The Best of Two Different Visual Instructions in Improving Precision Ball-Throwing and Standing Long Jump Performances in Primary School Children

Two observational learning approaches have been shown to be successful in improving children’s motor performances: one is “technique-focused”, another is “goal-focused”. In this study, we sought to compare the effectiveness of these two strategies, thus testing for the more efficient method of observational learning to enhance motor skills in primary school children. To this end, two experiments were designed. Experiment 1 involved a precision ball throwing task. Experiment 2 involved a standing long jump task. A total of 792 subjects (aged 6–11) participated in this study and were divided into technique-focus (Experiment 1 n = 200; Experiment 2 n = 66), goal-focus (Experiment 1 n = 195; Experiment 2 n = 68), and control groups (Experiment 1 n = 199; Experiment 2 n = 64). The experiments were divided into pretest, practice, and retention phases. During the practice phase, the technique-focus and goal-focus groups were given different visual instructions on how to perform the task. The results showed that children aged 10–11 belonging to the technique-focus group performed significantly better in the practice phase than both the goal-focus and the control group (p < 0.001), but only for the precision ball throwing task. These findings could be useful for training adaptation in the context of motor learning and skills acquisition.

Comparison of four COVID-19 screening strategies to facilitate early case identification within the homeless shelter population: A structured summary of a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Objectives 1. To compare the effectiveness of four different surveillance strategies in detecting COVID-19 within the homeless shelter population. 2. To assess the participant adherence over time for each surveillance method. Trial Design This is a prospective cluster-randomized study to compare the effectiveness of four different surveillance regimens across eight homeless shelters in the city of Hamilton. Participants Participants will include both residents of, and the staff working within, the homeless shelters. All participants aged 18 or older who consent to the study and are able to collect a swab sample (where relevant) are eligible for the study. The study will take place across eight homeless shelters (four men-only and four women-only) in the City of Hamilton in Ontario, Canada. Intervention and Comparator Groups The comparator group will receive active daily surveillance of symptoms and testing will only be completed in symptomatic participants (i.e. those who fail screening or who seek care for potential COVID-19 related symptoms). The three intervention arms will all receive active daily surveillance of symptoms and testing of symptomatic participants (as in the comparator group) in addition to one of the following: 1. Once weekly self-collected oral swabs (OS) regardless of symptoms using written and visual instructions. 2. Once weekly self-collected oral-nares swab (O-NS) regardless of symptoms using written and visual instructions. 3. Once weekly nurse collected nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) regardless of symptoms. Participants will follow verbal and written instructions for the collection of OS and O-NS specimens. For OS collection, participants are instructed to first moisten the swab on their tongue, insert the swab between the cheek and the lower gums and rotate the swab three times. This is repeated on the other side. For O-NS collection, after oral collection, the swab is inserted comfortably (about 2-3 cm) into one nostril, parallel to the floor and turned three times, then repeated in the other nostril. NPS specimens were collected by the nurse following standard of care procedure. All swabs were placed into a viral inactivation medium and transported to the laboratory for COVID-19 testing. Briefly, total nucleic acid was extracted from specimens and then amplified by RT-PCR for the UTR and Envelope genes of SARS-CoV-2 and the human RNase P gene, which is used as a sample adequacy marker. Main Outcomes 1. Primary outcome: COVID-19 detection rate, i.e. the number of new positive cases over the study period of 8 weeks in each arm of the study. 2. Secondary outcomes: Qualitative assessment of study enrollment over 8 weeks. Percentage of participants who performed 50% or more of the weekly swabs in the intervention arms in the 8 week study period. Randomization We will use a computer-generated random assignment list to randomize the shelters to one of four interventions. Shelters were stratified by gender, and the simple randomization scheme was applied within each stratum. The randomization scheme was created using WinPEPI. Blinding This is an open-label study in which neither participants nor assessors are blinded. Numbers to be randomized (sample size) Since we are including our total sample frame, a sample size estimation at the cluster level is not required. However, if we succeed to enroll 50 participants per shelter from 8 shelters (n=400), and the detection rate is 3 times higher in the intervention groups (0.15) than in the comparator groups (0.05), we will have 90% power to detect a statistically significant and clinically important difference at a type I error rate of alpha=0.05 (one tailed), assuming an intraclass correlation of ~0.008. These computations were done using WinPEPI, and informed by conservative estimates from other studies on respiratory illness in the homeless (see Full protocol). Trial Status The protocol version number is 3.0. Recruitment began on April 17, 2020 and is ongoing. Due to low numbers of COVID cases in the community and shelter system during the initial study period, the trial was extended. The estimated date for the end of the extended recruitment period is Feb 1, 2021. Trial Registration The trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov on June 18, 2020 with the identifier NCT04438070. Full protocol The full protocol is attached as an additional file, accessible from the Trials website (Additional file 1). In the interest in expediting dissemination of this material, the familiar formatting has been eliminated; this Letter serves as a summary of the key elements of the full protocol.

Instruções visuais em embalagens de alimentos: abordagem analítica sob o viés do design da informação | Visual instructions of food packaging: an analytical approach under information design bias

O design de embalagens envolve muitas variáveis que vão desde sua conformação para acomodar produtos até as informações visuais diagramadas em sua estrutura. Dessas configurações, nota-se a importância em reconhecer aspectos informacionais impressos nessas embalagens e a maneira como são percebidos pelos usuários, tanto em relação à percepção como em relação à compreensão frente ao seu manuseio. É neste sentido que se destaca a necessidade de compreender a affordance visual das instruções visuais contidas em embalagens, tendo como amostras embalagens de alimentos de preparo rápido. Com isso, este artigo relata os resultados de um projeto de iniciação científica que analisou aspectos de sintaxe, ergonomia e affordance visual em um grupo de oito amostras, tendo o design da informação como base analítica principal. Para tanto, os resultados do levantamento de dados discutidos em revisão de literatura configuraram critérios para a seleção dessas amostras e, principalmente, diretrizes para sua análise. Por fim, o artigo demonstra a análise resultante e discute os resultados obtidos. Ao final do artigo são apresentadas as considerações finais sobre o projeto e indicados procedimentos futuros.*****Packaging design involves many variables ranging from its conformation to accommodate products to the visual information diagrammed in its structure. From these configurations, it is important to recognize the informational aspects printed on these packages and the way they are perceived by users, both in relation to perception and in relation to the understanding of their handling. It is in this sense that the need to understand the visual affordance of the visual instructions contained in packages is highlighted, taking samples of fast food products as samples. Thus, this paper reports the results of a scientific initiation project that analyzed aspects of syntax, ergonomics and visual affordance in a group of eight samples, with the information design as the main analytical basis. In order to do so, the results of the data collection discussed in literature review set criteria for the selection of these samples and, mainly, guidelines for their analysis. Finally, the article demonstrates the resulting analysis and discusses the results obtained. At the end of the article are presented the final considerations about the project and indicated future procedures.

Training Simulator for Acquiring Operational Skill to Operate Overhead Traveling Crane while Suppressing Load Sway

The present study addressed an advanced system that was designed to teach the skills needed to operate an electric overhead traveling crane. In the operation of an overhead traveling crane, to ensure the safe and efficient transport of a load, an operator must be able to suppress the sway of that load. However, considerable training is needed to master this skill. Furthermore, the beginners may cause accidents by operating the crane incorrectly. Therefore, in the present study, we devised a training system in which an operator can safely and efficiently master the operation of an electric overhead traveling crane while suppressing the load sway. In this approach, the operational conditions in which the load sway is suppressed can be derived theoretically. The operational conditions are displayed by the crane simulator as visual instructions in a virtual working environment. The efficacy of the proposed skill training approach with the crane simulator was verified through experiments whereby novices used the crane simulator to perform the task of transporting a load while suppressing load sway.