The impact of intellectual disability and sport expertise on cognitive and executive functions.

Our aim was to identify the suitability of three assessment tools (i.e., Flanker test, Updating Word Span, and Color Trails Test) for future inclusion in the classification process of elite Paralympic athletes with intellectual disability and to assess the strength of the relation between Executive function (EF) and intelligence. Cognitive and EF assessments were performed on 59 participants, divided into four groups according to their cognitive level (with versus without intellectual disability) and sport expertise (athlete versus novice). Inhibition and working memory update skills were implicated in people with intellectual disability. For set-shifting, a more nuanced picture was observed. Strong associations between EF and intelligence was found in people with intellectual disability. Working memory updating and set-shifting are relevant EF skills to assess in the context of elite sport; however, culture-free alternatives for the Updating Word Span test are needed, and alternatives to the Color Trails Test, less reliant on literacy skills are required

Standardising the clinical assessment of coronal knee laxity

Clinical laxity tests are used for assessing knee ligament injuries and for soft tissue balancing in total knee arthroplasty. This study reports the development and validation of a quantitative technique of assessing collateral knee laxity through accurate measurement of potential variables during routine clinical examination. The hypothesis was that standardisation of a clinical stress test would result in a repeatable range of laxity measurements.Non- invasive infrared tracking technology with kinematic registration of joint centres gave real-time measurement of both coronal and sagittal mechanical tibiofemoral alignment. Knee flexion, moment arm and magnitude of the applied force were all measured and standardised. Three clinicians then performed six knee laxity examinations on a single volunteer using a target moment of 18Nm. Standardised laxity measurements had small standard deviations (within 1.1°) for each clinician and similar mean values between clinicians, with the valgus laxity assessment (mean of 3°) being slightly more consistent than varus (means of 4° or 5°).The manual technique of coronal knee laxity assessment was successfully quantified and standardised, leading to a narrow range of measurements (within the accuracy of the measurement system). Minimising the subjective variables of clinical examination could improve current knowledge of soft tissue knee behaviour

Traditional food consumption by indigenous women in Guasaganda, Central Ecuador

Playwright: W.S Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan Director: Irwin Atkins Setting:Howard Burman Costumes: Janet Hanreddy Lighting: Gerald Grantham Academic Year: 1970-1971https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/production_images/1163/thumbnail.jp