coordination issues.Conclusion: The complex hemsball exercises indicated in this study should be considered as an alternative game for adolescent with hearing loss in terms of attention, focus and concentration, hand-eye-foot coordination, balance and reaction time.

Застосування комплексів спеціально підібраних вправ у підготовці тенісистів 6-7 років

Purpose: to determine the change in physical and technical fitness of 6-7-year-old tennis players with the help of complexes of specially selected exercises. Material and methods: 12 young tennis players from Kharkiv took part in the research. Sports experience of sportsmen is 1-2 years. Classes were held 8 hours a week. To determine the current level of physical fitness, test exercises are selected: running in three directions “Fan”; run 18 m (s); long jump from the place (cm); throwing a tennis ball into the target 3m, 6m, 9m (number of hits); shuttle run 10 m per 3 times (s); slopes forward standing on the gymnastic ladder (cm). In the technical training test exercises were as follows: stuffing the ball with a bounce from the racket down, stuffing the ball with a bounce from the racket up, stuffing the ball with a racket without bouncing off the floor, game to hold the ball without error, game to hold m ' diagonal ball on the right without error, game to hold the ball diagonally on the left without error, serving from the bottom with 10 attempts. The study was conducted in two stages. At the first stage, exercises were selected for the development of speed, speed, strength, coordination skills, dexterity, which formed a set of exercises for physical training of young tennis players. In the technical training, specially selected exercises took into account the parallel improvement of hitting technique and the development of a sense of ball, rhythm, differentiation of efforts, coordination of movements, spatial orientation. At the second stage, a formative pedagogical experiment was conducted using the developed sets of specially selected exercises in the training process and changes in the results of test exercises were determined. Results: The need to find new, more effective, means and methods of training in modern tennis is confirmed. Drawing up individual programs and sets of specially selected exercises will help increase the training of tennis players. The current level of physical and technical fitness of tennis players is established and complexes of specially selected exercises are determined. Significant changes in the results of physical fitness were determined, except for indicators in the forward tilt p&gt;0.05. Reliable results were also obtained in technical training, except for stuffing the ball with a racket without bouncing off the floor p&gt;0.05. Conclusions: using the presented complexes of specially selected exercises positively influenced the changes in physical and technical fitness indicators, which allows recommending 6-7-year-old tennis players in the training process.

The Effects of Virtual Reality Nonphysical Mental Training on Coordination and Skill Transfer in Healthy Adults

Mental training is a promising method to improve motor skills. However, transfer of these improvements to different skills or functional activities is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of mental balance training programs on motor coordination and skill transfer. Randomized controlled trial. Fifty-seven healthy adults (28 females and 29 males) aged between 18 and 25years participated in this study. Participants were randomly assigned to 3 groups: virtual reality (VR) mental training group, conventional mental training group, and control group. The training program included action observation and motor imagery practice with balance exercise videos. The VR mental training group trained with a VR head-mounted display and the conventional mental training group trained with a nonimmersive computer monitor for 30 minutes, 3 days per week, for 4 weeks. Coordination skills were tested with 2 separate custom-made obstacle course tests (OCT-1 and OCT-2). OCT tests included crouching, turning, leaning, stepping over, changing direction, walking on various surfaces, or using repeated hand and arm movement tasks. OCT-1 was used to investigate the effects of mental exercises on coordination skills, and OCT-2 to investigate transfer effects for novel tasks. Test time (total and corrected) and error types (minor, major, and total) were recorded. Touching an obstacle without changing its position was classified as a minor error, and changing its position was a major error. OCT-1 test time and number of errors significantly decreased in the VR mental training and conventional mental training groups, but not in the control group. The number of minor errors was only decreased in the VR mental training group. For OCT-2, total and corrected time were not significantly different between the groups. However, both training groups were significantly superior to the control group for all types of errors. Our findings suggest that both training interventions can significantly improve coordination and skill transfer test results. In addition, VR mental training may have some advantages over conventional mental training. These findings are promising for the use of mental training for prevention and rehabilitation in special populations.

An Anatomy and Physiology Course for Engineers Involving the “Design” of Integrated, Anatomically Unique Creatures

OverviewThis abstract focuses on a distinctive group project in an introductory anatomy and physiology course for upper‐year undergraduate and graduate engineering students.BackgroundEngineering students in the traditional fields of mechanical, chemical and electrical engineering solve problems and analyze systems by drawing upon fundamental knowledge in chemistry or physics, where processes tend to be well‐defined and well‐characterized. In the field of biology, processes may be characterized, but have a greater degree of variance and a nomenclature unfamiliar to many engineers. Learning the fundamentals of anatomy and physiology in the context of systems to understand, characterize, and design, can be helpful to engineers who lack a background in biology. Upper year engineers are also experienced working in groups as many courses require collaboration in design and would benefit from group work as it relates to anatomy and physiology.Objective and hypothesisThe objective of this course, and its core project, was to enable engineers to engage with anatomy and physiology content in a way that promoted their learning of the material, while utilizing their unique analytical approach and leveraging their advanced design and project management skills. We hypothesized that students would gain a deep understanding of anatomy and physiology through the design of a creature – building on their engineering skills and integrating their anatomy knowledge across the 11 human body systems.Project descriptionThe centerpiece of the project involved defining a creature that could survive in an environment of the students’ choosing. Each project group chose a body system, and collaborated with adjacent body systems to create one cohesive, integrated organism over the term. The project was executed in groups of 4‐5 students, including at least one graduate student. Deliverables consisted of a presentation, visual representation, written report, and individual reflection. All design choices needed to be scientifically consistent with anatomical and physiological systems. The visual representation could be a physical object, digital rendering, or drawing – anything that assisted in the understanding of the system and creature.Students were asked to consider the following key questions in order to promote the discovery of needs and requirements by the engineering students (part of the engineering design process). (1) What does the environment that the creature lives in look like? (2) What does a complex living organism with body systems look like in this environment? (3) What adaptations are needed by the creature for the environment that they live in? (4) How do the various body systems interact with each other?Project impactSince the project was one of fantasy, rooted in logical and scientifically sound justification, this allowed the engineers to think beyond the technical constraints that are usually imposed on them. Many groups were inspired by a variety of organisms and engineering systems. In their individual reflections, many students described the project to be creative, humorous, and challenging. They also described that the project enhanced their understanding of body systems and further developed their skills in coordination and communication (owing to coordination between groups when working on the integrated organism). Overall, this project provided an effective learning opportunity for the students and a memorable way to interact with this previously unfamiliar topic.

The Effects of Concussions on Batting Performance in Major League Baseball Players: A Critically Appraised Topic.

Clinical Scenario: The impact of concussion in baseball athletes is far reaching although typically less studied than collision sports. The neuromotor sequelae of these injuries can have lasting effects on the high level of coordination needed in baseball skills. In professional athletes, the long-term effects of concussion combined with the high demands for performance can potentially shorten athletes' careers. Clinical Question: Do Major League Baseball players who have had a concussion compared with those with no history of concussions have decreased batting performance after they return to full participation? Summary of Key Findings: Seven articles meeting criteria for level 2 evidence were identified in this critically appraised topic. Four of 7 studies found deficits in batting performance following concussion. However, the 3 studies that did not identify differences lacked a comparative control group. Clinical Bottom Line: Evidence supports a relationship between concussion and decreased batting performance. This suggests there is a demand for screening and rehabilitation strategies aimed at improving sport-specific neuromotor and coordination skills in these individuals. Strength of Recommendation: Collectively, the body of evidence included to answer the clinical question aligns with the strength of recommendation of B.

VIDEO GAMES AND VIOLENCE: THE ONSLAUGHT ON YOUNG MINDS

VIDEO GAMES AND VIOLENCE: THE ONSLAUGHT ON YOUNG MINDS

Perception of the Special Troops (Commando) Soldiers Regarding Physical Fitness, Motor Control and Psychological Skills

Physical fitness and motor skills are considered important attributes for the military, affecting their professional performance. The high physical and psychological demand that the special forces are subjected to requires the acquisition of a set of volitional skills such as resilience, effort, perseverance, or resistance to frustration, which are worthy of further research. This study aimed to analyse the perception of the special troops (commandos) in physical fitness, motor control and psychological skills. A total of 35 male soldiers that ended the commando recruit training program (21.69 ± 2.36 years old) were investigated. A questionnaire was applied to verify differences in perception of physical fitness, motor capacity, physical effort and military training during recruit training according to age, education, work experience and sports background. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the participants. All data collected were analysed using IBM-SPSS Statistics, version 24. Our results revealed differences in the importance given to the training of motor skills within military training (χ2 = 19.284; p = 0.023), conditional motor skills – speed (χ2 = 17.378; p = 0.043), coordinative motor skills—motor control (χ2 = 20.616; p = 0.014), psychological skills in a military context (χ2 = 13.730; p = 0.008), volitional skills—resistance to frustration (χ2 = 21.568; p = 0.043) and volitional skills—psychological resistance (χ2 = 29.144; p = 0.004). The participants highlighted the importance of instructors having scientific knowledge in physical education to provide military physical training to be better prepared for this purpose. We concluded that motor skills and psychological abilities tend to be equally important in the context of military training. Physical fitness and motor skill development can be considered essential in military training for most of the inquired participants.

Diminished coordination skills may predispose injury to lesser toe fractures—a pilot study

Diminished coordination skills may predispose injury to lesser toe fractures—a pilot study