The imperative need to advance the development of more efficient electric motors requires the meticulous measurement of small increments while minimizing the associated uncertainty in dynamometer ...tests. One of the key variables in such tests is the angular speed, which is typically obtained based on encoder measurements. This paper proposes a systematic measurement uncertainty assessment method based on the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty for the two most widely used methods for angular speed measurement, namely, the frequency and period methods. In addition, the impact of the angular speed calculation method on the efficiency test uncertainty is assessed using an automatic test rig for electric motors. Our experimental results consider both steady-state and dynamic analyses. The results show that the period measurement method provides measurements with lower uncertainty for the encoders typically used in such test rigs, about 30 times less than the uncertainty determined for the frequency measurement method. Based on these results, the choice of a proper method can drastically decrease the angular speed uncertainty, and consequently the motor efficiency uncertainty, without increasing instrumentation cost.
In most sports, the development of elite athletes is a long-term process of talent identification and support. Typically, talent selection systems administer a multi-faceted strategy including ...national coach observations and varying physical and psychological tests when deciding who is chosen for talent development. The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate the prognostic validity of talent selections by varying groups 10 years after they had been conducted. This study used a unique, multi-phased approach. Phase 1 involved players (
= 68) in 2001 completing a battery of general and sport-specific tests of handball 'talent' and performance. In Phase 2, national and regional coaches (
= 7) in 2001 who attended training camps identified the most talented players. In Phase 3, current novice and advanced handball players (
= 12 in each group) selected the most talented from short videos of matches played during the talent camp. Analyses compared predictions among all groups with a best model-fit derived from the motor tests. Results revealed little difference between regional and national coaches in the prediction of future performance and little difference in forecasting performance between novices and players. The best model-fit regression by the motor-tests outperformed all predictions. While several limitations are discussed, this study is a useful starting point for future investigations considering athlete selection decisions in talent identification in sport.
Experimental treatment strategies and neuroprotective drugs that showed therapeutic promise in animal models of stroke have failed to produce beneficial effects in human stroke patients. The ...difficulty in translating preclinical findings to humans represents a major challenge in cerebrovascular research. The reasons behind this translational road block might be explained by a number of factors, including poor quality control in various stages of the research process, the validity of experimental stroke models, and differences in drug administration and pharmacokinetics. Another major difference between animal studies and clinical trials is the choice of end point or outcome measures. Here, we discuss the necessity of poststroke behavioral testing to bridge the gap between clinical and experimental end points. We review established sensory-motor tests for outcome determination after focal ischemia based on the published literature as well as our own personal experience. Selected tests are described in more detail and good laboratory practice standards for behavioral testing are discussed. This review is intended for stroke researchers planning to use behavioral testing in mice.
As the sheer number of transgenic mice strains grow and rodent models of pediatric disease increase, there is an expanding need for a comprehensive, standardized battery of neonatal mouse motor ...tests. These tests can validate injury or disease models, determine treatment efficacy and/or assess motor behaviors in new transgenic strains. This paper presents a series of neonatal motor tests to evaluate general motor function, including ambulation, hindlimb foot angle, surface righting, negative geotaxis, front- and hindlimb suspension, grasping reflex, four limb grip strength and cliff aversion. Mice between the ages of post-natal day 2 to 14 can be used. In addition, these tests can be used for a wide range of neurological and neuromuscular pathologies, including cerebral palsy, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, neurodegenerative diseases, and neuromuscular disorders. These tests can also be used to determine the effects of pharmacological agents, as well as other types of therapeutic interventions. In this paper, motor deficits were evaluated in a novel neonatal mouse model of cerebral palsy that combines hypoxia, ischemia and inflammation. Forty-eight hours after injury, five tests out of the nine showed significant motor deficits: ambulation, hindlimb angle, hindlimb suspension, four limb grip strength, and grasping reflex. These tests revealed weakness in the hindlimbs, as well as fine motor skills such as grasping, which are similar to the motor deficits seen in human cerebral palsy patients.
Background and Study Aim: the decrease of motor activity among the younger generation and reducing interest in traditional physical education lessons requires finding ways to attract students to ...specially organized motor activity. The aim of the study is to analyze the indicators of active flexibility and mobility in the joints of the spine after an annual cycle of extracurricular stretching classes.
Material and Methods: We involved 35 high school girls (15-16 years old) in the study. Mobile tests were performed (control exercises and tests): bending the trunk forward from a standing position and from a sitting position, bending and unbending the cervical spine, bending the thoracic and lumbar spine, bending the trunk to the right and to the left from a standing position, the rotational ability of the spine to the sides, the exercise "Bridge" (calculated in conventional units).
Results: After a year of systematic stretching classes, the level of joint mobility and overall flexibility increased in the study participants. At the beginning of the study, the vast majority of high school girls had average and below-average levels of physical fitness. At the end of the study, the level was above average. There is a certain correlation between the indicators and the statistical significance of the results obtained.
Conclusions: it can be argued that specially organized motor activity in the form of stretching classes changes the mobility indicators in large joints and joints of the spine.
Embedded validity indicators (EVIs) derived from motor tests have received less empirical attention than those derived from tests of other neuropsychological abilities, particularly memory. ...Preliminary evidence suggests that the Grooved Pegboard Test (GPB) may function as an EVI, but existing studies were largely conducted using simulators and population samples without cognitive impairment. In this study we aimed to evaluate the GPB’s classification accuracy as an EVI among a mixed clinical neuropsychiatric sample with and without cognitive impairment. This cross-sectional study comprised 223 patients clinically referred for neuropsychological testing. GPB raw and T-scores for both dominant and nondominant hands were examined as EVIs. A known-groups design, based on ≤1 failure on a battery of validated, independent criterion PVTs, showed that GPB performance differed significantly by validity group. Within the valid group, receiver operating characteristic curve analyses revealed that only the dominant hand raw score displayed acceptable classification accuracy for detecting invalid performance (area under curve AUC = .72), with an optimal cut-score of ≥106 seconds (33% sensitivity/88% specificity). All other scores had marginally lower classification accuracy (AUCs = .65–.68) for differentiating valid from invalid performers. Therefore, the GPB demonstrated limited utility as an EVI in a clinical sample containing patients with bona fide cognitive impairment.
The study purpose was to investigate the correlation between the objective results of measurements of somatometric and physiometric indicators of physical development and the subjective indicators of ...its self-description for students of 5th and 9th grades.
Materials and methods. The study was conducted in Lutsk secondary school 17 involving 120 secondary school students (aged 10 and 15) as participants. Research methods: analysis of data of scientific and methodical literature, normative-legal documents, programs on physical culture, pedagogical testing of physical fitness, methods of mathematical statistics, E.V. Bochenkova test-questionnaire “Self-description of physical development”.
Results. The correlation analysis between the results in mobility tests for strength, endurance, coordination and flexibility and self-assessment of these indicators by students of 5th and 9th grades shows that they differ. The 9th graders evaluate their physical abilities more objectively. This is due to gaining practical experience in physical education classes. The inadequacy of self-assessment of physical abilities shows that insufficient attention is paid to substantiating the importance of pedagogical control of physical fitness of students during the physical education classes.
Conclusions. The study demonstrates the inadequacy of self-assessment of physical fitness by students, which indicates the importance of theoretical presentation and practical implementation in physical education classes of pedagogical control and self-control of physical fitness, which should be an incentive for boys and girls’ self-improvement in physical education.
•For high quality results, sensitive behavioral tests for rodents should be used.•Three major categories of rodent motor skill tests are reviewed and evaluated.•Recommendations for choosing the best ...behavioral test are provided.
Damage to the motor cortex induced by stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI) can result in chronic motor deficits. For the development and improvement of therapies, animal models which possess symptoms comparable to the clinical population are used. However, the use of experimental animals raises valid ethical and methodological concerns. To decrease discomfort by experimental procedures and to increase the quality of results, non-invasive and sensitive rodent motor tests are needed.
A broad variety of rodent motor tests are available to determine deficits after stroke or TBI. The current review describes and evaluates motor tests that fall into three categories: Tests to evaluate fine motor skills and grip strength, tests for gait and inter-limb coordination and neurological deficit scores. In this review, we share our thoughts on standardized data presentation to increase data comparability between studies. We also critically evaluate current methods and provide recommendations for choosing the best behavioral test for a new research line.
Strength is a fundamental component of physical fitness, and therefore should be precisely assessed. The purpose of this study was to analyze the number of testing sessions required to achieve ...consistent 1 repetition maximum (1RM) strength measurements in untrained older women. Forty-five untrained older women were measured for 1RM in bench press machine (BP), leg extension (LE) machine, and free weight arm curl (AC). Reliability coefficients for trials 1 and 2 for BP (intraclass correlation coefficient ICC = 0.973) and LE (ICC = 0.976) were higher than for AC (ICC = 0.953). Percent change from trial 1 to 2 for BP (3.5 ± 10.9%) and AC (3.8 ± 8.1%) was less than for LE (5.4 ± 6.2%), but all were significant increases between trials (p < 0.05). Trial differences were reduced to nonsignificant levels (p > 0.05) in the third trial for BP (0.0 ± 0.0%), LE (1.2 ± 3.0%) and AC (2.7 ± 5.9%). Reliability coefficients rose for BP and LE (ICC = 0.999) and AC (ICC = 0.963) when a third trial was performed. Bland and Altman plotting showed very small bias and limits of agreement (LoA) for both the exercises (BP: bias = 0 kg, limits of agreement = 0 kg; LE: bias = -0.16 kg, LoA = 2.21 kg; AC: bias = -0.11 kg, LoA = 1.72 kg). This approach to determine 1RM strength values produced rapid lifting technique familiarization resulting in a need of 2 to 3 test sessions to achieve consistent 1RM measurements in untrained older women.
During pre-adolescence, several variables connected to growth and weight status could influence physical performance and technical skills. This study aims to assess the influence of growth-related ...anthropometric changes, weight status, and basketball experience on physical performance in pre-adolescent basketball players. The sample consisted of 50 male basketball players (12.2 ± 0.4 years-old) included in the U-13 category. Anthropometric characteristics were collected using standard procedures. Physical performance was evaluated by 20 m Dash, T-test, squat jump, countermovement jump, and medicine ball throw. In order to assess growth-related changes, we conducted two surveys within a 10-week time span. Student's t-test was used to compare the data collected in the two surveys and multiple regression analyses were performed to assess the effects of growth, weight status, and basketball experience on performance. After 10 weeks there was a significant increase in FFM (Fat-Free Mass) and a significant decrease in fat parameters. Moreover, between the two surveys, all motor tests significantly improved. The results of linear regression models showed that changes in %F (percentage of body fat) were significantly associated with speed and agility, while handgrip strength and weight status were associated with upper limb explosive strength. Basketball experience was a significant predictor of all three motor tests. In conclusion, body composition changes, years of experience, and weight status influenced physical performance and players' motor skills ability, especially speed, agility, and upper limb explosive strength.
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