Analysis of the influence of plyometric training in improving the performance of athletes in rhythmic gymnastics

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Barbara Raquel Agostini

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Rhythmic gymnastics (RG athletes need high-performance training since a high degree of precision is required in their exercises. Plyometric training (PT has been used to improve athletes' neuromuscular function, explosive performance and strength in competition. The object of this study was to assess the efficiency of PT in improving the performance of RG athletes in the juvenile and adult categories over 12 months, by incorporating PT into two training macrocycles. Thirty athletes were selected; they were divided randomly into a control group (CG and an experimental group (EG of 15 athletes each. Two 6-month training macrocycles were drawn up for the EG in which they maintained normal training with the addition of PT. The CG maintained its normal training. Three tests were used for the assessment: vertical jump, horizontal jump and agility, assessed at 5 different moments. After 12 months it was observed an improvement in test performance in both groups, with a more significant improvement in the EG when compared to the CG. The addition of PT to normal training improved the performance of athletes by developing greater power in the lower limbs, increasing their capacity in vertical jump, horizontal jump and agility.

Elite level rhythmic gymnasts have significantly more and stronger pain than peers of similar age: a prospective study.

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Sabeti, Manuel; Jeremian, Lusine; Graf, Alexandra; Kandelhart, Robert

2015-01-01

Rhythmic gymnastics (RG) unites aesthetic, ballet-like motion, and all aspects of gymnastics. To reach elite level, girls begin at early age the intensive training. To date it is unclear if such demanding training influences the incidence and intensity of painful overuse injuries. The purpose of this study is to analyze anatomical painful regions and pain intensity in elite level rhythmic gymnasts (elRG) and compare results with an age-matched control group (CG). This prospective field study was carried out at the European Championship in RG 2013 (218 participating athletes, Vienna, Austria). Volunteering athletes were interviewed according to a preformed questionnaire. As CG secondary school pupils without any competitive sports experience were analyzed accordingly. Overall, 243 young females (144 elRG/66 % of all participants and 99 CG) were observed. ElRGs were significantly (s.) smaller, lighter, and had s. stronger pain (p < 0.001). A total of 72 % of athletes reported to have at least one painful body region compared with 52 % of CG (p < 0.001). ElRG had nearly three times more serious injuries than the CG. In all 23 % off all elRG reported to have had no access to professional medical care. ElRGs were s. more frequently (25 vs 9 %) affected at the lumbar spine and the ankle joint (17.4 vs 7 %). To our knowledge, this trial analyzes the largest cohort of elRG to date. Hence, it is clearly alluded that intensive training in RG is a significant factor causing more and stronger pain than in a CG.

The speed of progress in the apparatus handling technique in rhythmic gymnastics

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Moskovljević Lidija

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Specificity of rhythmic gymnastics as a sport and as a teaching device are apparatus routines. Considering lack of researches, the aim of our study was to determine ages of maturity when the development in apparatus routines performance is greater. Development in essential rope, hoop and ball routine performance was examined two times per year, through four years experimental period. The evaluation is carried out three-member RG-expert committee on a scale of 1 to 10. A total of twenty-seven competitors, examined at ages seven to fourteen, participate in this study. Based on data, we can notice that speed of progress in apparatus handling technique was not equal during observing maturity period. There was not significant development in most of examined routines between seven to nine years of ages. Significant development in this period has been achieved only in two rope routines (Vij1 i Vij2R and one ball routine to (Lop2R. From eleven to twelve years of ages, significant development has been achieved for most of routines, except basic running with rope (Vij1 and hoop routine performed with weaker arm (Obr2L. At 12 to 13 years of ages, development of routines performance has not been statistically significant.

Relationship Between Dietary Factors and Bodily Iron Status Among Japanese Collegiate Elite Female Rhythmic Gymnasts.

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Kokubo, Yuki; Yokoyama, Yuri; Kisara, Kumiko; Ohira, Yoshiko; Sunami, Ayaka; Yoshizaki, Takahiro; Tada, Yuki; Ishizaki, Sakuko; Hida, Azumi; Kawano, Yukari

2016-04-01

This cross-sectional study explored the prevalence of iron deficiency (ID) and associations between dietary factors and incidence of ID in female rhythmic gymnasts during preseason periods. Participants were 60 elite collegiate rhythmic gymnasts (18.1 ± 0.3 years [M ± SD]) who were recruited every August over the course of 8 years. Participants were divided into 2 groups according to the presence or absence of ID. Presence of ID was defined either by ferritin less than 12 μg/L or percentage of transferrin saturation less than 16%. Anthropometric and hematologic data, as well as dietary intake, which was estimated via a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire, were compared. ID was noted in 48.3% of participants. No significant group-dependent differences were observed in physical characteristics, red blood cell counts, hemoglobin, hematocrit, haptoglobin, or erythropoietin concentrations. The ID group had a significantly lower total iron-binding capacity; serum-free iron; percentage of transferrin saturation; ferritin; and intake of protein, fat, zinc, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, beans, and eggs but not iron or vitamin C. The recommended dietary allowance for intake of protein, iron, zinc, and various vitamins was not met by 30%, 90%, 70%, and 22%-87% of all participants, respectively. Multiple logistic analysis showed that protein intake was significantly associated with the incidence of ID (odds ratio = 0.814, 95% confidence interval [0.669, 0.990], p = .039). Participants in the preseason's weight-loss periods showed a tendency toward insufficient nutrient intake and were at a high risk for ID, particularly because of lower protein intake.

Poor precompetitive sleep habits, nutrients' deficiencies, inappropriate body composition and athletic performance in elite gymnasts.

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Silva, M-R G; Paiva, T

2016-09-01

This study aimed to evaluate body composition, sleep, precompetitive anxiety and dietary intake on the elite female gymnasts' performance prior to an international competition. Sixty-seven rhythmic gymnasts of high performance level were evaluated in relation to sport and training practice, body composition, sleep duration, daytime sleepiness by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), sleep quality by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), precompetitive anxiety by the Sport Competition Anxiety Test form A (SCAT-A) and detailed dietary intake just before an international competition. Most gymnasts (67.2%) suffered from mild daytime sleepiness, 77.6% presented poor sleep quality and 19.4% presented high levels of precompetitive anxiety. The majority of gymnasts reported low energy availability (EA) and low intakes of important vitamins including folate, vitamins D, E and K; and minerals, including calcium, iron, boron and magnesium (p performance was positively correlated with age (p = .001), sport practice (p = .024), number of daily training hours (p = .000), number of hours of training/week (p = .000), waist circumference (WC) (p = .008) and sleep duration (p = .005). However, it was negatively correlated with WC/hip circumference (p = .000), ESS (p = .000), PSQI (p = .042), SCAT-A (p = .002), protein g/kg (p = .028), EA (p = .002) and exercise energy expenditure (p = .000). High performance gymnasts presented poor sleep habits with consequences upon daytime sleepiness, sleep quality and low energy availability.

Gymnastics injury incidence during the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games: analysis of prospectively collected surveillance data from 963 registered gymnasts during Olympic Games.

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Edouard, Pascal; Steffen, Kathrin; Junge, Astrid; Leglise, Michel; Soligard, Torbjørn; Engebretsen, Lars

2018-04-01

To determine the incidence and characteristics of injuries in female and male gymnastics disciplines (artistic, rhythmic and trampoline) during three Olympic Games with a view to ultimately improving injury prevention. The National Olympic Committee's head physicians and the medical teams of the Local Organising Committee of the Olympic Games reported daily the occurrence (or non-occurrence) of newly sustained injuries in artistic, rhythmic and trampoline gymnastics on a standardised report form during the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympic Games. During the three Olympic Games, 81 injuries were reported in a total of 963 registered gymnasts, corresponding to an incidence of 84 injuries (95% CI 67 to 102) per 1000 registered gymnasts, with no difference in injury incidence between female and male gymnasts. Thirty-eight per cent of injuries led to time-loss from sport. The most frequent injury location and injury type were the ankle (22%) and sprain (35%), respectively. The most common diagnosis was ankle sprain (14% of all injuries and 23% of time-loss injuries). The injury incidence was highest in female (107±35) and male artistic gymnastics (83±32), followed by female rhythmic gymnastics (73±30), and lower in male (63±69) and female (43±43) trampoline gymnastics. Research should focus on preventing injuries in artistic gymnastics and of the condition of ankle sprain. Injury surveillance studies should be continued during major championships and throughout the entire competitive season as the Olympic Games provides only a snapshot (although an important one). © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Motor Learning as Young Gymnast's Talent Indicator.

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di Cagno, Alessandra; Battaglia, Claudia; Fiorilli, Giovanni; Piazza, Marina; Giombini, Arrigo; Fagnani, Federica; Borrione, Paolo; Calcagno, Giuseppe; Pigozzi, Fabio

2014-12-01

Talent identification plans are designed to select young athletes with the ability to achieve future success in sports. The aim of the study was to verify the predictive value of coordination and precision in skill acquisition during motor learning, as indicators of talent. One hundred gymnasts, both cadets (aged 11.5 ± 0.5 yr.) and juniors (aged 13.3 ± 0.5 years), competing at the national level, were enrolled in the study. The assessment of motor coordination involved three tests of the validated Hirtz's battery (1985), and motor skill learning involved four technical tests, specific of rhythmic gymnastics. All the tests were correlated with ranking and performance scores reached by each gymnast in the 2011, 2012, and 2013 National Championships. Coordination tests were significantly correlated to 2013 Championships scores (p talent identification and selection procedures it is better to include the evaluation of coordination and motor learning ability.Motor learning assessment concerns performance improvement and the ability to develop it, rather than evaluating the athlete's current performance.In this manner talent identification processes should be focused on the future performance capabilities of athletes.

The appreciation of artistic aspects of the Code of Points in rhythmic gymnastics: an analysis of the last three decades

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Eliana de TOLEDO

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract In pursuit of promoting the artistic aspects, the current Rhythmic Gymnastics Code of Points (RGCP has been submeted significant changes that motivated this research, documentary and historical in character, which aimed to analyze the last eight Olympic cycles of RGCP. The research method used in this study is documentary and characterized by the information found in documents (RGCP that had not received any scientific treatment. From the analysis of different RGCP cycles, we found artistic aspects, and their connection with RG technical requirements. We observed that the RG has distinct stages (technical aspects, flexibility etc. While retaining its artistic roots (from Dance and Rhythm, in pursuit of sportivization and systematization of the sport, the first stage was characterized by a search for the sportivization and standardization of the modality based on the inclusion of new body elements in the RGCP . The second stage confirms our previous hypothesis, that in the last RGCP the artistic component had undergone few changes. We noticed, in an overview, that at the present time the current RGCP brings back the relationship between RG and its origins, influenced by Aesthetic Gymnastics (Swedish, Rhythmic and Dance. Condition observed once the current Code of Points (2013-2016 marks the story of sports, by two aspects: the permissiveness of routines with singing wich has not allowed since since the creation the RGCP and significant changes to the appreciation of the routines’ artistic aspects.

Physiological responses and performance in a simulated trampoline gymnastics competition in elite male gymnasts

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Jensen, Peter; Scott, Suzanne; Krustrup, Peter

2013-01-01

Abstract Physiological responses and performance were examined during and after a simulated trampoline competition (STC). Fifteen elite trampoline gymnasts participated, of which whereas eight completed two routines (EX1 and EX2) and a competition final (EX3). Trampoline-specific activities were...... gymnastic competition includes a high number of repeated explosive and energy demanding jumps, which impairs jump performance during and 24 h post-competition....

Influence choreographic readiness to gymnasts final assessment of performance skills

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O.A. Omelichyk-Ziurkalova

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Purpose : to provide a quantitative assessment and expert choreographic preparedness gymnasts. Material : the study involved eight gymnasts competition finalists in the floor exercise - female members of the Ukrainian national team in gymnastics. Results : the quantitative indicators of acrobatic and dance elements to determine the baseline assessment. Defined methods complications composition on the floor exercise by reducing the number of acrobatic lines and diagonals and increase the number of gymnastic elements. The theoretical performance of the composite sequence is improved structure and increases the difficulty of the exercise. Conclusions : in the process of composition complications need to pay more attention to the technique of performing gymnastic elements. In improving exercise choreography element replace (in some cases acrobatic element. Based on the results is planned future direction of research in order to improve the training process in gymnastics.

STRENGTH PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT IN A SIMULATED MEN'S GYMNASTICS STILL RINGS CROSS

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Jennifer K. Dunlavy

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Athletes in sports such as the gymnastics who perform the still rings cross position are disadvantaged due to a lack of objective and convenient measurement methods. The gymnastics "cross" is a held isometric strength position considered fundamental to all still rings athletes. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if two small force platforms (FPs placed on supports to simulate a cross position could demonstrate the fidelity necessary to differentiate between athletes who could perform a cross from those who could not. Ten gymnasts (5 USA Gymnastics, Senior National Team, and 5 Age Group Level Gymnasts agreed to participate. The five Senior National Team athletes were grouped as cross Performers; the Age Group Gymnasts could not successfully perform the cross position and were grouped as cross Non- Performers. The two small FPs were first tested for reliability and validity and were then used to obtain a force-time record of a simulated cross position. The simulated cross test consisted of standing between two small force platforms placed on top of large solid gymnastics spotting blocks. The gymnasts attempted to perform a cross position by placing their hands at the center of the FPs and pressing downward with sufficient force that they could remove the support of their feet from the floor. Force-time curves (100 Hz were obtained and analyzed for the sum of peak and mean arm ground reaction forces. The summed arm forces, mean and peak, were compared to body weight to determine how close the gymnasts came to achieving forces equal to body weight and thus the ability to perform the cross. The mean and peak summed arm forces were able to statistically differentiate between athletes who could perform the cross from those who could not (p < 0.05. The force-time curves and small FPs showed sufficient fidelity to differentiate between Performer and Non- Performer groups. This experiment showed that small and inexpensive force platforms

Physiological responses and performance in a simulated trampoline gymnastics competition in elite male gymnasts.

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Jensen, Peter; Scott, Suzanne; Krustrup, Peter; Mohr, Magni

2013-01-01

Physiological responses and performance were examined during and after a simulated trampoline competition (STC). Fifteen elite trampoline gymnasts participated, of which eight completed two routines (EX1 and EX2) and a competition final (EX3). Trampoline-specific activities were quantified by video-analysis. Countermovement jump (CMJ) and 20 maximal trampoline jump (20-MTJ) performances were assessed. Heart rate (HR) and quadriceps muscle temperature (Tm) were recorded and venous blood was drawn. A total of 252 ± 16 jumps were performed during the STC. CMJ performance declined (P trampoline gymnastic competition includes a high number of repeated explosive and energy demanding jumps, which impairs jump performance during and 24 h post-competition.

Analysis of experience of feet functions perfection in rhythmic gymnastic exercises

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Nesterova T.V.

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Trainers and gymnasts take the problem of the special preparation feet and developments of method of its perfection to the number of the actual. The results of the pedagogical testing are shown that basic (basic, pushed, amortisation and specific (aesthetic, manipulation, integral functions feet have a different degree of display. They will be realized in exercises on all of the stages of long-term preparation of sportswomen. Most dynamic perfection of functions feet gymnasts take place on the stages of initial and preliminary base preparation.

Análise comparativa do equilíbrio unipodal de atletas de ginástica rítmica Comparative analysis of one-foot balance in rhythmic gymnastics athletes

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Leonardo Shigaki

2013-04-01

Full Text Available INTRODUÇÃO: A ginástica rítmica (GR requer alto nível de qualidade física; assim, o bom desempenho é dependente da força e resistência muscular, coordenação motora e equilíbrio postural. OBJETIVO: Desenvolver uma análise comparativa do equilíbrio unipodal de atletas de GR. MÉTODOS: Foram avaliadas dez atletas de GR, do sexo feminino, por meio de uma plataforma de força em apoio unipodal e testes funcionais de equilíbrio (Side Hop Test e Figure of Eight Hop Teste. Para a plataforma, os parâmetros do Centro de Pressão (COP nas direções anteroposterior e mediolateral foram utilizados para análise, enquanto para os testes funcionais, o tempo-segundos de performance. RESULTADOS: Diferença significativa (p = 0,01 foi encontrada entre os membros inferiores no parâmetro de frequência média na direção mediolateral, no qual o membro inferior não dominante apresentou maior estabilidade postural do que o dominante. Para os testes funcionais não houve diferença significativa entre os membros. CONCLUSÃO: A diferença encontrada no controle do equilíbrio na direção mediolateral pode estar relacionada às diferenças nas ações musculares da região do quadril, na qual durante a prática do esporte para estabilização, manutenção do tronco e execução de manobras com os membros inferiores estão presentes. Estes resultados indicam a necessidade de um programa de reequilíbrio e estabilização pélvica para as atletas analisadas no intuito de preservar a simetria muscular dos membros para o bom desempenho esportivo.INTRODUCTION: Rhythmic gymnastics requires a high level of physical quality; therefore, good performance depends on muscular strength and endurance, motor coordination and postural balance. OBJECTIVE: To develop a comparative analysis of postural balance in rhythmic gymnasts. METHODS: 10 female rhythmic gymnasts were evaluated by a force platform on one foot and balance functional tests (Side Hop Test and

Pedagogical Conditions for Coordination Development in Girls of Primary School Age through Rhythmic Gymnastics

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С. І. Марченко

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The research objective is to experimentally verify the effectiveness of the use of rhythmic gymnastics means that have been systematized to develop coordination abilities in girls of primary school age. Research methods: method of theoretical analysis and generalization of literary sources, method of control studies, pedagogical experiment, methods of mathematical statistics. Research results. The coordination readiness level evaluation demonstrated that at the beginning of the pedagogical experiment the level of the majority of the second-grade girls was low (22.85%, below average (39.97%, and average (11.42%; that of the third-grade girls was below average (57.1%, average (34.26%; and that of the fourth-grade — below average (29.3%, and average (62.06%. After the pedagogical experiment the number of the second-, third- and fourth-grade girls with the low level decreased by 19%, 13.4%, 10.4% in the experimental groups and by 16.3%, 11.8%, 9.8% in the control groups respectively; the number of the girls with the below-average level decreased by 14.7%, 32.7%, 23.1% in the experimental groups and by 12.4%, 21%, 19.1% in the control groups. The positive changes in the level of coordination abilities occurred both in the control and the experimental groups, with the results improved in favor of the experimental groups.

The relationship between reproduction of the jump’s rhythm and technical score of their execution by gymnasts at the stage of initial training

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Oksana Zaplatynska

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose: to determine the interconnection between quality of performance of the jumps and reproduction of the rhythm of jumps by gymnasts at the stage of initial training. Material & Methods: to determine the relationship between reproduction of rhythm and evaluation by the quality of technique of the jumps we used expert assessment, check the accuracy of the reproduction of rhythm with the help of computer program "rhythmic", methods of mathematical statistics. Results: the study found the correlation between reproduction of rhythm and summing-up of quality the technique of jumps by the gymnasts at the stage of initial training. Conclusions: the ability to reproduce a predetermined rhythm influences the level of technical readiness of gymnasts at the stage of initial training.

Gaze Behavior of Gymnastics Judges: Where Do Experienced Judges and Gymnasts Look While Judging?

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Pizzera, Alexandra; Möller, Carsten; Plessner, Henning

2018-01-01

Gymnastics judges and former gymnasts have been shown to be quite accurate in detecting errors and accurately judging performance. Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to examine if this superior judging performance is reflected in judges' gaze behavior. Method: Thirty-five judges were asked to judge 21 gymnasts who performed a skill on…

Robot performing heavy gymnastics. Kikai taiso wo suru robot

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Takashima, S. (Hosei Univ., Tokyo (Japan). Faculty of Engineering)

1991-11-01

Methods of simulation of the motion of human bodies and the control of the motion of bobots are sdudied in order to realize robots to perform gymnastics on a horizontal bar. A model of the human body structure is presented by dividing the human body into 8 parts: right and left arms, the head, the trunk, the right and left thighs, and the right and left foot, and a system is constructed by combination of the links of the rigid partswith an assumption on each link for simplification. A method to enhance the swing motion is devised in order to produce a suspension motionaas a basic movement of horizontal bar gymnastics. The basic condition to control the horizontal bar gynnastics and the control system of an articulation angle are considered. Two algorithms are presented in order to enhance the swing motion and to maintain suspension swing: excitation of the swing by a vertical motion of the center of gravity and excitation by the use of natural frequency. Computer simulation of suspension swing is executed and the results are shown in a figure. A prototype robot to perform horizontal bar gymnastics is manufactured and performs suspension swing, starting of swing, kip motion and giant swing. The concept of optimization is not included concretely in the prototype. 22 refs., 8 figs.

Talent in Female Gymnastics: a Survival Analysis Based upon Performance Characteristics.

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Pion, J; Lenoir, M; Vandorpe, B; Segers, V

2015-11-01

This study investigated the link between the anthropometric, physical and motor characteristics assessed during talent identification and dropout in young female gymnasts. 3 cohorts of female gymnasts (n=243; 6-9 years) completed a test battery for talent identification. Performance-levels were monitored over 5 years of competition. Kaplan-Meier and Cox Proportional Hazards analyses were conducted to determine the survival rate and the characteristics that influence dropout respectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that only 18% of the female gymnasts that passed the baseline talent identification test survived at the highest competition level 5 years later. The Cox Proportional Hazards Model indicated that gymnasts with a score in the best quartile for a specific characteristic significantly increased chances of survival by 45-129%. These characteristics being: basic motor skills (129%), shoulder strength (96%), leg strength (53%) and 3 gross motor coordination items (45-73%). These results suggest that tests batteries commonly used for talent identification in young female gymnasts may also provide valuable insights into future dropout. Therefore, multidimensional test batteries deserve a prominent place in the selection process. The individual test results should encourage trainers to invest in an early development of basic physical and motor characteristics to prevent attrition. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Gymnastic Judges Benefit from Their Own Motor Experience as Gymnasts

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Pizzera, Alexandra

2012-01-01

Gymnastic judges have the difficult task of evaluating highly complex skills. My purpose in the current study was to examine evidence that judges use their sensorimotor experiences to enhance their perceptual judgments. In a video test, 58 judges rated 31 gymnasts performing a balance beam skill. I compared decision quality between judges who…

Effect of meals with milk on body iron stores and improvement of dietary habit during weight loss in female rhythmic gymnasts.

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Kawano, Yukari; Ishizaki, Sakuko; Sasamoto, Shigeko; Katoh, Youko; Kobayashi, Shuhei

2002-10-01

This study investigated the effect of different timings of milk intake on body iron stores and improvement in the dietary habit of female collegiate rhythmic gymnasts. Subjects took iron tablets at both breakfast and dinner times during a weight-loss period. In addition, subjects ingested low-fat milk twice a day either at breakfast or dinner (group I; n = 7), or between meals (group II; n = 6) for 3 mo. Blood was collected four times. Red blood cell count, hemoglobin, serum iron, ferritin and erythropoietin concentrations were measured. Subjects completed a dietary survey for three consecutive days before each blood sampling. The mean body fat in both groups I and II was significantly lower after 3 mo than at the start of the study (p meals. In conclusion, iron-supplemented meals via milk ingestion did not decrease body iron stores and maintained higher body iron stores compared to a diet that included milk intake between meals. Further, milk intake with meals is related to keeping regular meal times and frequency.

Confidence, Concentration, and Competitive Performance of Elite Athletes: A Natural Experiment in Olympic Gymnastics.

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Grandjean, Burke D.; Taylor, Patricia A.; Weiner, Jay

2002-01-01

During the women's all-around gymnastics final at the 2000 Olympics, the vault was inadvertently set 5 cm too low for a random half of the gymnasts. The error was widely viewed as undermining their confidence and subsequent performance. However, data from pretest and posttest scores on the vault, bars, beam, and floor indicated that the vault…

Video modeling by experts with video feedback to enhance gymnastics skills.

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Boyer, Eva; Miltenberger, Raymond G; Batsche, Catherine; Fogel, Victoria

2009-01-01

The effects of combining video modeling by experts with video feedback were analyzed with 4 female competitive gymnasts (7 to 10 years old) in a multiple baseline design across behaviors. During the intervention, after the gymnast performed a specific gymnastics skill, she viewed a video segment showing an expert gymnast performing the same skill and then viewed a video replay of her own performance of the skill. The results showed that all gymnasts demonstrated improved performance across three gymnastics skills following exposure to the intervention.

EXAMINATION OF EFFECTS OF RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS ON BALANCE DEVELOPMENT AT THE SCHOOL CLASES OF YOUNG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FEMALE PUPILS

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Dragana Aleksić

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Balance is, in this work, important to three different balances: elementary balance, defined as body ability to fix in assigned balance position at minimal lean area, visual difficult balance, defined as body ability to fix in assigned balance position without visual control, and dynamic difficult balance, defined as body ability to fix in assigned balance position with center of gravity above the lean area, in spite of external forces difficulties. The battery for the evaluation of balance consists of three following tests: MPSG, MHNG, MSJN. During the 2005/06 academic year, a research was conducted so as to determine the effects of rhythmic gymnastics` program of physical education teaching on balance of female pupils. The subjects (N=99 were classified in experimental and control groups. At the beginning of the academic year, initial (first measurement was performed, followed by experimental final (second measurement at the end of experiment. Research data was processed using the multi-variant procedures MANCOVA, MANOVA, and mono-variant procedures ANCOVA, ANOVA i interval of entrust in distinction declined mean. After the experimental treatment, it was concluded that there are significant differences between female pupils in experimental and control groups i interest of experimental group evaluation of balance. The basic conclusion is that the female pupils of experimental group achieved significantly higher teaching effects than the control group, in view of partly increased motor abilities, being the result of the effects of the experimental treatment, as well as other external and internal factors. The main conclusion was that experimental treatment contributed better results in balance estimation tests in female pupils experimental group.

Úroveň pohybových schopností závodnic moderní gymnastiky různých věkových kategorií

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Satrapová, Kateřina

2013-01-01

This bachelor's thesis introduces rhythmic gymnastics. The rules, phases of sports training, factors affecting sports performance and definition of motor abilities are presented in theoretical part of thesis. Practical part concerns on solving the question of level of motor abilities in different age categories of rhythmic gymnastics competitors, due to the phases of training. The measurement was performed with the competitors from gymnastic club SK MG Slovan Plzeň.

Effects of task complexity on rhythmic reproduction performance in adults.

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Iannarilli, Flora; Vannozzi, Giuseppe; Iosa, Marco; Pesce, Caterina; Capranica, Laura

2013-02-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of task complexity on the capability to reproduce rhythmic patterns. Sedentary musically illiterate individuals (age: 34.8±4.2 yrs; M±SD) were administered a rhythmic test including three rhythmic patterns to be reproduced by means of finger-tapping, foot-tapping and walking. For the quantification of subjects' ability in the reproduction of rhythmic patterns, qualitative and quantitative parameters were submitted to analysis. A stereophotogrammetric system was used to reconstruct and evaluate individual performances. The findings indicated a good internal stability of the rhythmic reproduction, suggesting that the present experimental design is suitable to discriminate the participants' rhythmic ability. Qualitative aspects of rhythmic reproduction (i.e., speed of execution and temporal ratios between events) varied as a function of the perceptual-motor requirements of the rhythmic reproduction task, with larger reproduction deviations in the walking task. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of static and dynamic balance in elderly women performing aquatic exercise and gymnastics

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Ana Paula Almeida

2010-01-01

Full Text Available This study evaluated static and dynamic balance and related motor valences in elderly women who had been undergone gymnastics or aquatic exercise training for at least 6 months, three times a week. Thirty-one women performed water gymnastics (mean age: 69.32 ± 6.57 years and 28 gymnastics (65.57 ± 7.67 years. Height (cm, weight (kg and waist, hip and abdominal circumference (cm were measured and the body mass index (BMI and waist-hip ratio (WHR were calculated. Physical fitness was measured using the “sit and get up in 30 seconds” test (leg endurance and “8-foot up-and-go” test (dynamic balance, both proposed by Rikli and Jones (1999, and the “sit and reach” (flexibility and static balance tests described by Caromano (1998. Statistical analysis was performed using the Student t-test and Pearson’s correlation, with a level of significance of 0.05. No significant difference in the anthropometric measures (BMI and WHR was observed between groups. In the physical fitness tests, significant differences were only found in the “8-foot up-and-go” and “sit and get up” tests, with the gymnastics group presenting better results. No correlations within or between groups were observed regarding static and dynamic balance or motor valences. In conclusion, neither type of exercise was superior but the gymnastics group tended to show better results in terms of parameters such as agility, balance and flexibility.

Selection in artistic gymnastics

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Maria Olaru

2009-06-01

Full Text Available This study envisages the analysis of the specific aspects of the selection process in artistic gymnastics, focusing particularly onthe selection of Romania’s recent years. In our opinion, the shift to a cone of darkness of the artistic gymnastics, an extremelypopular sport in our country 20 years ago, is also based on and the orientation of children to other fields – unfortunately manyof them outside sports and physical activities in general. In the present study, we shall present the stages of the artisticgymnastics, as its importance in the subsequent performances has been proven a long time ago. The plethora of qualities andskills which are necessary to select a child for gymnastics and those that this sport develops when performed as a spare timeactivity. The case studied in this endeavour is the one of the main centers for gymnast recruitment in Romania; the attentionpaid by the trainers to the selection for this sport makes the data regarding the number of children involved to increase oncemore. This is a satisfactory fact as it is a well-known fact that a wide range primary selection sets a serious basis for thesecondary selection, and the third, respectively, envisaging the future performance and concurrently ensures the involvementof more children in a physical activity that will prepare them, both physically and mentally for a healthy life.

Gymnastics and politics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bonde, Hans

The first international biography of Niels Bukh (1880-1950), the charismatic founder of the special Danish school of modern gymnastics. His team of young elite gymnasts travelled around the world demonstrating his gymnastics, making Bukh reputably the most internationally well-known Dane during t...

The perfect gymnast: does he exist? : A systematic review

NARCIS (Netherlands)

C. Visscher; Marije Elferink-Gemser; L. Louer

2012-01-01

The aim of this review was to create an all-round profile of the elite artistic gymnast. Therefore, an extended literature search was performed in PubMed and PsycINFO databases. The main inclusion criteria were that the content of the article was about artistic gymnastics and that the gymnasts were

Acute effect of different stretching methods on flexibility and jumping performance in competitive artistic gymnasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Dallas, G; Smirniotou, A; Tsiganos, G; Tsopani, D; Di Cagno, A; Tsolakis, Ch

2014-12-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the acute effects of 3 different warm up methods of stretching (static, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, and stretching exercises on a Vibration platform) on flexibility and legs power-jumping performance in competitive artistic gymnasts. Eighteen competitive artistic gymnasts were recruited to participate in this study. Subjects were exposed to each of 3 experimental stretching conditions: static stretching (SS), proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation stretching (PNF), and stretching exercises on a Vibration platform (S+V). Flexibility assessed with sit and reach test (S & R) and jumping performance with squat jump (SJ) and counter movement jump (CMJ) and were measured before, immediately after and 15 min after the interventions. Significant differences were observed for flexibility after all stretching conditions for S+V (+1.1%), SS (+5.7%) and PNF (+6.8%) (P=0.000), which remained higher 15 min after interventions (S+V (1.1%), SS (5.3%) and PNF (5.5%), respectively (P=0.000). PNF stretching increased flexibility in competitive gymnasts, while S+V maintained jumping performance when both methods were used as part of a warm-up procedure.

Gymnastics in Phase Space

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chao, Alexander Wu; /SLAC

2012-03-01

As accelerator technology advances, the requirements on accelerator beam quality become increasingly demanding. Facing these new demands, the topic of phase space gymnastics is becoming a new focus of accelerator physics R&D. In a phase space gymnastics, the beam's phase space distribution is manipulated and precision tailored to meet the required beam qualities. On the other hand, all realization of such gymnastics will have to obey accelerator physics principles as well as technological limitations. Recent examples of phase space gymnastics include Emittance exchanges, Phase space exchanges, Emittance partitioning, Seeded FELs and Microbunched beams. The emittance related topics of this list are reviewed in this report. The accelerator physics basis, the optics design principles that provide these phase space manipulations, and the possible applications of these gymnastics, are discussed. This fascinating new field promises to be a powerful tool of the future.

DEVELOPING MUSHROOM GYMNASTIC INSTRUMENT PROTOTYPE FOR MEN’S ARTISTIC GYMNASTIC SPORT IN CENTRAL JAVA PROVINCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tommy Soenyoto

2014-03-01

Full Text Available This study aims to develop mushroom gymnastic instrument for men’s artistic gymnastic athletes of junior and senior levels. The instrument is aimed at improving movement skills on horse saddle. Aside from its use as an exercise instrument for beginner, junior and senior levels of men’s artistic gymnastic athletes, this instrument can also be used for beginners’ level competition. This study used qualitative approach in which the data are collected from the initial step to the trial. The main procedure involved five steps: (1 the analysis of product development; (2 the development of initial product; (3 the expert validation; (4 the trial; and (5 the product revision. This study found that the mushroom gymnastic instrument can be used for men’s artistic gymnastic sport, particularly (1 for improving movement skill development on horse saddle for junior and senior athletes; (2 as an exercise instrument for beginner, junior and senior level of men’s artistic gymnastic athletes; (3 as an instrument used in competition for men’s artistic gymnastic for beginners’ level.

Reliability of anthropometric measurements in young male and female artistic gymnasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Siatras, Theophanis; Skaperda, Malamati; Mameletzi, Dimitra

2010-12-01

Body dimensions and body composition of children participating in artistic activities, such as gymnastics and many types of dancing, are important factors in performance improvement. The present study aimed to determine the reliability of a series of selected anthropometric measurements in young male and female gymnasts. Segment lengths, body breadths, circumferences, and skinfold thickness were measured in 20 young gymnasts by the same experienced examiner, using portable and easy-to-use instruments. All parameters were measured twice (test-retest) under the same conditions within a week's period. The high intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) values ranging from 0.87 to 0.99, as well as the low coefficient of variation (CV) values (artistic gymnasts. Therefore, these measurements could contribute to further research in this field of investigation, helping to monitor young artistic gymnasts' growth status and identify specific characteristics for increased performance in this sport.

Biomechanical indicators of key elements of sports equipment gymnastic exercises

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Potop V.A.

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to analyze the biomechanical performance of the kinematic and dynamic structures of key elements of sports techniques of basic exercises performed gymnasts aged 12 - 14 years to the vaulting and on the bars of different heights, on the basis of the method of postural orientation movements. The study involved 11 gymnasts doing exercises on the vaulting and 9 gymnasts - on the boards of various heights. It is shown that the method of video - computer analysis of the type Yurchenko vault and dismount from the bars of varying heights, in conjunction with the method of postural orientation movements possible to isolate and identify the node elements. The indicators characterizing the node elements of sports equipment movements gymnasts in the phase structure of the vault and dismount from the bars of different heights have specific features and characteristics. Learned node elements sports equipment is the basis for the measurement, analysis and evaluation of the kinematic and dynamic structures and other types of exercises all-around gymnastics.

[Medical interests in gymnastics and athletics].

Science.gov (United States)

Brodin, H

2001-01-01

Since time immemorial authors have noticed the usefulness of physical activity. In the 18th century C von Linné was a spokesman for bodily exercise, and in the beginning of the 19th century P. H . Ling shaped the Swedish gymnastics and founded the Gymnastiska Centralinstitutet in 1813. He aimed at harmonious bodies according to the models of the classic antiquity. Many physicians, I. and F. Holmgren saw the value of the gymnastics. Completing the Ling gymnastics, there was a growing interest in physical performance, i.e., athletics. Above all, the contributions of the officer V. Balck, culminating at the olympic games in Stockholm 1912, made athletics a national movement. Since 1913 it receives an annual economic support from the state. Some physicians feared from overexertion in athletics but they appreciated physical performance. However, they demanded that you should be wholly full-grown prior to great exortions. An important part of the Ling program was remedial gymnastics which was more and more estimated after P. Haglund had asserted its value. T. Sjöstrand's studies became a good basis for evaluating the effect of physical training in both healthy and sick persons. It was not until the 1950s that the first studies, later confirmed, gave holds for the view that physical training was good for public health. But the average life span does not seem to be influenced by physical activities. Now and then training had earlier been used as therapy for disparate sorts of diseases but most rationally for disturbed functions of the locomotor system. Training became an important part of medical rehabilitation only after the second world war. Gymnastics and athletics at school have always had a solid support by physicians. The subject has nowadays so few hours that it cannot result in safe training habits for the future.

Gymnastics injuries and imaging in children

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keller, Marc S. [Children' s Hospital of Philadelphia, Department of Radiology, Philadelphia, PA (United States)

2009-12-15

Injuries of children participating in gymnastics are seen less often than in more popular sports. Patterns of injury are predictable based upon sex, age and level of intensity of training and competition. More injuries are seen in girls than in boys, and the great majority of early adolescents who compete have wrist pain. Some otherwise quiescent congenital spine anomalies may be uncovered by the stress of gymnastics maneuvers and present with low back pain. In addition to diagnosis of injuries, imaging can be used to guide analgesic and anti-inflammatory therapy in some injured athletes. Parents whose children wish to participate in gymnastics should understand that fewer injuries occur in the child enjoying recreational gymnastics than in competing gymnasts. More gymnastics injuries are found in very competitive athletes training at higher levels. (orig.)

Gymnastics injuries and imaging in children

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keller, Marc S.

2009-01-01

Injuries of children participating in gymnastics are seen less often than in more popular sports. Patterns of injury are predictable based upon sex, age and level of intensity of training and competition. More injuries are seen in girls than in boys, and the great majority of early adolescents who compete have wrist pain. Some otherwise quiescent congenital spine anomalies may be uncovered by the stress of gymnastics maneuvers and present with low back pain. In addition to diagnosis of injuries, imaging can be used to guide analgesic and anti-inflammatory therapy in some injured athletes. Parents whose children wish to participate in gymnastics should understand that fewer injuries occur in the child enjoying recreational gymnastics than in competing gymnasts. More gymnastics injuries are found in very competitive athletes training at higher levels. (orig.)

Effect of Plyometric Training on Handspring Vault Performance and Functional Power in Youth Female Gymnasts.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emma Hall

Full Text Available This study aimed to determine the effect of plyometric training (PT when added to habitual gymnastic training (HT on handspring vault (HV performance variables. Twenty youth female competitive gymnasts (Age: 12.5 ± 1.67 y volunteered to participate and were randomly assigned to two independent groups. The experimental plyometric training group (PTG undertook a six-week plyometric program, involving two additional 45 min PT sessions a week, alongside their HT, while the control group (CG performed regular HT only. Videography was used (120 Hz in the sagittal plane to record both groups performing three HVs for both the baseline and post-intervention trials. Furthermore, participants completed a countermovement jump test (CMJ to assess the effect of PT on functional power. Through the use of Quintic biomechanics software, significant improvements (P < 0.05 were found for the PTG for run-up velocity, take-off velocity, hurdle to board distance, board contact time, table contact time and post-flight time and CMJ height. However, there were no significant improvements on pre-flight time, shoulder angle or hip angle on the vault for the PTG. The CG demonstrated no improvement for all HV measures. A sport-specific PT intervention improved handspring vault performance measures and functional power when added to the habitual training of youth female gymnasts. The additional two hours plyometric training seemingly improved the power generating capacity of movement-specific musculature, which consequently improved aspects of vaulting performance. Future research is required to examine the whether the improvements are as a consequence of the additional volume of sprinting and jumping activities, as a result of the specific PT method or a combination of these factors.

Gymnasts utilize visual and auditory information for behavioural synchronization in trampolining.

Science.gov (United States)

Heinen, T; Koschnick, J; Schmidt-Maaß, D; Vinken, P M

2014-08-01

In synchronized trampolining, two gymnasts perform the same routine at the same time. While trained gymnasts are thought to coordinate their own movements with the movements of another gymnast by detecting relevant movement information, the question arises how visual and auditory information contribute to the emergence of synchronicity between both gymnasts. Therefore the aim of this study was to examine the role of visual and auditory information in the emergence of coordinated behaviour in synchronized trampolining. Twenty female gymnasts were asked to synchronize their leaps with the leaps of a model gymnast, while visual and auditory information was manipulated. The results revealed that gymnasts needed more leaps to reach synchronicity when only either auditory (12.9 leaps) or visual information (10.8 leaps) was available, as compared to when both auditory and visual information was available (8.1 leaps). It is concluded that visual and auditory information play significant roles in synchronized trampolining, whilst visual information seems to be the dominant source for emerging behavioural synchronization, and auditory information supports this emergence.

Sleep, training load and performance in elite female gymnasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Dumortier, J; Mariman, A; Boone, J; Delesie, L; Tobback, E; Vogelaers, D; Bourgois, J G

2018-03-01

Training load (TL) and recovery should be in optimal balance to obtain maximal performance gains. We aimed to study sleep as a recovery technique and its relationship with TL and performance in elite athletes. Twenty-six elite female artistic gymnasts were divided into an under 13 (n = 6), an under 14 (n = 6), a junior (n = 7; 14-15y) and a senior (=World Championship (WC) competitors, n = 7; ≥16y) category. Sleep, through sleep logs, and training parameters, using the session Rate of Perceived Exertion (sRPE) scale, were monitored to calculate total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency (SE), TL, monotony and strain. Performance of WC competitors was evaluated through coach and WC qualification ranking. For the entire group, TST (effect sizes (ES) = -1.12, confidence intervals (CI) = -60:-47, P performance. Optimizing sleep and TL may therefore represent strategies to enhance performance.

Adipocytokine and ghrelin levels in relation to bone mineral density in prepubertal rhythmic gymnasts entering puberty: a 3-year follow-up study.

Science.gov (United States)

Võsoberg, Kristel; Tillmann, Vallo; Tamm, Anna-Liisa; Jürimäe, Toivo; Maasalu, Katre; Jürimäe, Jaak

2016-04-01

To investigate changes in bone mineral density (BMD) in rhythmic gymnasts (RG) entering puberty and their age-matched untrained controls (UC) over the 36-month period, and associations with leptin, adiponectin and ghrelin over this period. Whole body (WB), lumbar spine (LS) and femoral neck (FN) BMD, WB bone mineral content (BMC), and leptin, adiponectin and ghrelin were measured in 35 RG and 33 UC girls at baseline and at 12-month intervals over the next 3 years. The change over the 36 months was calculated (∆ score). The pubertal development over the next 36 months was slower in RG compard to UC, while there was no difference in bone age development between the groups. BMD at all sites was higher in RG in comparison with UC at every measurement point. ∆LS BMD and ∆FN BMD, but not ∆WB BMD and ∆WB BMC, were higher in RG compared with UC. None of the measured hormones at baseline or their ∆ scores correlated with ∆BMD and ∆BMC in RG. Baseline fat free mass correlated with ∆WB BMD and ∆WB BMC in RG, while baseline leptin was related to ∆WB BMC, ∆WB BMD and ∆LS BMD in UC. Measured baseline hormones and their ∆ scores did not correlate with increases in bone mineral values in RG entering puberty. Although the pubertal development in RG was slower than in UC, high-intensity training appeared to increase BMD growth and counterbalance negative effects of slow pubertal develpment, lower fat mass and leptin in RG.

RELATION CONATIVE CHARACSTERISTICS AND SUCCESS IN GYMNASTICS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katarina Herodek

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The young gymnasts from seven cities in the Republic of Serbia at the age of 8-12 years was covered with programmed gymnastic training 3-4 times a week for 90 minutes and the system of competition within the "C" program GSS. The case studies are examined relationships conative characteristics modified by Catel 16PF questionnaire with success in gymnastics, which is estimated to success in the competition in the "C" program of the Gymnastics Federation of Serbia. Using canonical correlation analysis of the data show that in the space of conative characteristics examined were found to be factors I-sensitivity-sharp temper, H- fearlessness and Q1- openness to change. Success in gymnastics was defined positive relations with disciplines Rings (.77, Pommel horse and Bar (.73 and Vault (.63. The hypothesis that says "conative characteristics have a positive relationship with success in gymnastics" can not be accepted because there is a statistically positive relationship that is explained with 83%. Young gymnasts who show a sharp temper and willingness to learn new cause the contents with strong courage, can successfully realizes "C" program GS Serbia in gymnastics.

Gymnastics between protestantism and libertinism from 1880 to 1940: A comparative analysis of two internationally renowned Danish gymnastics educators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bonde, Hans

2017-01-01

The purpose of this article is to analyze and compare two internationally renowned Danish Gymnastics teachers, Jørgen Peter Muller and Niels Bukh. Whereas Muller’s home gymnastics had a cosmopolitan agenda that appealed to everyone regardless of ethnic origin, including many Jews, Bukh’s gymnastics...... increasingly became embedded in a right-wing nationalist frame of reference. Muller created an individual system of home gymnastics with a focus on health by means of exercises and the cleansing of the body that included a cold shower. In contrast, Bukh’s system was a collective form of gymnastics...

Alpha-Band Rhythms in Visual Task Performance: Phase-Locking by Rhythmic Sensory Stimulation

Science.gov (United States)

de Graaf, Tom A.; Gross, Joachim; Paterson, Gavin; Rusch, Tessa; Sack, Alexander T.; Thut, Gregor

2013-01-01

Oscillations are an important aspect of neuronal activity. Interestingly, oscillatory patterns are also observed in behaviour, such as in visual performance measures after the presentation of a brief sensory event in the visual or another modality. These oscillations in visual performance cycle at the typical frequencies of brain rhythms, suggesting that perception may be closely linked to brain oscillations. We here investigated this link for a prominent rhythm of the visual system (the alpha-rhythm, 8–12 Hz) by applying rhythmic visual stimulation at alpha-frequency (10.6 Hz), known to lead to a resonance response in visual areas, and testing its effects on subsequent visual target discrimination. Our data show that rhythmic visual stimulation at 10.6 Hz: 1) has specific behavioral consequences, relative to stimulation at control frequencies (3.9 Hz, 7.1 Hz, 14.2 Hz), and 2) leads to alpha-band oscillations in visual performance measures, that 3) correlate in precise frequency across individuals with resting alpha-rhythms recorded over parieto-occipital areas. The most parsimonious explanation for these three findings is entrainment (phase-locking) of ongoing perceptually relevant alpha-band brain oscillations by rhythmic sensory events. These findings are in line with occipital alpha-oscillations underlying periodicity in visual performance, and suggest that rhythmic stimulation at frequencies of intrinsic brain-rhythms can be used to reveal influences of these rhythms on task performance to study their functional roles. PMID:23555873

Effect of Plyometric Training on Handspring Vault Performance and Functional Power in Youth Female Gymnasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Emma; Bishop, Daniel C; Gee, Thomas I

2016-01-01

This study aimed to determine the effect of plyometric training (PT) when added to habitual gymnastic training (HT) on handspring vault (HV) performance variables. Twenty youth female competitive gymnasts (Age: 12.5 ± 1.67 y) volunteered to participate and were randomly assigned to two independent groups. The experimental plyometric training group (PTG) undertook a six-week plyometric program, involving two additional 45 min PT sessions a week, alongside their HT, while the control group (CG) performed regular HT only. Videography was used (120 Hz) in the sagittal plane to record both groups performing three HVs for both the baseline and post-intervention trials. Furthermore, participants completed a countermovement jump test (CMJ) to assess the effect of PT on functional power. Through the use of Quintic biomechanics software, significant improvements (P plyometric training seemingly improved the power generating capacity of movement-specific musculature, which consequently improved aspects of vaulting performance. Future research is required to examine the whether the improvements are as a consequence of the additional volume of sprinting and jumping activities, as a result of the specific PT method or a combination of these factors.

Dynamics of comprehensive physical fitness in artistic gymnasts aged 7-10 years

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra Boraczyńska

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate the somatic development and comprehensive physical fitness of artistic gymnasts aged 7-10 years. Materials and methods: Gymnasts (n = 307, split up into four age groups performed eight Eurofit tests. The results were evaluated in points according to the development standards prepared in scale T for the Polish girls population. Results : The gymnasts obtained the highest growth rate in balance test - FLB (13 points, arm and shoulder muscular endurance test - BAH (7 points and speed of the upper limb movement test - PLT (4 points out of eight physical fitness tests. Conclusions. High and very high level of performance in the six Eurofit tests and increased total number of points in the subsequent age groups of artistic gymnasts proved high effectiveness of training in shaping the key components of a comprehensive physical fitness in artistic gymnastics - balance, strength, endurance, speed and flexibility. Relatively little progress in isometric hand strength (HGR and standing broad jump (SBJ suggests a significant influence of genetic factors on the level of these abilities. The results provide an objective information useful in optimizing control system of training effects in comprehensive physical fitness and optimization of artistic gymnasts training at the comprehensive stage of sports training.

The Performance of Bach: Study of Rhythmic Timing by Skilled Musicians.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Christopher M.

1999-01-01

Analyzes 15 performances of "Bach's Suite Number 3 for Violoncello solo, Bourree Number 1" and determines what patterns of rhythmic variation (rubato) were used by soloists. Indicates that the soloists demonstrated four identifiable and similar trends in the performances. (CMK)

"Gymnasts Are Like Wine, They Get Better with Age": Becoming and Developing Adult Women's Artistic Gymnasts

Science.gov (United States)

Barker-Ruchti, Natalie; Kerr, Roslyn; Schubring, Astrid; Cervin, Georgia; Nunomura, Myrian

2017-01-01

Women's artistic gymnastics is commonly understood to require early entrance and intense training during childhood. Most gymnasts retire before reaching adulthood. In recent years, the gymnast population at the highest level has "aged." In this article, we adopt a socio-pedagogical perspective to explore the training contexts, pubertal…

MEASURING SPORT-SPECIFIC PHYSICAL ABILITIES IN MALE GYMNASTS: THE MEN'S GYMNASTICS FUNCTIONAL MEASUREMENT TOOL

Science.gov (United States)

Kenyon, Lisa K.; Elliott, James M; Cheng, M. Samuel

2016-01-01

Purpose/Background Despite the availability of various field-tests for many competitive sports, a reliable and valid test specifically developed for use in men's gymnastics has not yet been developed. The Men's Gymnastics Functional Measurement Tool (MGFMT) was designed to assess sport-specific physical abilities in male competitive gymnasts. The purpose of this study was to develop the MGFMT by establishing a scoring system for individual test items and to initiate the process of establishing test-retest reliability and construct validity. Methods A total of 83 competitive male gymnasts ages 7-18 underwent testing using the MGFMT. Thirty of these subjects underwent re-testing one week later in order to assess test-retest reliability. Construct validity was assessed using a simple regression analysis between total MGFMT scores and the gymnasts’ USA-Gymnastics competitive level to calculate the coefficient of determination (r2). Test-retest reliability was analyzed using Model 1 Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Statistical significance was set at the p<0.05 level. Results The relationship between total MGFMT scores and subjects’ current USA-Gymnastics competitive level was found to be good (r2 = 0.63). Reliability testing of the MGFMT composite test score showed excellent test-retest reliability over a one-week period (ICC = 0.97). Test-retest reliability of the individual component tests ranged from good to excellent (ICC = 0.75-0.97). Conclusions The results of this study provide initial support for the construct validity and test-retest reliability of the MGFMT. Level of Evidence Level 3 PMID:27999723

Kinematic variables of table vault on artistic gymnastics

OpenAIRE

FERNANDES,Sarah Maria Boldrini; CARRARA,Paulo; SERRÃO,Júlio Cerca; AMADIO,Alberto Carlos; MOCHIZUKI,Luis

2016-01-01

Abstract The table vault is an event of male and female Artistics Gymnastics. Although it can be performed in a variety of rotations and body positions in different phases, it can be separated in three groups: handspring, Yurchenko and Tsukahara. It is believed that kinematic variables of vault may vary according to group of vault or gymnast body position, but few studies compares the real differences among the three groups of vaults, comparing and describing the variables in different phases...

The Advanced Study of Gymnastics.

Science.gov (United States)

Salmela, John H., Ed.

The sport of artistic gymnastics is viewed from a multidisciplinary point of view. The training, performance, and judgment of the sport undergo specialized study of interest to sport scientists, teachers, coaches, and athletes. Organized into five major sections, the book presents such themes as the psychological, physiological, biomechanical,…

The acute effects of stretching with vibration on dynamic flexibility in young female gymnasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Aaron W; Warcup, Caisa N; Seeley, Matthew K; Eggett, Dennis; Feland, Jeffery B

2018-01-10

While stretching with vibration has been shown to improve static flexibility; the effect of stretching with vibration on dynamic flexibility is not well known. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of stretching with vibration on acute dynamic flexibility and jump height in novice and advanced competitive female gymnasts during a split jump. Female gymnast (n=27, age: 11.5 ± 1.7 years, Junior Olympic levels 5-10) participated in this cross-over study. Dynamic flexibility during gymnastic split jumps were video recorded and analyzed with Dartfish software. All participants completed both randomized stretching protocols with either the vibration platform turned on (VIB) (frequency of 30 Hz and 2 mm amplitude) or off (NoVIB) separated by 48 h. Participants performed 4 sets of three stretches on the vibration platform. Each stretch was held for 30 s with 5 s rest for a total of 7 min of stretch. Split jump flexibility decreased significantly from pre to post measurement in both VIB (-5.8°±5.9°) (p<0.001) and NoVIB (-2.6°±6.1°) (p=0.041) conditions (adjusted for gymnast level). This effect was greatest in lower skill level gymnasts (p=0.003), while the highest skill level gymnasts showed no significant decrease in the split jump (p=0.105). Jump height was not significantly different between conditions (p=0.892) or within groups (p=0.880). An acute session of static stretching with or without vibration immediately before performance does not alter jump height. Stretching with vibration immediately prior to gymnastics competition decreases split jump flexibility in lower level gymnasts more than upper level gymnasts.

The Physique of Elite Female Artistic Gymnasts: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Bacciotti, Sarita; Baxter-Jones, Adam; Gaya, Adroaldo; Maia, José

2017-09-01

It has been suggested that successful young gymnasts are a highly select group in terms of the physique. This review summarizes the available literature on elite female gymnasts' anthropometric characteristics, somatotype, body composition and biological maturation. The main aims were to identify: (i) a common physique and (ii) the differences, if any, among competitive/performance levels. A systematic search was conducted online using five different databases. Of 407 putative papers, 17 fulfilled all criteria and were included in the review. Most studies identified similar physiques based on: physical traits (small size and low body mass), a body type (predominance of ecto-mesomorphy), body composition (low fat mass), and maturity status (late skeletal maturity as well as late age-at-menarche). However, there was no consensus as to whether these features predicted competitive performance, or even differentiated between gymnasts within distinctive competitive levels. In conclusion, gymnasts, as a group, have unique pronounced characteristics. These characteristics are likely due to selection for naturally-occurring inherited traits. However, data available for world class competitions were mostly outdated and sample sizes were small. Thus, it was difficult to make any conclusions about whether physiques differed between particular competitive levels.

Ginástica rítmica – análise dos fatores competitivos motivadores e estressantes da Seleção Brasileira Juvenil =Rhythmical gymnastics – analysis of competitive, motivating and stress factors of the teenager Brazilian National Football Team

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lenamar Fiorese Vieira

2005-07-01

Full Text Available Este estudo objetivou investigar a trajetória de desenvolvimento das atletas de ginástica rítmica da Seleção Brasileira Juvenil, com foco na identificação dos fatores competitivos (motivadores e estressantes que ocorrem em diferentes fases da carreira esportiva. A população alvo foi de dez atletas. Como instrumentos de medida foramutilizados o Teste de Carga Psíquica de Frester e entrevista semi-estruturada. Para análise utilizou-se estatística descritiva e a análise de conteúdo do tipo categorial. Os resultados demonstraram que na ginástica rítmica o processo de especialização motora das atletas inicia aos 12 anos; os fatores motivadores evidenciados foram o gosto pelo esporte e ser o favorito; os fatores estressantes foram ser prejudicado pelos juizes e falta de tempo para divertimento.Concluindo em uma análise geral, as atletas perceberam o contexto esportivo competitivo como mais estressante do que motivador; esta afirmação acentuou-se a partir da fase de prática motora em que o estresse competitivo para o rendimento se intensificou.This study aimed to investigate the developmental trajectory of the Brazilian Rhythmic Gymnastics Youth Team, focusing on the identification of competitive factors (motivator and stressful thatoccurs in different sport’s career phases. The sample was composed ten athletes. As measure instruments were used the Frester’s Test Psychic Load and a semi-structured interview. The data were analyzed through the descriptive statistics and categorical type of content’s analysis. The results demonstrated that in the rhythmic gymnastics the process of the athletes’ motor specialization begins at 12 years; the motivator factors evidenced were fun for sport and being the favorite; the stressful factors were being harmed by the judges and not time for fun. Concluding in a general analysis the athletes perceived the competitive sporting context as more stressful than motivator; this affirmation

THE SCORE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ELITE EUROPEN JUNIOR AND SENIOR WOMEN GYMNASTS

OpenAIRE

Erceg, Tina; Delaš Kalinski, Sunčica; Milić, Mirjana

2014-01-01

Artistic gymnastics is generally determined by the rules of the gymnastics Code of Points and long-term processes of learning gymnastics skills. Though intensive, the career of women gymnasts is relatively short, so with the goal of prolonging it the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG-a) prescribes junior women gymnasts should apply easier dismounts than senior gymnasts. The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics of junior routines (N=88) and their differences in relatio...

Unique or double standard to aging in sports? Case of retired gymnasts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mara Stan

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The study aims to capture a socially constructed analysis of gendered media representations on retired Romanian gymnasts. The theoretical input discusses gendered representations, body projects, discursive tactics applied to gender within the context of sports, kinetic performance and contributions extracted from feminist critical discourse analysis. The overall approach views desistance, resistance and conformity as inextricably intertwined concerning gendered representations of sports participation. Discursive cues from the 20 selected media articles anchor meaning as points of reference for connecting ideas to broader networks of significance within an integrative analytical framework. The analysis of empirical findings dwells on discursive strategies for conformity and othering, empowerment and victimization. Media portrays women gymnasts in the post-retirement phase as de-centring from competition and assuming supportive roles that are thought as more becoming, typically feminine practices, whereas men are represented as remaining strong and competitive. From a somatic culture perspective, male gymnasts act more as role models for successful aging, being portrayed as maintaining desirable body attributes such as grit, strength, energy and vitality. In exchange, female gymnasts remain ambassadors of sports and community participation to physical exercise, but are expected to display disturbing or debilitating somatic signs of aging as negative repercussion of high-performance gymnastics.

Lumbar lordosis in female collegiate dancers and gymnasts.

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Ambegaonkar, Jatin P; Caswell, Amanda M; Kenworthy, Kristen L; Cortes, Nelson; Caswell, Shane V

2014-12-01

Postural deviations can predispose an individual to increased injury risk. Specifically, lumbar deviations are related to increased low back pain and injury. Dancers and gymnasts are anecdotally suggested to have exaggerated lumbar lordosis and subsequently may be at increased risk of lumbar pathologies. Our objective was to examine lumbar lordosis levels in dancers and gymnasts. We examined lumbar lordosis in 47 healthy collegiate females (17 dancers, 29 gymnasts; mean age 20.2 ± 1.6 yrs) using 2-dimensional sagittal plane photographs and the Watson MacDonncha Posture Analysis instrument. Participants' lordosis levels were cross-tabulated and a Mann-Whitney U-test compared lumbar lordosis between groups (plordosis deviations. The distribution of lordosis was similar across groups (p=0.22). Most dancers and gymnasts had moderate or marked lumbar lordosis. The extreme ranges of motion required during dancing and gymnastics may contribute to the participants' high lumbar lordosis. Instructors should be aware that there may be links between repetitive hyperextension activities and lumbar lordosis levels in dancers and gymnasts. Thus, they should proactively examine lumbar lordosis in their dancers and gymnasts. How much age of training onset, regimens, survivor bias, or other factors influence lumbar lordosis requires study. Longitudinal studies are also needed to determine if lumbar lordosis levels influence lumbar injury incidence in dancers and gymnasts.

Fundamental Movement Skills Development under the Influence of a Gymnastics Program and Everyday Physical Activity in Seven-Year-Old Children.

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Culjak, Zoran; Miletic, Durdica; Kalinski, Suncica Delas; Kezic, Ana; Zuvela, Frane

2014-04-01

The objectives of this study were: a) to examine the influence of an 18-week basic artistic gymnastics program on fundamental movement skills (FMS) development in seven-year-old children; b) to determine correlations between children's daily activities and successful performance of FMS and basic artistic gymnastics skills. Seventy five first grade primary school children took part in this study. A physical education teacher specialized in artistic gymnastics conducted a gymnastics program for 18 weeks, three times a week. The level of gymnastics skills and FMS were identified at the beginning and at the end of the program. The level of gymnastics skills was evaluated by performance of eight artistic gymnastics skills, while FMS were evaluated by the use of FMS-polygon. Physical activity and inactivity was evaluated by using a proxy-questionnaire "Netherlands Physical Activity Questionnaire˝ (NPAQ). According to the dependent samples t test, significant differences were found in the FMS-polygon and all gymnastics skills before and after the 18-week gymnastics program. Increasing correlations were established over time between gymnastics skills and the FMS-polygon. Unorganized daily activity of children significantly correlated with their mastering of gymnastics skills and FMS. The presented findings confirm: (1) the thesis that basic artistic gymnastics skills and FMS could be developed simultaneously, (2) the theory of positive transfer of similar skills between FMS and artistic gymnastic skills. Mastering basic artistic gymnastics skills will provoke improvement of FMS and finally become a prerequisite for successful introduction of learning more complex gymnastics skills. The obtained results imply that an increase of children's unorganized daily activities can improve the mastering of basic gymnastics skills and simultaneously the development of FMS.

Evaluation criteria of the individual motor predisposition of female sport gymnastics

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Boraczynski T.

2010-10-01

Full Text Available In the paper were presented the results of research, aimed to improve criteria for assessing the motor predisposition of girls in sports gymnastics at the initial stage of training. The studies included 24 gymnasts divided into two age groups: A 6,0-7,5 years of age and B (8,3-13,0. The level of physical fitness was assessed with the use of the EUROFIT battery tests. easurements of the maximum moment of muscle strength in the bending forearm in the elbow joint in terms of isometric contraction were also performed. Assessment f the level of individual strengthspeed and coordination abilities and physical fitness structure including the pace of biological development were the basis for the development of objective criteria for assessing the sports predispositions of young gymnasts at the initial stage of training. Our results provide the basis for improving the control system and optimization of assessment criteria in women gymnastics, including age, training experience and sports level. The results presented in this paper demonstrated the usefulness of the research methodology used to assess the physical fitness and predispositions of gymnasts at the initial stage of training, what enables individualization of training process.

Recovery in Level 7-10 Women's USA Artistic Gymnastics.

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Buckner, Stephen B; Bacon, Nicholas T; Bishop, Phillip A

2017-01-01

This study assessed physical performance in women's artistic gymnastics following three variable recovery periods. Participants included fifteen female gymnasts (mean age = 13.5 ± 1.1) who had competed at USA Gymnastics (USAG) levels 7 - 10 within at least one year prior to the study. Each testing session consisted of a warm-up followed by four muscular endurance tests and one explosive maximal test. Assessments included pull-ups, leg lifts, handstand push-ups, vertical jump, and push-ups. After the performance assessments, the participants completed a typical practice session. The performance measures were reassessed at the beginning of each of the recovery periods of 24, 48, and 72 hours in a counterbalanced design. Performance assessments were converted into Z-scores and then averaged for a composite session Z-score. The composite session Z-scores were compared to evaluate the recovery duration. Composite Z's were significantly lower (p=0.000), after the 24 (z=-1.10) and the 48 hour (z=-0.71) recovery periods compared to baseline (z=0.00). However, there was no difference in scores (p=1.00) between the baseline and 72 hours (z=0.004) recovery. Full recovery required 72 hours under the conditions of this study.

Foot and Ankle Deformity in Young Acrobatic and Artistic Gymnasts

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Sobera Anna

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose. The aim of the paper was to determine the occurrence of feet and ankle deformities in trampoline and artistic gymnasts. Methods. Ten acrobatic gymnasts (trampolinists and 10 artistic gymnasts aged 6-14 years were recruited. The calcaneal-tibial (rearfoot angle was determined as the angle of the upper calcaneal tendon and the longitudinal heel axis while Clarke angles were determined by podoscopy. Results. The trampolinists showed significantly greater medial angulation (calcaneal valgus than the group of gymnasts. Right and left foot Clark’s angles in both the trampoline and artistic gymnasts were above 55°. Conclusions. Trampolinists exhibit significantly more pronounced calcaneal valgus than artistic gymnasts. The prevalence of foot and ankle deformities in both populations should be addressed by coaches in the gymnastics training of young children.

Correlation between hypermobility score and injury rate in artistic gymnastics.

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Bukva, Bojan; Vrgoč, Goran; Madić, Dejan; Sporiš, Goran; Trajković, Nebojša

2018-01-10

Generalized Joint Hypermobility (GJH) is suggested as a contributing factor for injuries in young athletes and adults. It is presumed that GJH causes decreased joint stability, thereby increasing the risk of joint and soft tissue injuries during sports activities. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between the hypermobility rate (using the Beighton`s modification of the Carter-Wilkinson criteria of hypermobility) in gymnasts and injury rate, during the period of one year. This study observed 24 artistic gymnasts (11-26 years old), members of Qatar National Team in artistic gymnastics. We examined the Beighton joint hypermobility screen and a seasonal injury survey. The gymnasts characteristics (age, gender) and gymnastics characteristics (training per day and number of years in training artistic gymnastics) and its' relations to injury rate were also included. The most common injury was the lower back pain injury, followed by knee, shoulder, hip and ankle injuries. We found strong correlation of number of years gymnastics training and injury rate (p0.05). According to this study there is no correlation between GJH rate and injury rate in artistic gymnasts in Qatar. Total training period in gymnastics have greater contribution in injury rate.

Landing quality in artistics gymnastics is related to landing symmetry

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Čuk, Ivan; Marinšek, Miha

2017-01-01

In gymnastics every exercise finishes with a landing. The quality of landing depends on subjective (e.g. biomechanical) and objective (e.g. mechanical characteristics of landing area) factors. The aim of our research was to determine which biomechanical (temporal, kinematic and dynamic) characteristics of landing best predict the quality of landing. Twelve male gymnasts performed a stretched forward and backward salto; also with 1/2, 1/1 and 3/2 turns. Stepwise multiple regression extracted f...

AND EXPLOSIVE STRENGTH OF YOUNG GYMNASTS

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G. Dallas

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effect of a single bout of whole body vibration (WBV on flexibility and explosive strength of lower limbs in young artistic gymnasts. Thirty-two young competitive gymnasts volunteered to participate in this study, and were allocated to either the vibration group or traditional body weight training according to the vibration protocol. The vibration intervention consisted of a single bout of eccentric and concentric squatting movements on a vibration platform that was turned on (vibration group: VG n=15, whereas the traditional body weight (no vibration group performed the same training protocol with the WBV device turned off (NVG: n= 17. Flexibility (sit and reach test and explosive strength tests [squat jump (SJ, counter movement jump (CMJ, and single leg squat (right leg (RL and left leg (LL] were performed initially (pre-test, immediately after the intervention (post-test 1, and 15 minutes after the end of the intervention programme (post-test 15. Four 2x3 ANOVAs were used to examine the interaction between group (VG vs NVG and time (pre, post 1, and post 15 with respect to examined variables. The results revealed that a significant interaction between group and time was found with respect to SJ (p 0.05. Further, the percentage improvement of the VG was significantly greater in all examined variables compared to the NVG. This study concluded that WBV training improves flexibility and explosive strength of lower limbs in young trained artistic gymnasts and maintains the initial level of performance for at least 15 minutes after the WBV intervention programme.

Brain anatomical networks in world class gymnasts: a DTI tractography study.

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Wang, Bin; Fan, Yuanyuan; Lu, Min; Li, Shumei; Song, Zheng; Peng, Xiaoling; Zhang, Ruibin; Lin, Qixiang; He, Yong; Wang, Jun; Huang, Ruiwang

2013-01-15

The excellent motor skills of world class gymnasts amaze everyone. People marvel at the way they precisely control their movements and wonder how the brain structure and function of these elite athletes differ from those of non-athletes. In this study, we acquired diffusion images from thirteen world class gymnasts and fourteen matched controls, constructed their anatomical networks, and calculated the topological properties of each network based on graph theory. From a connectivity-based analysis, we found that most of the edges with increased connection density in the champions were linked to brain regions that are located in the sensorimotor, attentional, and default-mode systems. From graph-based metrics, we detected significantly greater global and local efficiency but shorter characteristic path length in the anatomical networks of the champions compared with the controls. Moreover, in the champions we found a significantly higher nodal degree and greater regional efficiency in several brain regions that correspond to motor and attention functions. These included the left precentral gyrus, left postcentral gyrus, right anterior cingulate gyrus and temporal lobes. In addition, we revealed an increase in the mean fractional anisotropy of the corticospinal tract in the champions, possibly in response to long-term gymnastic training. Our study indicates that neuroanatomical adaptations and plastic changes occur in gymnasts' brain anatomical networks either in response to long-term intensive gymnastic training or as an innate predisposition or both. Our findings may help to explain gymnastic skills at the highest levels of performance and aid in understanding the neural mechanisms that distinguish expert gymnasts from novices. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

LANDING QUALITY IN ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS IS RELATED TO LANDING SYMMETRY

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Marinšek, M.

2013-01-01

In gymnastics every exercise finishes with a landing. The quality of landing depends on subjective (e.g. biomechanical) and objective (e.g. mechanical characteristics of landing area) factors. The aim of our research was to determine which biomechanical (temporal, kinematic and dynamic) characteristics of landing best predict the quality of landing. Twelve male gymnasts performed a stretched forward and backward salto; also with 1/2, 1/1 and 3/2 turns. Stepwise multiple regression extracted five predictors which explained 51.5% of landing quality variance. All predictors were defining asymmetries between legs (velocities, angles). To avoid asymmetric landings, gymnasts need to develop enough height; they need higher angular momentum around the transverse and longitudinal axis and they need to better control angular velocity in the longitudinal axis. PMID:24744462

Interpretation Of Biomechanical Data To A Gymnastics Coach

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Shierman, Gail

1982-02-01

Several trials of many different gymnastics skills on various pieces of apparatus were filmed and the results were studied with the coach. The time to accomplish the entire skill as well as the time for each segment of the skill was important to the coach. He was also interested in angle of release or push-off and the path of the center of gravity. Lastly, graphs of velocities and accelerations of limb segments were revealing to the coach. Biomechanical analysis has helped him see why the performances were good; he is more interested in working with the investigator in all the events in gymnastics through the medium of cinematography.

Mechanical Loading during Growth Is Associated with Plane-specific Differences in Vertebral Geometry: A Cross-sectional Analysis Comparing Artistic Gymnasts vs. Non-gymnasts

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Dowthwaite, Jodi N.; Rosenbaum, Paula F.; Scerpella, Tamara A.

2011-01-01

Lumbar spine geometry, density and indices of bone strength were assessed relative to menarche status, using artistic gymnastics exposure during growth as a model of mechanical loading. Paired posteroanterior (PA) and supine lateral (LAT) DXA scans of L3 for 114 females (60 ex/gymnasts and 54 non-gymnasts) yielded output for comparison of paired (PALAT) versus standard PA and LAT outcomes. BMC, areal BMD, vertebral body dimensions, bone mineral apparent density (BMAD), axial compressive strength (IBS) and a fracture risk index were evaluated, modeling vertebral body geometry as an ellipsoid cylinder. Two-factor ANCOVA tested statistical effects of gymnastic exposure, menarche status and their interaction, adjusting for age and height as appropriate. Compared to non-gymnasts, ex/gymnasts exhibited greater PABMD, PABMC, PAWIDTH, PA CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA (CSA), PAVOLUME, LATBMD, LATBMAD, PALATCSA and PALATIBS (p<0.05). Non-gymnasts exhibited greater LATDEPTH/PAWIDTH, LATBMC/PABMC, LATVHEIGHT, LATAREA and Fracture Risk Index. Using ellipsoid vertebral geometric models, no significant differences were detected for PA or PALAT BMAD. In contrast, cuboid model results (Carter 1992) suggested erroneous ex/gymnast PABMAD advantages, resulting from invalid assumptions of proportional variation in linear skeletal dimensions. Gymnastic exposure was associated with shorter, wider vertebral bodies, yielding greater axial compressive strength and lower fracture risk, despite no BMAD advantage. Our results suggest the importance of plane-specific vertebral geometric adaptation to mechanical loading during growth. Paired scan output provides a more accurate assessment of this adaptation than PA or LAT plane scans alone. PMID:21839871

Evaluation of static and dynamic balance in elderly women performing aquatic exercise and gymnastics DOI:10.5007/1980-0037.2010v12n1p55

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Ana Paula Almeida

2010-12-01

Full Text Available This study evaluated static and dynamic balance and related motor valences in elderly women who had been undergone gymnastics or aquatic exercise training for at least 6 months, three times a week. Thirty-one women performed water gymnastics (mean age: 69.32 ± 6.57 years and 28 gymnastics (65.57 ± 7.67 years. Height (cm, weight (kg and waist, hip and abdominal circumference (cm were measured and the body mass index (BMI and waist-hip ratio (WHR were calculated. Physical fitness was measured using the “sit and get up in 30 seconds” test (leg endurance and “8-foot up-and-go” test (dynamic balance, both proposed by Rikli and Jones (1999, and the “sit and reach” (flexibility and static balance tests described by Caromano (1998. Statistical analysis was performed using the Student t-test and Pearson’s correlation, with a level of significance of 0.05. No significant difference in the anthropometric measures (BMI and WHR was observed between groups. In the physical fitness tests, significant differences were only found in the “8-foot up-and-go” and “sit and get up” tests, with the gymnastics group presenting better results. No correlations within or between groups were observed regarding static and dynamic balance or motor valences. In conclusion, neither type of exercise was superior but the gymnastics group tended to show better results in terms of parameters such as agility, balance and flexibility.

Morfhological assesment in elite argentineans male gymnasts

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Francisco José Berral de la Rosa

2006-12-01

Full Text Available There is limited information on anthropometric variables of male gymnasts. Kineanthropometry investigates human body shape, composition and proportionality, related to function. It is a useful tool in sport medicine, as it allows for the understanding of morphological characteristics of subjects. The purpose of this study was to describe the anthropometric profi le of elite male gymnasts – members of the national Argentinean team. The sample included 25 gymnasts, older than 18 years and divided into two categories – junior and senior. They were measured in 43 anthropometric variables: body mass, stature, sitting height, arm span, lengths, breadths, girths and skinfolds. The procedures followed the International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry guidelines. Based on the measures, Heath and Carter’s somatotype, Kerr´s mass-fractioning-method of body composition and proportionality applying Ross’ Phantom-strategy were computed. Body structure of Argentinean gymnasts was composed by 54 % of muscle mass and 17.5 % of fat mass. The results showed that Argentinean gymnasts have similar biotype characteristics to other international elite gymnasts. However, they tend to be smaller, heavier and with wider girths of chest, waist, thigh and calf. Therefore it is supposed that these gymnasts are in biomechanical disadvantage, which in turn interferes with performance in competitive events. RESUMO Atualmente existe uma informação limitada sobre as características antropométricas dos ginastas masculinos. A Cineantropometría que estuda a forma, composiçao corporal e a proporcionalidade do corpo humano em relação a sua função é uma ferramenta idonea para ser utilizada em medicina do esporte, permitindo conhecer as características morfológicas dos sujeitos. Este estudo tem como propósito descrever as variáveis antropométricas dos ginastas masculinos da seleção nacional da Argentina. A amostra foi de 25 ginastas masculinos

Ar Rahman-Based Dysmenorrhea Gymnastic to Reduce Pain

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Sumaryani, Sri; Puspita Sari, Praditiana Indah

2015-01-01

Introduction: More than 50% dysmenorrhea are caused by excessive amounts of prostaglandin hormone during menstruation.  The combination of dysmenorrhea gymnastics and Qur'an Surah Ar-Rahman relaxation techniques is a new innovation in non-pharmacological therapy to overcome dysmenorrhoea. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of pain differences on respondents who were given dysmenorrhea gymnastics treatment, Al Quran Surah Ar-Rahman recitation, and dysmenorrhea gymnastics comb...

An investigation into the relationship between pre-competition mood states, age, gender and a national ranking in artistic gymnastics.

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Boldizsár, Dóra; Soós, István; Whyte, Ian; Hamar, Pál

2016-06-01

This study investigated the relationship between pre-competition mood state factors in gymnastics by gender, age and a national ranking. Participant-gymnasts (total n=116, male n=49, female n=67) completed a Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS) one day prior to their main competition of the year. Information was also gathered from gymnasts of gender, age and a national ranking. Consistent with theoretical predictions, results confirmed that a number of pre-competition mood states differed by age with both juniors and seniors having a higher level of anger than children (p<.05 respectively). Also, seniors demonstrated higher tension than children (p<.001). However, only anger showed significant differences by gender with male gymnasts demonstrating higher levels of anger than female gymnasts (p<.05), and with international gymnasts registering higher levels of anger compared with second class gymnasts (p<.05). Authors suggest that future research should investigate relationships between the pre-competition mood in other gymnastics-related disciplines and sports, as well as competitive performances.

Effectiveness of aerobic gymnastic exercise on stress, fatigue, and sleep quality during postpartum: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

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Yang, Chiu-Ling; Chen, Chung-Hey

2018-01-01

Gymnastics is a preferable safe exercise for postnatal women performing regularly. The aim of this pilot randomized controlled trial was to determine whether the aerobic gymnastic exercise improves stress, fatigue, sleep quality and depression in postpartum women. Single-blinded, randomized controlled trial held from December 2014 until September 2015. Postnatal clinic of a medical center in southern Taiwan. 140 eligible postnatal women were systematically assigned, with a random start to experimental (n=70) or a control (n=70) group. Engage in aerobic gymnastic exercise at least three times (15min per section) a week for three months using compact disc in the home. Perceived Stress Scale, Postpartum Fatigue Scale, Postpartum Sleep Quality Scale, and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. In a two-way ANOVA with repeated measures, the aerobic gymnastic exercise group showed significant decrease in fatigue after practicing exercise 4 weeks and the positive effects extended to the 12-week posttests. Paired t-tests revealed that aerobic gymnastic exercise participants had improved significantly in perceived stress and fatigue after 4 weeks gymnastic exercise; these positive effects extended to the 12-week posttests. In addition, the changes in physical symptoms-related sleep inefficiency after 12 weeks gymnastic exercise were significantly decreased in the experimental group compared with the control group. The findings can be used to encourage postnatal women to perform moderate-intensity gymnastic exercise in their daily life to reduce their stress, fatigue and improve sleep quality. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Niels Bukh's gymnastics school in Denmark, 1912–1933

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bonde, Hans

2015-01-01

Around 1916–1917 the Danish gymnastics pedagogue Niels Bukh (1880–1950) created, in an international sense, a revolutionary men's gymnastics, and in 1920 he established Denmark's and the world's first folk high school of physical education and sport. During the 1930s, Niels Bukh and his team...... of gymnasts first became a symbol for the dynamic Danish farming community, and then for the face of Denmark both at home and abroad. Bukh changed the stereotypical male expression of bodily dynamics, which in Danish rural gymnastics had been almost military. He made it legitimate for the young lads to get...

THE EXAMINATION OF THE EFFECTS OF THE RHYTHMIC TEACHING OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION ON SPEED OF 9-10 YEARS OLD GIRLS

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Dragana Aleksić

2013-07-01

Full Text Available By different moving activities, learning about their body and its mothoric, a child develops its mothoric, acquires different motoric skills and habits and develops motoric activities. In this work, the subject of the research is just one segment of the anthropological area which refers to the appearance of appropriate motor abilities-speed. The research involved a total sample of 99 girls from the 3th and 4th grade of elementary school. The subjects were classified in experimental and control groups. The experimental group was made of 51 students and they were practicing according to planning instruction where the rhythmic gymnastics had the primary part. The control group of 48 students was practicing according to official instructional plan and program for P.E. of the Republic of Serbia. At the beginning of the academic year, initial (first measurement was performed, followed by experimental final (second measurement at the end of experiment. Research data was processed using SPSS standard statistics procedure. The multi-variant procedures were used in this research ant those were: the multi-variant analysis of the variable MANCOVA i MANOVA. Also, the mono-variant procedures were used and those were: the variable analysis ANCOVA, ANOVA and the interval of entrust. Considering the difference of the influence of the treatment, it can be pointed out that the experimental program, with all its characteristics, widely contributed to all its segments to the improvement of speed. It is known that the use of physical exercise stimulation only within regular physical education classes is not sufficient to provoke essential improvement of motoric abilities. Therefore it is very important not only to try to animate schoolboys for participation in additional sporting activities, especial rhythmic gymnastics, out of regular physical education classes, but, what is even more important, to increase the number of physical education classes a week, with the

Value of the individual components subject training gymnasts according to the survey of coaches with different skills

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N. O. Andreeva

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Purpose : assess the significance of the individual components subject training gymnasts according to the survey of coaches with different skills. Material : two groups of coaches with different qualifications (n = 40. The first group of coaches -, experience from 1 to 10 years (n = 20; the second group - work experience from 11 to 25 years (n = 20. Gymnasts preliminary stage of basic training. Coaches are asked to answer 15 questions. Results : the content of questioning coaches gymnastics shows the relevance of the basic problems of technical training of young gymnasts (throwing and catching objects. The most difficult exercises in the training and improvement are throws and catches the ball (coefficient of concordance W = 0,814. The necessity of the development and use of new techniques for analyzing sports equipment exercises with the ball, learning and improving them. Conclusions : basic technical training and preparedness of gymnasts to perform exercises with objects represent a problem that is solved enough in theory and practice gymnastics.

Predictive models reduce talent development costs in female gymnastics.

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Pion, Johan; Hohmann, Andreas; Liu, Tianbiao; Lenoir, Matthieu; Segers, Veerle

2017-04-01

This retrospective study focuses on the comparison of different predictive models based on the results of a talent identification test battery for female gymnasts. We studied to what extent these models have the potential to optimise selection procedures, and at the same time reduce talent development costs in female artistic gymnastics. The dropout rate of 243 female elite gymnasts was investigated, 5 years past talent selection, using linear (discriminant analysis) and non-linear predictive models (Kohonen feature maps and multilayer perceptron). The coaches classified 51.9% of the participants correct. Discriminant analysis improved the correct classification to 71.6% while the non-linear technique of Kohonen feature maps reached 73.7% correctness. Application of the multilayer perceptron even classified 79.8% of the gymnasts correctly. The combination of different predictive models for talent selection can avoid deselection of high-potential female gymnasts. The selection procedure based upon the different statistical analyses results in decrease of 33.3% of cost because the pool of selected athletes can be reduced to 92 instead of 138 gymnasts (as selected by the coaches). Reduction of the costs allows the limited resources to be fully invested in the high-potential athletes.

Evaluation of somatotype in artistic gymnastics competitors: a meta-analytical approach.

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Sterkowicz-Przybycien, Katarzyna; Gualdi-Russo, Emanuela

2018-04-04

Studies on the anthropometric characteristics of athletes have a long history, but there are no published reviews on the somatotype of artistic gymnasts. Practitioners and professional coaches can gain guidance from improved understanding of the ideal body constitution and the impact of high-intensity training since preadolescence on body build. The present review is designed to provide this information. Academic Search Complete, SPORTDiscus, Medline, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate were searched in January 2017. All studies on the body composition of male artistic gymnasts were included. We identified 19 studies assessing somatotype in male gymnasts. We found high heterogeneity of somatotype components between younger gymnasts (≤ 18 years) and older gymnasts (> 18 years) (1.6±0.3 -5.4±0.8 - 3.0±0.6 vs. 1.8±0.4 -5.9±0.6 -2.2±0.4). Four different somatotypes resulted from the literature analysis, and ectomorphic mesomorph was the prevalent somatotype in both younger and older athletes. The main result showed a significant difference in ectomorphy (lower in older gymnasts than in younger gymnasts). Proper interpretation of the literature data may inform future research and enable professional coaches to longitudinally monitor gymnasts' somatotype components during growth and in talent identification. More research is needed to better understand the most suitable somatotype variations related to the different apparatuses used in artistic gymnastics.

The Physique of Elite Female Artistic Gymnasts: A Systematic Review

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Bacciotti Sarita

2017-08-01

Full Text Available It has been suggested that successful young gymnasts are a highly select group in terms of the physique. This review summarizes the available literature on elite female gymnasts’ anthropometric characteristics, somatotype, body composition and biological maturation. The main aims were to identify: (i a common physique and (ii the differences, if any, among competitive/performance levels. A systematic search was conducted online using five different databases. Of 407 putative papers, 17 fulfilled all criteria and were included in the review. Most studies identified similar physiques based on: physical traits (small size and low body mass, a body type (predominance of ecto-mesomorphy, body composition (low fat mass, and maturity status (late skeletal maturity as well as late age-at-menarche. However, there was no consensus as to whether these features predicted competitive performance, or even differentiated between gymnasts within distinctive competitive levels. In conclusion, gymnasts, as a group, have unique pronounced characteristics. These characteristics are likely due to selection for naturally-occurring inherited traits. However, data available for world class competitions were mostly outdated and sample sizes were small. Thus, it was difficult to make any conclusions about whether physiques differed between particular competitive levels.

Kinematic variables of table vault on artistic gymnastics

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Sarah Maria Boldrini FERNANDES

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract The table vault is an event of male and female Artistics Gymnastics. Although it can be performed in a variety of rotations and body positions in different phases, it can be separated in three groups: handspring, Yurchenko and Tsukahara. It is believed that kinematic variables of vault may vary according to group of vault or gymnast body position, but few studies compares the real differences among the three groups of vaults, comparing and describing the variables in different phases. Vault kinematic variables could be diversifying according to the approach or position of the vaulting, but little has been studied about the biomechanical differences, comparing and describing behaviours at different stages. The aim of this study was to organize critical, objective and to systematize the most relevant kinematic variables to performance on vaulting. A Meta analysis over the basis Pubmed, Sport Discus and Web of Science were performed about this issue. From the selected references, we described and analyzed the kinematics of the table vault. Vault can be characterized in seven phases of analysis. Most of the studies are descriptive, and some do not descript all phases. Differences among vault variables according to group vaults, technical level and gender were analysed only in recent studies. There still gaps of knowledge about kinematic variables of table vault, in order to provide comprehensive information about all possibilities of vaults in this gymnastic event. It is concluded that kinematic variables of table vault depends upon vault group and may be considered to the improvement of technical performance. More researches are needed to approach the coaching interface with biomechanics applicable knowledge.

Effect of Two Different Types of Olympic Rotation Order on Cardiovascular and Metabolic Variables in Men's Artistic Gymnastics.

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Mkaouer, Bessem; Jemni, Monèm; Chaabene, Helmi; Amara, Samiha; Njah, Ahmad; Chtara, Mokhtar

2018-03-01

The rotation sequence-order differs from a gymnast to another according to the draw at the time of the qualifying competitions in men's artistic gymnastics. Only the six best gymnasts start on the floor exercises, the others could start on any of the other five apparatuses. It has been demonstrated that some gymnastics events are physiologically less taxing than others; hence some gymnasts could experience lower and/or higher levels of cardiovascular and metabolic stress compared to others, depending on the apparatus they start with. In this regard, the objective of this investigation was to compare cardiovascular and metabolic variables between two different types of Olympic rotation-order; one began with the floor exercises and the other began with the pommel horse. Six elite male gymnasts took part in this investigation. Heart rates, synchronized with real-time video acquisition, as well as capillary lactate concentration following each apparatus routine were monitored. Cardiovascular and metabolic stresses were significantly higher when gymnasts started their rotation with the pommel horse in all apparatuses except the pommel horse. The floor exercises' score was significantly affected when gymnasts ended up their competition on this apparatus. As a conclusion, starting gymnastics' competition on the floor exercises implicates less cardiovascular and metabolic stress associated with better performance compared with the other rotation order. As a matter of fact, best gymnasts who start on this apparatus could have a slight advantage compared with the other athletes.

Body physique and proportionality of Brazilian female artistic gymnasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Bacciotti, Sarita; Baxter-Jones, Adam; Gaya, Adroaldo; Maia, José

2018-04-01

This study aimed to identify physique characteristics (anthropometry, somatotype, body proportionality) of Brazilian female artistic gymnasts, and to compare them across competitive levels (sub-elite versus non-elite) within competitive age-categories. Two hundred forty-nine female gymnasts (68 sub-elite; 181 non-elite) from 26 Brazilian gymnastics clubs, aged 9-20 years and split into four age-categories, were sampled. Gymnasts were assessed for 16 anthropometric traits (height, weight, lengths, widths, girths, and skinfolds); somatotype was determined according to Heath-Carter method, body fat was estimated by bioimpedance, and proportionality was computed based on the z-phantom strategy. Non-elite and sub-elite gymnasts had similar values in anthropometric characteristics, however non-elite had higher fat folds in all age-categories (P < 0.01). In general, mesomorphy was the salient somatotype component in all age-categories, and an increase in endomorphy, followed by a decrease in ectomorphy across age was observed. Regarding proportionality, profile similarity was found between sub-elite and non-elite within age-categories. In conclusion results suggest the presence of a typical gymnast's physical prototype across age and competitive level, which can be useful to coaches during their selection processes in clubs and regional/national teams.

The Prevalence of Painful Incidents among Young Recreational Gymnasts

OpenAIRE

Coates, Chrystal; McMurtry, C Meghan; Lingley-Pottie, Patricia; McGrath, Patrick J

2010-01-01

BACKGROUND: Although children experience pain during their daily life, research has generally focused on medical pain. Sport-related pain has not been widely studied in children and research has not examined the occurrence of painful incidents in gymnastics. The prevalence of painful incidents among children in recreational gymnastics classes and accompanying coach responses were recorded.METHODS: Sixty-one children between five and 10 years of age were observed at a gymnastics club. A checkl...

Injuries prevalence in elite male artistic gymnasts

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Natália Batista Albuquerque GOULART

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the injuries prevalence in men elite artistic gymnasts. Twenty Brazilian senior gymnasts, aged 23.1 ± 6.5 years, 13.9 ± 5.0 years of practice and 36.5 ± 4.7 hours per week training, participated in this study. The athletes answered a morbidity questionnaire, formulated according to studies from the literature, for information on the injuries’ characteristics and circumstances. Information about the injury circumstances (gymnastic apparatus, overload training and physical exercises, the anatomic site injured, the affect biological tissue and the return to training after injury treatment were evaluated. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, absolute and relative frequencies. The training overload, and floor, pommel horse and vault were the events that presented higher injuries frequency. In relation to anatomic site, ankle, hands/fingers and shoulder were the most cited regions. The ligament, bone and articular capsule were the most affected biological tissues. In relation to gymnasts’ return to their sports activities, 56% of them reported a better condition at return, 33% reported to have returned at the same fitness level and 10% indicated that they were in a worse condition when they returned to the sports activities. The men’s artistic gymnastics injuries are related to the mechanical demands of this sport. The analysis of risk factors helps in understanding the injuries mechanisms in gymnastics, and provides relevant information that can assist in effective prevention strategies.

Direction detection thresholds of passive self-motion in artistic gymnasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Hartmann, Matthias; Haller, Katia; Moser, Ivan; Hossner, Ernst-Joachim; Mast, Fred W

2014-04-01

In this study, we compared direction detection thresholds of passive self-motion in the dark between artistic gymnasts and controls. Twenty-four professional female artistic gymnasts (ranging from 7 to 20 years) and age-matched controls were seated on a motion platform and asked to discriminate the direction of angular (yaw, pitch, roll) and linear (leftward-rightward) motion. Gymnasts showed lower thresholds for the linear leftward-rightward motion. Interestingly, there was no difference for the angular motions. These results show that the outstanding self-motion abilities in artistic gymnasts are not related to an overall higher sensitivity in self-motion perception. With respect to vestibular processing, our results suggest that gymnastic expertise is exclusively linked to superior interpretation of otolith signals when no change in canal signals is present. In addition, thresholds were overall lower for the older (14-20 years) than for the younger (7-13 years) participants, indicating the maturation of vestibular sensitivity from childhood to adolescence.

The "Akopian" vault performed by elite male gymnasts: Which biomechanical variables are related to a judge's score?

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Roman Farana

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Background: A vaulting performance takes a short time and it is influenced by and affects the quantity of mechanical variables. The significant relationships between the vaulting score and specific aspects of the gymnast's vault should conduct coaches to monitor these variables as a part of training or routine testing. Objective: The aim of the current study was to determine the biomechanical variables that are related to a successful performance of the Akopian vaults performed by top level male gymnasts during the World Cup competition. Methods: Fifteen top-level male gymnasts participated in this study. For the 3D analysis, two digital camcorders with a frame rate of 50 Hz were used. The data were digitized by the Simi motion software. The Hay and Reid method was used to identify the biomechanical variables that determine the linear and angular motions of the handspring and front somersault vaults. A correlation analysis was used to establish the relationship between the biomechanical variables and the judges' scores. The level of statistical significance was determined at the value of p < .05. Results: In the Akopian vaults, in five out of 24 variables arising from the deterministic model showed a significant relationship to the score. A significant correlation was found in the maximum height of the body center of mass in the second flight phase, in the height of the body center of mass at the mat touchdown, in the change of the vertical velocity during the take-off from the vaulting table, and in the duration of the second flight phase. Conclusions: The results of the study suggest that a successful execution of Akopian vaults and the achievement of a higher score required: to maximize the change in vertical velocity in the table contact phase and maximize vertical velocity in the table take-off phase; to maximize the amplitude of the second flight phase, which is determined by the duration of the second flight phase, by the maximum

A little elastic for a better performance: kinesiotaping of the motor effector modulates neural mechanisms for rhythmic movements.

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Bravi, Riccardo; Quarta, Eros; Cohen, Erez J; Gottard, Anna; Minciacchi, Diego

2014-01-01

A rhythmic motor performance is brought about by an integration of timing information with movements. Investigations on the millisecond time scale distinguish two forms of time control, event-based timing and emergent timing. While event-based timing asserts the existence of a central internal timekeeper for the control of repetitive movements, the emergent timing perspective claims that timing emerges from dynamic control of nontemporal movements parameters. We have recently demonstrated that the precision of an isochronous performance, defined as performance of repeated movements having a uniform duration, was insensible to auditory stimuli of various characteristics (Bravi et al., 2014). Such finding has led us to investigate whether the application of an elastic therapeutic tape (Kinesio® Tex taping; KTT) used for treating athletic injuries and a variety of physical disorders, is able to reduce the timing variability of repetitive rhythmic movement. Young healthy subjects, tested with and without KTT, have participated in sessions in which sets of repeated isochronous wrist's flexion-extensions (IWFEs) were performed under various auditory conditions and during their recall. Kinematics was recorded and temporal parameters were extracted and analyzed. Our results show that the application of KTT decreases the variability of rhythmic movements by a 2-fold effect: on the one hand KTT provides extra proprioceptive information activating cutaneous mechanoreceptors, on the other KTT biases toward the emergent timing thus modulating the processes for rhythmic movements. Therefore, KTT appears able to render movements less audio dependent by relieving, at least partially, the central structures from time control and making available more resources for an augmented performance.

A little elastic for a better performance: kinesiotaping of the motor effector modulates neural mechanisms for rhythmic movements

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Riccardo eBravi

2014-09-01

Full Text Available A rhythmic motor performance is brought about by an integration of timing information with movements. Investigations on the millisecond time scale distinguish two forms of time control, event-based timing and emergent timing. While event-based timing asserts the existence of a central internal timekeeper for the control of repetitive movements, the emergent timing perspective claims that timing emerges from dynamic control of nontemporal movements parameters. We have recently demonstrated that the precision of an isochronous performance, defined as performance of repeated movements having a uniform duration, was insensible to auditory stimuli of various characteristics (Bravi et al., 2014. Such finding has led us to investigate whether the application of an elastic therapeutic tape (Kinesio® Tex taping; KTT used for treating athletic injuries and a variety of physical disorders, is able to reduce the timing variability of repetitive rhythmic movement. Young healthy subjects, tested with and without KTT, have participated in sessions in which sets of repeated isochronous wrist's flexion-extensions (IWFEs were performed under various auditory conditions and during their recall. Kinematics was recorded and temporal parameters were extracted and analyzed. Our results show that the application of KTT decreases the variability of rhythmic movements by a twofold effect: on the one hand KTT provides extra proprioceptive information activating cutaneous mechanoreceptors, on the other KTT biases toward the emergent timing thus modulating the processes for rhythmic movements. Therefore, KTT appears able to render movements less audio dependent by relieving, at least partially, the central structures from time control and making available more resources for an augmented performance.

Effect of Two Different Types of Olympic Rotation Order on Cardiovascular and Metabolic Variables in Men’s Artistic Gymnastics

Science.gov (United States)

Mkaouer, Bessem; Jemni, Monèm; Chaabene, Helmi; Amara, Samiha; Njah, Ahmad; Chtara, Mokhtar

2018-01-01

Abstract The rotation sequence-order differs from a gymnast to another according to the draw at the time of the qualifying competitions in men’s artistic gymnastics. Only the six best gymnasts start on the floor exercises, the others could start on any of the other five apparatuses. It has been demonstrated that some gymnastics events are physiologically less taxing than others; hence some gymnasts could experience lower and/or higher levels of cardiovascular and metabolic stress compared to others, depending on the apparatus they start with. In this regard, the objective of this investigation was to compare cardiovascular and metabolic variables between two different types of Olympic rotation-order; one began with the floor exercises and the other began with the pommel horse. Six elite male gymnasts took part in this investigation. Heart rates, synchronized with real-time video acquisition, as well as capillary lactate concentration following each apparatus routine were monitored. Cardiovascular and metabolic stresses were significantly higher when gymnasts started their rotation with the pommel horse in all apparatuses except the pommel horse. The floor exercises’ score was significantly affected when gymnasts ended up their competition on this apparatus. As a conclusion, starting gymnastics’ competition on the floor exercises implicates less cardiovascular and metabolic stress associated with better performance compared with the other rotation order. As a matter of fact, best gymnasts who start on this apparatus could have a slight advantage compared with the other athletes. PMID:29599870

Men’s artistic gymnastics: is the use of elastic surfaces systematic in the training process?

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Marco Antonio Coelho BORTOLETO

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract In Artistic Gymnastics, the area (the apparatus represents the most relevant systemic component. Thus, when one strives to comprehend the internal logic of this sport, the gymnast-apparatus relationship warrants special attention. A change in the training paradigm was observed, showing that the use of Elastic Surfaces (ES is an essential resource, due to the contemporary features of this sport, such as the hyper-valorisation of acrobatics and a greater presence of flight elements. Through a case study developed in a men’s artistic gymnastics high-performance gymnasium, this study analysed the use of different ES in the training process. Although coaches recognize the importance of ES in training programs, the record of daily activities showed that this use is still limited to select equipment and is not systematic. Such difficulties are due mainly to the lack of educational programs to the development of certain specific methodologies and the non-existence of national equipment suppliers certified by International Gymnastics Federation.

Gender Differences in Musical Aptitude, Rhythmic Ability and Motor Performance in Preschool Children

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Pollatou, Elisana; Karadimou, Konstantina; Gerodimos, Vasilios

2005-01-01

Most of the preschool curricula involve integrated movement activities that combine music, rhythm and locomotor skills. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether there are any differences between boys and girls at the age of five concerning their musical aptitude, rhythmic ability and performance in gross motor skills. Ninety-five…

Gymnastics in Brazil: absence at school x rise at gym

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Cintia de la Rocha Freitas

2016-05-01

Full Text Available As a manifestation of physical culture and essential content of physical education courses, Gymnastics has been extinguished from lessons of Physical Education in Brazil, and has been ascending in the gyms. This study aims to reflect about Gymnastics in schools and gyms, seeking explanations for these unwanted directions taken Brazil. It is worrying the fact that Physical Education in Brazilian schools have its lessons based mainly in sports, leaving aside other issues of body culture. It is also uncomfortable the bond of fitness center with the characteristic of the current consumption society. We realize the urgency of expanding the content of gymnastics in Physical Education undergraduate courses, enabling the incorporation of knowledge necessary to develop gymnastics content, regardless its place where it is developed.

Gymnastics - an emerging national university discipline - Johannes Lindhard's struggle to institutionalise gymnastics as a subject at the University of Copenhagen 1909-1940

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Anders Frøslev; Bonde, Hans

2011-01-01

matters was transferred to the university in a way that did not undermine the political support that had made it possible to add gymnastics to the subjects taught there; and that gymnastics gained scientific authority within the university. In striving to meet these demands, he managed to write five...

Rhythmic abilities and musical training in Parkinson's disease: do they help?

Science.gov (United States)

Cochen De Cock, V; Dotov, D G; Ihalainen, P; Bégel, V; Galtier, F; Lebrun, C; Picot, M C; Driss, V; Landragin, N; Geny, C; Bardy, B; Dalla Bella, S

2018-01-01

Rhythmic auditory cues can immediately improve gait in Parkinson's disease. However, this effect varies considerably across patients. The factors associated with this individual variability are not known to date. Patients' rhythmic abilities and musicality (e.g., perceptual and singing abilities, emotional response to music, and musical training) may foster a positive response to rhythmic cues. To examine this hypothesis, we measured gait at baseline and with rhythmic cues in 39 non-demented patients with Parkinson's disease and 39 matched healthy controls. Cognition, rhythmic abilities and general musicality were assessed. A response to cueing was qualified as positive when the stimulation led to a clinically meaningful increase in gait speed. We observed that patients with positive response to cueing ( n  = 17) were more musically trained, aligned more often their steps to the rhythmic cues while walking, and showed better music perception as well as poorer cognitive flexibility than patients with non-positive response ( n  = 22). Gait performance with rhythmic cues worsened in six patients. We concluded that rhythmic and musical skills, which can be modulated by musical training, may increase beneficial effects of rhythmic auditory cueing in Parkinson's disease. Screening patients in terms of musical/rhythmic abilities and musical training may allow teasing apart patients who are likely to benefit from cueing from those who may worsen their performance due to the stimulation.

Role of intensive training in the growth and maturation of artistic gymnasts.

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Malina, Robert M; Baxter-Jones, Adam D G; Armstrong, Neil; Beunen, Gaston P; Caine, Dennis; Daly, Robin M; Lewis, Richard D; Rogol, Alan D; Russell, Keith

2013-09-01

Short stature and later maturation of youth artistic gymnasts are often attributed to the effects of intensive training from a young age. Given limitations of available data, inadequate specification of training, failure to consider other factors affecting growth and maturation, and failure to address epidemiological criteria for causality, it has not been possible thus far to establish cause-effect relationships between training and the growth and maturation of young artistic gymnasts. In response to this ongoing debate, the Scientific Commission of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) convened a committee to review the current literature and address four questions: (1) Is there a negative effect of training on attained adult stature? (2) Is there a negative effect of training on growth of body segments? (3) Does training attenuate pubertal growth and maturation, specifically, the rate of growth and/or the timing and tempo of maturation? (4) Does training negatively influence the endocrine system, specifically hormones related to growth and pubertal maturation? The basic information for the review was derived from the active involvement of committee members in research on normal variation and clinical aspects of growth and maturation, and on the growth and maturation of artistic gymnasts and other youth athletes. The committee was thus thoroughly familiar with the literature on growth and maturation in general and of gymnasts and young athletes. Relevant data were more available for females than males. Youth who persisted in the sport were a highly select sample, who tended to be shorter for chronological age but who had appropriate weight-for-height. Data for secondary sex characteristics, skeletal age and age at peak height velocity indicated later maturation, but the maturity status of gymnasts overlapped the normal range of variability observed in the general population. Gymnasts as a group demonstrated a pattern of growth and maturation similar to

Lumbar spine MRI in the elite-level female gymnast with low back pain

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Bennett, D. Lee [Department of Radiology, University of Iowa, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA (United States); Department of Radiology, Michigan State University, Colleges of Human Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine, East Lansing, MI (United States); Nassar, Lawrence [Department of Sports Medicine and Kinesiology, Michigan State University, College of Osteopathic Medicine, East Lansing, MI (United States); DeLano, Mark C. [Department of Radiology, Michigan State University, Colleges of Human Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine, East Lansing, MI (United States)

2006-07-15

Previous studies have shown increased degenerative disk changes and spine injuries in the competitive female gymnast. However, it has also been shown that many of these findings are found in asymptomatic athletic people of the same age. Previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies evaluating the gymnastic spine have not made a distinction between symptomatic and asymptomatic athletes. Our hypothesis is that MRI will demonstrate the same types of abnormalities in both the symptomatic and asymptomatic gymnasts. Olympic-level female gymnasts received prospectively an MRI exam of the lumbar spine. Each of the gymnasts underwent a physical exam by a sports medicine physician just prior to the MRI for documentation of low back pain. Each MRI exam was evaluated for anterior apophyseal ring avulsion injury, compression deformity of the vertebral body, spondylolysis, spondylolisthesis, degenerative disease, focal disk protrusion/extrusion, muscle strain, epidural mass, and bone-marrow edema. Nineteen Olympic-level female gymnasts (age 12-20 years) were evaluated prospectively in this study. All of these gymnasts were evaluated while attending a specific training camp. Anterior ring apophyseal injuries (9/19) and degenerative disk disease (12/19) were common. Spondylolysis (3/19) and spondylolisthesis (3/19) were found. Focal bone-marrow edema was found in both L3 pedicles in one gymnast. History and physical exam revealed four gymnasts with current low back pain at the time of imaging. There were findings confined to those athletes with current low back pain: spondylolisthesis, spondylolysis, bilateral pedicle bone-marrow edema, and muscle strain. (orig.)

Lumbar spine MRI in the elite-level female gymnast with low back pain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bennett, D. Lee; Nassar, Lawrence; DeLano, Mark C.

2006-01-01

Previous studies have shown increased degenerative disk changes and spine injuries in the competitive female gymnast. However, it has also been shown that many of these findings are found in asymptomatic athletic people of the same age. Previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies evaluating the gymnastic spine have not made a distinction between symptomatic and asymptomatic athletes. Our hypothesis is that MRI will demonstrate the same types of abnormalities in both the symptomatic and asymptomatic gymnasts. Olympic-level female gymnasts received prospectively an MRI exam of the lumbar spine. Each of the gymnasts underwent a physical exam by a sports medicine physician just prior to the MRI for documentation of low back pain. Each MRI exam was evaluated for anterior apophyseal ring avulsion injury, compression deformity of the vertebral body, spondylolysis, spondylolisthesis, degenerative disease, focal disk protrusion/extrusion, muscle strain, epidural mass, and bone-marrow edema. Nineteen Olympic-level female gymnasts (age 12-20 years) were evaluated prospectively in this study. All of these gymnasts were evaluated while attending a specific training camp. Anterior ring apophyseal injuries (9/19) and degenerative disk disease (12/19) were common. Spondylolysis (3/19) and spondylolisthesis (3/19) were found. Focal bone-marrow edema was found in both L3 pedicles in one gymnast. History and physical exam revealed four gymnasts with current low back pain at the time of imaging. There were findings confined to those athletes with current low back pain: spondylolisthesis, spondylolysis, bilateral pedicle bone-marrow edema, and muscle strain. (orig.)

Circadian control of mRNA polyadenylation dynamics regulates rhythmic protein expression

OpenAIRE

Kojima, Shihoko; Sher-Chen, Elaine L.; Green, Carla B.

2012-01-01

Green and colleagues perform a global analysis of circadian-controlled poly(A) tails and identify hundreds of mRNAs that display dynamic rhythmic polyadenylation states. They identify three distinct classes of mRNAs with rhythmic poly(A) tails. Interestingly, class III mRNAs are controlled not by transcription, but by rhythmic cytoplasmic polyadenylation, and are regulated by the components of the cytoplasmic polyadenylation machinery, CPEB2 in particular, which are themselves rhythmically ex...

Rhythmic entrainment source separation: Optimizing analyses of neural responses to rhythmic sensory stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Michael X; Gulbinaite, Rasa

2017-02-15

Steady-state evoked potentials (SSEPs) are rhythmic brain responses to rhythmic sensory stimulation, and are often used to study perceptual and attentional processes. We present a data analysis method for maximizing the signal-to-noise ratio of the narrow-band steady-state response in the frequency and time-frequency domains. The method, termed rhythmic entrainment source separation (RESS), is based on denoising source separation approaches that take advantage of the simultaneous but differential projection of neural activity to multiple electrodes or sensors. Our approach is a combination and extension of existing multivariate source separation methods. We demonstrate that RESS performs well on both simulated and empirical data, and outperforms conventional SSEP analysis methods based on selecting electrodes with the strongest SSEP response, as well as several other linear spatial filters. We also discuss the potential confound of overfitting, whereby the filter captures noise in absence of a signal. Matlab scripts are available to replicate and extend our simulations and methods. We conclude with some practical advice for optimizing SSEP data analyses and interpreting the results. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Stress Fracture and Nonunion of Coronoid Process in a Gymnast

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T. Hetling

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Gymnasts have high mechanical loading forces of up to 14 times body weight. Overuse lesions are typical in wrists and stress fractures in the olecranon, while isolated fractures of the coronoid process are uncommon. We present a case of retraumatized nonunion stress fracture of the ulnar coronoid process. Case Description. A 19-year-old gymnast presented with elbow pain after training. Imaging confirmed an old fracture of the coronoid process. We describe a 6-month multiphase return to competition rehabilitation program, which allowed him to compete pain-freely. Literature Review. Acute and overuse injuries in gymnasts are known but no nonunion of the coronoid process has been described before. Only one case of stress fracture of coronoid process in a gymnast was reported. Purpose and Clinical Relevance. We could successfully and conservatively return to sport a reactivated nonunion of a stress fracture of the coronoid process.

Civil gymnastics associations and sports in the Kingdom of Serbia

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Vukašinović Vladan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to enable insight and systemization of data relevant for the appearance of sports in the Kingdom of Serbia through reviews of adequate monographs and series of publications. Primary assumption was founded on the expectation to determine a direct link between gymnastics and the falcon system of exercising with sports that was rising. The historic method has been used for the research. Work results indicate a significant role of civil gymnastics associations - falcons (the falcon and knight (Dusan the Mighty as a phenomenon in popularization and development of modern sports at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century in Serbia. All these associations, no matter what their name was, had intentions to maintain their existing and attract new membership, and they foresaw with their rules and statutes acceptance and the introduction of other sports activities and forming of clubs, apart from gymnastics which was the skeleton of exercising curriculum. Newly founded gymnastics - sports departments in fighting, marksmanship, skating, riding, swimming, rowing, velocipede, football developed and grew into sports clubs. Their separation from core gymnastics associations enabled faster development of individual sports branches, which stood for the first modern sports in Serbia.

Biomechanical approaches to understanding the potentially injurious demands of gymnastic-style impact landings

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Gittoes Marianne JR

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Gymnasts are exposed to a high incidence of impact landings due to the execution of repeated dismount performances. Biomechanical research can help inform recent discussions surrounding a proposed rule change in potentially injurious gymnastic dismounting. The review examines existing understanding of the mechanisms influencing the impact loads incurred in gymnastic-style landings achieved using biomechanical approaches. Laboratory-based and theoretical modelling research of inherent and regulatory mechanisms is appraised. The integration of the existing insights into injury prevention interventions studies is further considered in the appraisals. While laboratory-based studies have traditionally been favoured, the difficulty in controlling and isolating mechanisms of interest has partially restricted the understanding gained. An increase in the use of theoretical approaches has been evident over the past two decades, which has successfully enhanced insight into less readily modified mechanisms. For example, the important contribution of mass compositions and 'tuned' mass coupling responses to impact loading has been evidenced. While theoretical studies have advanced knowledge in impact landing mechanics, restrictions in the availability of laboratory-based input data have suppressed the benefits gained. The advantages of integrating laboratory-based and theoretical approaches in furthering scientific understanding of loading mechanisms have been recognised in the literature. Since a multi-mechanism contribution to impact loading has been evident, a deviation away from studies examining isolated mechanisms may be supported for the future. A further scientific understanding of the use of regulatory mechanisms in alleviating a performer's inherent injury predisposition may subsequently be gained and used to inform potential rule changes in gymnastics. While the use of controlled studies for providing scientific evidence for the

[Gymnastic school sport injuries--aspects of preventive measures].

Science.gov (United States)

Knobloch, K; Jagodzinski, M; Haasper, C; Zeichen, J; Krettek, C

2006-06-01

Gymnastic school sport injuries account for a significant morbidity and mortality among children and adolescents. Preventive issues may be derived from a thorough in-depth analysis of the pattern and circumstances of gymnastic injuries. During a school year among 3993 schools in 43 889 classes with 993 056 pupils 2234 school sport injuries have been reported to the Gemeinde Unfall Versicherung (GUV) Niedersachsen, Germany. Gymnastic sport injuries account for 18 % (403 accidents), which is second after ball sports injuries. Regarding the distribution of the gymnastic disciplines, vault was the major discipline with 34 %, followed by floor exercise (21.3 %), mini- and competition trampoline (16.8 %), and parallel bars (8.2 %). The analysis of the type of injury during vault accidents revealed contusion (31 %) as the predominant injury, followed by sprains (15.4 %), and fractures (15.4 %). Floor exercise injuries distributed among distorsions (26.7 %), contusions (18.6 %), muscle tears (14 %). Back injuries especially of the cervical and thoracic spine, accounted for 40 % of all their injuries. Minor head injuries account for 4.7 % of all floor exercise injuries. Mini-trampoline injuries distribute among contusions (30 %), fractures (22.5 %), distorsions (7.5 %). 21.8 % collisions were noted against a box in comparison to 6.8 % in case of the horse. Gymnast injuries account for a significant number of all school sport related injuries. Vault and floor exercise account for the vast majority of all injuries, with alarming high numbers of spine injuries during floor exercise and mini-trampoline. A preservation of a high level of attention during a sport lesson, safety measures including appropriate mats and landing zones are mandatory to reduce injuries. Muscle injuries and ankle sprains can be prevented by a prospective proprioceptive training intervention to be implemented in school sports.

RESPIRATORY GYMNASTICS AS A REHABILITATION MEANS FOR THE PRESCHOOL CHILDREN WITH THE RESPIRATORY PATHOLOGY

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T.A. Shemyakina

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The researchers analyzed the efficacy of the new medical technology aimed at rehabilitation of the preschool children with the respiratory pathology. 177 children aged between 2 and 7 with recurrent respiratory diseases, bronchial asthma or chronic pathology of the end organs have been examined for 9 months. It was uncovered that among children (n = 90, who performed the sets of the therapeutic physical training and respiratory gymnastics according to the methods developed by the authors, the recurrence of the acute respiratory diseases and exacerbations of bronchial asthma was lower by 1,83 and 1,86 timers respectively. Besides, among children of this group the researchers noted the significant improvement of the physical qualities, spirometric indices and cytological picture of the substance removed from the nasal cavity if compared with the children from the screening group (n = 87, who performed the sets of the conventional gymnastics at the physical training lessons. Thus, the researchers proved the high efficacy of the proposed technology for the rehabilitation of the children, suffering from the chronic respiratory pathology.Key words: acute respiratory diseases, asthma, therapeutic physical training, respiratory gymnastics, children.

Features of selection of children for occupations by artistic gymnastics in modern Kurdistan

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Abdulvahid Dlshad Nihad

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Purpose: to study the organizational and pedagogical conditions of selection of children for occupations existing in the republic Kurdistan artistic gymnastics Material and Methods: questioning of 24 trainers on artistic gymnastics and experts in physical culture of the republic Kurdistan was carried out. The general questions of selection and methodical features of selection of children for occupations by artistic gymnastics in Kurdistan were studied. Results: questioning revealed absence of the general approved tests and scientific recommendations concerning their use, dependence of quality of selection on experience of the trainer. Conclusions: experts in the field of physical culture and sport consider inefficient the existing system of selection of children for occupations artistic gymnastics in Kurdistan; gymnastics coaches consider necessary testing’s at children of a level of development of flexibility, dexterity, abilities to manifestation of dynamic force and preservation of dynamic balance

RHYTHMIC MUSIC PEDAGOGY: A SCANDINAVIAN APPROACH TO MUSIC EDUCATION

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Hauge Torunn Bakken

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Rhythmic music pedagogy is a relatively new Scandinavian approach to classroom music education that offers a variety of methods and strategies for teaching and learning music, especially within the performance of improvised and rhythmic music. This article is based on two earlier projects published in Norwegian, in which the concept of rytmisk musikkpedagogikk (or “rhythmic music pedagogy” as well as its applications and implications were thoroughly described. This research confirms that rhythmic music pedagogy may be an effective strategy for learning music in general, but most especially for learning skills associated with ensemble musicianship and playing by ear. In a multicultural and fluid society in which there are tendencies toward passivity and fragmentation, it may be more important than ever to maintain the idea of music as a collaborative creative process that extends across borders; in this context, rhythmic music pedagogy can play a central role in children’s social development. As a social medium, ensemble playing requires the participant to decentralize socially, since the perspectives of the other participants are necessary for a successful performance. The activity’s general potential for re-structuring social settings and moving boundaries in a positive way should not be underestimated.

Proposal of analytical records for choreographic compositions in gymnastics for all

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Letícia Abud SCARABELIM

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Gymnastics for All (GfA is a practice found in the wide world of gymnastics and its greatest form of expression is through choreographic compositions (CC due to historical and pedagogical reasons, among other factors. In addition, in the international arena, gymnastics festivals have become a privileged forum to perform CC as they take place in different contexts of social intervention, such as schools, clubs, associations, NGOs, and universities. In this context, our objective is to provide a tool to register and analyze GfA choreographic compositions by means of analytical record system. Based on bibliographical and documentary research, we propose a set of eight aspects that address general and specific aspects of CC in GfA. We conclude that the proposed tool displays a didactic and very detailed structure that is based on the theoretical prerogatives of the area. Not only it is useful to professionals and practitioners with different profiles, but it also holds the power of being of great value to all those involved in the processes of CC in GfA as a tool for recording data (including historical data, which is a catalyst for processes of reflection and changes (whenever they are required.

LABOR GYMNASTICS: STRETCHING EXERCISE X FLEXIONAMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacqueline Amorin Anchieta Borges da Silva, Isabel Cristina Taranto e Fernanda Piasecki

2006-12-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, there are many opportunities for the society to live a healthful and long life. At the same time, never people was so sedentary and without harmony. Without a healthy body and with “an occupied mind” the human loses exactly what more it needs: the disposal to produce, to coexist and to live a good life. In this context, the present research aimed to revise some terms related to labor gymnastics, which is focused in the prevention of risks related to hours of working and in the reduction of muscular tension levels that may be originated during a day of work. Thus, the present study will make a differentiation between the use of stretching and flexionament during labor gymnastic sessions.

Rhythmic entrainment source separation: Optimizing analyses of neural responses to rhythmic sensory stimulation

OpenAIRE

Cohen, M.S.; Gulbinaite, R.

2017-01-01

Steady-state evoked potentials (SSEPs) are rhythmic brain responses to rhythmic sensory stimulation, and are often used to study perceptual and attentional processes. We present a data analysis method for maximizing the signal-to-noise ratio of the narrow-band steady-state response in the frequency and time-frequency domains. The method, termed rhythmic entrainment source separation (RESS), is based on denoising source separation approaches that take advantage of the simultaneous but differen...

Features of selection of children for occupations by artistic gymnastics in modern Kurdistan

OpenAIRE

Abdulvahid Dlshad Nihad

2015-01-01

Purpose: to study the organizational and pedagogical conditions of selection of children for occupations existing in the republic Kurdistan artistic gymnastics Material and Methods: questioning of 24 trainers on artistic gymnastics and experts in physical culture of the republic Kurdistan was carried out. The general questions of selection and methodical features of selection of children for occupations by artistic gymnastics in Kurdistan were studied. Results: questioning revealed absence of...

Let's Get Physical: Teaching Physics Through Gymnastics

Science.gov (United States)

Sojourner, Elena J.; Burgasser, Adam J.; Weise, Eric D.

2018-01-01

The concept of embodied learning—that we can learn with our bodies and with our minds—is a well-established concept in physics and math education research, and includes symbolic understanding (e.g., gestures that track how students think or facilitate learning to model complex systems of energy flow) as well as the literal experience of exploring physical phenomena through body movements. Sport has long served as a guide for both illustrating and experiencing physical concepts and phenomena, with a particularly relevant example being the sport of gymnastics. Here, the practitioner is subjected to a wide range of forces and torques, and experiences translational and rotational motions, all guided by control of body positioning, shape, strength, and leverage. Smith provides a comprehensive study of the mechanics used to analyze gymnastic movements, which includes core concepts such as force balance, leverage and torque, center of mass and stability, moment of inertia, ballistic motion, pendulum motion, and circular motion. For life science majors, gymnastics also provides relevant physical examples of biomechanics and the physical limits of biological materials (skin, bones, ligaments). The popularity of gymnastics—consider the phenomenon of Simone Biles—makes it broadly accessible and engaging, particularly across genders.

MR imaging in the assessment of the thoracolumbar spine in elite male gymnasts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nyman, R.; Svard, L.; Hellstrom, M.; Jakobsson, B.; Peterson, L.

1989-01-01

Gymnasts training on elite level from childhood to adulthood might do serious damage to the motion segments in the thoracolumbar spine. This paper reports on twenty-five elite gymnasts (age range, 18-29 years) investigated with 0.5-T MR imaging and compared with 17 aged-matched normal males. A significantly higher number of changes in configuration of the vertebrae, apophyseal changes, end plate nodes, degenerated disks, and disk bulging in the thoracolumbar spine were found among the gymnasts. The number of degenerated disks among the gymnasts were comparable to that found at the age group of 65. Disk degeneration and change of configuration of the vertebrae were also found to correlate significantly with symptoms of back pain

Physiological pattern changes in response to a simulated competition in elite women artistic gymnasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Isacco, Laurie; Ennequin, Gaël; Cassirame, Johan; Tordi, Nicolas

2017-08-04

The outstanding progress in women's artistic gymnastics in recent decades has led to increased technical and physiological demands. The aim of this study was to investigate i) the physiological demands of elite French gymnasts and ii) the impact of a competitive routine on physiological pattern changes. Fourteen French elite female gymnasts performed anthropometric measurements, physical fitness tests and a simulated four event competition. Heart rate (HR) was continuously recorded throughout the duration of the simulated competition. Blood lactate concentrations were assessed at rest, before the beginning and at 2, 4 and 10 min after completion of the routine on each apparatus. Isometric handgrip strength and anaerobic endurance and power were assessed during the simulated competition. The highest values of HR and blood lactate concentrations were reached during the floor and uneven bar exercises. Blood lactate concentrations and HR kinetics were apparatus dependent and values remained significantly increased at 10 min of recovery compared with resting data. Anaerobic endurance and power decreased significantly as the competition progressed (P <0.001). The present results show specifically cardiorespiratory and anaerobic apparatus- dependent responses throughout a simulated competition. Recovery approaches appear relevant to prevent and/or minimize fatigue and optimize performance in these athletes.

Skeletal Geometry and Indices of Bone Strength in Artistic Gymnasts

Science.gov (United States)

Dowthwaite, Jodi N.; Scerpella, Tamara A.

2010-01-01

This review addresses bone geometry and indices of skeletal strength associated with exposure to gymnastic loading during growth. A brief background characterizes artistic gymnastics as a mechanical loading model and outlines densitometric techniques, skeletal outcomes and challenges in assessment of skeletal adaptation. The literature on bone geometric adaptation to gymnastic loading is sparse and consists of results for disparate skeletal sites, maturity phases, gender compositions and assessment methods, complicating synthesis of an overriding view. Furthermore, most studies assess only females, with little information on males and adults. Nonetheless, gymnastic loading during growth appears to yield significant enlargement of total and cortical bone geometry (+10 to 30%) and elevation of trabecular density (+20%) in the forearm, yielding elevated indices of skeletal strength (+20 to +50%). Other sites exhibit more moderate geometric and densitometric adaptations (5 to 15%). Mode of adaptation appears to be site-specific; some sites demonstrate marked periosteal and endosteal expansion, whereas other sites exhibit negligible or moderate periosteal expansion coupled with endocortical contraction. Further research is necessary to address sex-, maturity- and bone tissue-specific adaptation, as well as maintenance of benefits beyond loading cessation. PMID:19949278

Sternal stress fracture in a gymnast: A case report and literature review

African Journals Online (AJOL)

There is a high incidence of injuries among gymnasts.1 This is not surprising given the ... stress fracture. A common example of poor posture in gymnasts is excessive ... Dimakatso Althea Ramagole (MB ChB, MSc (Sports Med)). Dina Christina ...

Music Games: Potential Application and Considerations for Rhythmic Training.

Science.gov (United States)

Bégel, Valentin; Di Loreto, Ines; Seilles, Antoine; Dalla Bella, Simone

2017-01-01

Rhythmic skills are natural and widespread in the general population. The majority can track the beat of music and move along with it. These abilities are meaningful from a cognitive standpoint given their tight links with prominent motor and cognitive functions such as language and memory. When rhythmic skills are challenged by brain damage or neurodevelopmental disorders, remediation strategies based on rhythm can be considered. For example, rhythmic training can be used to improve motor performance (e.g., gait) as well as cognitive and language skills. Here, we review the games readily available in the market and assess whether they are well-suited for rhythmic training. Games that train rhythm skills may serve as useful tools for retraining motor and cognitive functions in patients with motor or neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., Parkinson's disease, dyslexia, or ADHD). Our criteria were the peripheral used to capture and record the response, the type of response and the output measure. None of the existing games provides sufficient temporal precision in stimulus presentation and/or data acquisition. In addition, games do not train selectively rhythmic skills. Hence, the available music games, in their present form, are not satisfying for training rhythmic skills. Yet, some features such as the device used, the interface or the game scenario provide good indications for devising efficient training protocols. Guidelines are provided for devising serious music games targeting rhythmic training in the future.

Music Games: Potential Application and Considerations for Rhythmic Training

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valentin Bégel

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Rhythmic skills are natural and widespread in the general population. The majority can track the beat of music and move along with it. These abilities are meaningful from a cognitive standpoint given their tight links with prominent motor and cognitive functions such as language and memory. When rhythmic skills are challenged by brain damage or neurodevelopmental disorders, remediation strategies based on rhythm can be considered. For example, rhythmic training can be used to improve motor performance (e.g., gait as well as cognitive and language skills. Here, we review the games readily available in the market and assess whether they are well-suited for rhythmic training. Games that train rhythm skills may serve as useful tools for retraining motor and cognitive functions in patients with motor or neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., Parkinson’s disease, dyslexia, or ADHD. Our criteria were the peripheral used to capture and record the response, the type of response and the output measure. None of the existing games provides sufficient temporal precision in stimulus presentation and/or data acquisition. In addition, games do not train selectively rhythmic skills. Hence, the available music games, in their present form, are not satisfying for training rhythmic skills. Yet, some features such as the device used, the interface or the game scenario provide good indications for devising efficient training protocols. Guidelines are provided for devising serious music games targeting rhythmic training in the future.

Gymnastic Formation-related Injury to Children in Physical Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Araki, Takashi; Miyauchi, Masato; Suzaki, Makoto; Wakakuri, Taro; Kirinoki, Sonoko; Onodera, Naoko; Saigusa, Taro; Takana, Akihiro; Hyodo, Hideya; Ohara, Toshihiko; Kawai, Makoto; Yasutake, Masahiro; Yokota, Hiroyuki

2015-01-01

Current data indicate that the rate of trauma in children during gymnastic formation is increasing, especially while creating a structure with a certain height, such as the human pyramid. The goal of the present study was to clarify the clinical characteristics of these injuries. In this single-institution review, all children treated for a gymnastic formation-related injury at Nippon Medical School Hospital from 2013 through 2015 were identified through the institution's registry. The injury mechanism was classified, and injury severity, interventions, and outcome were examined. Eight children were treated for a gymnastic formation-related injury. They were 7 boys and 1 girl aged 10 to 15 years (mean age, 13.1±1.8 years). Neurotrauma ranging from concussion to spinal cord injury without radiographic abnormality occurred in 6 patients (75%). No intracranial hemorrhagic lesions were detected. The Glasgow Coma Scale score on arrival was 15 in all 8 patients, and neurological deficits were present in 1 patient. No patient required surgical intervention. All patients made a full recovery after discharge from the hospital. No patients died. The average follow-up period was 2.1±0.9 weeks. Neurotrauma is a frequent result of gymnastic formation accidents in children. Healthcare workers and teachers should recognize this type of injury, and public education that targets parents should be introduced.

Feedback Signal from Motoneurons Influences a Rhythmic Pattern Generator.

Science.gov (United States)

Rotstein, Horacio G; Schneider, Elisa; Szczupak, Lidia

2017-09-20

Motoneurons are not mere output units of neuronal circuits that control motor behavior but participate in pattern generation. Research on the circuit that controls the crawling motor behavior in leeches indicated that motoneurons participate as modulators of this rhythmic motor pattern. Crawling results from successive bouts of elongation and contraction of the whole leech body. In the isolated segmental ganglia, dopamine can induce a rhythmic antiphasic activity of the motoneurons that control contraction (DE-3 motoneurons) and elongation (CV motoneurons). The study was performed in isolated ganglia where manipulation of the activity of specific motoneurons was performed in the course of fictive crawling ( crawling ). In this study, the membrane potential of CV was manipulated while crawling was monitored through the rhythmic activity of DE-3. Matching behavioral observations that show that elongation dominates the rhythmic pattern, the electrophysiological activity of CV motoneurons dominates the cycle. Brief excitation of CV motoneurons during crawling episodes resets the rhythmic activity of DE-3, indicating that CV feeds back to the rhythmic pattern generator. CV hyperpolarization accelerated the rhythm to an extent that depended on the magnitude of the cycle period, suggesting that CV exerted a positive feedback on the unit(s) of the pattern generator that controls the elongation phase. A simple computational model was implemented to test the consequences of such feedback. The simulations indicate that the duty cycle of CV depended on the strength of the positive feedback between CV and the pattern generator circuit. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Rhythmic movements of animals are controlled by neuronal networks that have been conceived as hierarchical structures. At the basis of this hierarchy, we find the motoneurons, few neurons at the top control global aspects of the behavior (e.g., onset, duration); and within these two ends, specific neuronal circuits control

MR imaging of overuse injuries in the skeletally immature gymnast: spectrum of soft-tissue and osseous lesions in the hand and wrist

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dwek, Jerry R. [Department of Radiology, Rady Children' s Hospital and Health Center, San Diego, CA (United States); Cardoso, Fabiano; Chung, Christine B. [University of California at San Diego, Department of Radiology, San Diego, CA (United States)

2009-12-15

In the pediatric gymnast, stress-related physeal injuries have been well described with characteristic imaging findings. However, a spectrum of overuse injuries, some rarely reported in the literature, can be encountered in the gymnast's hand and wrist. To demonstrate the MR appearance of a spectrum of overuse injuries in the skeletally immature wrist and hand of pediatric gymnasts. A total of 125 MR exams of the hand and wrist in skeletally immature children were performed at our institution during a 2-year period. Clinical histories were reviewed for gymnastics participation. MR studies of that subpopulation were reviewed and abnormalities tabulated. Of the MR studies reviewed, ten gymnasts were identified, all girls age 12-16 years (mean age 14.2 years) who presented with wrist or hand pain. Three of these children had bilateral MR exams. Abnormalities included chronic physeal injuries in three children. Two girls exhibited focal lunate osteochondral defects. Triangular fibrocartilage tears were present in three girls, one of whom had a scapholunate ligament tear. Two girls manifested metacarpal head flattening and necrosis. A variety of soft-tissue and osseous lesions can be encountered in the skeletally immature gymnast. Familiarity with these stress-related injuries is important for accurate diagnosis. (orig.)

MR imaging of overuse injuries in the skeletally immature gymnast: spectrum of soft-tissue and osseous lesions in the hand and wrist

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dwek, Jerry R.; Cardoso, Fabiano; Chung, Christine B.

2009-01-01

In the pediatric gymnast, stress-related physeal injuries have been well described with characteristic imaging findings. However, a spectrum of overuse injuries, some rarely reported in the literature, can be encountered in the gymnast's hand and wrist. To demonstrate the MR appearance of a spectrum of overuse injuries in the skeletally immature wrist and hand of pediatric gymnasts. A total of 125 MR exams of the hand and wrist in skeletally immature children were performed at our institution during a 2-year period. Clinical histories were reviewed for gymnastics participation. MR studies of that subpopulation were reviewed and abnormalities tabulated. Of the MR studies reviewed, ten gymnasts were identified, all girls age 12-16 years (mean age 14.2 years) who presented with wrist or hand pain. Three of these children had bilateral MR exams. Abnormalities included chronic physeal injuries in three children. Two girls exhibited focal lunate osteochondral defects. Triangular fibrocartilage tears were present in three girls, one of whom had a scapholunate ligament tear. Two girls manifested metacarpal head flattening and necrosis. A variety of soft-tissue and osseous lesions can be encountered in the skeletally immature gymnast. Familiarity with these stress-related injuries is important for accurate diagnosis. (orig.)

The gymnasts' hip and groin: a magnetic resonance imaging study in asymptomatic elite athletes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Papavasiliou, A.; Sykaras, E.; Milosis, D.; Karantanas, A.

2014-01-01

Specific patterns of developmental adaptation of the proximal femur have been recognized in some sports. Gymnastics are characterized by repetitive axial loading and hip rotations in combination with extreme hip positions. It is unknown how and if these forces can affect an immature skeleton in the long term. We sought to evaluate this, by means of magnetic resonance imaging of the hip and groin of such elite asymptomatic athletes. We performed a case-control comparative MR imaging study of both hips and groin of 12 (7 male, 5 female) skeletally mature young (mean age 18.6 years) asymptomatic international level gymnasts with a minimum of 10 years' training with age-matched non-athletes. At the time of recruitment, none of the athletes had a recorded musculoskeletal complaint or injury in the anatomical area around the hip. The study showed that elite gymnasts share four common morphological characteristics on MRI that deviate from normal and are considered to be the result of adaptational changes to the specific sport: high centre-column-diaphysis angle (coxa valga140 on average), ligamentum teres hypertrophy, friction of the iliotibial band with oedema surrounding the greater trochanter, and a high incidence (62.5 %) of radiological appearances of ischiofemoral impingement. Our study showed that elite gymnasts share four common morphological characteristics on MRI that deviate from normal. These findings were in asymptomatic subjects; hence, radiologists and sports physicians should be aware of them in order to avoid unnecessary treatment. (orig.)

A comparison of Coulomb and pseudo-Coulomb friction implementations: Application to the table contact phase of gymnastics vaulting.

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, M I; Hiley, M J; Yeadon, M R

2011-10-13

In the table contact phase of gymnastics vaulting both dynamic and static friction act. The purpose of this study was to develop a method of simulating Coulomb friction that incorporated both dynamic and static phases and to compare the results with those obtained using a pseudo-Coulomb implementation of friction when applied to the table contact phase of gymnastics vaulting. Kinematic data were obtained from an elite level gymnast performing handspring straight somersault vaults using a Vicon optoelectronic motion capture system. An angle-driven computer model of vaulting that simulated the interaction between a seven segment gymnast and a single segment vaulting table during the table contact phase of the vault was developed. Both dynamic and static friction were incorporated within the model by switching between two implementations of the tangential frictional force. Two vaulting trials were used to determine the model parameters using a genetic algorithm to match simulations to recorded performances. A third independent trial was used to evaluate the model and close agreement was found between the simulation and the recorded performance with an overall difference of 13.5%. The two-state simulation model was found to be capable of replicating performance at take-off and also of replicating key contact phase features such as the normal and tangential motion of the hands. The results of the two-state model were compared to those using a pseudo-Coulomb friction implementation within the simulation model. The two-state model achieved similar overall results to those of the pseudo-Coulomb model but obtained solutions more rapidly. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biomechanical approaches to identify and quantify injury mechanisms and risk factors in women's artistic gymnastics.

Science.gov (United States)

Bradshaw, Elizabeth J; Hume, Patria A

2012-09-01

Targeted injury prevention strategies, based on biomechanical analyses, have the potential to help reduce the incidence and severity of gymnastics injuries. This review outlines the potential benefits of biomechanics research to contribute to injury prevention strategies for women's artistic gymnastics by identification of mechanisms of injury and quantification of the effects of injury risk factors. One hundred and twenty-three articles were retained for review after searching electronic databases using key words, including 'gymnastic', 'biomech*', and 'inj*', and delimiting by language and relevance to the paper aim. Impact load can be measured biomechanically by the use of instrumented equipment (e.g. beatboard), instrumentation on the gymnast (accelerometers), or by landings on force plates. We need further information on injury mechanisms and risk factors in gymnastics and practical methods of monitoring training loads. We have not yet shown, beyond a theoretical approach, how biomechanical analysis of gymnastics can help reduce injury risk through injury prevention interventions. Given the high magnitude of impact load, both acute and accumulative, coaches should monitor impact loads per training session, taking into consideration training quality and quantity such as the control of rotation and the height from which the landings are executed.

Rhythmic entrainment source separation: Optimizing analyses of neural responses to rhythmic sensory stimulation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cohen, M.S.; Gulbinaite, R.

2017-01-01

Steady-state evoked potentials (SSEPs) are rhythmic brain responses to rhythmic sensory stimulation, and are often used to study perceptual and attentional processes. We present a data analysis method for maximizing the signal-to-noise ratio of the narrow-band steady-state response in the frequency

Effects of Rhythmic and Melodic Alterations and Selected Musical Experiences on Rhythmic Processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Sink, Patricia E.

1984-01-01

Study showed that music listening habits and preferences and instrument training may affect ways an individual processes the multiple dimensions of rhythm. Apparent alterations in tempo, duration and pitch characteristics, rhythmic and melodic phrase patterning, and monotony may serve as organizers of rhythmic processing. (Author/RM)

The influence of gymnastic exercises to correct posture for girls of primary school age.

OpenAIRE

ŠMOLÍKOVÁ, Tereza

2014-01-01

This work is adicted to observation of younger school age girls posture. Respondents are divided anto two groups. One group consists of girls who are practising sport´s gymnastic and the other group are girls practising different or any sports. Disparity of these two groups is examined by means of a questionnaire In the theoretical part there are all information and continuity which are important for this subject, questions concerning gymnastic exercises respectively sports gymnastics. Such a...

THE COMPARISON OF THE LUMBAR MULTIFIDUS MUSCLES FUNCTION BETWEEN GYMNASTIC ATHLETES WITH SWAY-BACK POSTURE AND NORMAL POSTURE.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahdavie, Elnaz; Rezasoltani, Asghar; Simorgh, Leila

2017-08-01

The prevalence of sway back posture (SBP) is very high among elite gymnasts. This posture may be partly due to the improper function of lumbar multifidus muscles (LMM) as lumbar stabilizers muscles. The aim of this study was to compare the thicknesses of LMM measured at rest and during the contraction elicited during an arm lift between elite gymnasts with SBP and normal posture. Observational, descriptive, comparative. The participants consist of twenty gymnasts between the ages of 17 and 30 who had trained in gymnastics for more than ten years. They were assigned to two groups: SBP (n=10) and control (n=10). Posture analysis with grid paper and plumb line was performed for all subjects. The thickness of LMM on dominant side of spinal column was measured by a real-time ultrasound at five lumbar levels. The thickness of the LMM was measured both at rest and during the contraction elicited during an arm lift. The variation between the LMM thickness between the muscle at rest and muscle at the peak of contraction was regarded as LMM muscle function. The thickness of LMM was less in SBP group than the control group at all lumbar segments. The variation in LMM thickness between the state of rest and muscle contraction was significantly less in athletes with SBP than controls when compared at all levels of the lumbar spine (p antigravity and stabilizing muscle group was decreased during arm raising in gymnasts with SBP. 3a.

The Effect of Haptic Guidance on Learning a Hybrid Rhythmic-Discrete Motor Task.

Science.gov (United States)

Marchal-Crespo, Laura; Bannwart, Mathias; Riener, Robert; Vallery, Heike

2015-01-01

Bouncing a ball with a racket is a hybrid rhythmic-discrete motor task, combining continuous rhythmic racket movements with discrete impact events. Rhythmicity is exceptionally important in motor learning, because it underlies fundamental movements such as walking. Studies suggested that rhythmic and discrete movements are governed by different control mechanisms at different levels of the Central Nervous System. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of fixed/fading haptic guidance on learning to bounce a ball to a desired apex in virtual reality with varying gravity. Changing gravity changes dominance of rhythmic versus discrete control: The higher the value of gravity, the more rhythmic the task; lower values reduce the bouncing frequency and increase dwell times, eventually leading to a repetitive discrete task that requires initiation and termination, resembling target-oriented reaching. Although motor learning in the ball-bouncing task with varying gravity has been studied, the effect of haptic guidance on learning such a hybrid rhythmic-discrete motor task has not been addressed. We performed an experiment with thirty healthy subjects and found that the most effective training condition depended on the degree of rhythmicity: Haptic guidance seems to hamper learning of continuous rhythmic tasks, but it seems to promote learning for repetitive tasks that resemble discrete movements.

The gymnasts' hip and groin: a magnetic resonance imaging study in asymptomatic elite athletes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Papavasiliou, A.; Sykaras, E. [Aristotle Univ., Thessaloniki (Greece). Sport Injuries Lab.; Siatras, T. [Aristotle Univ., Thessaloniki (Greece). Lab. of Excercise Physiology-Ergometry; Bintoudi, A. [Papageorgiu NHS General Hospital, Thessaloniki (Greece); Milosis, D. [Aristotle Univ., Thessaloniki (Greece). Dept. of Physical Education and Sport Sciences; Lallas, V. [Euromedica Diagnostic Centre, Thessaloniki (Greece); Karantanas, A. [University Hospital Heraklion (Greece). Dept. of Medical Imaging

2014-08-15

Specific patterns of developmental adaptation of the proximal femur have been recognized in some sports. Gymnastics are characterized by repetitive axial loading and hip rotations in combination with extreme hip positions. It is unknown how and if these forces can affect an immature skeleton in the long term. We sought to evaluate this, by means of magnetic resonance imaging of the hip and groin of such elite asymptomatic athletes. We performed a case-control comparative MR imaging study of both hips and groin of 12 (7 male, 5 female) skeletally mature young (mean age 18.6 years) asymptomatic international level gymnasts with a minimum of 10 years' training with age-matched non-athletes. At the time of recruitment, none of the athletes had a recorded musculoskeletal complaint or injury in the anatomical area around the hip. The study showed that elite gymnasts share four common morphological characteristics on MRI that deviate from normal and are considered to be the result of adaptational changes to the specific sport: high centre-column-diaphysis angle (coxa valga140 on average), ligamentum teres hypertrophy, friction of the iliotibial band with oedema surrounding the greater trochanter, and a high incidence (62.5 %) of radiological appearances of ischiofemoral impingement. Our study showed that elite gymnasts share four common morphological characteristics on MRI that deviate from normal. These findings were in asymptomatic subjects; hence, radiologists and sports physicians should be aware of them in order to avoid unnecessary treatment. (orig.)

Effects of mini trampoline exercise on male gymnasts' physiological parameters: a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Karakollukçu, M; Aslan, C S; Paoli, A; Bianco, A; Sahin, F N

2015-01-01

There are limited studies that indicate the effects of trampoline exercise on strength and other physiological parameters. This study aims to determine whether twelve weeks of trampoline exercise would have any effects on the physical and physiological parameters of male gymnasts. A number of 20 intercollegiate competitive male gymnasts (as experimental group) and 20 non-athlete male (as control group) participated voluntarily. Their anthropometric characteristics and the anaerobic power were measured and their back strength, vertical jump, standing long jump and 20 meter sprint performances were measured. As a result; whereas 12 weeks of trampoline exercise improved standing long jump (before 242.35±3.40 cm; after 251.70±2.95 cm) and also vertical jump, 20 meter sprint speed and anaerobic power of subjects. We did not observe significant changes on back strength performances (before 148.32±5.73 kg; after 148.10±5.71). The trampoline exercise protocol improved significantly speed, jump and anaerobic performances of the experimental group, while did not induced any changes on back strength performances. More studies are necessary to confirm the interesting results coming from this pilot intervention.

Condition of esthetic component of motive activity in aerobic gymnastics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valentina Todorova

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Purpose: to prove condition of esthetic component of motive activity of sportsmen in aerobic gymnastics at various stages of sports preparation. Material & Methods: analysis of video records, method of expert assessment, methods of mathematical statistics. Results: the level of criteria of esthetic component ("musicality", "dancing", "illustrative expressiveness", and "emotional expressiveness" with use of the offered rating scale is determined. Conclusions: indicators of motive activities of sportsmen for aerobic gymnastics are defined at various stages of sports preparation.

The Effectiviness of Dysmenorrhea Gymnastics as an Alternative Therapy in Reducing Menstrual Pain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mei Lina Fitri Kumalasari

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Menstrual pain occurs due to the imbalance of the hormones which will cause the uterine muscles to contract and lead to colic pain. Approximately 50 % of women worldwide  and  90 % of Indonesian women  suffer from menstrual pain. Pharmacological therapy is the most popular treatment used to relieve menstrual pain. Unfortunately, it leads to indisputable side effects on health. Therefore, safety alternative treatments such as dysmenorrhea gymnastics are signifficantly needed to improve bloodstream in the uterus and produce endorphins which can relieve menstrual pain. The aim of the study wasto determine the effectiveness of dysmenorrhea gymnastics to relieve the level of menstrual pain. The method of study is systematic review on 14 studies of the efectiveness of exercise dysmenorrhea gymnastics to relieve menstrual pain. The results obtained are dysmenorrhea gymnastcs can relieve menstrual pain with a mean value of 4.006. Conclusion: dysmenorrhea gymnastics can relieve menstrual pain and better  done in the afternoon.

Influence of code of points in training systematization of mens artistic gymnastics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paulo D.S. Carrara

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to determine the influence of the 2006 Code of Points (CP on the systematization of high level men’s artistic gymnastics training. To understand these alterations, eight senior coaches of national teams - Portugal and Brazil - were questioned about the changes in the CP rules and their respective influence on training. For the interviews, a comparative analysis between the rules of the 2001 and 2006 CP was performed, whose results were used to construct and validate the questionnaires.Two questionnaires of 12 items each, as well as four complementary questions, were answered and commented upon. Descriptive (mean and standard deviation and inferential (Mann-Whitney test statistics was used for analysis of the items. Content analysis was used for evaluation of the comments. No significant differences were observedbetween the answers to the items of the two questionnaires given by the coaches of either country. However, regarding comments, the coaches expressed some tendencies toward training changes. In this respect, an increase in training volume and intensity was introduced into Physical Preparation; in Technical Preparation a wider element variety and element difficulty of the different groups were necessary; in Tactical Preparation routines involving a larger number of more difficult elements, including dismount, wereobserved. The main results permit to conclude that the 2006 CP led to changes in routine composition, with the use of a more varied number of elements on the apparatuses. Gymnast performances on the different apparatuses is not only conditioned by trainingcharacteristics, but also by the gymnast’s individual potential, inferring that the process of technical development of the gymnast should be more diversified.

Behavior of physiological variables during a water gymnastics class in women

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Mabel Micheline Olkoski

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to analyze the behavior of physiological variables and rating of perceived exertion (RPE during the different phases of a water gymnastics class. Seventeen female university students (age: 23 ± 3.5 years were evaluated in two steps: 1 incremental treadmill test (peak VO2 and HRmax; 2 assessment of body composition and achievement in the water gymnastics class (HR, VO2, [lac], and RPE. Descriptive statistics and repeated measures ANOVA with the post hoc Student-Newman-Keuls were used (p< 0.05. The results showed that both HR and VO2 differed significantly (p=0.000 between the three phases of the class. Blood lactate only differed significantly (p=0.001 between the early (1.55 mM and the main phase (3.58 mM. The mean RPE was 11 and total calorie expenditure was 262.10 kcal. In conclusion, the physiological variables studied and RPE vary significantly according to the phase of the water gymnastics class. In addition, the intensity of effort (HR, VO2 and [lac] obtained for the main phase is within the parameters established in the literature for aerobic exercise. Thus, regular water gymnastics classes with this structure may improve the physical condition of young adult women.

Distinguishing rhythmic from non-rhythmic brain activity during rest in healthy neurocognitive aging.

Science.gov (United States)

Caplan, Jeremy B; Bottomley, Monica; Kang, Pardeep; Dixon, Roger A

2015-05-15

Rhythmic brain activity at low frequencies (healthy neurocognitive aging are mixed. Here we address two reasons conventional spectral analyses may have led to inconsistent results. First, spectral-power measures are compared to a baseline condition; when resting activity is the signal of interest, it is unclear what the baseline should be. Second, conventional methods do not clearly differentiate power due to rhythmic versus non-rhythmic activity. The Better OSCillation detection method (BOSC; Caplan et al., 2001; Whitten et al., 2011) avoids these problems by using the signal's own spectral characteristics as a reference to detect elevations in power lasting a few cycles. We recorded electroencephalographic (EEG) signal during rest, alternating eyes open and closed, in healthy younger (18-25 years) and older (60-74 years) participants. Topographic plots suggested the conventional and BOSC analyses measured different sources of activity, particularly at frequencies, like delta (1-4Hz), at which rhythms are sporadic; topographies were more similar in the 8-12Hz alpha band. There was little theta-band activity meeting the BOSC method's criteria, suggesting prior findings of theta power in healthy aging may reflect non-rhythmic signal. In contrast, delta oscillations were present at higher levels than theta in both age groups. In summary, applying strict and standardized criteria for rhythmicity, slow rhythms appear present in the resting brain at delta and alpha, but not theta frequencies, and appear unchanged in healthy aging. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Conditioning Methodologies for DanceSport: Lessons from Gymnastics, Figure Skating, and Concert Dance Research.

Science.gov (United States)

Outevsky, David; Martin, Blake Cw

2015-12-01

Dancesport, the competitive branch of ballroom dancing, places high physiological and psychological demands on its practitioners, but pedagogical resources in these areas for this dance form are limited. Dancesport competitors could benefit from strategies used in other aesthetic sports. In this review, we identify conditioning methodologies from gymnastics, figure skating, and contemporary, modern, and ballet dance forms that could have relevance and suitability for dancesport training, and propose several strategies for inclusion in the current dancesport curriculum. We reviewed articles derived from Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Taylor & Francis Online, and Web of Science search engines and databases, with publication dates from 1979 to 2013. The keywords included MeSH terms: dancing, gymnastics, physiology, energy metabolism, physical endurance, and range of motion. Out of 47 papers examined, 41 papers met the inclusion criteria (validity of scientific methods, topic relevance, transferability to dancesport, publication date). Quality and validity of the data were assessed by examining the methodologies in each study and comparing studies on similar populations as well as across time using the PRISMA 2009 checklist and flowchart. The relevant research suggests that macro-cycle periodization planning, aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, range of motion and muscular endurance training, and performance psychology methods have potential for adaptation for dancesport training. Dancesport coaches may help their students fulfill their ambitions as competitive athletes and dance artists by adapting the relevant performance enhancement strategies from gymnastics, figure skating, and concert dance forms presented in this paper.

Rhythmic complexity and predictive coding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vuust, Peter; Witek, Maria A G

2014-01-01

Musical rhythm, consisting of apparently abstract intervals of accented temporal events,has a remarkable capacity to move our minds and bodies. How does the cognitive systemenable our experiences of rhythmically complex music? In this paper, we describe somecommon forms of rhythmic complexity...

Relationship between Joint Position Sense, Force Sense, and Muscle Strength and the Impact of Gymnastic Training on Proprioception

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Bartłomiej Niespodziński

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The aims of this study were (1 to assess the relationship between joint position (JPS and force sense (FS and muscle strength (MS and (2 to evaluate the impact of long-term gymnastic training on particular proprioception aspects and their correlations. 17 elite adult gymnasts and 24 untrained, matched controls performed an active reproduction (AR and passive reproduction (PR task and a force reproduction (FR task at the elbow joint. Intergroup differences and the relationship between JPS, FS, and MS were evaluated. While there was no difference in AR or PR between groups, absolute error in the control group was higher during the PR task (7.15 ± 2.72° than during the AR task (3.1 ± 1.93°. Mean relative error in the control group was 61% higher in the elbow extensors than in the elbow flexors during 50% FR, while the gymnast group had similar results in both reciprocal muscles. There was no linear correlation between JPS and FS in either group; however, FR was negatively correlated with antagonist MS. In conclusion, this study found no evidence for a relationship between the accuracy of FS and JPS at the elbow joint. Long-term gymnastic training improves the JPS and FS of the elbow extensors.

Time-frequency analysis of human motion during rhythmic exercises.

Science.gov (United States)

Omkar, S N; Vyas, Khushi; Vikranth, H N

2011-01-01

Biomechanical signals due to human movements during exercise are represented in time-frequency domain using Wigner Distribution Function (WDF). Analysis based on WDF reveals instantaneous spectral and power changes during a rhythmic exercise. Investigations were carried out on 11 healthy subjects who performed 5 cycles of sun salutation, with a body-mounted Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) as a motion sensor. Variance of Instantaneous Frequency (I.F) and Instantaneous Power (I.P) for performance analysis of the subject is estimated using one-way ANOVA model. Results reveal that joint Time-Frequency analysis of biomechanical signals during motion facilitates a better understanding of grace and consistency during rhythmic exercise.

Rhythmic Cognition in Humans and Animals: Distinguishing Meter and Pulse Perception

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W Tecumseh eFitch

2013-10-01

Full Text Available This paper outlines a cognitive and comparative perspective on human rhythmic cognition that emphasizes a key distinction between pulse perception and meter perception. Pulse perception involves the extraction of a regular pulse or 'tactus' from a stream of events. Meter perception involves grouping of events into hierarchical trees with differing levels of 'strength', or perceptual prominence. I argue that metrically-structured rhythms are required to either perform or move appropriately to music (e.g. to dance. Rhythms, from this metrical perspective, constitute 'trees in time'. Rhythmic syntax represents a neglected form of musical syntax, and warrants more thorough neuroscientific investigation. The recent literature on animal entrainment clearly demonstrates the capacity to extract the pulse from rhythmic music, and to entrain periodic movements to this pulse, in several parrot species and a California sea lion, and a more limited ability to do so in one chimpanzee. However, the ability of these or other species to infer hierarchical rhythmic trees remains, for the most part, unexplored (with some apparent negative results from macaques. The results from this new animal comparative research, combined with new methods to explore rhythmic cognition neurally, provide exciting new routes for understanding not just rhythmic cognition, but hierarchical cognition more generally, from a biological and neural perspective.

Group Rhythmic Synchrony and Attention in Children

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Alexander K Khalil

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Synchrony, or the coordinated processing of time, is an often-overlooked yet critical context for human interaction. This study tests the relationship between the ability to synchronize rhythmically in a group setting with the ability to attend in 102 elementary schoolchildren. Impairments in temporal processing have frequently been shown to exist in clinical populations with learning disorders, particularly those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD. Based on this evidence, we hypothesized that the ability to synchronize rhythmically in a group setting—an instance of the type of temporal processing necessary for successful interaction and learning—would be correlated with the ability to attend across the continuum of the population. A music class is an ideal setting for the study of interpersonal timing. In order to measure synchrony in this context, we constructed instruments that allowed the recording and measurement of individual rhythmic performance. The SWAN teacher questionnaire was used as a measurement of attentional behavior. We find that the ability to synchronize with others in a group music class can predict a child’s attentional behavior.

Ketogenic diet does not affect strength performance in elite artistic gymnasts

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Paoli Antonio

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Despite the increasing use of very low carbohydrate ketogenic diets (VLCKD in weight control and management of the metabolic syndrome there is a paucity of research about effects of VLCKD on sport performance. Ketogenic diets may be useful in sports that include weight class divisions and the aim of our study was to investigate the influence of VLCKD on explosive strength performance. Methods 8 athletes, elite artistic gymnasts (age 20.9 ± 5.5 yrs were recruited. We analyzed body composition and various performance aspects (hanging straight leg raise, ground push up, parallel bar dips, pull up, squat jump, countermovement jump, 30 sec continuous jumps before and after 30 days of a modified ketogenic diet. The diet was based on green vegetables, olive oil, fish and meat plus dishes composed of high quality protein and virtually zero carbohydrates, but which mimicked their taste, with the addition of some herbal extracts. During the VLCKD the athletes performed the normal training program. After three months the same protocol, tests were performed before and after 30 days of the athletes’ usual diet (a typically western diet, WD. A one-way Anova for repeated measurements was used. Results No significant differences were detected between VLCKD and WD in all strength tests. Significant differences were found in body weight and body composition: after VLCKD there was a decrease in body weight (from 69.6 ± 7.3 Kg to 68.0 ± 7.5 Kg and fat mass (from 5.3 ± 1.3 Kg to 3.4 ± 0.8 Kg p  Conclusions Despite concerns of coaches and doctors about the possible detrimental effects of low carbohydrate diets on athletic performance and the well known importance of carbohydrates there are no data about VLCKD and strength performance. The undeniable and sudden effect of VLCKD on fat loss may be useful for those athletes who compete in sports based on weight class. We have demonstrated that using VLCKD for a

Ketogenic diet does not affect strength performance in elite artistic gymnasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Paoli, Antonio; Grimaldi, Keith; D'Agostino, Dominic; Cenci, Lorenzo; Moro, Tatiana; Bianco, Antonino; Palma, Antonio

2012-07-26

Despite the increasing use of very low carbohydrate ketogenic diets (VLCKD) in weight control and management of the metabolic syndrome there is a paucity of research about effects of VLCKD on sport performance. Ketogenic diets may be useful in sports that include weight class divisions and the aim of our study was to investigate the influence of VLCKD on explosive strength performance. 8 athletes, elite artistic gymnasts (age 20.9 ± 5.5 yrs) were recruited. We analyzed body composition and various performance aspects (hanging straight leg raise, ground push up, parallel bar dips, pull up, squat jump, countermovement jump, 30 sec continuous jumps) before and after 30 days of a modified ketogenic diet. The diet was based on green vegetables, olive oil, fish and meat plus dishes composed of high quality protein and virtually zero carbohydrates, but which mimicked their taste, with the addition of some herbal extracts. During the VLCKD the athletes performed the normal training program. After three months the same protocol, tests were performed before and after 30 days of the athletes' usual diet (a typically western diet, WD). A one-way Anova for repeated measurements was used. No significant differences were detected between VLCKD and WD in all strength tests. Significant differences were found in body weight and body composition: after VLCKD there was a decrease in body weight (from 69.6 ± 7.3 Kg to 68.0 ± 7.5 Kg) and fat mass (from 5.3 ± 1.3 Kg to 3.4 ± 0.8 Kg p < 0.001) with a non-significant increase in muscle mass. Despite concerns of coaches and doctors about the possible detrimental effects of low carbohydrate diets on athletic performance and the well known importance of carbohydrates there are no data about VLCKD and strength performance. The undeniable and sudden effect of VLCKD on fat loss may be useful for those athletes who compete in sports based on weight class. We have demonstrated that using VLCKD for a relatively

Transitions between discrete and rhythmic primitives in a unimanual task

Science.gov (United States)

Sternad, Dagmar; Marino, Hamal; Charles, Steven K.; Duarte, Marcos; Dipietro, Laura; Hogan, Neville

2013-01-01

Given the vast complexity of human actions and interactions with objects, we proposed that control of sensorimotor behavior may utilize dynamic primitives. However, greater computational simplicity may come at the cost of reduced versatility. Evidence for primitives may be garnered by revealing such limitations. This study tested subjects performing a sequence of progressively faster discrete movements in order to “stress” the system. We hypothesized that the increasing pace would elicit a transition to rhythmic movements, assumed to be computationally and neurally more efficient. Abrupt transitions between the two types of movements would support the hypothesis that rhythmic and discrete movements are distinct primitives. Ten subjects performed planar point-to-point arm movements paced by a metronome: starting at 2 s, the metronome intervals decreased by 36 ms per cycle to 200 ms, stayed at 200 ms for several cycles, then increased by similar increments. Instructions emphasized to insert explicit stops between each movement with a duration that equaled the movement time. The experiment was performed with eyes open and closed, and with short and long metronome sounds, the latter explicitly specifying the dwell duration. Results showed that subjects matched instructed movement times but did not preserve the dwell times. Rather, they progressively reduced dwell time to zero, transitioning to continuous rhythmic movements before movement times reached their minimum. The acceleration profiles showed an abrupt change between discrete and rhythmic profiles. The loss of dwell time occurred earlier with long auditory specification, when subjects also showed evidence of predictive control. While evidence for hysteresis was weak, taken together, the results clearly indicated a transition between discrete and rhythmic movements, supporting the proposal that representation is based on primitives rather than on veridical internal models. PMID:23888139

Transitions between Discrete and Rhythmic Primitives in a Unimanual Task

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dagmar eSternad

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Given the vast complexity of human actions and interactions with objects, we proposed that control of sensorimotor behavior may utilize dynamic primitives. However, greater computational simplicity may come at the cost of reduced versatility. Evidence for primitives may be garnered by revealing such limitations. This study tested subjects performing a sequence of progressively faster discrete movements, in order to stress the system. We hypothesized that the increasing pace would elicit a transition to rhythmic movements, assumed to be computationally and neurally more efficient. Abrupt transitions between the two types of movements would support the hypothesis that rhythmic and discrete movements are distinct primitives. Ten subjects performed planar point-to-point arm movements paced by a metronome: Starting at 2s the metronome intervals decreased by 36ms per cycle to 200ms, stayed at 200ms for several cycles, then increased by similar increments. Instructions emphasized to insert explicit stops between each movement with a duration that equaled the movement time. The experiment was performed with eyes open and closed, and with short and long metronome sounds, the latter explicitly specifying the dwell duration. Results showed that subjects matched instructed movement times but did not preserve the dwell times. Rather, they progressively reduced dwell time to zero, transitioning to continuous rhythmic movements before movement times reached their minimum. The acceleration profiles showed an abrupt change between discrete and rhythmic profiles. The loss of dwell time occurred earlier with long auditory specification, when subjects also showed evidence of predictive control. While evidence for hysteresis was weak, taken together, the results clearly indicated a transition between discrete and rhythmic movements, supporting the proposal that representation is based on primitives rather than on veridical internal models.

Rhythmic Haptic Stimuli Improve Short-Term Attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Shusheng; Wang, Dangxiao; Afzal, Naqash; Zhang, Yuru; Wu, Ruilin

2016-01-01

Brainwave entrainment using rhythmic visual and/or auditory stimulation has shown its efficacy in modulating neural activities and cognitive ability. In the presented study, we aim to investigate whether rhythmic haptic stimulation could enhance short-term attention. An experiment with sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) increasing protocol was performed in which participants were presented sinusoidal vibrotactile stimulus of 15 Hz on their palm. Test of Variables of Attention (T.O.V.A.) was performed before and after the stimulating session. Electroencephalograph (EEG) was recorded across the stimulating session and the two attention test sessions. SMR band power manifested a significant increase after stimulation. Results of T.O.V.A. tests indicated an improvement in the attention of participants who had received the stimulation compared to the control group who had not received the stimulation. The D prime score of T.O.V.A. reveals that participants performed better in perceptual sensitivity and sustaining attention level compared to their baseline performance before the stimulating session. These findings highlight the potential value of using haptics-based brainwave entrainment for cognitive training.

UNA MODALIDAD SALUDABLE DE GIMNASIA EN EDAD ESCOLAR: LA GIMNASIA ESTÉTICA DE GRUPO [A method healthy gymnastics school age: the aesthetic group gymnastics

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Elena Conesa Ros

2017-06-01

The postural habits are consolidated during childhood and adolescence. It has been recorded in the last decades a significant increase of the back pain and spinal misalignments increasingly at younger ages, possibly due to muscle imbalances. In this context, the Aesthetic Group Gymnastics (GEG, sport that born during the early nineteenth century in northern Europe, to whom recent studies attribute significant health and postural benefits. In addition to the educational values that are associated with different gymnastic sports, this artistic, expressive and group sport is based on a especially careful regulation that promote the acquisition of beneficial postural and hygiene habits.

Training intensity and sagittal curvature of the spine in male and female artistic gymnasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanz-Mengibar, Jose M; Sainz-de-Baranda, Pilar; Santonja-Medina, Fernando

2018-04-01

Specific adaptations of the spine in the sagittal plane have been described according to different sports disciplines. The goal of this study was to describe the integrative diagnosis of the sagittal morphotype of the spine in male and female artistic gymnasts. Forty-eight gymnasts were measured with an inclinometer. Thoracic and lumbar curves were quantified in standing position, in Sit and Reach and Slump Sitting in order to assess the sagittal spine posture and analyze if adaptations were related to training intensity. Correlation values of the sagittal plane spine measurements showed significantly increased thoracic kyphosis in men (-0.445, Partistic gymnastics; however, this sport seems to cause specific adaptations in postural hypolordosis, functional thoracic kyphosis and lumbar kyphotic attitude during sitting and trunk flexion. The implications of the functional adaptations observed in our results may require a preventive intervention in male and female artistic gymnasts can be assessed with the integrative diagnosis of the sagittal morphotype of the spine.

Introducing Aesthetic Features in Gymnastic Skills

Science.gov (United States)

Pollatou, Elisana; Savrami, Katia; Karadimou, Konstanding

2004-01-01

This paper focuses on an aesthetic approach that takes the simplest functional skill, such as walking, and develops it into an artistic skill. The aim then is to identify aesthetic characteristics and examine ways to apply them in gymnastic classes. Because walking is the child's first experience with bipedal locomotion, the initial walking action…

Sports gymnastics as a part of curriculum of Sports Management university studies in the Czech Republic

OpenAIRE

Hruša, Petr; Hrušová, Dagmar

2013-01-01

Current approaches to systemize gymnastics differ in understanding the content of this concept; however, the authors agree that gymnastics is an open system of human conscious motion activities that contribute to the physical, aesthetic and social development. In our study we focused on studies of sports management, as a young field of study that appeared at Czech universities in the past two decades. The aim was to analyze sports gymnastics as a subject with practical applications in the fie...

PHYSIOLOGICAL DEMANDS OF YOUNG WOMEN’S COMPETITIVE GYMNASTIC ROUTINES

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M. Marina

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to investigate the physiological indices of competitive routines in women’s artistic gymnastics by characterizing post-exercise heart rate (HR, oxygen uptake (VO2 and peak blood lactate concentration (Lmax in a group of eight young elite-oriented female gymnasts. HR was continuously monitored with Polar RS400 monitors during the test event simulating a competition environment. Within 5 s of the end of each routine, the breath-by-breath gas analyser mask was placed on the face to record VO2. VO2max was calculated by the backward extrapolation method of the VO2 recovery curve. Lmax was obtained during recovery (min 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 subsequent to each event. One week later, HR, VO2 and Lmax were measured during an incremental continuous treadmill test. The treadmill test was confirmed as the assessment with the highest physiological demand. The gymnasts reached their highest values of HR (183-199 beats · min- 1, VO2/Bm (33-44 ml · kg-1 · min-1 and Lmax (7-9 mmol · l-1 in the floor and uneven bars exercises. The vault was the event with the lowest HR (154-166 beats · min-1 and Lmax (2.4-2.6 mmol · l-1, and the balance beam had the lowest VO2 (27-35 ml · kg-1 · min-1. The mean relative peak intensities attained in the different events, which ranged from 65 to 85% of the individual VO2max and HRmax recorded in the laboratory, suggest that cardiorespiratory and metabolic demands are higher than previously indicated. The high percentage of VO2 measured, particularly after the floor event, suggests that aerobic power training should not be neglected in women’s artistic gymnastics.

论音乐在艺术体操成套编排中的运用%The Use of Music in Gymnastics Rhythmic’s Lay Out

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

邵媛

2015-01-01

Artistic Gymnastics four elements set arrange-ment is music, movement, time and space, music is“sound” of art,music is“time” art,music is“emotional”art. In rhythmic gymnastics,the music is the soul. The im-portance of music in Integrated good use of them,and how the music complete set choreography to enhance the effect of the entire arrangement,how to choose the more benefi-cial choreographed music was worth fighting in the front line of artistic gymnastics have intensively studied and discussed. In this paper through literature and interviews, from the importance of music and its presentation to dis-cuss the use of two aspects, namely from paragraphs ex-plore music, melody, rhythm, style and mood of the five aspects of the set arrangement in Rhythmic Gymnastics It uses, and made recommendations accordingly. Studies suggest that:Music can inspire athletes emotions, and to promote the formation of a good image of their thinking a-bility,can put a variety of actions and artistic accomplish-ments of athletes closely integrated to form the athletes own unique artistic style. Recommend choreography sets of movements,you can choose to listen to different types and styles of music. Learn the different rhythms of music clips mix together. Fully grasp the relevant knowledge of music theory, understanding different styles of music re-presented by the mood, will be integrated into their own music,with music infection,and improve important mani-festation of the fusion of art gymnastics practitioners of the art of music and movement to enhance the connotation,so that a multiplier set arrangement.%艺术体操成套编排的四大要素就是音乐、动作、时间和空间，音乐是“音响”的艺术，音乐是“时间”的艺术，音乐是“情感”的艺术。在艺术体操中，音乐是灵魂。音乐在成套动作当�

Radiological changes among artistic gymnasts in Gauteng Province

African Journals Online (AJOL)

. 2 Centre for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, School of Therapeutic Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the .... One of the benefits .... Kolt G, Kirkby R. Injury in Australian female competitive gymnasts: A psychological.

Efficacy of hypopressive abdominal gymnastics in rehabilitating the pelvic floor of women: A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz de Viñaspre Hernández, R

2017-12-13

Hypopressive abdominal gymnastics has been proposed as a new paradigm in rehabilitating the pelvic floor. Its claims contraindicate the recommendation for pelvic floor muscle training during the postpartum period. To determine whether hypopressive abdominal gymnastics is more effective than pelvic floor muscle training or other alternative conservative treatments for rehabilitating the pelvic floor. We consulted the databases of the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), the Cochrane Library, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS), Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), PubMed, Scopus, Trip Database and Web of Science. We selected systematic reviews, clinical trials and analytical studies that assessed the efficacy of hypopressive abdominal gymnastics in women. The measured outcomes were the strengthening of the pelvic floor muscles, the incidence of urine incontinence or prolapse and symptom remission. We included 4 clinical trials, whose quality was measured with the PEDro scale. Hypopressive gymnastics is less effective than pelvic floor muscle training for activating pelvic floor muscles, achieving closure of the levator hiatus of the anus and increasing pelvic floor muscle thickness, strength and resistance. The evidence reviewed does not support the recommendation for hypopressive abdominal gymnastics for strengthening the pelvic floor either during the postpartum period or outside that period. Pelvic floor muscle training remains the first-line treatment for pelvic floor dysfunction. There is a lack of quality clinical trials that have evaluated the efficacy of hypopressive abdominal gymnastics. Copyright © 2017 AEU. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Decoding magnetoencephalographic rhythmic activity using spectrospatial information.

Science.gov (United States)

Kauppi, Jukka-Pekka; Parkkonen, Lauri; Hari, Riitta; Hyvärinen, Aapo

2013-12-01

We propose a new data-driven decoding method called Spectral Linear Discriminant Analysis (Spectral LDA) for the analysis of magnetoencephalography (MEG). The method allows investigation of changes in rhythmic neural activity as a result of different stimuli and tasks. The introduced classification model only assumes that each "brain state" can be characterized as a combination of neural sources, each of which shows rhythmic activity at one or several frequency bands. Furthermore, the model allows the oscillation frequencies to be different for each such state. We present decoding results from 9 subjects in a four-category classification problem defined by an experiment involving randomly alternating epochs of auditory, visual and tactile stimuli interspersed with rest periods. The performance of Spectral LDA was very competitive compared with four alternative classifiers based on different assumptions concerning the organization of rhythmic brain activity. In addition, the spectral and spatial patterns extracted automatically on the basis of trained classifiers showed that Spectral LDA offers a novel and interesting way of analyzing spectrospatial oscillatory neural activity across the brain. All the presented classification methods and visualization tools are freely available as a Matlab toolbox. © 2013.

[Role of rhythmicity in infant development].

Science.gov (United States)

Ciccone, A

2015-09-01

This article deals with rhythm in the experiences of infants, focusing in particular on the function of rhythmicity in the baby's sense of being and its continuity. Infants are inevitably subjected to experiences of discontinuity. These experiences are necessary to development, but they expose the child to chaotic experiences when a basic rhythmicity is not ensured. The rhythmicity of childcare experiences gives the illusion of permanence and enables anticipation. This nourishes the basic feeling of security and supports the development of thought. Interactive and intersubjective exchanges must be rhythmic and must be in keeping with the rhythm of the baby, who needs to withdraw regularly from the interaction to internalize the experience of the exchange. Without this retreat, the interaction is over-stimulating and prevents internalization. Object presence/ absence must also be rhythmic, to enable the infant to keep the object alive inside him/ herself. Observation of babies has demonstrated their ability to manage experiences of discontinuity: they are able to sustain a continuous link via their gaze, look for clues indicating the presence of a lost object, search for support in sensations, and fabricate rhythmicity to remain open to the self and the world. The author gives some examples of infant observations that provide evidence of these capacities. One observation shows how a baby defends itself against a discontinuity by actively maintaining a link via his/her gaze. Another example shows an infant holding on to "hard sensations" in order to stay away from "soft" ones, which represent the fragility of the separation experience. This example pertains to a seven-month-old's prelanguage and "prosodic tonicity". The author takes this opportunity to propose the notion of "psychic bisensuality" to describe these two sensation poles, which must be harmoniously articulated to guarantee an inner sense of security. Such repairs of discontinuity are only possible if the

Initial years of recreational artistic gymnastics training improves lumbar spine bone mineral accrual in 4- to 8-year-old females.

Science.gov (United States)

Laing, Emma M; Wilson, Alissa R; Modlesky, Christopher M; O'Connor, Patrick J; Hall, Daniel B; Lewis, Richard D

2005-03-01

Gymnasts' bone mineral characteristics are generally not known before starting their sport. Prepubertal females who enrolled in beginning artistic gymnastics (n = 65) had lower bone mineral than controls (n = 78). However, 2 years of gymnastics participation versus no participation led to a significantly greater accrual of forearm bone area and lumbar spine areal BMD. The skeletal response to exercise in children compared with adults is heightened because of the high bone turnover rate and the ability of bone to change its size and shape. Whereas child gymnasts generally have greater rates of bone mineral accrual compared with nongymnasts, it is unknown if some of these skeletal advantages are present before the onset of training or are caused entirely by training. Changes in bone area (BA; cm2), BMC (g), and areal BMD (aBMD; g/cm2) over 24 months were examined in prepubertal females, 4-8 years of age, who selected to perform recreational gymnastics (GYM; n = 65), nongymnastic activities, or no organized activity (CON; n = 78). Participants had essentially no lifetime history of organized athletic participation (spine, total proximal femur, and forearm BA, BMC, and aBMD were measured every 6 months using DXA (Hologic QDR-1000W). Independent samples t-tests determined baseline group differences. Nonlinear mixed effects models were used to model 24-month changes in bone data. In subset analyses, high-level gymnasts advancing to competition (HLG; n = 9) were compared with low-level nonadvancing gymnasts (LLG; n = 56). At baseline, GYM were shorter, lighter, and had lower BA, BMC, and aBMD compared with CON (p 0.05). Controlling for differences in race, baseline measures of body mass, height, and calcium intake, and change in breast development beyond stage II at 24 months, GYM had greater long-term (asymptotic) mean responses for total body aBMD and forearm BMC (p spine aBMD and forearm BA compared with CON over 24 months. Over time, forearm BA increased to a greater

Classifying Written Texts Through Rhythmic Features

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Balint, Mihaela; Dascalu, Mihai; Trausan-Matu, Stefan

2016-01-01

Rhythm analysis of written texts focuses on literary analysis and it mainly considers poetry. In this paper we investigate the relevance of rhythmic features for categorizing texts in prosaic form pertaining to different genres. Our contribution is threefold. First, we define a set of rhythmic

The effect of stereotype threat on performance of a rhythmic motor skill.

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Huber, Meghan E; Seitchik, Allison E; Brown, Adam J; Sternad, Dagmar; Harkins, Stephen G

2015-04-01

Many studies using cognitive tasks have found that stereotype threat, or concern about confirming a negative stereotype about one's group, debilitates performance. The few studies that documented similar effects on sensorimotor performance have used only relatively coarse measures to quantify performance. This study tested the effect of stereotype threat on a rhythmic ball bouncing task, where previous analyses of the task dynamics afforded more detailed quantification of the effect of threat on motor control. In this task, novices hit the ball with positive racket acceleration, indicative of unstable performance. With practice, they learn to stabilize error by changing their ball-racket impact from positive to negative acceleration. Results showed that for novices, stereotype threat potentiated hitting the ball with positive racket acceleration, leading to poorer performance of stigmatized females. However, when the threat manipulation was delivered after having acquired some skill, reflected by negative racket acceleration, the stigmatized females performed better. These findings are consistent with the mere effort account that argues that stereotype threat potentiates the most likely response on the given task. The study also demonstrates the value of identifying the control mechanisms through which stereotype threat has its effects on outcome measures. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

Proteomic identification of rhythmic proteins in rice seedlings.

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Hwang, Heeyoun; Cho, Man-Ho; Hahn, Bum-Soo; Lim, Hyemin; Kwon, Yong-Kook; Hahn, Tae-Ryong; Bhoo, Seong Hee

2011-04-01

Many aspects of plant metabolism that are involved in plant growth and development are influenced by light-regulated diurnal rhythms as well as endogenous clock-regulated circadian rhythms. To identify the rhythmic proteins in rice, periodically grown (12h light/12h dark cycle) seedlings were harvested for three days at six-hour intervals. Continuous dark-adapted plants were also harvested for two days. Among approximately 3000 reproducible protein spots on each gel, proteomic analysis ascertained 354 spots (~12%) as light-regulated rhythmic proteins, in which 53 spots showed prolonged rhythm under continuous dark conditions. Of these 354 ascertained rhythmic protein spots, 74 diurnal spots and 10 prolonged rhythmic spots under continuous dark were identified by MALDI-TOF MS analysis. The rhythmic proteins were functionally classified into photosynthesis, central metabolism, protein synthesis, nitrogen metabolism, stress resistance, signal transduction and unknown. Comparative analysis of our proteomic data with the public microarray database (the Plant DIURNAL Project) and RT-PCR analysis of rhythmic proteins showed differences in rhythmic expression phases between mRNA and protein, suggesting that the clock-regulated proteins in rice are modulated by not only transcriptional but also post-transcriptional, translational, and/or post-translational processes. 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Clothing interference in performance, articular range of motion and comfort in labor gymnastics

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Antônio Renato Pereira Moro

2010-09-01

Full Text Available The objective of this descriptive case study was to analyze the interference of clothing with exercise performance, joint range of motion (ROM, and comfort during a session of labor gymnastics wearing a uniform (UNI and specific exercise clothes (SEC. Twenty female workers (28.9±10.2 years from a company in Florianópolis were studied. A photo camera, Wells bench, a questionnaire, and interview were used for data collection. The subjects were submitted to seven types of exercise wearing UNI and SEC: hip flexion, shoulder flexion, trunk flexion-hips and ankle angles, shoulder extension, modified trunk flexion-hips and ankle angles, horizontal shoulder adduction, and a sit-and-reach test. The results were analyzed using the paired t-test, chi-square test, and Fisher’s exact test (p≤0.05. Seven women wearing UNI tended not to show the body, 17 removed some part of UNI, and 13 noted movement limitation. Discomfort was lower in the upper body part during hip flexion and horizontal shoulder adduction and in the lower part during shoulder flexion, extension and horizontal shoulder adduction. Lower ROM values were observed for subjects wearing UNI compared to those wearing SEC during hip flexion (p=0.017, shoulder flexion (p=0.0075, trunk flexion (hips and ankle angles, modified trunk flexion (ankle angles, and the sit-and-reach test (linear and angular values (p<0.001. Trunk flexion performance (ankle angles was better in the UNI condition (p=0.001, probably because the subjects were wearing shoes. In conclusion, clothing tends to interfere with ROM and comfort, but not with exercise performance.

Evidence for Multiple Rhythmic Skills

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Tierney, Adam; Kraus, Nina

2015-01-01

Rhythms, or patterns in time, play a vital role in both speech and music. Proficiency in a number of rhythm skills has been linked to language ability, suggesting that certain rhythmic processes in music and language rely on overlapping resources. However, a lack of understanding about how rhythm skills relate to each other has impeded progress in understanding how language relies on rhythm processing. In particular, it is unknown whether all rhythm skills are linked together, forming a single broad rhythmic competence, or whether there are multiple dissociable rhythm skills. We hypothesized that beat tapping and rhythm memory/sequencing form two separate clusters of rhythm skills. This hypothesis was tested with a battery of two beat tapping and two rhythm memory tests. Here we show that tapping to a metronome and the ability to adjust to a changing tempo while tapping to a metronome are related skills. The ability to remember rhythms and to drum along to repeating rhythmic sequences are also related. However, we found no relationship between beat tapping skills and rhythm memory skills. Thus, beat tapping and rhythm memory are dissociable rhythmic aptitudes. This discovery may inform future research disambiguating how distinct rhythm competencies track with specific language functions. PMID:26376489

Evidence for Multiple Rhythmic Skills.

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Adam Tierney

Full Text Available Rhythms, or patterns in time, play a vital role in both speech and music. Proficiency in a number of rhythm skills has been linked to language ability, suggesting that certain rhythmic processes in music and language rely on overlapping resources. However, a lack of understanding about how rhythm skills relate to each other has impeded progress in understanding how language relies on rhythm processing. In particular, it is unknown whether all rhythm skills are linked together, forming a single broad rhythmic competence, or whether there are multiple dissociable rhythm skills. We hypothesized that beat tapping and rhythm memory/sequencing form two separate clusters of rhythm skills. This hypothesis was tested with a battery of two beat tapping and two rhythm memory tests. Here we show that tapping to a metronome and the ability to adjust to a changing tempo while tapping to a metronome are related skills. The ability to remember rhythms and to drum along to repeating rhythmic sequences are also related. However, we found no relationship between beat tapping skills and rhythm memory skills. Thus, beat tapping and rhythm memory are dissociable rhythmic aptitudes. This discovery may inform future research disambiguating how distinct rhythm competencies track with specific language functions.

Individualization of music-based rhythmic auditory cueing in Parkinson's disease.

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Bella, Simone Dalla; Dotov, Dobromir; Bardy, Benoît; de Cock, Valérie Cochen

2018-06-04

Gait dysfunctions in Parkinson's disease can be partly relieved by rhythmic auditory cueing. This consists in asking patients to walk with a rhythmic auditory stimulus such as a metronome or music. The effect on gait is visible immediately in terms of increased speed and stride length. Moreover, training programs based on rhythmic cueing can have long-term benefits. The effect of rhythmic cueing, however, varies from one patient to the other. Patients' response to the stimulation may depend on rhythmic abilities, often deteriorating with the disease. Relatively spared abilities to track the beat favor a positive response to rhythmic cueing. On the other hand, most patients with poor rhythmic abilities either do not respond to the cues or experience gait worsening when walking with cues. An individualized approach to rhythmic auditory cueing with music is proposed to cope with this variability in patients' response. This approach calls for using assistive mobile technologies capable of delivering cues that adapt in real time to patients' gait kinematics, thus affording step synchronization to the beat. Individualized rhythmic cueing can provide a safe and cost-effective alternative to standard cueing that patients may want to use in their everyday lives. © 2018 New York Academy of Sciences.

Attentional loads associated with interlimb interactions underlying rhythmic bimanual coordination.

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Ridderikhoff, A.; Peper, C.E.; Beek, P.J.

2008-01-01

Studies of rhythmic bimanual coordination under dual-task conditions revealed (1) a dependence of secondary task performance on the stability of coordinative tasks, in that secondary task performance was better during in-phase than antiphase coordination, and (2) a shift in the mean relative phasing

Students' motivation to study Chinese recreational gymnastics classes wushu

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O.V. Maksimuk

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Purpose: to identify students' motivation to improving gymnastics lessons Chinese Wushu. Material : this survey was attended by 30 students from different countries enrolled in a language course at the Shanghai University of Sport. The methodology SAN (health, activity and mood. Results : the positive changes identified psycho-emotional state students. There is an increase students' motivation to sports activity. Students observed increase differentiated assessment of health (from 3.7 to 6.7 points, activity (from 3.9 points to 6.5 points and mood (from 4.0 points to 6.9 points. 97 % of students were in favor of the use of functional music lessons on differentiated specialized Wushu. Conclusions : presented the program and practical advice on the organization and conduct physical education classes with students using the means of improving gymnastics Chinese Wushu.

Rhythmic Density Affects Listeners' Emotional Response to Microtiming

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Olivier Senn

2017-10-01

– Study A investigates the effect of fixed time displacements within and between the parts played by different musicians. Listeners (n = 160 reacted negatively to irregularities within the drum track, but the mutual displacement of bass vs. drums did not have an effect.– Study B develops three metrics to calculate the average microtiming magnitude in a musical excerpt. The experiment showed that listeners' (n = 160 emotional responses to expert performance microtiming aligned with each other across styles, when microtiming magnitude was adjusted for rhythmic density. This indicates that rhythmic density is a unifying moderator for listeners' emotional response to microtiming in swing and funk.– Study C used the data from both experiments in order to compare the effect of fixed microtiming displacements (from Study A with scaled versions of the originally performed microtiming patterns (from Study B. It showed that fixed snare drum displacements irritated expert listeners more than the more flexible deviations occurring in the original performances. This provides some evidence that listeners' emotional response to microtiming deviations not only depends on the magnitude of the deviations, but also on the kind and origin of the microtiming patterns (fixed lab displacements vs. flexible performance microtiming.

CORRELATIONS OF MOTOR DIMENSIONS OF STUDENTS OF THE FACULTY OF SPORT AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION WITH TEACHING CONTENTS OF SPORTS GYMNASTICS

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Jovica Petković

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Sports gymnastics, as a basic sport discipline, has been largely neglected through the work with young people in primary and secondary school. This is one of the key reasons for the multitude of problems, with which students of the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education face, when it comes to mastering the content of sports gymnastics. Development of strength, speed, coordination, balance and flexibility are very important and dominant factor in mastering gymnastic skills and program contents, especially when it comes to gymnastics parterre, where a greater degree of motor preparedness also affects the breaking of fear as the disruptive factor in the training process.

The Impact of Gymnastics on Children's Physical Self-Concept and Movement Skill Development in Primary Schools

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Rudd, J. R.; Barnett, L. M.; Farrow, D.; Berry, J.; Borkoles, E.; Polman, Remco

2017-01-01

This study evaluated the effectiveness of an 8-week gymnastics curriculum on children's movement competence and their physical self-concept. There were 113 children (46% girls, 49% intervention) with a mean age of 9.4 years (SD = 1.8) that participated. Intervention children underwent 8 weeks of gymnastics and the comparison group continued with…

Enhanced musical rhythmic perception in Turkish early and late learners of German

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Maria Paula eRoncaglia-Denissen

2013-09-01

Full Text Available As language rhythm relies partly on general acoustic properties, such as intensity and duration, mastering two languages with distinct rhythmic properties (i.e., stress position may enhance musical rhythm perception. We investigated whether second language (L2 competence affects musical rhythm aptitude in Turkish early (TELG and late learners (TLLG of German in comparison to German monolingual speakers (GMC. To account for inter-individual differences, we measured participants’ short-term and working memory capacity, melodic aptitude, and time they spent listening to music. Both L2 speaker groups perceived rhythmic variations significantly better than monolinguals. No differences were found between early and late learners’ performances. Our findings suggest that mastering two languages with different rhythmic properties enhances musical rhythm perception, providing further evidence of cognitive share between language and music.

Effectiveness of a 16 week gymnastics curriculum at developing movement competence in children.

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Rudd, James R; Barnett, Lisa M; Farrow, Damian; Berry, Jason; Borkoles, Erika; Polman, Remco

2017-02-01

Internationally, children's movement competence levels are low. This study's aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of a 16 week gymnastics curriculum on stability, locomotive and object control skills and general body coordination. It was hypothesised that the gymnastics intervention group would demonstrate significant improvements beyond a PE comparison group. This study used a non-randomised control design. The intervention and comparison groups were drawn from three primary schools. The study followed the transparent reporting of evaluations with nonrandomized designs (TREND) statement for reporting. A total of 333 children (51% girls, 41% intervention) with a mean age of 8.1 years (SD=1.1) participated. Intervention children (16 weeks×2h of gymnastics) were compared to children who received (16×2h) standard PE curriculum. Children's movement competence was assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2, Stability Skills Assessment and the Körper-Koordinationstest für Kinder. Multilevel linear mixed models, accounting for variation at the class level and adjusted for age and sex, were used to assess intervention relative to comparison differences in all aspects of movement competence. Stability and object control skills showed a significant (pskills or general coordination. Gymnastics is effective at developing stability skills and object control skills without hindering the development of locomotor skills or general coordination. Accelerated learning of stability skills may support the development of more complex movement skills. Copyright © 2016 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hippocrates' counselling with regard to physical exercise, gymnastics, dietetics and health.

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Kritikos, A; Bekiari, A; Nikitaras, N; Famissis, K; Sakellariou, K

2009-09-01

The aim of this study is the investigation of Hippocrates' consultative theory with regard to man's physical exercise, gymnastics, diet and health, on the basis of his work "Regimen" and his other works. The aforementioned issues are thematised in the works in question. By means of this thematisation, a medical counselling is formed, according to which exercise, gymnastics and diet aim at the maintenance and restoration of man's health; dietetics, maintenance of well-being, recovery and amelioration of man's health are involved in this thematisation. Hippocrates' views on the aforementioned issues constitute a basis for the discussion and pedagogical exploitation of them in contemporary education and, particularly, in sports education and physical exercise.

Dieting and body image in aesthetic sports: A comparison of Dutch female gymnasts and non-aesthetic sport participants

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de Bruin, A.P.; Oudejans, R.R.D.; Bakker, F.C.

2007-01-01

Objectives: To examine the relationship between dieting behavior and body image in female aesthetic athletes. Methods: Seventeen elite gymnasts, 51 non-elite gymnasts and a control group of 85 schoolgirls, participating in non-elite, merely recreational non-aesthetic sports, completed self-report

Functional magnetic resonance imaging study comparing rhythmic finger tapping in children and adults.

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De Guio, François; Jacobson, Sandra W; Molteno, Christopher D; Jacobson, Joseph L; Meintjes, Ernesta M

2012-02-01

This study compared brain activation during unpaced rhythmic finger tapping in 12-year-old children with that of adults. Subjects pressed a button at a pace initially indicated by a metronome (12 consecutive tones), and then continued for 16 seconds of unpaced tapping to provide an assessment of their ability to maintain a steady rhythm. These analyses focused on the superior vermis of the cerebellum, which is known to play a key role in timing. Twelve adults and 12 children performed this rhythmic finger tapping task in a 3 T scanner. Whole-brain analyses were performed in Brain Voyager, with a random-effects analysis of variance using a general linear model. A dedicated cerebellar atlas was used to localize cerebellar activations. As in adults, unpaced rhythmic finger tapping in children demonstrated activations in the primary motor cortex, premotor cortex, and cerebellum. However, overall activation was different, in that adults demonstrated much more deactivation in response to the task, particularly in the occipital and frontal cortices. The other main differences involved the additional recruitment of motor and premotor areas in children compared with adults, and increased activity in the vermal region of the cerebellum. These findings suggest that the timing component of the unpaced rhythmic finger tapping task is less efficient and automatic in children, who need to recruit the superior vermis more intensively to maintain the rhythm, although they performed somewhat more poorly than adults. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A lower extremity strength-based profile of NCAA Division I women's basketball and gymnastics athletes: implications for knee joint injury risk assessment.

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Thompson, Brennan J; Cazier, Curtis S; Bressel, Eadric; Dolny, Dennis G

2018-08-01

This study aimed to provide a comprehensive strength-based physiological profile of women's NCAA Division I basketball and gymnastic athletes; and to make sport-specific comparisons for various strength characteristics of the knee flexor and extensor muscles. A focus on antagonist muscle balance (hamstrings-to-quadriceps ratios, H:Q) was used to elucidate vulnerabilities in these at-risk female athletes. Fourteen NCAA Division I women's basketball and 13 gymnastics athletes performed strength testing of the knee extensors and flexors. Outcome measures included absolute and relative (body mass normalised) peak torque (PT), rate of torque development at 50, 100, 200 ms (RTD50 etc.) and H:Q ratios of all variables. The basketball athletes had greater absolute strength for all variables except for isokinetic PT at 240°s -1 and isometric RTD50 for the knee extensors. Gymnasts showed ~20% weaker body mass relative concentric PT for the knee flexors at 60 and 120°·s -1 , and decreased conventional H:Q ratios at 60 and 240°·s -1 (~15%). These findings suggest that collegiate level gymnastics athletes may be prone to increased ACL injury risk due to deficient knee flexor strength and H:Q strength imbalance. Coaches may use these findings when implementing injury prevention screening and/or for individualised strength training programming centered around an athletes strength-related deficits.

Effect of rhythmic auditory cueing on gait in cerebral palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

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Ghai, Shashank; Ghai, Ishan; Effenberg, Alfred O

2018-01-01

Auditory entrainment can influence gait performance in movement disorders. The entrainment can incite neurophysiological and musculoskeletal changes to enhance motor execution. However, a consensus as to its effects based on gait in people with cerebral palsy is still warranted. A systematic review and meta-analysis were carried out to analyze the effects of rhythmic auditory cueing on spatiotemporal and kinematic parameters of gait in people with cerebral palsy. Systematic identification of published literature was performed adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine guidelines, from inception until July 2017, on online databases: Web of Science, PEDro, EBSCO, Medline, Cochrane, Embase and ProQuest. Kinematic and spatiotemporal gait parameters were evaluated in a meta-analysis across studies. Of 547 records, nine studies involving 227 participants (108 children/119 adults) met our inclusion criteria. The qualitative review suggested beneficial effects of rhythmic auditory cueing on gait performance among all included studies. The meta-analysis revealed beneficial effects of rhythmic auditory cueing on gait dynamic index (Hedge's g =0.9), gait velocity (1.1), cadence (0.3), and stride length (0.5). This review for the first time suggests a converging evidence toward application of rhythmic auditory cueing to enhance gait performance and stability in people with cerebral palsy. This article details underlying neurophysiological mechanisms and use of cueing as an efficient home-based intervention. It bridges gaps in the literature, and suggests translational approaches on how rhythmic auditory cueing can be incorporated in rehabilitation approaches to enhance gait performance in people with cerebral palsy.

Propensity score matching of the gymnastics for diabetes mellitus using logistic regression

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Otok, Bambang Widjanarko; Aisyah, Amalia; Purhadi, Andari, Shofi

2017-12-01

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a group of metabolic diseases with characteristics shows an abnormal blood glucose level occurring due to pancreatic insulin deficiency, decreased insulin effectiveness or both. The report from the ministry of health shows that DMs prevalence data of East Java province is 2.1%, while the DMs prevalence of Indonesia is only 1,5%. Given the high cases of DM in East Java, it needs the preventive action to control factors causing the complication of DM. This study aims to determine the combination factors causing the complication of DM to reduce the bias by confounding variables using Propensity Score Matching (PSM) with the method of propensity score estimation is binary logistic regression. The data used in this study is the medical record from As-Shafa clinic consisting of 6 covariates and health complication as response variable. The result of PSM analysis showed that there are 22 of 126 DMs patients attending gymnastics paired with patients who didnt attend to diabetes gymnastics. The Average Treatment of Treated (ATT) estimation results showed that the more patients who didnt attend to gymnastics, the more likely the risk for the patients having DMs complications.

Body dissatisfaction in women's artistic gymnastics: A longitudinal study of psychosocial indicators.

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Neves, Clara Mockdece; Filgueiras Meireles, Juliana Fernandes; Berbert de Carvalho, Pedro Henrique; Schubring, Astrid; Barker-Ruchti, Natalie; Caputo Ferreira, Maria Elisa

2017-09-01

Body dissatisfaction is prevalent in women's artistic gymnastics (WAG). Cross-sectional research points to social and individual risk factors, however it does not account for potential changes in body dissatisfaction during an athletic season. This study aimed to determine how gymnasts' body dissatisfaction, risk factors for eating disorders, media internalisation, perfectionism and mood state change during pre-competition, competition and post-competition seasons and to identify how these psychosocial indicators impact on body dissatisfaction during the athletic year. The sample consisted of 20 Brazilian elite women's artistic gymnasts aged 10-16 years. Data were obtained from a 9-month study using: Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ); Eating Attitude Test-26; Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-3 (SATAQ-3); Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS); Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS) and triceps and subscapular skinfolds. Body dissatisfaction was higher during the competition season and disordered eating, perfectionism and vigour values were higher in the pre-competition season. Disordered eating has been found as the strongest predictor of body dissatisfaction during all seasons, and mood state partly contributed to body dissatisfaction in the competitive season. Stakeholders should understand that body dissatisfaction and the prevalence of disordered eating may change over time.

Situational influences on rhythmicity in speech, music, and their interaction.

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Hawkins, Sarah

2014-12-19

Brain processes underlying the production and perception of rhythm indicate considerable flexibility in how physical signals are interpreted. This paper explores how that flexibility might play out in rhythmicity in speech and music. There is much in common across the two domains, but there are also significant differences. Interpretations are explored that reconcile some of the differences, particularly with respect to how functional properties modify the rhythmicity of speech, within limits imposed by its structural constraints. Functional and structural differences mean that music is typically more rhythmic than speech, and that speech will be more rhythmic when the emotions are more strongly engaged, or intended to be engaged. The influence of rhythmicity on attention is acknowledged, and it is suggested that local increases in rhythmicity occur at times when attention is required to coordinate joint action, whether in talking or music-making. Evidence is presented which suggests that while these short phases of heightened rhythmical behaviour are crucial to the success of transitions in communicative interaction, their modality is immaterial: they all function to enhance precise temporal prediction and hence tightly coordinated joint action. © 2014 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Situational influences on rhythmicity in speech, music, and their interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Hawkins, Sarah

2014-01-01

Brain processes underlying the production and perception of rhythm indicate considerable flexibility in how physical signals are interpreted. This paper explores how that flexibility might play out in rhythmicity in speech and music. There is much in common across the two domains, but there are also significant differences. Interpretations are explored that reconcile some of the differences, particularly with respect to how functional properties modify the rhythmicity of speech, within limits imposed by its structural constraints. Functional and structural differences mean that music is typically more rhythmic than speech, and that speech will be more rhythmic when the emotions are more strongly engaged, or intended to be engaged. The influence of rhythmicity on attention is acknowledged, and it is suggested that local increases in rhythmicity occur at times when attention is required to coordinate joint action, whether in talking or music-making. Evidence is presented which suggests that while these short phases of heightened rhythmical behaviour are crucial to the success of transitions in communicative interaction, their modality is immaterial: they all function to enhance precise temporal prediction and hence tightly coordinated joint action. PMID:25385776

Influence of artistic gymnastics on iron nutritional status and exercise-induced hemolysis in female athletes.

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Sureira, Thaiz Mattos; Amancio, Olga Silverio; Pellegrini Braga, Josefina Aparecida

2012-08-01

This study evaluates the relationship between body iron losses and gains in artistic gymnastics female athletes. It shows that despite the low iron intake and exercise-induced hemolysis, iron deficiency or iron-deficiency anemia does not occur, but partial changes in the hematological profile do. The hypothesis that gymnasts' nutritional behavior contributes to anemia, which may be aggravated by exercise-induced hemolysis, led to this cross-sectional study, conducted with 43 female artistic gymnasts 6-16 yr old. The control group was formed by 40 nontraining girls, paired by age. Hemogram, serum iron, ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor, haptoglobin, total and fractional bilirubin, Type I urine, and parasitologic and occult fecal blood tests were evaluated. The athletes presented mean hematimetric and serum iron values (p = .020) higher than those of the control group. The bilirubin result discarded any hemolytic alteration in both groups. The haptoglobin results were lower in the athlete group (p = .002), confirming the incidence of exercise-induced hemolysis. Both groups presented low iron intake. The results suggest that artistic gymnastics practice leads to exercise-induced hemolysis and partially changes the hematological profile, although not causing iron deficiency or iron-deficiency anemia, even in the presence of low iron intake.

Motor Learning as Young Gymnast’s Talent Indicator

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Alessandra di Cagno

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Talent identification plans are designed to select young athletes with the ability to achieve future success in sports. The aim of the study was to verify the predictive value of coordination and precision in skill acquisition during motor learning, as indicators of talent. One hundred gymnasts, both cadets (aged 11.5 ± 0.5 yr. and juniors (aged 13.3 ± 0.5 years, competing at the national level, were enrolled in the study. The assessment of motor coordination involved three tests of the validated Hirtz’s battery (1985, and motor skill learning involved four technical tests, specific of rhythmic gymnastics. All the tests were correlated with ranking and performance scores reached by each gymnast in the 2011, 2012, and 2013 National Championships. Coordination tests were significantly correlated to 2013 Championships scores (p < 0.01 and ranking (p < 0.05 of elite cadet athletes. Precision, in skill acquisition test results, was positively and significantly associated with scores in 2013 (adj. R2 = 0.26, p < 0.01. Gymnasts with the best results in coordination and motor learning tests went on to achieve better competition results in three- year time.

The evolution of locomotor rhythmicity in tetrapods.

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Ross, Callum F; Blob, Richard W; Carrier, David R; Daley, Monica A; Deban, Stephen M; Demes, Brigitte; Gripper, Janaya L; Iriarte-Diaz, Jose; Kilbourne, Brandon M; Landberg, Tobias; Polk, John D; Schilling, Nadja; Vanhooydonck, Bieke

2013-04-01

Differences in rhythmicity (relative variance in cycle period) among mammal, fish, and lizard feeding systems have been hypothesized to be associated with differences in their sensorimotor control systems. We tested this hypothesis by examining whether the locomotion of tachymetabolic tetrapods (birds and mammals) is more rhythmic than that of bradymetabolic tetrapods (lizards, alligators, turtles, salamanders). Species averages of intraindividual coefficients of variation in cycle period were compared while controlling for gait and substrate. Variance in locomotor cycle periods is significantly lower in tachymetabolic than in bradymetabolic animals for datasets that include treadmill locomotion, non-treadmill locomotion, or both. When phylogenetic relationships are taken into account the pooled analyses remain significant, whereas the non-treadmill and the treadmill analyses become nonsignificant. The co-occurrence of relatively high rhythmicity in both feeding and locomotor systems of tachymetabolic tetrapods suggests that the anatomical substrate of rhythmicity is in the motor control system, not in the musculoskeletal components. © 2012 The Author(s). Evolution© 2012 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Daily rhythmicity of body temperature in the dog.

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Refinetti, R; Piccione, G

2003-08-01

Research over the past 50 years has demonstrated the existence of circadian or daily rhythmicity in the body core temperature of a large number of mammalian species. However, previous studies have failed to identify daily rhythmicity of body temperature in dogs. We report here the successful recording of daily rhythms of rectal temperature in female Beagle dogs. The low robustness of the rhythms (41% of maximal robustness) and the small range of excursion (0.5 degrees C) are probably responsible for previous failures in detecting rhythmicity in dogs.

Feasibility of eyes open alpha power training for mental enhancement in elite gymnasts.

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Dekker, Marian K J; van den Berg, Berber R; Denissen, Ad J M; Sitskoorn, Margriet M; van Boxtel, Geert J M

2014-01-01

This study focuses on a novel, easy to use and instruction-less method for mental training in athletes. Previous findings suggest that particular mental capacities are needed for achieving peak performance; including attentional control, focus, relaxation and positive affect. Electroencephalography (EEG) alpha brain activity has been associated with neural inhibition during processes of selective attention, for improving efficiency in information processing. Here we hypothesised that eyes open alpha power training by music teaches athletes to (1) learn to self-regulate their brain activity, and (2) learn to increase their baseline alpha power, herewith improving mental capacities such as focusing the allocation of attention. The study was double-blind and placebo-controlled. Twelve elite gymnasts were either given eyes open alpha power training or random beta power training (controls). Results indicate small improvements in sleep quality, mental and physical shape. In our first attempt at getting a grip on mental capacities in athletes, we think this novel training method can be promising. Because gymnastics is one of the most mentally demanding sports, we value even small benefits for the athlete and consider them indicative for future research.

Discrimination of Rhythmic Pattern at 4 Months and Language Performance at 5 Years: A Longitudinal Analysis of Data from German-Learning Children

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Höhle, Barbara; Pauen, Sabina; Hesse, Volker; Weissenborn, Jürgen

2014-01-01

In this article we report on early rhythmic discrimination performance of children who participated in a longitudinal study following children from birth to their 6th year of life. Thirty-four children including 8 children with a family risk for developmental language impairment were tested on the discrimination of trochaic and iambic disyllabic…

Differential processing of melodic, rhythmic and simple tone deviations in musicians--an MEG study.

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Lappe, Claudia; Lappe, Markus; Pantev, Christo

2016-01-01

Rhythm and melody are two basic characteristics of music. Performing musicians have to pay attention to both, and avoid errors in either aspect of their performance. To investigate the neural processes involved in detecting melodic and rhythmic errors from auditory input we tested musicians on both kinds of deviations in a mismatch negativity (MMN) design. We found that MMN responses to a rhythmic deviation occurred at shorter latencies than MMN responses to a melodic deviation. Beamformer source analysis showed that the melodic deviation activated superior temporal, inferior frontal and superior frontal areas whereas the activation pattern of the rhythmic deviation focused more strongly on inferior and superior parietal areas, in addition to superior temporal cortex. Activation in the supplementary motor area occurred for both types of deviations. We also recorded responses to similar pitch and tempo deviations in a simple, non-musical repetitive tone pattern. In this case, there was no latency difference between the MMNs and cortical activation was smaller and mostly limited to auditory cortex. The results suggest that prediction and error detection of musical stimuli in trained musicians involve a broad cortical network and that rhythmic and melodic errors are processed in partially different cortical streams. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of rhythmic auditory cueing on gait in cerebral palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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Ghai S

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Shashank Ghai,1 Ishan Ghai,2 Alfred O. Effenberg1 1Institute for Sports Science, Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany; 2School of Life Sciences, Jacobs University, Bremen, Germany Abstract: Auditory entrainment can influence gait performance in movement disorders. The entrainment can incite neurophysiological and musculoskeletal changes to enhance motor execution. However, a consensus as to its effects based on gait in people with cerebral palsy is still warranted. A systematic review and meta-analysis were carried out to analyze the effects of rhythmic auditory cueing on spatiotemporal and kinematic parameters of gait in people with cerebral palsy. Systematic identification of published literature was performed adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine guidelines, from inception until July 2017, on online databases: Web of Science, PEDro, EBSCO, Medline, Cochrane, Embase and ProQuest. Kinematic and spatiotemporal gait parameters were evaluated in a meta-analysis across studies. Of 547 records, nine studies involving 227 participants (108 children/119 adults met our inclusion criteria. The qualitative review suggested beneficial effects of rhythmic auditory cueing on gait performance among all included studies. The meta-analysis revealed beneficial effects of rhythmic auditory cueing on gait dynamic index (Hedge’s g=0.9, gait velocity (1.1, cadence (0.3, and stride length (0.5. This review for the first time suggests a converging evidence toward application of rhythmic auditory cueing to enhance gait performance and stability in people with cerebral palsy. This article details underlying neurophysiological mechanisms and use of cueing as an efficient home-based intervention. It bridges gaps in the literature, and suggests translational approaches on how rhythmic auditory cueing can be incorporated in rehabilitation approaches to

Regularity of Center of Pressure Trajectories in Expert Gymnasts during Bipedal Closed-Eyes Quiet Standing

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Brice Isableu

2017-06-01

Full Text Available We compared postural control of expert gymnasts (G to that of non-gymnasts (NG during bipedal closed-eyes quiet standing using conventional and nonlinear dynamical measures of center of foot pressure (COP trajectories. Earlier findings based on COP classical variables showed that gymnasts exhibited a better control of postural balance but only in demanding stances. We examined whether the effect of expertise in Gymnastic can be uncovered in less demanding stances, from the analysis of the dynamic patterns of COP trajectories. Three dependent variables were computed to describe the subject’s postural behavior: the variability of COP displacements (ACoP, the variability of the COP velocities (VCoP and the sample entropy of COP (SEnCoP to quantify COP regularity (i.e., predictability. Conventional analysis of COP trajectories showed that NG and G exhibited similar amount and control of postural sway, as indicated by similar ACoP and VCoP values observed in NG and G, respectively. These results suggest that the specialized balance training received by G may not transfer to less challenging balance conditions such as the bipedal eyes-closed stance condition used in the present experiment. Interestingly, nonlinear dynamical analysis of COP trajectories regarding COP regularity showed that G exhibited more irregular COP fluctuations relative to NG, as indicated by the higher SEnCoP values observed for the G than for the NG. The present results showed that a finer-grained analysis of the dynamic patterns of the COP displacements is required to uncover an effect of gymnastic expertise on postural control in nondemanding postural stance. The present findings shed light on the surplus value in the nonlinear dynamical analysis of COP trajectories to gain further insight into the mechanisms involved in the control of bipedal posture.

Intensive gait training with rhythmic auditory stimulation in individuals with chronic hemiparetic stroke: a pilot randomized controlled study.

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Cha, Yuri; Kim, Young; Hwang, Sujin; Chung, Yijung

2014-01-01

Motor relearning protocols should involve task-oriented movement, focused attention, and repetition of desired movements. To investigate the effect of intensive gait training with rhythmic auditory stimulation on postural control and gait performance in individuals with chronic hemiparetic stroke. Twenty patients with chronic hemiparetic stroke participated in this study. Subjects in the Rhythmic auditory stimulation training group (10 subjects) underwent intensive gait training with rhythmic auditory stimulation for a period of 6 weeks (30 min/day, five days/week), while those in the control group (10 subjects) underwent intensive gait training for the same duration. Two clinical measures, Berg balance scale and stroke specific quality of life scale, and a 2-demensional gait analysis system, were used as outcome measure. To provide rhythmic auditory stimulation during gait training, the MIDI Cuebase musical instrument digital interface program and a KM Player version 3.3 was utilized for this study. Intensive gait training with rhythmic auditory stimulation resulted in significant improvement in scores on the Berg balance scale, gait velocity, cadence, stride length and double support period in affected side, and stroke specific quality of life scale compared with the control group after training. Findings of this study suggest that intensive gait training with rhythmic auditory stimulation improves balance and gait performance as well as quality of life, in individuals with chronic hemiparetic stroke.

Rhythmic speech and stuttering reduction in a syllable-timed language.

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Law, Thomas; Packman, Ann; Onslow, Mark; To, Carol K-S; Tong, Michael C-F; Lee, Kathy Y-S

2018-06-06

Speaking rhythmically, also known as syllable-timed speech (STS), has been known for centuries to be a fluency-inducing condition for people who stutter. Cantonese is a tonal syllable-timed language and it has been shown that, of all languages, Cantonese is the most rhythmic (Mok, 2009). However, it is not known if STS reduces stuttering in Cantonese as it does in English. This is the first study to investigate the effects of STS on stuttering in a syllable-timed language. Nineteen native Cantonese-speaking adults who stutter were engaged in conversational tasks in Cantonese under two conditions: one in their usual speaking style and one using STS. The speakers' percentage syllables stuttered (%SS) and speech rhythmicity were rated. The rhythmicity ratings were used to estimate the extent to which speakers were using STS in the syllable-timed condition. Results revealed a statistically significant reduction in %SS in the STS condition; however, this reduction was not as large as in previous studies in other languages and the amount of stuttering reduction varied across speakers. The rhythmicity ratings showed that some speakers were perceived to be speaking more rhythmically than others and that the perceived rhythmicity correlated positively with reductions in stuttering. The findings were unexpected, as it was anticipated that speakers of a highly rhythmic language such as Cantonese would find STS easy to use and that the consequent reductions in stuttering would be great, even greater perhaps than in a stress-timed language such as English. The theoretical and clinical implications of the findings are discussed.

The Research on the High-Protein Low-Calorie Food Recipe for Teenager Gymnastics Athletes.

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Wei, Cong

2015-01-01

In order to prevent teenager gymnastics athletes getting fat deposition, weight gain, they should supply a rational food. This paper considers the normal growth and development of athletes, body fat deposition proteins and hunger feel, configured high-protein low-calorie food recipe. Then analysis the composition and the essential amino acids of the recipe. In the final choiced 18 adolescent gymnastics athletes as subjects, to verify the validity of the formula. And analysis the experimental results. The experimental results analysis shows that this recipe basically meets the design requirements.

Rhythmic synchronization tapping to an audio–visual metronome in budgerigars

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Hasegawa, Ai; Okanoya, Kazuo; Hasegawa, Toshikazu; Seki, Yoshimasa

2011-01-01

In all ages and countries, music and dance have constituted a central part in human culture and communication. Recently, vocal-learning animals such as parrots and elephants have been found to share rhythmic ability with humans. Thus, we investigated the rhythmic synchronization of budgerigars, a vocal-mimicking parrot species, under controlled conditions and a systematically designed experimental paradigm as a first step in understanding the evolution of musical entrainment. We trained eight budgerigars to perform isochronous tapping tasks in which they pecked a key to the rhythm of audio–visual metronome-like stimuli. The budgerigars showed evidence of entrainment to external stimuli over a wide range of tempos. They seemed to be inherently inclined to tap at fast tempos, which have a similar time scale to the rhythm of budgerigars' natural vocalizations. We suggest that vocal learning might have contributed to their performance, which resembled that of humans. PMID:22355637

Rhythmic synchronization tapping to an audio-visual metronome in budgerigars.

Science.gov (United States)

Hasegawa, Ai; Okanoya, Kazuo; Hasegawa, Toshikazu; Seki, Yoshimasa

2011-01-01

In all ages and countries, music and dance have constituted a central part in human culture and communication. Recently, vocal-learning animals such as parrots and elephants have been found to share rhythmic ability with humans. Thus, we investigated the rhythmic synchronization of budgerigars, a vocal-mimicking parrot species, under controlled conditions and a systematically designed experimental paradigm as a first step in understanding the evolution of musical entrainment. We trained eight budgerigars to perform isochronous tapping tasks in which they pecked a key to the rhythm of audio-visual metronome-like stimuli. The budgerigars showed evidence of entrainment to external stimuli over a wide range of tempos. They seemed to be inherently inclined to tap at fast tempos, which have a similar time scale to the rhythm of budgerigars' natural vocalizations. We suggest that vocal learning might have contributed to their performance, which resembled that of humans.

Danish music education and the 'rhythmic music' concept

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Peder Kaj

2014-01-01

' was avoided and the Danish phrase 'rytmisk musik' (rhythmic music) was created to emphasize the educational and pedagogical content. The aim was also to prevent the prejudicious idea associated with jazz, especially by opponents. The article intends to evaluate the situation of 'rhythmic music' in the context......The article reflects on Danish music education and the concept of 'rhythmic music'. It highligths the so-called "jazz-oratorio", a unique genre, created by the composer Bernhard Christensen (1906-2004) and the librettist Sven Møller Kristensen (1909-91). The article shows that the term 'jazz...... of Danish music education....

Music Games: Potential Application and Considerations for Rhythmic Training

OpenAIRE

Valentin Bégel; Valentin Bégel; Ines Di Loreto; Antoine Seilles; Simone Dalla Bella; Simone Dalla Bella; Simone Dalla Bella; Simone Dalla Bella

2017-01-01

Rhythmic skills are natural and widespread in the general population. The majority can track the beat of music and move along with it. These abilities are meaningful from a cognitive standpoint given their tight links with prominent motor and cognitive functions such as language and memory. When rhythmic skills are challenged by brain damage or neurodevelopmental disorders, remediation strategies based on rhythm can be considered. For example, rhythmic training can be used to improve motor pe...

Specific injuries induced by the practice of trampoline, tumbling and acrobatic gymnastics.

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Grapton, Xavier; Lion, Alexis; Gauchard, Gérome C; Barrault, Denys; Perrin, Philippe P

2013-02-01

The recreational and competitive practice of acrobatic sports, that is, trampoline, tumbling and acrobatic gymnastics (ACRO), is growing rapidly around the world. Many studies described the injuries affecting young artistic gymnasts, but only few concerned acrobatic sports. During a 5-year period, 357 traumatic events were collected in young acrobats practicing trampoline, tumbling or ACRO. Accident characteristics, level of expertise and training, injury location (upper limb, spine and lower limb), type of tissue injured (bone, cartilage, muscle, ligament and tendon) and provoking factors (intrinsic/behavioural and extrinsic) were investigated. Acrobats of national and international levels were mostly injured. Injuries occurring in acrobatic sports concerned predominantly the lower limbs and concerned in this body part mainly damages to ligaments. Forearm and knee injuries were preferentially related to trampoline. Ankle injuries were preferentially related to tumbling. Wrist injuries were preferentially related to ACRO. Upper limb bone damage and upper limb tendon damage were preferentially related to trampoline and ACRO, respectively. Intrinsic/behavioural factors were the main injury determinant in the three acrobatic sports. The main injuries in acrobatic sports (i.e. lower limbs) are similar to those observed in artistic gymnastics. Specific injuries may result from falls and incomplete and/or erroneous figure's landing and may also depend to the type of the landing surface. II.

Different types of theta rhythmicity are induced by social and fearful stimuli in a network associated with social memory.

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Tendler, Alex; Wagner, Shlomo

2015-02-16

Rhythmic activity in the theta range is thought to promote neuronal communication between brain regions. In this study, we performed chronic telemetric recordings in socially behaving rats to monitor electrophysiological activity in limbic brain regions linked to social behavior. Social encounters were associated with increased rhythmicity in the high theta range (7-10 Hz) that was proportional to the stimulus degree of novelty. This modulation of theta rhythmicity, which was specific for social stimuli, appeared to reflect a brain-state of social arousal. In contrast, the same network responded to a fearful stimulus by enhancement of rhythmicity in the low theta range (3-7 Hz). Moreover, theta rhythmicity showed different pattern of coherence between the distinct brain regions in response to social and fearful stimuli. We suggest that the two types of stimuli induce distinct arousal states that elicit different patterns of theta rhythmicity, which cause the same brain areas to communicate in different modes.

Variations in relative age effects in individual sports: skiing, figure skating and gymnastics.

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Baker, Joseph; Janning, Christina; Wong, Harmonie; Cobley, Stephen; Schorer, Jörg

2014-01-01

In many sports, policy-makers and administrators employ annual cohorts to reduce differences between athletes during childhood and youth. Although well-intended, unintended relative age effects (RAEs) usually occur. RAEs refer to the specific selection, participation and attainment disadvantages associated with participants' birthdates relative to an arbitrary 'cutoff' date used to group participants within annual age groups. To date, we have little understanding of RAEs in individual sports. In this article, Study 1 considered the presence of RAEs in 1474 ski jumping, 7501 cross-country skiing, 15,565 alpine skiing, 4179 snowboarders and 713 Nordic combined athletes. Chi-square analyses revealed significant RAEs for most of these contexts across sexes. In Study 2, RAEs in the aesthetic sports of figure skating (n=502) and female gymnastics (n=612) were considered. There was no effect for the figure skaters and an atypical effect for the gymnasts. The significant effects across most ski sports coupled with the null effects in figure skating and atypical effect in gymnastics suggest that sport-specific contextual factors are important elements in understanding the mechanisms of RAEs, although further work is necessary to validate these findings.

Rhythmic Effects of Syntax Processing in Music and Language.

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Jung, Harim; Sontag, Samuel; Park, YeBin S; Loui, Psyche

2015-01-01

Music and language are human cognitive and neural functions that share many structural similarities. Past theories posit a sharing of neural resources between syntax processing in music and language (Patel, 2003), and a dynamic attention network that governs general temporal processing (Large and Jones, 1999). Both make predictions about music and language processing over time. Experiment 1 of this study investigates the relationship between rhythmic expectancy and musical and linguistic syntax in a reading time paradigm. Stimuli (adapted from Slevc et al., 2009) were sentences broken down into segments; each sentence segment was paired with a musical chord and presented at a fixed inter-onset interval. Linguistic syntax violations appeared in a garden-path design. During the critical region of the garden-path sentence, i.e., the particular segment in which the syntactic unexpectedness was processed, expectancy violations for language, music, and rhythm were each independently manipulated: musical expectation was manipulated by presenting out-of-key chords and rhythmic expectancy was manipulated by perturbing the fixed inter-onset interval such that the sentence segments and musical chords appeared either early or late. Reading times were recorded for each sentence segment and compared for linguistic, musical, and rhythmic expectancy. Results showed main effects of rhythmic expectancy and linguistic syntax expectancy on reading time. There was also an effect of rhythm on the interaction between musical and linguistic syntax: effects of violations in musical and linguistic syntax showed significant interaction only during rhythmically expected trials. To test the effects of our experimental design on rhythmic and linguistic expectancies, independently of musical syntax, Experiment 2 used the same experimental paradigm, but the musical factor was eliminated-linguistic stimuli were simply presented silently, and rhythmic expectancy was manipulated at the critical

"Extreme" or tariff sports: their injuries and their prevention (with particular reference to diving, cheerleading, gymnastics, and figure skating).

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Foley, E C; Bird, H A

2013-04-01

The interface between sports medicine and performing arts medicine is closest for "tariff" sports, where the sportsperson can select their own programme of varying difficulty with the more complex skills carrying potential for higher marks. Inevitably, some performers over-reach themselves. Examples of injuries and prevention strategies to avoid such injuries are discussed in a preliminary analysis of four sports: diving, cheerleading, gymnastics, and figure skating.

Therapeutic and prophylactic value of corrective gymnastics in children with impaired posture engaged in asymmetric sports

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tikhomirov A. Yu.

2017-11-01

Full Text Available the article provides the study that was conducted among young female athletes engaged in table tennis and having a violation of posture, with an assessment of metric and strength indicators. In the experimental group in parallel training a course of corrective gymnastics was conducted. The high efficiency of a combination of regular sports training and corrective gymnastics is established with a leveling of negative influence on the posture of asymmetrical sports.

New perspectives concerning feedback influences on cardiorespiratory control during rhythmic exercise and on exercise performance.

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Dempsey, Jerome A

2012-09-01

The cardioaccelerator and ventilatory responses to rhythmic exercise in the human are commonly viewed as being mediated predominantly via feedforward 'central command' mechanisms, with contributions from locomotor muscle afferents to the sympathetically mediated pressor response. We have assessed the relative contributions of three types of feedback afferents on the cardiorespiratory response to voluntary, rhythmic exercise by inhibiting their normal 'tonic' activity in healthy animals and humans and in chronic heart failure. Transient inhibition of the carotid chemoreceptors during moderate intensity exercise reduced muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and increased limb vascular conductance and blood flow; and reducing the normal level of respiratory muscle work during heavier intensity exercise increased limb vascular conductance and blood flow. These cardiorespiratory effects were prevented via ganglionic blockade and were enhanced in chronic heart failure and in hypoxia. Blockade of μ opioid sensitive locomotor muscle afferents, with preservation of central motor output via intrathecal fentanyl: (a) reduced the mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), heart rate and ventilatory responses to all steady state exercise intensities; and (b) during sustained high intensity exercise, reduced O(2) transport, increased central motor output and end-exercise muscle fatigue and reduced endurance performance. We propose that these three afferent reflexes - probably acting in concert with feedforward central command - contribute significantly to preserving O(2) transport to locomotor and to respiratory muscles during exercise. Locomotor muscle afferents also appear to provide feedback concerning the metabolic state of the muscle to influence central motor output, thereby limiting peripheral fatigue development.

What governs successful performance of a complex whole body movement: The Kovacs release-regrasp on horizontal bar?

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Hiley, Michael J; Yeadon, Maurice R

2016-12-08

The Kovacs is a release and regrasp skill performed on the horizontal bar in men׳s artistic gymnastics. It is a popular skill in elite competitive gymnastics with over 40% of male gymnasts performing a variation of the Kovacs at the London 2012 Olympics. In the qualifying competition 84% of Kovacs were successfully regrasped, with the remaining 16% resulting in a fall. The aim of the present study was to determine why some gymnasts are more successful than others at regrasping the bar, with a secondary aim to determine how a less successful gymnast could alter his technique in order to become more successful. Nine performances of the Kovacs by each of two gymnasts, one 100% successful and one 11% successful, were analysed to determine differences in release and regrasp parameters. The technique of the less successful gymnast was optimised using a computer simulation model to increase the percentage of catches (success rate). The successful gymnast had larger and more consistent release windows and a radial velocity towards the bar at regrasp. The less successful gymnast had higher horizontal velocity at release and a mean radial velocity away from the bar at regrasp. Optimising his simulated technique increased the rate of success from 11% to 93%. The actions prior to release were performed earlier than in the recorded performances leading to a more vertical path of the mass centre at release and a radial velocity towards the bar at regrasp. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of freshmen coordination abilities on practical training in gymnastics

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I.A. Tereschenko

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Measured coordination abilities (baseline to the static and dynamic equilibrium of the body, the space-time orientation on the support and in unsupported position, proprioception sense, vestibular stability, vestibular sensitivity, coordination limbs symmetrical and asymmetrical. Coordination abilities were also measured under difficult conditions. The study involved 238 students aged 17 - 18 years. Registered a positive trend of improving performance motor tests, development of educational material. Students who specialize in difficult to coordinate sports had significantly better performance. Found that the content of the material work programs of sports and educational disciplines helps improve sensorimotor coordination tasks students. It is noted that the content of the training material is the basis for efficient formation of motor skills and motor skills development of gymnastic exercises. Recommended ways to increase sports and technical and professional skills of students.

Rhythmic Engagement with Music in Early Childhood: A Replication and Extension

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Ilari, Beatriz

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend previous findings on spontaneous movement and rhythmic engagement with music in infancy. Using the identical stimuli and procedures from the original study, I investigated spontaneous rhythmic movements in response to music, infant-directed speech, and contrasting rhythmic patterns in 30…

Method of development force at the young gymnasts on the stages of initial and specialized preparation

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Khudolii O.N.

2010-08-01

Full Text Available The terms of effective development of force are considered for young gymnasts on the stages of initial and specialized preparation. The models of urgent and moved aside training effect of the power loadings are certain for young gymnasts 7-13 years. It is set that the process of power preparation of young gymnasts can be separate on two stages. On the first stage by means of the concentrated power loadings the expressed decline of force of group of muscles is arrived at. On the second stage by means of favourable a display maximal efforts of loadings the increase of force of group of muscles is arrived at. Application of the power loadings of different orientation is given by possibility during 10-12 employments on 30-60% to increase force of group of muscles, shorten time of training on development of force in two times.

Different corticospinal control between discrete and rhythmic movement of the ankle.

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Goto, Yumeno; Jono, Yasutomo; Hatanaka, Ryota; Nomura, Yoshifumi; Tani, Keisuke; Chujo, Yuta; Hiraoka, Koichi

2014-01-01

We investigated differences in corticospinal and spinal control between discrete and rhythmic ankle movements. Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in the tibialis anterior and soleus muscles and soleus H-reflex were elicited in the middle of the plantar flexion phase during discrete ankle movement or in the initial or later cycles of rhythmic ankle movement. The H-reflex was evoked at an intensity eliciting a small M-wave and MEPs were elicited at an intensity of 1.2 times the motor threshold of the soleus MEPs. Only trials in which background EMG level, ankle angle, and ankle velocity were similar among the movement conditions were included for data analysis. In addition, only trials with a similar M-wave were included for data analysis in the experiment evoking H-reflexes. Results showed that H reflex and MEP amplitudes in the soleus muscle during discrete movement were not significantly different from those during rhythmic movement. MEP amplitude in the tibialis anterior muscle during the later cycles of rhythmic movement was significantly larger than that during the initial cycle of the rhythmic movement or during discrete movement. Higher corticospinal excitability in the tibialis anterior muscle during the later cycles of rhythmic movement may reflect changes in corticospinal control from the initial cycle to the later cycles of rhythmic movement.

Age-Related Changes in Bimanual Instrument Playing with Rhythmic Cueing

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Soo Ji Kim

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Deficits in bimanual coordination of older adults have been demonstrated to significantly limit their functioning in daily life. As a bimanual sensorimotor task, instrument playing has great potential for motor and cognitive training in advanced age. While the process of matching a person’s repetitive movements to auditory rhythmic cueing during instrument playing was documented to involve motor and attentional control, investigation into whether the level of cognitive functioning influences the ability to rhythmically coordinate movement to an external beat in older populations is relatively limited. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine how timing accuracy during bimanual instrument playing with rhythmic cueing differed depending on the degree of participants’ cognitive aging. Twenty one young adults, 20 healthy older adults, and 17 older adults with mild dementia participated in this study. Each participant tapped an electronic drum in time to the rhythmic cueing provided using both hands simultaneously and in alternation. During bimanual instrument playing with rhythmic cueing, mean and variability of synchronization errors were measured and compared across the groups and the tempo of cueing during each type of tapping task. Correlations of such timing parameters with cognitive measures were also analyzed. The results showed that the group factor resulted in significant differences in the synchronization errors-related parameters. During bimanual tapping tasks, cognitive decline resulted in differences in synchronization errors between younger adults and older adults with mild dimentia. Also, in terms of variability of synchronization errors, younger adults showed significant differences in maintaining timing performance from older adults with and without mild dementia, which may be attributed to decreased processing time for bimanual coordination due to aging. Significant correlations were observed between variability of

Differential effects of rhythmic auditory stimulation and neurodevelopmental treatment/Bobath on gait patterns in adults with cerebral palsy: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Soo Ji; Kwak, Eunmi E; Park, Eun Sook; Cho, Sung-Rae

2012-10-01

To investigate the effects of rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) on gait patterns in comparison with changes after neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT/Bobath) in adults with cerebral palsy. A repeated-measures analysis between the pretreatment and posttreatment tests and a comparison study between groups. Human gait analysis laboratory. Twenty-eight cerebral palsy patients with bilateral spasticity participated in this study. The subjects were randomly allocated to either neurodevelopmental treatment (n = 13) or rhythmic auditory stimulation (n = 15). Gait training with rhythmic auditory stimulation or neurodevelopmental treatment was performed three sessions per week for three weeks. Temporal and kinematic data were analysed before and after the intervention. Rhythmic auditory stimulation was provided using a combination of a metronome beat set to the individual's cadence and rhythmic cueing from a live keyboard, while neurodevelopmental treatment was implemented following the traditional method. Temporal data, kinematic parameters and gait deviation index as a measure of overall gait pathology were assessed. Temporal gait measures revealed that rhythmic auditory stimulation significantly increased cadence, walking velocity, stride length, and step length (P rhythmic auditory stimulation (P rhythmic auditory stimulation (P rhythmic auditory stimulation showed aggravated maximal internal rotation in the transverse plane (P rhythmic auditory stimulation or neurodevelopmental treatment elicited differential effects on gait patterns in adults with cerebral palsy.

Visual cortex responses reflect temporal structure of continuous quasi-rhythmic sensory stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Keitel, Christian; Thut, Gregor; Gross, Joachim

2017-02-01

Neural processing of dynamic continuous visual input, and cognitive influences thereon, are frequently studied in paradigms employing strictly rhythmic stimulation. However, the temporal structure of natural stimuli is hardly ever fully rhythmic but possesses certain spectral bandwidths (e.g. lip movements in speech, gestures). Examining periodic brain responses elicited by strictly rhythmic stimulation might thus represent ideal, yet isolated cases. Here, we tested how the visual system reflects quasi-rhythmic stimulation with frequencies continuously varying within ranges of classical theta (4-7Hz), alpha (8-13Hz) and beta bands (14-20Hz) using EEG. Our findings substantiate a systematic and sustained neural phase-locking to stimulation in all three frequency ranges. Further, we found that allocation of spatial attention enhances EEG-stimulus locking to theta- and alpha-band stimulation. Our results bridge recent findings regarding phase locking ("entrainment") to quasi-rhythmic visual input and "frequency-tagging" experiments employing strictly rhythmic stimulation. We propose that sustained EEG-stimulus locking can be considered as a continuous neural signature of processing dynamic sensory input in early visual cortices. Accordingly, EEG-stimulus locking serves to trace the temporal evolution of rhythmic as well as quasi-rhythmic visual input and is subject to attentional bias. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Neural correlates of rhythmic expectancy

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Theodore P. Zanto

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Temporal expectancy is thought to play a fundamental role in the perception of rhythm. This review summarizes recent studies that investigated rhythmic expectancy by recording neuroelectric activity with high temporal resolution during the presentation of rhythmic patterns. Prior event-related brain potential (ERP studies have uncovered auditory evoked responses that reflect detection of onsets, offsets, sustains,and abrupt changes in acoustic properties such as frequency, intensity, and spectrum, in addition to indexing higher-order processes such as auditory sensory memory and the violation of expectancy. In our studies of rhythmic expectancy, we measured emitted responses - a type of ERP that occurs when an expected event is omitted from a regular series of stimulus events - in simple rhythms with temporal structures typical of music. Our observations suggest that middle-latency gamma band (20-60 Hz activity (GBA plays an essential role in auditory rhythm processing. Evoked (phase-locked GBA occurs in the presence of physically presented auditory events and reflects the degree of accent. Induced (non-phase-locked GBA reflects temporally precise expectancies for strongly and weakly accented events in sound patterns. Thus far, these findings support theories of rhythm perception that posit temporal expectancies generated by active neural processes.

Risk Factors for Knee Injuries in Children 8-15 Years

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Junge, Tina; Runge, Lisbeth; Juul-Kristensen, Birgit

2016-01-01

.14). For overuse knee injuries, intrinsic risk factors were sex (girls OR 1.38), and previous knee injury (OR 1.78), while participation in soccer (OR 1.64), handball (OR 1.95), basket (OR 2.07), rhythmic (OR 1.98), and tumbling gymnastics (OR 1.74) were additional risk factors. For both injury types, sport...... and participation in soccer, handball, basket, rhythmic and tumbling gymnastics. Further risk factors for both types of injury were participation in sports above two times/week. Although growth-related overuse knee injuries are a self-limiting condition, a major part of children are affected by these injuries...... intrinsic and extrinsic factors for risk of these injuries. METHODS: Weekly musculoskeletal pain, sport participation and sports type were reported by 1326 school children (8-15 years). Knee injuries were classified as traumatic or overuse. Multinomial logistic regression was used for analyses. RESULTS...

Rhythmic patterning in Malaysian and Singapore English.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Rachel Siew Kuang; Low, Ee-Ling

2014-06-01

Previous work on the rhythm of Malaysian English has been based on impressionistic observations. This paper utilizes acoustic analysis to measure the rhythmic patterns of Malaysian English. Recordings of the read speech and spontaneous speech of 10 Malaysian English speakers were analyzed and compared with recordings of an equivalent sample of Singaporean English speakers. Analysis was done using two rhythmic indexes, the PVI and VarcoV. It was found that although the rhythm of read speech of the Singaporean speakers was syllable-based as described by previous studies, the rhythm of the Malaysian speakers was even more syllable-based. Analysis of the syllables in specific utterances showed that Malaysian speakers did not reduce vowels as much as Singaporean speakers in cases of syllables in utterances. Results of the spontaneous speech confirmed the findings for the read speech; that is, the same rhythmic patterning was found which normally triggers vowel reductions.

The development of rhythmic preferences by Dutch-learning infants

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Keij, B.M.; Kager, R.W.J.

2016-01-01

In this chapter the early acquisition of word stress is discussed. This study is aimed at examining rhythmic preferences for either strong-weak or weak-strong stress patterns of Dutch-learning infants between 4 and 8 months of age. It is complementary to previous rhythmic preference studies

The development of rhythmic preferences by Dutch-learning infants

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Keij, B.M.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/374786097; Kager, R.W.J.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/072294124

In this chapter the early acquisition of word stress is discussed. This study is aimed at examining rhythmic preferences for either strong-weak or weak-strong stress patterns of Dutch-learning infants between 4 and 8 months of age. It is complementary to previous rhythmic preference studies

Effect of rhythmic auditory stimulation on gait in Parkinsonian patients with and without freezing of gait.

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Pablo Arias

Full Text Available Freezing of gait (FOG in Parkinson's disease (PD rises in prevalence when the effect of medications decays. It is known that auditory rhythmic stimulation improves gait in patients without FOG (PD-FOG, but its putative effect on patients with FOG (PD+FOG at the end of dose has not been evaluated yet. This work evaluates the effect of auditory rhythmic stimulation on PD+FOG at the end of dose. 10 PD+FOG and 9 PD-FOG patients both at the end of dose periods, and 10 healthy controls were asked to perform several walking tasks. Tasks were performed in the presence and absence of auditory sensory stimulation. All PD+FOG suffered FOG during the task. The presence of auditory rhythmic stimulation (10% above preferred walking cadence led PD+FOG to significantly reduce FOG. Velocity and cadence were increased, and turn time reduced in all groups. We conclude that auditory stimulation at the frequency proposed may be useful to avoid freezing episodes in PD+FOG.

Rhythmic expression of DEC2 protein in vitro and in vivo.

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Sato, Fuyuki; Muragaki, Yasuteru; Kawamoto, Takeshi; Fujimoto, Katsumi; Kato, Yukio; Zhang, Yanping

2016-06-01

Basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor DEC2 (bHLHE41/Sharp1) is one of the clock genes that show a circadian rhythm in various tissues. DEC2 regulates differentiation, sleep length, tumor cell invasion and apoptosis. Although studies have been conducted on the rhythmic expression of DEC2 mRNA in various tissues, the precise molecular mechanism of DEC2 expression is poorly understood. In the present study, we examined whether DEC2 protein had a rhythmic expression. Western blot analysis for DEC2 protein revealed a rhythmic expression in mouse liver, lung and muscle and in MCF-7 and U2OS cells. In addition, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity (phosphorylation of AMPK) in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) exhibited a rhythmic expression under the condition of medium change or glucose-depleted medium. However, the rhythmic expression of DEC2 in MEF gradually decreased in time under these conditions. The medium change affected the levels of DEC2 protein and phosphorylation of AMPK. In addition, the levels of DEC2 protein showed a rhythmic expression in vivo and in MCF-7 and U2OS cells. The results showed that the phosphorylation of AMPK immunoreactivity was strongly detected in the liver and lung of DEC2 knockout mice compared with that of wild-type mice. These results may provide new insights into rhythmic expression and the regulation between DEC2 protein and AMPK activity.

Association of Periodic and Rhythmic Electroencephalographic Patterns With Seizures in Critically Ill Patients.

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Rodriguez Ruiz, Andres; Vlachy, Jan; Lee, Jong Woo; Gilmore, Emily J; Ayer, Turgay; Haider, Hiba Arif; Gaspard, Nicolas; Ehrenberg, J Andrew; Tolchin, Benjamin; Fantaneanu, Tadeu A; Fernandez, Andres; Hirsch, Lawrence J; LaRoche, Suzette

2017-02-01

Periodic and rhythmic electroencephalographic patterns have been associated with risk of seizures in critically ill patients. However, specific features that confer higher seizure risk remain unclear. To analyze the association of distinct characteristics of periodic and rhythmic patterns with seizures. We reviewed electroencephalographic recordings from 4772 critically ill adults in 3 academic medical centers from February 2013 to September 2015 and performed a multivariate analysis to determine features associated with seizures. Continuous electroencephalography. Association of periodic and rhythmic patterns and specific characteristics, such as pattern frequency (hertz), Plus modifier, prevalence, and stimulation-induced patterns, and the risk for seizures. Of the 4772 patients included in our study, 2868 were men and 1904 were women. Lateralized periodic discharges (LPDs) had the highest association with seizures regardless of frequency and the association was greater when the Plus modifier was present (58%; odds ratio [OR], 2.00, P rhythmic delta activity (LRDA) were associated with seizures in a frequency-dependent manner (1.5-2 Hz: GPDs, 24%,OR, 2.31, P = .02; LRDA, 24%, OR, 1.79, P = .05; ≥ 2 Hz: GPDs, 32%, OR, 3.30, P rhythmic delta activity compared with no periodic or rhythmic pattern (13%, OR, 1.18, P = .26). Higher prevalence of LPDs and GPDs also conferred increased seizure risk (37% frequent vs 45% abundant/continuous, OR, 1.64, P = .03 for difference; 8% rare/occasional vs 15% frequent, OR, 2.71, P = .03, vs 23% abundant/continuous, OR, 1.95, P = .04). Patterns associated with stimulation did not show an additional risk for seizures from the underlying pattern risk (P > .10). In this study, LPDs, LRDA, and GPDs were associated with seizures while generalized rhythmic delta activity was not. Lateralized periodic discharges were associated with seizures at all frequencies with and without Plus modifier, but LRDA and GPDs were associated with

Ansiedad estado y autoconfianza precompetitiva en gimnastas. (Precompetitive anxiety state and self-confidence in gymnasts.

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Inmaculada Fuentes García

2011-05-01

Full Text Available ResumenSe describen las diferencias en los niveles de ansiedad y sus interpretaciones en gimnastas de diferente edad, género y niveles competitivos ante una competición importante y se analizan las diferencias ante competiciones de diferente importancia en las gimnastas de bajo nivel. El grupo (G1 estuvo formado por 8 gimnastas de la Selección Nacional de Gimnasia Artística Masculina y el grupo (G2 por 8 gimnastas de nivel nacional de Gimnasia Artística Femenina. Se administró una versión reducida del Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2 en tres competiciones, dos importantes para cada grupo (G1 y G2a y la tercera de menor importancia para el grupo 2 (G2b. Los gimnastas del G1 tuvieron mayores niveles de autoconfianza e interpretaron dichos síntomas como muy facilitadores para su rendimiento competitivo e interpretaron los síntomas de ansiedad cognitiva más intensamente que los del G2. No encontramos diferencias significativas entre niveles e interpretación de ansiedad y autoconfianza en G2 cuando se evalúan en dos competiciones de diferente importancia.AbstractThe purpose was to describe the intensity and directional interpretation of anxiety and self-confidence in gymnasts of different ages, gender and competitive level in a major competition and analyze their differences in two meeting of very different importance in minor-level gymnasts. Were evaluated eight elite men gymnasts (G1; International level and 8 national level female gymnasts (G2; National level. We administered a shortened version of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2 in three competitions, among which two were most important in the season for each group (G1 and G2a and the minor third for the group minor-level (G2b. The G1 have higher levels of self-confidence that G2. Moreover their interpretation of symptoms of anxiety as facilitators for their competitive performance was very high. The G1 had interpretations of the cognitive symptoms of

A tapping device for recording and quantitative characterization of rhythmic/auditory sequences.

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Piazza, Caterina; Cesareo, Ambra; Caccia, Martina; Reni, Gianluigi; Lorusso, Maria L

2017-07-01

The processing of auditory stimuli is essential for the correct perception of language and deficits in this ability are often related to the presence or development of language disorders. The motor imitation (e.g. tapping or beating) of rhythmic sequences can be a very sensitive correlate of deficits in auditory processing. Thus, the study of the tapping performance, with the investigation of both temporal and intensity information, might be very useful. The present work is aimed at the development and preliminary testing of a tapping device to be used for the imitation and/or the production of rhythmic sequences, allowing the recording of both tapping duration and intensity. The device is essentially made up of a Force Sensing Resistor and an Arduino UNO board. It was validated using different sampling frequencies (f s ) in a group of 10 young healthy adults investigating its efficacy in terms of touch and intensity detection by means of two testing procedures. Results demonstrated a good performance of the device when programmed with fs equal to 50 and 100Hz. Moreover, both temporal and intensity parameters were extracted, thus supporting the potential use of the device for the analysis of the imitation or production of rhythmic sequences. This work represents a first step for the development of a useful, low cost tool to support the diagnosis, training and rehabilitation of language disorders.

Baton twirling on an international stage

CERN Multimedia

Stephanie McClellan

2013-01-01

There aren’t many people who can throw a baton in the air, do a backhand spring and catch it with the grace of a dancer. Well, Julie Haffner from the CERN Press Office can. Baton twirling started as her hobby but soon became a passion - leading her team to win the International Baton Twirling Cup.    Gex Twirling Club performing their winning number at the 2013 International Baton Twirling Cup. (Image: Véronique Bellour). There is no telling when or where people will find their passion. For Julie Haffner, it was when she followed her cousin to a baton twirling class at the age of 10. Since that fortuitous day, she has committed herself to the sport and competed on international stages. Very close to rhythmic gymnastics, baton twirling requires skilful coordination and teamwork. Julie’s performances combine the precision of baton manipulation, the grace of a dancer and the strength of a gymnast. The first year in which she competed with the Gex Twirlin...

Jazz drummers recruit language-specific areas for the processing of rhythmic structure.

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Herdener, Marcus; Humbel, Thierry; Esposito, Fabrizio; Habermeyer, Benedikt; Cattapan-Ludewig, Katja; Seifritz, Erich

2014-03-01

Rhythm is a central characteristic of music and speech, the most important domains of human communication using acoustic signals. Here, we investigated how rhythmical patterns in music are processed in the human brain, and, in addition, evaluated the impact of musical training on rhythm processing. Using fMRI, we found that deviations from a rule-based regular rhythmic structure activated the left planum temporale together with Broca's area and its right-hemispheric homolog across subjects, that is, a network also crucially involved in the processing of harmonic structure in music and the syntactic analysis of language. Comparing the BOLD responses to rhythmic variations between professional jazz drummers and musical laypersons, we found that only highly trained rhythmic experts show additional activity in left-hemispheric supramarginal gyrus, a higher-order region involved in processing of linguistic syntax. This suggests an additional functional recruitment of brain areas usually dedicated to complex linguistic syntax processing for the analysis of rhythmical patterns only in professional jazz drummers, who are especially trained to use rhythmical cues for communication.

Rhythmic Firing of Pedunculopontine Tegmental Nucleus Neurons in Monkeys during Eye Movement Task.

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Ken-Ichi Okada

Full Text Available The pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTN has been thought to be involved in the control of behavioral state. Projections to the entire thalamus and reciprocal connections with the basal ganglia nuclei suggest a potential role for the PPTN in the control of various rhythmic behaviors, including waking/sleeping and locomotion. Recently, rhythmic activity in the local field potentials was recorded from the PPTN of patients with Parkinson's disease who were treated with levodopa, suggesting that rhythmic firing is a feature of the functioning PPTN and might change with the behaving conditions even within waking. However, it remains unclear whether and how single PPTN neurons exhibit rhythmic firing patterns during various behaving conditions, including executing conditioned eye movement behaviors, seeking reward, or during resting. We previously recorded from PPTN neurons in healthy monkeys during visually guided saccade tasks and reported task-related changes in firing rate, and in this paper, we reanalyzed these data and focused on their firing patterns. A population of PPTN neurons demonstrated a regular firing pattern in that the coefficient of variation of interspike intervals was lower than what would be expected of theoretical random and irregular spike trains. Furthermore, a group of PPTN neurons exhibited a clear periodic single spike firing that changed with the context of the behavioral task. Many of these neurons exhibited a periodic firing pattern during highly active conditions, either the fixation condition during the saccade task or the free-viewing condition during the intertrial interval. We speculate that these task context-related changes in rhythmic firing of PPTN neurons might regulate the monkey's attentional and vigilance state to perform the task.

Processing rhythmic pattern during Chinese sentence reading: An eye movement study

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Yingyi eLuo

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Prosodic constraints play a fundamental role during both spoken sentence comprehension and silent reading. In Chinese, the rhythmic pattern of the verb-object (V-O combination has been found to rapidly affect the semantic access/integration process during sentence reading (Luo and Zhou, 2010. Rhythmic pattern refers to the combination of words with different syllabic lengths, with certain combinations disallowed (e.g., [2+1]; numbers standing for the number of syllables of the verb and the noun respectively and certain combinations preferred (e.g., [1+1] or [2+2]. This constraint extends to the situation in which the combination is used to modify other words. A V-O phrase could modify a noun by simply preceding it, forming a V-O-N compound; when the verb is disyllabic, however, the word order has to be O-V-N and the object is preferred to be disyllabic. In this study, we investigated how the reader processes the rhythmic pattern and word order information by recording the reader’s eye-movements. We created four types of sentences by crossing rhythmic pattern and word order in compounding. The compound, embedding a disyllabic verb, could be in the correct O-V-N or the incorrect V-O-N order; the object could be disyllabic or monosyllabic. We found that the reader spent more time and made more regressions on and after the compounds when either type of anomaly was detected during the first pass reading. However, during re-reading (after all the words in the sentence have been viewed, less regressive eye movements were found for the anomalous rhythmic pattern, relative to the correct pattern; moreover, only the abnormal rhythmic pattern, not the violated word order, influenced the regressive eye movements. These results suggest that while the processing of rhythmic pattern and word order information occurs rapidly during the initial reading of the sentence, the process of recovering from the rhythmic pattern anomaly may ease the reanalysis

Processing Rhythmic Pattern during Chinese Sentence Reading: An Eye Movement Study.

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Luo, Yingyi; Duan, Yunyan; Zhou, Xiaolin

2015-01-01

Prosodic constraints play a fundamental role during both spoken sentence comprehension and silent reading. In Chinese, the rhythmic pattern of the verb-object (V-O) combination has been found to rapidly affect the semantic access/integration process during sentence reading (Luo and Zhou, 2010). Rhythmic pattern refers to the combination of words with different syllabic lengths, with certain combinations disallowed (e.g., [2 + 1]; numbers standing for the number of syllables of the verb and the noun respectively) and certain combinations preferred (e.g., [1 + 1] or [2 + 2]). This constraint extends to the situation in which the combination is used to modify other words. A V-O phrase could modify a noun by simply preceding it, forming a V-O-N compound; when the verb is disyllabic, however, the word order has to be O-V-N and the object is preferred to be disyllabic. In this study, we investigated how the reader processes the rhythmic pattern and word order information by recording the reader's eye-movements. We created four types of sentences by crossing rhythmic pattern and word order in compounding. The compound, embedding a disyllabic verb, could be in the correct O-V-N or the incorrect V-O-N order; the object could be disyllabic or monosyllabic. We found that the reader spent more time and made more regressions on and after the compounds when either type of anomaly was detected during the first pass reading. However, during re-reading (after all the words in the sentence have been viewed), less regressive eye movements were found for the anomalous rhythmic pattern, relative to the correct pattern; moreover, only the abnormal rhythmic pattern, not the violated word order, influenced the regressive eye movements. These results suggest that while the processing of rhythmic pattern and word order information occurs rapidly during the initial reading of the sentence, the process of recovering from the rhythmic pattern anomaly may ease the reanalysis processing at the

Rhythmic Extended Kalman Filter for Gait Rehabilitation Motion Estimation and Segmentation.

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Joukov, Vladimir; Bonnet, Vincent; Karg, Michelle; Venture, Gentiane; Kulic, Dana

2018-02-01

This paper proposes a method to enable the use of non-intrusive, small, wearable, and wireless sensors to estimate the pose of the lower body during gait and other periodic motions and to extract objective performance measures useful for physiotherapy. The Rhythmic Extended Kalman Filter (Rhythmic-EKF) algorithm is developed to estimate the pose, learn an individualized model of periodic movement over time, and use the learned model to improve pose estimation. The proposed approach learns a canonical dynamical system model of the movement during online observation, which is used to accurately model the acceleration during pose estimation. The canonical dynamical system models the motion as a periodic signal. The estimated phase and frequency of the motion also allow the proposed approach to segment the motion into repetitions and extract useful features, such as gait symmetry, step length, and mean joint movement and variance. The algorithm is shown to outperform the extended Kalman filter in simulation, on healthy participant data, and stroke patient data. For the healthy participant marching dataset, the Rhythmic-EKF improves joint acceleration and velocity estimates over regular EKF by 40% and 37%, respectively, estimates joint angles with 2.4° root mean squared error, and segments the motion into repetitions with 96% accuracy.

Physical Fitness of Girls Practising Acrobatic and Trampoline Gymnastics Compared to that of Girls Practising other Sports in the Subcarpathian Province Team

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Seredyński Antoni

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction. The aim of this study was to determine the level of overall physical fitness of girls from the Subcarpathian Province Team (SPT who practise acrobatic and trampoline gymnastics and compare it to that of other members of the SPT. A comparative analysis of the subjects’ physique was also performed.

The Phenomenon of the Olympic Games. Women in the Games.

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Johnson, Karen M., Ed.; Fritz, Harry, Ed.

1984-01-01

A collection of articles is offered that examines the history and current status of women in the Olympic Games. Included is a brief historical account of women's participation, criteria for adding sports, examination of women's status, and an explanation of rhythmic gymnastics which was recently added for women. (DF)

INITIATIVES AND SUGGESTIONS FOR INTRODUCTION OF GYMNASTICS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS OF THE PRINCIPALITY OF SERBIA (elementary schools, gymnastics, initiatives, suggestions, introduction

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Slađana Mijatović

2006-06-01

. Doctor Djodje Natošević, came from Novi Sad to be an official in the Ministry of Education of the Principality of Serbia in 1867, and stayed until the August of 1868. Upon inspection of schools he concluded that “there is no physical education in elementary schools! Elementary school is doing nothing for its development.” Therefore, in the “Survey of scientific subjects to be developed and taught” he suggested gymnastics as one of the school subjects in all four classes, every day from 11 to 11.30 a.m and from 4 to 4.30 p.m. 4. School commission of the Ministry of Education, whose president was Milovan Spasić, proposed gymnastics “to be recommended to teachers in towns and in villages where it is possible, for children between classes, and that instead of jumping and running they should be taught to some regular gymnastic movements.All proposals and intentions contributed so that the Minister of Education Dimitrije Matic by his decree of December 1868, introduced gymnastics in elementary schools of the Principality of Serbia.

TARGET-DIRECTED RUNNING IN GYMNASTICS: THE ROLE OF THE SPRINGBOARD POSITION AS AN INFORMATIONAL SOURCE TO REGULATE HANDSPRINGS ON VAULT

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T. Heinen

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Empirical evidence highlights the role of visual information to control gymnastics vaulting and thus neglects a stereotyped approach run. However, there is no evidence on which informational source this regulation is based on. The aim of this study was to examine the position of the springboard as an informational source in the regulation of the handspring on vault. The hypothesis tested was that the action of running towards the springboard brings about changes in the approach run kinematics and handspring kinematics that relate directly to the position of the springboard. Therefore, kinematics of N = 14 female expert gymnasts’ handsprings on vault and their approach runs were examined while manipulating the position of the springboard. The results revealed that expert gymnasts placed their feet on average in the same position on the springboard and adapted to the springboard position during the last three steps of the approach run. A smaller springboard distance to the front edge of the vaulting table resulted in a different hand placement on the vaulting table, a shorter first flight phase, a take-off angle closer to 90° and a longer second flight phase. Findings suggest that the position of the springboard is a relevant informational source in gymnastics vaulting. We state that knowledge about relationships between informational sources in the environment and the resulting regulatory processes in athletes may help coaches to develop specific training programmes in order to optimize performance in complex skills.

Rate control and quality assurance during rhythmic force tracking.

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Huang, Cheng-Ya; Su, Jyong-Huei; Hwang, Ing-Shiou

2014-02-01

Movement characteristics can be coded in the single neurons or in the summed activity of neural populations. However, whether neural oscillations are conditional to the frequency demand and task quality of rhythmic force regulation is still unclear. This study was undertaken to investigate EEG dynamics and behavior correlates during force-tracking at different target rates. Fourteen healthy volunteers conducted load-varying isometric abduction of the index finger by coupling the force output to sinusoidal targets at 0.5 Hz, 1.0 Hz, and 2.0 Hz. Our results showed that frequency demand significantly affected EEG delta oscillation (1-4 Hz) in the C3, CP3, CPz, and CP4 electrodes, with the greatest delta power and lowest delta peak around 1.5 Hz for slower tracking at 0.5 Hz. Those who had superior tracking congruency also manifested enhanced alpha oscillation (8-12 Hz). Alpha rhythms of the skilled performers during slow tracking spread through the whole target cycle, except for the phase of direction changes. However, the alpha rhythms centered at the mid phase of a target cycle with increasing target rate. In conclusion, our findings clearly suggest two advanced roles of cortical oscillation in rhythmic force regulation. Rate-dependent delta oscillation involves a paradigm shift in force control under different time scales. Phasic organization of alpha rhythms during rhythmic force tracking is related to behavioral success underlying the selective use of bimodal controls (feedback and feedforward processes) and the timing of attentional focus on the target's peak velocity. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of rhythmic exercise performed to music on the rheological properties of blood in women over 60 years of age.

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Marchewka, Anna; Filar-Mierzwa, Katarzyna; Dąbrowski, Zbigniew; Teległó, Aneta

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of motor rehabilitation, in the form of rhythmic exercise to music, on the rheological characteristics of blood in older women. The study included 30 women (65-80 years of age), and the control group was comprised of 10 women of corresponding age. Women from the experimental group were subjected to a five-month rehabilitation program, in the form of rhythmic exercise performed to music (three 30-minute sessions per week); women from the control group were not involved in any regular physical activity. Blood samples from all the women were examined for hematological, rheological, and biochemical parameters prior to the study and five months thereafter. The rehabilitation program was reflected by a significant improvement of erythrocyte count and hematocrit. Furthermore, an improvement of erythrocyte deformability was observed by lower shear stress levels, while no significant changes were noted by the higher shear stress values. The rehabilitation resulted in a marked decrease of the aggregation amplitude while no significant changes were observed in aggregation index and total aggregation half-time. Additionally, the training regimen was reflected by a significant increase in the plasma viscosity, while no significant changes in fibrinogen levels were noted.

Effects of menarcheal age on the anterior cruciate ligament injury risk factors during single-legged drop landing in female artistic elite gymnasts.

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Kim, Kew-Wan; Lim, Bee-Oh

2014-11-01

Although numerous studies have demonstrated the relationship between maturation and lower extremity biomechanics during landing in team sport athletes, we are presently uninformed of any research that examined the single-legged drop landing biomechanics of gymnasts. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the menarcheal age on the lower extremity biomechanics during a single-legged drop landing in female artistic elite gymnasts. Twenty-two female artistic elite gymnasts, between 9 and 36 years of age, participated in this study. The participants were divided into two groups pre- (n = 11) and post- (n = 11) menarche and asked to perform a single-legged drop landing on top of a 30 cm platform and land on a force plate. The statistical analysis consisted of the multivariate analysis with the level of significance set at p < 0.05. The post-menarche group showed a decrease in their maximum knee flexion angle and increase in their maximum knee abduction angle, maximum internal tibial rotation angle, maximum knee abduction moment, and hamstring-quadriceps muscle activity ratio compared with the pre-menarche group during the single-legged drop landing. The post-menarche group showed an increased noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury risk, due to their greater knee loads, compared with the pre-menarche group.

Effect of rhythmic auditory stimulation on gait performance in children with spastic cerebral palsy.

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Kwak, Eunmi Emily

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to use Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS) for children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) in a clinical setting in order to determine its effectiveness in gait training for ambulation. RAS has been shown to improve gait performance in patients with significant gait deficits. All 25 participants (6 to 20 years old) had spastic CP and were ambulatory, but needed to stabilize and gain more coordinated movement. Participants were placed in three groups: the control group, the therapist-guided training (TGT) group, and the self-guided training (SGT) group. The TGT group showed a statistically significant difference in stride length, velocity, and symmetry. The analysis of the results in SGT group suggests that the self-guided training might not be as effective as therapist-guided depending on motivation level. The results of this study support three conclusions: (a) RAS does influence gait performance of people with CP; (b) individual characteristics, such as cognitive functioning, support of parents, and physical ability play an important role in designing a training application, the effectiveness of RAS, and expected benefits from the training; and (c) velocity and stride length can be improved by enhancing balance, trajectory, and kinematic stability without increasing cadence.

Modeling discrete and rhythmic movements through motor primitives: a review.

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Degallier, Sarah; Ijspeert, Auke

2010-10-01

Rhythmic and discrete movements are frequently considered separately in motor control, probably because different techniques are commonly used to study and model them. Yet the increasing interest in finding a comprehensive model for movement generation requires bridging the different perspectives arising from the study of those two types of movements. In this article, we consider discrete and rhythmic movements within the framework of motor primitives, i.e., of modular generation of movements. In this way we hope to gain an insight into the functional relationships between discrete and rhythmic movements and thus into a suitable representation for both of them. Within this framework we can define four possible categories of modeling for discrete and rhythmic movements depending on the required command signals and on the spinal processes involved in the generation of the movements. These categories are first discussed in terms of biological concepts such as force fields and central pattern generators and then illustrated by several mathematical models based on dynamical system theory. A discussion on the plausibility of theses models concludes the work.

The development of rhythmic abilities among of secondary school age pupils

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Chaskina O. V.

2016-07-01

Full Text Available this article is aimed to examine the system of development of rhythmic abilities. It is also studied and analyzed systems of development of rhythmicity of Jacques Dalcroze, V.A. Griner. The definition of the concept «rhythm» is revealed.

α-Oscillations in the monkey sensorimotor network influence discrimination performance by rhythmical inhibition of neuronal spiking.

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Haegens, Saskia; Nácher, Verónica; Luna, Rogelio; Romo, Ranulfo; Jensen, Ole

2011-11-29

Extensive work in humans using magneto- and electroencephalography strongly suggests that decreased oscillatory α-activity (8-14 Hz) facilitates processing in a given region, whereas increased α-activity serves to actively suppress irrelevant or interfering processing. However, little work has been done to understand how α-activity is linked to neuronal firing. Here, we simultaneously recorded local field potentials and spikes from somatosensory, premotor, and motor regions while a trained monkey performed a vibrotactile discrimination task. In the local field potentials we observed strong activity in the α-band, which decreased in the sensorimotor regions during the discrimination task. This α-power decrease predicted better discrimination performance. Furthermore, the α-oscillations demonstrated a rhythmic relation with the spiking, such that firing was highest at the trough of the α-cycle. Firing rates increased with a decrease in α-power. These findings suggest that α-oscillations exercise a strong inhibitory influence on both spike timing and firing rate. Thus, the pulsed inhibition by α-oscillations plays an important functional role in the extended sensorimotor system.

Model of rhythmic ball bouncing using a visually controlled neural oscillator.

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Avrin, Guillaume; Siegler, Isabelle A; Makarov, Maria; Rodriguez-Ayerbe, Pedro

2017-10-01

The present paper investigates the sensory-driven modulations of central pattern generator dynamics that can be expected to reproduce human behavior during rhythmic hybrid tasks. We propose a theoretical model of human sensorimotor behavior able to account for the observed data from the ball-bouncing task. The novel control architecture is composed of a Matsuoka neural oscillator coupled with the environment through visual sensory feedback. The architecture's ability to reproduce human-like performance during the ball-bouncing task in the presence of perturbations is quantified by comparison of simulated and recorded trials. The results suggest that human visual control of the task is achieved online. The adaptive behavior is made possible by a parametric and state control of the limit cycle emerging from the interaction of the rhythmic pattern generator, the musculoskeletal system, and the environment. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The study demonstrates that a behavioral model based on a neural oscillator controlled by visual information is able to accurately reproduce human modulations in a motor action with respect to sensory information during the rhythmic ball-bouncing task. The model attractor dynamics emerging from the interaction between the neuromusculoskeletal system and the environment met task requirements, environmental constraints, and human behavioral choices without relying on movement planning and explicit internal models of the environment. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Comparison between treadmill training with rhythmic auditory stimulation and ground walking with rhythmic auditory stimulation on gait ability in chronic stroke patients: A pilot study.

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Park, Jin; Park, So-yeon; Kim, Yong-wook; Woo, Youngkeun

2015-01-01

Generally, treadmill training is very effective intervention, and rhythmic auditory stimulation is designed to feedback during gait training in stroke patients. The purpose of this study was to compare the gait abilities in chronic stroke patients following either treadmill walking training with rhythmic auditory stimulation (TRAS) or over ground walking training with rhythmic auditory stimulation (ORAS). Nineteen subjects were divided into two groups: a TRAS group (9 subjects) and an ORAS group (10 subjects). Temporal and spatial gait parameters and motor recovery ability were measured before and after the training period. Gait ability was measured by the Biodex Gait trainer treadmill system, Timed up and go test (TUG), 6 meter walking distance (6MWD) and Functional gait assessment (FGA). After the training periods, the TRAS group showed a significant improvement in walking speed, step cycle, step length of the unaffected limb, coefficient of variation, 6MWD, and, FGA when compared to the ORAS group (p <  0.05). Treadmill walking training during the rhythmic auditory stimulation may be useful for rehabilitation of patients with chronic stroke.

Element nodes of sports equipment double back flip factions and double back flip hunched performed gymnast in floor exercise

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V.A. Potop

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Purpose: to identify the node elements of sports equipment double back somersault tuck and double back flip bent. To compare the two types of nodes for double somersault. Material : the study involved eight gymnasts (age 12 - 14 years. All finalists in the competition floor exercise - reserve team Romania. The method of video - computer research and method of postural orientation movements. Results : identified nodal elements of sports equipment double back somersault tuck and double back flip bent. In the preparatory phase of motor actions - launcher body posture for reaching is repulsive to flip. In the phase of basic motor action - animation body postures (double back somersault tuck and bent (bent double back flip. Exercises are performed on the ascending and descending parts of the flight path of the demonstration of individual maximum lift height common center of mass. In the final phase of motor actions - final body posture - steady landing. Conclusions : indicators of key elements of sports equipment acrobatic exercises contain new scientific facts kinematic and dynamic structures of motor actions. They are necessary for the development of modern training programs acrobatic exercises in step specialized base preparation.

Knowledge, Nutrition and Coaching Pedagogy: A Perspective from Female Brazilian Olympic Gymnasts

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Carly; Schiavon, Laurita Marconi; Bellotto, Maria Luisa

2017-01-01

It is acknowledged that knowledge and knowledge bases are an important part of coach and athlete learning and that the coach-athlete relationship is crucial to knowledge created, shared and used. This said knowledge about nutrition as constructed by elite gymnasts would seem particularly important in a culture long associated with weight control…

Simple neural substrate predicts complex rhythmic structure in duetting birds

Science.gov (United States)

Amador, Ana; Trevisan, M. A.; Mindlin, G. B.

2005-09-01

Horneros (Furnarius Rufus) are South American birds well known for their oven-looking nests and their ability to sing in couples. Previous work has analyzed the rhythmic organization of the duets, unveiling a mathematical structure behind the songs. In this work we analyze in detail an extended database of duets. The rhythms of the songs are compatible with the dynamics presented by a wide class of dynamical systems: forced excitable systems. Compatible with this nonlinear rule, we build a biologically inspired model for how the neural and the anatomical elements may interact to produce the observed rhythmic patterns. This model allows us to synthesize songs presenting the acoustic and rhythmic features observed in real songs. We also make testable predictions in order to support our hypothesis.

Predictive coding of music--brain responses to rhythmic incongruity.

Science.gov (United States)

Vuust, Peter; Ostergaard, Leif; Pallesen, Karen Johanne; Bailey, Christopher; Roepstorff, Andreas

2009-01-01

During the last decades, models of music processing in the brain have mainly discussed the specificity of brain modules involved in processing different musical components. We argue that predictive coding offers an explanatory framework for functional integration in musical processing. Further, we provide empirical evidence for such a network in the analysis of event-related MEG-components to rhythmic incongruence in the context of strong metric anticipation. This is seen in a mismatch negativity (MMNm) and a subsequent P3am component, which have the properties of an error term and a subsequent evaluation in a predictive coding framework. There were both quantitative and qualitative differences in the evoked responses in expert jazz musicians compared with rhythmically unskilled non-musicians. We propose that these differences trace a functional adaptation and/or a genetic pre-disposition in experts which allows for a more precise rhythmic prediction.

Genome-wide profiling of 24 hr diel rhythmicity in the water flea, Daphnia pulex: network analysis reveals rhythmic gene expression and enhances functional gene annotation.

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Rund, Samuel S C; Yoo, Boyoung; Alam, Camille; Green, Taryn; Stephens, Melissa T; Zeng, Erliang; George, Gary F; Sheppard, Aaron D; Duffield, Giles E; Milenković, Tijana; Pfrender, Michael E

2016-08-18

Marine and freshwater zooplankton exhibit daily rhythmic patterns of behavior and physiology which may be regulated directly by the light:dark (LD) cycle and/or a molecular circadian clock. One of the best-studied zooplankton taxa, the freshwater crustacean Daphnia, has a 24 h diel vertical migration (DVM) behavior whereby the organism travels up and down through the water column daily. DVM plays a critical role in resource tracking and the behavioral avoidance of predators and damaging ultraviolet radiation. However, there is little information at the transcriptional level linking the expression patterns of genes to the rhythmic physiology/behavior of Daphnia. Here we analyzed genome-wide temporal transcriptional patterns from Daphnia pulex collected over a 44 h time period under a 12:12 LD cycle (diel) conditions using a cosine-fitting algorithm. We used a comprehensive network modeling and analysis approach to identify novel co-regulated rhythmic genes that have similar network topological properties and functional annotations as rhythmic genes identified by the cosine-fitting analyses. Furthermore, we used the network approach to predict with high accuracy novel gene-function associations, thus enhancing current functional annotations available for genes in this ecologically relevant model species. Our results reveal that genes in many functional groupings exhibit 24 h rhythms in their expression patterns under diel conditions. We highlight the rhythmic expression of immunity, oxidative detoxification, and sensory process genes. We discuss differences in the chronobiology of D. pulex from other well-characterized terrestrial arthropods. This research adds to a growing body of literature suggesting the genetic mechanisms governing rhythmicity in crustaceans may be divergent from other arthropod lineages including insects. Lastly, these results highlight the power of using a network analysis approach to identify differential gene expression and provide novel

Primate beta oscillations and rhythmic behaviors.

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Merchant, Hugo; Bartolo, Ramón

2018-03-01

The study of non-human primates in complex behaviors such as rhythm perception and entrainment is critical to understand the neurophysiological basis of human cognition. Next to reviewing the role of beta oscillations in human beat perception, here we discuss the role of primate putaminal oscillatory activity in the control of rhythmic movements that are guided by a sensory metronome or internally gated. The analysis of the local field potentials of the behaving macaques showed that gamma-oscillations reflect local computations associated with stimulus processing of the metronome, whereas beta-activity involves the entrainment of large putaminal circuits, probably in conjunction with other elements of cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical circuit, during internally driven rhythmic tapping. Thus, this review emphasizes the need of parametric neurophysiological observations in non-human primates that display a well-controlled behavior during high-level cognitive processes.

High-frequency video capture and a computer program with frame-by-frame angle determination functionality as tools that support judging in artistic gymnastics.

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Omorczyk, Jarosław; Nosiadek, Leszek; Ambroży, Tadeusz; Nosiadek, Andrzej

2015-01-01

The main aim of this study was to verify the usefulness of selected simple methods of recording and fast biomechanical analysis performed by judges of artistic gymnastics in assessing a gymnast's movement technique. The study participants comprised six artistic gymnastics judges, who assessed back handsprings using two methods: a real-time observation method and a frame-by-frame video analysis method. They also determined flexion angles of knee and hip joints using the computer program. In the case of the real-time observation method, the judges gave a total of 5.8 error points with an arithmetic mean of 0.16 points for the flexion of the knee joints. In the high-speed video analysis method, the total amounted to 8.6 error points and the mean value amounted to 0.24 error points. For the excessive flexion of hip joints, the sum of the error values was 2.2 error points and the arithmetic mean was 0.06 error points during real-time observation. The sum obtained using frame-by-frame analysis method equaled 10.8 and the mean equaled 0.30 error points. Error values obtained through the frame-by-frame video analysis of movement technique were higher than those obtained through the real-time observation method. The judges were able to indicate the number of the frame in which the maximal joint flexion occurred with good accuracy. Using the real-time observation method as well as the high-speed video analysis performed without determining the exact angle for assessing movement technique were found to be insufficient tools for improving the quality of judging.

A multiresolution model of rhythmic expectancy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smith, L.M.; Honing, H.; Miyazaki, K.; Hiraga, Y.; Adachi, M.; Nakajima, Y.; Tsuzaki, M.

2008-01-01

We describe a computational model of rhythmic cognition that predicts expected onset times. A dynamic representation of musical rhythm, the multiresolution analysis using the continuous wavelet transform is used. This representation decomposes the temporal structure of a musical rhythm into time

Rhythmic walking interaction with auditory feedback

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Maculewicz, Justyna; Jylhä, Antti; Serafin, Stefania

2015-01-01

We present an interactive auditory display for walking with sinusoidal tones or ecological, physically-based synthetic walking sounds. The feedback is either step-based or rhythmic, with constant or adaptive tempo. In a tempo-following experiment, we investigate different interaction modes...

Rhythmic ganglion cell activity in bleached and blind adult mouse retinas.

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Menzler, Jacob; Channappa, Lakshmi; Zeck, Guenther

2014-01-01

In retinitis pigmentosa--a degenerative disease which often leads to incurable blindness--the loss of photoreceptors deprives the retina from a continuous excitatory input, the so-called dark current. In rodent models of this disease this deprivation leads to oscillatory electrical activity in the remaining circuitry, which is reflected in the rhythmic spiking of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). It remained unclear, however, if the rhythmic RGC activity is attributed to circuit alterations occurring during photoreceptor degeneration or if rhythmic activity is an intrinsic property of healthy retinal circuitry which is masked by the photoreceptor's dark current. Here we tested these hypotheses by inducing and analysing oscillatory activity in adult healthy (C57/Bl6) and blind mouse retinas (rd10 and rd1). Rhythmic RGC activity in healthy retinas was detected upon partial photoreceptor bleaching using an extracellular high-density multi-transistor-array. The mean fundamental spiking frequency in bleached retinas was 4.3 Hz; close to the RGC rhythm detected in blind rd10 mouse retinas (6.5 Hz). Crosscorrelation analysis of neighbouring wild-type and rd10 RGCs (separation distance rhythmic RGC spiking in these retinas is driven by a network of presynaptic neurons. The inhibition of glutamatergic ganglion cell input or the inhibition of gap junctional coupling abolished the rhythmic pattern. In rd10 and rd1 retinas the presynaptic network leads to local field potentials, whereas in bleached retinas additional pharmacological disinhibition is required to achieve detectable field potentials. Our results demonstrate that photoreceptor bleaching unmasks oscillatory activity in healthy retinas which shares many features with the functional phenotype detected in rd10 retinas. The quantitative physiological differences advance the understanding of the degeneration process and may guide future rescue strategies.

Now you hear it: a predictive coding model for understanding rhythmic incongruity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vuust, Peter; Dietz, Martin; Witek, Maria

2018-01-01

Rhythmic incongruity in the form of syncopation is a prominent feature of many contemporary musical styles. Syncopations afford incongruity between rhythmic patterns and the meter, giving rise to mental models of differently accented isochronous beats. Syncopations occur either in isolation or as...

Long-term intensive gymnastic training induced changes in intra- and inter-network functional connectivity: an independent component analysis.

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Huang, Huiyuan; Wang, Junjing; Seger, Carol; Lu, Min; Deng, Feng; Wu, Xiaoyan; He, Yuan; Niu, Chen; Wang, Jun; Huang, Ruiwang

2018-01-01

Long-term intensive gymnastic training can induce brain structural and functional reorganization. Previous studies have identified structural and functional network differences between world class gymnasts (WCGs) and non-athletes at the whole-brain level. However, it is still unclear how interactions within and between functional networks are affected by long-term intensive gymnastic training. We examined both intra- and inter-network functional connectivity of gymnasts relative to non-athletes using resting-state fMRI (R-fMRI). R-fMRI data were acquired from 13 WCGs and 14 non-athlete controls. Group-independent component analysis (ICA) was adopted to decompose the R-fMRI data into spatial independent components and associated time courses. An automatic component identification method was used to identify components of interest associated with resting-state networks (RSNs). We identified nine RSNs, the basal ganglia network (BG), sensorimotor network (SMN), cerebellum (CB), anterior and posterior default mode networks (aDMN/pDMN), left and right fronto-parietal networks (lFPN/rFPN), primary visual network (PVN), and extrastriate visual network (EVN). Statistical analyses revealed that the intra-network functional connectivity was significantly decreased within the BG, aDMN, lFPN, and rFPN, but increased within the EVN in the WCGs compared to the controls. In addition, the WCGs showed uniformly decreased inter-network functional connectivity between SMN and BG, CB, and PVN, BG and PVN, and pDMN and rFPN compared to the controls. We interpret this generally weaker intra- and inter-network functional connectivity in WCGs during the resting state as a result of greater efficiency in the WCGs' brain associated with long-term motor skill training.

Occupational exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and other flame retardant foam additives at gymnastics studios: Before, during and after the replacement of pit foam with PBDE-free foams.

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Ceballos, Diana M; Broadwater, Kendra; Page, Elena; Croteau, Gerry; La Guardia, Mark J

2018-07-01

Coaches spend long hours training gymnasts of all ages aided by polyurethane foam used in loose blocks, mats, and other padded equipment. Polyurethane foam can contain flame retardant additives such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), to delay the spread of fires. However, flame retardants have been associated with endocrine disruption and carcinogenicity. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) evaluated employee exposure to flame retardants in four gymnastics studios utilized by recreational and competitive gymnasts. We evaluated flame retardant exposure at the gymnastics studios before, during, and after the replacement of foam blocks used in safety pits with foam blocks certified not to contain several flame retardants, including PBDEs. We collected hand wipes on coaches to measure levels of flame retardants on skin before and after their work shift. We measured flame retardant levels in the dust on window glass in the gymnastics areas and office areas, and in the old and new foam blocks used throughout the gymnastics studios. We found statistically higher levels of 9 out of 13 flame retardants on employees' hands after work than before, and this difference was reduced after the foam replacement. Windows in the gymnastics areas had higher levels of 3 of the 13 flame retardants than windows outside the gymnastics areas, suggesting that dust and vapor containing flame retardants became airborne. Mats and other padded equipment contained levels of bromine consistent with the amount of brominated flame retardants in foam samples analyzed in the laboratory. New blocks did not contain PBDEs, but did contain the flame retardants 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate and 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromophthalate. We conclude that replacing the pit foam blocks eliminated a source of PBDEs, but not 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate and 2-ethylhexyl 2,3,4,5-tetrabromophthalate. We recommend ways to further minimize employee exposure

2. Rhythmical Creativity in Duple and Triple Meter of Students of Early-School Education in the Light of Their Stabilised Musical Aptitudes and Rhythm Readiness to Improvise

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Kołodziejski Maciej

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The article presents the results of (author's own research on the students of earlyschool education imitation and the rhythmical improvisation in the light of their stabilised musical aptitudes measured with Edwin E. Gordon's AMMA test and also Edwin E. Gordon's readiness to rhythm improvisation readiness record (RIRR. In the first part of the research the students imitated some rhythmical patterns diversified in terms of difficulty in duple and triple meter and the subsequent part concerned guiding the oral rhythmical dialogue (on the BAH syllable by the teacher with the application of various rhythmical motives in different metres. The students' both imitative and improvising performances were rated by three competent judges. What was undertaken was searching for the relations between musical aptitudes, improvisation readiness and the pupils' rhythmical imitation and improvisation abilities.

Traditional Gymnastic Exercises for the Pelvic Floor Often Lead to Bladder Neck Descent - a Study Using Perineal Ultrasound.

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Baeßler, Kaven; Junginger, Bärbel

2017-07-01

The aims of physiotherapy in stress incontinent women are to improve pelvic floor function and the continence mechanism including bladder neck support and urethral closure pressure. In Germany, traditional conservative treatment often includes gymnastic exercises with unclear effects on the bladder neck. The aim of this study was to sonographically assess bladder neck movements during selected exercises. Fifteen healthy, continent women without previous vaginal births, who were able to voluntarily contract their pelvic floor muscels performed the shoulder bridge, the abdominal press, tiptoe and the Pilates clam exercises. The first set was performed without any additional instructions. During the second set directions were given to activate the pelvic floor before beginning each exercise and to maintain the contraction throughout the exercise. Bladder neck movement was measured on perineal ultrasound using a validated method with the pubic symphysis as a reference point. The median age of participants was 32 years, median BMI was 23. Eight women were nulliparous and seven had given birth to 1 - 2 children via caesarean section. When exercises were performed without voluntary pelvic floor contraction the bladder neck descended on average between 2.3 and 4.4 mm, and with pelvic floor contraction prior to the exercise only between 0.5 and 2.1 mm (p > 0.05 except for abdominal press p = 0.007). The Pilates clam exercise and toe stand stabilised the bladder neck most effectively. Bladder neck descent often occurs during pelvic floor gymnastic exercises as traditionally performed in Germany, and a voluntary pelvic floor contraction during the exercises does not necessarily prevent this.

Examining the Potential of Web-Based Multimedia to Support Complex Fine Motor Skill Learning: An Empirical Study

Science.gov (United States)

Papastergiou, Marina; Pollatou, Elisana; Theofylaktou, Ioannis; Karadimou, Konstantina

2014-01-01

Research on the utilization of the Web for complex fine motor skill learning that involves whole body movements is still scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the introduction of a multimedia web-based learning environment, which was targeted at a rhythmic gymnastics routine consisting of eight fine motor skills, into an…

Rhythmic interaction in VR

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Erkut, Cumhur

2017-01-01

Cinematic virtual reality is a new and relatively unexplored area in academia. While research in guiding the spectator's attention in this new medium has been conducted for some time, a focus on editing in conjunction with spectator orientation is only currently emerging. In this paper, we consid...... in rhythm perception, and complement it with applications in traditional editing. Through the notion of multimodal listening we provide guidelines that can be used in rhythmic and sonic interaction design in VR....

Rhythmic EEG patterns in extremely preterm infants: Classification and association with brain injury and outcome.

Science.gov (United States)

Weeke, Lauren C; van Ooijen, Inge M; Groenendaal, Floris; van Huffelen, Alexander C; van Haastert, Ingrid C; van Stam, Carolien; Benders, Manon J; Toet, Mona C; Hellström-Westas, Lena; de Vries, Linda S

2017-12-01

Classify rhythmic EEG patterns in extremely preterm infants and relate these to brain injury and outcome. Retrospective analysis of 77 infants born Rhythmic patterns were observed in 62.3% (ictal 1.3%, PEDs 44%, other waveforms 86.3%) with multiple patterns in 36.4%. Ictal discharges were only observed in one and excluded from further analyses. The EEG location of the other waveforms (pRhythmic waveforms related to head position are likely artefacts. Rhythmic EEG patterns may have a different significance in extremely preterm infants. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Anaerobic power and muscle strength characteristics of 11 years old elite and non-elite boys and girls from gymnastics, team handball, tennis and swimming.

Science.gov (United States)

Bencke, J; Damsgaard, R; Saekmose, A; Jørgensen, P; Jørgensen, K; Klausen, K

2002-06-01

The aim of the present investigation was to study the possible effects of specificity of training on muscle strength and anaerobic power in children from different sports and at different performance levels in relation to growth and maturation status. Hundred and eighty-four children of both gender participating either in swimming, tennis, team handball or gymnastics were recruited from the best clubs in Denmark. Within each sport, the coach had divided the children into an elite (E) and non-elite (NE) group according to performance level and talent. Tanner stage assessment and body weight and height measurements were performed by a physician. The anaerobic performances were assessed by Wingate tests and jumping performance in squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ) and drop jump (DJ) from two heights. Most of the differences between groups in Wingate performance disappeared when the data were normalised to body mass. The gymnasts were the best jumpers and their superiority were increased in the more complex motor coordination tasks like DJ. The results may indicate some influence of training specificity, especially on the more complex motor tasks as DJ and there may be an effect of training before puberty. The performance in the less complex motor tasks like cycling and SJ and CMJ may also be influenced by specific training, but not to the same extent, and heritance may be an important factor for performance in these anaerobic tasks.

The Rise of Massage and Medical Gymnastics in London and Paris before the First World War.

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Quin, Grégory

2017-01-01

Massage and medical gymnastics experienced a rapid institutionalization across Europe and North America between 1850 and 1914. This article explores how this process took place in London and Paris. Physiotherapy developed many of the hallmarks of an independent discipline during this period, including an identified corpus of manipulations and exercises, some autonomous training courses and degrees for future practitioners, and even the creation of departments within several hospitals. The article analyzes all of the processes surrounding this rise, paying special attention to the influence of the ambassadors of Swedish gymnastics (which led to the re-invention of massage across Europe), to the installation of physiotherapy in hospitals in London and in Paris, and to the practical and institutional innovations driven by nurses in England and by doctors in France.

Circadian remodeling of neuronal circuits involved in rhythmic behavior.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Paz Fernández

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Clock output pathways are central to convey timing information from the circadian clock to a diversity of physiological systems, ranging from cell-autonomous processes to behavior. While the molecular mechanisms that generate and sustain rhythmicity at the cellular level are well understood, it is unclear how this information is further structured to control specific behavioral outputs. Rhythmic release of pigment dispersing factor (PDF has been proposed to propagate the time of day information from core pacemaker cells to downstream targets underlying rhythmic locomotor activity. Indeed, such circadian changes in PDF intensity represent the only known mechanism through which the PDF circuit could communicate with its output. Here we describe a novel circadian phenomenon involving extensive remodeling in the axonal terminals of the PDF circuit, which display higher complexity during the day and significantly lower complexity at nighttime, both under daily cycles and constant conditions. In support to its circadian nature, cycling is lost in bona fide clockless mutants. We propose this clock-controlled structural plasticity as a candidate mechanism contributing to the transmission of the information downstream of pacemaker cells.

Understanding Epileptiform After-Discharges as Rhythmic Oscillatory Transients.

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Baier, Gerold; Taylor, Peter N; Wang, Yujiang

2017-01-01

Electro-cortical activity in patients with epilepsy may show abnormal rhythmic transients in response to stimulation. Even when using the same stimulation parameters in the same patient, wide variability in the duration of transient response has been reported. These transients have long been considered important for the mapping of the excitability levels in the epileptic brain but their dynamic mechanism is still not well understood. To investigate the occurrence of abnormal transients dynamically, we use a thalamo-cortical neural population model of epileptic spike-wave activity and study the interaction between slow and fast subsystems. In a reduced version of the thalamo-cortical model, slow wave oscillations arise from a fold of cycles (FoC) bifurcation. This marks the onset of a region of bistability between a high amplitude oscillatory rhythm and the background state. In vicinity of the bistability in parameter space, the model has excitable dynamics, showing prolonged rhythmic transients in response to suprathreshold pulse stimulation. We analyse the state space geometry of the bistable and excitable states, and find that the rhythmic transient arises when the impending FoC bifurcation deforms the state space and creates an area of locally reduced attraction to the fixed point. This area essentially allows trajectories to dwell there before escaping to the stable steady state, thus creating rhythmic transients. In the full thalamo-cortical model, we find a similar FoC bifurcation structure. Based on the analysis, we propose an explanation of why stimulation induced epileptiform activity may vary between trials, and predict how the variability could be related to ongoing oscillatory background activity. We compare our dynamic mechanism with other mechanisms (such as a slow parameter change) to generate excitable transients, and we discuss the proposed excitability mechanism in the context of stimulation responses in the epileptic cortex.

Rhythmic Patterns in Ragtime and Jazz

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Odekerken, Daphne; Volk, A.; Koops, Hendrik Vincent

2017-01-01

This paper presents a corpus-based study on rhythmic patterns in ragtime and jazz. Ragtime and jazz are related genres, but there are open questions on what specifies the two genres. Earlier studies revealed that variations of a particular syncopation pattern, referred to as 121, are among the most

Effect of rhythmic auditory cueing on parkinsonian gait: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghai, Shashank; Ghai, Ishan; Schmitz, Gerd; Effenberg, Alfred O

2018-01-11

The use of rhythmic auditory cueing to enhance gait performance in parkinsonian patients' is an emerging area of interest. Different theories and underlying neurophysiological mechanisms have been suggested for ascertaining the enhancement in motor performance. However, a consensus as to its effects based on characteristics of effective stimuli, and training dosage is still not reached. A systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out to analyze the effects of different auditory feedbacks on gait and postural performance in patients affected by Parkinson's disease. Systematic identification of published literature was performed adhering to PRISMA guidelines, from inception until May 2017, on online databases; Web of science, PEDro, EBSCO, MEDLINE, Cochrane, EMBASE and PROQUEST. Of 4204 records, 50 studies, involving 1892 participants met our inclusion criteria. The analysis revealed an overall positive effect on gait velocity, stride length, and a negative effect on cadence with application of auditory cueing. Neurophysiological mechanisms, training dosage, effects of higher information processing constraints, and use of cueing as an adjunct with medications are thoroughly discussed. This present review bridges the gaps in literature by suggesting application of rhythmic auditory cueing in conventional rehabilitation approaches to enhance motor performance and quality of life in the parkinsonian community.

Behavior of physiological variables during a water gymnastics class in women DOI:10.5007/1980-0037.2010v12n1p43

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Mabel Micheline Olkoski

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to analyze the behavior of physiological variables and rating of perceived exertion (RPE during the different phases of a water gymnastics class. Seventeen female university students (age: 23 ± 3.5 years were evaluated in two steps: 1 incremental treadmill test (peak VO2 and HRmax; 2 assessment of body composition and achievement in the water gymnastics class (HR, VO2, [lac], and RPE. Descriptive statistics and repeated measures ANOVA with the post hoc Student-Newman-Keuls were used (p< 0.05. The results showed that both HR and VO2 differed significantly (p=0.000 between the three phases of the class. Blood lactate only differed significantly (p=0.001 between the early (1.55 mM and the main phase (3.58 mM. The mean RPE was 11 and total calorie expenditure was 262.10 kcal. In conclusion, the physiological variables studied and RPE vary significantly according to the phase of the water gymnastics class. In addition, the intensity of effort (HR, VO2 and [lac] obtained for the main phase is within the parameters established in the literature for aerobic exercise. Thus, regular water gymnastics classes with this structure may improve the physical condition of young adult women.

Strength Recovery Following Rhythmic or Sustained Exercise as a Function of Time.

Science.gov (United States)

Kearney, Jay T.

The relative rates of strength recovery subsequent to bouts of rhythmic or sustained isometric exercise were investigated. The 72 undergraduates who served as subjects were tested seven times within the framework of a repeated measures design. Each testing session involved two bouts of either rhythmic or sustained isometric exercise separated by a…

The impact of the perception of rhythmic music on self-paced oscillatory movements.

Science.gov (United States)

Peckel, Mathieu; Pozzo, Thierry; Bigand, Emmanuel

2014-01-01

Inspired by theories of perception-action coupling and embodied music cognition, we investigated how rhythmic music perception impacts self-paced oscillatory movements. In a pilot study, we examined the kinematic parameters of self-paced oscillatory movements, walking and finger tapping using optical motion capture. In accordance with biomechanical constraints accounts of motion, we found that movements followed a hierarchical organization depending on the proximal/distal characteristic of the limb used. Based on these findings, we were interested in knowing how and when the perception of rhythmic music could resonate with the motor system in the context of these constrained oscillatory movements. In order to test this, we conducted an experiment where participants performed four different effector-specific movements (lower leg, whole arm and forearm oscillation and finger tapping) while rhythmic music was playing in the background. Musical stimuli consisted of computer-generated MIDI musical pieces with a 4/4 metrical structure. The musical tempo of each song increased from 60 BPM to 120 BPM by 6 BPM increments. A specific tempo was maintained for 20 s before a 2 s transition to the higher tempo. The task of the participant was to maintain a comfortable pace for the four movements (self-paced) while not paying attention to the music. No instruction on whether to synchronize with the music was given. Results showed that participants were distinctively influenced by the background music depending on the movement used with the tapping task being consistently the most influenced. Furthermore, eight strategies put in place by participants to cope with the task were unveiled. Despite not instructed to do so, participants also occasionally synchronized with music. Results are discussed in terms of the link between perception and action (i.e., motor/perceptual resonance). In general, our results give support to the notion that rhythmic music is processed in a motoric

The impact of the perception of rhythmic music on oscillatory self-paced movements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mathieu ePeckel

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Inspired by theories of perception-action coupling and embodied music cognition, we investigated how rhythmic music perception impacts self-paced oscillatory movements. In a pilot study, we examined the kinematic parameters of self-paced oscillatory movements, walking and finger tapping using optical motion capture. In accordance with biomechanical constraints accounts of motion, we found that movements followed a hierarchical organization depending on the proximal/distal characteristic of the limb used. Based on these findings, we were interested in knowing how and when the perception of rhythmic music could resonate with the motor system in the context of these constrained oscillatory movements. In order to test this, we conducted an experiment where participants performed four different effector-specific movements (lower leg, whole arm and forearm oscillation and finger tapping while rhythmic music was playing in the background. Musical stimuli consisted of computer-generated MIDI musical pieces with a 4/4 metrical structure. The musical tempo of each song increased from 60 BPM to 120 BPM by 6 BPM increments. A specific tempo was maintained for 20s before a 2s transition to the higher tempo. The task of the participant was to maintain a comfortable pace for the four movements (self-paced while not paying attention to the music. No instruction on whether to synchronize with the music was given. Results showed that participants were distinctively influenced by the background music depending on the movement used with the tapping task being consistently the most influenced. Furthermore, eight strategies put in place by participants to cope with task were unveiled. Despite not instructed to do so, participants also occasionally synchronized with music. Results are discussed in terms of the link between perception and action (i.e. motor/perceptual resonance. In general, our results give support to the notion that rhythmic music is processed in a

Rhythmic finger tapping reveals cerebellar dysfunction in essential tremor.

Science.gov (United States)

Buijink, A W G; Broersma, M; van der Stouwe, A M M; van Wingen, G A; Groot, P F C; Speelman, J D; Maurits, N M; van Rootselaar, A F

2015-04-01

Cerebellar circuits are hypothesized to play a central role in the pathogenesis of essential tremor. Rhythmic finger tapping is known to strongly engage the cerebellar motor circuitry. We characterize cerebellar and, more specifically, dentate nucleus function, and neural correlates of cerebellar output in essential tremor during rhythmic finger tapping employing functional MRI. Thirty-one propranolol-sensitive essential tremor patients with upper limb tremor and 29 healthy controls were measured. T2*-weighted EPI sequences were acquired. The task consisted of alternating rest and finger tapping blocks. A whole-brain and region-of-interest analysis was performed, the latter focusing on the cerebellar cortex, dentate nucleus and inferior olive nucleus. Activations were also related to tremor severity. In patients, dentate activation correlated positively with tremor severity as measured by the tremor rating scale part A. Patients had reduced activation in widespread cerebellar cortical regions, and additionally in the inferior olive nucleus, and parietal and frontal cortex, compared to controls. The increase in dentate activation with tremor severity supports involvement of the dentate nucleus in essential tremor. Cortical and cerebellar changes during a motor timing task in essential tremor might point to widespread changes in cerebellar output in essential tremor. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Risk Factors for Knee Injuries in Children 8 to 15 Years: The CHAMPS Study DK.

Science.gov (United States)

Junge, Tina; Runge, Lisbeth; Juul-Kristensen, Birgit; Wedderkopp, Niels

2016-04-01

Knee injuries are frequent in children, with most studies reporting traumatic knee injuries. Evidence of risk factors for knee injuries in children is sparse. The purpose of this study was to report the extent of traumatic and overuse knee injuries in children and to evaluate intrinsic and extrinsic factors for risk of these injuries. Weekly musculoskeletal pain, sport participation, and sports type were reported by 1326 school children (8-15 yr). Knee injuries were classified as traumatic or overuse. Multinomial logistic regression was used for analyses. During the study period, 952 (15% traumatic and 85% overuse) knee injuries were diagnosed. Period prevalence for traumatic and overuse knee injuries were 0.8/1000 and 5.4/1000 sport participations, respectively. Participation in tumbling gymnastics was a risk factor for traumatic knee injuries (OR, 2.14). For overuse knee injuries, intrinsic risk factors were sex (girls OR, 1.38) and previous knee injury (OR, 1.78), whereas participation in soccer (OR, 1.64), handball (OR, 1.95), basket (OR, 2.07), rhythmic (OR, 1.98), and tumbling gymnastics (OR, 1.74) were additional risk factors. For both injury types, sport participation above two times per week increased odds (OR, 1.46-2.40). Overuse knee injuries were the most frequent injury type. For traumatic knee injuries, participation in tumbling gymnastics was a risk factor. Risk factors for overuse knee injuries were being a girl; previous knee injury; and participation in soccer, handball, basket, and rhythmic and tumbling gymnastics. Further risk factors for both types of injury were participation in sports above two times per week. Although growth-related overuse knee injuries are a self-limiting condition, a major part of children are affected by these injuries with unknown short- and long-term consequences.

Entrained rhythmic activities of neuronal ensembles as perceptual memory of time interval.

Science.gov (United States)

Sumbre, Germán; Muto, Akira; Baier, Herwig; Poo, Mu-ming

2008-11-06

The ability to process temporal information is fundamental to sensory perception, cognitive processing and motor behaviour of all living organisms, from amoebae to humans. Neural circuit mechanisms based on neuronal and synaptic properties have been shown to process temporal information over the range of tens of microseconds to hundreds of milliseconds. How neural circuits process temporal information in the range of seconds to minutes is much less understood. Studies of working memory in monkeys and rats have shown that neurons in the prefrontal cortex, the parietal cortex and the thalamus exhibit ramping activities that linearly correlate with the lapse of time until the end of a specific time interval of several seconds that the animal is trained to memorize. Many organisms can also memorize the time interval of rhythmic sensory stimuli in the timescale of seconds and can coordinate motor behaviour accordingly, for example, by keeping the rhythm after exposure to the beat of music. Here we report a form of rhythmic activity among specific neuronal ensembles in the zebrafish optic tectum, which retains the memory of the time interval (in the order of seconds) of repetitive sensory stimuli for a duration of up to approximately 20 s. After repetitive visual conditioning stimulation (CS) of zebrafish larvae, we observed rhythmic post-CS activities among specific tectal neuronal ensembles, with a regular interval that closely matched the CS. Visuomotor behaviour of the zebrafish larvae also showed regular post-CS repetitions at the entrained time interval that correlated with rhythmic neuronal ensemble activities in the tectum. Thus, rhythmic activities among specific neuronal ensembles may act as an adjustable 'metronome' for time intervals in the order of seconds, and serve as a mechanism for the short-term perceptual memory of rhythmic sensory experience.

Effects of rhythmic stimulus presentation on oscillatory brain activity: the physiology of cueing in Parkinson's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

te Woerd, Erik S; Oostenveld, Robert; Bloem, Bastiaan R; de Lange, Floris P; Praamstra, Peter

2015-01-01

The basal ganglia play an important role in beat perception and patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) are impaired in perception of beat-based rhythms. Rhythmic cues are nonetheless beneficial in gait rehabilitation, raising the question how rhythm improves movement in PD. We addressed this question with magnetoencephalography recordings during a choice response task with rhythmic and non-rhythmic modes of stimulus presentation. Analyses focused on (i) entrainment of slow oscillations, (ii) the depth of beta power modulation, and (iii) whether a gain in modulation depth of beta power, due to rhythmicity, is of predictive or reactive nature. The results show weaker phase synchronisation of slow oscillations and a relative shift from predictive to reactive movement-related beta suppression in PD. Nonetheless, rhythmic stimulus presentation increased beta modulation depth to the same extent in patients and controls. Critically, this gain selectively increased the predictive and not reactive movement-related beta power suppression. Operation of a predictive mechanism, induced by rhythmic stimulation, was corroborated by a sensory gating effect in the sensorimotor cortex. The predictive mode of cue utilisation points to facilitation of basal ganglia-premotor interactions, contrasting with the popular view that rhythmic stimulation confers a special advantage in PD, based on recruitment of alternative pathways.

Synthesis of asymmetric movement trajectories in timed rhythmic behaviour by means of frequency modulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Waadeland, Carl Haakon

2017-01-01

Results from different empirical investigations on gestural aspects of timed rhythmic movements indicate that the production of asymmetric movement trajectories is a feature that seems to be a common characteristic of various performances of repetitive rhythmic patterns. The behavioural or neural origin of these asymmetrical trajectories is, however, not identified. In the present study we outline a theoretical model that is capable of producing syntheses of asymmetric movement trajectories documented in empirical investigations by Balasubramaniam et al. (2004). Characteristic qualities of the extension/flexion profiles in the observed asymmetric trajectories are reproduced, and we conduct an experiment similar to Balasubramaniam et al. (2004) to show that the empirically documented movement trajectories and our modelled approximations share the same spectral components. The model is based on an application of frequency modulated movements, and a theoretical interpretation offered by the model is to view paced rhythmic movements as a result of an unpaced movement being "stretched" and "compressed", caused by the presence of a metronome. We discuss our model construction within the framework of event-based and emergent timing, and argue that a change between these timing modes might be reflected by the strength of the modulation in our model. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Rhythmic Auditory Cueing in Motor Rehabilitation for Stroke Patients: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoo, Ga Eul; Kim, Soo Ji

2016-01-01

Given the increasing evidence demonstrating the effects of rhythmic auditory cueing for motor rehabilitation of stroke patients, this synthesized analysis is needed in order to improve rehabilitative practice and maximize clinical effectiveness. This study aimed to systematically analyze the literature on rhythmic auditory cueing for motor rehabilitation of stroke patients by highlighting the outcome variables, type of cueing, and stage of stroke. A systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized controlled or clinically controlled trials was conducted. Electronic databases and music therapy journals were searched for studies including stroke, the use of rhythmic auditory cueing, and motor outcomes, such as gait and upper-extremity function. A total of 10 studies (RCT or CCT) with 356 individuals were included for meta-analysis. There were large effect sizes (Hedges's g = 0.984 for walking velocity; Hedges's g = 0.840 for cadence; Hedges's g = 0.760 for stride length; and Hedges's g = 0.456 for Fugl-Meyer test scores) in the use of rhythmic auditory cueing. Additional subgroup analysis demonstrated that although the type of rhythmic cueing and stage of stroke did not lead to statistically substantial group differences, the effect sizes and heterogeneity values in each subgroup implied possible differences in treatment effect. This study corroborates the beneficial effects of rhythmic auditory cueing, supporting its expanded application to broadened areas of rehabilitation for stroke patients. Also, it suggests the future investigation of the differential outcomes depending on how rhythmic auditory cueing is provided in terms of type and intensity implemented. © the American Music Therapy Association 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Analysis of amplitude-phase disturbances of Wolf's numbers rhythmic structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vojchishin, K.S.

1978-01-01

Statistical analysis of Wolf's number rhythmic structure has been carried out. Wolf's number time series is considered as a stochastic signal with irregular disturbances of rhythmic structure appearing because of random variability of single cycle parameters. A method and an algorythm for transforming the signal, to reduce all quasi-eleven-year cycles of mean-monthly Wolf's numbers to a signal mean duration, to find out and to eliminate rhythmic phase disturbances, are proposed. An estimate of the accuracy of the procedure is given. The results of calculations (on the mean duration range of cycles) of estimates of their mathematical expectation, dispersion and correlation function depending on time and its shift are given. The conclusion that Wolf's number time series may be treated as a sequence of stochastic cycles with randomly varying amplitude, duration and phase is grounded. A possibility for reducing the forecast of smoothed mean-monthly Wolf's numbers for one or more cycles ahead to the forecast of only three abovementioned parameters is pointed out

Sympathetic network drive during water deprivation does not increase respiratory or cardiac rhythmic sympathetic nerve activity.

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Holbein, Walter W; Toney, Glenn M

2013-06-15

Effects of water deprivation on rhythmic bursting of sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) were investigated in anesthetized, bilaterally vagotomized, euhydrated (control) and 48-h water-deprived (WD) rats (n = 8/group). Control and WD rats had similar baseline values of mean arterial pressure, heart rate, end-tidal CO2, and central respiratory drive. Although integrated splanchnic SNA (sSNA) was greater in WD rats than controls (P analysis of respiratory rhythmic bursting of sSNA revealed that inspiratory rhythmic burst amplitude was actually smaller (P analysis revealed that water deprivation had no effect on either the amplitude or periodicity of the cardiac rhythmic oscillation of sSNA. Collectively, these data indicate that the increase of sSNA produced by water deprivation is not attributable to either increased respiratory or cardiac rhythmic burst discharge. Thus the sympathetic network response to acute water deprivation appears to differ from that of chronic sympathoexcitation in neurogenic forms of arterial hypertension, where increased respiratory rhythmic bursting of SNA and baroreflex adaptations have been reported.

Effects of Musicality on the Perception of Rhythmic Structure in Speech

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Natalie Boll-Avetisyan

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Language and music share many rhythmic properties, such as variations in intensity and duration leading to repeating patterns. Perception of rhythmic properties may rely on cognitive networks that are shared between the two domains. If so, then variability in speech rhythm perception may relate to individual differences in musicality. To examine this possibility, the present study focuses on rhythmic grouping, which is assumed to be guided by a domain-general principle, the Iambic/Trochaic law, stating that sounds alternating in intensity are grouped as strong-weak, and sounds alternating in duration are grouped as weak-strong. German listeners completed a grouping task: They heard streams of syllables alternating in intensity, duration, or neither, and had to indicate whether they perceived a strong-weak or weak-strong pattern. Moreover, their music perception abilities were measured, and they filled out a questionnaire reporting their productive musical experience. Results showed that better musical rhythm perception ability was associated with more consistent rhythmic grouping of speech, while melody perception ability and productive musical experience were not. This suggests shared cognitive procedures in the perception of rhythm in music and speech. Also, the results highlight the relevance of considering individual differences in musicality when aiming to explain variability in prosody perception.

Relationships between early literacy and nonlinguistic rhythmic processes in kindergarteners.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozernov-Palchik, Ola; Wolf, Maryanne; Patel, Aniruddh D

2018-03-01

A growing number of studies report links between nonlinguistic rhythmic abilities and certain linguistic abilities, particularly phonological skills. The current study investigated the relationship between nonlinguistic rhythmic processing, phonological abilities, and early literacy abilities in kindergarteners. A distinctive aspect of the current work was the exploration of whether processing of different types of rhythmic patterns is differentially related to kindergarteners' phonological and reading-related abilities. Specifically, we examined the processing of metrical versus nonmetrical rhythmic patterns, that is, patterns capable of being subdivided into equal temporal intervals or not (Povel & Essens, 1985). This is an important comparison because most music involves metrical sequences, in which rhythm often has an underlying temporal grid of isochronous units. In contrast, nonmetrical sequences are arguably more typical to speech rhythm, which is temporally structured but does not involve an underlying grid of equal temporal units. A rhythm discrimination app with metrical and nonmetrical patterns was administered to 74 kindergarteners in conjunction with cognitive and preliteracy measures. Findings support a relationship among rhythm perception, phonological awareness, and letter-sound knowledge (an essential precursor of reading). A mediation analysis revealed that the association between rhythm perception and letter-sound knowledge is mediated through phonological awareness. Furthermore, metrical perception accounted for unique variance in letter-sound knowledge above all other language and cognitive measures. These results point to a unique role for temporal regularity processing in the association between musical rhythm and literacy in young children. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Scaphoid Stress Fracture in High-Level Gymnast: A Case Report

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J. C. Nakamoto

2011-01-01

Full Text Available We present the case of an 18-year-old high-level gymnast who sustained a stress fracture of the scaphoid associated with a distal radial epiphysiolysis. Clinical evaluation demonstrated decreased range of motion of the affected wrist and insidious pain on the snuffbox and tenderness on the distal radial physis. He was submitted to surgical treatment with scaphoid percutaneous fixation and radial styloid process in situ fixation. Clinical features improved, and he got back to competition 6 months after surgery without symptoms and with complete range of motion.

Principles of macro-methodic of junior female gymnasts’ training to sport exercises for gymnastic all round competitions at specialized basic stage

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V.A. Potop

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Purpose: working out of principles of junior female gymnasts’ macro-methodic training to sport exercises for all round competitions at stage of specialized basic training. Material: in the research 19 girl-gymnasts from reserve of combined team of Romania participated. Measurements and assessment of technical fitness at training sessions and in conditions of competitions were conducted at 120 training sessions (10 sessions a week. Results: we worked out and realized experimentally and in training sessions principles of macro-methodic training to gymnastic exercises. Macro-methodic of training is presented in structure of long-term programs of training for all round competitions. Macro-methodic is presented as combination of elements of motor, technical, didactic and technological structures of sport exercises (in the present article it was described on material of vaults of Yurchenko’s type. Conclusions: macro-methodic permits to state optimal algorithm of mastering of theoretical and practical materials at training sessions. Besides, it permits to demonstrate steady growth of sport results at competitions. With it individual-age features of junior female gymnasts, tendencies and specialists’ requirements are considered.

The effect of lower limb rehabilitation gymnastics on postoperative rehabilitation in elderly patients with femoral shaft fracture: A retrospective case-control study.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Si-Dong; Ning, Sheng-Hua; Zhang, Li-Hong; Zhang, Ying-Ze; Ding, Wen-Yuan; Yang, Da-Long

2016-08-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of lower limb rehabilitation gymnastics on postoperative rehabilitation in elderly patients with femoral shaft fracture after undergoing intramedullary nail fixation surgery.We collected medical records of elderly patients aged ≥ 60 years with femoral shaft fracture between 03/2010 and 03/2015 in Longyao County Hospital. Totally, 160 patients were identified and divided into the intervention group (n = 80) and the control group (n = 80). During the postoperative period, the intervention group received lower limb rehabilitation gymnastics treatment for 3 months, but the control group did not. All patients were routinely asked to return hospital for a check in the 1st postoperative week, as well as the 2nd week, the 1st month, and the 3rd month, after surgery. The clinical rehabilitation effect was evaluated by checking lower limb action ability, detecting the lower limb deep venous thrombosis (DVT), scoring muscle strength of quadriceps and visual analog scale (VAS) score, and performing satisfaction survey.At the 1st week and 2nd week after surgery, the clinical rehabilitation effect in the intervention group was better regarding lower limb action ability, lower limb DVT, muscle strength of quadriceps, VAS score, and patient satisfaction, as compared with the control group. However, there was no significant difference at the 1st month and the 3rd month after surgery when comparing the intervention group to the control group.In the early postoperative stage, lower limb rehabilitation gymnastics can effectively improve the recovery of lower limb function, beneficial to reducing postoperative complications such as lower limb DVT and muscle atrophy, and increasing patient satisfaction rate.

Rhythmic activity of feline dorsal and ventral spinocerebellar tract neurons during fictive motor actions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fedirchuk, Brent; Stecina, Katinka; Kristensen, Kasper Kyhl

2013-01-01

(without phasic afferent feedback). In this study, we compared the activity of DSCT and VSCT neurons during fictive rhythmic motor behaviors. We used decerebrate cat preparations in which fictive motor tasks can be evoked while the animal is paralyzed and there is no rhythmic sensory input from hindlimb......Neurons of the dorsal spinocerebellar tracts (DSCT) have been described to be rhythmically active during walking on a treadmill in decerebrate cats, but this activity ceased following deafferentation of the hindlimb. This observation supported the hypothesis that DSCT neurons primarily relay...

Simultaneous bilateral elbow dislocation with bilateral medial epicondyle fractures in a 13-year-old female gymnast with hyperlaxity

Science.gov (United States)

Bauer, Stefan; Dunne, Ben; Whitewood, Colin

2012-01-01

Bilateral simultaneous elbow dislocations are extremely rare and have only been described in 12 cases. In the paediatric population unilateral elbow dislocations are rare with 3–6% of all elbow injuries and there are only few studies describing this injury exclusively in children. There is only one case report of a paediatric patient who sustained a simultaneous bilateral elbow dislocation with medial epicondyle fractures. We present a second paediatric case of simultaneous bilateral elbow dislocation with associated displaced bilateral medial epicondyle fractures in a gymnast with joint hyperlaxity (3 of 5 Wynne-Davies criteria) treated with closed reduction and short-term immobilisation (3 weeks). The patient returned to full trampoline gymnastics between 4 and 5 months postinjury and made an uneventful recovery. PMID:23234820

The properties and interrelationships of various force-time parameters during maximal repeated rhythmic grip.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakada, Masakatsu; Demura, Shinichi; Yamaji, Shunsuke

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the properties and interrelationships of various force-time parameters including the inflection point for the rate of decline in force during a maximal repeated rhythmic grip. Fifteen healthy males (age M=21.5, SD=2.1 yr, height M=172.4, SD=5.7 cm, body mass M=68.2, SD=9.2 kg) participated in this study. Subjects performed a maximal repeated rhythmic grip with maximal effort with a target frequency of 30 grip.min(-1) for 6 min. The force value decreased linearly and markedly until about 70% of maximal strength for about 55 s after the onset of a maximal repeated rhythmic grip, and then decreased moderately. Because all parameters showed fair or good correlations between 3 min and 6 min, they are considered to be able to sufficiently evaluate muscle endurance for 3 min instead of 6 min. However, there were significant differences between 3 min and 6 min in the integrated area, the final force, the rate of the decrement constant (k) fitting the force decreasing data to y=ae(-kx)+b and the force of maximal difference between the force and a straight line from peak force to the final force. Their parameters may vary generally by the length of a steady state, namely, a measurement time. The final force value before finishing and the rate of the decrement constant (k) reflect the latter phase during a maximal repeated rhythmic grip. Although many parameters show relatively high mutual relationships, the rate constant (k) shows relatively low correlations with other parameters. We inferred that decreasing the time until 80% of maximal strength and the amount of the decrement force for the first 1 min reflect a linear decrease in the initial phase.

Effects of rhythmic stimulus presentation on oscillatory brain activity: the physiology of cueing in Parkinson’s disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erik S. te Woerd

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The basal ganglia play an important role in beat perception and patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD are impaired in perception of beat-based rhythms. Rhythmic cues are nonetheless beneficial in gait rehabilitation, raising the question how rhythm improves movement in PD. We addressed this question with magnetoencephalography recordings during a choice response task with rhythmic and non-rhythmic modes of stimulus presentation. Analyses focused on (i entrainment of slow oscillations, (ii the depth of beta power modulation, and (iii whether a gain in modulation depth of beta power, due to rhythmicity, is of predictive or reactive nature. The results show weaker phase synchronisation of slow oscillations and a relative shift from predictive to reactive movement-related beta suppression in PD. Nonetheless, rhythmic stimulus presentation increased beta modulation depth to the same extent in patients and controls. Critically, this gain selectively increased the predictive and not reactive movement-related beta power suppression. Operation of a predictive mechanism, induced by rhythmic stimulation, was corroborated by a sensory gating effect in the sensorimotor cortex. The predictive mode of cue utilisation points to facilitation of basal ganglia-premotor interactions, contrasting with the popular view that rhythmic stimulation confers a special advantage in PD, based on recruitment of alternative pathways.

Practical recommendations for the implementation of health technologies to enhance physical fitness of students in extracurricular classes during non-traditional gymnastics

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E.V. Fomenko

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Purpose : to develop practical recommendations for extracurricular classes nontraditional kinds of gymnastics to improve the organization of physical education teachers in schools. Material : in the experiment involved 358 students. Analyzed the available literature data. Results : a comparative analysis of physical fitness of students and practical recommendations for the non-traditional occupations gymnastics. Been a significant interest in physical education classes. Found that the main ways of improving physical education students may be the formation of the need for strengthening health facilities fitness aerobics, shaping, pilates. Conclusions : highlights the need to structure the problems they need and develop appropriate solutions.

Processes of change in the organisation of gymnastics in Denmark - from community to commercialism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Andorra Lynn; Ottesen, Laila; Thing, Lone Friis

on marketisation, consumerism, and being able to compete economically (Pedersen, 2011). Research question: How is Danish gymnastics developing in the sphere of state, market, and civil society, and what consequences does this have for the different forms of community? Methodically this question is examined...... consequences that affect the figuration especially in terms of the sense of community....

Comparison of rhythmic masticatory muscle activity during non-rapid eye movement sleep in guinea pigs and humans.

Science.gov (United States)

Kato, Takafumi; Toyota, Risa; Haraki, Shingo; Yano, Hiroyuki; Higashiyama, Makoto; Ueno, Yoshio; Yano, Hiroshi; Sato, Fumihiko; Yatani, Hirofumi; Yoshida, Atsushi

2017-09-27

Rhythmic masticatory muscle activity can be a normal variant of oromotor activity, which can be exaggerated in patients with sleep bruxism. However, few studies have tested the possibility in naturally sleeping animals to study the neurophysiological mechanisms of rhythmic masticatory muscle activity. This study aimed to investigate the similarity of cortical, cardiac and electromyographic manifestations of rhythmic masticatory muscle activity occurring during non-rapid eye movement sleep between guinea pigs and human subjects. Polysomnographic recordings were made in 30 freely moving guinea pigs and in eight healthy human subjects. Burst cycle length, duration and activity of rhythmic masticatory muscle activity were compared with those for chewing. The time between R-waves in the electrocardiogram (RR interval) and electroencephalogram power spectrum were calculated to assess time-course changes in cardiac and cortical activities in relation to rhythmic masticatory muscle activity. In animals, in comparison with chewing, rhythmic masticatory muscle activity had a lower burst activity, longer burst duration and longer cycle length (P motor activation in comparison to human subjects. © 2017 European Sleep Research Society.

Different corticospinal control between discrete and rhythmic movement of the ankle

OpenAIRE

Goto, Yumeno; Jono, Yasutomo; Hatanaka, Ryota; Nomura, Yoshifumi; Tani, Keisuke; Chujo, Yuta; Hiraoka, Koichi

2014-01-01

We investigated differences in corticospinal and spinal control between discrete and rhythmic ankle movements. Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in the tibialis anterior and soleus muscles and soleus H-reflex were elicited in the middle of the plantar flexion phase during discrete ankle movement or in the initial or later cycles of rhythmic ankle movement. The H-reflex was evoked at an intensity eliciting a small M-wave and MEPs were elicited at an intensity of 1.2 times the motor threshold of t...

Shared rhythmic subcortical GABAergic input to the entorhinal cortex and presubiculum.

Science.gov (United States)

Viney, Tim James; Salib, Minas; Joshi, Abhilasha; Unal, Gunes; Berry, Naomi; Somogyi, Peter

2018-04-05

Rhythmic theta frequency (~5-12 Hz) oscillations coordinate neuronal synchrony and higher frequency oscillations across the cortex. Spatial navigation and context-dependent episodic memories are represented in several interconnected regions including the hippocampal and entorhinal cortices, but the cellular mechanisms for their dynamic coupling remain to be defined. Using monosynaptically-restricted retrograde viral tracing in mice, we identified a subcortical GABAergic input from the medial septum that terminated in the entorhinal cortex, with collaterals innervating the dorsal presubiculum. Extracellularly recording and labeling GABAergic entorhinal-projecting neurons in awake behaving mice show that these subcortical neurons, named orchid cells, fire in long rhythmic bursts during immobility and locomotion. Orchid cells discharge near the peak of hippocampal and entorhinal theta oscillations, couple to entorhinal gamma oscillations, and target subpopulations of extra-hippocampal GABAergic interneurons. Thus, orchid cells are a specialized source of rhythmic subcortical GABAergic modulation of 'upstream' and 'downstream' cortico-cortical circuits involved in mnemonic functions. © 2018, Viney et al.

Source localization of rhythmic ictal EEG activity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beniczky, Sándor; Lantz, Göran; Rosenzweig, Ivana

2013-01-01

Although precise identification of the seizure-onset zone is an essential element of presurgical evaluation, source localization of ictal electroencephalography (EEG) signals has received little attention. The aim of our study was to estimate the accuracy of source localization of rhythmic ictal...... EEG activity using a distributed source model....

PENGEMBANGAN MODEL PEMBELAJARAN SENAM HEALTY FUN UNTUK ANAK SLB DI KOTA MAGELANG

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Bernadeta Yovina Anggitasari

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The purpose of research is to produce healty Gymnastics Instructional Model Development Fun, Grade V and VI in SLB-C Magelang City. This research is the development of the procedures of product development; (1 analysis, (2 develop initial product form, (3 expert validation test, (4 the first product revision, the revision of the product based on the evaluation of experts and trial I (20 students. Revised used for improvements to the initial product, (5 the trial II (30 students, (6 the revision of the final product is done based on the results of the field trials, (7 the results of a late model gymnastics healty fun for students of classes V and VI which is generated through the revision II trial. Based on the results of research trials I obtained a percentage of 87% (good, the expert evaluation is obtained percentage of 89% (good. II trial research results obtained by the percentage of 96% (excellent. From the trial I and II, there was an increase by a margin of 7%. It can be concluded that the development of gymnastics healty fun learning model can be used as an alternative to teachers provide learning materials rhythmic gymnastics penjasorkes particularly good for classes V and VI SLB-C in Magelang and gymnastic activities that teachers do on a regular basis

Projection of male fantasies: The creation of 'scientific' female gymnastics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bonde, Hans

2012-01-01

. Lindhard's importance in the history of gymnastics is mainly attributable to the fact that he had a huge influence in the ‘gendering’ of the behavioural codes of conduct and the formulation of a gender-specific movement programme aimed at the socialisation of boys and girls as well as men and women...... in accordance with the new gender roles of the emerging capitalist society with its strict division of education and labour between the two sexes. Lindhard clearly supported ‘difference-feminism’ in contrast to ‘resemblance-feminism’. These two concepts of femininity clashed in a fierce struggle in the inter...

Gender Differences on Attitudes and Participation in an Extracurricular Gymnastics Course among Greek University Students

Science.gov (United States)

Milosis, Dimitrios; Papaioannou, Athanasios G.; Siatras, Theophanis A.; Proios, Miltiadis; Proios, Michael

2015-01-01

The aims of the study were (a) to test the effectiveness of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to predict Greek university students' voluntary participation in an extracurricular gymnastics course, and (b) to evaluate gender differences. Two hundred sixty-three (127 female, 136 male) students participated in the study. Students' attitudes,…

Rhythmic Characteristics of Colloquial and Formal Tamil

Science.gov (United States)

Keane, Elinor

2006-01-01

Application of recently developed rhythmic measures to passages of read speech in colloquial and formal Tamil revealed some significant differences between the two varieties, which are in diglossic distribution. Both were also distinguished from a set of control data from British English speakers reading an equivalent passage. The findings have…

Biomechanical analysis of skilled female gymnasts' motor actions in vaulting «rondat fllick» with the new table [Biomekhanicheskij analiz dvigatel'nykh dejstvij kvalificirovannykh gimnastok v opornom pryzhke tipa «rondat-fliak» na snariade «pryzhkovyj stol»

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khmelnitska I.V.

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Biomechanics descriptions of technique of motive actions of gymnasts are presented. 20 gymnasts took part in an experiment. The analysis of 72 appearances of gymnasts and 144 supporting jumps is conducted. Errors are considered in the technique of motive actions of gymnasts at implementation of supporting jumps. It is marked that frequency of the use of supporting jump «Rondat Fllick» among all of supporting jumps is 40 %. It is set that the leading elements of motive structure of technique are biomechanics descriptions of the second phase of flight (duration, height of flight and landing distance.

Using an Artificial Neural Bypass to Restore Cortical Control of Rhythmic Movements in a Human with Quadriplegia

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Gaurav; Friedenberg, David A.; Annetta, Nicholas; Glenn, Bradley; Bockbrader, Marcie; Majstorovic, Connor; Domas, Stephanie; Mysiw, W. Jerry; Rezai, Ali; Bouton, Chad

2016-09-01

Neuroprosthetic technology has been used to restore cortical control of discrete (non-rhythmic) hand movements in a paralyzed person. However, cortical control of rhythmic movements which originate in the brain but are coordinated by Central Pattern Generator (CPG) neural networks in the spinal cord has not been demonstrated previously. Here we show a demonstration of an artificial neural bypass technology that decodes cortical activity and emulates spinal cord CPG function allowing volitional rhythmic hand movement. The technology uses a combination of signals recorded from the brain, machine-learning algorithms to decode the signals, a numerical model of CPG network, and a neuromuscular electrical stimulation system to evoke rhythmic movements. Using the neural bypass, a quadriplegic participant was able to initiate, sustain, and switch between rhythmic and discrete finger movements, using his thoughts alone. These results have implications in advancing neuroprosthetic technology to restore complex movements in people living with paralysis.

Effectiveness of the teaching of perceptual-motor practices and rhythmic movement on motor development in children with intellectual disability

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Behrouz Ghorban Zadeh

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Objective: Fundamental motor skills are the foundation of special skills. The purpose of this study was to study the effectiveness of the teaching of perceptual-motor practices and rhythmic movement on motor development in children with intellectual disability. Materials & Methods: In this quasi-excremental study, 30 children aged 7 to 10 years old were selected through random cluster sampling method from elementary schools in Tabriz city. They were homogenized in two experimental groups (perceptual-motor practices and rhythmic movement and one control group based on their age and IQ. Programs were held in 9 weeks, two sessions per week, and each session was 45 minutes. Before beginning the training and at the end of the last session, pre-test and post-test were conducted. In order to assess motor development TGMD-2 test was used, and to analyze data covariance and bonferroni postdoc test were used. Results: The results showed that both perceptual-motor practices and rhythmic movement groups performed better in locomotors and object control skills than the control group (P&le 0.05 and there was no significant difference between these two groups  (P&ge0.05Perceptual-motor skills training group had a greater impact on the development of control object skills than rhythmic movement group. Program rhythmic movement group had a greater impact on the development of object control skills than the control group. Conclusion: According to the results, educational programs which are used can be as an appropriate experiencing motion for children. These programs can be used at schools to to provide suitable program and the opportunity for training and developing motor skills.

Time-varying spectral analysis revealing differential effects of sevoflurane anaesthesia: non-rhythmic-to-rhythmic ratio.

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Lin, Y-T; Wu, H-T; Tsao, J; Yien, H-W; Hseu, S-S

2014-02-01

Heart rate variability (HRV) may reflect various physiological dynamics. In particular, variation of R-R peak interval (RRI) of electrocardiography appears regularly oscillatory in deeper levels of anaesthesia and less regular in lighter levels of anaesthesia. We proposed a new index, non-rhythmic-to-rhythmic ratio (NRR), to quantify this feature and investigated its potential to estimate depth of anaesthesia. Thirty-one female patients were enrolled in this prospective study. The oscillatory pattern transition of RRI was visualised by the time-varying power spectrum and quantified by NRR. The prediction of anaesthetic events, including skin incision, first reaction of motor movement during emergence period, loss of consciousness (LOC) and return of consciousness (ROC) by NRR were evaluated by serial prediction probability (PK ) analysis; the ability to predict the decrease of effect-site sevoflurane concentration was also evaluated. The results were compared with Bispectral Index (BIS). NRR well-predicted first reaction (PK  > 0.90) 30 s ahead, earlier than BIS and significantly better than HRV indices. NRR well-correlated with sevoflurane concentration, although its correlation was inferior to BIS, while HRV indices had no such correlation. BIS indicated LOC and ROC best. Our findings suggest that NRR provides complementary information to BIS regarding the differential effects of anaesthetics on the brain, especially the subcortical motor activity. © 2014 The Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Playing-related musculoskeletal disorders among icelandic music students: differences between students playing classical vs rhythmic music.

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Arnason, Kári; Arnason, Arni; Briem, Kristín

2014-06-01

Most research studies investigating the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders affecting musicians and music students have focused on classical music, while less is known about their prevalence in other music genres. The purpose of this study was to document cumulative and point prevalence of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMD) among music students in Iceland and, specifically, to identify differences between those studying classical vs rhythmic music. We hypothesized that students of classical music would report more frequent and more severe musculoskeletal disorders than students involved in rhythmic music, as classical instruments and composition typically require more demanding, sustained postures during practice and performance. A total of 74 students from two classical music schools (schools A and B) and 1 rhythmic school (school C) participated in the study by answering a questionnaire assessing PRMDs. The results showed that 62% of participants had, at some point in their musical career, suffered a PRMD. The cumulative prevalence was highest in music school A (71.4%) and lowest in music school C (38.9%). A statistically significant difference was identified between the cumulative prevalence of PRMD from schools A and B combined compared to music school C (p=0.019). Over 40% of participants reported a "current PRMD," and a significant difference was identified between the three schools (p=0.011), with the highest point prevalence being registered in music school A (66.6%) and the lowest in music school C (22.2%). The prevalence of PRMDs among Icelandic music students was high. The difference found between students who play classical vs rhythmic music may be explained by different demands of the instruments and composition on playing posture.

Corpus-Based Rhythmic Pattern Analysis of Ragtime Syncopation

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Koops, Hendrik Vincent; Volk, A.; de Haas, W.B.

2015-01-01

This paper presents a corpus-based study on rhythmic patterns in the RAG-collection of approximately 11.000 symbolically encoded ragtime pieces. While characteristic musical features that define ragtime as a genre have been debated since its inception, musicologists argue that specific syncopation

Effects of rhythmic stimulus presentation on oscillatory brain activity: the physiology of cueing in Parkinson’s disease

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te Woerd, Erik S.; Oostenveld, Robert; Bloem, Bastiaan R.; de Lange, Floris P.; Praamstra, Peter

2015-01-01

The basal ganglia play an important role in beat perception and patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) are impaired in perception of beat-based rhythms. Rhythmic cues are nonetheless beneficial in gait rehabilitation, raising the question how rhythm improves movement in PD. We addressed this question with magnetoencephalography recordings during a choice response task with rhythmic and non-rhythmic modes of stimulus presentation. Analyses focused on (i) entrainment of slow oscillations, (ii) ...

A method for discrimination of noise and EMG signal regions recorded during rhythmic behaviors.

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Ying, Rex; Wall, Christine E

2016-12-08

Analyses of muscular activity during rhythmic behaviors provide critical data for biomechanical studies. Electrical potentials measured from muscles using electromyography (EMG) require discrimination of noise regions as the first step in analysis. An experienced analyst can accurately identify the onset and offset of EMG but this process takes hours to analyze a short (10-15s) record of rhythmic EMG bursts. Existing computational techniques reduce this time but have limitations. These include a universal threshold for delimiting noise regions (i.e., a single signal value for identifying the EMG signal onset and offset), pre-processing using wide time intervals that dampen sensitivity for EMG signal characteristics, poor performance when a low frequency component (e.g., DC offset) is present, and high computational complexity leading to lack of time efficiency. We present a new statistical method and MATLAB script (EMG-Extractor) that includes an adaptive algorithm to discriminate noise regions from EMG that avoids these limitations and allows for multi-channel datasets to be processed. We evaluate the EMG-Extractor with EMG data on mammalian jaw-adductor muscles during mastication, a rhythmic behavior typified by low amplitude onsets/offsets and complex signal pattern. The EMG-Extractor consistently and accurately distinguishes noise from EMG in a manner similar to that of an experienced analyst. It outputs the raw EMG signal region in a form ready for further analysis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[The comprehensive approach to the rehabilitative treatment of junior athletes].

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Stepanenko, N P; Levitskaya, T E; Tsekhmeistruk, E A; Tren'kaeva, N A; Tyulyupo, S V; Dostovalova, O V; Kremeno, S V; Shakhova, S S; Chekcheeva, V D

The objective of the present study was the development of the comprehensive program for the medico-psychological follow-up of the male and female junior athletes (rhythmic gymnastics) with the purpose of stabilizing their hormonal and emotional status, as well as improving sport performances based on the use of modern hardware-software technologies. The comprehensive examination of 72 female athletes at the mean age of 11.5±0.6 years attending R. Kuznetsov specialized school of rhythmic gymnastics of the Olympic reserve in the city of Seversk has been undertaken on the basis of Tomsk Research Institute of Balneology and Physiotherapy, the branch of Siberian Federal Research and Clinical Centre. The program of comprehensive medical psychological rehabilitation for the junior athletes of either sex engaged in sportive activities requiring precise technical actions has been elaborated. The method of the combined therapeutic treatment included physical exercises therapy, manual massage, dry carbonic bathtubs, psychological activities with the application of biological feedback trainings and cognitive trainings; it was intended for the correction of the hormonal status and the improvement of the psycho-emotional conditions of the athletes. The combined treatment based on the use of the modern hardware-software technologies was shown to promote the restoration and development of the psychophysical and psychological qualities of the male and female junior athletes indispensable for the maintenance of their high readiness for the efficient sports activities at the subsequent stages of the training cycle. In addition, such treatment enhances the adaptation resources of the athletes.

Quantitative estimation of the state of vault feet gymnasts on the different stages of the long-term training

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O.V. Makarova

2013-10-01

Full Text Available The analysis of the vaults given about the state is conducted feet gymnasts on the different stages of the long-term training. 93 sportswomen of different qualification took part in research. The system of Big foot was used. It is set that on the early stages of the long-term training for gymnasts observed flattening heights of unevenness of navicular bone above the floor. With growth of qualification of sportswomen to avoid development of pathological changes of vaults feet actually not possibly. It is conditioned the rules of competitions to complication of competition compositions and technique of execution of elements of calisthenics. It is marked that appearance of flattening feet requires: corrections in the system of training; introduction of the specially developed methods on the removal of existent deformations; prophylaxis of flat-footedness; strengthening of musculoskeletal system feet.

Neurobiological foundations of neurologic music therapy: rhythmic entrainment and the motor system.

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Thaut, Michael H; McIntosh, Gerald C; Hoemberg, Volker

2014-01-01

Entrainment is defined by a temporal locking process in which one system's motion or signal frequency entrains the frequency of another system. This process is a universal phenomenon that can be observed in physical (e.g., pendulum clocks) and biological systems (e.g., fire flies). However, entrainment can also be observed between human sensory and motor systems. The function of rhythmic entrainment in rehabilitative training and learning was established for the first time by Thaut and colleagues in several research studies in the early 1990s. It was shown that the inherent periodicity of auditory rhythmic patterns could entrain movement patterns in patients with movement disorders (see for a review: Thaut et al., 1999). Physiological, kinematic, and behavioral movement analysis showed very quickly that entrainment cues not only changed the timing of movement but also improved spatial and force parameters. Mathematical models have shown that anticipatory rhythmic templates as critical time constraints can result in the complete specification of the dynamics of a movement over the entire movement cycle, thereby optimizing motor planning and execution. Furthermore, temporal rhythmic entrainment has been successfully extended into applications in cognitive rehabilitation and speech and language rehabilitation, and thus become one of the major neurological mechanisms linking music and rhythm to brain rehabilitation. These findings provided a scientific basis for the development of neurologic music therapy.

Neurobiological foundations of neurologic music therapy: rhythmic entrainment and the motor system

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Thaut, Michael H.; McIntosh, Gerald C.; Hoemberg, Volker

2015-01-01

Entrainment is defined by a temporal locking process in which one system’s motion or signal frequency entrains the frequency of another system. This process is a universal phenomenon that can be observed in physical (e.g., pendulum clocks) and biological systems (e.g., fire flies). However, entrainment can also be observed between human sensory and motor systems. The function of rhythmic entrainment in rehabilitative training and learning was established for the first time by Thaut and colleagues in several research studies in the early 1990s. It was shown that the inherent periodicity of auditory rhythmic patterns could entrain movement patterns in patients with movement disorders (see for a review: Thaut et al., 1999). Physiological, kinematic, and behavioral movement analysis showed very quickly that entrainment cues not only changed the timing of movement but also improved spatial and force parameters. Mathematical models have shown that anticipatory rhythmic templates as critical time constraints can result in the complete specification of the dynamics of a movement over the entire movement cycle, thereby optimizing motor planning and execution. Furthermore, temporal rhythmic entrainment has been successfully extended into applications in cognitive rehabilitation and speech and language rehabilitation, and thus become one of the major neurological mechanisms linking music and rhythm to brain rehabilitation. These findings provided a scientific basis for the development of neurologic music therapy. PMID:25774137

Neurobiological Foundations of Neurologic Music Therapy: Rhythmic Entrainment and the Motor System

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Michael eThaut

2015-02-01

Full Text Available AbstractEntrainment is defined by a temporal locking process in which one system’s motion or signal frequency entrains the frequency of another system. This process is a universal phenomenon that can be observed in physical (e.g., pendulum clocks and biological systems (e.g. fire flies. However, entrainment can also be observed between human sensory and motor systems. The function of rhythmic entrainment in rehabilitative training and learning was established for the first time by Thaut and colleagues in several research studies in the early 1990s. It was shown that the inherent periodicity of auditory rhythmic patterns could entrain movement patterns in patients with movement disorders (see for a review: Thaut et al, 1999. Physiological, kinematic and behavioral movement analysis showed very quickly that entrainment cues not only changed the timing of movement but also improved spatial and force parameters. Mathematical models have shown that anticipatory rhythmic templates as critical time constraints can result in the complete specification of the dynamics of a movement over the entire movement cycle, thereby optimizing motor planning and execution. Furthermore, temporal rhythmic entrainment has been successfully extended into applications in cognitive rehabilitation and speech and language rehabilitation, and thus become one of the major neurological mechanisms linking music and rhythm to brain rehabilitation. These findings provided a scientific basis for the development of Neurologic Music Therapy.

Espondilólise e espondilolistese em ginastas jovens Spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis in young gymnasts

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Rafael Mohriak

2010-01-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Determinar a presença de espondilólise e espondilolistese em atletas de ginástica artística feminina e correlacionar com dor lombar, história de trauma e carga de treinamento. MÉTODO: Avaliação voluntária de 18 atletas de ginástica olímpica em nível competitivo de oito a 17 anos, com média de 11,3 anos. As ginastas responderam a um questionário em relação às suas atividades esportivas e foram submetidas a exame clínico e radiográfico da coluna lombar. RESULTADOS: A análise das radiografias foi realizada por ortopedistas especialistas em cirurgia de coluna vertebral, obtendo prevalência de 5,56% para espondilólise e não havendo casos de espondilolistese. CONCLUSÃO: A incidência das alterações radiográficas identificadas é semelhante à relatada na literatura para indivíduos não atletas e a lombalgia apontada pelas atletas não apresentou relação direta com a espondilólise ou espondilolistese.OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis in young, female gymnasts, and to correlate these with lumbar pain, history of trauma and training load. METHOD: A total of 18 would-be Olympic gymnasts, aged 8-17, with an average age of 11.3, were voluntarily evaluated. The Gymnasts were asked to complete a questionnaire about their sports activities, and were submitted to a clinical examination and lumbar spine radiography. RESULTS: The radiographies were analyzed by experienced specialists in surgery of the vertebral column, who found a 5.56% incidence of spondylolysis and no cases of spondylolisthesis. CONCLUSION: The incidence of radiographic alterations identified remained close to those reported in the literature for non-athletic individuals, and the lumbalgia indicated by the athletes showed no direct relation with spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis.

Reflections on the Current Situation of Gymnastics Course in Primary Schools of Guangzhou City%广州市小学体操课开展现状反思

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

李顺文; 吴美华

2013-01-01

　　随着新课标的实施，体操项目在体育课中的开展也越来越少，体操项目的价值是不可置疑的，本文通过分析其中原因，为广州市小学体育课中顺利进行体操教学，提供一些参考建议。%With the implementation of new curriculum, gymnas-tics event is less and less in physical education, but the value of gymnastics event is not to be questioned. Through analyzing the causes, this paper provides some reference and suggestions for the smooth implementation of gymnastics teaching in primary school physical education in Guangzhou City.

RELACIÓN ENTRE LOS ELEMENTOS Y LA PUNTUACIÓN OBTENIDA EN LA MODALIDAD DE SUELO DE GIMNASIA ARTÍSTICA DEPORTIVA EN BEIJING 2008 [Relationship between elements and score in floor exercise, in Artistic Gymnastic, in the Beijing 2008 Olympics Games

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Marta Leyton Román

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Resumen En la Gimnasia Artística, el rendimiento viene determinado por la ejecución de una serie de movimientos con base en un modelo establecido y recogido en el Código de Puntuación. Con base en esto, el objetivo de nuestro trabajo es determinar si el número  y nivel de dificultades que componen el total de diagonales realizadas en un ejercicio de suelo predice e influye de manera positiva en la puntuación final del gimnasta. Para ello se realiza un estudio descriptivo con una metodología observacional, en el cual se analizan 16 ejercicios de suelo de los 16 gimnastas clasificados para la final individual de suelo de Gimnasia Artística Femenina y Masculina en los Juegos Olímpicos de Pekín 2008. Los resultados concluyen que el número de dificultades que componen el total de diagonales realizadas en un ejercicio de suelo no predice ni influye de manera positiva en la puntuación final del gimnasta. Los resultados muestran también que el nivel de dificultad tampoco predice ni influye de manera positiva en la puntuación final del gimnasta, excepto en el caso del    Nivel E. Palabras clave: Gimnasia Artística, código de puntuación, dificultad, análisis observacional.   Abstract In Artistic Gymnastics, the performance is determined by the execution of a series of movements based on a model established and gathered in the Code of Punctuation. Therefore, the aim of this research is to study if the number and level of difficulty composing all diagonals executed in floor exercise predicts and influences in a positive way the final punctuation of the gymnast. For this, a descriptive study was conducted with an observation method, in which 16 floor exercises of 16 gymnasts qualified for the individual final of floor were analyzed in Artistic Gymnastics in the Olympic Games of Peking 2008. The study  conclude that the number of difficulties composing all diagonals executed in a floor exercise neither predicts nor influences in a

PKA Controls Calcium Influx into Motor Neurons during a Rhythmic Behavior

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Wang, Han; Sieburth, Derek

2013-01-01

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) has been implicated in the execution of diverse rhythmic behaviors, but how cAMP functions in neurons to generate behavioral outputs remains unclear. During the defecation motor program in C. elegans, a peptide released from the pacemaker (the intestine) rhythmically excites the GABAergic neurons that control enteric muscle contractions by activating a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling pathway that is dependent on cAMP. Here, we show that the C. elegans PKA catalytic subunit, KIN-1, is the sole cAMP target in this pathway and that PKA is essential for enteric muscle contractions. Genetic analysis using cell-specific expression of dominant negative or constitutively active PKA transgenes reveals that knockdown of PKA activity in the GABAergic neurons blocks enteric muscle contractions, whereas constitutive PKA activation restores enteric muscle contractions to mutants defective in the peptidergic signaling pathway. Using real-time, in vivo calcium imaging, we find that PKA activity in the GABAergic neurons is essential for the generation of synaptic calcium transients that drive GABA release. In addition, constitutively active PKA increases the duration of calcium transients and causes ectopic calcium transients that can trigger out-of-phase enteric muscle contractions. Finally, we show that the voltage-gated calcium channels UNC-2 and EGL-19, but not CCA-1 function downstream of PKA to promote enteric muscle contractions and rhythmic calcium influx in the GABAergic neurons. Thus, our results suggest that PKA activates neurons during a rhythmic behavior by promoting presynaptic calcium influx through specific voltage-gated calcium channels. PMID:24086161

PKA controls calcium influx into motor neurons during a rhythmic behavior.

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Han Wang

Full Text Available Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP has been implicated in the execution of diverse rhythmic behaviors, but how cAMP functions in neurons to generate behavioral outputs remains unclear. During the defecation motor program in C. elegans, a peptide released from the pacemaker (the intestine rhythmically excites the GABAergic neurons that control enteric muscle contractions by activating a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR signaling pathway that is dependent on cAMP. Here, we show that the C. elegans PKA catalytic subunit, KIN-1, is the sole cAMP target in this pathway and that PKA is essential for enteric muscle contractions. Genetic analysis using cell-specific expression of dominant negative or constitutively active PKA transgenes reveals that knockdown of PKA activity in the GABAergic neurons blocks enteric muscle contractions, whereas constitutive PKA activation restores enteric muscle contractions to mutants defective in the peptidergic signaling pathway. Using real-time, in vivo calcium imaging, we find that PKA activity in the GABAergic neurons is essential for the generation of synaptic calcium transients that drive GABA release. In addition, constitutively active PKA increases the duration of calcium transients and causes ectopic calcium transients that can trigger out-of-phase enteric muscle contractions. Finally, we show that the voltage-gated calcium channels UNC-2 and EGL-19, but not CCA-1 function downstream of PKA to promote enteric muscle contractions and rhythmic calcium influx in the GABAergic neurons. Thus, our results suggest that PKA activates neurons during a rhythmic behavior by promoting presynaptic calcium influx through specific voltage-gated calcium channels.

The Edit Distance as a Measure of Perceived Rhythmic Similarity

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Olaf Post

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The ‘edit distance’ (or ‘Levenshtein distance’ measure of distance between two data sets is defined as the minimum number of editing operations – insertions, deletions, and substitutions – that are required to transform one data set to the other (Orpen and Huron, 1992. This measure of distance has been applied frequently and successfully in music information retrieval, but rarely in predicting human perception of distance. In this study, we investigate the effectiveness of the edit distance as a predictor of perceived rhythmic dissimilarity under simple rhythmic alterations. Approaching rhythms as a set of pulses that are either onsets or silences, we study two types of alterations. The first experiment is designed to test the model’s accuracy for rhythms that are relatively similar; whether rhythmic variations with the same edit distance to a source rhythm are also perceived as relatively similar by human subjects. In addition, we observe whether the salience of an edit operation is affected by its metric placement in the rhythm. Instead of using a rhythm that regularly subdivides a 4/4 meter, our source rhythm is a syncopated 16-pulse rhythm, the son. Results show a high correlation between the predictions by the edit distance model and human similarity judgments (r = 0.87; a higher correlation than for the well-known generative theory of tonal music (r = 0.64. In the second experiment, we seek to assess the accuracy of the edit distance model in predicting relatively dissimilar rhythms. The stimuli used are random permutations of the son’s inter-onset intervals: 3-3-4-2-4. The results again indicate that the edit distance correlates well with the perceived rhythmic dissimilarity judgments of the subjects (r = 0.76. To gain insight in the relationships between the individual rhythms, the results are also presented by means of graphic phylogenetic trees.

MEG time-frequency analyses for pre- and post-surgical evaluation of patients with epileptic rhythmic fast activity.

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Sueda, Keitaro; Takeuchi, Fumiya; Shiraishi, Hideaki; Nakane, Shingo; Asahina, Naoko; Kohsaka, Shinobu; Nakama, Hideyuki; Otsuki, Taisuke; Sawamura, Yutaka; Saitoh, Shinji

2010-02-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of surgery for epilepsy, we analyzed rhythmic fast activity by magnetoencephalography (MEG) before and after surgery using time-frequency analysis. To assess reliability, the results obtained by pre-surgical MEG and intraoperative electrocorticography were compared. Four children with symptomatic localization-related epilepsy caused by circumscribed cortical lesion were examined in the present study using 204-channel helmet-shaped MEG with a sampling rate of 600Hz. One patient had dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (DNT) and three patients had focal cortical dysplasia (FCD). Aberrant areas were superimposed, to reconstruct 3D MRI images, and illustrated as moving images. In three patients, short-time Fourier transform (STFT) analyses of MEG showed rhythmic activities just above the lesion with FCD and in the vicinity of DNT. In one patient with FCD in the medial temporal lobe, rhythmic activity appeared in the ipsilateral frontal lobe and temporal lateral aspect. These findings correlate well with the results obtained by intraoperative electrocorticography. After the surgery, three patients were relieved of their seizures, and the area of rhythmic MEG activity disappeared or become smaller. One patient had residual rhythmic MEG activity, and she suffered from seizure relapse. Time-frequency analyses using STFT successfully depicted MEG rhythmic fast activity, and would provide valuable information for pre- and post-surgical evaluations to define surgical strategies for patients with epilepsy.

Body dissatisfaction and sociodemographic, anthropometric and maturational factors among artistic gymnastics athletes

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Clara Mockdece NEVES

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the overall body dissatisfaction and in specific areas in adolescents who practice artistic gymnastic in elite and non-elite levels, and to analyze the influence of sociodemographic, anthropometric and maturational factors on body dissatisfaction. The research is characterized as transversal, quantitative, descriptive and correlational. The sample consisted of 285 adolescents, of both sexes, practicing gymnastics. They were divided into two groups: 245 non-elite athletes and 40 elite athletes. The participants were aged between 10 and 18 years (mean 12.86 ± 1.80 and were resident of the city of Três Rios-RJ. The assessment instruments were: Body Shape Questionnaire, Body Areas Scale, Critério de Classificação Econômica Brasil and socio-demographic questionnaire. Anthropometric and somatic maturation data were collected. The results showed that 24.9% of the non-elite athletes and 15% of elite athletes were dissatisfied with their body as a whole. For specific body areas, nonelite athletes were significantly more dissatisfied with their body area “weight” than the elite athletes. Sociodemographic and economic factors had no influence on overall body dissatisfaction. For non-elite athletes, only the body percentage of fat and somatic maturation were predictors for the overall body dissatisfaction and in specific areas, respectively. It was concluded that the non-elite athletes were more dissatisfied with their body and weight than the elite athletes.

Circadian clock-dependent and -independent rhythmic proteomes implement distinct diurnal functions in mouse liver.

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Mauvoisin, Daniel; Wang, Jingkui; Jouffe, Céline; Martin, Eva; Atger, Florian; Waridel, Patrice; Quadroni, Manfredo; Gachon, Frédéric; Naef, Felix

2014-01-07

Diurnal oscillations of gene expression controlled by the circadian clock underlie rhythmic physiology across most living organisms. Although such rhythms have been extensively studied at the level of transcription and mRNA accumulation, little is known about the accumulation patterns of proteins. Here, we quantified temporal profiles in the murine hepatic proteome under physiological light-dark conditions using stable isotope labeling by amino acids quantitative MS. Our analysis identified over 5,000 proteins, of which several hundred showed robust diurnal oscillations with peak phases enriched in the morning and during the night and related to core hepatic physiological functions. Combined mathematical modeling of temporal protein and mRNA profiles indicated that proteins accumulate with reduced amplitudes and significant delays, consistent with protein half-life data. Moreover, a group comprising about one-half of the rhythmic proteins showed no corresponding rhythmic mRNAs, indicating significant translational or posttranslational diurnal control. Such rhythms were highly enriched in secreted proteins accumulating tightly during the night. Also, these rhythms persisted in clock-deficient animals subjected to rhythmic feeding, suggesting that food-related entrainment signals influence rhythms in circulating plasma factors.

Speak on time! Effects of a musical rhythmic training on children with hearing loss.

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Hidalgo, Céline; Falk, Simone; Schön, Daniele

2017-08-01

This study investigates temporal adaptation in speech interaction in children with normal hearing and in children with cochlear implants (CIs) and/or hearing aids (HAs). We also address the question of whether musical rhythmic training can improve these skills in children with hearing loss (HL). Children named pictures presented on the screen in alternation with a virtual partner. Alternation rate (fast or slow) and the temporal predictability (match vs mismatch of stress occurrences) were manipulated. One group of children with normal hearing (NH) and one with HL were tested. The latter group was tested twice: once after 30 min of speech therapy and once after 30 min of musical rhythmic training. Both groups of children (NH and with HL) can adjust their speech production to the rate of alternation of the virtual partner. Moreover, while children with normal hearing benefit from the temporal regularity of stress occurrences, children with HL become sensitive to this manipulation only after rhythmic training. Rhythmic training may help children with HL to structure the temporal flow of their verbal interactions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interactive rhythmic auditory stimulation reinstates natural 1/f timing in gait of Parkinson's patients.

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Michael J Hove

Full Text Available Parkinson's disease (PD and basal ganglia dysfunction impair movement timing, which leads to gait instability and falls. Parkinsonian gait consists of random, disconnected stride times--rather than the 1/f structure observed in healthy gait--and this randomness of stride times (low fractal scaling predicts falling. Walking with fixed-tempo Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS can improve many aspects of gait timing; however, it lowers fractal scaling (away from healthy 1/f structure and requires attention. Here we show that interactive rhythmic auditory stimulation reestablishes healthy gait dynamics in PD patients. In the experiment, PD patients and healthy participants walked with a no auditory stimulation, b fixed-tempo RAS, and c interactive rhythmic auditory stimulation. The interactive system used foot sensors and nonlinear oscillators to track and mutually entrain with the human's step timing. Patients consistently synchronized with the interactive system, their fractal scaling returned to levels of healthy participants, and their gait felt more stable to them. Patients and healthy participants rarely synchronized with fixed-tempo RAS, and when they did synchronize their fractal scaling declined from healthy 1/f levels. Five minutes after removing the interactive rhythmic stimulation, the PD patients' gait retained high fractal scaling, suggesting that the interaction stabilized the internal rhythm generating system and reintegrated timing networks. The experiment demonstrates that complex interaction is important in the (reemergence of 1/f structure in human behavior and that interactive rhythmic auditory stimulation is a promising therapeutic tool for improving gait of PD patients.

Effect of Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation on Hemiplegic Gait Patterns.

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Shin, Yoon-Kyum; Chong, Hyun Ju; Kim, Soo Ji; Cho, Sung-Rae

2015-11-01

The purpose of our study was to investigate the effect of gait training with rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) on both kinematic and temporospatial gait patterns in patients with hemiplegia. Eighteen hemiplegic patients diagnosed with either cerebral palsy or stroke participated in this study. All participants underwent the 4-week gait training with RAS. The treatment was performed for 30 minutes per each session, three sessions per week. RAS was provided with rhythmic beats using a chord progression on a keyboard. Kinematic and temporospatial data were collected and analyzed using a three-dimensional motion analysis system. Gait training with RAS significantly improved both proximal and distal joint kinematic patterns in hip adduction, knee flexion, and ankle plantar flexion, enhancing the gait deviation index (GDI) as well as ameliorating temporal asymmetry of the stance and swing phases in patients with hemiplegia. Stroke patients with previous walking experience demonstrated significant kinematic improvement in knee flexion in mid-swing and ankle dorsiflexion in terminal stance. Among stroke patients, subacute patients showed a significantly increased GDI score compared with chronic patients. In addition, household ambulators showed a significant effect on reducing anterior tilt of the pelvis with an enhanced GDI score, while community ambulators significantly increased knee flexion in mid-swing phase and ankle dorsiflexion in terminal stance phase. Gait training with RAS has beneficial effects on both kinematic and temporospatial patterns in patients with hemiplegia, providing not only clinical implications of locomotor rehabilitation with goal-oriented external feedback using RAS but also differential effects according to ambulatory function.

[Relationship between anthropometric variables and muscle dysmorphia in gymnasts in the province of Alicante].

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Martínez Segura, Asier; Rizo Baeza, María Mercedes; Sánchez Ferrer, Marina; Reig García-Galbis, Manuel; Cortés Castell, Ernesto

2014-11-01

It shows a new study that examines if the anthropometric measurements can be used to classify the muscle dysmorphia (MD), in gymnasts who attend fitness room. Gymnasts were analyzed several weights rooms of Alicante (urban area of southeastern Spain), where the measurements were 141 males aged between 18-45 years, aiming to enhance their muscle mass. We had in mind the calculation of BMI (kg/m2), the somatotype (endomorphy, mesomorphy and ectomorphy) and have been classified potential cases of muscle dysmorphia, using the Muscle appareance satisfaction escale. The sample was composed of 68 normoweight; 66 overweight and 7 obese, classified as MD in a 25.0% the normoweight, 33.3% overweight and 85.7% of the obese (p=0.004 ). On the somatotype, the only component that presents differences between non-MD and MD is mesomorphy (p=0.024). Muscle dysmorphia is a concept clearly difficult psychological diagnosable using anthropometric measures. Mesomorphy is the only measure that is increased in the MD, and may be a parameter to aid in the diagnosis and follow-up to the MD. In addition, the risk of developing MD is increase with the degree of obesity. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) detect rhythmic groups in music, but not the beat.

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Honing, Henkjan; Merchant, Hugo; Háden, Gábor P; Prado, Luis; Bartolo, Ramón

2012-01-01

It was recently shown that rhythmic entrainment, long considered a human-specific mechanism, can be demonstrated in a selected group of bird species, and, somewhat surprisingly, not in more closely related species such as nonhuman primates. This observation supports the vocal learning hypothesis that suggests rhythmic entrainment to be a by-product of the vocal learning mechanisms that are shared by several bird and mammal species, including humans, but that are only weakly developed, or missing entirely, in nonhuman primates. To test this hypothesis we measured auditory event-related potentials (ERPs) in two rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta), probing a well-documented component in humans, the mismatch negativity (MMN) to study rhythmic expectation. We demonstrate for the first time in rhesus monkeys that, in response to infrequent deviants in pitch that were presented in a continuous sound stream using an oddball paradigm, a comparable ERP component can be detected with negative deflections in early latencies (Experiment 1). Subsequently we tested whether rhesus monkeys can detect gaps (omissions at random positions in the sound stream; Experiment 2) and, using more complex stimuli, also the beat (omissions at the first position of a musical unit, i.e. the 'downbeat'; Experiment 3). In contrast to what has been shown in human adults and newborns (using identical stimuli and experimental paradigm), the results suggest that rhesus monkeys are not able to detect the beat in music. These findings are in support of the hypothesis that beat induction (the cognitive mechanism that supports the perception of a regular pulse from a varying rhythm) is species-specific and absent in nonhuman primates. In addition, the findings support the auditory timing dissociation hypothesis, with rhesus monkeys being sensitive to rhythmic grouping (detecting the start of a rhythmic group), but not to the induced beat (detecting a regularity from a varying rhythm).

Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta detect rhythmic groups in music, but not the beat.

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Henkjan Honing

Full Text Available It was recently shown that rhythmic entrainment, long considered a human-specific mechanism, can be demonstrated in a selected group of bird species, and, somewhat surprisingly, not in more closely related species such as nonhuman primates. This observation supports the vocal learning hypothesis that suggests rhythmic entrainment to be a by-product of the vocal learning mechanisms that are shared by several bird and mammal species, including humans, but that are only weakly developed, or missing entirely, in nonhuman primates. To test this hypothesis we measured auditory event-related potentials (ERPs in two rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta, probing a well-documented component in humans, the mismatch negativity (MMN to study rhythmic expectation. We demonstrate for the first time in rhesus monkeys that, in response to infrequent deviants in pitch that were presented in a continuous sound stream using an oddball paradigm, a comparable ERP component can be detected with negative deflections in early latencies (Experiment 1. Subsequently we tested whether rhesus monkeys can detect gaps (omissions at random positions in the sound stream; Experiment 2 and, using more complex stimuli, also the beat (omissions at the first position of a musical unit, i.e. the 'downbeat'; Experiment 3. In contrast to what has been shown in human adults and newborns (using identical stimuli and experimental paradigm, the results suggest that rhesus monkeys are not able to detect the beat in music. These findings are in support of the hypothesis that beat induction (the cognitive mechanism that supports the perception of a regular pulse from a varying rhythm is species-specific and absent in nonhuman primates. In addition, the findings support the auditory timing dissociation hypothesis, with rhesus monkeys being sensitive to rhythmic grouping (detecting the start of a rhythmic group, but not to the induced beat (detecting a regularity from a varying rhythm.

Rhythmic finger tapping reveals cerebellar dysfunction in essential tremor

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Buijink, A. W. G.; Broersma, M.; van der Stouwe, A. M. M.; van Wingen, G. A.; Groot, P. F. C.; Speelman, J. D.; Maurits, N. M.; van Rootselaar, A. F.

Introduction: Cerebellar circuits are hypothesized to play a central role in the pathogenesis of essential tremor. Rhythmic finger tapping is known to strongly engage the cerebellar motor circuitry. We characterize cerebellar and, more specifically, dentate nucleus function, and neural correlates of

Rhythmic finger tapping reveals cerebellar dysfunction in essential tremor

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buijink, A. W. G.; Broersma, M.; van der Stouwe, A. M. M.; van Wingen, G. A.; Groot, P. F. C.; Speelman, J. D.; Maurits, N. M.; van Rootselaar, A. F.

2015-01-01

Cerebellar circuits are hypothesized to play a central role in the pathogenesis of essential tremor. Rhythmic finger tapping is known to strongly engage the cerebellar motor circuitry. We characterize cerebellar and, more specifically, dentate nucleus function, and neural correlates of cerebellar

A Rhythmic Musical Intervention for Poor Readers: A Comparison of Efficacy with a Letter-Based Intervention

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Bhide, Adeetee; Power, Alan; Goswami, Usha

2013-01-01

There is growing evidence that children with reading difficulties show impaired auditory rhythm perception and impairments in musical beat perception tasks. Rhythmic musical interventions with poorer readers may thus improve rhythmic entrainment and consequently improve reading and phonological skills. Here we compare the effects of a musical…

Sequentially allocated clinical trial of rhythmic stabilization exercises and TENS in women with chronic low back pain.

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Kofotolis, Nikolaos D; Vlachopoulos, Symeon P; Kellis, Eleftherios

2008-02-01

To examine the effectiveness of rhythmic stabilization exercises and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and their combination in treating women with chronic low back pain. Sequentially allocated, single-blinded and controlled study, with a two-month follow-up. The data were collected in a patient rehabilitation setting. A total of 92 women (34-46 years old) with chronic low back pain were studied. Sequential allocation was undertaken into four groups: ;rhythmic stabilization' (n=23), ;rhythmic stabilization - TENS' (n=23), TENS (n=23), and a placebo group (n = 23). Each programme lasted for four weeks. All outcome measures were assessed prior to, immediately after, four weeks and eight weeks post intervention. Data were obtained on functional disability, pain intensity, trunk extension range of motion, dynamic endurance of trunk flexion and static endurance of trunk extension. A total of 88 patients provided two-month follow-up data. The ;rhythmic stabilization' and the ;rhythmic stabilization - TENS' groups displayed statistically significant (Ppain intensity (ranging from 21.2 to 42.8%), trunk extension range of motion (ranging from 6.5 to 25.5%), dynamic endurance of trunk flexion and static endurance of trunk extension (ranging from 13.5 to 74.3%) compared with the remaining groups. The rhythmic stabilization programmes resulted in more gains in women with chronic low back pain regarding the present outcome variables compared with the other groups; therefore, its application in female chronic low back pain patients aged 34-46 years is recommended.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Effects on Athletes’ Cognitive Performance: An Exploratory Proof of Concept Trial

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Davimar Borduchi

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Among the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games unforgettable moments, one could not overlook performances by Phelps and Bolt, which challenge old premises about the maximum extension of individual supremacism in ultracompetitive modalities and the doping scandals. Different media channels resonated these two trends, with an unseen rise on discussions about traits and practices that may set ultrahigh performance athletes apart from the more ordinary ones. Yet, some key issues remain undebated. This paper aims to add to this debate, with a proof of concept trial, which investigates whether tDCS may serve as an aid for professional athletes. Ten professional athletes of three different modalities of (judo, N=4 athletes, swimming, N=3 athletes and rhythmic gymnastics, N=3 athletes received anodal stimulation (2mA for 20 minutes on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for ten consecutive weekdays. We observed a positive effect of tDCS in their cognitive performance, including a significant improvement in alternated, sustained and divided attention and in memory scores. We also observed a decrease in Beck Depression Inventory scores (4.50 points in this non-clinical population. These preliminary results suggest that tDCS sessions may translate into competitive advantages for professional athletes and recommend the deepening of the discussion on its ethical use in sports, which is ultimately tied to the wider debate around the risks and opportunities that neuromodulation brings to the table.

The Influence of Various Types of Water Gymnastics Upon the Exercise Capacity

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Dana BADAU

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Between the components of the physiological capacity and the practice degree of the physical exercise is a direct interrelation, which is influenced by a number of factors, out of which deployment environment with its features has a leading role. Determining the relationship between the effort capacity by heart rate changes during recovery after exercise, determining the body aerobic resistance level, as a result of the entertaining and recreational activities, specifically, performed in different environments: terrestrial and aquatic, using adapted exercises and innovative materials, that require various and specific efforts. The study was conducted during the academic year 2012-2013, with the female students in the first year of the non-profile faculties and comprised two experimental groups of 24 subjects each, from UMF Tg. Mures, who carried out specific water gymnastics activities, during physical education classes and a control group composed of 47 female students from Transilvania University of Brasov, who carried out the following: entertaining and recreational activities, application exercises, overall physical development free exercises or with portable objects. During the research, the Ruffier test was applied with target on the body aerobic resistance level. Following the research performance, the Ruffier index recorded the biggest difference of the averages of 1.75, after practicing aqua-pullpush-gym activities.

Systems Level Regulation of Rhythmic Growth Rate and Biomass Accumulation in Grasses

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Kay, Steve A. [Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)

2017-10-20

Objectives: Several breakthroughs have been recently made in our understanding of plant growth and biomass accumulation. It was found that plant growth is rhythmically controlled throughout the day by the circadian clock through a complex interplay of light and phytohormone signaling pathways. While plants such as the C4 energy crop sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) and possibly the C3 grass Brachypodium distachyon also exhibit daily rhythms in growth rate, the molecular details of its regulation remain to be explored. A better understanding of diurnally regulated growth behavior in grasses may lead to species-specific mechanisms highly relevant to future strategies to optimize energy crop biomass yield. Here we propose to devise a systems approach to identify, in parallel, regulatory hubs associated with rhythmic growth in C3 and C4 plants. We propose to use rhythmicity in daily growth patterns to drive the discovery of regulatory network modules controlling biomass accumulation. Description: The project is divided in three main parts: 1) Performing time-lapse imaging and growth measurement in B. distachyon and S. bicolor to determine growth rate dynamic during the day/night cycle. Identifying growth-associated genes whose expression patterns follow the observed growth dynamics using deep sequencing technology, 2) identifying regulators of these genes by screening for DNA-binding proteins interacting with the growth-associated gene promoters identified in Aim 1. Screens will be performed using a validated yeast-one hybrid strategy paired with a specifically designed B. distachyon and S. bicolor transcription factor libraries (1000 clones each), and 3) Selecting 50 potential growth regulators from the screen for downstream characterization. The selection will be made by using a sytems biology approach by calculating the connectivity between growth rate, rhythmic gene expression profiles and TF expression profile and determine which TF is likely part of a hub

Body Temperature Cycles Control Rhythmic Alternative Splicing in Mammals.

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Preußner, Marco; Goldammer, Gesine; Neumann, Alexander; Haltenhof, Tom; Rautenstrauch, Pia; Müller-McNicoll, Michaela; Heyd, Florian

2017-08-03

The core body temperature of all mammals oscillates with the time of the day. However, direct molecular consequences of small, physiological changes in body temperature remain largely elusive. Here we show that body temperature cycles drive rhythmic SR protein phosphorylation to control an alternative splicing (AS) program. A temperature change of 1°C is sufficient to induce a concerted splicing switch in a large group of functionally related genes, rendering this splicing-based thermometer much more sensitive than previously described temperature-sensing mechanisms. AS of two exons in the 5' UTR of the TATA-box binding protein (Tbp) highlights the general impact of this mechanism, as it results in rhythmic TBP protein levels with implications for global gene expression in vivo. Together our data establish body temperature-driven AS as a core clock-independent oscillator in mammalian peripheral clocks. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Classification of rhythmic locomotor patterns in electromyographic signals using fuzzy sets

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Thrasher Timothy A

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Locomotor control is accomplished by a complex integration of neural mechanisms including a central pattern generator, spinal reflexes and supraspinal control centres. Patterns of muscle activation during walking exhibit an underlying structure in which groups of muscles seem to activate in united bursts. Presented here is a statistical approach for analyzing Surface Electromyography (SEMG data with the goal of classifying rhythmic "burst" patterns that are consistent with a central pattern generator model of locomotor control. Methods A fuzzy model of rhythmic locomotor patterns was optimized and evaluated using SEMG data from a convenience sample of four able-bodied individuals. As well, two subjects with pathological gait participated: one with Parkinson's Disease, and one with incomplete spinal cord injury. Subjects walked overground and on a treadmill while SEMG was recorded from major muscles of the lower extremities. The model was fit to half of the recorded data using non-linear optimization and validated against the other half of the data. The coefficient of determination, R2, was used to interpret the model's goodness of fit. Results Using four fuzzy burst patterns, the model was able to explain approximately 70-83% of the variance in muscle activation during treadmill gait and 74% during overground gait. When five burst functions were used, one function was found to be redundant. The model explained 81-83% of the variance in the Parkinsonian gait, and only 46-59% of the variance in spinal cord injured gait. Conclusions The analytical approach proposed in this article is a novel way to interpret multichannel SEMG signals by reducing the data into basic rhythmic patterns. This can help us better understand the role of rhythmic patterns in locomotor control.

A Bootstrap Based Measure Robust to the Choice of Normalization Methods for Detecting Rhythmic Features in High Dimensional Data.

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Larriba, Yolanda; Rueda, Cristina; Fernández, Miguel A; Peddada, Shyamal D

2018-01-01

Motivation: Gene-expression data obtained from high throughput technologies are subject to various sources of noise and accordingly the raw data are pre-processed before formally analyzed. Normalization of the data is a key pre-processing step, since it removes systematic variations across arrays. There are numerous normalization methods available in the literature. Based on our experience, in the context of oscillatory systems, such as cell-cycle, circadian clock, etc., the choice of the normalization method may substantially impact the determination of a gene to be rhythmic. Thus rhythmicity of a gene can purely be an artifact of how the data were normalized. Since the determination of rhythmic genes is an important component of modern toxicological and pharmacological studies, it is important to determine truly rhythmic genes that are robust to the choice of a normalization method. Results: In this paper we introduce a rhythmicity measure and a bootstrap methodology to detect rhythmic genes in an oscillatory system. Although the proposed methodology can be used for any high-throughput gene expression data, in this paper we illustrate the proposed methodology using several publicly available circadian clock microarray gene-expression datasets. We demonstrate that the choice of normalization method has very little effect on the proposed methodology. Specifically, for any pair of normalization methods considered in this paper, the resulting values of the rhythmicity measure are highly correlated. Thus it suggests that the proposed measure is robust to the choice of a normalization method. Consequently, the rhythmicity of a gene is potentially not a mere artifact of the normalization method used. Lastly, as demonstrated in the paper, the proposed bootstrap methodology can also be used for simulating data for genes participating in an oscillatory system using a reference dataset. Availability: A user friendly code implemented in R language can be downloaded from http://www.eio.uva.es/~miguel/robustdetectionprocedure.html.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of rhythmic spinal interneurons measured with two-photon calcium imaging and coherence analysis.

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Kwan, Alex C; Dietz, Shelby B; Zhong, Guisheng; Harris-Warrick, Ronald M; Webb, Watt W

2010-12-01

In rhythmic neural circuits, a neuron often fires action potentials with a constant phase to the rhythm, a timing relationship that can be functionally significant. To characterize these phase preferences in a large-scale, cell type-specific manner, we adapted multitaper coherence analysis for two-photon calcium imaging. Analysis of simulated data showed that coherence is a simple and robust measure of rhythmicity for calcium imaging data. When applied to the neonatal mouse hindlimb spinal locomotor network, the phase relationships between peak activity of >1,000 ventral spinal interneurons and motor output were characterized. Most interneurons showed rhythmic activity that was coherent and in phase with the ipsilateral motor output during fictive locomotion. The phase distributions of two genetically identified classes of interneurons were distinct from the ensemble population and from each other. There was no obvious spatial clustering of interneurons with similar phase preferences. Together, these results suggest that cell type, not neighboring neuron activity, is a better indicator of an interneuron's response during fictive locomotion. The ability to measure the phase preferences of many neurons with cell type and spatial information should be widely applicable for studying other rhythmic neural circuits.

Use of Sine Shaped High-Frequency Rhythmic Visual Stimuli Patterns for SSVEP Response Analysis and Fatigue Rate Evaluation in Normal Subjects.

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Keihani, Ahmadreza; Shirzhiyan, Zahra; Farahi, Morteza; Shamsi, Elham; Mahnam, Amin; Makkiabadi, Bahador; Haidari, Mohsen R; Jafari, Amir H

2018-01-01

Background: Recent EEG-SSVEP signal based BCI studies have used high frequency square pulse visual stimuli to reduce subjective fatigue. However, the effect of total harmonic distortion (THD) has not been considered. Compared to CRT and LCD monitors, LED screen displays high-frequency wave with better refresh rate. In this study, we present high frequency sine wave simple and rhythmic patterns with low THD rate by LED to analyze SSVEP responses and evaluate subjective fatigue in normal subjects. Materials and Methods: We used patterns of 3-sequence high-frequency sine waves (25, 30, and 35 Hz) to design our visual stimuli. Nine stimuli patterns, 3 simple (repetition of each of above 3 frequencies e.g., P25-25-25) and 6 rhythmic (all of the frequencies in 6 different sequences e.g., P25-30-35) were chosen. A hardware setup with low THD rate ( 90% for CCA and LASSO (for TWs > 1 s). High frequency rhythmic patterns group with low THD rate showed higher accuracy rate (99.24%) than simple patterns group (98.48%). Repeated measure ANOVA showed significant difference between rhythmic pattern features ( P rhythmic [3.85 ± 2.13] compared to the simple patterns group [3.96 ± 2.21], ( P = 0.63). Rhythmic group had lower within group VAS variation (min = P25-30-35 [2.90 ± 2.45], max = P35-25-30 [4.81 ± 2.65]) as well as least individual pattern VAS (P25-30-35). Discussion and Conclusion: Overall, rhythmic and simple pattern groups had higher and similar accuracy rates. Rhythmic stimuli patterns showed insignificantly lower fatigue rate than simple patterns. We conclude that both rhythmic and simple visual high frequency sine wave stimuli require further research for human subject SSVEP-BCI studies.

Effects of Conducting Instruction on the Musical Performance of Beginning Band Students.

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Kelly, Steven N.

1997-01-01

Investigates the effects of conducting instruction on beginning band students' individual rhythmic performance, group rhythmic performance, group performance of legato and staccato, and group performance of phrasing and dynamics. The students represented diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Concludes the conducting instruction is a useful tool…

Advantages of melodic over rhythmic movement sonification in bimanual motor skill learning.

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Dyer, J F; Stapleton, P; Rodger, M W M

2017-10-01

An important question for skill acquisition is whether and how augmented feedback can be designed to improve the learning of complex skills. Auditory information triggered by learners' actions, movement sonification, can enhance learning of a complex bimanual coordination skill, specifically polyrhythmic bimanual shape tracing. However, it is not clear whether the coordination of polyrhythmic sequenced movements is enhanced by auditory-specified timing information alone or whether more complex sound mappings, such as melodic sonification, are necessary. Furthermore, while short-term retention of bimanual coordination performance has been shown with movement sonification training, longer term retention has yet to be demonstrated. In the present experiment, participants learned to trace a diamond shape with one hand while simultaneously tracing a triangle with the other to produce a sequenced 4:3 polyrhythmic timing pattern. Two groups of participants received real-time auditory feedback during training: melodic sonification (individual movements triggered a separate note of a melody) and rhythmic sonification (each movement triggered a percussive sound), while a third control group received no augmented feedback. Task acquisition and performance in immediate retention were superior in the melodic sonification group as compared to the rhythmic sonification and control group. In a 24-h retention phase, a decline in performance in the melodic sonification group was reversed by brief playback of the target pattern melody. These results show that melodic sonification of movement can provide advantages over augmented feedback which only provides timing information by better structuring the sequencing of timed actions, and also allow recovery of complex target patterns of movement after training. These findings have important implications for understanding the role of augmented perceptual information in skill learning, as well as its application to real-world training or

Differential maturation of rhythmic clock gene expression during early development in medaka (Oryzias latipes).

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Cuesta, Ines H; Lahiri, Kajori; Lopez-Olmeda, Jose Fernando; Loosli, Felix; Foulkes, Nicholas S; Vallone, Daniela

2014-05-01

One key challenge for the field of chronobiology is to identify how circadian clock function emerges during early embryonic development. Teleosts such as the zebrafish are ideal models for studying circadian clock ontogeny since the entire process of development occurs ex utero in an optically transparent chorion. Medaka (Oryzias latipes) represents another powerful fish model for exploring early clock function with, like the zebrafish, many tools available for detailed genetic analysis. However, to date there have been no reports documenting circadian clock gene expression during medaka development. Here we have characterized the expression of key clock genes in various developmental stages and in adult tissues of medaka. As previously reported for other fish, light dark cycles are required for the emergence of clock gene expression rhythms in this species. While rhythmic expression of per and cry genes is detected very early during development and seems to be light driven, rhythmic clock and bmal expression appears much later around hatching time. Furthermore, the maturation of clock function seems to correlate with the appearance of rhythmic expression of these positive elements of the clock feedback loop. By accelerating development through elevated temperatures or by artificially removing the chorion, we show an earlier onset of rhythmicity in clock and bmal expression. Thus, differential maturation of key elements of the medaka clock mechanism depends on the developmental stage and the presence of the chorion.

ASSOCIAÇÃO ENTRE A INSATISFAÇÃO CORPORAL E O ESTADO NUTRICIONAL EM JOVENS GINASTAS

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Diego Giulliano Destro Christofaro1

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The study aimed to identify the satisfaction of self-perception of body image in female adolescents, practicing rhythmic gymnastics (RG and identify its possible relationship with nutritional status. We conducted a cross-sectional study with descriptive/analytical between 88 female adolescent athletes (12.3±1.3 years, participants in the state crown RG. For measurement of body image, it was applied the test range of silhouettes with nine figures, and the assessment of nutritional status, body mass index (BMI based on the proposal of Conde and Monteiro (2006. Dissatisfaction with body image was of 77.3% and 55.7% of gymnasts unfulfilled wish to lessen the silhouette. We could say that the levels of body dissatisfaction among the athletes investigated are at least concern, as these even when considered within the normal BMI, want to be thinner.

Rhythmic auditory cueing to improve walking in patients with neurological conditions other than Parkinson's disease--what is the evidence?

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Wittwer, Joanne E; Webster, Kate E; Hill, Keith

2013-01-01

To investigate whether synchronising over-ground walking to rhythmic auditory cues improves temporal and spatial gait measures in adults with neurological clinical conditions other than Parkinson's disease. A search was performed in June 2011 using the computerised databases AGELINE, AMED, AMI, CINAHL, Current Contents, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and PUBMED, and extended using hand-searching of relevant journals and article reference lists. Methodological quality was independently assessed by two reviewers. A best evidence synthesis was applied to rate levels of evidence. Fourteen studies, four of which were randomized controlled trials (RCTs), met the inclusion criteria. Patient groups included those with stroke (six studies); Huntington's disease and spinal cord injury (two studies each); traumatic brain injury, dementia, multiple sclerosis and normal pressure hydrocephalus (one study each). The best evidence synthesis found moderate evidence of improved velocity and stride length of people with stroke following gait training with rhythmic music. Insufficient evidence was found for other included neurological disorders due to low study numbers and poor methodological quality of some studies. Synchronising walking to rhythmic auditory cues can result in short-term improvement in gait measures of people with stroke. Further high quality studies are needed before recommendations for clinical practice can be made.

Independent effects of bottom-up temporal expectancy and top-down spatial attention. An audiovisual study using rhythmic cueing.

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Alexander eJones

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Selective attention to a spatial location has shown enhance perception and facilitate behaviour for events at attended locations. However, selection relies not only on where but also when an event occurs. Recently, interest has turned to how intrinsic neural oscillations in the brain entrain to rhythms in our environment, and, stimuli appearing in or out of synch with a rhythm have shown to modulate perception and performance. Temporal expectations created by rhythms and spatial attention are two processes which have independently shown to affect stimulus processing but it remains largely unknown how, and if, they interact. In four separate tasks, this study investigated the effects of voluntary spatial attention and bottom-up temporal expectations created by rhythms in both unimodal and crossmodal conditions. In each task the participant used an informative cue, either colour or pitch, to direct their covert spatial attention to the left or right, and respond as quickly as possible to a target. The lateralized target (visual or auditory was then presented at the attended or unattended side. Importantly, although not task relevant, the cue was a rhythm of either flashes or beeps. The target was presented in or out of sync (early or late with the rhythmic cue. The results showed participants were faster responding to spatially attended compared to unattended targets in all tasks. Moreover, there was an effect of rhythmic cueing upon response times in both unimodal and crossmodal conditions. Responses were faster to targets presented in sync with the rhythm compared to when they appeared too early in both crossmodal tasks. That is, rhythmic stimuli in one modality influenced the temporal expectancy in the other modality, suggesting temporal expectancies created by rhythms are crossmodal. Interestingly, there was no interaction between top-down spatial attention and rhythmic cueing in any task suggesting these two processes largely influenced

Rhythm, movement, and autism: Using rhythmic rehabilitation research as a model for autism

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A. Blythe eLaGasse

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Recently, there has been increased focus on movement and sensory abnormalities in autism spectrum disorders (ASD. This has come from research demonstrating cortical and cerebellar difference in autism, with suggestion of early cerebellar dysfunction. As evidence for an extended profile of ASD grows, there are vast implications for treatment and therapy for individuals with autism. Persons with autism are often provided behavioral or cognitive strategies for navigating their environment; however, these strategies do not consider differences in motor functioning. One accommodation that has not yet been explored in the literature is the use of auditory rhythmic cueing to improve motor functioning in ASD. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the potential impact of auditory rhythmic cueing for motor functioning in persons with ASD. To this effect, we review research on rhythm in motor rehabilitation, draw parallels to motor dysfunction in ASD, and propose a rationale for how rhythmic input can improve sensorimotor functioning, thereby allowing individuals with autism to demonstrate their full cognitive, behavioral, social, and communicative potential.

Rhythmic regularity revisited : Is beat induction indeed pre-attentive?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bouwer, F.; Honing, H.; Cambouropoulos, E.; Tsougras, C.; Mavromatis, P.; Pastiadis, K.

2012-01-01

When listening to musical rhythm, regularity in time is often perceived in the form of a beat or pulse. External rhythmic events can give rise to the perception of a beat, through a process known as beat induction. In addition, internal processes, like long-term memory, working memory and automatic

Researching the Pieces of a Puzzle: The Use of a Jigsaw Learning Approach in the Delivery of Undergraduate Gymnastics

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O'Leary, Nicholas; Griggs, Gerald

2010-01-01

There have been strengthening recommendations that physical education (PE) should make a wider contribution to learning beyond that of psychomotor development. Cooperative learning models show considerable potential for study in PE but as yet these remain unexplored. This article reports upon an undergraduate gymnastics programme delivered using a…

Source localization of rhythmic ictal EEG activity: a study of diagnostic accuracy following STARD criteria.

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Beniczky, Sándor; Lantz, Göran; Rosenzweig, Ivana; Åkeson, Per; Pedersen, Birthe; Pinborg, Lars H; Ziebell, Morten; Jespersen, Bo; Fuglsang-Frederiksen, Anders

2013-10-01

Although precise identification of the seizure-onset zone is an essential element of presurgical evaluation, source localization of ictal electroencephalography (EEG) signals has received little attention. The aim of our study was to estimate the accuracy of source localization of rhythmic ictal EEG activity using a distributed source model. Source localization of rhythmic ictal scalp EEG activity was performed in 42 consecutive cases fulfilling inclusion criteria. The study was designed according to recommendations for studies on diagnostic accuracy (STARD). The initial ictal EEG signals were selected using a standardized method, based on frequency analysis and voltage distribution of the ictal activity. A distributed source model-local autoregressive average (LAURA)-was used for the source localization. Sensitivity, specificity, and measurement of agreement (kappa) were determined based on the reference standard-the consensus conclusion of the multidisciplinary epilepsy surgery team. Predictive values were calculated from the surgical outcome of the operated patients. To estimate the clinical value of the ictal source analysis, we compared the likelihood ratios of concordant and discordant results. Source localization was performed blinded to the clinical data, and before the surgical decision. Reference standard was available for 33 patients. The ictal source localization had a sensitivity of 70% and a specificity of 76%. The mean measurement of agreement (kappa) was 0.61, corresponding to substantial agreement (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.38-0.84). Twenty patients underwent resective surgery. The positive predictive value (PPV) for seizure freedom was 92% and the negative predictive value (NPV) was 43%. The likelihood ratio was nine times higher for the concordant results, as compared with the discordant ones. Source localization of rhythmic ictal activity using a distributed source model (LAURA) for the ictal EEG signals selected with a standardized method

YOUNG LEARNERS’ RHYTHMIC AND INTONATION SKILLS THROUGH DRAMA

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Olena Beskorsa

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to the problem of implementing drama techniques into the process of developing young learners’ rhythmic and intonation skills. The main task of learning the foreign language is using it as a mean of pupils’ communication in oral and written forms. The author proves that drama techniques integrate successfully all types of speech activities. It is specified that this method transfers the focus from teaching grammatically correct speech to training clear and effective communication. The author emphasizes on that sentence stress and speed of speech has the greatest influence on the rhythm. The application of these drama techniques are thought to increase primary school pupils’ level of motivation to master the language skills perfectly, it provides a positive psychological climate in English classes. The teachers’ role has a tendency to minimizing. They act as facilitators. In author’s opinion if they do impose the authority implementing drama activities into the classroom, the educational value of drama techniques will be never gained. It is also disclosed that rhythmic and intonation skills shouldn’t be formed spontaneously, the process of their development has to be conducted in certain stages (presentation and production to make pupils’ speech fluent and pronunciation clear, introducing the exercises based on drama techniques. At the stage of presentation the following exercises have the most methodological value: speed dictations, dictogloss, asking questions to practise recognizing word boundaries, matching phrases to stress patterns, marking stresses and weak forms, authentic listening. At production stage they suggest using exercises like play reading and play production. The following pieces of drama texts are recommended to be applied for teaching primary school children: jazz chants, poems, scripted plays and simple scenes from different movie genres. It is also proved that drama techniques and

Inter-limb coupling in bimanual rhythmic coordination in Parkinson's disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verheul, M.H.G.; Geuze, RH

2004-01-01

Recently, it has been shown that rhythmic inter-limb coordination is disturbed in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The present study aims to investigate whether this coordination deficit is primarily the result of an impaired coupling, related to hypoactivation of the supplementary motor area

Megascale rhythmic shoreline forms on a beach with multiple bars

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Zbigniew Pruszak

2008-06-01

Full Text Available The study, carried out in 2003 and 2006 at the Lubiatowo Coastal ResearchStation (Poland, located on the non-tidal southern Baltic coast(tidal range < 0.06 m, focused on larger rhythmic forms (mega-cusps withwavelengths in the interval 500 m > Lc > 20 m. Statistical analyses of detailed shoreline configurations were performed mostly with the Discrete Wavelet Transformmethod (DWT. The beach is composed of fine sand with grain diameter D50 ≈ 0.22 mm, which produces 4 longshore sandbars and a gently sloping seabed with β = 0.015. The analysis confirms the key role of bars in hydro- and morphodynamic surf zone processes.The hypothesis was therefore set up that, in a surf zone with multiple bars, the bars and mega-scale shoreline rhythmic forms form one integrated physical system; experimental evidence to substantiate this hypothesis was also sought.In such a system not only do self-regulation processes include swash zone phenomena, they also incorporate processes in offshore surf zone locations.The longshore dimensions of large cusps are thus related to the distances between periodically active large bed forms (bars. The spatial dimension of bar system activity (number of active bars depends, at a given time scale, on the associated hydrodynamic conditions. It was assumed that such a time scale could include either the development and duration of a storm, or a period of stable, yet distinct waves, capable of remodelling the beach configuration.The indentation to wavelength ratio of mega-cusps for the studied non-tidal dissipative environment may be one order of magnitude greater than for mesotidal, reflective beaches.

Analysis of different categories of feedback in two organizational ways in gymnastics Análisis de diferentes categorías del feedback en dos formas organizativas del medio gimnástico.

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J. López Bedoya

2010-09-01

Full Text Available

The objetive of this study is to evaluate the relation of two organizational methods of learning and performance of one gymnastic skill and their influence in some categories of feedback. 35 subjets of both sexes, 10 and 12 years old, were tested. The results showed the importance of a continuous and circular organizational method based on mini-circuits, since it promotes both individual and prescriptive feedback, important ingredients for an efficient training.
KEY WORDS: gymnastics, learning, feedback.

PALABRAS CLAVE: gimnasia, aprendizaje, feedback.

Theta oscillations locked to intended actions rhythmically modulate perception.

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Tomassini, Alice; Ambrogioni, Luca; Medendorp, W Pieter; Maris, Eric

2017-07-07

Ongoing brain oscillations are known to influence perception, and to be reset by exogenous stimulations. Voluntary action is also accompanied by prominent rhythmic activity, and recent behavioral evidence suggests that this might be coupled with perception. Here, we reveal the neurophysiological underpinnings of this sensorimotor coupling in humans. We link the trial-by-trial dynamics of EEG oscillatory activity during movement preparation to the corresponding dynamics in perception, for two unrelated visual and motor tasks. The phase of theta oscillations (~4 Hz) predicts perceptual performance, even >1 s before movement. Moreover, theta oscillations are phase-locked to the onset of the movement. Remarkably, the alignment of theta phase and its perceptual relevance unfold with similar non-monotonic profiles, suggesting their relatedness. The present work shows that perception and movement initiation are automatically synchronized since the early stages of motor planning through neuronal oscillatory activity in the theta range.

The Acoustic Reality of the Kachruvian Circles: A Rhythmic Perspective

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Low, Ee Ling

2010-01-01

This paper investigates whether the rhythmic properties of varieties of English found in each of the concentric circles of Kachru's model can, in any way, be elucidated by the "Three Circles" model. A measurement and comparison of the rhythm of three varieties of English: British English (from the Inner Circle), Singapore English (from…

Listenmee and Listenmee smartphone application: synchronizing walking to rhythmic auditory cues to improve gait in Parkinson's disease.

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Lopez, William Omar Contreras; Higuera, Carlos Andres Escalante; Fonoff, Erich Talamoni; Souza, Carolina de Oliveira; Albicker, Ulrich; Martinez, Jairo Alberto Espinoza

2014-10-01

Evidence supports the use of rhythmic external auditory signals to improve gait in PD patients (Arias & Cudeiro, 2008; Kenyon & Thaut, 2000; McIntosh, Rice & Thaut, 1994; McIntosh et al., 1997; Morris, Iansek, & Matyas, 1994; Thaut, McIntosh, & Rice, 1997; Suteerawattananon, Morris, Etnyre, Jankovic, & Protas , 2004; Willems, Nieuwboer, Chavert, & Desloovere, 2006). However, few prototypes are available for daily use, and to our knowledge, none utilize a smartphone application allowing individualized sounds and cadence. Therefore, we analyzed the effects on gait of Listenmee®, an intelligent glasses system with a portable auditory device, and present its smartphone application, the Listenmee app®, offering over 100 different sounds and an adjustable metronome to individualize the cueing rate as well as its smartwatch with accelerometer to detect magnitude and direction of the proper acceleration, track calorie count, sleep patterns, steps count and daily distances. The present study included patients with idiopathic PD presented gait disturbances including freezing. Auditory rhythmic cues were delivered through Listenmee®. Performance was analyzed in a motion and gait analysis laboratory. The results revealed significant improvements in gait performance over three major dependent variables: walking speed in 38.1%, cadence in 28.1% and stride length in 44.5%. Our findings suggest that auditory cueing through Listenmee® may significantly enhance gait performance. Further studies are needed to elucidate the potential role and maximize the benefits of these portable devices. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Risk factors for precompetitive sleep behavior in elite female athletes.

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Silva, Maria-Raquel; Paiva, Teresa

2018-06-07

Sleep is of major importance for the athletes' short and long-term health, performance and recovery; however, published studies on athletes' sleep and even fewer before competition are scarce. This study evaluated the risk factors of sleep in young female gymnasts before an international competition. Sixty-seven rhythmic gymnasts (M=18.7,SD=2.9yrs.) of high performance (M=36.6,SD=7.6h/week) were evaluated regarding training and sport practice, body composition, sleep duration, daytime sleepiness by the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, sleep quality by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, precompetitive anxiety by the Sport Competition Anxiety Test form A, and detailed dietary intake just prior to a world competition. The majority of the participants (83.6%) presented reduced body fat levels (M=9.1,SD=2.1%) and low energy availability (M=31.5,SD=11.9kcal/kgFFM/day). They slept 8h10±1h30/night on weekdays and 8h40±00h40/night on weekends, 67% suffered from mild daytime sleepiness and 78% had a reduced sleep quality. Precompetitive anxiety was on average moderate (M=22.7,SD=3.2). The risk factors for short sleep duration were: 1.92 for a training volume>30hours/week (95%CI 0.84-4.39), 4.57 for menstruation (95%CI 1.17- 17.77), 6.62 for bedtime≥11:00PM (95%CI 1.74-25.10), 1.40 for BFsleep duration on weekdays and precompetitive stress were also predictors for a reduced sleep quality and/or abnormal daytime sleepiness. Age, training regime, menstruation, individual preferences for bedtime, body composition and energy were important predictors of gymnasts' precompetitive sleep with consequences upon their sleep duration, SQ and DS.

The effect of lower limb rehabilitation gymnastics on postoperative rehabilitation in elderly patients with femoral shaft fracture

OpenAIRE

Yang, Si-Dong; Ning, Sheng-Hua; Zhang, Li-Hong; Zhang, Ying-Ze; Ding, Wen-Yuan; Yang, Da-Long

2016-01-01

Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of lower limb rehabilitation gymnastics on postoperative rehabilitation in elderly patients with femoral shaft fracture after undergoing intramedullary nail fixation surgery. We collected medical records of elderly patients aged???60 years with femoral shaft fracture between 03/2010 and 03/2015 in Longyao County Hospital. Totally, 160 patients were identified and divided into the intervention group (n = 80) and the control group (n ...

Study on the rhythmic variation of plasma cortisol levels in patients with essential hypertension (EH) and coronary heart disease (CHD)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Mei; Wu Guo; Li Ying

2007-01-01

Objective: To study the rhythmic fluctuation of plasma cortisol levels in patients with EH and CHD. Methods: Plasma cortisol levels were determined with RIA at 8Am, 4Pm and midnight in 61 patients with EH, 46 patients with CHD and 36 controls. Results: The normal rhythmic fluctuation pattern of plasma cortisol levels was retained in the EH and CHD patients. However, the levels were all significantly higher in the patients than those in the controls, especially in the midnight specimens. Conclusion: Marked elevated plasma cortisol levels were observed in patients with EH and CHD, with the normal rhythmic fluctuation pattern retained. (authors)

Use of Sine Shaped High-Frequency Rhythmic Visual Stimuli Patterns for SSVEP Response Analysis and Fatigue Rate Evaluation in Normal Subjects

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Ahmadreza Keihani

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Recent EEG-SSVEP signal based BCI studies have used high frequency square pulse visual stimuli to reduce subjective fatigue. However, the effect of total harmonic distortion (THD has not been considered. Compared to CRT and LCD monitors, LED screen displays high-frequency wave with better refresh rate. In this study, we present high frequency sine wave simple and rhythmic patterns with low THD rate by LED to analyze SSVEP responses and evaluate subjective fatigue in normal subjects.Materials and Methods: We used patterns of 3-sequence high-frequency sine waves (25, 30, and 35 Hz to design our visual stimuli. Nine stimuli patterns, 3 simple (repetition of each of above 3 frequencies e.g., P25-25-25 and 6 rhythmic (all of the frequencies in 6 different sequences e.g., P25-30-35 were chosen. A hardware setup with low THD rate (<0.1% was designed to present these patterns on LED. Twenty two normal subjects (aged 23–30 (25 ± 2.1 yrs were enrolled. Visual analog scale (VAS was used for subjective fatigue evaluation after presentation of each stimulus pattern. PSD, CCA, and LASSO methods were employed to analyze SSVEP responses. The data including SSVEP features and fatigue rate for different visual stimuli patterns were statistically evaluated.Results: All 9 visual stimuli patterns elicited SSVEP responses. Overall, obtained accuracy rates were 88.35% for PSD and > 90% for CCA and LASSO (for TWs > 1 s. High frequency rhythmic patterns group with low THD rate showed higher accuracy rate (99.24% than simple patterns group (98.48%. Repeated measure ANOVA showed significant difference between rhythmic pattern features (P < 0.0005. Overall, there was no significant difference between the VAS of rhythmic [3.85 ± 2.13] compared to the simple patterns group [3.96 ± 2.21], (P = 0.63. Rhythmic group had lower within group VAS variation (min = P25-30-35 [2.90 ± 2.45], max = P35-25-30 [4.81 ± 2.65] as well as least individual pattern VAS (P25

Entrainment of Breast Cell Lines Results in Rhythmic Fluctuations of MicroRNAs

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Rafael Chacolla-Huaringa

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Circadian rhythms are essential for temporal (~24 h regulation of molecular processes in diverse species. Dysregulation of circadian gene expression has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various disorders, including hypertension, diabetes, depression, and cancer. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs have been identified as critical modulators of gene expression post-transcriptionally, and perhaps involved in circadian clock architecture or their output functions. The aim of the present study is to explore the temporal expression of miRNAs among entrained breast cell lines. For this purpose, we evaluated the temporal (28 h expression of 2006 miRNAs in MCF-10A, MCF-7, and MDA-MB-231 cells using microarrays after serum shock entrainment. We noted hundreds of miRNAs that exhibit rhythmic fluctuations in each breast cell line, and some of them across two or three cell lines. Afterwards, we validated the rhythmic profiles exhibited by miR-141-5p, miR-1225-5p, miR-17-5p, miR-222-5p, miR-769-3p, and miR-548ay-3p in the above cell lines, as well as in ZR-7530 and HCC-1954 using RT-qPCR. Our results show that serum shock entrainment in breast cells lines induces rhythmic fluctuations of distinct sets of miRNAs, which have the potential to be related to endogenous circadian clock, but extensive investigation is required to elucidate that connection.

Twenty-Year Systematic Review of the Hip Pathology, Risk Factors, Treatment, and Clinical Outcomes in Artistic Athletes-Dancers, Figure Skaters, and Gymnasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Bolia, Ioanna; Utsunomiya, Hajime; Locks, Renato; Briggs, Karen; Philippon, Marc J

2018-01-01

To identify (1) the predominant level of evidence of the clinical studies regarding the hip pathology, risk factors, treatment, and clinical outcomes in artistic athletes (dancers, figure skaters, and gymnasts) (2) the most commonly reported hip pathology, risk factors, treatments, and clinical outcomes in dancers, figure skaters, and gymnasts. To conduct this systematic review PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus databases were searched for relevant studies and pertinent data were collected from the eligible articles. Included were studies which reported hip injuries in artistic athletes, the risk factors, treatment, and/or the clinical outcomes. We excluded case reports or irrelevant studies. No meta-analysis was performed because of study heterogeneity. The methodical index for nonrandomized studies (MINORS) criteria were used for quality control. Thirty-eight studies were included in the analysis. The mean MINORS score was 13.6 ± 4.6 points indicating fair quality of evidence of the included articles. The predominant level of evidence was level IV. Chondrolabral pathology and muscle injuries were the most commonly reported pathologies. We found only 2 risk factor analysis studies; however, many studies reported risk correlation between artistic sports or imaging findings and hip pathology. Treatment strategies were reported in only 7 studies, clinical outcomes are significantly underreported. Chondrolabral pathology was the most commonly reported hip pathology in artistic athletes, however, prospective cohort studies are necessary to really understand these injuries and their associated risk factors. The lack of clinical outcomes is significant and future data collection is required to assess the effectiveness of the various treatments.

High-density EEG characterization of brain responses to auditory rhythmic stimuli during wakefulness and NREM sleep.

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Lustenberger, Caroline; Patel, Yogi A; Alagapan, Sankaraleengam; Page, Jessica M; Price, Betsy; Boyle, Michael R; Fröhlich, Flavio

2018-04-01

Auditory rhythmic sensory stimulation modulates brain oscillations by increasing phase-locking to the temporal structure of the stimuli and by increasing the power of specific frequency bands, resulting in Auditory Steady State Responses (ASSR). The ASSR is altered in different diseases of the central nervous system such as schizophrenia. However, in order to use the ASSR as biological markers for disease states, it needs to be understood how different vigilance states and underlying brain activity affect the ASSR. Here, we compared the effects of auditory rhythmic stimuli on EEG brain activity during wake and NREM sleep, investigated the influence of the presence of dominant sleep rhythms on the ASSR, and delineated the topographical distribution of these modulations. Participants (14 healthy males, 20-33 years) completed on the same day a 60 min nap session and two 30 min wakefulness sessions (before and after the nap). During these sessions, amplitude modulated (AM) white noise auditory stimuli at different frequencies were applied. High-density EEG was continuously recorded and time-frequency analyses were performed to assess ASSR during wakefulness and NREM periods. Our analysis revealed that depending on the electrode location, stimulation frequency applied and window/frequencies analysed the ASSR was significantly modulated by sleep pressure (before and after sleep), vigilance state (wake vs. NREM sleep), and the presence of slow wave activity and sleep spindles. Furthermore, AM stimuli increased spindle activity during NREM sleep but not during wakefulness. Thus, (1) electrode location, sleep history, vigilance state and ongoing brain activity needs to be carefully considered when investigating ASSR and (2) auditory rhythmic stimuli during sleep might represent a powerful tool to boost sleep spindles. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tempo discrimination of musical patterns: effects due to pitch and rhythmic structure.

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Boltz, M G

1998-11-01

The purpose of this research was to investigate a set of factors that may influence the perceived rate of an auditory event. In a paired-comparison task, subjects were presented with a set of music-like patterns that differed in their relative number of contour changes and in the magnitude of pitch skips (Experiment 1) as well as in the compatibility of rhythmic accent structure with the arrangement of pitch relations (Experiment 2) Results indicated that, relative to their standard referents, comparison melodies were judged to unfold more slowly when they displayed more changes in pitch direction, greater pitch distances, and an incompatible rhythmic accent structure. These findings are suggested to stem from an imputed velocity hypothesis, in which people overgeneralize certain invariant relations that typically occur between melodic and temporal accent structure within Western music.

Muscle metabolism from near infrared spectroscopy during rhythmic handgrip in humans

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boushel, Robert Christopher; Pott, F; Madsen, P

1998-01-01

The rate of metabolism in forearm flexor muscles (MO2) was derived from near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS-O2) during ischaemia at rest rhythmic handgrip at 15% and 30% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), post-exercise muscle ischaemia (PEMI), and recovery in seven subjects. The MO2 was compared...

Effect of Instruction in Appropriate Rubato Usage on the Onset Timings and Perceived Musicianship of Musical Performances.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Christopher M.

1998-01-01

Investigates how instruction in specific rhythmic nuances influences the performed timings of a musical performance. Volunteers learned and performed a piece, then were taught rhythmic tendencies identified in the finest performances of the piece. Finds that subjects used significantly more rubato (freedom of tempo) and came closer to model…

Synthesis of high-complexity rhythmic signals for closed-loop electrical neuromodulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zalay, Osbert C; Bardakjian, Berj L

2013-06-01

We propose an approach to synthesizing high-complexity rhythmic signals for closed-loop electrical neuromodulation using cognitive rhythm generator (CRG) networks, wherein the CRG is a hybrid oscillator comprised of (1) a bank of neuronal modes, (2) a ring device (clock), and (3) a static output nonlinearity (mapper). Networks of coupled CRGs have been previously implemented to simulate the electrical activity of biological neural networks, including in silico models of epilepsy, producing outputs of similar waveform and complexity to the biological system. This has enabled CRG network models to be used as platforms for testing seizure control strategies. Presently, we take the application one step further, envisioning therapeutic CRG networks as rhythmic signal generators creating neuromimetic signals for stimulation purposes, motivated by recent research indicating that stimulus complexity and waveform characteristics influence neuromodulation efficacy. To demonstrate this concept, an epileptiform CRG network generating spontaneous seizure-like events (SLEs) was coupled to a therapeutic CRG network, forming a closed-loop neuromodulation system. SLEs are associated with low-complexity dynamics and high phase coherence in the network. The tuned therapeutic network generated a high-complexity, multi-banded rhythmic stimulation signal with prominent theta and gamma-frequency power that suppressed SLEs and increased dynamic complexity in the epileptiform network, as measured by a relative increase in the maximum Lyapunov exponent and decrease in phase coherence. CRG-based neuromodulation outperformed both low and high-frequency periodic pulse stimulation, suggesting that neuromodulation using complex, biomimetic signals may provide an improvement over conventional electrical stimulation techniques for treating neurological disorders such as epilepsy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

THE ATHLETES’ BODY SHAPES THE ATHLETES’ MIND – NEW PERSPECTIVES ON MENTAL ROTATION PERFORMANCE IN ATHLETES

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Thomas Heinen

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Mentally rotating the image of an object is one fundamental cognitive ability in humans. Recent theoretical developments and empirical evidences highlight the potential role of the sensory-motor system, when analysing and understanding mental rotation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the role of specific sensory-motor experience on mental rotation performance in gymnasts. N = 40 male gymnasts with either clockwise or anticlockwise rotation preference in a forward twisting layout salto performed a psychometric mental rotation test with either rotation-preference congruent or rotation-preference incongruent stimuli. Results revealed that choice reaction times differed clearly as a function of Angular Rotation between the stimuli figures. Gymnasts who preferred a clockwise rotation preference showed faster choice reaction times when the rotation direction of the reference figure was clockwise, and vice versa. The results clearly support the notion, that mental rotation performance varies as a function of sensory-motor system characteristics between different people. It is concluded, that sensory-motor experience in a particular sport may facilitate cognitive processing of experience-congruent stimuli. This may be advantageous for situations in which people are engaged in observing sport performance (i.e., judges, coaches. This conclusion could furthermore contribute to the training of athletes from sports such as sky-diving, scuba-diving, and climbing, where losses of spatial orientation can be life-threatening.

Joint Rhythmic Movement Increases 4-Year-Old Children's Prosocial Sharing and Fairness Toward Peers.

Science.gov (United States)

Rabinowitch, Tal-Chen; Meltzoff, Andrew N

2017-01-01

The allocation of resources to a peer partner is a prosocial act that is of fundamental importance. Joint rhythmic movement, such as occurs during musical interaction, can induce positive social experiences, which may play a role in developing and enhancing young children's prosocial skills. Here, we investigated whether joint rhythmic movement, free of musical context, increases 4-year-olds' sharing and sense of fairness in a resource allocation task involving peers. We developed a precise procedure for administering joint synchronous experience, joint asynchronous experience, and a baseline control involving no treatment. Then we tested how participants allocated resources between self and peer. We found an increase in the generous allocation of resources to peers following both synchronous and asynchronous movement compared to no treatment. At a more theoretical level, this result is considered in relation to previous work testing other aspects of child prosociality, for example, peer cooperation, which can be distinguished from judgments of fairness in resource allocation tasks. We draw a conceptual distinction between two types of prosocial behavior: resource allocation (an other-directed individual behavior) and cooperation (a goal-directed collaborative endeavor). Our results highlight how rhythmic interactions, which are prominent in joint musical engagements and synchronized activity, influence prosocial behavior between preschool peers.

Enhanced musical rhythmic perception in Turkish early and late learners of German

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roncaglia-Denissen, M.P.; Schmidt-Kassow, M.; Heine, A.; Vuust, P.; Kotz, S.A.

2013-01-01

As language rhythm relies partly on general acoustic properties, such as intensity and duration, mastering two languages with distinct rhythmic properties (i.e., stress position) may enhance musical rhythm perception. We investigated whether competence in a second language (L2) with different

Internal ribosomal entry site-mediated translation is important for rhythmic PERIOD1 expression.

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Kyung-Ha Lee

Full Text Available The mouse PERIOD1 (mPER1 plays an important role in the maintenance of circadian rhythm. Translation of mPer1 is directed by both a cap-dependent process and cap-independent translation mediated by an internal ribosomal entry site (IRES in the 5' untranslated region (UTR. Here, we compared mPer1 IRES activity with other cellular IRESs. We also found critical region in mPer1 5'UTR for heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein Q (HNRNPQ binding. Deletion of HNRNPQ binding region markedly decreased IRES activity and disrupted rhythmicity. A mathematical model also suggests that rhythmic IRES-dependent translation is a key process in mPER1 oscillation. The IRES-mediated translation of mPer1 will help define the post-transcriptional regulation of the core clock genes.

The Impact of Therapeutic Recreational Gymnastic Exercise on Basic Motor Skills of Hearing-Impaired Children Aged between 6 and 9 Years

Science.gov (United States)

Demirel, Nurcan

2018-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of the current study is to investigate the impact of therapeutic recreational gymnastic exercises on basic motor skills of hearing-impaired children aged between 6-9 years. Material and Method: 18 students (12 boys; 6 girls) between the ages of 6-9 years participated in the study. 9 of these students were determined as…

Addendum to the study of gymnastics and combat association foundation in the Kingdom of Serbia

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Vukašinović Vladan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This work shows the results of research whose goal was to consider particulars on the start and chronology of gymnastics and combat civil association foundation in the Kingdom of Serbia in a critical manner. That was possible thanks to the fact that one unpublished document in the legacy of Jovan Vanja Petrovic was found in the Museum of Physical Culture within Faculty of Sports and Physical Education in Belgrade. The contents of a few found letters created one new perspective on the former knowledge about the first attempts of sports initiation in Serbia, outside Belgrade.

Distributed Attention Is Implemented through Theta-Rhythmic Gamma Modulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Landau, Ayelet Nina; Schreyer, Helene Marianne; van Pelt, Stan; Fries, Pascal

2015-08-31

When subjects monitor a single location, visual target detection depends on the pre-target phase of an ∼8 Hz brain rhythm. When multiple locations are monitored, performance decrements suggest a division of the 8 Hz rhythm over the number of locations, indicating that different locations are sequentially sampled. Indeed, when subjects monitor two locations, performance benefits alternate at a 4 Hz rhythm. These performance alternations were revealed after a reset of attention to one location. Although resets are common and important events for attention, it is unknown whether, in the absence of resets, ongoing attention samples stimuli in alternation. Here, we examined whether spatially specific attentional sampling can be revealed by ongoing pre-target brain rhythms. Visually induced gamma-band activity plays a role in spatial attention. Therefore, we hypothesized that performance on two simultaneously monitored stimuli can be predicted by a 4 Hz modulation of gamma-band activity. Brain rhythms were assessed with magnetoencephalography (MEG) while subjects monitored bilateral grating stimuli for a unilateral target event. The corresponding contralateral gamma-band responses were subtracted from each other to isolate spatially selective, target-related fluctuations. The resulting lateralized gamma-band activity (LGA) showed opposite pre-target 4 Hz phases for detected versus missed targets. The 4 Hz phase of pre-target LGA accounted for a 14.5% modulation in performance. These findings suggest that spatial attention is a theta-rhythmic sampling process that is continuously ongoing, with each sampling cycle being implemented through gamma-band synchrony. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rhythmic complexity and predictive coding: a novel approach to modeling rhythm and meter perception in music

Science.gov (United States)

Vuust, Peter; Witek, Maria A. G.

2014-01-01

Musical rhythm, consisting of apparently abstract intervals of accented temporal events, has a remarkable capacity to move our minds and bodies. How does the cognitive system enable our experiences of rhythmically complex music? In this paper, we describe some common forms of rhythmic complexity in music and propose the theory of predictive coding (PC) as a framework for understanding how rhythm and rhythmic complexity are processed in the brain. We also consider why we feel so compelled by rhythmic tension in music. First, we consider theories of rhythm and meter perception, which provide hierarchical and computational approaches to modeling. Second, we present the theory of PC, which posits a hierarchical organization of brain responses reflecting fundamental, survival-related mechanisms associated with predicting future events. According to this theory, perception and learning is manifested through the brain’s Bayesian minimization of the error between the input to the brain and the brain’s prior expectations. Third, we develop a PC model of musical rhythm, in which rhythm perception is conceptualized as an interaction between what is heard (“rhythm”) and the brain’s anticipatory structuring of music (“meter”). Finally, we review empirical studies of the neural and behavioral effects of syncopation, polyrhythm and groove, and propose how these studies can be seen as special cases of the PC theory. We argue that musical rhythm exploits the brain’s general principles of prediction and propose that pleasure and desire for sensorimotor synchronization from musical rhythm may be a result of such mechanisms. PMID:25324813

Rhythmic complexity and predictive coding: A novel approach to modeling rhythm and meter perception in music

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter eVuust

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Musical rhythm, consisting of apparently abstract intervals of accented temporal events, has a remarkable capacity to move our minds and bodies. How does the cognitive system enable our experiences of rhythmically complex music? In this paper, we describe some common forms of rhythmic complexity in music and propose the theory of predictive coding as a framework for understanding how rhythm and rhythmic complexity are processed in the brain. We also consider why we feel so compelled by rhythmic tension in music. First, we consider theories of rhythm and meter perception, which provide hierarchical and computational approaches to modeling. Second, we present the theory of predictive coding, which posits a hierarchical organization of brain responses reflecting fundamental, survival-related mechanisms associated with predicting future events. According to this theory, perception and learning is manifested through the brain’s Bayesian minimization of the error between the input to the brain and the brain’s prior expectations. Third, we develop a predictive coding model of musical rhythm, in which rhythm perception is conceptualized as an interaction between what is heard (‘rhythm’ and the brain’s anticipatory structuring of music (‘meter’. Finally, we review empirical studies of the neural and behavioral effects of syncopation, polyrhythm and groove, and propose how these studies can be seen as special cases of the predictive coding theory. We argue that musical rhythm exploits the brain’s general principles of prediction and propose that pleasure and desire for sensorimotor synchronization from musical rhythm may be a result of such mechanisms.

BK channels regulate spontaneous action potential rhythmicity in the suprachiasmatic nucleus.

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Jack Kent

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Circadian ( approximately 24 hr rhythms are generated by the central pacemaker localized to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN of the hypothalamus. Although the basis for intrinsic rhythmicity is generally understood to rely on transcription factors encoded by "clock genes", less is known about the daily regulation of SCN neuronal activity patterns that communicate a circadian time signal to downstream behaviors and physiological systems. Action potentials in the SCN are necessary for the circadian timing of behavior, and individual SCN neurons modulate their spontaneous firing rate (SFR over the daily cycle, suggesting that the circadian patterning of neuronal activity is necessary for normal behavioral rhythm expression. The BK K(+ channel plays an important role in suppressing spontaneous firing at night in SCN neurons. Deletion of the Kcnma1 gene, encoding the BK channel, causes degradation of circadian behavioral and physiological rhythms. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To test the hypothesis that loss of robust behavioral rhythmicity in Kcnma1(-/- mice is due to the disruption of SFR rhythms in the SCN, we used multi-electrode arrays to record extracellular action potentials from acute wild-type (WT and Kcnma1(-/- slices. Patterns of activity in the SCN were tracked simultaneously for up to 3 days, and the phase, period, and synchronization of SFR rhythms were examined. Loss of BK channels increased arrhythmicity but also altered the amplitude and period of rhythmic activity. Unexpectedly, Kcnma1(-/- SCNs showed increased variability in the timing of the daily SFR peak. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results suggest that BK channels regulate multiple aspects of the circadian patterning of neuronal activity in the SCN. In addition, these data illustrate the characteristics of a disrupted SCN rhythm downstream of clock gene-mediated timekeeping and its relationship to behavioral rhythms.

Rhythmicity and plasticity of digestive physiology in a euryhaline teleost fish, permit (Trachinotus falcatus)

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Lazado, Carlo Cabacang; Pedersen, Per Bovbjerg; Nguyen, Huy Quang

2017-01-01

Digestive physiology is considered to be under circadian control, but there is little evidence in teleost fish. The present study explored the rhythmicity and plasticity to feeding schedules of enzymatic digestion in a candidate aquaculture fish, the permit (Trachinotus falcatus). The first...... experiment identified the rhythms of digestive factors throughout the light-dark (LD) cycle. Gastric luminal pH and pepsin activity showed significant daily variation albeit not rhythmic. These dynamic changes were likewise observed in several digestive enzymes, in which the activities of intestinal protease......, chymotrypsin and lipase exhibited significant daily rhythms. In the second experiment, the existence of feed anticipatory activity in the digestive factors was investigated by subjecting the fish to either periodic or random feeding. Anticipatory gastric acidification prior to feeding was identified...

Step-to-step variability in treadmill walking: influence of rhythmic auditory cueing.

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Philippe Terrier

Full Text Available While walking, human beings continuously adjust step length (SpL, step time (SpT, step speed (SpS = SpL/SpT and step width (SpW by integrating both feedforward and feedback mechanisms. These motor control processes result in correlations of gait parameters between consecutive strides (statistical persistence. Constraining gait with a speed cue (treadmill and/or a rhythmic auditory cue (metronome, modifies the statistical persistence to anti-persistence. The objective was to analyze whether the combined effect of treadmill and rhythmic auditory cueing (RAC modified not only statistical persistence, but also fluctuation magnitude (standard deviation, SD, and stationarity of SpL, SpT, SpS and SpW. Twenty healthy subjects performed 6 × 5 min. walking tests at various imposed speeds on a treadmill instrumented with foot-pressure sensors. Freely-chosen walking cadences were assessed during the first three trials, and then imposed accordingly in the last trials with a metronome. Fluctuation magnitude (SD of SpT, SpL, SpS and SpW was assessed, as well as NonStationarity Index (NSI, which estimates the dispersion of local means in the times series (SD of 20 local means over 10 steps. No effect of RAC on fluctuation magnitude (SD was observed. SpW was not modified by RAC, what is likely the evidence that lateral foot placement is separately regulated. Stationarity (NSI was modified by RAC in the same manner as persistent pattern: Treadmill induced low NSI in the time series of SpS, and high NSI in SpT and SpL. On the contrary, SpT, SpL and SpS exhibited low NSI under RAC condition. We used relatively short sample of consecutive strides (100 as compared to the usual number of strides required to analyze fluctuation dynamics (200 to 1000 strides. Therefore, the responsiveness of stationarity measure (NSI to cued walking opens the perspective to perform short walking tests that would be adapted to patients with a reduced gait perimeter.

An analysis of rhythmic ratios in scores of various kinds of music

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Sadakata, M.; Desain, P.W.M.; Honing, H.J.; Lipscomb, S.D.; Ashley, R.; Gjerdignen, R.O.; Webster, P.

2004-01-01

The aim of this study is to investigate our daily experience of rhythm. The frequency of occurrence of rhythmic patterns consisting of two intervals was counted in different music corpora. Only subdivisions of metrical units were considered. A very large corpus of diverse kinds of music (western

Facial Muscle Coordination in Monkeys During Rhythmic Facial Expressions and Ingestive Movements

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Shepherd, Stephen V.; Lanzilotto, Marco; Ghazanfar, Asif A.

2012-01-01

Evolutionary hypotheses regarding the origins of communication signals generally, and primate orofacial communication signals in particular, suggest that these signals derive by ritualization of noncommunicative behaviors, notably including ingestive behaviors such as chewing and nursing. These theories are appealing in part because of the prominent periodicities in both types of behavior. Despite their intuitive appeal, however, there are little or no data with which to evaluate these theories because the coordination of muscles innervated by the facial nucleus has not been carefully compared between communicative and ingestive movements. Such data are especially crucial for reconciling neurophysiological assumptions regarding facial motor control in communication and ingestion. We here address this gap by contrasting the coordination of facial muscles during different types of rhythmic orofacial behavior in macaque monkeys, finding that the perioral muscles innervated by the facial nucleus are rhythmically coordinated during lipsmacks and that this coordination appears distinct from that observed during ingestion. PMID:22553017

Anatomy of Respiratory Rhythmic Systems in Brain Stem and Cerebellum of the Carp

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Jüch, P.J.W.; Luiten, P.G.M.

1981-01-01

The afferent and efferent connections of two respiratory rhythmic loci in the dorsal mesencephalic tegmentum were studied by retrograde and anterograde transport of horseradish peroxidase. The injection areas were determined with extracellular activity recording using HRP filled glass micropipettes,

Differentiation of PC12 Cells Results in Enhanced VIP Expression and Prolonged Rhythmic Expression of Clock Genes

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Pretzmann, C.P.; Fahrenkrug, J.; Georg, B.

2008-01-01

To examine for circadian rhythmicity, the messenger RNA (mRNA) amount of the clock genes Per1 and Per2 was measured in undifferentiated and nerve-growth-factor-differentiated PC12 cells harvested every fourth hour. Serum shock was needed to induce circadian oscillations, which in undifferentiated...... PC12 cultures lasted only one 24-h period, while in differentiated cultures, the rhythms continued for at least 3 days. Thus, neuronal differentiation provided PC12 cells the ability to maintain rhythmicity for an extended period. Both vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and its receptor VPAC(2...

Where Is the Beat? The Neural Correlates of Lexical Stress and Rhythmical Well-formedness in Auditory Story Comprehension.

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Kandylaki, Katerina D; Henrich, Karen; Nagels, Arne; Kircher, Tilo; Domahs, Ulrike; Schlesewsky, Matthias; Bornkessel-Schlesewsky, Ina; Wiese, Richard

2017-07-01

While listening to continuous speech, humans process beat information to correctly identify word boundaries. The beats of language are stress patterns that are created by combining lexical (word-specific) stress patterns and the rhythm of a specific language. Sometimes, the lexical stress pattern needs to be altered to obey the rhythm of the language. This study investigated the interplay of lexical stress patterns and rhythmical well-formedness in natural speech with fMRI. Previous electrophysiological studies on cases in which a regular lexical stress pattern may be altered to obtain rhythmical well-formedness showed that even subtle rhythmic deviations are detected by the brain if attention is directed toward prosody. Here, we present a new approach to this phenomenon by having participants listen to contextually rich stories in the absence of a task targeting the manipulation. For the interaction of lexical stress and rhythmical well-formedness, we found one suprathreshold cluster localized between the cerebellum and the brain stem. For the main effect of lexical stress, we found higher BOLD responses to the retained lexical stress pattern in the bilateral SMA, bilateral postcentral gyrus, bilateral middle fontal gyrus, bilateral inferior and right superior parietal lobule, and right precuneus. These results support the view that lexical stress is processed as part of a sensorimotor network of speech comprehension. Moreover, our results connect beat processing in language to domain-independent timing perception.

The device of gymnastics in the context of nineteenth-century spanish social medicine. From hygiene policies to the foundational discourses of “physical education”

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Miguel Vicente-Pedraz

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In the first half of the c.19, hygienic and therapeutic gymnastic techniques were established throughout Europe as a device of knowledge/power concerning care and control over the body that, on the one hand, allowed the development of professional medical exploitation and, on the other, served as a justification for implementing and legitimising physical education in schools. Through a process of the localising, selecting and interpreting of documents, the object of this paper is to identify the genealogy of such a device within the Spanish context. To this end, particular attention has been placed on the technical manifestations perceptible in both the conflicts and discourses on which this new professional space was constructed. Emphasis has been given to the constitutive doctrinal texture of gymnastics, whose mark–in terms of regularity, stability, moral and physical self-restraint–would be present in the foundational justifications of physical education in schools.

Effect of rhythmic auditory stimulation on gait kinematic parameters of patients with multiple sclerosis.

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Shahraki, M; Sohrabi, M; Taheri Torbati, H R; Nikkhah, K; NaeimiKia, M

2017-01-01

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effect of rhythmic auditory stimulation on gait kinematic parameters of patients with multiple sclerosis. Subjects and Methods: In this study, 18 subjects, comprising 4 males and 14 females with Multiple Sclerosis with expanded disability status scale of 3 to 6 were chosen. Subjects were selected by available and targeted sampling and were randomly divided into two experimental (n = 9) and control (n = 9) groups. Exercises were gait with rhythmic auditory stimulation by a metronome device, in addition to gait without stimulation for the experimental and control groups, respectively. Training was carried out for 3 weeks, with 30 min duration for each session 3 times a week. Stride length, stride time, double support time, cadence and gait speed were measured by motion analysis device. Results: There was a significant difference between stride length, stride time, double support time, cadence and gait speed in the experimental group, before and after the training. Furthermore, there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in the enhancement of stride length, stride time, cadence and gait speed in favor of the experimental group. While this difference was not significant for double support time. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that rhythmic auditory stimulation is an effective rehabilitation method to improve gait kinematic parameters in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Ginástica geral na escola: uma proposta metodológica General gymnastics at school: A methodological propositon Gimnasia general en la escuela: Una propuesta metodológica

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2006-11-01

Full Text Available Este trabalho tem por objetivo discutir a Ginástica como conteúdo da Educação Física escolar, por meio da Ginástica geral como proposta metodológica. Tal proposta tem como perspectiva a integração das diversas manifestações gímnicas e os outros componentes da cultura corporal, sendo sua principal característica a ausência da competição. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: ginástica – ginástica geral – educação física escolar. This study aims at discussing gym classes as a part of school physical education, using General Gymnastics as a methodological approach. Such an approach has the perspective of integrating the several gymnastic manifestations to the other components of body culture, with the lack of competition as its main feature. KEY WORDS: gym – general gymnastics – physical education in schools. Este trabajo tiene por objetivo discutir la Gimnasia como contenido de la Educación Física escolar, por medio de la Gimnasia general como propuesta metodológica. Tal propuesta tiene como perspectiva la integración de diversas manifestaciones gímnicas y los otros componentes de la cultura corporal, siendo su principal característica la ausencia de la competencia. PALABRAS-CLAVE: gimnasia – gimnasia general – educación física escolar.

Low amplitude rhythmic contraction frequency in human detrusor strips correlates with phasic intravesical pressure waves.

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Colhoun, Andrew F; Speich, John E; Cooley, Lauren F; Bell, Eugene D; Barbee, R Wayne; Guruli, Georgi; Ratz, Paul H; Klausner, Adam P

2017-08-01

Low amplitude rhythmic contractions (LARC) occur in detrusor smooth muscle and may play a role in storage disorders such as overactive bladder and detrusor overactivity. The purpose of this study was to determine whether LARC frequencies identified in vitro from strips of human urinary bladder tissue correlate with in vivo LARC frequencies, visualized as phasic intravesical pressure (p ves ) waves during urodynamics (UD). After IRB approval, fresh strips of human urinary bladder were obtained from patients. LARC was recorded with tissue strips at low tension (rhythmic frequency similar to the in vitro LARC frequency quantified in human urinary bladder tissue strips. Further refinements of this technique may help identify subsets of individuals with LARC-mediated storage disorders.

Reciprocal links between metabolic and ionic events in islet cells. Their relevance to the rhythmics of insulin release.

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Malaisse, W J

1998-02-01

The notion of reciprocal links between metabolic and ionic events in islet cells and the rhythmics of insulin release is based on (i) the rhythmic pattern of hormonal release from isolated perfused rat pancreas, which supports the concept of an intrapancreatic pacemaker; (ii) the assumption that this phasic pattern is due to the integration of secretory activity in distinct functional units, e.g. distinct islets; and (iii) the fact that reciprocal coupling between metabolic and ionic events is operative in the secretory sequence.

Joint Rhythmic Movement Increases 4-Year-Old Children’s Prosocial Sharing and Fairness Toward Peers

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Tal-Chen Rabinowitch

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The allocation of resources to a peer partner is a prosocial act that is of fundamental importance. Joint rhythmic movement, such as occurs during musical interaction, can induce positive social experiences, which may play a role in developing and enhancing young children’s prosocial skills. Here, we investigated whether joint rhythmic movement, free of musical context, increases 4-year-olds’ sharing and sense of fairness in a resource allocation task involving peers. We developed a precise procedure for administering joint synchronous experience, joint asynchronous experience, and a baseline control involving no treatment. Then we tested how participants allocated resources between self and peer. We found an increase in the generous allocation of resources to peers following both synchronous and asynchronous movement compared to no treatment. At a more theoretical level, this result is considered in relation to previous work testing other aspects of child prosociality, for example, peer cooperation, which can be distinguished from judgments of fairness in resource allocation tasks. We draw a conceptual distinction between two types of prosocial behavior: resource allocation (an other-directed individual behavior and cooperation (a goal-directed collaborative endeavor. Our results highlight how rhythmic interactions, which are prominent in joint musical engagements and synchronized activity, influence prosocial behavior between preschool peers.

The Beat Goes on: Rhythmic Modulation of Cortical Potentials by Imagined Tapping

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Osman, Allen; Albert, Robert; Ridderinkhof, K. Richard; Band, Guido; van der Molen, Maurits

2006-01-01

A frequency analysis was used to tag cortical activity from imagined rhythmic movements. Participants synchronized overt and imagined taps with brief visual stimuli presented at a constant rate, alternating between left and right index fingers. Brain potentials were recorded from across the scalp and topographic maps made of their power at the…

The Involvement of Endogenous Neural Oscillations in the Processing of Rhythmic Input: More Than a Regular Repetition of Evoked Neural Responses

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Zoefel, Benedikt; ten Oever, Sanne; Sack, Alexander T.

2018-01-01

It is undisputed that presenting a rhythmic stimulus leads to a measurable brain response that follows the rhythmic structure of this stimulus. What is still debated, however, is the question whether this brain response exclusively reflects a regular repetition of evoked responses, or whether it also includes entrained oscillatory activity. Here we systematically present evidence in favor of an involvement of entrained neural oscillations in the processing of rhythmic input while critically pointing out which questions still need to be addressed before this evidence could be considered conclusive. In this context, we also explicitly discuss the potential functional role of such entrained oscillations, suggesting that these stimulus-aligned oscillations reflect, and serve as, predictive processes, an idea often only implicitly assumed in the literature. PMID:29563860

Some phonetic experiments on : Double stress and rhythmic variation in R.P. English

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heuven, van V.J.J.P.

1974-01-01

This thesis examines the phonetic nature of so-called double-stressed words in English (also called equal- stressed or even-stressed), and the susceptibility of these words to rhythmic adjustment (stress clash avoidance). An acoustic analysis of stress correlates was made of disyllabic words

The Effects of Learning Procedure, Tempo, and Performance Condition on Transfer of Rhythm Skills in Instrumental Music.

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Pierce, Michael A.

1992-01-01

Describes study of effects of learning procedures and performance tempo on ability of 64 middle school students to perform previously learned rhythmic passages. Reviews the four learning procedures used for each rhythmic passage. Finds no evidence attributed to learning procedure but significant adverse differences if the tempo was changed from…

Rhythmic walking interactions with auditory feedback

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jylhä, Antti; Serafin, Stefania; Erkut, Cumhur

2012-01-01

of interactions based on varying the temporal characteristics of the output, using the sound of human walking as the input. The system either provides a direct synthesis of a walking sound based on the detected amplitude envelope of the user's footstep sounds, or provides a continuous synthetic walking sound...... as a stimulus for the walking human, either with a fixed tempo or a tempo adapting to the human gait. In a pilot experiment, the different interaction modes are studied with respect to their effect on the walking tempo and the experience of the subjects. The results tentatively outline different user profiles......Walking is a natural rhythmic activity that has become of interest as a means of interacting with software systems such as computer games. Therefore, designing multimodal walking interactions calls for further examination. This exploratory study presents a system capable of different kinds...

Effect of rhythmic auditory cueing on gait in people with Alzheimer disease.

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Wittwer, Joanne E; Webster, Kate E; Hill, Keith

2013-04-01

To determine whether rhythmic music and metronome cues alter spatiotemporal gait measures and gait variability in people with Alzheimer disease (AD). A repeated-measures study requiring participants to walk under different cueing conditions. University movement laboratory. Of the people (N=46) who met study criteria (a diagnosis of probable AD and ability to walk 100m) at routine medical review, 30 (16 men; mean age ± SD, 80±6y; revised Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination range, 26-79) volunteered to participate. Participants walked 4 times over an electronic walkway synchronizing to (1) rhythmic music and (2) a metronome set at individual mean baseline comfortable speed cadence. Gait spatiotemporal measures and gait variability (coefficient of variation [CV]). Data from individual walks under each condition were combined. A 1-way repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to compare uncued baseline, cued, and retest measures. Gait velocity decreased with both music and metronome cues compared with baseline (baseline, 110.5cm/s; music, 103.4cm/s; metronome, 105.4cm/s), primarily because of significant decreases in stride length (baseline, 120.9cm; music, 112.5cm; metronome, 114.8cm) with both cue types. This was coupled with increased stride length variability compared with baseline (baseline CV, 3.4%; music CV, 4.3%; metronome CV, 4.5%) with both cue types. These changes did not persist at (uncued) retest. Temporal variability was unchanged. Rhythmic auditory cueing at comfortable speed tempo produced deleterious effects on gait in a single session in this group with AD. The deterioration in spatial gait parameters may result from impaired executive function associated with AD. Further research should investigate whether these instantaneous cue effects are altered with more practice or with learning methods tailored to people with cognitive impairment. Copyright © 2013 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights

Electrophysiological Study of Algorithmically Processed Metric/Rhythmic Variations in Language and Music

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Magne Cyrille

2007-01-01

Full Text Available This work is the result of an interdisciplinary collaboration between scientists from the fields of audio signal processing, phonetics and cognitive neuroscience aiming at studying the perception of modifications in meter, rhythm, semantics and harmony in language and music. A special time-stretching algorithm was developed to work with natural speech. In the language part, French sentences ending with tri-syllabic congruous or incongruous words, metrically modified or not, were made. In the music part, short melodies made of triplets, rhythmically and/or harmonically modified, were built. These stimuli were presented to a group of listeners that were asked to focus their attention either on meter/rhythm or semantics/harmony and to judge whether or not the sentences/melodies were acceptable. Language ERP analyses indicate that semantically incongruous words are processed independently of the subject's attention thus arguing for automatic semantic processing. In addition, metric incongruities seem to influence semantic processing. Music ERP analyses show that rhythmic incongruities are processed independently of attention, revealing automatic processing of rhythm in music.

Electrophysiological Study of Algorithmically Processed Metric/Rhythmic Variations in Language and Music

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Richard Kronland-Martinet

2007-12-01

Full Text Available This work is the result of an interdisciplinary collaboration between scientists from the fields of audio signal processing, phonetics and cognitive neuroscience aiming at studying the perception of modifications in meter, rhythm, semantics and harmony in language and music. A special time-stretching algorithm was developed to work with natural speech. In the language part, French sentences ending with tri-syllabic congruous or incongruous words, metrically modified or not, were made. In the music part, short melodies made of triplets, rhythmically and/or harmonically modified, were built. These stimuli were presented to a group of listeners that were asked to focus their attention either on meter/rhythm or semantics/harmony and to judge whether or not the sentences/melodies were acceptable. Language ERP analyses indicate that semantically incongruous words are processed independently of the subject's attention thus arguing for automatic semantic processing. In addition, metric incongruities seem to influence semantic processing. Music ERP analyses show that rhythmic incongruities are processed independently of attention, revealing automatic processing of rhythm in music.

MicroRNA mir-16 is anti-proliferative in enterocytes and exhibits diurnal rhythmicity in intestinal crypts

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Balakrishnan, Anita, E-mail: anita.balakrishnan@doctors.org.uk [Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women' s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); School of Clinical Sciences, Division of Gastroenterology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GE (United Kingdom); Stearns, Adam T. [Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women' s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 2JD (United Kingdom); Park, Peter J. [Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women' s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Harvard Medical School, Center for Biomedical Informatics, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Dreyfuss, Jonathan M. [Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women' s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Ashley, Stanley W. [Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women' s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Rhoads, David B. [Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Pediatric Endocrine Unit, MassGeneral Hospital for Children, Boston, MA 02114 (United States); Tavakkolizadeh, Ali, E-mail: atavakkoli@partners.org [Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women' s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 (United States)

2010-12-10

Background and aims: The intestine exhibits profound diurnal rhythms in function and morphology, in part due to changes in enterocyte proliferation. The regulatory mechanisms behind these rhythms remain largely unknown. We hypothesized that microRNAs are involved in mediating these rhythms, and studied the role of microRNAs specifically in modulating intestinal proliferation. Methods: Diurnal rhythmicity of microRNAs in rat jejunum was analyzed by microarrays and validated by qPCR. Temporal expression of diurnally rhythmic mir-16 was further quantified in intestinal crypts, villi, and smooth muscle using laser capture microdissection and qPCR. Morphological changes in rat jejunum were assessed by histology and proliferation by immunostaining for bromodeoxyuridine. In IEC-6 cells stably overexpressing mir-16, proliferation was assessed by cell counting and MTS assay, cell cycle progression and apoptosis by flow cytometry, and cell cycle gene expression by qPCR and immunoblotting. Results: mir-16 peaked 6 hours after light onset (HALO 6) with diurnal changes restricted to crypts. Crypt depth and villus height peaked at HALO 13-14 in antiphase to mir-16. Overexpression of mir-16 in IEC-6 cells suppressed specific G1/S regulators (cyclins D1-3, cyclin E1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 6) and produced G1 arrest. Protein expression of these genes exhibited diurnal rhythmicity in rat jejunum, peaking between HALO 11 and 17 in antiphase to mir-16. Conclusions: This is the first report of circadian rhythmicity of specific microRNAs in rat jejunum. Our data provide a link between anti-proliferative mir-16 and the intestinal proliferation rhythm and point to mir-16 as an important regulator of proliferation in jejunal crypts. This function may be essential to match proliferation and absorptive capacity with nutrient availability.

MicroRNA mir-16 is anti-proliferative in enterocytes and exhibits diurnal rhythmicity in intestinal crypts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balakrishnan, Anita; Stearns, Adam T.; Park, Peter J.; Dreyfuss, Jonathan M.; Ashley, Stanley W.; Rhoads, David B.; Tavakkolizadeh, Ali

2010-01-01

Background and aims: The intestine exhibits profound diurnal rhythms in function and morphology, in part due to changes in enterocyte proliferation. The regulatory mechanisms behind these rhythms remain largely unknown. We hypothesized that microRNAs are involved in mediating these rhythms, and studied the role of microRNAs specifically in modulating intestinal proliferation. Methods: Diurnal rhythmicity of microRNAs in rat jejunum was analyzed by microarrays and validated by qPCR. Temporal expression of diurnally rhythmic mir-16 was further quantified in intestinal crypts, villi, and smooth muscle using laser capture microdissection and qPCR. Morphological changes in rat jejunum were assessed by histology and proliferation by immunostaining for bromodeoxyuridine. In IEC-6 cells stably overexpressing mir-16, proliferation was assessed by cell counting and MTS assay, cell cycle progression and apoptosis by flow cytometry, and cell cycle gene expression by qPCR and immunoblotting. Results: mir-16 peaked 6 hours after light onset (HALO 6) with diurnal changes restricted to crypts. Crypt depth and villus height peaked at HALO 13-14 in antiphase to mir-16. Overexpression of mir-16 in IEC-6 cells suppressed specific G1/S regulators (cyclins D1-3, cyclin E1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 6) and produced G1 arrest. Protein expression of these genes exhibited diurnal rhythmicity in rat jejunum, peaking between HALO 11 and 17 in antiphase to mir-16. Conclusions: This is the first report of circadian rhythmicity of specific microRNAs in rat jejunum. Our data provide a link between anti-proliferative mir-16 and the intestinal proliferation rhythm and point to mir-16 as an important regulator of proliferation in jejunal crypts. This function may be essential to match proliferation and absorptive capacity with nutrient availability.

Spontaneous movement tempo is influenced by observation of rhythmical actions.

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Bove, Marco; Tacchino, Andrea; Pelosin, Elisa; Moisello, Clara; Abbruzzese, Giovanni; Ghilardi, M Felice

2009-09-28

Observation of people performing movements facilitates motor planning, execution and memory formation. Tempo, a crucial aspect involved in the execution of rhythmic movements, is normally perceived and learned through auditory channels. In this work, we ascertained whether: first, the frequency of self-paced finger movements (SPMs), which in normal subjects is around 2 Hz, is modified by prior observation of movements performed at either 1 or 3 Hz; second, such changes are lasting; third, there is an effect of time interval between observation and performance. We finally determined the effect of providing explicit information about the upcoming motor task. Seventy-two normal subjects (12 groups) performed a simple finger sequence at different intervals after observation of videos of either landscapes or finger opposition movements. Both with and without information about the upcoming task, observation influenced the tempo of SPMs and led to memory formation. With knowledge of the upcoming task, such changes occurred at all observation-execution intervals, while without instructions, changes took place only when SPMs were performed immediately after observation. Compared to explicit instructions, the absence of instructions produced tempo's changes that more closely resembled the observed rhythms. We conclude that learning requires a prompt comparison between visual and sensorimotor representations of movements; moreover, learning with explicit instructions is more efficient, as activity in both the dorsal and ventral streams might be potentiated by the chatecholaminergic attentional systems that promote long-term potentiation. These results provide the bases for novel neurorehabilitation strategies in terms of temporal re-organization of movement.

DNA Replication Is Required for Circadian Clock Function by Regulating Rhythmic Nucleosome Composition.

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Liu, Xiao; Dang, Yunkun; Matsu-Ura, Toru; He, Yubo; He, Qun; Hong, Christian I; Liu, Yi

2017-07-20

Although the coupling between circadian and cell cycles allows circadian clocks to gate cell division and DNA replication in many organisms, circadian clocks were thought to function independently of cell cycle. Here, we show that DNA replication is required for circadian clock function in Neurospora. Genetic and pharmacological inhibition of DNA replication abolished both overt and molecular rhythmicities by repressing frequency (frq) gene transcription. DNA replication is essential for the rhythmic changes of nucleosome composition at the frq promoter. The FACT complex, known to be involved in histone disassembly/reassembly, is required for clock function and is recruited to the frq promoter in a replication-dependent manner to promote replacement of histone H2A.Z by H2A. Finally, deletion of H2A.Z uncoupled the dependence of the circadian clock on DNA replication. Together, these results establish circadian clock and cell cycle as interdependent coupled oscillators and identify DNA replication as a critical process in the circadian mechanism. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Familiarity with music increases walking speed in rhythmic auditory cuing.

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Leow, Li-Ann; Rinchon, Cricia; Grahn, Jessica

2015-03-01

Rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) is a gait rehabilitation method in which patients synchronize footsteps to a metronome or musical beats. Although RAS with music can ameliorate gait abnormalities, outcomes vary, possibly because music properties, such as groove or familiarity, differ across interventions. To optimize future interventions, we assessed how initially familiar and unfamiliar low-groove and high-groove music affected synchronization accuracy and gait in healthy individuals. We also experimentally increased music familiarity using repeated exposure to initially unfamiliar songs. Overall, familiar music elicited faster stride velocity and less variable strides, as well as better synchronization performance (matching of step tempo to beat tempo). High-groove music, as reported previously, led to faster stride velocity than low-groove music. We propose two mechanisms for familiarity's effects. First, familiarity with the beat structure reduces cognitive demands of synchronizing, leading to better synchronization performance and faster, less variable gait. Second, familiarity might have elicited faster gait by increasing enjoyment of the music, as enjoyment was higher after repeated exposure to initially low-enjoyment songs. Future studies are necessary to dissociate the contribution of these mechanisms to the observed RAS effects of familiar music on gait. © 2015 New York Academy of Sciences.

Non-equilibrium thermodynamical description of rhythmic motion patterns of active systems: a canonical-dissipative approach.

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Dotov, D G; Kim, S; Frank, T D

2015-02-01

We derive explicit expressions for the non-equilibrium thermodynamical variables of a canonical-dissipative limit cycle oscillator describing rhythmic motion patterns of active systems. These variables are statistical entropy, non-equilibrium internal energy, and non-equilibrium free energy. In particular, the expression for the non-equilibrium free energy is derived as a function of a suitable control parameter. The control parameter determines the Hopf bifurcation point of the deterministic active system and describes the effective pumping of the oscillator. In analogy to the equilibrium free energy of the Landau theory, it is shown that the non-equilibrium free energy decays as a function of the control parameter. In doing so, a similarity between certain equilibrium and non-equilibrium phase transitions is pointed out. Data from an experiment on human rhythmic movements is presented. Estimates for pumping intensity as well as the thermodynamical variables are reported. It is shown that in the experiment the non-equilibrium free energy decayed when pumping intensity was increased, which is consistent with the theory. Moreover, pumping intensities close to zero could be observed at relatively slow intended rhythmic movements. In view of the Hopf bifurcation underlying the limit cycle oscillator model, this observation suggests that the intended limit cycle movements were actually more similar to trajectories of a randomly perturbed stable focus. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Decoding emotional valence from electroencephalographic rhythmic activity.

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Celikkanat, Hande; Moriya, Hiroki; Ogawa, Takeshi; Kauppi, Jukka-Pekka; Kawanabe, Motoaki; Hyvarinen, Aapo

2017-07-01

We attempt to decode emotional valence from electroencephalographic rhythmic activity in a naturalistic setting. We employ a data-driven method developed in a previous study, Spectral Linear Discriminant Analysis, to discover the relationships between the classification task and independent neuronal sources, optimally utilizing multiple frequency bands. A detailed investigation of the classifier provides insight into the neuronal sources related with emotional valence, and the individual differences of the subjects in processing emotions. Our findings show: (1) sources whose locations are similar across subjects are consistently involved in emotional responses, with the involvement of parietal sources being especially significant, and (2) even though the locations of the involved neuronal sources are consistent, subjects can display highly varying degrees of valence-related EEG activity in the sources.

Slowed EEG rhythmicity in patients with chronic pancreatitis: evidence of abnormal cerebral pain processing?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Søren Schou; Hansen, Tine Maria; Gravesen, Carina

2011-01-01

Intractable pain usually dominates the clinical presentation of chronic pancreatitis (CP). Slowing of electroencephalogram (EEG) rhythmicity has been associated with abnormal cortical pain processing in other chronic pain disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the spectral distribution...

Persistence of a circadian rhythmicity for thyroid hormones in plasma and thyroid of hibernating male Rana ridibunda.

Science.gov (United States)

Kühn, E R; Delmotte, N M; Darras, V M

1983-06-01

The presence and circadian rhythmicity of thyroid hormones was studied in plasma and the thyroid gland of male Rana ridibunda before and during hibernation. Hibernating January frogs do have a lower T3 and T4 content of their thyroid gland whereas plasma levels of T3 are maintained and of T4 increased compared to fed September or October frogs. It seems likely that the increased photoperiod in January will be responsible for this increased T4 secretion, since controlled laboratory experiments performed in December did not reveal any influence of low temperature on circulating T3 or T4 levels. Also feeding does not influence circulating levels and thyroid content of thyroid hormones in frogs kept at room temperature during the month of January. A circadian rhythmicity of T3 and T4 in the thyroid gland is present in fed October frogs and in non fed December frogs acclimated at 5 degrees C for 12 days with an acrophase for T3 at approximately 1500 h and for T4 at around 1900 h, whereas in plasma only T3 does have circadian variations (acrophase about midnight) but not T4. When December frogs are acclimated to room temperature for 12 days, frogs are active again, but do not eat and have a lower body weight than frogs hibernating at 5 degrees C. Their T3 content of the thyroid gland has disappeared, but T4 thyroid content and plasma levels of T3 and T4 are maintained. As in hibernating frogs, no circadian variations in T4 plasma concentrations are present whereas the circadian thyroid T4 rhythm disappears. At the same time a dampening in rhythmicity for plasma T3 as judged by the significantly lower amplitude occurs. It is concluded that the persistence of circulating levels of thyroid hormones and of a circadian cyclicity for T3 in plasma in non feeding hibernating frogs may reflect the special metabolic state e.g. availability of food reserves in these animals.

The Interaction of Functional and Dysfunctional Emotions during Balance Beam Performance

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Cottyn, Jorge; De Clercq, Dirk; Crombez, Geert; Lenoir, Matthieu

2012-01-01

The interaction between functional and dysfunctional emotions, as one of the major tenets of the Individual Zones of Optimal Functioning (IZOF) model (Hanin, 2000), was studied in a sport specific setting. Fourteen female gymnasts performed three attempts of a compulsory balance beam routine at three different heights. Heart rate and self-report…

Using Biomechanical Optimization To Interpret Dancers’ Pose Selection For A Partnered Spin

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2009-05-06

optimized performance of a straight arm backward longswing on the still rings in mens artistic gymnastics . Because gymnasts lose points for excessive swing at...an actual performance and used that as the basis for their search. Yeadon determined that with timing within 15ms, gymnasts can minimize their excess...are moving in an optimal way. 2.5 Body Modeling 2.5.1 Building the Body In his study involving gymnasts on the rings, Yeadon developed a body model com

Auditory Processing Interventions and Developmental Dyslexia: A Comparison of Phonemic and Rhythmic Approaches

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Thomson, Jennifer M.; Leong, Victoria; Goswami, Usha

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of two auditory processing interventions for developmental dyslexia, one based on rhythm and one based on phonetic training. Thirty-three children with dyslexia participated and were assigned to one of three groups (a) a novel rhythmic processing intervention designed to highlight auditory…

Thermoregulation of competitive artistic gymnastic athletes and non-athlete girls exercising in the heat

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Gabriela Tomedi Leites

2016-05-01

Full Text Available DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/1980-0037.2016v18n2p143   It’s unclear whether the combination of intense, chronic training and heat exposure during prepubescence improves thermoregulatory responses to exercise in artistic gymnastics athletes. The objective of this study was to compare thermoregulatory and perceptual responses between artistic gymnastics athletes and non-athlete girls while exercising both in heat and thermoneutral conditions. Seven athletes (8.7 ± 1.3 yrs and 7 nonathletes (9.4 ± 1.5 yrs cycled for 30 min at load (W of ~55% VO2peak, on two separate occasions in a randomized order: heat (35˚C, 40% relative humidity and thermoneutral conditions (24˚C, 50% relative humidity. Rectal temperature, heart rate, rate of perceived exertion, thermal sensation, thermal comfort and irritability were measured throughout the exercise. Initial rectal temperature was similar between athletes and non-athletes in both heat (37.2 ± 0.4 vs. 37.4 ± 0.2˚C, respectively and thermoneutral conditions (37.3 ± 0.2 vs. 37.3 ± 0.3˚C. Final rectal temperature was similar between groups (38.0 ± 0.2 vs. 38.2 ± 0.2˚C in heat and 37.8 ± 0.2 vs. 37.9 ± 0.2˚C in thermoneutral conditions. Initial heart rate was lower in athletes in the heat (76 ± 7 vs. 91 ± 11 bpm, P = 0.01; however, throughout cycling, it became similar between groups. Athletes reported similar perceptual responses compared to non-athletes, with the exception of higher thermal comfort in the 10th minute of exercise in thermoneutral conditions (P = 0.003. It was concluded that athletes were similar to non-athletes with respect to thermoregulatory and perceptual responses during 30 min of cycling at similar relative intensities.

Mechanisms of circadian rhythmicity of carbon tetrachloride hepatotoxicity.

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Bruckner, James V; Ramanathan, Raghupathy; Lee, K Monica; Muralidhara, Srinivasa

2002-01-01

The toxicity of carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4)) and certain other chemicals varies over a 24-h period. Because the metabolism of some drugs follows a diurnal rhythm, it was decided to investigate whether the hepatic metabolic activation of CCl(4) was rhythmic and coincided in time with maximum susceptibility to CCl(4) hepatotoxicity. A related objective was to test the hypothesis that abstinence from food during the sleep cycle results in lipolysis and formation of acetone, which participates in induction of liver microsomal cytochrome P450IIE1 (CYP2E1), resulting in a diurnal increase in CCl(4) metabolic activation and acute liver injury. Groups of fed and fasted male Sprague-Dawley rats were given a single oral dose of 800 mg of CCl(4)/kg at 2- to 4-h intervals over a 24-h period. Serum enzyme activities, measured 24 h post dosing as indices of acute liver injury, exhibited distinct maxima in both fed and fasted animals dosed with CCl(4) near the beginning of their dark/active cycle. Blood acetone, hepatic CYP2E1 activity, and covalent binding of (14)CCl(4)/metabolites to hepatic microsomal proteins in untreated rats fed ad libitum followed circadian rhythms similar to that of susceptibility to CCl(4). Parallel fluctuations of greater amplitude were seen in rats fasted for 24 h. Hepatic glutathione levels were lowest at the time of greatest susceptibility to CCl(4). Acetone dose-response experiments showed high correlations between blood acetone levels, CYP2E1 induction, and CCl(4)-induced liver injury. Pretreatment with diallyl sulfide suppressed CYP2E1 and abolished the circadian rhythmicity of susceptibility to CCl(4). These findings provide additional support for acetone's physiological role in CYP2E1 induction and for CYP2E1's role in modulating CCl(4) chronotoxicity in rats.

Hepatic rhythmicity of endoplasmic reticulum stress is disrupted in perinatal and adult mice models of high-fat diet-induced obesity.

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Soeda, Junpei; Cordero, Paul; Li, Jiawei; Mouralidarane, Angelina; Asilmaz, Esra; Ray, Shuvra; Nguyen, Vi; Carter, Rebeca; Novelli, Marco; Vinciguerra, Manlio; Poston, Lucilla; Taylor, Paul D; Oben, Jude A

2017-06-01

We investigated the regulation of hepatic ER stress in healthy liver and adult or perinatally programmed diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Female mice were fed either obesogenic or control diet before mating, during pregnancy and lactation. Post-weaning, offspring from each maternal group were divided into either obesogenic or control diet. At six months, offspring were sacrificed at 4-h intervals over 24 h. Offspring fed obesogenic diets developed NAFLD phenotype, and the combination of maternal and offspring obesogenic diets exacerbated this phenotype. UPR signalling pathways (IREα, PERK, ATF6) and their downstream regulators showed different basal rhythmicity, which was modified in offspring exposed to obesogenic diet and maternal programming. The double obesogenic hit increased liver apoptosis measured by TUNEL staining, active caspase-3 and phospho-JNK and GRP78 promoter methylation levels. This study demonstrates that hepatic UPR is rhythmically activated. The combination of maternal obesity (MO) and obesogenic diets in offspring triggered altered UPR rhythmicity, DNA methylation and cellular apoptosis.

Aberrant rhythmic expression of cryptochrome2 regulates the radiosensitivity of rat gliomas.

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Fan, Wang; Caiyan, Li; Ling, Zhu; Jiayun, Zhao

2017-09-29

In this study, we investigated the role of the clock regulatory protein cryptochrome 2 (Cry2) in determining the radiosensitivity of C6 glioma cells in a rat model. We observed that Cry2 mRNA and protein levels showed aberrant rhythmic periodicity of 8 h in glioma tissues, compared to 24 h in normal brain tissue. Cry2 mRNA and protein levels did not respond to irradiation in normal tissues, but both were increased at the ZT4 (low Cry2) and ZT8 (high Cry2) time points in gliomas. Immunohistochemical staining of PCNA and TUNEL assays demonstrated that high Cry2 expression in glioma tissues was associated with increased cell proliferation and decreased apoptosis. Western blot analysis showed that glioma cell fate was independent of p53, but was probably dependent on p73, which was more highly expressed at ZT4 (low Cry2) than at ZT8 (high Cry2). Levels of both p53 and p73 were unaffected by irradiation in normal brain tissues. These findings suggest aberrant rhythmic expression of Cry2 influence on radiosensitivity in rat gliomas.

Neural entrainment to rhythmically-presented auditory, visual and audio-visual speech in children

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Alan James Power

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Auditory cortical oscillations have been proposed to play an important role in speech perception. It is suggested that the brain may take temporal ‘samples’ of information from the speech stream at different rates, phase-resetting ongoing oscillations so that they are aligned with similar frequency bands in the input (‘phase locking’. Information from these frequency bands is then bound together for speech perception. To date, there are no explorations of neural phase-locking and entrainment to speech input in children. However, it is clear from studies of language acquisition that infants use both visual speech information and auditory speech information in learning. In order to study neural entrainment to speech in typically-developing children, we use a rhythmic entrainment paradigm (underlying 2 Hz or delta rate based on repetition of the syllable ba, presented in either the auditory modality alone, the visual modality alone, or as auditory-visual speech (via a talking head. To ensure attention to the task, children aged 13 years were asked to press a button as fast as possible when the ba stimulus violated the rhythm for each stream type. Rhythmic violation depended on delaying the occurrence of a ba in the isochronous stream. Neural entrainment was demonstrated for all stream types, and individual differences in standardized measures of language processing were related to auditory entrainment at the theta rate. Further, there was significant modulation of the preferred phase of auditory entrainment in the theta band when visual speech cues were present, indicating cross-modal phase resetting. The rhythmic entrainment paradigm developed here offers a method for exploring individual differences in oscillatory phase locking during development. In particular, a method for assessing neural entrainment and cross-modal phase resetting would be useful for exploring developmental learning difficulties thought to involve temporal sampling

Separating bathymetric data representing multiscale rhythmic bed forms : a geostatistical and spectral method compared

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Dijk, Thaiënne A.G.P.; Lindenbergh, Roderik C.; Egberts, Paul J.P.

2008-01-01

The superimposition of rhythmic bed forms of different spatial scales is a common and natural phenomenon on sandy seabeds. The dynamics of such seabeds may interfere with different offshore activities and are therefore of interest to both scientists and offshore developers. State-of-the-art echo

Towards a Rhythmanalysis of Debt Dressage: Education as Rhythmic Resistance in Everyday Indebted Life

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Wozniak, Jason Thomas

2017-01-01

Debt shapes subjectivity by rhythmically training indebted subjects. Stated slightly differently, there exists a debt dressage that produces indebted subjectivity. One of the principle aims of this article is to introduce rhythm into the debt analysis debates. Building on Henri Lefebvre's book "Rhythmanalysis: Space, Time and Everyday…

Circadian rhythmicity of active GSK3 isoforms modulates molecular clock gene rhythms in the suprachiasmatic nucleus.

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Besing, Rachel C; Paul, Jodi R; Hablitz, Lauren M; Rogers, Courtney O; Johnson, Russell L; Young, Martin E; Gamble, Karen L

2015-04-01

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) drives and synchronizes daily rhythms at the cellular level via transcriptional-translational feedback loops comprising clock genes such as Bmal1 and Period (Per). Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3), a serine/threonine kinase, phosphorylates at least 5 core clock proteins and shows diurnal variation in phosphorylation state (inactivation) of the GSK3β isoform. Whether phosphorylation of the other primary isoform (GSK3α) varies across the subjective day-night cycle is unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine if the endogenous rhythm of GSK3 (α and β) phosphorylation is critical for rhythmic BMAL1 expression and normal amplitude and periodicity of the molecular clock in the SCN. Significant circadian rhythmicity of phosphorylated GSK3 (α and β) was observed in the SCN from wild-type mice housed in constant darkness for 2 weeks. Importantly, chronic activation of both GSK3 isoforms impaired rhythmicity of the GSK3 target BMAL1. Furthermore, chronic pharmacological inhibition of GSK3 with 20 µM CHIR-99021 enhanced the amplitude and shortened the period of PER2::luciferase rhythms in organotypic SCN slice cultures. These results support the model that GSK3 activity status is regulated by the circadian clock and that GSK3 feeds back to regulate the molecular clock amplitude in the SCN. © 2015 The Author(s).

Antimatter performs optical gymnastics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eades, John [University of Tokyo (Japan); CERN, Geneva (Switzerland)

2005-03-01

Lasers have been used for the first time to create antihydrogen, which could allow precise spectroscopic measurements of anti-atoms. The philosopher William James once said that 'if you wish to upset the law that all crows are black, you must not seek to show that none of them are - it is enough to produce a single white crow'. Likewise, if you wish to test the so-called CPT theorem, according to which a world constructed of antimatter behaves exactly the same as one constructed of matter, you do not need to create an entire 'antiworld'. It would be quite sufficient to show that the frequency of just one transition in a simple anti-atom differs from the value of the same transition in the corresponding ordinary atom. The question is, by how much? Any gross violations of the CPT theorem - which, more formally, states that a system remains unchanged under the combined operations of charge conjugation, parity reversal and time reversal - have already been ruled out experimentally. As a result, nobody expects any difference between matter and antimatter to be anything other than minute, if, indeed, there is a difference at all. The laser-spectroscopy tools that have made it possible to measure transition frequencies in ordinary hydrogen to extraordinarily high precision should also be applicable to antihydrogen. This makes hydrogen anti-atoms excellent candidates to test the CPT theorem. Now, researchers in the ATRAP collaboration at CERN have taken an important step along the obstacle-strewn path towards this goal by using lasers to control the production of antihydrogen atoms. (U.K.)

Myositis ossificans circumscripta of the psoas muscle due to overuse in an adolescent gymnast.

Science.gov (United States)

Masquijo, Julio Javier; Sartori, Federico

2014-11-01

Myositis ossificans is a pseudoinflammatory tumour that originates from skeletal muscle and corresponds to a heterotopic, metaplastic, nonmalignant bone tumour. The purpose of this article is to report the case of myositis ossificans circumscripta (MOC) of the psoas muscle due to overuse in an adolescent gymnast. A 16-year-old female athlete presented at our outpatient orthopaedic clinic for evaluation of a 1-month history of low back pain. Initial plain radiographs were initially interpreted as negative, and laboratory values were normal. MRI imaging demonstrated a circumscribed mass with associated oedema in the psoas muscle. Computed tomography-guided percutaneous biopsy was performed and histology confirmed the diagnosis of MOC. Conservative treatment was initiated with rest and anti-inflammatory drugs (indomethacin). The patient had a resolution of pain and function after 3 months of conservative treatment. At 6 months' follow-up, MRI demonstrated complete resolution of the lesion and she gradually returned to her sports activity. At last follow-up she was asymptomatic. MOC is a rare lesion in the paediatric-adolescent population. To our knowledge, this is the first report of MOC in the psoas muscle produced by overuse. MRI is very sensitive in detecting oedema during the acute phase of the lesion. Conservative treatment should be considered, especially at the early stage of the disease. Spontaneous resolution can be expected in most cases.

Targeted Delivery of TrkB Receptor to Phrenic Motoneurons Enhances Functional Recovery of Rhythmic Phrenic Activity after Cervical Spinal Hemisection

Science.gov (United States)

Gransee, Heather M.; Zhan, Wen-Zhi; Sieck, Gary C.; Mantilla, Carlos B.

2013-01-01

Progressive recovery of rhythmic phrenic activity occurs over time after a spinal cord hemisection involving unilateral transection of anterolateral funiculi at C2 (SH). Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) acting through its full-length tropomyosin related kinase receptor subtype B (TrkB.FL) contributes to neuroplasticity after spinal cord injury, but the specific cellular substrates remain unclear. We hypothesized that selectively targeting increased TrkB.FL expression to phrenic motoneurons would be sufficient to enhance recovery of rhythmic phrenic activity after SH. Several adeno-associated virus (AAV) serotypes expressing GFP were screened to determine specificity for phrenic motoneuron transduction via intrapleural injection in adult rats. GFP expression was present in the cervical spinal cord 3 weeks after treatment with AAV serotypes 7, 8, and 9, but not with AAV2, 6, or rhesus-10. Overall, AAV7 produced the most consistent GFP expression in phrenic motoneurons. SH was performed 3 weeks after intrapleural injection of AAV7 expressing human TrkB.FL-FLAG or saline. Delivery of TrkB.FL-FLAG to phrenic motoneurons was confirmed by FLAG protein expression in the phrenic motor nucleus and human TrkB.FL mRNA expression in microdissected phrenic motoneurons. In all SH rats, absence of ipsilateral diaphragm EMG activity was confirmed at 3 days post-SH, verifying complete interruption of ipsilateral descending drive to phrenic motoneurons. At 14 days post-SH, all AAV7-TrkB.FL treated rats (n = 11) displayed recovery of ipsilateral diaphragm EMG activity compared to 3 out of 8 untreated SH rats (pphrenic motoneurons is sufficient to enhance recovery of ipsilateral rhythmic phrenic activity after SH, indicating that selectively targeting gene expression in spared motoneurons below the level of spinal cord injury may promote functional recovery. PMID:23724091

Recovery of rhythmic activity in a central pattern generator: analysis of the role of neuromodulator and activity-dependent mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yili; Golowasch, Jorge

2011-11-01

The pyloric network of decapods crustaceans can undergo dramatic rhythmic activity changes. Under normal conditions the network generates low frequency rhythmic activity that depends obligatorily on the presence of neuromodulatory input from the central nervous system. When this input is removed (decentralization) the rhythmic activity ceases. In the continued absence of this input, periodic activity resumes after a few hours in the form of episodic bursting across the entire network that later turns into stable rhythmic activity that is nearly indistinguishable from control (recovery). It has been proposed that an activity-dependent modification of ionic conductance levels in the pyloric pacemaker neuron drives the process of recovery of activity. Previous modeling attempts have captured some aspects of the temporal changes observed experimentally, but key features could not be reproduced. Here we examined a model in which slow activity-dependent regulation of ionic conductances and slower neuromodulator-dependent regulation of intracellular Ca(2+) concentration reproduce all the temporal features of this recovery. Key aspects of these two regulatory mechanisms are their independence and their different kinetics. We also examined the role of variability (noise) in the activity-dependent regulation pathway and observe that it can help to reduce unrealistic constraints that were otherwise required on the neuromodulator-dependent pathway. We conclude that small variations in intracellular Ca(2+) concentration, a Ca(2+) uptake regulation mechanism that is directly targeted by neuromodulator-activated signaling pathways, and variability in the Ca(2+) concentration sensing signaling pathway can account for the observed changes in neuronal activity. Our conclusions are all amenable to experimental analysis.

Daily rhythmicity of clock gene transcripts in atlantic cod fast skeletal muscle.

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Carlo C Lazado

Full Text Available The classical notion of a centralized clock that governs circadian rhythmicity has been challenged with the discovery of peripheral oscillators that enable organisms to cope with daily changes in their environment. The present study aimed to identify the molecular clock components in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua and to investigate their daily gene expression in fast skeletal muscle. Atlantic cod clock genes were closely related to their orthologs in teleosts and tetrapods. Synteny was conserved to varying degrees in the majority of the 18 clock genes examined. In particular, aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator-like 2 (arntl2, RAR-related orphan receptor A (rora and timeless (tim displayed high degrees of conservation. Expression profiling during the early ontogenesis revealed that some transcripts were maternally transferred, namely arntl2, cryptochrome 1b and 2 (cry1b and cry2, and period 2a and 2b (per2a and per2b. Most clock genes were ubiquitously expressed in various tissues, suggesting the possible existence of multiple peripheral clock systems in Atlantic cod. In particular, they were all detected in fast skeletal muscle, with the exception of neuronal PAS (Per-Arnt-Single-minded domain-containing protein (npas1 and rora. Rhythmicity analysis revealed 8 clock genes with daily rhythmic expression, namely arntl2, circadian locomotor output cycles kaput (clock, npas2, cry2, cry3 per2a, nuclear receptor subfamily 1, group D, member 1 (nr1d1, and nr1d2a. Transcript levels of the myogenic genes myogenic factor 5 (myf5 and muscleblind-like 1 (mbnl1 strongly correlated with clock gene expression. This is the first study to unravel the molecular components of peripheral clocks in Atlantic cod. Taken together, our data suggest that the putative clock system in fast skeletal muscle of Atlantic cod has regulatory implications on muscle physiology, particularly in the expression of genes related to myogenesis.

Sexual arousal and rhythmic synchronization: A possible effect of vasopressin

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Miani, Alessandro

2016-01-01

Music is ubiquitous. Yet, its biological relevance is still an ongoing debate. Supporting the view that music had an ancestral role in courtship displays, a pilot study presented here provides preliminary evidence on the link between music and sexual selection. The underlying hypothesis is based...... by vasopressin and its genes. Hence, to test this hypothesis, a rhythmic synchronization task was employed here on one male subject during sexual arousal. Results revealed a significant effect of sexual arousal on rhythm synchronization. This is the first report that empirically supports the hypothesis...

Approaches to the study of the insertion of gymnastics in secondary education in Brazil in the 19th century - doi: 10.4025/actascieduc.v35i1.18527

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Margarita Victoria Rodríguez

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The article aims to discuss the methodological and theoretical assumptions of the academic production that focuses on the History of Education in Brazil under Pedro II's rule, with focus on the implementation of Gymnastics in Secondary Education. The paper considers the material base on which Brazilian society is constituted as a nation, as well as the social, political and ideological relations from which the educational proposals are developed, and which lie on the situation in which Gymnastics was established in Imperial education. In the academic production mapped, there are few studies that address the subject under a methodological approach based on the critical theory of totality. Most of the work is based on the new history. We conclude by reaffirming the relevance of the Marxist dialectical historical-critical epistemology in order to deep the knowledge about man’s reality and their historical production, understood as a path under construction.  

Generic anthropometric and performance characteristics among elite adolescent boys in nine different sports.

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Pion, Johan; Segers, Veerle; Fransen, Job; Debuyck, Gijs; Deprez, Dieter; Haerens, Leen; Vaeyens, Roel; Philippaerts, Renaat; Lenoir, Matthieu

2015-01-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the Flemish Sports Compass (FSC), a non-sport-specific generic testing battery. It was hypothesised that a set of 22 tests would have sufficient discriminant power to allocate athletes to their own sport based on a unique combination of test scores. First, discriminant analyses were applied to the 22 tests of anthropometry, physical fitness and motor coordination in 141 boys under age 18 (16.1 ± 0.8 years) and post age at peak height velocity (maturity offset = 2.674 ± 0.926) from Flemish Top Sport Academies for badminton, basketball, gymnastics, handball, judo, soccer, table tennis, triathlon and volleyball. Second, nine sequential discriminant analyses were used to assess the ability of a set of relevant performance characteristics classifying participants and non-participants for the respective sports. Discriminant analyses resulted in a 96.4% correct classification of all participants for the nine different sports. When focusing on relevant performance characteristics, 80.1% to 97.2% of the total test sample was classified correctly within their respective disciplines. The discriminating characteristics were briefly the following: flexibility in gymnastics, explosive lower-limb strength in badminton and volleyball, speed and agility in badminton, judo, soccer and volleyball, upper-body strength in badminton, basketball and gymnastics, cardiorespiratory endurance in triathletes, dribbling skills in handball, basketball and soccer and overhead-throwing skills in badminton and volleyball. The generic talent characteristics of the FSC enable the distinction of adolescent boys according to their particular sport. Implications for talent programmes are discussed.

Respiratory muscle stretch gymnastics in patients with post coronary artery bypass grafting pain : Impact on respiratory muscle function, activity, mood and exercise capacity

OpenAIRE

會田, 信子; 渋谷, 優子; 吉野, 克樹; Komoda, Masaji; 井上, 智子

2002-01-01

A new rehabilitation (New-RH) program including respiratory muscle stretch gymnastics (RMSG) was developed to alleviate post-coronary artery bypass grafting pain (PCP). Effects on respiratory muscle function, pain, activities of daily living (ADL), mood and exercise capacity were investigated. Subjects were 16 consecutive patients undergoing median full sternotomy coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and were randomly divided into equal New-RH (S-group) and conventional therapy (C-group) g...

Dyslexic children fail to comply with the rhythmic constraints of handwriting.

Science.gov (United States)

Pagliarini, Elena; Guasti, Maria Teresa; Toneatto, Carlo; Granocchio, Elisa; Riva, Federica; Sarti, Daniela; Molteni, Bruna; Stucchi, Natale

2015-08-01

In this study, we sought to demonstrate that deficits in a specific motor activity, handwriting, are associated to Developmental Dyslexia. The linguistic and writing performance of children with Developmental Dyslexia, with and without handwriting problems (dysgraphia), were compared to that of children with Typical Development. The quantitative kinematic variables of handwriting were collected by means of a digitizing tablet. The results showed that all children with Developmental Dyslexia wrote more slowly than those with Typical Development. Contrary to typically developing children, they also varied more in the time taken to write the individual letters of a word and failed to comply with the principles of isochrony and homothety. Moreover, a series of correlations was found among reading, language measures and writing measures suggesting that the two abilities may be linked. We propose that the link between handwriting and reading/language deficits is mediated by rhythm, as both reading (which is grounded on language) and handwriting are ruled by principles of rhythmic organization. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Champagne experiences various rhythmical bubbling regimes in a flute.

Science.gov (United States)

Liger-Belair, Gérard; Tufaile, Alberto; Jeandet, Philippe; Sartorelli, José-Carlos

2006-09-20

Bubble trains are seen rising gracefully from a few points on the glass wall (called nucleation sites) whenever champagne is poured into a glass. As time passes during the gas-discharging process, the careful observation of some given bubble columns reveals that the interbubble distance may change suddenly, thus revealing different rhythmical bubbling regimes. Here, it is reported that the transitions between the different bubbling regimes of some nucleation sites during gas discharging is a process which may be ruled by a strong interaction between tiny gas pockets trapped inside the nucleation site and/or also by an interaction between the tiny bubbles just blown from the nucleation site.

Cyclic Variations in Sustained Human Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Aue, William R.; Arruda, James E.; Kass, Steven J.; Stanny, Claudia J.

2009-01-01

Biological rhythms play a prominent role in the modulation of human physiology and behavior. [Smith, K., Valentino, D., & Arruda, J. (2003). "Rhythmic oscillations in the performance of a sustained attention task." "Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology," 25, 561-570] suggested that sustained human performance may systematically…

Rhythmic Rituals and Emergent Listening: Intra-Activity, Sonic Sounds and Digital Composing with Young Children

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Wargo, Jon M.

2017-01-01

(Re)Entering data from a networked collaborative project exploring how sound operates as a mechanism for attuning towards cultural difference and community literacies, this article examines one primary grade classroom's participation to investigate the rhythmic rituals of 'emergent listening' in early childhood literacy. Thinking with sound…

Rhythmic and melodic deviations in musical sequences recruit different cortical areas for mismatch detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Lappe, Claudia; Steinsträter, Olaf; Pantev, Christo

2013-01-01

The mismatch negativity (MMN), an event-related potential (ERP) representing the violation of an acoustic regularity, is considered as a pre-attentive change detection mechanism at the sensory level on the one hand and as a prediction error signal on the other hand, suggesting that bottom-up as well as top-down processes are involved in its generation. Rhythmic and melodic deviations within a musical sequence elicit a MMN in musically trained subjects, indicating that acquired musical expertise leads to better discrimination accuracy of musical material and better predictions about upcoming musical events. Expectation violations to musical material could therefore recruit neural generators that reflect top-down processes that are based on musical knowledge. We describe the neural generators of the musical MMN for rhythmic and melodic material after a short-term sensorimotor-auditory (SA) training. We compare the localization of musical MMN data from two previous MEG studies by applying beamformer analysis. One study focused on the melodic harmonic progression whereas the other study focused on rhythmic progression. The MMN to melodic deviations revealed significant right hemispheric neural activation in the superior temporal gyrus (STG), inferior frontal cortex (IFC), and the superior frontal (SFG) and orbitofrontal (OFG) gyri. IFC and SFG activation was also observed in the left hemisphere. In contrast, beamformer analysis of the data from the rhythm study revealed bilateral activation within the vicinity of auditory cortices and in the inferior parietal lobule (IPL), an area that has recently been implied in temporal processing. We conclude that different cortical networks are activated in the analysis of the temporal and the melodic content of musical material, and discuss these networks in the context of the dual-pathway model of auditory processing.

Rhythmic and melodic deviations in musical sequences recruit different cortical areas for mismatch detection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Claudia eLappe

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The mismatch negativity (MMN, an event-related potential (ERP representing the violation of an acoustic regularity, is considered as a pre-attentive change detection mechanism at the sensory level on the one hand and as a prediction error signal on the other hand, suggesting that bottom-up as well as top-down processes are involved in its generation. Rhythmic and melodic deviations within a musical sequence elicit a mismatch negativity in musically trained subjects, indicating that acquired musical expertise leads to better discrimination accuracy of musical material and better predictions about upcoming musical events. Expectation violations to musical material could therefore recruit neural generators that reflect top-down processes that are based on musical knowledge.We describe the neural generators of the musical MMN for rhythmic and melodic material after a short-term sensorimotor-auditory training. We compare the localization of musical MMN data from two previous MEG studies by applying beamformer analysis. One study focused on the melodic harmonic progression whereas the other study focused on rhythmic progression. The MMN to melodic deviations revealed significant right hemispheric neural activation in the superior temporal gyrus (STG, inferior frontal cortex (IFC, and the superior frontal (SFG and orbitofrontal (OFG gyri. IFC and SFG activation was also observed in the left hemisphere. In contrast, beamformer analysis of the data from the rhythm study revealed bilatral activation within the vicinity of auditory cortices and in the inferior parietal lobule, an area that has recently been implied in temporal processing. We conclude that different cortical networks are activated in the analysis of the temporal and the melodic content of musical material, and discuss these networks in the context of the the dual-pathway model of auditory processing.

Rhythmic changes in synapse numbers in Drosophila melanogaster motor terminals.

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Santiago Ruiz

Full Text Available Previous studies have shown that the morphology of the neuromuscular junction of the flight motor neuron MN5 in Drosophila melanogaster undergoes daily rhythmical changes, with smaller synaptic boutons during the night, when the fly is resting, than during the day, when the fly is active. With electron microscopy and laser confocal microscopy, we searched for a rhythmic change in synapse numbers in this neuron, both under light:darkness (LD cycles and constant darkness (DD. We expected the number of synapses to increase during the morning, when the fly has an intense phase of locomotion activity under LD and DD. Surprisingly, only our DD data were consistent with this hypothesis. In LD, we found more synapses at midnight than at midday. We propose that under LD conditions, there is a daily rhythm of formation of new synapses in the dark phase, when the fly is resting, and disassembly over the light phase, when the fly is active. Several parameters appeared to be light dependent, since they were affected differently under LD or DD. The great majority of boutons containing synapses had only one and very few had either two or more, with a 70∶25∶5 ratio (one, two and three or more synapses in LD and 75∶20∶5 in DD. Given the maintenance of this proportion even when both bouton and synapse numbers changed with time, we suggest that there is a homeostatic mechanism regulating synapse distribution among MN5 boutons.

Low-Frequency Components in Rat Pial Arteriolar Rhythmic Diameter Changes.

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Lapi, Dominga; Mastantuono, Teresa; Di Maro, Martina; Varanini, Maurizio; Colantuoni, Antonio

2017-01-01

This study aimed to analyze the frequency components present in spontaneous rhythmic diameter changes in rat pial arterioles. Pial microcirculation was visualized by fluorescence microscopy. Rhythmic luminal variations were evaluated via computer-assisted methods. Spectral analysis was carried out on 30-min recordings under baseline conditions and after administration of acetylcholine (Ach), papaverine (Pap), Nω-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) prior to Ach, indomethacin (INDO), INDO prior to Ach, charybdotoxin and apamin, and charybdotoxin and apamin prior to Ach. Under baseline conditions all arteriolar orders showed 3 frequency components in the ranges of 0.0095-0.02, 0.02-0.06, and 0.06-0.2 Hz, another 2 in the ranges of 0.2-2.0 and 2.5-4.5 Hz, and another ultra-low-frequency component in the range of 0.001-0.0095 Hz. Ach caused a significant increase in the spectral density of the frequency components in the range of 0.001-0.2 Hz. Pap was able to slightly increase spectral density in the ranges of 0.001-0.0095 and 0.0095-0.02 Hz. L-NNA mainly attenuated arteriolar responses to Ach. INDO prior to Ach did not affect the endothelial response to Ach. Charybdotoxin and apamin, suggested as endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor inhibitors, reduced spectral density in the range of 0.001-0.0095 Hz before and after Ach administration. In conclusion, regulation of the blood flow distribution is due to several mechanisms, one of which is affected by charibdotoxin and apamin, modulating the vascular tone. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

The Relationship between Reduplicated Babble Onset and Laterality Biases in Infant Rhythmic Arm Movements

Science.gov (United States)

Iverson, Jana M.; Hall, Amanda J.; Nickel, Lindsay; Wozniak, Robert H.

2007-01-01

This study examined changes in rhythmic arm shaking and laterality biases in infants observed longitudinally at three points: just prior to, at, and just following reduplicated babble onset. Infants (ranging in age from 4 to 9 months at babble onset) were videotaped at home as they played with two visually identical audible and silent rattles…

The influence of oxytocin on interpersonal rhythmic synchronization and social bonding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gebauer, Line; Witek, Maria; Hansen, Niels Chr.

oxytocin. In this study we investigated the role of oxytocin on interpersonal rhythmic synchronization, and its relation to pro-social effects, using an interactive finger tapping setup. Pairs of two tapped together, and both participants in each pair received either oxytocin or a non-active placebo...... as nasal spray. Our preliminary analyses showed trends in which intranasally administered oxytocin improved interpersonal synchronization. In this poster we present the full data set and analysis of the effect of oxytocin on interpersonal synchronization and social bonding....

シュツットガルト世界選手権大会におけるゆか運動についての一考察 : 種目別選手権大会上位入賞者と日本選手の比較を中心として

OpenAIRE

中山, 光子; 中山, 彰規; Mitsuko, Nakayama; Akinori, Nakayama

1991-01-01

By comparing the performance between World Top Gymnasts and Japanese gymnasts, the following were revealed: 1) BOGVINSKAIA and SLIVAS getting 10.00 points seemed to deserve to be champion, because BOGVINSKAIA had her own characteristic movements and high guality balanced performance of series. SILVAS, on the other hand, had high degree of rythmical movements. 2) Amang the Japanese gymnasts, SHINODA got 9.837 and her performance seemed to give a good example with regard to getting a high score...

Rhythmic EEG patterns in extremely preterm infants : Classification and association with brain injury and outcome

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weeke, Lauren C; van Ooijen, Inge M; Groenendaal, Floris; van Huffelen, Alexander C.; van Haastert, Ingrid C; van Stam, Carolien; Benders, Manon J; Toet, Mona C; Hellström-Westas, Lena; de Vries, Linda S

2017-01-01

OBJECTIVE: Classify rhythmic EEG patterns in extremely preterm infants and relate these to brain injury and outcome. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 77 infants born <28 weeks gestational age (GA) who had a 2-channel EEG during the first 72 h after birth. Patterns detected by the BrainZ seizure

Perturbed rhythmic activation of signaling pathways in mice deficient for Sterol Carrier Protein 2-dependent diurnal lipid transport and metabolism.

Science.gov (United States)

Jouffe, Céline; Gobet, Cédric; Martin, Eva; Métairon, Sylviane; Morin-Rivron, Delphine; Masoodi, Mojgan; Gachon, Frédéric

2016-04-21

Through evolution, most of the living species have acquired a time keeping system to anticipate daily changes caused by the rotation of the Earth. In all of the systems this pacemaker is based on a molecular transcriptional/translational negative feedback loop able to generate rhythmic gene expression with a period close to 24 hours. Recent evidences suggest that post-transcriptional regulations activated mostly by systemic cues play a fundamental role in the process, fine tuning the time keeping system and linking it to animal physiology. Among these signals, we consider the role of lipid transport and metabolism regulated by SCP2. Mice harboring a deletion of the Scp2 locus present a modulated diurnal accumulation of lipids in the liver and a perturbed activation of several signaling pathways including PPARα, SREBP, LRH-1, TORC1 and its upstream regulators. This defect in signaling pathways activation feedbacks upon the clock by lengthening the circadian period of animals through post-translational regulation of core clock regulators, showing that rhythmic lipid transport is a major player in the establishment of rhythmic mRNA and protein expression landscape.

Effects of rhythmic stimulus presentation on oscillatory brain activity: the physiology of cueing in Parkinson's disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Woerd, E.S. te; Oostenveld, R.; Bloem, B.R.; Lange, F.P. de; Praamstra, P.

2015-01-01

The basal ganglia play an important role in beat perception and patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) are impaired in perception of beat-based rhythms. Rhythmic cues are nonetheless beneficial in gait rehabilitation, raising the question how rhythm improves movement in PD. We addressed this

Therapeutic riding followed by rhythmic auditory stimulation to improve balance and gait in a subject with orthopedic pathologies.

Science.gov (United States)

Ungermann, Cathryn M; Gras, Laura Z

2011-12-01

The study objectives were to investigate the effect of therapeutic riding with a subject who had an orthopedic diagnosis. This is a single-subject case report. The study was conducted at an equestrian facility with an indoor riding arena. The subject was a 59-year-old woman with grade I spondylolisthesis at L4/L5 and multilevel lumbar spinal stenosis in central and foraminal canals. The subject had an anterior cervical fusion of C3-C7. The subject has been ambulating with a straight cane due to her history of frequent falls. Gait, agility, strength, range of motion, and balance testing were performed. The subject had impairments of bilateral lower extremities with an ataxic gait pattern and was at risk for continued falls according to the balance measures. The intervention comprised therapeutic riding sessions 3 times a week for 20 minutes for 4 weeks. Each riding session was immediately followed by a 10-minute independent walking program with a metronome for rhythmic auditory stimulation. The outcome measures were as follows: Manual muscle testing and range of motion of the lower extremities, Gait Speed Test, Dynamic Gait Index, Four-Square Step Test, Chair Stand Test, Single Leg Stance. Improvements were seen in lower extremity strength and range of motion and balance. The subject improved on balance scores, placing her out of the risk for falls category. Therapeutic riding followed by rhythmic auditory stimulation improved lower extremity range of motion, strength, and balance with this subject.

The Development of Rhythm at the Age of 6-11 Years: Non-Pitch Rhythmic Improvisation

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Paananen, Pirkko

2006-01-01

In the statistical and transcriptional analyses reported in this exploratory study, original rhythms of 6-11-year-old children (N=36) were examined. The hypotheses were based on a new model of musical development, and tested empirically using non-pitch rhythmic improvisation in a MIDI-environment. Several representational types were found in…

Circadian clocks, rhythmic synaptic plasticity and the sleep-wake cycle in zebrafish.

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Elbaz, Idan; Foulkes, Nicholas S; Gothilf, Yoav; Appelbaum, Lior

2013-01-01

The circadian clock and homeostatic processes are fundamental mechanisms that regulate sleep. Surprisingly, despite decades of research, we still do not know why we sleep. Intriguing hypotheses suggest that sleep regulates synaptic plasticity and consequently has a beneficial role in learning and memory. However, direct evidence is still limited and the molecular regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. The zebrafish provides a powerful vertebrate model system that enables simple genetic manipulation, imaging of neuronal circuits and synapses in living animals, and the monitoring of behavioral performance during day and night. Thus, the zebrafish has become an attractive model to study circadian and homeostatic processes that regulate sleep. Zebrafish clock- and sleep-related genes have been cloned, neuronal circuits that exhibit circadian rhythms of activity and synaptic plasticity have been studied, and rhythmic behavioral outputs have been characterized. Integration of this data could lead to a better understanding of sleep regulation. Here, we review the progress of circadian clock and sleep studies in zebrafish with special emphasis on the genetic and neuroendocrine mechanisms that regulate rhythms of melatonin secretion, structural synaptic plasticity, locomotor activity and sleep.

Analysis of rhythmic variance - ANORVA. A new simple method for detecting rhythms in biological time series

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Peter Celec

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Cyclic variations of variables are ubiquitous in biomedical science. A number of methods for detecting rhythms have been developed, but they are often difficult to interpret. A simple procedure for detecting cyclic variations in biological time series and quantification of their probability is presented here. Analysis of rhythmic variance (ANORVA is based on the premise that the variance in groups of data from rhythmic variables is low when a time distance of one period exists between the data entries. A detailed stepwise calculation is presented including data entry and preparation, variance calculating, and difference testing. An example for the application of the procedure is provided, and a real dataset of the number of papers published per day in January 2003 using selected keywords is compared to randomized datasets. Randomized datasets show no cyclic variations. The number of papers published daily, however, shows a clear and significant (p<0.03 circaseptan (period of 7 days rhythm, probably of social origin

Predictive rhythmic tapping to isochronous and tempo changing metronomes in the nonhuman primate.

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Gámez, Jorge; Yc, Karyna; Ayala, Yaneri A; Dotov, Dobromir; Prado, Luis; Merchant, Hugo

2018-04-30

Beat entrainment is the ability to entrain one's movements to a perceived periodic stimulus, such as a metronome or a pulse in music. Humans have a capacity to predictively respond to a periodic pulse and to dynamically adjust their movement timing to match the varying music tempos. Previous studies have shown that monkeys share some of the human capabilities for rhythmic entrainment, such as tapping regularly at the period of isochronous stimuli. However, it is still unknown whether monkeys can predictively entrain to dynamic tempo changes like humans. To address this question, we trained monkeys in three tapping tasks and compared their rhythmic entrainment abilities with those of humans. We found that, when immediate feedback about the timing of each movement is provided, monkeys can predictively entrain to an isochronous beat, generating tapping movements in anticipation of the metronome pulse. This ability also generalized to a novel untrained tempo. Notably, macaques can modify their tapping tempo by predicting the beat changes of accelerating and decelerating visual metronomes in a manner similar to humans. Our findings support the notion that nonhuman primates share with humans the ability of temporal anticipation during tapping to isochronous and smoothly changing sequences of stimuli. © 2018 New York Academy of Sciences.

What is orgasm? A model of sexual trance and climax via rhythmic entrainment

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Safron, Adam

2016-01-01

Orgasm is one of the most intense pleasures attainable to an organism, yet its underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. On the basis of existing literatures, this article introduces a novel mechanistic model of sexual stimulation and orgasm. In doing so, it characterizes the neurophenomenology of sexual trance and climax, describes parallels in dynamics between orgasms and seizures, speculates on possible evolutionary origins of sex differences in orgasmic responding, and proposes avenues for future experimentation. Here, a model is introduced wherein sexual stimulation induces entrainment of coupling mechanical and neuronal oscillatory systems, thus creating synchronized functional networks within which multiple positive feedback processes intersect synergistically to contribute to sexual experience. These processes generate states of deepening sensory absorption and trance, potentially culminating in climax if critical thresholds are surpassed. The centrality of rhythmic stimulation (and its modulation by salience) for surpassing these thresholds suggests ways in which differential orgasmic responding between individuals—or with different partners—may serve as a mechanism for ensuring adaptive mate choice. Because the production of rhythmic stimulation combines honest indicators of fitness with cues relating to potential for investment, differential orgasmic response may serve to influence the probability of continued sexual encounters with specific mates. PMID:27799079

Interactions of Circadian Rhythmicity, Stress and Orexigenic Neuropeptide Systems: Implications for Food Intake Control.

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Blasiak, Anna; Gundlach, Andrew L; Hess, Grzegorz; Lewandowski, Marian H

2017-01-01

Many physiological processes fluctuate throughout the day/night and daily fluctuations are observed in brain and peripheral levels of several hormones, neuropeptides and transmitters. In turn, mediators under the "control" of the "master biological clock" reciprocally influence its function. Dysregulation in the rhythmicity of hormone release as well as hormone receptor sensitivity and availability in different tissues, is a common risk-factor for multiple clinical conditions, including psychiatric and metabolic disorders. At the same time circadian rhythms remain in a strong, reciprocal interaction with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Recent findings point to a role of circadian disturbances and excessive stress in the development of obesity and related food consumption and metabolism abnormalities, which constitute a major health problem worldwide. Appetite, food intake and energy balance are under the influence of several brain neuropeptides, including the orexigenic agouti-related peptide, neuropeptide Y, orexin, melanin-concentrating hormone and relaxin-3. Importantly, orexigenic neuropeptide neurons remain under the control of the circadian timing system and are highly sensitive to various stressors, therefore the potential neuronal mechanisms through which disturbances in the daily rhythmicity and stress-related mediator levels contribute to food intake abnormalities rely on reciprocal interactions between these elements.

Role of light and the circadian clock in the rhythmic oscillation of intraocular pressure: Studies in VPAC2 receptor and PACAP deficient mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Fahrenkrug, Jan; Georg, Birgitte; Hannibal, Jens; Jørgensen, Henrik Løvendahl

2018-04-01

The intraocular pressure of mice displays a daily rhythmicity being highest during the dark period. The present study was performed to elucidate the role of the circadian clock and light in the diurnal and the circadian variations in intraocular pressure in mice, by using animals with disrupted clock function (VPAC2 receptor knockout mice) or impaired light information to the clock (PACAP knockout mice). In wildtype mice, intraocular pressure measured under light/dark conditions showed a statistically significant 24 h sinusoidal rhythm with nadir during the light phase and peak during the dark phase. After transfer of the wildtype mice into constant darkness, the intraocular pressure increased, but the rhythmic changes in intraocular pressure continued with a pattern identical to that obtained during the light/dark cycle. The intraocular pressure in VPAC2 receptor deficient mice during light/dark conditions also showed a sinusoidal pattern with significant changes as a function of a 24 h cycle. However, transfer of the VPAC2 receptor knockout mice into constant darkness completely abolished the rhythmic changes in intraocular pressure. The intraocular pressure in PACAP deficient mice oscillated significantly during both 24 h light and darkness and during constant darkness. During LD conditions, the amplitude of PACAP deficient was significantly lower compared to wildtype mice, resulting in higher daytime and lower nighttime values. In conclusion, by studying the VPAC2 receptor knockout mouse which lacks circadian control and the PACAP knockout mouse which displays impaired light signaling, we provided evidence that the daily intraocular pressure rhythms are primarily generated by the circadian master clock and to a lesser extent by environmental light and darkness. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

'Rhythmic Music' in Danish Music Education

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Peder Kaj

In Danish state schools from elementary to upper secondary school music is part of curricula at all levels. It is widely accepted that both individuals and culture benefit from art subjects, creative activities etc. This type of motivation was sufficient support for maintaining music as a subject...... and to avoid what was associated with jazz, especially by its opponents. This paper aims at taking stock of the situation in Danish music education during the last decade and at specifying the situation of ‘rhythmic music’ within this context....... at all levels of the educational system from around 1960 to around 2000. This tradition dates back to the 1920s, when the first Social Democratic government in Danish history (1924-26), with Nina Bang as minister of education (probably the first female minister worldwide), in the field of music made...... genre of music, and in Denmark this interest manifested itself in attempts to integrate jazz in the musical education of the youth. A unique genre, the so-called ‘jazz oratorios’, was created by the composer Bernhard Christensen (1906-2004) and the librettist Sven Møller Kristensen (1909- 91...

Feasibility of external rhythmic cueing with the Google Glass for improving gait in people with Parkinson's disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhao, Y; Nonnekes, J.H.; Storcken, E.J.; Janssen, S.; Wegen, E. van; Bloem, B.R.; Dorresteijn, L.D.A.; Vugt, J.P.P. van; Heida, T.; Wezel, R.J.A. van

2016-01-01

New mobile technologies like smartglasses can deliver external cues that may improve gait in people with Parkinson's disease in their natural environment. However, the potential of these devices must first be assessed in controlled experiments. Therefore, we evaluated rhythmic visual and auditory

Feasibility of external rhythmic cueing with the Google Glass for improving gait in people with Parkinson's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yan; Nonnekes, Jorik; Storcken, Erik J M; Janssen, Sabine; van Wegen, Erwin E H; Bloem, Bastiaan R; Dorresteijn, Lucille D A; van Vugt, Jeroen P P; Heida, Tjitske; van Wezel, Richard J A

2016-06-01

New mobile technologies like smartglasses can deliver external cues that may improve gait in people with Parkinson's disease in their natural environment. However, the potential of these devices must first be assessed in controlled experiments. Therefore, we evaluated rhythmic visual and auditory cueing in a laboratory setting with a custom-made application for the Google Glass. Twelve participants (mean age = 66.8; mean disease duration = 13.6 years) were tested at end of dose. We compared several key gait parameters (walking speed, cadence, stride length, and stride length variability) and freezing of gait for three types of external cues (metronome, flashing light, and optic flow) and a control condition (no-cue). For all cueing conditions, the subjects completed several walking tasks of varying complexity. Seven inertial sensors attached to the feet, legs and pelvis captured motion data for gait analysis. Two experienced raters scored the presence and severity of freezing of gait using video recordings. User experience was evaluated through a semi-open interview. During cueing, a more stable gait pattern emerged, particularly on complicated walking courses; however, freezing of gait did not significantly decrease. The metronome was more effective than rhythmic visual cues and most preferred by the participants. Participants were overall positive about the usability of the Google Glass and willing to use it at home. Thus, smartglasses like the Google Glass could be used to provide personalized mobile cueing to support gait; however, in its current form, auditory cues seemed more effective than rhythmic visual cues.

Perfection of primary children’s selection for sport gymnastic training in Kurdistan

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Dlshad Nihad Abdulvahid

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: to find ways of perfection of primary children’s selection for sport gymnastic training in Kurdistan. Material: questioning of specialized physical culture HEEs’ students in Ukraine and Kurdistan (n=120, n=120. Physical condition and physical qualities of 7 years’ age boys of Ukraine and Kurdistan (n=56, n=52 were assessed. Results: only 10 Kurdistan students had opportunity to start specialized sport trainings by recommendations of professional coach. Ineffective influence of mass media in involvement of youth in sport trainings was noted. Physical condition level of children corresponds to standards. In most of motor tests Ukrainian children showed better results that their peers from Kurdistan. Conclusions: in Ukraine 42% of children join sports practicing owing to parents’ wish. In Kurdistan 25% of children join sports practicing by recommendations of physical culture teachers. The next by importance factor is example of peers (21% and 33%. In nine from twelve motor tests Kurdistan children yield to their Ukrainian peers. In 20 meters’ run and in shuttle run results of Kurdistan children are better. Confident distinctions were found in quantity of chin ups in lying position.

Talar body fatigue stress fractures: three cases observed in elite female gymnasts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rossi, F.; Dragoni, S.

2005-01-01

To introduce and emphasize the clinical and radiological findings of three talar body fatigue stress fractures in competitive athletes. Clinical and radiographic skeletal records of 24,562 athletes taken between 1962 and 2002 were retrospectively reviewed. Among these, 6851 files related to acute foot and ankle injuries or chronic post-traumatic sequelae were found. There were 925 (3.76%) stress fatigue fractures selected from the whole collection. Among these there were three cases (0.32%) of talar body stress fractures diagnosed in elite female gymnasts 15 - 17 years old. The negative first radiograph become positive 4-6 weeks later. Scintigraphy was positive at an early stage and consistent for the diagnosis. CT and MRI gave positive results 1-2 weeks after the beginning of symptoms which were always greatly diagnostic. The sports medicine literature lacks reports of talar body fatigue stress fractures. The poor initial sensitivity of radiography makes it problematic to establish an early diagnosis. A wise combination of scintigraphy, CT and MRI has therefore to be relied upon. Familiarity with this rare location for a stress fracture may prevent delayed diagnosis and long-lasting damage, both of which are important factors in competitive athletes. (orig.)

Talar body fatigue stress fractures: three cases observed in elite female gymnasts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rossi, F. [National Institute of Sports Medicine of the Italian Olympic Committee, Rome (Italy); Dragoni, S. [National Institute of Sports Medicine of the Italian Olympic Committee, Rome (Italy); Istituto Nazionale di Medicina dello Sport, Rome (Italy)

2005-07-01

To introduce and emphasize the clinical and radiological findings of three talar body fatigue stress fractures in competitive athletes. Clinical and radiographic skeletal records of 24,562 athletes taken between 1962 and 2002 were retrospectively reviewed. Among these, 6851 files related to acute foot and ankle injuries or chronic post-traumatic sequelae were found. There were 925 (3.76%) stress fatigue fractures selected from the whole collection. Among these there were three cases (0.32%) of talar body stress fractures diagnosed in elite female gymnasts 15 - 17 years old. The negative first radiograph become positive 4-6 weeks later. Scintigraphy was positive at an early stage and consistent for the diagnosis. CT and MRI gave positive results 1-2 weeks after the beginning of symptoms which were always greatly diagnostic. The sports medicine literature lacks reports of talar body fatigue stress fractures. The poor initial sensitivity of radiography makes it problematic to establish an early diagnosis. A wise combination of scintigraphy, CT and MRI has therefore to be relied upon. Familiarity with this rare location for a stress fracture may prevent delayed diagnosis and long-lasting damage, both of which are important factors in competitive athletes. (orig.)

Effects of rhythmic stimulus presentation on oscillatory brain activity: the physiology of cueing in Parkinson’s disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Woerd, E.S. te; Oostenveld, R.; Bloem, B.R.; Lange, F.P. de; Praamstra, P.

2015-01-01

The basal ganglia play an important role in beat perception and patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are impaired in perception of beat-based rhythms. Rhythmic cues are nonetheless beneficial in gait rehabilitation, raising the question how rhythm improves movement in PD. We addressed this

Rhythmic diel pattern of gene expression in juvenile maize leaf.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maciej Jończyk

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Numerous biochemical and physiological parameters of living organisms follow a circadian rhythm. Although such rhythmic behavior is particularly pronounced in plants, which are strictly dependent on the daily photoperiod, data on the molecular aspects of the diurnal cycle in plants is scarce and mostly concerns the model species Arabidopsis thaliana. Here we studied the leaf transcriptome in seedlings of maize, an important C4 crop only distantly related to A. thaliana, throughout a cycle of 10 h darkness and 14 h light to look for rhythmic patterns of gene expression. RESULTS: Using DNA microarrays comprising ca. 43,000 maize-specific probes we found that ca. 12% of all genes showed clear-cut diel rhythms of expression. Cluster analysis identified 35 groups containing from four to ca. 1,000 genes, each comprising genes of similar expression patterns. Perhaps unexpectedly, the most pronounced and most common (concerning the highest number of genes expression maxima were observed towards and during the dark phase. Using Gene Ontology classification several meaningful functional associations were found among genes showing similar diel expression patterns, including massive induction of expression of genes related to gene expression, translation, protein modification and folding at dusk and night. Additionally, we found a clear-cut tendency among genes belonging to individual clusters to share defined transcription factor-binding sequences. CONCLUSIONS: Co-expressed genes belonging to individual clusters are likely to be regulated by common mechanisms. The nocturnal phase of the diurnal cycle involves gross induction of fundamental biochemical processes and should be studied more thoroughly than was appreciated in most earlier physiological studies. Although some general mechanisms responsible for the diel regulation of gene expression might be shared among plants, details of the diurnal regulation of gene expression seem to differ

Storminess-related rhythmic ridge patterns on the coasts of Estonia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ülo Suursaar

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Buried or elevated coastal ridges may serve as archives of past variations in sea level and climate conditions. Sometimes such ridges or coastal scarps appear in patterns, particularly on uplifting coasts with adequate sediment supply. Along the seacoasts of Estonia, where relative-to-geoid postglacial uplift can vary between 1.7 and 3.4 mm/yr, at least 27 areas with rhythmic geomorphic patterns have been identified from LiDAR images and elevation data. Such patterns were mainly found on faster emerging and well-exposed, tideless coasts. These are mostly located at heights between 1 and 21 m above sea level, the formation of which corresponds to a period of up to 7500 years. Up to approximately 150 individual ridges were counted on some cross-shore sections. Ten of these ridge patterns that formed less than 4500 years ago were chosen for detailed characterization and analysis in search of possible forcing mechanisms. Among these more closely studied cases, the mean ridge spacing varied between 19 and 28 m. Using land uplift rates from the late Holocene period, the timespans of the corresponding cross sections were calculated. The average temporal periodicity of the ridges was between 23 and 39 years with a gross mean value of 31 years. Considering the regular nature of the ridges, they mostly do not reflect single extreme events, but rather a decadal-scale periodicity in storminess in the region of the Baltic Sea. Although a contribution from some kind of self-organization process is possible, the rhythmicity in ancient coastal ridge patterns is likely linked to quasi-periodic 25−40-year variability, which can be traced to Estonian long-term sea level records and wave hindcasts, as well as in regional storminess data and the North Atlantic Oscillation index.

Context-dependent neural activation: internally and externally guided rhythmic lower limb movement in individuals with and without neurodegenerative disease

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Madeleine Eve Hackney

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Parkinson’s Disease (PD is a neurodegenerative disorder that has received considerable attention in allopathic medicine over the past decades. However, it is clear that, to date, pharmacological and surgical interventions do not fully address symptoms of PD and patients’ quality of life. As both an alternative therapy and as an adjuvant to conventional approaches, several types of rhythmic movement (e.g., movement strategies, dance, tandem biking, tai chi have shown improvements to motor symptoms, lower limb control and postural stability in people with PD (Amano, Nocera, Vallabhajosula, Juncos, Gregor, Waddell et al., 2013; Earhart, 2009; M. E. Hackney & Earhart, 2008; Kadivar, Corcos, Foto, & Hondzinski, 2011; Morris, Iansek, & Kirkwood, 2009; Ridgel, Vitek, & Alberts, 2009. However, while these programs are increasing in number, still little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying motor improvements attained with such interventions. Studying limb motor control under task specific contexts can help determine the mechanisms of rehabilitation effectiveness. Both internally guided (IG and externally guided (EG movement strategies have evidence to support their use in rehabilitative programs. However, there appears to be a degree of differentiation in the neural substrates involved in IG versus EG designs. Because of the potential task specific benefits of rhythmic training within a rehabilitative context, this report will consider the use of IG and EG movement strategies, and observations produced by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI and other imaging techniques. This review will present findings from lower limb imaging studies, under IG and EG conditions for populations with and without movement disorders. We will discuss how these studies might inform movement disorders rehabilitation (in the form of rhythmic, music-based movement training and highlight research gaps. We believe better understanding of lower limb neural

Interactions of Circadian Rhythmicity, Stress and Orexigenic Neuropeptide Systems: Implications for Food Intake Control

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Blasiak, Anna; Gundlach, Andrew L.; Hess, Grzegorz; Lewandowski, Marian H.

2017-01-01

Many physiological processes fluctuate throughout the day/night and daily fluctuations are observed in brain and peripheral levels of several hormones, neuropeptides and transmitters. In turn, mediators under the “control” of the “master biological clock” reciprocally influence its function. Dysregulation in the rhythmicity of hormone release as well as hormone receptor sensitivity and availability in different tissues, is a common risk-factor for multiple clinical conditions, including psych...

Kinematic analysis of basic rhythmic movements of hip-hop dance: motion characteristics common to expert dancers.

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Sato, Nahoko; Nunome, Hiroyuki; Ikegami, Yasuo

2015-02-01

In hip-hop dance contests, a procedure for evaluating performances has not been clearly defined, and objective criteria for evaluation are necessary. It is assumed that most hip-hop dance techniques have common motion characteristics by which judges determine the dancer's skill level. This study aimed to extract motion characteristics that may be linked to higher evaluations by judges. Ten expert and 12 nonexpert dancers performed basic rhythmic movements at a rate of 100 beats per minute. Their movements were captured using a motion capture system, and eight judges evaluated the performances. Four kinematic parameters, including the amplitude of the body motions and the phase delay, which indicates the phase difference between two joint angles, were calculated. The two groups showed no significant differences in terms of the amplitudes of the body motions. In contrast, the phase delay between the head motion and the other body parts' motions of expert dancers who received higher scores from the judges, which was approximately a quarter cycle, produced a loop-shaped motion of the head. It is suggested that this slight phase delay was related to the judges' evaluations and that these findings may help in constructing an objective evaluation system.

Rehabilitation of Aphasia: application of the Melodic-Rhythmic Therapy to the Italian Language

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Maria Daniela eCortese

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Aphasia is a complex disorder, frequent after stroke (~38%, with a detailed pathophysiological characterization. Proper approaches are mandatory to devise an efficient rehabilitative strategy, in order to address the everyday life and professional disability. Several rehabilitative procedures are based on psycholinguistic, cognitive, psychosocial or pragmatic approaches, among these with neurobehavioral ratio, the Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT .Van Eeckhout’s adaptation to the French language (Melodic-Rhythmic Therapy: MRT has implemented the training strategy by adding a rhythmic structure reproducing the French prosody.Purposes of this study were to adapt the MRT rehabilitation procedures to the Italian language and to verify its efficacy in a group of 6 chronic patients (5 males with severe non-fluent aphasia and without specific aphasic treatments at least from 9 months. The patients were treated 4 days a week for 16 weeks, with sessions of 30-40 min. They were assessed 6 months after the end of the treatment (follow-up. The patients showed a significant improvement at the Aachener Aphasie Test in different fields of spontaneous speech, with superimposable results at the follow-up. Albeit preliminary, these findings support the use of MRT in the rehabilitation after stroke. Specifically, MRT seems to benefit from its stronger structure than the available stimulation-facilitation procedures and allows a better quantification of the rehabilitation efficacy.