Background: The ability to climb stairs (ascending and descending stair without using a handrail) and rise from a chair (rising from chairs without using an elbow rest) are among the most important measures of physica...Background: The ability to climb stairs (ascending and descending stair without using a handrail) and rise from a chair (rising from chairs without using an elbow rest) are among the most important measures of physical function for ADL evaluation for the independent living, and assessed by the questioners on many epidemiological studies in elderly. But little is known about the relationship between the self-reported performance level of the tasks and lower leg strength and power in very elderly people. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the relationship between the self-reported performance level of two tasks and the lower leg function in community-dwelling 80-year-old population. Methods: Out of 994 persons who were 80 years old living in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, 607 individuals (236 men and 371 women) underwent a physical fitness test that included measurements of leg extensor power and knee extensor strength. The ability to climb up stair and to rise from a chair was assessed by self- reported questionnaire which was ranked in three levels. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the measurements. Results: The cut-off points for the leg extensor power of subjects who could completely perform the stair-climbing and chair-rising functions were determined to be approximately 8.6 watt/kg body mass for men and 5.6 watt/kg body mass for women. In addition, the cut-off points for the knee extensor strength of subjects who could completely perform the stair-climbing and chair-rising functions were determined to be approximately 0.97 kg/kg body mass for men and 0.84 kg/kg body mass for women. Conclusions: From a practical viewpoint, the present study suggested that the cut-off points of leg extensor power and knee extensor strength can be used as targets in simple self-reported questionnaires to help in screening for mobility in 80-year-old展开更多
In the field of Second Language Acquisition （SLA）, motivation has played a crucial role for language learning and teaching. Just as motivation is important in SLA, demotivation constitutes an important factor for bo...In the field of Second Language Acquisition （SLA）, motivation has played a crucial role for language learning and teaching. Just as motivation is important in SLA, demotivation constitutes an important factor for both students and teachers. In our previous study, investigating 97 teachers for demotivational factors, the teachers felt demotivated to see students＇ lack of interest and bad attitudes, as well as dissatisfaction with curriculum, teaching material and poor facilities. We concluded further investigation was necessary as to how teachers regain motivation and hopefully toward directed motivational current （DMC）, which not only provides a direction for action, but it also energizes action （D6myei et al, 2016）. In our present study, compared to our previous study which was analyzed quantitatively, we have collected qualitative data from some 34 college teachers investigating when they felt demotivated, what they did to cope with it, and how they regained their motivation. Data was collected, analyzed qualitatively, and factors which may lead to DMC was extracted. It is hoped that this study will be beneficial for facilitating better SLA learning and teaching, and also for teacher training.展开更多
文摘Background: The ability to climb stairs (ascending and descending stair without using a handrail) and rise from a chair (rising from chairs without using an elbow rest) are among the most important measures of physical function for ADL evaluation for the independent living, and assessed by the questioners on many epidemiological studies in elderly. But little is known about the relationship between the self-reported performance level of the tasks and lower leg strength and power in very elderly people. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the relationship between the self-reported performance level of two tasks and the lower leg function in community-dwelling 80-year-old population. Methods: Out of 994 persons who were 80 years old living in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, 607 individuals (236 men and 371 women) underwent a physical fitness test that included measurements of leg extensor power and knee extensor strength. The ability to climb up stair and to rise from a chair was assessed by self- reported questionnaire which was ranked in three levels. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the measurements. Results: The cut-off points for the leg extensor power of subjects who could completely perform the stair-climbing and chair-rising functions were determined to be approximately 8.6 watt/kg body mass for men and 5.6 watt/kg body mass for women. In addition, the cut-off points for the knee extensor strength of subjects who could completely perform the stair-climbing and chair-rising functions were determined to be approximately 0.97 kg/kg body mass for men and 0.84 kg/kg body mass for women. Conclusions: From a practical viewpoint, the present study suggested that the cut-off points of leg extensor power and knee extensor strength can be used as targets in simple self-reported questionnaires to help in screening for mobility in 80-year-old
文摘In the field of Second Language Acquisition （SLA）, motivation has played a crucial role for language learning and teaching. Just as motivation is important in SLA, demotivation constitutes an important factor for both students and teachers. In our previous study, investigating 97 teachers for demotivational factors, the teachers felt demotivated to see students＇ lack of interest and bad attitudes, as well as dissatisfaction with curriculum, teaching material and poor facilities. We concluded further investigation was necessary as to how teachers regain motivation and hopefully toward directed motivational current （DMC）, which not only provides a direction for action, but it also energizes action （D6myei et al, 2016）. In our present study, compared to our previous study which was analyzed quantitatively, we have collected qualitative data from some 34 college teachers investigating when they felt demotivated, what they did to cope with it, and how they regained their motivation. Data was collected, analyzed qualitatively, and factors which may lead to DMC was extracted. It is hoped that this study will be beneficial for facilitating better SLA learning and teaching, and also for teacher training.
