Age-related Features of Circadian Dynamics of Velocity of Reaction to Visual Stimuli in 8- to 14-Year-Old Boys

Studying individual circadian psychophysiological rhythms in children and adolescents, the authors showed that different rhythmological indices, such as fluctuation amplitude, mean level, and rhythm phase, change with age in different manners. Changes in one or more of these indices reflect a complex stagewise process of the formation of functions in human ontogeny. Additionally, a mismatch between individual and social (school load) rhythms may result in desynchronosis.     

Accuracy in a volleyball service test in rested and physical exertion conditions in elite and near-elite adolescent players

Volleyball coaches use skill tests to assess the skill level of their players and to predict the players' future success. In a typical volleyball skill test, the players are asked to perform the skill after a rest period. The purpose of this study was to assess a volleyball service test performed not only under a rested condition but also immediately following physical exertion. Twenty-six male adolescent volleyball players (15 elite players of a coherent team [team A; mean age = 16.4 years] and 11 near-elite players of a high school team [team B; mean age = 16.3 years]) performed a service test in a rested condition and following physical exertion. The physical exertion consisted of a block at the net followed by a dig at the 3-m line, both performed twice, and again a block at the net. The players performed 10 consecutive serves under the rested condition and 5 sets of 2 consecutive serves under the physical exertion condition. The points for each serve were allotted according to predesignated target areas. The data analyses indicated no differences between the teams in service performances. No differences between the players' service scores in rested and physical exertion conditions were found. A high correlation (r = 0.97) was obtained between the total score of the test and the number of successful 7-point serves. A moderate correlation (r = 0.69) was found for the 7-point serves score following exercise. It was concluded that the number of serves hit successfully at the 7-point areas can be used by coaches as the total score of the test. In addition, the number of successful 7-point serves performed after physical exertion can provide coaches with relevant information on their players' serving skill level.     

The Child on the Threshold of Becoming a Pupil

The functions of a preschooler's imagination that are required for a child to become immersed in the new social situation of development that characterizes the beginning of the early school ages are analyzed. The new social situation of development consists, above all, of new forms of interaction for the child with adults and other children within new primary activity—education. Imagination is viewed as a condition for the development of interaction during the older preschool ages based on a number of important indicators—the degree of development of social-communication skills and communicative competence—that underlie the “social component” of school readiness.     

家庭因素对女儿初潮年龄的影响

作者于1987年4月,用回亿法在医学院及护校作了七百余例女生的初潮年龄的调查并作了统计分析。结果表明,父母的职业及学历对女儿初潮年龄有极显著的影响。按职业分,农民和家庭妇女组的初潮年龄最高;按学历分,文盲组的初潮年龄最高,且初潮年龄随父母文化程度增高而递减,没有看出父母出生地对女儿初潮年龄的影响。另外,可以看到初潮年龄提前的趋势。     

Heart Rate and Stroke Volume Responses in Children of Early School Age to Change in Their Physical Activity Regimen

A study was made of the adaptation of the cardiac pump function in children of early school age to change in their physical activity associated with the transition from preschool to elementary school. Children of the experimental group, who engaged in physical exercise daily over the first school year, developed so-called bradycardia of training, which enhanced the tendency of the heart rate to decrease with age. The level of bradycardia attained in the first school year was retained over the two subsequent years, despite a considerable decrease in the amount of physical activity in this period. Daily exercising significantly increased the stroke volume, which remained at a high level even after the daily exercising program was stopped. Children of the control group participated only in physical activities of the regular physical education program. Their heart rate remained unchanged over the first two school years. At the beginning of the third year, a decrease in the heart rate and a rise in the stroke volume were observed, as expected of their age.     

中国东部与西部汉族小学生体质发育差异的动态变化

为了揭示中国东西部汉族小学生体质发育差异的动态变化,应用文献资料法和数理统计法,将中国学生体质与健康1985年和2010年两次调研中有关东部和西部汉族小学生体质数据进行统计和对比分析。结果表明:东部小学生体质持续优于西部小学生且总体上差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05),东西部小学生的身体形态、身体机能及城市小学生体育素质呈拉大的趋势,东西部乡村小学生的体育素质呈缩小的趋势;东西部小学生身体形态发育处于增长的长期趋势;东西部小学生肺活量全面下降具有统计学意义(P<0.05),西部小学生下降速度快于东部小学生;东西部小学生耐力跑全面下降而斜身引体全面提高且具有统计学意义(P<0.05);东西部小学生体育素质发展差异的特征比较明显,东部小学生体育素质项目提高数量、幅度和速度高于西部小学生而下降的数量、幅度和速度低于西部小学生。     

Adaptation to Teaching Loads in New Educational Institutions

The authors analyzed physical development and training, nonspecific immunity, free-radical oxidation, hemodynamic indices, and autonomic regulation in pupils from the first to ninth grade levels of a new educational institution (gymnasium). All of these indices were influenced by the motor activity level. The children with hypokinesia had disadaptive changes in hemodynamics, weakened immunity, and lower antioxidant protection. The authors suggest principles for the pathogenetic correction of these disorders.     

“Do Octopuses Have a Brain?” Knowledge,Perceptions and Attitudes towards Neuroscience at School

The present study contributes to the question of school literacy about the brain, with an original survey conducted on Italian students from the 3^rd to 10^th grades (n = 508). The main goal was to test student''s knowledge, attitudes, and interests about neuroscience, to assess needs, prospects, and difficulties in teaching about the brain from elementary to high school. A written questionnaire, maintaining anonymity, asked 12 close-ended multiple choice questions on topics related to human and animal brains, plus one facultative open-ended question about interests and curiosities on brain topics. The results show that respondents have a fragmentary level of basic knowledge about the brain, with aspects related to brain functions and consciousness the most challenging. As expected, degrees of performance improve with school level; elementary school students answered correctly an average number of 5.3 questions, middle school 6.5, and high school 7.4. Overall, students show great interest in the brain, as shown by the large number of questions gathered through the open-ended question (n = 384). Other topics are addressed, mostly related to brain structure/functions and the role of the brain in the everyday life. The survey indicates the need of more thorough school programs on this subject, reinforced by interdisciplinary teaching where comparative anatomy and evolutionary aspects of brain development are covered.     

Efficacy of a school-based childhood obesity intervention program in a rural southern community: TEAM Mississippi Project

A healthy lifestyle school-based obesity intervention was evaluated in a rural southern community where the rate of obesity ranks as the highest. School-age children (N = 450) ranging from 6 to 10 years of age (Mage = 8.34) participated in monthly physical activity and nutritional events during a 9-month academic year. The children's nutritional knowledge, number of different physical activities, fitness level, dietary habits, waist circumference, BMI percentile, and percentage body fat were measured pre- and postintervention. Changes on these measures were compared to students in a school employing the school system's standard health curriculum. Regression analyses with residualized change scores revealed that the intervention school showed statistically significant improvement in percentage body fat, physical activity, performance on fitness tests, and dietary habits compared to the control school. There was no evidence of differences in outcomes based on gender or ethnicity/race. With rates of obesity and overweight reaching 50% in southern rural communities, intervening early in development may offer the best outcome because of the difficulties with changing lifestyle behaviors later in adulthood. A population-based approach is recommended over a targeted approach to cultivate a culture of healthy lifestyle behaviors when children are developing their health-care habits. Evidence suggests that both boys and girls, and African-American and white children can benefit equally from such interventions.     

Designer schools: the role of school space and architecture in obesity prevention

Spatial features of obesogenic environments studied on a broad community level have been associated with childhood overweight and obesity, but little research has focused on the effects of the design of micro spaces, such as schools, on individual health behaviors. This article aims to generate thinking and research on the link between school space and architecture and obesity prevention by reviewing and synthesizing available literature in architecture, environmental psychology, and obesity research, in an effort to propose promising ideas for school space design and redesign. The school environment is defined through 5 dimensions: physical, legal, policy, social, and cultural domains. Theories underlying environmental interventions and documented associations between the environment and health behaviors and outcomes are reviewed to illustrate how existing environmental research could translate to obesity prevention. Design strategies aimed at promoting physical activity and healthful eating are proposed, with particular emphasis on the design of cafeterias, activity spaces, connectivity with the larger community, and student health centers.     

华福花的解剖学特征及其同五福花的比较

本文记载了华福花的地理分布,生长和繁衍的物理条件,详细描述了营养器官的解剖学特征和花粉形态。从四个方面比较了两种植物的共同点和不同点,强调了华福花和五福花相比处于更高的阶段,并在发展和分化中。     

What We Can Learn about Reading Development from the Analysis of Eye Movements

The paper presents the results of the study on reading mechanisms in children of primary school age performed using eye tracking. The participants were 36 second-grade pupils. Eye movements were registered when reading a specially developed set of sentences containing words with controlled length and frequency. Neuropsychological assessment and reading of words with regular and irregular spelling were also performed. The results confirm the data of reading analysis obtained in other languages and show that characteristics of eye movements during reading depend on the length and frequency of the word. The results indicate a close relationship between the characteristics of the oculomotor activity and the level of the development of reading skills. Analysis of the relationship of eye movements and neuropsychological assessments of the cognitive abilities of children shows that the executive functions and functions for visuospatial information processing are the most important in the second year of reading aquisition. The role of auditory information processing functions requires further investigation.     

Travel to school and physical activity levels in 9-10 year-old UK children of different ethnic origin; Child Heart and Health Study in England (CHASE)

Background

Travel to school may offer a convenient way to increase physical activity levels in childhood. We examined the association between method of travel to school and physical activity levels in urban multi-ethnic children.

Methods and Findings

2035 children (aged 9–10 years in 2006–7) provided data on their usual method of travel to school and wore an Actigraph-GT1M activity monitor during waking hours. Associations between method of travel and mean level of physical activity (counts per minute [CPM], steps, time spent in light, moderate or vigorous activity per day) were examined in models adjusted for confounding variables. 1393 children (69%) walked or cycled to school; 161 (8%) used public transport and 481 (24%) travelled by car. White European children were more likely to walk/cycle, black African Caribbeans to travel by public transport and South Asian children to travel by car. Children travelling by car spent less time in moderate to vigorous physical activity (−7 mins, 95%CI-9,-5), and had lower CPM (−32 CPM, 95%CI-44,-19) and steps per day (−813 steps, 95%CI,-1043,-582) than walkers/cyclists. Pupils travelling by public transport had similar activity levels to walkers/cyclists. Lower physical activity levels amongst car travellers'' were especially marked at travelling times (school days between 8–9 am, 3–5 pm), but were also evident on weekdays at other times and at weekends; they did not differ by gender or ethnic group.

Conclusion

Active travel to school is associated with higher levels of objectively measured physical activity, particularly during periods of travel but also at other times. If children travelling by car were to achieve physical activity levels (steps) similar to children using active travel, they would increase their physical activity levels by 9%. However, the population increase would be a modest 2%, because of the low proportion of car travellers in this urban population.     

A Broad-Based Estimation of the Physical Work Capacity of Young Men

The physical work capacity of young men (17–21 years old) was estimated during this broad-based study. The subjects were divided into two groups depending on the level of their motor activity: those who were in general sport fitness programs (166 subjects) and those who had achieved high recognition in sports (149 subjects). Two stages in the development of physical work capacity in young men were detected. The first stage covered the 17- to 18-year-old men and was characterized by a significant increase in physical development and aerobic capacity, the improved hemodynamic responses to physical exercise, and a high tension in the cardiac regulatory mechanisms. The second stage (18–21 years) was a period of relative stabilization of physical development and body functions, during which the organism came to a new functional level typical of adulthood. A comparative analysis of the physical work capacity in subjects with different levels of motor activity showed that the indices of physical development, physical fitness, and aerobic capacity in 17-year-old athletes exceeded the same indices in the untrained age-matched group. Physical work capacity was significantly higher in athletes than in the untrained subjects during the whole juvenile period. In athletes the age-related physical fitness and aerobic capacity increased to a greater extent but physical development increased to a lesser extent than the same in the untrained subjects.     

某军医大学学生2013年营养及体能状况调查

目的:探讨某军医大学学生2013年某一时段营养及体能情况,以提高军校医学生身体素质。方法:选取2013年1月~2013年2月某军医大学在学校餐厅集体就餐的学员682人,采用称重法调查膳食,测定学员体重、身高,计算体重指数(BMI),对学员的体能状况进行测试。结果:调查学生蛋类、食用油摄入过多,而禽肉、豆类、蔬菜、牛奶、水果等均低于军标;Vit A、Vit C以及钙元素每日摄入量明显不足;学生每日获得热能的分配比例较好,均已达到军标;调查学生中男生体能状况优于女生(x2=22.035,P0.001),女生的超重人数明显多于男生(x2=20.142,P0.001)。结论:建议该校对餐厅炊事人员增加供应学生的食物品种,特别是水产、牛奶等富含优质蛋白的食品;强化学生体育锻炼的监督和指导工作,帮助他们增强自身体质,为国防现代化服务。     

Special features of age development of the brain in children living in the north

Special features of morphological functional age development of the brain in children living in difficult climatic-geographical and social-economical conditions of the North (Archangelsk region) were studied. It was found that among 62 examined pupils of middle country school only in 10 persons (16%) amplitude-frequency and temporal-spatial EEG parameters are in accordance with passport age (European standards). 38 pupils (61%) have insignificant deviations such as insufficient regularity of EEG spatial-temporal pattern in frontal and temporal parts of the brain, increased theta- and delta-rhythms, absence of distinct "functional nuclear" in alpha range. In remaining 14 pupils (23%) EEG parameters suggest a more expressed retardation of mental development coupled with problems in the learning and inadequate behavior. Retardation of terms of morphological functional development of the brain in children--northerners equals 1.5 - 2 years, which is in accordance with terms of hormonal and physical development' retardation, described by different authors.     

Changes in the level of eosinophils, corticosterone and catecholamine metabolism in the dynamics of emotional-painful stress

A correlation has been established between changes in blood eosinophil content, corticosterone level and catecholamine metabolism during emotional painful stress. The authors assume that the differences in the functions of the adrenergic and pituitary-adrenal systems permit an objective determination of the parameters of stress formation in extremal exposures.     

Talented but lazy. The height-school premium among Cracow’s schoolboys in the interwar period

This study finds that a positive association between stature and academic performance measured by the grades for various subjects, the height-school premium, was present in a historical sample of 147 school boys attending a gymnasium (public secondary school) in Cracow, Poland, between the wars. This effect persists when controlling for a set of demographic and socio-economic variables, though the strength of the relationship is modest (0.018 higher average grade for Polish, 0.014 for mathematics, 0.016 for art, and 0.013 for the combined subjects with each centimetre of height). The differences found between the magnitude and significance of the height-premium in different school subjects could be a marker of unequal association between stature, and cognitive, social, and physical skills, suggesting at least a partial role of cognitive ability in this relationship. However, the effect visible at the school level is not consistent between different teachers of the same subjects, hence the mechanism behind the height-school premium in the analysed population to a large extent relied on the subjective judgment of the teachers, who could reward social skills but also discriminate against shorter students.     

中国学生体质发育的生长加速及与日本学生的比较

在 1 98 5年和 1 995年国家教委、国家体委、卫生部、国家民委、国家科委共同领导和组织的全国性的学生体质健康调查基础上 ,及本世纪 30年代起个别省城 (北京市、天津市、上海市、丹阳市 (县 )、南京市、辽宁省、黑龙江省及山东省 )学生的体质调查资料基础上 ,作者经数理统计 ,并就我国学生的体质发育状况和生长加速问题对汉族学生和少数民族学生分别加以分析讨论 ,从而了解了我国学生体质发育的现状 ;经与近邻的日本国的学生的体质发育和生长加速状况比较后也找到了差距。
我国学生的体质发育水平目前虽有些不足 ,但我国学生的体质发育指标的生长增长值比日本国学生在身高指标上 ,男学生大2.10cm,女学生大1.65cm;在体重指标上 ,男学生大2.22kg,女学生大1.54kg,身高和体重指标相对日本国而言都仍呈较大的增长趋势 ,存在发展潜力 ,我国学生的体质定将有提高的可能。但胸围指标与身高和体重指标相比 ,除城市男女学生增长值还较大外 ,乡村学生的增长值却为偏低 ,这将影响我国学生的身体素质 ,影响整体生长发育水平的提高。这些将为我国有关部门制定方针政策和实施措施提供可靠的科学依据。我国的经济正在迅速发展 ,对我国学生的营养已采取了积极的措施加以改善和提高 ,并加强了学生的体育锻炼,中小学学生的学业负担也正在减轻,因此,对我国学生体质发育的促进的效果是可能达到的。     

The prognostic significance of the adaptation potential of the cardiovascular system in 10- and 11-year-old children

Experimental physiological studies were made in 10–11-year-old boys and girls, students of a gymnasium and an education-upbringing complex. The functional parameters recorded in children momentarily included: the heart rate, systolic and diastolic arterial pressure, Roufier index, and the adaptation potential (AP) of the cardiovascular system as an integral index of the adaptivity level of human organism on the whole, measured according to special formulas, and the index of the risk of disease development. Apart from it, the height, body mass, vital lung capacity, and strength of hand grip were measured, the puberty stage and deviations in the functioning of organs and systems were revealed. The AP levels used to evaluate adults’ adaptation did not agree with 10–11-year-old children’s physical development degree, puberty stages, and health condition (belonging to different health groups). No agreement was found between the levels of these parameters and the degrees of AP of the cardiovascular system in 10–11-year-old children based on their individual values and sigmal deviations of this index. Therefore, a conclusion on the adaptation capacities of a child’s organism and the risk of disease development in it based on the AP values may be erroneous. The authors suggest an age scale of the AP levels for 10–11-year-old children.