Swimming constraints and arm coordination.

Following Newell's concept of constraint (1986), we sought to identify the constraints (organismic, environmental and task) on front crawl performance, focusing on arm coordination adaptations over increasing race paces. Forty-two swimmers (15 elite men, 15 mid-level men and 12 elite women) performed seven self-paced swim trials (race paces: as if competitively swimming 1500m, 800m, 400m, 200m, 100m, 50m, and maximal velocity, respectively) using the front crawl stroke. The paces were race simulations over 25m to avoid fatigue effects.

Comparison of spatio-temporal, metabolic, and psychometric responses in recreational and highly trained swimmers during and after a 400-m freestyle swim.

Spatio-temporal, metabolic and psychometric responses during and after a 400-m freestyle swim trial were investigated for gender and skill-level effects. Thirty-four men and women, 18 national and international competitors and 16 recreational swimmers, were compared. Mean speed, stroke rate (SR), and stroke length (SL) were obtained from video recordings.

Characterization of the microbial flora in disinfecting footbaths with hypochlorite.

Change or disinfection of footwear are measures to prevent cross contamination between areas with low and high hygienic levels in the food industry. The efficacy of disinfecting footwear is not well documented. Samples of used disinfectant and from swabbing of corners after draining were taken from disinfecting footbaths containing chlorine in four Norwegian cheese factories.

Intra-cyclic distance per stroke phase, velocity fluctuations and acceleration time ratio of a breaststroker's hip: a comparison between elite and nonelite swimmers at different race paces.

The aim of this study was to compare the intra-cyclic velocity graphs of breaststroke swimmers at two skill levels in relation to their movement phases. Two groups of nine male swimmers were videotaped underwater at three swimming race paces corresponding to their actual competitive times for the 200-m, 100-m and 50-m breaststroke. Their forward intra-cyclic hip velocity was recorded with a velocity-meter.

Arm to leg coordination in elite butterfly swimmers.

This study proposed the use of four time gaps to assess arm-to-leg coordination in the butterfly stroke at increasing race paces. Fourteen elite male swimmers swam at four velocities corresponding to the appropriate paces for, respectively, the 400-m, 200-m, 100-m, and 50-m events. The different stroke phases of the arm and leg were identified by video analysis and then used to calculate four time gaps (T1: time gap between entry of the hands in the water and the high break-even point of the first undulation; T2: time gap between the beginning of the hands' backward movement and the low break-even point of the first undulation; T3: time gap between the hands' arrival in a vertical plane to the shoulders and the high break-even point of the second undulation; T4: time gap between the hands' release from the water and the low break-even point of the second undulation), the values of which described the changing relationship of arm to leg movements over an entire stroke cycle.

Arm-leg coordination in flat breaststroke: a comparative study between elite and non-elite swimmers.

The aim of this study was to compare the arm-leg coordination in flat breaststroke among four groups of swimmers (elite males, elite females and non-elite males, non-elite females) of two different competitive levels. Using a velocity-video system, both forward acceleration and deceleration phases of the hip were first identified. Based on these phases, four temporal gaps indicated the time duration between arm and leg actions throughout three race paces (200, 100, and 50 m).

Staphylococcus sciuri: an unusual cause of pelvic inflammatory disease.

We present the case of polymicrobial pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) that involved Staphylococcus sciuri, S. epidermidis, and Streptococcus agalactiae. In order to determine the frequency of S.

A new index of flat breaststroke propulsion: a comparison of elite men and women.

This study examined arm and leg coordination and propulsion during the flat breaststroke in nine elite male and eight elite female swimmers over three race paces (200 m, 100 m and 50 m). Coordination was expressed using four temporal gaps (T1, T2, T3, T4), which described the continuity between the propulsive phases of the limbs, as recorded on a video device (50 Hz). Glide duration was denoted T1, the time between the beginning of arm and leg recovery was denoted T2, the time between the end of arm and the leg recovery was denoted T3, and the time between 90 degrees of flexion during arm recovery and 90 degrees during leg recovery was denoted T4.

Arm coordination symmetry and breathing effect in front crawl.

This study analysed the relationships among arm coordination symmetry, motor laterality and breathing laterality during a 100-m front crawl, as a function of expertise. Ten elite swimmers (G1), 10 mid-level swimmers (G2), and 8 non-expert swimmers (G3) composed three skill groups, which were distinguished by velocity, stroke rate, stroke length, breathing frequency (BF) and the mean number of strokes between two breaths - the stroke breath (SB) - over a 100-m front crawl. Four stroke phases were identified by video analysis (catch, pull, push and recovery) and the index of coordination (IdC) measured the lag time between the propulsive phases of the two arms.

The spatial-temporal and coordinative structures in elite male 100-m front crawl swimmers.

This study analysed the spatial-temporal and coordinative structures in 12 elite male 100-m front crawl swimmers. Swim performance was analysed over each length of a 25-m pool divided into five zones of 5 m. Velocity (V), stroke rate (SR), and stroke length (SL) were calculated for each zone and each length.

Evaluation of arm-leg coordination in flat breaststroke.

This study proposes a new method to evaluate arm-leg coordination in flat breaststroke. Five arm and leg stroke phases were defined with a velocity-video system. Five time gaps quantified the time between arm and leg actions during three paces of a race (200 m, 100 m and 50 m) in 16 top level swimmers.

Effect of swimming velocity on arm coordination in the front crawl: a dynamic analysis.

We examined the preferred mode of arm coordination in 14 elite male front-crawl swimmers. Each swimmer performed eight successive swim trials in which target velocity increased from the swimmer's usual 3000-m velocity to his maximal velocity. Actual swim velocity, stroke rate, stroke length and the different arm stroke phases were then calculated from video analysis.

Effect of gender on the adaptation of arm coordination in front crawl.

The aim of this study was to compare the arm coordination of 14 elite men swimmers and 10 elite women swimmers at eight different velocities, from the usual 3000 m velocity to their maximal velocity (V (max)). Each stroke phase was identified by video analysis and the Index of Coordination (IdC) was established. Three modes of coordination have been identified: catch-up (IdC < 0); opposition (IdC = 0); and superposition (IdC > 0).

Person recognition and approach behaviors among individuals with probable Alzheimer's disease.

Sixteen residents at a group home for individuals with probable Alzheimer's disease took part in a person-recognition study. The stimulus was an unfamiliar individual to whom they were exposed for 8 weeks. For nine participants, approach tendency increased from Week 1 to the end of Week 4.

Development of resistance mutations to nevirapine as part of triple-drug therapy in children.

Five children received nevirapine, a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor used as part of a triple-drug regimen to treat human immunodeficiency virus infection. They all developed resistance mutations to the agent within 4-10 months. They differed in compliance with drug therapy and development of specific mutations.

Proposition 65 in the dental office.

In the mid-1990s, dentistry became included in enforcement activity for Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986. This year, 80 dental offices were served with 60-day notices for failing to post Prop. 65 warnings.

Possible consequences of social drinking in the early stages of Alzheimer disease.

Although research supports the idea that alcohol is not a risk factor for developing Alzheimer disease (AD), surprisingly little attention has been given to the role of social drinking in the early stages of the disorder. The current review highlights potential alcohol- and disease-related interactions on neurologic, cognitive, and behavioral functioning in individuals experiencing the early stages of AD. Understanding how alcohol interacts with AD can benefit both treatment providers (eg, interpreting clinical tests) and caregivers (eg, managing disruptive behaviors) by providing important clues to potentially reversible impairments that may negatively affect the everyday functioning of individuals with the disorder.

Implicit and explicit tests: evidence for dissociable motor skills in probable Alzheimer's dementia.

Previous authors reported evidence for intact implicit memories (those retrieved without conscious effort) in a serial reaction time task for both Alzheimer's subjects and age-matched controls, although performance on an explicit memory task (requiring conscious effort for retrieval) was poor. The current study assessed latencies on a puzzle-assembly task to assess implicit (procedural) memory for 23 female volunteers. Nine participants suffered from probable Alzheimer's Disease and fourteen did not.

Activating representations in permanent memory: different benefits for pictures and words.

Previous research has suggested that pictures have privileged access to semantic memory (W. R. Glaser, 1992), but J.

Chronic nausea in advanced cancer patients: a retrospective assessment of a metoclopramide-based antiemetic regimen.

The purpose of this retrospective study is to assess the frequency and intensity of chronic nausea in patients admitted to the Palliative Care Unit and the results of a metoclopramide-based treatment regimen. We reviewed the medical records of 100 consecutive patients admitted to the Palliative Care Unit at the Edmonton General Hospital until death during 1992-1993. All patients had terminal cancer and normal cognitive function.

The frequency of alcoholism among patients with pain due to terminal cancer.

The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the prevalence of alcoholism among terminally ill cancer patients when assessed by multidisciplinary interviews and by the CAGE Questionnaire. We reviewed the charts of 100 consecutive patients assessed by a multidisciplinary team for the presence of alcoholism during 1989, and 100 consecutive patients assessed by the CAGE Questionnaire during 1992. Alcoholism was diagnosed in 28/100 patients during 1989 (28%) and 18/66 patients during 1992 (27%).

On the naming of color words and color patches.

Subjects can name color words faster than they can name color patches. To account for that effect, a generic model of naming is described which assumes that words access the mental lexicon directly, whereas color patches do so only indirectly via an initial imaginal or semantic representation. However, Lund (1927) reported that the naming advantage for words disappeared when all the items to be named on a page were the same (i.