Specific Performance Tests Research Articles

Relationship between extremities in motor performance.

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between the extremities in different aspects of motor performance, including simple reaction time, choice reaction time, speed of movement, tapping speed, and coordination, i.e., speed of movement/accuracy. 186 healthy randomly selected right-handed subjects (93 men, 93 women; aged 21-70 years) were measured on a test battery of five tests for both hands and feet. Correlations between the extremities in motor performance were highest between hands (r=.71-.80, p<.001) or between feet (r=.57-.88, p<.001) depending on the complexity of response for all subjects. These relations remained at almost the same magnitude even when age was eliminated. Correlations between the upper and lower extremities were lower (r = .40-.62). Correlations between extremities were lower for one age group (21-30 years) than for all subjects (21-70 years). These results showed that the motor performance for the hands is not a very good indicator of the motor performance of the lower extremities, especially in a homogeneous age group, and it seems that the lower extremities should be studied with specific motor performance tests.

EFFECTS OF CARBOHYDRATE INGESTION ON SOCCER SPECIFIC SKILL TESTS PERFORMED IN THE HEAT 721

The effects of carbohydrate ingestion on the performance of soccer specific skills during a simulated match undertaken in hot humid conditions was evaluated. Subjects were six internationally competitive junior soccer players from the Australian Institute of Sport Soccer Team (16.8±0.5 yr; 75.8±7.1 kg; VO2peak = 56±3 ml·kg-1.min-1, mean ± SD). Subjects were familiarised with a battery of soccer-specific skill tests including a 20m sprint, ball dribbling, goal shooting, and 3 Acuvision™ tests which measured pro-action/reaction (PRO/REAC), visual concentration, and reaction time. Each subject completed 2 trials separated by one week during which these tests were performed before, during and after a 60-min treadmill protocol(=9.5 km) in hot humid conditions (32°C, 60% r.h.). The treadmill protocol was designed to simulate the typical exercise requirements of a soccer match, and consisted of exercise of varying intensities (5-19 km hr-1), with a change in running velocity each 15 sec. During each trial subjects consumed 1.6 L of either a carbohydrate-electrolyte (CHO) or an artificially sweetened electrolyte (PLACEBO) drink tested in a randomised counterbalanced order. Mean total sweat loss (=2.8 L) did not differ between trials. Blood glucose concentrations were significantly higher following the CHO trial (P= 0.03), although mean glucose concentrations remained above pre-exercise levels during the placebo trial. All subjects reported that they felt and performed better during the CHO trial. Despite a perception of fatigue following the treadmill run, there were no significant decrements in soccer specific performance tests with either trial with the exception of PRO/REAC scores which were significantly lower on the PLACEBO trial (50.5±4.0 v 52.2±3.2; P = 0.04). Additional research is required to understand the effects of CHO on soccer performance in hot humid conditions.

Analysis and interpretation of neuropsychologic tests in cardiac surgery

Neuropsychologic assessment in the context of cardiac surgery is constrained by the clinical time available to see patients, and as such test selection needs to be carefully planned. Besides the time limitations, it differs from clinical neuropsychologic assessment primarily because it tends to involve at least two assessments, a comparison with performance before operation, and a limited number of tests. The analysis and design issues involved in both incidence studies and intervention studies are discussed in this article. Incidence studies customarily involve a single group assessed on at least two occasions and are designed to identify the numbers of individuals who show clear evidence of neuropsychologic changes after a cardiac operation. Intervention studies involve at least two groups where one factor (eg, surgical equipment) is varied systematically. The research on neuropsychologic deficits after cardiac operations has progressed from incidence studies, which involve a conventional definition of deficit, to intervention studies, in which specific test performance can be compared.

The effect of rater variables in the development of an occupation-specific language performance test

There has been little research into the effect of raters' background on assessments made in language tests. This article explores the effect that the rater's occupational and linguistic background has on assessments made in an occupation-specific oral language test, the Japanese Language Test for Tour Guides. Assessments of 51 test candidates made by 33 such assessors, including native and near-native speakers of Japanese with backgrounds either in teaching Japanese as a foreign language or in tour guiding in Japanese, were compared in order to determine what effect background has on assessments made on both linguistic and 'real-world' criteria. Multifaceted Rasch analysis was used, as this allows a range of facets to be modelled; for the purposes of this research we were interested in the facet 'raters', and in particular how the scale was applied for each of the assessment categories. These were then compared across the different types of rater. While differences were found in the assessments according to rater type, these were minor and did not point to the unsuitability of any group as a whole; there were no significant differences between the different types of rater in terms of the overall grade awarded. However, there were significant differences in ratings awarded for some individual criteria, and the fact that these reveal different perceptions of what constitutes good performances has obvious implications not only for the selection and training of raters for occupation- specific language performance tests but also for the development of assess ment procedures.

Critical review of international standards for respiratory protective equipment - II. Gas and vapor removal efficiency and fit testing.

The purpose of a Respiratory Protective Equipment (R.P.E.) standard is to assure that a minimum level of performance is reached by the respirator. Standards from a number of countries and standards organizations require that certain specifications are met in construction and that respirators be evaluated by specific performance tests. This is the second of three critical review papers related to respirator standards. We here summarize in tabular form, compare and critically review how the different countries or standards organizations test respirators designed for protection against gases and vapors for leakage due to improper fitting of the respirator facepiece and gas and vapor removal efficiency of the cartridge/canister. Two general aspects as they relate to removal capacity testing are discussed. The first issue deals with the selection of test gases and vapors that best represent the sorptive behavior of a class or group of compounds. The second issue deals with the extrapolation of laboratory testing under rigidly specified conditions to conditions of actual use. Fit testing varies from country to country. The fit testing conditions specified in the various standards are summarized along with a discussion of test material selection, the test panel selection, and the range of controlled test activities.

Critical Review of International Standards for Respiratory Protective Equipment — II. Gas and Vapor Removal Efficiency and Fit Testing

The purpose of a Respiratory Protective Equipment (R.P.E.) standard is to assure that a minimum level of performance is reached by the respirator. Standards from a number of countries and standards organizations require that certain specifications are met in construction and that respirators be evaluated by specific performance tests. This is the second of three critical review papers related to respirator standards. We here summarize in tabular form, compare and critically review how the different countries or standards organizations test respirators designed for protection against gases and vapors for leakage due to improper fitting of the respirator facepiece and gas and vapor removal efficiency of the cartridge/canister. Two general aspects as they relate to removal capacity testing are discussed. The first issue deals with the selection of test gases and vapors that best represent the sorptive behavior of a class or group of compounds. The second issue deals with the extrapolation of laboratory testing under rigidly specified conditions to conditions of actual use. Fit testing varies from country to country. The fit testing conditions specified in the various standards are summarized along with a discussion of test material selection, the test panel selection, and the range of controlled test activities.

On theories, taxonomies, and models as communication codes for organizing information.

Theories, taxonomies, models, and schemes for information classification and retrieval all can be evaluated from the viewpoint of communication theory, by their performance characteristics as languages or codes for organizing information. Specific performance tests for any theory include its organizing power, predictive range, average error margin, economy of categories, operating rules and social cost of adoption, originality, fruitfulness, and probability of transcending itself. Here examples are given from current theories of nationalism, power, and value.

Vitamin Content of Margarine

The whisker system is an important sensory organ with extensive neural representations in the brain of the mouse. Patterned neural modules (barrelettes) in the ipsilateral principal sensory nucleus of the trigeminal nerve (PrV) correspond to the whiskers. Axons of the PrV barrelette neurons cross the midline and confer the whisker-related patterning to the contralateral ventroposteromedial nucleus of the thalamus, and subsequently to the cortex. In this way, specific neural modules called barreloids and barrels in the contralateral thalamus and cortex represent each whisker. Partial midline crossing of the PrV axons, in a conditional Robo3 mutant (<i>Robo3^R3–5cKO</i>) mouse line, leads to the formation of bilateral whisker maps in the ventroposteromedial, as well as the barrel cortex. We used voltage-sensitive dye optical imaging and somatosensory and motor behavioral tests to characterize the consequences of bifacial maps in the thalamocortical system. Voltage-sensitive dye optical imaging verified functional, bilateral whisker representation in the barrel cortex and activation of distinct cortical loci following ipsilateral and contralateral stimulation of the specific whiskers. The mutant animals were comparable with the control animals in sensorimotor tests. However, they showed noticeable deficits in all of the whisker-dependent or -related tests, including Y-maze exploration, horizontal surface approach, bridge crossing, gap crossing, texture discrimination, floating in water, and whisking laterality. Our results indicate that bifacial maps along the thalamocortical system do not offer a functional advantage. Instead, they lead to impairments, possibly due to the smaller size of the whisker-related modules and interference between the ipsilateral and contralateral whisker representations in the same thalamus and cortex. <b>SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT</b> The whisker sensory system plays a quintessentially important role in exploratory behavior of mice and other nocturnal rodents. Here, we studied a novel mutant mouse line, in which the projections from the brainstem to the thalamus are disrupted. This led to formation of bilateral whisker maps in both the thalamus and the cortex. The two whisker maps crowd in a space normally devoted to the contralateral map alone and in a nonoverlapping fashion. Stimulation of the whiskers on either side activates the corresponding region of the map. Mice with bilateral whisker maps perform well in general sensorimotor tasks but show poor performance in specific tests that require whisker-dependent tactile discrimination. These observations indicate that contralateral, instead of bilateral, representation of the sensory space plays a critical role in acuity and fine discrimination during somesthesis.