Developing a web-based toolkit for new mothers about postpartum pelvic floor health in collaboration with a professional medical association

Background:Few electronic resources are available for new mothers with concerns about changes in their pelvic floor following childbirth. Patients may struggle when seeking authoritative information regarding pelvic floor conditions online given the sensitivity of the topic as well as the inadvertent connection to obscene or demeaning content found online. A health sciences librarian partnered with the Motherhood and Pelvic Health Study, an interdisciplinary research group, to provide expert searching skills for a particularly challenging health condition that patients struggle to find useful information on.Case Presentation:A custom rubric was developed to evaluate existing information products, which included criteria for cultural sensitivity, conflicts of interest, and other red flags. This evaluation process enabled the research team to identify top-tier evidence-based materials that were culturally congruent. This collaborative evaluation process led to the creation of a web-based toolkit resource for new mothers concerned about changes in their pelvic floor. The toolkit connects women to pertinent information on a national health organization''s patient portal, supplemented by videos created by the team to serve as models of communication for women and health care providers.Conclusion:When developing a web-based resource, health sciences libraries can partner with research teams to find, evaluate, and disseminate information. Culturally congruent toolkits such as this one can improve access to health information and lead to improved health outcomes. To ensure that the information highlighted in toolkits is both culturally congruent and authoritative, research teams should form advisory committees and partner with relevant professional medical associations.     

Romanian Private Higher Education Viewed from a Neo‐institutionalist Perspective

Following a rapid overview of the genesis of private higher education in Romania after the Revolution of December 1989, the author proceeds to analyse the phenomenon in terms of John Meyer's neo‐institutionalist perspective. Citing, in particular, Meyer's theses regarding the isomorphism of organizations with their respective environments, she credits much of the early success of private Romanian higher education institutions in getting started to their close copying of the structure, offerings, and procedures of public higher education in addition to unsatisfied public demand for higher education. She further shows how private higher education institutions have adapted to the requirements of accreditation and state funding possibilities. She fears, however, that the continuing demographic downturn in Romania along with the creation of extra tuition fee‐paying openings at the public universities may finally doom private higher education.     

Emergent writing forms in Spanish

The purpose of this work was to study the variationsin children's early writing forms in Spanish and therelationship among different writing forms,phonological awareness and the demands of the writingtasks. A group of kindergarten children was assessedin: a) the ability to match initial sounds in words,b) the ability to segment words in phonemes, c) theknowledge of sound-letter correspondences, and d) theperformance on tasks presenting different cognitivedemands: word writing and text writing. Results showthat children produced a wide range of forms in bothtasks, being the forms used for word writing moreelaborated than the forms used for text writing. Theseresults suggest that in the process of writingacquisition, children move back and forth across formsof writing. The analysis of the relationship betweenthe writing forms and phonological awareness resultedin the identification of the different mechanismschildren might be using to write, from an unanalyticapproach to print to an analytic phonologicalmechanism. The pattern of variation observed in thechildren's performance when writing words and textsseems to reflect the interplay among different typesand levels of knowledge- knowledge about print, thephonological structure of words, sound-lettercorrespondences- and the cognitive demands of thetasks.     

Commemorating tragic heroes: statuary of soccer players who died mid-career

Statues of soccer players are a phenomenon as global as the sport itself, with 450 in situ at stadiums or civic sites around the world. A small subset of these statues have been motivated by the collective grief felt at an athletes’ life and career being cut short in its prime, a scenario as yet unexplored in the growing literature on sports sculpture and monuments. Using the authors’ unique database of the global soccer statuary to provide contextual comparisons, this paper focuses on two such statues, of Partizan Belgrade striker Dragan Mance and Sevilla FC defender Antonio Puerta. Together they illustrate how what are primarily sites of mourning and commemoration of a life lost can also reflect specific intersections between soccer, fanaticism and religion across different national and supporter cultures, engagements and tensions.     

Language tourism destinations: a case study of motivations,perceived value and tourists’ expenditure

The economic potential of language tourism is manifested in the number of summer courses organised by some countries. Even if learning the language is the main motivation for travelling, the tourists also take into account other characteristics when choosing a destination, such as the location, the safety, the quality of the language or the cultural attractions. The objective of the current study is to analyse the profile of language tourists according to their motivations to study Spanish and their perception of the destination and to examine this profile as a driver of tourists’ expenditures. Specifically, this work analyses a sample of tourists who attended Spanish courses in language schools and academies in the city of Valladolid (Spain). The analysis of their expenditure during the stay reveals that expenditure is affected by visitors’ motivations and perceptions.     

Acute effects of small changes in crank length on gross efficiency and pedalling technique during submaximal cycling

ABSTRACT

The main purpose of this study was to assess the acute effects of small changes in crank length (assumable by competitive cyclists) on metabolic cost and pedalling technique during submaximal cycling. Twelve amateur road cyclists performed three sets of submaximal pedalling (150, 200 and 250 W) at a constant cadence (91.3 ± 0.8 rpm) in a randomised order with three commonly used crank lengths, preferred (172.5–175 mm), +5 mm and ?5 mm. Energy cost of pedalling, kinetic and kinematic variables were simultaneously registered. Changes in crank length had no significant effect on heart rate (144 ± 13, 145 ± 12 and 145 ± 13 bpm, respectively) and gross efficiency (GE) (20.4 ± 2.1, 20.1 ± 2.2 and 20.3 ± 2.4%, respectively). A longer crank induced a significant (P < 0.05) reduction of positive impulse proportion (PIP) (0.9–1.9%) due to a greater maximum (1.0–2.3 N · m) and minimum torque (1.0–2.2 N · m). At the same time, the maximum flexion and range of motion of the hip and knee joints were significantly increased (1.8–3.4° and P < 0.05), whereas the ankle joint was not affected. In conclusion, the biomechanical changes due to a longer crank did not alter the metabolic cost of pedalling, although they could have long-term adverse effects. Therefore, in case of doubt between two lengths, the shorter one might be recommended.     

The effects of two different swimming training periodization on physiological parameters at various exercise intensities

This study analysed the effects of two different periodization strategies on physiological parameters at various exercise intensities in competitive swimmers. Seventeen athletes of both sexes were divided to two groups, the traditional periodization (TPG, n?=?7) and the reverse periodization group (RPG, n?=?10). Each group followed a 10-week training period based on the two different periodization strategies. Before and after training, swimming velocity (SV), energy expenditure (EE), energy cost (EC) and percentage of aerobic (%Aer) and anaerobic (%An) energy contribution to the swimming intensities corresponding to the aerobic threshold (AerT), the anaerobic threshold (AnT) and the velocity at maximal oxygen uptake (vVO₂max) were measured. Both groups increased the %An at the AerT and AnT intensity (P?≤?.05). In contrast, at the AnT intensity, EE and EC were only increased in TPG. Complementary, %Aer, %An, EE and EC at vVO₂max did not alter in both groups (P?>?.05); no changes were observed in SV in TPG and RPG at all three intensities. These results indicate that both periodization schemes confer almost analogous adaptations in specific physiological parameters in competitive swimmers. However, given the large difference in the total training volume between the two groups, it is suggested that the implementation of the reverse periodization model is an effective and time-efficient strategy to improve performance mainly for swimming events where the AnT is an important performance indicator.     

Identification of red colorants in van Gogh paintings and ancient Andean textiles by microspectrofluorimetry

Red lake pigments and dyes used in works of art were characterized by microspectrofluorimetry, a new tool in the field of cultural heritage. Emission and excitation spectra were obtained with high spatial resolution (8–30 μm) in cross-sections from paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Lucien Pissarro and from millenary Andean textiles. The fluorophores were identified by comparing their spectra with those from historic reconstructions assembled in a database. In the paints, purpurin and eosin lakes were detected. In the Paracas and Nasca textiles, dated from 200 B.C. to A.D.1476, purpurin and pseudopurpurin were the red dyes used. Carminic acid was detected in textiles dated close to the Inca Empire, A.D. 1000–1476. The results obtained with this new technique were confirmed and are in agreement with those obtained with conventional methods, requiring microsampling, such as HPLC-DAD-MS and SEM-EDX.     

Quantification of mercury in XVIII century books by Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF)

This work describes the quantitative analysis of mercury present in the ink used to colour some books of XVIII century. The mercury content was determined by Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry. This is a non-destructive technique which allows elemental identification and quantification (Z > 13) by atomic physics processes. The organic pigments cannot be identified by this technique, taking into account that its composition is mainly C, O and H. Levels of 2 wt.% and 4.5 wt.% were measured in 1756 and 1753 books respectively. No significant amount of mercury was observed in other red books, on a total of 11, all from XVIII century: 1720, 1732, 1753, 1756, 1780, 1798, 1800. More than one book for each year were analysed. The studied books belong to a private collection, and were selected taking into account the age and the reddish colour of their external parts. High content on Fe were observed in some of the books. This work highlights the application of a physics technique in a very important aspect for art and cultural heritage conservation and restoration, considering that high levels of toxic elements might be found in ancient documents. It is of great importance that preliminary elemental analyses are performed on ancient documents before handling them, because they might constitute some danger for restorers, conservators and collectors. This work highlights, for the first time, the danger of some ancient books. They might contain a very high concentration of mercury, which is toxic for the organism. This is also a particularly important problem of public health never mentioned in literature before.