OBJECTIVES To compare the physical fitness and physical activity of 8-year-old overweight children (n = 53) to normal weight children (n = 65), and to determine whether a significant relationship exists between physical activity of parents and their children. STUDY DESIGN A cross-sectional study. METHODS A total of 119 children from Northern Finland were recruited for the study. Waist circu...

Humans have the abilities to perceive, produce, and synchronize with a musical beat, yet there are widespread individual differences. To investigate these abilities and to determine if a dissociation between beat perception and production exists, we developed the Harvard Beat Assessment Test (H-BAT), a new battery that assesses beat perception and production abilities. H-BAT consists of four su...

BACKGROUND Stroke is the most common neurological disease and the primary cause of lifelong disability in industrialized countries. Because of this it is important to investigate any kind of successful therapy. METHODS From the 24 recruited stroke patients who were between 23 and 72 years old, 14 patients were separated either in a golf training group (EG), or a social communication meeting (...

MODEL OVERVIEW AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION The tapping zone of a maple tree is defined as the area around the circumference of the stem that can be utilized for sap collection. For sap collection with tubing, it can be thought of as a radial band of wood based at the point on a tree where the dropline meets the lateral tubing of the sap collection system. The physical boundaries of the tapping z...

Interaction sounds when tapping on a surface provide information about the material of the surface and about one’s own motor behaviour. With the current developments in interactive sonification, it is now possible to digitally change this audio-feedback resulting from object interaction. Here we evaluated a model for a sonic interactive surface. This model uses a system capable of delivering su...

The aim of this study is to establish the effects of stick use on rhythmic bimanual coordination in drummers. Eighteen drummers performed a rapid antiphase coordination task using their fingers and handheld drumsticks. We found no significant differences in the speed of tapping between finger and stick-use tapping, while stick-use tapping had a larger peak force and smaller variability in coord...