Identifying the optimal body shape and composition associated with strength outcomes in children and adolescent according to place of residence: An allometric approach

The purpose of the study was to identify the optimal body shape and composition associated with physical fitness levels of children living in urban and rural areas of Italy. A total of 7102 children (11–14 years) were assessed for weight, height, percentage body fat (FM%), sit-and-reach flexibility (SAR), standing broad jump (SBJ) and sit-ups (SUP). A multiplicative allometric model, Y = a · mass^k1 · height^k2 ·ε, was used to predict the physical outcome variables Y = SBJ and SUP. The model was expanded to incorporate FM% and SAR as follows Y = a · mass^k1 · height^k2 · FM%^k3 · exp(b· FM% + c· SAR) ·ε. Note that FM% was incorporated as a “gamma function” that allows an initial growth, and subsequent decline in Y as FM% increases in size. Although having an ectomorph body shape appears advantageous, being too thin appears detrimental to the strength outcomes. Being flexible would also benefit physical fitness levels. Finally, our results indicate that ursban children aged 11–14 have superior strength outcomes compared with rural children, having controlled for differences in body shape and composition, a finding that may be associated with rural environments having fewer exercise facilities compared with urban conurbations.     

Short-term slackline training improves task-specific but not general balance in female handball players

Slackline training has been shown to improve balance and neuromuscular performance. However, recent studies suggested that balance is task-specific, implying that transferability of balance skills is limited and might depend on the similarity of the tasks. This study therefore investigated if short-term slackline training could improve performance in balance tasks that are either more or less similar to the trained slackline task. Furthermore, we assessed potential transfer effects to other neuromuscular performance tests.

25 female handball players (23.7?±?3.9 years) participated in our study and were matched to either a slackline training (SLT; n?=?14) or a control group (CON; n?=?11). The intervention comprised 12 sessions with overall 120 minutes of slackline training using single and double slacklines. Slackline standing time and measures of dynamic and static balance were assessed before and after the intervention, as well as power and sprint-related performance parameters.

Two-way repeated-measures ANOVA found a significant group?×?time interaction for slackline standing time, indicating larger training effects for SLT. For the remaining dynamic and static balance tests, no significant interactions were found. With regard to neuromuscular performance, there was a significant group?×?time interaction only in change of direction.

In essence, the study showed that slackline training induced task-specific balance improvements without affecting general balance. This adds further evidence to the task-specificity principle of balance, although the specificity of the sample as well as the briefness of the intervention should be taken into account when generalizing our findings. Nonetheless, this study contains practical implications for team sports interventions and future balance training studies, highlighting the importance of selecting appropriate balance exercises to yield rapid and the desired training outcomes.     

Inconsistency of decision-making,the Achilles heel of referees

This study assessed whether decisions made by six qualified referees were consistent when watching the live 2016 televised Champions League Final. Referees were paired off into three separate rooms. Two referees watched the game with no supporters present. Two watched the game surrounded by Real Madrid supporters, and the remaining two watched the game surrounded by Athletic Madrid supporters. Referees were asked to decide whether each decision made by the on-field referee was either correct or incorrect. Results identified two types of refereeing inconsistency. The first type was a systematic tendency of the supporting crowds (both rooms) to influence the adjudicating referees to make fewer incorrect (disagree with the on-field referee) decisions (8 and 5) than referees in the “no supporters” room (19) (χ² = 11.22 [df = 2], P = 0.004). The second type of inconsistency was the home advantage “bias”, where the surrounding crowd influenced the adjudicating referees to favour their team, by disagreeing with the decision made by the on-field referee (χ² = 6.0 [df = 2], P = 0.0498). One explanation for these inconsistencies is that referees adopt a coping strategy of “avoidance”, i.e., when faced with difficult decisions, referees simply avoid making unpopular decisions by waving “play on”.     

An investigation of a novel three-dimensional activity monitor to predict free-living energy expenditure

The aim of this study was to assess the capability of the 3dNX accelerometer to predict energy expenditure in two separate, free-living cohorts. Twenty-three adolescents and 14 young adults took a single dose of doubly labelled water and wore a 3dNX activity monitor during waking hours for a 10-day period while carrying out their normal routines. Multiple linear regression with backward elimination was used to establish the strength of the associations between various indices of energy expenditure, physical activity counts, and anthropometric variables. 3dNX output accounted for 27% and 35% of the variance in the total energy expenditure of the adolescent and young adult cohort, respectively. The explained variance increased to 78%, with a standard error of estimate of 7%, when 3dNX output was combined with body composition variables. The 3dNX accelerometer can be used to predict free-living daily energy expenditure with a standard error of estimate of 1.65 MJ in adolescents and 1.52 MJ in young adults. The inclusion of anthropometric variables reduces the error to approximately 1 MJ. Although it remains to cross-validate these models in other populations, early indications suggest that the 3dNX provides a useful method of predicting energy expenditure in free-living individuals.     

Repeatability of scores on a novel test of endurance running performance

The aim of the present study was to determine the repeatability of a running endurance test using an automated treadmill system that requires no manual input to control running speed. On three separate occasions, 7 days apart, 10 experienced male endurance-trained runners (mean age 32 years, s = 10; VO2peak 61 ml x kg(-1) x min(-1), s = 7) completed a treadmill time trial, in which they were instructed to run as far as possible in 60 min. The treadmill was instrumented with an ultrasonic feedback-controlled radar modulator that spontaneously regulated treadmill belt speed corresponding to the changing running speed of each runner. Estimated running intensity was 70% VO2peak (s = 11) and the distance covered 13.5 km (s = 2), with no difference in mean performances between trials. The coefficient of variation, estimated using analysis of variance, with participant and trial as main effects, was 1.4%. In summary, the use of an automated treadmill system improved the repeatability of a 60-min treadmill time trial compared with time trials in which speed is controlled manually. The present protocol is a reliable method of assessing endurance performance in endurance-trained runners.     

Assessing the Undergraduate Dissertation

This paper reports on a study of assessment of undergraduate dissertations in the seven departments which constitute the School of Social Sciences and Law at Oxford Brookes University. Information was gathered from documented material and interviews regarding criteria used in assessment of dissertations. This was analysed to identify the range of criteria across disciplines. Criteria were also examined by administration of a questionnaire asking staff to define commonly listed criteria. Finally, a content analysis of completed assessment forms was undertaken to gauge the extent to which identified criteria were actually applied and to gain insight into those that were implicit. The study revealed considerable ambiguity as regards use, meaning and application of criteria. The paper concludes by outlining the policies and practices that are now being developed in the School in the light of these findings, and situates the study in the UK national context of concern to establish graduate threshold standards.     

Under Stress: The concerns and coping strategies of teacher education students

Two cohorts of teacher education students provided information on their teaching practicum concerns and the strategies they used to cope with these concerns. Data were analysed to: (1) test the psychometric properties of the survey instrument; (2) identify aspects of the practicum that concern students most and least; (3) examine students' experiences of stress in relation to gender, age, and degree status; (4) define strategies that students report help them cope with practicum stresses; and, (5) investigate the relationship between stress and teaching performance. The data yielded a consistent finding of significant reduction in stress from the first to the second practicum. The critical importance of the student/supervising teacher relationship for student success in the practicum emerged both from the students' reports that seeking support from the teacher was their principal coping strategy, and from the strong link found between stress in the relationship and teachers' poorer rating of the students' performance. Deux groupes d'étudiants en éducation ont fourni des informations sur les préoccupations relatives à leur stage pratique ainsi que sur les stratégies adoptées pour y faire face. Ces données ont été analysées dans le but de: (1) tester les propriétés psychométriques de l'instrument de l'étude; (2) identifier les aspects du stage pratique qui préoccupent le plus et le moins les étudiants; (3) étudier les expériences de stress éprouvées par les étudiants en fonction de leur sexe, âge, et niveau d'éducation; (4) définir les stratégies qui, selon les étudiants, les aident à faire face au stress engendré par les stages pratiques; (5) examiner la relation entre le stress et la qualité de l'enseignement. Les données ont clairement montré une réduction des niveaux de stress entre les premier et second stages pratiques. L'importance critique de la relation étudiant-professeur d'encadrement sur le succès des stages pratiques est ressortie tant des commentaires des étudiants, selon lesquels l'appui du professeur était leur principale stratégie d'adaptation, que du lien étroit existant entre une relation tendue et l'appréciation négative des résultats des étudiants par les professeurs. Dos grupos de estudiantes de magisterio proporcionaron información sobre sus preocupaciones respecto a la práctica de la enseñanza, y las estrategias que usaban para hacer frente a esas preocupaciones. Se analizó la información para: (1) probar las propiedades psicométricas del instrumento de encuesta; (2) identificar los aspectos de la práctica que preocupaban más a los estudiantes y los que los preocupaban menos; (3) examinar las experiencias de los estudiantes relacionadas con la tensión, en cuanto a su sexo, edad, y condición con respecto a su graduación; (4) definir las estrategias que, según los estudiantes, les ayudan a hacer frente a la tensión ocasionada por la práctica; y (5) investigar la relación que existe entre la tensión y el rendimiento en la enseñanza. Los datos indicaron consistentemente que existe una reducción importante de la tensión entre la primera y la segunda práctica. La importancia crítica de la relación estudiante/profesor supervisor para que el estudiante tuviera éxito en la práctica se hizo evidente tanto en los informes de los estudiantes, de que la estrategia principal para hacer frente a la tensión era pedir apoyo al profesor, como del marcado vínculo que existe entre la tensión en la relación y las malas calificaciones que los profesores dan al rendimiento de los estudiantes. Zwei Gruppen von Pädagogikstudenten gaben Informationen über Probleme, die während des Lehrpraktikums auftraten, und über Strategien, die sie zur Bewältigung dieser Probleme benutzten. Die Daten wurden anhand folgender Gesichtspunkte analysiert: (1) Prüfung der psychometrischen Eigenschaften des Untersuchungsinstruments; (2) Identifikation der wichtigsten und unwichtigsten Probleme von Studenten im Lehrpraktikum; (3) Untersuchung der Stresserfahrungen der Studenten in Bezug auf Geschlecht, Alter und Studienfortschritt; (4) Definition der Strategien, die laut Angaben der Studenten bei der Bewältigung von Praktikumsstress behilflich sind; (5) Untersuchung der Beziehung zwischen Stress und Lehrleistung. Die Daten zeigten eindeutig eine signifikante Verringerung des Stressvolumens im zweiten Lehrpraktikum verglichen mit dem ersten Lehrpraktikum. Die entscheidende Bedeutung der Beziehung zwischen Studenten und praktikumsleitendem Lehrer für den Praktikumserfolg wurde sowohl aus den Angaben der Studenten, in denen die Bitte um Unterstützung durch den Lehrer als wichtigste Bewältigungsstrategie genannt wurde, als auch aus der eindeutig festgestellten Verbindung zwischen Stress in dieser Beziehung und der schlechteren Bewertung der Studentenleistung durch die Lehrer deutlich.