Static Body Balance in Children and Expert Adults Ballroom Dancers: Insights from Spectral Analysis of Shifts

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the differences in maintaining body balance (influence of different sensorial sub-systems) in a representative sample of active Dance Sport competitors (children and adults). Methods: Overall, 13 children and 15 high-level adults sport dancers underwent a static equilibrium test on a force platform, in which 17 different parameters were examined, including a spectral analysis of shifts using an FFT algorithm that can assess the contribution of different somatic-sensory systems on maintaining body balance. Results: Younger subjects rely on their somatic-sensory reactions to maintain their balance, while adults rely more on the vestibular system, according to shifts’ spectral analysis. No differences were noted between the male and female participants. Conclusions: Children predominantly use the somatic-sensory system in body balance, while adults make more use of the vestibular system. According to these results and due to the trainability phases, exercises that challenge the somato-sensorial system are recommended to train balance in young dancers, while exercises that challenge the vestibular system are recommended in adult dancers which who have not developed exceptional somato-sensory balance abilities during their growth and training history.

The Oxford Handbook of Calvin and Calvinism

This collection offers a fresh assessment of John Calvin and the tradition of Calvinism as it evolved from the sixteenth century to today. The essays are written by scholars who present the latest research on a pluriform religious movement that became a global faith. The volume focuses on key aspects of Calvin’s thought and its diverse reception in Europe, the transatlantic world, Africa, South America, and Asia. Calvin’s theology was from the beginning open to a wide range of interpretations and was never a static body of ideas and practices. Over the course of his life his thought evolved and deepened while retaining unresolved tensions and questions that created a legacy that was constantly evolving in different cultural contexts. Calvinism itself is an elusive term, bringing together Christian communities that claim a shared heritage but often possess radically distinct characters. The handbook reveals fascinating patterns of continuity and change to demonstrate how the movement claimed the name of the Genevan Reformer but was moulded by an extraordinary range of religious, intellectual, and historical influences, from the Enlightenment and Darwinism to indigenous African beliefs and postmodernism. In its global contexts, Calvinism has been continuously reimagined and reinterpreted. This collection throws new light on the highly dynamic and fluid nature of a deeply influential form of Christianity.

Español Test unipodal para estabilidad corporal estática con ojos abiertos y cerrados en la valoración de riesgo de caída en adultos mayores (Unipodal test for static body stability with open and closed eyes in the assessment of fall risk in older adults)

Introducción: La estabilidad postural es un factor clave en la funcionalidad motora del ser humano, con el envejecimiento se produce alteración del balance postural y una alternativa de evaluación son las pruebas de estabilidad unipodal. Objetivo: Determinar el rendimiento de adultos mayores con el Test unipodal para estabilidad corporal estática (TUPECE) en modalidad ojos abiertos y ojos cerrados; observando estrategias de estabilización en pie de apoyo, movimiento de miembros superiores y pie elevado. Métodos: Estudio de concordancia diagnóstica, de corte transversal; realizado en 60 adultos mayores inscritos en un centro deportivo, comuna de San Miguel, Región Metropolitana, Chile. Quienes ejecutaron el TUPECE con ojos abiertos y cerrados, junto con una consulta referida al test. Resultados: La concordancia entre evaluadores en función al TUPECE no presentó diferencias significativas, demostrándose simetría en la evaluación observacional. Se determinó diferencia significativamente alta comparando la prueba con ojos abiertos y cerrados (p<0,0001), presentándose mayor estabilidad con ojos abiertos. A mayor edad la estabilidad es más deficiente (p<0.05). No hubo diferencia significativa entre géneros (p>0,05). Conclusión: El TUPECE presentó una alta confiabilidad interevaluador al valorar la estabilidad unipodal en adultos mayores. La prueba diferencia rendimiento con ojos abiertos y cerrados; demostró también diferencias por edad pero no por género. De acuerdo a los resultados y características de la prueba se expone como un procedimiento positivo para valorar la estabilidad unipodal estática con ojos abiertos y cerrados en adultos mayores. Abstract. Introduction: Postural stability is a key factor in the motor functionality of the human being, with aging there is an alteration of the postural balance and an evaluation alternative is the unipodal stability tests. Objective: To determine the performance of older adults with the Unipodal Test for Static Body Stability (TUPECE) in open and closed eyes mode; observing stabilization strategies in standing support, movement of upper limbs and raised foot. Methods: Diagnostic concordance study, cross-sectional; conducted on 60 older adults enrolled in a sports center, San Miguel commune, Metropolitan Region, Chile. Those who executed the TUPECE with eyes open and closed, along with a consultation about the test. Results: The concordance between evaluators in the TUPECE did not present significant differences, demonstrating symmetry in the observational evaluation. High significant difference was determined comparing the test with open and closed eyes (p<0.0001), presenting greater stability with open eyes. The older the age, the poorer the stability (p<0.05). There was no significant difference between genders (p>0.05). Conclusion: TUPECE presented a high interevaluator reliability when assessing unipodal stability in older adults. The test differentiates performance with open and closed eyes; it also showed differences by age but not by gender. According to the results and characteristics of the test, it is exposed as a positive procedure to evaluate the static unipodal stability with open and closed eyes in older adults.

Multimodal Interaction Analysis: a Powerful Tool for Examining Plurilingual Students’ Engagement in Science Practices

Science teaching and learning are discursive practices, yet analysis of these practices has frequently been grounded in theorizations that place language at the forefront of interaction and meaning-making. Such language-centric analytic approaches risk overlooking key embodied, enacted aspects of students’ engagement in science practices. This manuscript presents a case of a plurilingual student’s participation in science inquiry to demonstrate how multimodal interaction analysis can be used to examine the highly diverse array of communicative resources that she draws upon while participating in science, including gestures, facial expressions, vocal intonations, and languages. Grounded in dialogic theorizations of language, we first detail the multimodal interaction approach, and second, we show how multimodal interaction analysis beginning first with her embodied engagement, then coupled with her subsequent written and spoken engagement, reveals robust views of her engagement in science practices. Key to this methodological approach is multilayered analysis that backgrounds verbal or spoken communication to allow for an identification of embodied interaction resources employed. We emphasize how this analytical method allows us to conceptualize science as a practice that unfolds through and in interaction, as compared to a static body of concepts to be learned.

The effect of Estonian folk dance practice on static balance performance in young females

The aim of the present study was to establish the changes that occur in dancers’ static body balance indicators during rest, in case of interfering factors and in stress condition. The sample consisted of 14 advanced female folk dancers at the age of 16–20 years. The participants’ static body balance was measured at the beginning (in the autumn) and at the end (in the spring) of the eight-month dancing period. Static body balance indicators were registered on a dynamographic platform within 30 seconds, standing on bipedal on stable and unstable support surface in eyes-open (EO) and eyes-closed (EC) conditions. The Flamingo test balance control, the balance control after spinning around and jumping tests were conducted only in EO condition. The following parameters were registered: the movements of the centre of pressure (CoP) in the anterior-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) dimensions; the length, speed and area of the trajectory. According to the study, folk dancers’ CoP movements in the AP and ML dimensions, measured in different conditions (EO, EC), on stable and unstable support surface, did not change significantly after the eight-month dancing practice. The young folk dancers’ static body balance, assessed by CoP movement trajectory, speed and area, improved considerably over the eight-month training period. Flamingo test results indicate that practising folk dance develops the young female folk dancers’ right and left side static stability equally. In the context of Estonian folk dance practice, including preparation for performing at dance festival, the young female folk dancers’ balance performance improved both in vestibular instability (spins, standing on unstable support surface and in EO condition) and fatigue (jumping test) conditions.

Achieve Personalized Exercise Intensity through an Intelligent System and Cycling Equipment: A Machine Learning Approach

Using absolute intensity methods (metabolic equivalent of energy (METs), etc.) to determine exercise intensity in exercise prescriptions is straightforward and convenient. Using relative intensity methods (heart rate reserve (%HRR), maximal heart rate (%HRmax), etc.) is more recommended because it is more personalized. Taking target heart rate (THR) given by the relative method as an example, compared with just presenting the THR value, intuitively providing the setting parameters for achieving the THR with specific sport equipment is more user-friendly. The objective of this study was to find a method which combines the advantages (convenient and personalized) of the absolute and relative methods and relatively avoids their disadvantages, helping individuals to meet the target intensity by simply setting equipment parameters. For this purpose, we recruited 32 males and 29 females to undergo incremental cardiopulmonary exercise testing with cycling equipment. The linear regression model of heart rate and exercise wattage (the setting parameter of the equipment) was constructed for each one (R2 = 0.933, p < 0.001), and the slopes of the graph of these models were obtained. Next, we used an iterative algorithm to obtain a multiple regression model (adjusted R2 = 0.8336, p < 0.001) of selected static body data and the slopes of participants. The regression model can accurately predict the slope of the general population through their static body data. Moreover, other populations can guarantee comparable accuracy by using questionnaire data for calibration. Then, the predicted slope can be utilized to calculate the equipment’s settings for achieving a personalized THR through our equation. All of these steps can be assigned to the intelligent system.

Relationship between Unilateral Posterior Crossbite and Human Static Body Posture

Background: We compared photogrammetry-assessed body posture between young adults with and without unilateral posterior crossbite (UPCB). Assessments were controlled by vision, mandibular position and sitting/standing position. In addition, we aimed to determine the relationship between UPCB laterality and the direction of body posture using photogrammetry and a static postural platform. Methods: Adults with natural dentition, with and without UPCB, were enrolled. Static body posture was assessed by photogrammetry based on horizontal acromial alignment and horizontal anterior-superior iliac spine (ASIS) alignment. Frontal photographs were taken with participants asked to open or close their eyes and hold their jaws at rest, at an intercuspal position, and at left or right lateral positions. Distribution of foot pressure was recorded using a static postural platform at different visual input and mandibular positions. General linear models with repeated measures were used to assess the effect of the various within- and between-subject factors. Results: In total, 36 adults (left UPCB = 12; Right UPCB = 6; controls = 18) participated. There were significant differences between the control and UPCB groups in horizontal alignment at the acromion (p = 0.035) and ASIS (p = 0.026) levels when controlled by visual input and mandibular position. No significant differences in horizontal alignment or foot pressure distribution were observed by laterality in the UPCB group. Conclusion: The presence of UPCB affects static body posture, but the side of crossbite is not related to the direction of effect on static body posture.