Tracking of Gross Motor Coordination From Childhood Into Adolescence

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze tracking and stability of motor coordination in children from age 6 years to ages 9 and 13 years. Method: Data were from the Copenhagen School Child Intervention Study. Motor coordination (MC) was measured using the körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK) test. The crude performance score on every item was converted into a standardized “score” based on the original German reference study, which was used to generate a total standardized motor coordination (MQ) score. The MQ scores, which represented children's level of gross MC, were classified as low (MQ score < 85), normal (MQ score = 85–115), or high (MQ score>115). Pearson correlation was used to calculate the tracking coefficients of each KTK element and MQ score, and weighted kappa was used to analyze maintenance in MC classification groups. Mixed-effects logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the odds of remaining in the low MC group over time based on body mass index (BMI), weight, and height tertiles. Results: Tracking coefficients among the MQ score and each KTK element at different ages were moderate (r>.35). Children in the highest BMI and weight tertiles had a 5.44 and 5.15 times greater chance to be in the lower MC classification group during the 7-year follow-up, respectively, in comparison with children in their lowest tertiles. Conclusion: MC tracked moderately through childhood to early adolescence. Because heavier children had a greater chance to be in the lower MC group at older ages, intervention may be useful at earlier ages for those with lower MC and disadvantageous weight status.     

Special education placement decisions as a function of professional role and handicapping condition

The restrictiveness of special education placements was examined by profession (administrators, school psychologists, and special education teacters) and by type of handicapping condition (mental retardation [MR], emotional disturbance [ED], and learning disability [LD]). A total of 66 professionals (22 in each profession) assigned placement scores, using the Rucker-Gable Educational Placement Scale, on the basis of three psychological reports (one MR, ED, and LD case per professional). Results indicated that the average placement scores for the three cases combined did not differ significantly by profession. However, a significant interaction occurred, with administrators assigning the MR and ED cases to more restrictive placements than both the school psychologists and special educators, only to shift to a relatively less restrictive approach with the LD case. Implications of these findings are discussed, including a discussion of the multidisciplinary approach to clinical decision making.     

Persistent Reusable Java Virtual Machine unter z/OS und Linux

Zusammenfassung Die Nutzung von Java zur Entwicklung von Anwendungen für Hochleistungstransaktionssysteme stellt besondere Anforderungen an die Isolation und das Leistungsverhalten in der transaktionalen Ausführung. In dem vorliegenden Beitrag wird eine neuartige Technologie beschrieben, die verbesserte Isolationseigenschaften und eine erhebliche Leistungssteigerung erm?glicht. Die Persistent Reusable Java Virtual Machine erweitert eine normale Java Virtual Machine um gemeinsam genutzte Klassen und um eine Reset-Funktionalit?t, die eine serielle Wiederverwendbarkeit erm?glicht. In einer Benchmark-Untersuchung unter z/OS wurde hiermit ein Performance-Gewinn um einen Faktor 325 im Vergleich mit einer normalen JVM erreicht. Für das Erstellen von Transaktionsanwendungen unter dem Betriebssystem z/OS sind Enterprise Java Beans damit eine ernstzunehmende Alternative zu bisherigen Programmiermodellen.

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The use of Java for the development of new applications in high-end transaction systems generates special isolation and performance requirements. A new technology offering improved isolation and a significant performance improvement is discussed in this article. The Persistent Reusable Java Virtual Machine extends a regular Java Virtual Machine by adding the facility to share classes and by providing a reset functionality, which permits serial reuse of the JVM. A z/OS benchmark demonstrated a performance improvement by a factor of 325, compared to a regular JVM. Thus the use of Enterprise Java Beans has to be considered as a serious alternative when developing new transactional applications under the z/OS operating system.

     

Themenheft: Electronic Commerce

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

A biomechanical comparison of countermovement performance after short-term traditional and daily-undulated loaded vertical jump training

In order to assess lower extremity muscle mechanical properties in athletes, power-load characteristics during multi-joint tasks are frequently examined. This work compared 6 weeks of traditional (TP) and daily-undulated (DUP) periodized loaded countermovement jumping (CMJ). 20 amateur athletes (age: 24.2 ± 2.6 years, height: 175.6 ± 7.1 cm, body mass: 71.5 ± 7.7 kg, 10 males/10 females) exercised three times weekly using maximal CMJs with loads corresponding to 0%, 15% and 30% of body mass. Prior to the training period, subjects were once-only assigned by random to either the TP or DUP training scheme. Pre-to-post training, maximal center of mass (COM) -height, -take-off velocity, -power output and -impulse were compared during CMJ with additional loads corresponding to 0–30% of body mass. ANOVA (time * group) with repeated measures revealed significant (P < 0.05) temporal gains of maximal COM-height (2–11%), -take-off velocity (1–7%), -power (2–8%) and -impulse (3–9%) over most loading conditions for TP and DUP. However, ANOVA indicated no group effects for any outcome. Independent from the periodization model, maximal power output remained statistically unchanged with increased testing loads. For short-term conditioning periods, TP and DUP were equally effective in enhancing biomechanical jumping variables under varying loading conditions.     

Zwischenraum – Eine Reise durch das Museum Insel Hombroich

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Methodik, Sprachen und Grundlagen des Software Engineering

Ohne Zusammenfassung