Motor-cognitive coupling is impaired in children with mild or severe forms of developmental coordination disorder.

Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) show deficits in motor-cognitive coupling. However, it remains unclear whether such deficits depend on the severity of DCD. The aim of this study was to examine cognitive-motor coupling under different levels of inhibitory control in children with severe (s-DCD) or moderate DCD (m-DCD), compared with typically-developing children (TDC). The performance of 29 primary-school children aged 6-12 years with s-DCD (Mage = 9.12 ± 1.56 years), 53 m-DCD (Mage = 8.78 ± 1.67 years), and 201 TDC (Mage = 9.20 ± 1.50 years) was compared on a double jump reaching task (DJRT) paradigm, presented on a large 42-inch touchscreen. The task display had a circular home-base, centred at the bottom of the display, and three target locations at radials of -20°, 0°, and 20°, 40 cm above the home-base circle. For the standard double-jump reaching task (DJRT), children moved their index finger from home-base circle to touch the target stimulus as fast as possible; 20% were jump trials where the target shifted left or right at lift-off. For the anti-jump reaching task (AJRT), 20% of trials required an anti-jump movement, touching the contralateral target location. While no group differences were shown on the DJRT, the DCD group were slower to complete reaching movements than the TDC group on AJRT; on the latter, the two DCD sub-groups were not shown to differ. Results confirm the presence of motor inhibition deficits in DCD which may not be dependent on the motor severity of the disorder.

Novel Method for Determining Internal Combustion Engine Dysfunctions on Platform as a Service.

This article deals with a unique, new powertrain diagnostics platform at the level of a large number of EU25 inspection stations. Implemented method uses emission measurement data and additional data from significant sample of vehicles. An original technique using machine learning that uses 9 static testing points (defined by constant engine load and constant engine speed), volume of engine combustion chamber, EURO emission standard category, engine condition state coefficient and actual mileage is applied. An example for dysfunction detection using exhaust emission analyses is described in detail. The test setup is also described, along with the procedure for data collection using a Mindsphere cloud data processing platform. Mindsphere is a core of the new Platform as a Service (Paas) for data processing from multiple testing facilities. An evaluation on a fleet level which used quantile regression method is implemented. In this phase of the research, real data was used, as well as data defined on the basis of knowledge of the manifestation of internal combustion engine defects. As a result of the application of the platform and the evaluation method, it is possible to classify combustion engine dysfunctions. These are defects that cannot be detected by self-diagnostic procedures for cars up to the EURO 6 level.

Steady, Aim, Fire! Optimized Instructions Enhance Performance and Reduce Intra-Trial Variability in a Shooting Task.

The present study examined the influence of the individual and sequential combination of the key components of OPTIMAL (Optimizing Performance Through Intrinsic Motivation and Attention for Learning) theory (i.e., enhanced expectancies, autonomy support, and external focus), on the performance of a laser-pistol shooting task. In addition to shooting accuracy, intra-trial variability in the sway of forearm/pistol motion prior to movement execution (pulling the trigger) was the primary variable of interest. In a between-within-subject design, thirty-six participants (Mage = 21.27 ± 1.75 years) were randomized into either a control or an optimized group. Enhanced expectancies, autonomy support, and an external focus were implemented via sequential blocks of trials for participants in the optimized group. Participants in the control group performed all trials under "neutral" conditions. Our results showed that motor performance was enhanced for participants in the optimized group compared to those in the control group. Moreover, greater reductions in forearm sway leading up to the trigger pull were observed for the optimized group compared to the control group. These findings suggest higher movement effectiveness and efficiency, potentially through better attunement to task and environmental constraints, when implementing optimized instructions in a self-initiated fine motor task.

Do different multi-segment foot models detect the same changes in kinematics when wearing foot orthoses?

BACKGROUND: Different multi-segment foot models have been used to explore the effect of foot orthoses. Previous studies have compared the kinematic output of different multi-segment foot models, however, no study has explored if different multi-segment foot models detect similar kinematic changes when wearing a foot orthoses. The aim of this study was to compare the ability of two different multi-segment foot models to detect kinematic changes at the hindfoot and forefoot during the single and double support phases of gait when wearing a foot orthosis. METHODS: Foot kinematics were collected during walking from a sample of 32 individuals with and without a foot orthosis with a medial heel bar using an eight-camera motion capture system. The Oxford Foot Model (OFM) and a multi-segment foot model using the Calibrated Anatomical System Technique (CAST) were applied simultaneously. Vector field statistical analysis was used to explore the kinematic effects of a medial heel bar using the two models, and the ability of the models to detect any changes in kinematics was compared. RESULTS: For the hindfoot, both models showed very good agreement of the effect of the foot orthosis across all three anatomical planes during the single and double support phases. However, for the forefoot, the level of agreement between the models varied with both models showing good agreement of the effect in the coronal plane but poorer agreement in the transverse and sagittal planes. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that while consistency exists across both models for the hindfoot and forefoot in the coronal plane, the forefoot in the transverse and sagittal planes showed inconsistent responses to the foot orthoses. This should be considered when interpreting the efficacy of different interventions which aim to change foot biomechanics.

Evaluation of the Usability of the Tiger Full-Foot Three-Dimensional Scanner for the Measurements of Basic Foot Dimensions in Clinical Practice.

BACKGROUND: Foot dimension information is important both for footwear design and clinical applications. In recent years, noncontact three-dimensional (3-D) foot digitizers/scanners have become popular because they are noninvasive and are valid and reliable for most of the measures. Some of them also offer automated calculations of basic foot dimensions. We aimed to determine test-retest reliability, objectivity, and concurrent validity of the Tiger full-foot 3-D scanner and the relationship between manual measures of the medial longitudinal arch of the foot and alternative parameters obtained automatically by the scanner. METHODS: Intraclass correlation coefficients and minimal detectable change values were used to assess the reliability and objectivity of the scanner. Concurrent validity and the relationships between the arch height measures were determined by the Pearson correlation coefficient and the limits of agreement between the scanner and the caliper method. RESULTS: The relative and absolute agreement between the repeated measurements obtained by the scanner show excellent reliability and objectivity of linear measures and only good to nearly good test-retest reliability and objectivity of arch height. Correlations between the values obtained by the scanner and the caliper were generally higher in linear measures (rp ≥ 0.929). The representativeness of state of bony architecture by the soft-tissue margin of the medial foot arch demonstrates the lowest correlation among the measurements (rp ≤ 0.526). CONCLUSIONS: The Tiger full-foot 3-D scanner offers excellent reliability and objectivity in linear measures, which correspond to those obtained by the caliper method. However, values obtained by both methods should not be used interchangeably. The arch height measure is less accurate, which could limit its use in some clinical applications. Orthotists and related professions probably appreciate the scanner more than other specialists.

The immediate effects of sensorimotor foot orthoses on foot kinematics in healthy adults.

BACKGROUND: Sensorimotor foot orthoses is an alternative concept, which in addition to mechanical effects, are designed to change muscle activation by altering sensory input to the plantar surface of the foot. However, there is little evidence of how these affect the kinematics of the foot during gait. RESEARCH QUESTION: The aim of the study was to explore the immediate effect of calcaneal medial heel bars and retrocapital bars on foot kinematics during the stance phase of gait. METHODS: Kinematic data were collected from 32 healthy individuals using an eight camera motion capture system and a six-degrees-of-freedom multi-segment foot model in three different orthotic conditions; calcaneal medial heel bar, retrocapital bar, and no orthosis. Vector field statistical analysis was performed to explore the effect of the orthotic conditions over the kinematic time series curves during stance phase. Peak median and interquartile ranges were also reported during the different phases of stance. RESULTS: The calcaneal medial bar significantly decreased rearfoot eversion for the majority of the stance phase and compensatory increased midfoot eversion during the entire stance phase compared to the no orthosis condition. The retrocapital bar rotated the foot externally significantly abducting the rearfoot for the entire stance phase and the midfoot for the majority of stance phase. SIGNIFICANCE: The calcaneal medial heel bar and retrocapital bar significantly altered the foot kinematics in a way that may benefit patients with abnormal pronation and intoeing gait.

Immediate effect of individual bars of insoles and their combination on gait parameters in asymptomatic healthy adults.

Objective: The way how individual bars of sensorimotor insoles influence the gait kinematics is not fully understood yet. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the effect of three sensorimotor orthotic conditions (the medial calcaneal and retrocapital lateral bars and their combination) on the gait parameters in healthy adults during the stance phase of gait cycle.Materials and methods: Twenty-six young adults performed 20 gait cycles in each condition using their self-selected cadence and provided standardised shoes with the base-sole and the three types of orthotics. A three-dimensional motion analysis system (8 cameras; 200 Hz) was used and a six-degrees of freedom model was applied. The cadence, the stride length, the first peaks of foot external rotation, eversion and dorsal flexion as well as the first peak of hip adduction were analysed.Results: Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found for all parameters between the orthotic conditions, except the cadence. Significant difference in the first peak of hip adduction (p = 0.008) was found between the dominant and non-dominant leg. There were no significant interactions between the factors of condition and leg dominance (p > 0.05).Conclusions: There seems to be overall tendencies in immediate changes in ankle joint kinematics caused by all three sensorimotor orthotic conditions and besides the mechanical principles, also 'proprioceptive mechanism' seems to play a role. However, maximum observed average angular change was 2° and some variability in reactions to each orthotic condition exists among the individuals. Therefore, clinical relevance of such changes remains unclear and careful analysis of expected outcomes should be the common part of every orthotic intervention.

Global and Regional Myocardial Innervation Before and After Ablation of Drug-Refractory Ventricular Tachycardia Assessed with 123I-MIBG.

UNLABELLED: Cardiac innervation is a critical component of ventricular arrhythmogenesis that can be noninvasively assessed with (123)I-MIBG. However, the effect of ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation on global and regional left ventricular sympathetic innervation and clinical outcomes has not been previously assessed. METHODS: In this prospective, single-center feasibility study, 13 patients with cardiomyopathy (n = 9 ischemic, n = 4 nonischemic) who were scheduled to undergo ablation of drug-refractory VT underwent 15-min and 4-h (123)I-MIBG scans before and 6 mo after the ablation procedure. Planar and arrhythmia-specific 757-segment analysis of short-axis SPECT images was performed in all datasets. RESULTS: Global innervation assessed with heart-to-mediastinal ratio and washout rates was preserved in all patients at baseline (1.8 [continuous variables are expressed as median and quartile: Q1-Q3, 1.7-2.4] and 54% [Q1-Q3, 47%-67%]) and did not change significantly at the 6-mo follow-up (1.9 [Q1-Q3, 1.6-2.2], P = 0.9; and 56% [Q1-Q3, 41%-62%], P = 0.6). However, segmental analysis demonstrated that ischemic patients had larger areas of abnormal innervation at baseline (52.1% vs. 19.6%, P = 0.011) and at the 6-mo follow-up (56.7% vs. 27.5%, P = 0.011) than the nonischemic patients. Innervation defects affected 40% of the inferior segments in all ischemic cardiomyopathy patients, whereas they affected only 10% of inferior segments in 75% of nonischemic patients. When segmental data were further analyzed in denervated (DZ), transition (TZ), and normal (NZ) zones, there were changes in these designated innervation categories from baseline to the 6-mo follow-up for ischemic (19% DZ, 59% TZ, 22% NZ) and nonischemic (6% DZ, 45% TZ, 15% NZ) patients. In ischemic patients, relative changes were significantly greater in the TZ segments than in the DZ, which demonstrated the second highest proportional changes (P = 0.028). Receiver operating characteristic curves defined best cutoffs of DZ, TZ, and NZ as less than 30.5%, 30.6%-47.1%, and more than 47.1%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy have larger areas of abnormal innervation than those with nonischemic cardiomyopathy. Although VT ablation did not change global innervation, a novel arrhythmia-specific segmental analysis demonstrated significant dynamic changes in innervation categories and allowed quantitative definitions of DZ, TZ, and NZ. These findings provide novel insights into the mechanics of sympathetic innervation in patients undergoing VT ablation and may have diagnostic and therapeutic implications.