Psycho-Motor Skills in Swimming Among Children: Gender Differences

Psychomotricity is a broad term that encompasses different approaches to bodily action to support children and adolescents to reach their highest motor and cognitive potential. The aim of the study was to highlight gender differences in the manifestation of psychomotor behaviors in 8–9-year-old children who practice sports swimming. The subjects (N=52, 26 males, 26 females) are children aged 8.0-9.11 years (M = 8.80; SD = ±0.65) who practice swimming in one of the swimming pools of a city in Romania. They were tested, using specific instruments, to assess the level of manual dexterity, body schema, hand laterality, body balance, body balance on water/buoyancy, general coordination. For four of the variables (manual dexterity, body schema, hand laterality and spatial orientation) no statistically significant differences were found, while for the other three (body balance, body balance on water and general coordination) statistically significant differences were recorded. The results indicate differences between the two genders, girls in this age group who practice swimming having more developed psychomotor skills compared to boys.</em

Dropout and compliance to physical exercise in menopausal osteopenic women: the European “happy bones” project

IntroductionDecline in muscle mass and bone density seem to be two of the most disabling side effects of menopause that negatively affect women's quality of life. Promoting physical activity protocols in the workplace can represent a focal point in the prevention and management of several diseases. The study aims to evaluate the compliance and drop-out of menopausal osteopenic women engaged in combined training performed inside and outside the workplace. Strength and balance were analyzed to evaluate the effect of this protocol on osteoporosis prevention and the risk of falling.Methods73 menopausal women were enrolled in 5 European countries. They performed 72 lessons of a combined training proposed in the working place (IW) or sport center (SC).ResultsOut of the total 39 women enrolled in the IW, 12.8% had to leave the program, while out of the 34 women enrolled in SC, 41.2% did not complete the training. According to the compliance results, 47% of women that completed the trained IW and 85% in the SC recorded high compliance (p = 0.019). Moreover, the strength of the lower limbs (p &lt; 0.001) and static balance (p = 0.001) significantly improved in the whole group.DiscussionIn conclusion, proposing well-structured training in the workplace for menopausal women seems to reduce drop-out. Strength and balance results suggest its positive impact on bone health and risk of falls, despite where it is performed

STUDY REGARDING THE DYNAMICS OF DEVELOPING SOMATIC AND FUNCTIONAL INDICES IN JUNIOR GYMNASTS AGED 12 TO 15

In this paper we have introduced the morpho-functional peculiarities of junior gymnasts aged 12-15. The hypothesis of the study started by assuming the performance of the medical and sportive check-up, we will be able to make up the athletes’ physiometric check-up and emphasize the junior gymnasts’ main components of physical development and enhancement. We also suppose the analysis of the results will determine the health state dynamics of the gymnasts to be trained during the respective training period. In order to underline the performance gymnasts’ functional aspects, we performed a study at the Olympic Junior Lot of Artistic Gymnastics that took place during 2012 and 2013 on a group of 14 junior I and junior II athletes. Within our research, performed during three stages, we used the data of the medical check-up files at the National Institute of Sportive Medicine of Bucharest. Statistic processing has been performed in Word and KyPlot. The results of the study show the junior gymnasts’ morho-functional peculiarities, aged 12 to 15, regarding the increase of somatic indices, the increase of proportional anthropometric indices and the improvement of functional capacity. We also noted the medical and sportive check-up performed underlined the main components of junior gymnasts’ development and enhancement check-up and their fitness level

Aspects on Improving Body Expression in Acting Students

AbstractThe improvement of body expressiveness in students majoring in acting is closely connected to the means used. This fact contributes to the acknowledgement of their own body and of its possibilities of expression in various scenic situations. In this paper, we argue the necessity of introducing certain exercises, specific to physical training, and their efficiency in educating the bodily plasticity of the students. The paper aims at presenting the conceiving and applicability of a system of means and their use in the bodily expressiveness classes. The intention of the program is to propose a diverse palette of exercise structures specific to physical education, by taking into account a series of objectives: the development and improvement of motor qualities such as joint mobility and muscle elasticity, skill, speed of execution, specific resistance, coordination and well-balanced physical development. The aforementioned propositions have led to the following conclusions: the valorisation of the knowledge and methodology of sports training contributes to the bodily education of these students; the general specific physical training contributes to achieving the purpose of theatrical teaching process; by means of exercise, bodily expressiveness can be improved; a better motor capacity leads to approaching various forms of scenic expression

THE ROLE OF GYMNASTICS AND DANCE IN REHABILITATING MOTOR CAPACITIES IN CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME

Down syndrome produced by trisomy 21, is the first cause of mental retardation and the most common chromosomal disorder. Among themotilitydisordersobservedin children withDownsyndromedue tomusclehypotoniaandhyperlaxityin the joints, it is noted delays inmotor development, balance disorder, coordination andmotorexecution. Therefore,the studyaims todesignand implement a systemof exercisesand usethem asa programadapted to thephysical and psychologicalfeaturesof children, given their motivationforphysical activity. The program was created based on specific exercises of gymnastics and dance following a series of objectives, such as: personal autonomy skills development, training of self and self-control training, motor skills, physical development and harmonious physical development scheme. The research hypothesiswasdirected towards improvingthe physical conditionof childrenwith Down syndromethrough the practice ofadapted physicalactivity. The studyincluded3 childrenwith Down syndromebeing underobservation at PenillaCenter Jassy. The tests applied on the children werepart ofa test battery named Funfitness. Aftertheir application,was found, on average between pre-test and post-test, an increase insingle-leg stancestability(8.49 svs.11.33 s), a decreaseexecution timesittingliftingtest(18.83 s vs. 16.52s)and improvedabdominalmuscle strengthby increasing the numberof repetitions(48.33vs.51.66). Inthe interpretation of data, we conclude that gymnasticsanddanceexercisesadaptedto children withDownsyndromehave developed self-confidence andhave led to improvedmotor and psychomotor capacities

Dipping into marine viral-host interactions by means of ViralTag and PhageFISH

8th Aquatic Virus Workshop, 10-16 July 2016, PlymouthThe Viral tagging technique is a promising method for detecting virus-host interactions both in culture and in natural samples. We have applied this technique to Pseudoalteromonas-Phage models getting successful results. We monitored the attachment process of different viral-host systems using flow cytometry. Our preliminary results suggest that there are two kinds of infections: the fast attaching viruses that infect bacteria in about 30 minutes, and the slow attaching viruses that infect bacteria in about 2 hours. After this period of time the percentage of labeled bacteria decreased suggesting that lysis occurs. Lysis was confirmed by spectrophotometry. We have observed that to get reliable outcomes with this technique it is important to control parameters as temperature, bacterial generation times, and dyes incubation time among others. The final objective is to use this technique for detecting the interaction between viruses and hosts in nature during annual cycles, allowing us to know how viral infections respond to biological, physical and chemical changesPeer Reviewe

Detection of marine viral-host interactions by using the viral tagging and phagefish techniques

Reunión Anual FAGOMA II celebrada del día 13 al 14 de junio de 2016 en Oviedo.-- 32 pagesPeer Reviewe

Food Bolus Properties in Relation to Dentate and Prosthetic Status

The objective of this study is to evaluate food bolus properties (mass, moisture content and food comminution) in patients wearing fixed or removable dental prostheses. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a convenience sample of patients aged at least 55 years old. Patients chewed a 10 g sample of fresh raw carrot until they felt ready to swallow. The mass of the food bolus was determined as collected and after drying. Food comminution was assessed by the multiple sieve method. Results: Patients with fixed prostheses compared to those with removable prostheses registered a similar mass of food bolus as collected (4.40 g vs. 4.60 g; p = 0.856); a higher mass of dried food bolus (3.46 g vs. 0.86 g; p p < 0.001); and better food comminution (mass of smaller particles, of size below 2 mm, represented 65.93% vs. 20% of dried food bolus). In removable denture wearers, food comminution was slightly better in partially than in completely edentulous patients, and rather similar in completely edentulous patients with either implant overdenture or complete denture in the mandible, and complete denture in the maxilla. Conclusions: The current results suggest that food bolus properties are dependent on the dentate and prosthetic status

Effects of Smartphone Activities on Postural Balance in Adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities

Considering the rising prevalence of smartphone usage among adolescents with intellectual disabilities and their frequent motor challenges, understanding its impact on their physical well-being is important. This study aims to investigate the impact of smartphone activities on postural balance in adolescents with intellectual disabilities. Two groups of adolescents participated in the study: an intellectual disability group (IDG) (n = 16) and atypical development group (TDG) (n = 12). Static postural balance, using a stabilometric platform on firm and foam surfaces, and dynamic balance, using the Timed Up-and-Go Test (TUGT), were performed under various conditions, such as playing a game, watching videos, video calls, and listening to music. The center of pressure (CoP) values significantly increased (p p p p p < 0.01) during listening to music in both groups. Our study suggests that adolescents with intellectual disabilities need special tools and guidance to ensure their safety and well-being when using smartphones