مهدی سهرابی

Manipulation and control of the environment improve motor skills, increase sports participation, and promote more active social engagement. These factors, in turn, enhance physical and motor competence. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of traditional education and TGFU on the perceived competence, sports participation, and basketball skills of 10-12-year-old students.

The present study was quasi-experimental. The statistical population of the research included 10-12-year-old male students of Meybod City, 45 of whom were selected using the available purposive sampling method. The samples were randomly assigned into three groups of 15 people, including traditional training, TGFU training, and control groups. To collect data, a Sports Participation Motivation Questionnaire, Perceived Competence Scale, AAHPERD controlled dribble, and basketball passing tests were used. To analyze the data, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and Benferroni's post hoc tests were used at a significance level of P≤0.05.

The results showed that the perceived competence (physical, cognitive, and social), sports participation, and learning basketball skills (pass and dribble) in the traditional and TGFU groups were better than the control group (P≤0.05). Also, these results were significantly higher in the TGFU group than in the traditional group (P≤0.05).

Teachers and coaches can use the TGFU teaching method to increase sports participation, improve students' competencies, and provide an attractive and motivating learning experience.

The goal of research is to create a learning environment that can increase learning. This study aimed to investigate the effect of contextual interference on spatial accuracy and motor reprogramming of the sequential motor task in people with Parkinson's disease.

The research method is a quasi-experimental type with a pre-test and post-test research design. 64 people with Parkinson's disease (mean age = 62.93 ± 3) were selected by convenience sampling method and randomly assigned into four equal groups (16 people) including blocked - high similarity, blocked - low similarity, random - high similarity, and random - low similarity. The participants performed 180 trials (12 blocks of 15 trials) for three sequential movement tasks. The error of movement patterns performance was calculated in all stages. In the acquisition stage, the 2 (contextual interference) × 2 (sequence similarity) × 11 (acquisition blocks) ANOVA with repeated measures of the last factor, and for the retention stage, the 2 (contextual interference) × 2 (similarity of sequence) × 3 (stages) ANOVA with repeated measures of last factor, and for the transfer and reprogramming stages, the 2 (contextual interference) × 2 (sequence similarity) ANOVA were used at P=0.05 level of significance.

The results showed that in the acquisition phase, the blocked-high similarity group performed better, and the interactive effect of the group and sequence similarity was not significant in the retention and transfer stages. In the reprogramming phase, the random-high similarity group was better.

According to the elaboration hypothesis, random practice increases the strength of memory representation and forms deeper processing in memory.

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of basic taekwondo exercises on the executive functions of children with a learning disorder. For this purpose, 20 boys aged 10 to 12 years with learning disorder in Mashhad were selected and randomly assigned to exercise and control groups. The exercise group practiced Taekwondo for 12 sessions, each session lasting 50 minutes, repeating three days a week. The control group also engaged in their normal daily activities during this period. Changes in subjects' executive functions were measured before and after the exercise period by the N-back and the Tower of London tests. Analysis of variance with repeated measures was used for statistical analysis. The results showed that basic taekwondo exercises improve executive functions in the exercise group; All these changes were significant compared to the control group (p<0/05). Therefore, based on the results of the present study, it can be concluded that basic taekwondo exercises help to improve the executive functions of children with learning disorder by affecting brain areas related to executive functions.

Motor imagery is a complex cognitive action that represents mentally the process of performing a movement (from preparation to the intention). In the current study, the effect of internal versus close- or far- external instruction of attention focusing during motor imagery on response time of four well-trained karate skills was evaluated. In a semi-experimental design, 43 skilled athletes (24 women, 19 men; mean age: 15.88 ± 4.50) executed the pre-test in front of a researcher-made device. Unexpected visual stimuli were presented randomly by the device, and response times of each skill were recorded by a software synced to the device. Then, each of the Karatekas participated in one of three training groups of imagining, namely, internal attention (7 women, 7 men), close-external attention (6 women, 5 men), far-external attention (6 women, 5 men) in 12 sessions, or in a control group (5 women, 2 men). After performing the post-test identical to pre-test, by carrying out a mixed-model analysis of covariance, the results revealed that there was no significant effect of gender, and only close-external imagery resulted in promoting lower body techniques (p<0.05). However, such an effect did not observe for upper body techniques, and effect of keeping focus of attention on body extremities (internal attentional imagery) and on far outcome of movement (far-external attentional imagery) were not significant (p>0.05). The findings suggest, during mental rehearsal, the analogy of athlete’s external attentional strategy to actual task plays an important role on effectiveness of motor imagery.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of selected perceptual-motor program and active video games on working memory performance and cognitive flexibility of students with learning disabilities.

Methods & Materials: 

The method of the current research was an experimental type a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population of this research included all male students aged 8-11 years enrolled in learning disability centers in Mashhad in 2022-2023. Of these, 54 people were selected by the purposeful sampling method and were randomly divided into two experimental groups and one control group. In the pre-test and post-test stages, the students performed N-back and Stroop software tests. The experimental groups performed perceptual-motor training programs and active video games for 24 sessions, each session lasting 45 minutes, and the control group did not receive any intervention. Multivariate analysis of the covariance test was used to analyze the data.

The results showed that there is a significant difference between the average scores of the two groups of perceptual-motor exercises and active video games with the control group in terms of working memory and cognitive flexibility (P<0.05).

Due to the effectiveness of perceptual-motor training methods and active video games, this style of training and games can be used to reduce problems related to students with learning disabilities. It is suggested to teachers and trainers in the field of work for children with learning disabilities to emphasize active video games in addition to regular exercises.

The importance of oral and dental health is more in the elderly than other age groups and various factors can affect it. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of oral and dental health in the elderly with the amount of salivary immunoglobulin-A (IgA), the presence of chronic and systemic diseases, and some demographic indicators such as age, gender, residential place, marital status, economic status, compliance with oral and dental hygiene, smoking and educational level. It seems that the aforementioned factors are related to the oral and dental health of the elderly.

In this systematic review we searched Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed and SID databases for Persin and English articles between 2010 and 2020. Finally, 19 articles were selected.

Based on our literature review, it seems that the presence of age-related diseases, whether chronic or systemic can influence the oral and dental health. Moreover, increased salivary IgA levels could be directly associated with oral and dental problems. Some other factors including better economic status and maintenance of oral and dental health can be related to the improvement of the oral health specially in the elderly. Although, higher education level, city of residence, lack of smoking habit, gender and marital status did not  show definite effects on maintaining oral- dental health, but can affect this process.

Consequently, self-care educations for maintaining the oral-dental health and also follow up of the old patients with chronic systemic diseases had positive effects on the improvement of the oral and dental health.

Objectives:

 Considering the negative effects of aging on bimanual motor skills, attention has been drawn to various non-invasive brain stimulation methods for the improvement of these skills. This study aimed to investigate the effects of online transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) over the right posterior parietal cortex (P4) and supplementary motor area (SMA) on bimanual coordination in elderly women. 

Methods :

This is a quasi-experimental study. The study population includes all healthy elderly women aged 60-75 years in Tehran, Iran, of whom 31 were selected using a convenience sampling method and were subjected to tACS over P4, tACS over SMA, and sham tACS along with performing the Purdue pegboard task (4 trials) in three sessions with a one-week interval.  Data were analyzed byby 3(condition)*4(trials) ANOVA with repeated measures.

Results:

 The results of ANOVA showed that only the main effect of trial was statistically significant (P<0.001); The main effect of condition and the interaction effect of condition and trial were not significant (P>0.05). Therefore, although bimanual coordination increased significantly in all three conditions in different trials, there was no significant difference in bimanual coordination among different conditions.

Conclusion :

The online tACS over P4 or SMA has no short-term effect on the bimanual coordination of elderly women. Further studies are recommended to assess the long-term effects of tACS in other areas of the cerebral cortex using different protocols.

The purpose of this study, investigated the relationship between mental skills, emotional intelligence and competitive anxiety in female taekwondo player in super league of Iran.for this aim 98 taekwondo player participated from super league of Iran. The Questionnaires Emotional Intelligence Bradberry and Graves (2005), mental skills Russell (2010), Competitive anxiety Martnz (1990) were used for data collection and 87 Questionnaires were collected. The validity of Questionnaires determinate with master’s opinions of Movement Behavior and reliability of the Questionnaires mental skills Russell (2010), Competitive anxiety Martnz (1990), Emotional Intelligence Bradberry and Graves (2005) were attained (α: 0/80( -(α: 0/74( -)α:0/83).Test data using correlational descriptive statistics and Bonferoni, regression analysis were used for statistical analysis. The results show that mental skills has a significant relationship with self-management of emotional intelligence (p>0/05, r=0.241), somatic anxiety (p>0/05, r=-0.392),cognitive anxiety (p>0/05, r=-0.352) and self-confidence (p>0/05, r=0.265).The test results also show that mental skills is a significant predictor of the self-management of emotional intelligence,somatic anxiety,cognitive anxiety and self-confidence.

Leaf stripe disease of barley is caused by the seed transmitted hemi-biotrophic fungus Pyneophera graminea which has spread in to important areas of barley production in Iran especially in Khorasan Razavi province. The fungus survives as a mycelium in the pericarp, the hull and the seed coat, but not in the embryo. During the seed generation, its growing mycelium penetrates the coleorhiza and it colonized the plant systematically starting from the root tip. Once infection spreads into the young leaves, growth switches to a necrotrophic phase with the production of a host-specific glycosyl toxin that causes longitudinal dark brown necrotic stripe between the leaf veins, as well as spike sterility. Finally become necrotic, lead to severe yield reduction when seed infection is high, especially in organic farming systems. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the resistance of domesticated commercial cultivars (23 cultivars), promising candidate genotypes (23 genotypes) and foreign genetic resources (30 cultivars).

In this study, the resistance of 46 commercial cultivars and promising genotypes with 30 cultivars resistant to barley leaf stripe reported in scientific sources to leaf stripe disease with six morphological traits including days to heading, plant height, number of seed in spike, one-thousand grains weight and days to maturity was evaluated in randomized complete block design with three replications during two cropping years (2017-2019) in Mashhad Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center. Infection of plants occurred naturally. Evaluation of resistance of genotypes by Delogo method was calculated based on the percentage of infected plants as well as components of variance, heritability, genetic and phenotypic coefficients using SPSS software and formula.

All of the traits were significant and highly significant among the genotypes during two years. The highest coefficient of genetic diversity was observed in the number of rows in spike and the number of seeds per spike and the lowest was observed in the number of days to flowering. Heritability above 90% was obtained for most of traits. A positive correlation was shown between most of the traits. The highest coefficient of variation is belonged to disease incidence. The percentage of infection in the first year varied between 0 and 54.5% and in the second year ranged from one to 64.5%. Disease incidence for first year was observed, 23 highly resistant genotypes, two resistant genotypes, 13 moderately resistant genotypes and eight susceptible genotypes and also for second years evaluated 21 highly resistant genotypes, five resistant genotypes, 13 moderately resistant genotypes and seven sensitive genotypes.

Leaf stripe disease has a significant effect on reducing barley yield, so it can be managed by identifying resistant cultivars. Based on the results, the studied cultivars and genotypes showed various reactions to disease, ranging from susceptible to highly resistant. Most genotypes were observed as highly resistant and moderately resistant. According to results two-row genotypes had a higher resistance level than six-row genotypes to leaf stripe. Based on the results, a number of commercial cultivars, including Walfajre, Dasht, Bahman, Behrokh and Nik have been resistant or semi-resistant to this disease

The present study aimed to determine the effect of imagining the play strategies in comparison with imagining the motor skills on performance during a sports competition course.

Participants were 30 (19 men, 11 women) karatekas who were evaluated as upper than moderate in terms of performance level. In the beginning, participants' ability and past experiments in motor imagery were assessed. Then, they took part in a quasi-experimental design of one of three strategic imagery, movement imagery, or control groups. Each person immediately after combatting with an opponent performed the required action depending on the group and finally competed against the same previous opponent, again.

The results showed that karatekas had excellent imagery ability, especially in preserving the temporal characteristics of the movement, and at the past competitions, specifically before their matches, they had used both cognitive-general and cognitive-specific imagery. Also, the nonparametric analysis demonstrated that in the quasi-experimental design, the strategic imagery group gained a higher point difference during the post-test, however, the movement imagery or control group did not differ significantly.

The research findings revealed that strategic imagery has more advantages compared to skill imagery, suggesting that strategies of play can be used between the matches as an effective factor in sports success.

This study was conducted to determine the effect of Nintendo Wii-based motor and cognitive training on motor proficiency, visual attention, and cognitive flexibility of children with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder. Thirty boys with ADHD, aged 8-11 years, were selected from the Avand development center and were randomly assigned to an experimental and control group. The experimental group participated in a selected gaming program for 24 sessions, 60 minutes per session. At the beginning of the study and after eight weeks of intervention, participants were assessed with the Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency and trail making test. R Statistical software was used for data and analysis Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used to test differences between groups. For all statistical analyses significance was set at 0.05. The results of the post hoc contrasts on MANCOVA showed that balance (p = 0.01), upper limb coordination (p = 0.01), bilateral coordination (p = 0.02), strength (p = 0.06), response speed (p = 0.02) and manual dexterity (p = 0.003) components, in the experimental group were significantly improved in comparison to the control group, But there were no significant differences between groups in running speed and agility (p = 0.09) and visual-motor control (p = 0.27). A significant difference was also found between groups in cognitive flexibility (p = 0.01). Our findings suggest that Nintendo Wii game playing might be a simple and cost-effective way for improving motor proficiency and cognitive flexibility of ADHD children.

Older adults with diabetic peripheral neuropathies (DPN) are at higher risk of motor control, slower reaction time, and increased postural sways. There is increasing evidence that exercise-based interventions have a positive impact on the health of older people. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a selected multisensory training (SMST) program in improving the balance of older women with DPN.

In this study, 30 older women (Mean±SD age=62.35±1.87 years) were randomly assigned into the SMST and control groups. All participants underwent dynamic and static balance tests before and after the training. The SMST program included the balance training with eyes open and closed on different surfaces to stimulate visual, proprioception, and vestibular system. The intervention was conducted for 12 weeks, two times per week.

There was a significant difference in the dynamic balance between the SMST and control groups (t(28)=-6.74, P=0.000, ƞ2=0.61). The results of analysis of variance showed that the SMST program improved the static balance in the X direction (F(1,28)=14.16, P=0.001, ƞ2=0.33) and in the Y direction (F(1,28)=5.38, P=0.028, ƞ2=0.16) in older women with DPN.

The SMST can improve the dynamic and static balances of older women with DPN. Older women with DPN are at increased risk of falling. This program can be used to enhance their balance and postural control.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of virtual reality training program on motor imagery ability in children with developmental coordination disorder(DCD).The sampling design was purposive and 40 female children with DCD(aged 7-10years) from students of Tabriz, by using DCDQ, PMOQ-T, and BOTMP tests were identified and were randomly replaced in two groups of experimental and control groups. The virtual reality training program consisted of a selection of Xbox 360 Kinect games that were performed for 8 weeks (2 sessions per week and each session lasting 30 minutes). Motor imagery of children was also measured by using a hand rotation task test. The Results of repeated measure ANOVA showed that there was a significant difference between two groups on motor imagery ability (P

The reason of using the abnormal muscular functions by people with Down syndrome (DS) and the effect of exercise are unclear. So the purpose of this study was to investigate the muscle functions of people with DS and the effect of nine sessions throwing exercises on these patterns.

The present study was semi-experimental with pre-test, post-test and follow-up method. In this regard, people with DS were randomly divided into two groups of exercise(n=17) and control(n=10) and performed the overhand throwing in three phases of pre-test, post-test and follow-up. The numbers of overhand throwing training sessions were nine for experimental group. In all three phases, data related to the kinetics chain and electromyography data to calculate the co activation index between biceps and triceps brachii muscles were recorded.

The results of one-way ANOVA did not show any significant difference between the two groups in advantage from the kinetic chain in any of the test phases, but the results of intra-group comparisons showed that in the experimental group efficiency from use of the kinetic chain was improved in the post-test and follow-up. Also the co-activation index between the biceps and triceps brachii muscles in the experimental group compared to the control group decreased significantly in the post-test (F=10.013, P=0.004), but returned to the pre-test level in the follow-up (P>0.05).

Despite the positive effects of training on muscle functions in people with DS, it seems that some of these effects are due to the temporary neuromuscular adaptations.

Assessment of motor skills paves the way for detecting functional disorders and defects in the body structures and the child's interactions with their surroundings. While analyzing it and its factors affecting the importance of motor skills, experts have developed many tests and techniques to detect motor abnormalities. Most motor growth tests can convert qualitative characteristics of movement into quantitative ones; therefore, they provide objective criteria for investigating and detecting delay and slowness in motor development. One of the best tools for identifying developmental motor delays and motor problems in children is the Bruininks–Oseretsky motor skills tool. Psychometrics of motor skills have had different results in different societies and cultures. Hence, the present study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Bruininks–Oseretsky test in Iraqi boys aged 5 to 7 years.

Methods:

The present cross–sectional study was a tool development and the research design. The study's statistical population included Iraqi boys in the age range of 5 to 7 years. The sample included 400 Iraqi boys selected by cluster sampling among those eligible for the study from different parts of Iraq. Children with neurological and musculoskeletal injuries were excluded from the study. The Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (1950) was used in this study. This set of reference norm tests assesses the motor performance of children aged 4.5 to 14.6 years. This test consists of 8 subscales and 46 items that evaluate motor proficiency or movement disorders in gross and fine motor skills. Four subscales measure gross motor skills, three measure fine motor skills, and one measures both motor skills. Motor proficiency test subscales include running speed and agility, balance, coordination of friendship, strength, upper limb coordination, response speed, visual–motor control, and upper limb speed and agility. The Cronbach alpha, intra–class correlation coefficient, test–retest, and confirmatory factor analysis were used to analyze the data. SPSS statistical software version 20 and LISREL were used to analyze the data. A significance level of α = 0.05 was considered significant for statistical calculations.

The results showed that the Bruininks–Oseretsky test and its subscales have the necessary internal reliability and consistency in the community of Iraqi boys aged 5 to 7 years. The reliability coefficients of 0.80, 0.82, 0.70, and 0.86 were calculated for the subscales of motor proficiency of gross skills, fine skills, upper limb coordination, and the whole test. This test has the necessary time reliability (p<0.001). The test–retest reliability coefficients were calculated to be 0.86, 0.82, 0.88, and 0.83, respectively, for motor proficiency in gross skills, fine skills, upper limb coordination, and the whole test. The reliability (between the evaluator and the evaluator) of this test was also at a desirable level (p<0.001). So that the intra–rater reliability with coefficients of 0.82, 0.86, 0.84, and 0.85 and the inter–rater reliability with coefficients of 0.90, 0.85, 0.89, and 0.88 for the subscales of gross skills, fine skills, coordination of upper limb, and the whole test were calculated. In this study, the content validity of this test was also confirmed so that this index was calculated in the range of 0.8 to 1 for the subscales of gross skills, fine skills, and the whole test. Fit goodness indices were calculated as χ2</sup>/df=2.84, RMSEA=0.074, RMR=0.023, GFI=0.91, and AGFI=0.90. The study results showed that the Bruininks–Oseretsky Test and the subscales of gross skills, fine skills, and the whole test in the community of Iraqi boys aged 5 to 7 years have appropriate and acceptable validity and reliability.

Based on the findings of this study, the Bruininks–Oseretsky Test can be used with confidence to assess motor proficiency in the community, and for use in girls and other age groups, it is necessary to design and implement additional studies in the future.

Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental condition. People with autism have difficulty with social skills such as joint attention. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of neurofeedback on joint attention and brain electrical activity in 6 to 8 year-old boys with autism.

Thirty boys with high functioning autism in the age range of 6-8 years were selected and randomly assigned into one of the neurofeedback and control groups. The neurofeedback group received alpha increase (8-12 Hz), decrease theta (5-8 Hz) and beta (13-30 Hz) for 30 hours of neurofeedback intervention. Each training session lasted between 45 and 60 minutes. The control group received the same amount of simulated intervention. In the two stages of pre and post intervention, the participants' joint attention was measured by the initial social communication scale. Also, EEG were recorded for each participant for 5 minutes in two stages pre and post-test to compare the changes of alpha, theta and beta waves. A mixed-design ANOVA 2 (group) x 4 (phases: pre-test, post-test, short-term follow-up and long-term follow-up) and ANCOVA was used to analyze and evaluate the effect of the intervention program on participants' post-test scores and their pre-test entered as covariate variable. Statistical tests were performed by SPSS software version 23.

The statistical results showed that the neurofeedback group improved in the post-test compared to the pre-test. Also, there was a significant difference in the joint attention index between two groups in the post-test (p <0.05). In addition, participants in the neurofeedback group were able to make the desired changes in alpha, theta and beta waves compared to the control group at rest (p <0.05).

According to the results of the present study, it can be concluded that non-invasive intervention programs such as neurofeedback can improve the joint attention of children with high functioning autism.

The aim of the study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Iraqi version of the Gross Motor Development Test - Third Edition TGMD-3 in Iraqi children aged 5 to 9 years. The second aim of this study was to compare the development of gross motor skills of Iranian and Iraqi children. The participants were selected from 400 people by cluster sampling method from Iraq and were evaluated using TGMD-3 test. Finally, 30 Iraqis in the age group of 8-9 years were randomly selected and compared with a similar group of 30 Iranian children. Cronbach's alpha, Pearson correlation coefficient, factor analysis and t-test were used to analyze the data. Internal consistency reliability coefficients for locomotor, ball skills and total scores were 0.77, 0.85 and 0.87; test-retest reliability coefficients were 0.89, 0.90 and 0.91; inter-rater reliability coefficients were 0.77, 0.85 and 0.88; intera-rater coefficients were 0.66, 0.80 and 0.84, respectively. Also, there was no significant difference between the performance of Iranian and Iraqi children in the subtests of locomotor and ball skills and the total score of gross motor skills (P <0.05). Due to the confirmation of validity and reliability, this test can be used with confidence to evaluate the development of gross motor skills. The results obtained are limited to the Iraqi boy community of 5 to 9 years, and additional studies are needed in the future for use in the girl community and other age groups.

Numerous studies have examined the difficulty levels of homework and homework learning. But research that uses machine learning approaches, and in particular neural-fuzzy inference systems, to model the difficulty of throwing a task with different difficulty conditions among the elderly has been overlooked.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of different levels of difficulty on learning the task of throwing in the elderly: Emphasis on machine learning methods.

The research was quasi-experimental with pre-test and post-test design with 4 control groups. The statistical population of the study included all right-handed elderly men in 1397 with an age range of 70-60 years in Mashhad. 120 elderly people were selected by available sampling method and randomly divided into 8 groups of 15 people (4 experimental groups and 4 control groups). The instrument of the present study was the task of discus throwing participants derived from the research of Sanli and Lee (Sanli and Lee, 2015). Data analysis was performed using encryption using an sophisticated system.

Individuals in the experimental group were better off than the control group in terms of learning conditions. Also, the best scenario of the adaptive fuzzy-neural inference system in the learning phase was selected in the experimental group No. 1 with the lowest error RMSE= 0/73 for the survey data.

The use of fuzzy neural inference system and the creation of neural-fuzzy networks has been successful and significantly reduced the prediction error, which has a significant feature of rapid convergence and high accuracy

This study was conducted to determine the effect of Nintendo Wii-based motor and cognitive training on executive function of children with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder. Statistical population of this research included boys with ADHD, aged 8-11. Years. 27 eligible participants were selected from Avand development center and were randomly assigned and were randomly assigned to an experimental and control group. The experimental group participated in a selected gaming program for 24 sessions, 60 minutes per session. At the beginning of the study and after eight weeks of intervention, participants were assessed with Corsi-Block-Tapping test, GO/No-Go test and Tower of London (TOL) test. R Statistical software were used for data analysis. The resulting data were analyzed using ANCOVA and MANCOVA. The results showed that working memory and response inhibition in the experimental group were significantly improved in comparison to the control group, in assessing planning, there were significant differences between groups in TOL score that measured correct solved problems. But there were no differences in TOL scores that measure performance of planning time and planning speed (P >0.05).. These results suggest that Nintendo Wii game playing might be a simple and cost effective way for improving executive function of ADHD children.

In the last decade, several studies have concluded that elevated concentrations of radon gas in soil or groundwater could be the sign of an imminent earthquake. It is believed that in case of sudden movement of rocks before earthquake, radon is released from the depth of ground and reached the surface. In this way, by measuring Radon concentration change, earthquake prediction is possible. In this study, for the purpose of the feasibility of using microstrip gas detector in monitoring Radon change, initially for the verification of the code, the range of radon alpha particles and its progeny in the air has been obtained in the standard condition, which is consistent with the experimental results. Then detector geometry has been simulated by MCNPX code and after examining the average of detector response to decay, the output code is calibrated considering the information about the radon changes in Jowshan hot spring. The results have shown that the detector response is comparable to the experimental data and can be used as an earthquake pre-indicator.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of sleep deprivation before physical, mental, observational and combined training on the acquisition and retention of badminton short service skills. The participants were volunteers who were 180 male students aged 19-25 years. After initial screening, the subjects were divided into four experimental groups (physical, observational, mental and combined training) and four paired control groups who were subjected to badminton short service training. The experimental groups trained with 24-h sleep deprivation and the control group trained without sleep deprivation. In the acquisition stage, each subject trained using his customary training method. After training, the subjects followed a normal day-night sleep pattern. At 24, 72 and 168 h after acquisition, a short-service retention test was taken by participants. The data was analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (4 ´ 2 ´ 3). The results show that acquisition and retention in both the physical and combined groups were not affected by sleep deprivation (P>0.05). Skill acquisition in the observation group was not affected by sleep deprivation (P>0.05); however, in the retention tests, the control group showed significantly better performance. Skill acquisition in the mental training group was significantly affected by sleep deprivation and this effect was evident in the retention tests (P<0.05). The results indicate that, under conditions of sleep deprivation, physical and combined training are preferred when training to acquire new skills.

The aim was to investigate the effect of balance interventions along with the vestibular stimulation training on postural stability and social function, considering the incidence of abnormal stability and its effect on motor performance of children in the autism spectrum.

According to the entry criteria, 24 children (5-12 years old) were randomly assigned into 3 groups of 8 people. The balance training program included 30 sessions of balance training (30 to 45 minutes / 3 sessions a week), while the control group received school education and the free play group was free to play its natural age games. To assess the stability, the force plate device and to evaluate social performance, Scott Bellini's social performance scale were used.

The results showed that there was a significant decrease in postural stability fluctuations in the right and left foot in the Anterio-Posterior and Mediolateral axis in the post-test (P <0.05), social function was significantly improved in comparison to the other two groups (P <0.05).

Balance exercises have been able to influence the balance system of ASD children. This intervention seems to be beneficial for improving the balance and enhancing their social performance.

Autism spectrum disorder is usually accompanied with impaired motor skills, motor coordination, especially visual-motor coordination, and behavioral disorders. This study is aimed to investigate the effect of the selective video-interactive exercises on gross motor skills, eye-hand coordination, and severity of disorder symptoms in children at the age range of 6-9 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

30 children at the age range of 6-9 years with autism disorder were selected form the care centers of Mashhad. They were divided into two groups of experimental and control groups bases on random selection. In addition to the Autism Center's daily training and rehabilitation program, the experimental group participated in three interactive video games for 12 weeks and three 40-minute sessions each week, and the control group only dealt with the center's daily training and rehabilitation activities. The participants were assessed through Ulrich test of gross motor development-2nd edition (TGMD-2), Purdue Pegboard eye-hand coordination test, and autism symptoms severity questionnaire on pre-test, post-test and follow-up sessions. The data were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA.

The results showed that the experimental group had a significant improvement in gross motor skills, and eye-hand coordination compared to the control group (p < 001) which was also constant in the follow-up test. However, there was no significant difference between two groups in terms of the severity of the disorder symptoms (p=0/424).

Using video-interactive games is a new strategy for children with autism spectrum disorders that can affect many aspects of the disorder, such as gross motor skills and eye-hand coordination. But investigating the impact of these games on the severity of symptoms of the disorder requires further research.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a selected balance training program under dual and single-task conditions on working memory of children with developmental coordination disorder. The research method was semi-experimental and a pre-test-post-test- follow-up design with a control group. In this study, 39 boys with DCD were selected by the available sampling method and randomly assigned to three groups: Dual-task training (n=13), single-task training (n=13), and control (n=13). The two experimental groups performed a selected training program with two different conditions for 8 weeks. All subjects were evaluated in three stages of pre-test, post-test and follow-up test (two months after post-test) by the Corsi block-tapping test (working memory test). Data analysis using ANOVA with the repeated measure as well as one-way ANCOVA showed that in the post-test, working memory in dual-task group was superior to both single and control groups (P <0.05). Also, a significant difference was observed from pre-test to post-test in all experimental groups except the single task group in the extended block index and the control group. In the follow-up test, this superior was maintained only in the overall score index and the overall effort. Also, the single-task group was superior to the control group in the post-test (P <0.05). Due to the importance of executive function, using this selected exercise program to improve working memory can be a useful tool and is suggested for this group of children.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of selectedperceptual motor exercises on motor proficiency of children with learning disorder. Based on this study, 24 boys (79 years old) with learning disorder in Mashhad were selected and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group was subjected to selectedperceptual motor exercises for 20 sessions of 30 minutes, which was repeated 5 days per week. During this period, the control group performed its routine activities. Changes in the motor proficiency were measured using with the Burininks Oseretsky test before and after the intervention. Repeated measures analysis of variance. showed that selectedperceptual motor exercises improved the balance, power, response speed, vision motor control, upper limb coordination, speed agility of the upper limb, bilateral coordination and sprint agility of children in the experimental group, relative to the control group (P <0.05).