Constraints on coordination:Intrinsic dynamics, behavioral information and asymmetry in bimanual rhythmic coordination

Zonder oefening is het met pianospelen vrijwel onmogelijk om de handen onafhankelijk van elkaar te bewegen. De handbewegingen zijn op een bepaalde manier gekoppeld. Martine Verheul onderzocht hoe dat precies zit. Daarvoor liet ze haar proefpersonen met twee handen verschillende ritmes tikken. Naast persoonsgebonden verschillen blijken er ook taak-afhankelijke verschillen te zijn. Muzikale ervaring van de proefpersoon had een positief effect op de stabiliteit van tweehandige ritmische coördinatie. Daarna vergeleek Verheul links- en rechtshandigen bij het tikken van symmetrische en asymmetrische patronen. In tegenstelling tot taken waarbij de handen in verschillend tempo tikken blijkt bij het asymmetrisch tikken in een gelijk tempo de coördinatie even stabiel in beide handverdelingen. Verheul toont aan dat zowel de voorkeurshand als de niet-voorkeurshand de leidende rol op zich kan nemen. Die flexibiliteit vermindert echter bij het ouder worden. De coördinatieproblemen bij volwassenen met de ziekte van Parkinson komen niet voort uit de asymmetrische verdeling van symptomen over de twee lichaamshelften, maar zijn volgens Verheul het gevolg van centrale problemen met het koppelen van de ledematen.

Developing children: developmental discourses underpinning physical education at three Scottish preschool settings

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal Title on publication date, available online: doi: 10.1080/13573322.2015.1114917This paper reports on one aspect of a study that investigated the place and meaning of ‘physical education’ to practitioners and children at three preschool settings in Scotland. We employed a poststructural type of discourse analysis to examine the developmental discourses the 14 participating practitioners drew on when talking about ‘physical education’ at preschools, during semi-structured interviews. Three main discourses around the notion of developmentalism were identified during analysis of the adults’ interview data: (1) preschool children learn and develop through play; (2) preschool children should have choices and freedom; and (3) sometimes more structured activities are needed. The practitioners were heavily invested in developmental ‘truths’ about how preschool children learn and develop. They were in agreement that play is a vital element of preschool education, and that, consequently, children should be provided with opportunities for exploration and making choices. However, they also talked about sometimes ‘needing’ to restrict children’s freedom and provide more adult-led activities. Our findings illustrate the strength of developmental discourses at the three settings. We suggest that preschool practitioners, as well as policy-makers and researchers, should critically reflect on the effects of taken-for-granted developmental discourses, and move beyond thinking in terms of binaries such as ‘physical education versus play’ or ‘structure versus freedom’

The influence of lower limb impairments on RaceRunning performance in athletes with hypertonia, ataxia or athetosis

Objectives RaceRunning enables athletes with limited or no walking ability to propel themselves independently using a three-wheeled running bike that has a saddle and a chest plate for support but no pedals. For RaceRunning to be included as a para-athletics event, an evidence-based classification system is required. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the association between a range of impairment measures and RaceRunning performance.\ud Methods The following impairment measures were recorded: lower limb muscle strength assessed using Manual Muscle Testing (MMT), selective voluntary motor control assessed using the Selective Control Assessment of the Lower Extremity (SCALE), spasticity recorded using both the Australian Spasticity Assessment Score (ASAS) and Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), passive range of motion (ROM) of the lower extremities and the maximum static step length achieved on a stationary bike (MSSL). Associations between impairment measures and 100-meter race speed were assessed using Spearman’s correlation coefficients.\ud Results Sixteen male and fifteen female athletes (27 with cerebral palsy), aged 23 (SD=7) years, Gross Motor Function Classification System ranging from II to V, participated. The MSSL averaged over both legs and the ASAS, MAS, SCALE, and MMT summed over all joints and both legs, significantly correlated with 100 m race performance (rho: 0.40-0.54). Passive knee extension was the only ROM measure that was significantly associated with race speed (rho=0.48).\ud Conclusion\ud These results suggest that lower limb spasticity, isometric leg strength, selective voluntary motor control and passive knee extension impact performance in RaceRunning athletes. This supports the potential use of these measures in a future evidence-based classification system

The benefits and enjoyment of a swimming intervention for youth with cerebral palsy:An RCT Study

To investigate enjoyment and specific benefits of a swimming intervention for youth with cerebral palsy (CP).status: publishe

Physical education at preschools: practitioners’ and children’s engagements with physical activity and health discourses

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in British Journal of Sociology of Education on December 2013, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/01425692.2013.848780This paper focuses on one aspect of a qualitative study concerned with investigating the place and meaning of ‘physical education’ to practitioners and children at three preschools in Scotland. We examine the ways in which the participants engaged with discourses related to physical activity and health in order to construct their subjectivities. Fourteen practitioners and 70 children participated. Research methods employed were observations, interviews with adults, a group drawing and discussion activity with children, and interviews with children. Both the adults’ and children’s talk illustrated the dominance of neoliberal, healthism meanings which position individuals as responsible for their own health. While the children’s talk primarily centred on health as a corporeal notion, the practitioners tended to talk about physical activity and health in both corporeal terms and in relation to the self more holistically. The practitioners also talked about physical activity as a means of regulating children’s behaviour

Exploring immune status in peripheral blood and tumor tissue in association with survival in patients with multi-organ metastatic colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) raises considerable clinical challenges, including a high mortality rate once the tumor spreads to distant sites. At this advanced stage, more accurate prediction of prognosis and treatment outcome is urgently needed. The role of cancer immunity in metastatic CRC (mCRC) is poorly understood. Here, we explore cellular immune cell status in patients with multi-organ mCRC. We analyzed T cell infiltration in primary tumor sections, surveyed the lymphocytic landscape of liver metastases, and assessed circulating mononuclear immune cells. Besides asking whether immune cells are associated with survival at this stage of the disease, we investigated correlations between the different tissue types; as this could indicate a dominant immune phenotype. Taken together, our analyses corroborate previous observations that higher levels of CD8+ T lymphocytes link to better survival outcomes. Our findings therefore extend evidence from earlier stages of CRC to indicate an important role for cancer immunity in disease control even after metastatic spreading to multiple organs. This finding may help to improve predicting outcome of patients with mCRC and suggests a future role for immunotherapeutic strategies.</p

Cluster analysis of impairment measures to inform an evidence-based classification structure in RaceRunning, a new World Para Athletic event for athletes with hypertonia, ataxia or athetosis

Marietta van der Linden - ORCID: 0000-0003-2256-6673 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2256-6673RaceRunning enables athletes with limited or no walking ability to propel themselves independently using a three-wheeled frame that has a saddle, handle bars and a chest plate. For RaceRunning to be included as a para athletics event, an evidence-based classification system is required. This study assessed the impact of trunk control and lower limb impairment measures on RaceRunning performance and evaluated whether clusters analysis of these impairment measures produce a valid classification structure for RaceRunning. The Trunk Control Measurement Scale (TCMS), Selective Control Assessment of the Lower Extremity (SCALE), the Australian Spasticity Assessment Scale (ASAS), and knee extension were recorded for 26 RaceRunning athletes. Thirteen male and 13 female athletes aged 24 (SD=7) years participated. All impairment measures were significantly correlated with performance (rho=0.55-0.74). Using ASAS, SCALE, TCMS and knee extension as cluster variables in a two-step cluster analysis resulted in two clusters of athlete. Race speed and the impairment measures were significantly different between the clusters (p<0.001). The findings of this study provide evidence for the utility of the selected impairment measures in an evidence-based classification system for RaceRunning athletes.This work was supported by funding from Cerebral Palsy International Sport and Recreation Association (CPISRA) for travel and accommodation costs associated with the data collection.https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2020.186036039pubpubsup