Prolonged static stretching does not influence running economy despite changes in neuromuscular function

The aim of this study was to examine the acute effects of prolonged static stretching (SS) on running economy. Ten male runners (VO2(peak) 60.1 +/- 7.3 ml x kg(-1) x min(-1)) performed 10 min of treadmill running at 70% VO2(peak) before and after SS and no stretching interventions. For the stretching intervention, each leg was stretched unilaterally for 40 s with each of eight different exercises and this was repeated three times. Respiratory gas exchange was measured throughout the running exercise with an automated gas analysis system. On a separate day, participants were tested for sit and reach range of motion, isometric strength and countermovement jump height before and after SS. The oxygen uptake, minute ventilation, energy expenditure, respiratory exchange ratio and heart rate responses to running were unaffected by the stretching intervention. This was despite a significant effect of SS on neuromuscular function (sit and reach range of motion, +2.7 +/- 0.6 cm; isometric strength, -5.6% +/- 3.4%; countermovement jump height -5.5% +/- 3.4%; all P < 0.05). The results suggest that prolonged SS does not influence running economy despite changes in neuromuscular function.     

Correlates of overrating and underrating of cognitive competence among kindergarten children

This study focused on kindergarten children who were rated by teachers as low but rated themselves as high on cognitive competence (“overraters”), and on kindergarteners who were classified by teachers as high but rated themselves as low on cognitive competence (“underraters”). Children rated themselves and were rated by their teachers on Harter and Pike's (1984) Pictorial Scale for Young Children. Results showed that overrating and underrating in the cognitive domain were associated with similar tendencies in the physical, peer, and mother acceptance domains. Overraters were rated by teachers as lower on peer and mother acceptance than were accurate perceivers with similar teacher-rated cognitive competence. Underraters did not differ on these variables from accurate perceivers of similar teacher-rated cognitive competence. The findings are consistent with the notion that extreme overrating among kindergarteners is not a chance phenomenon, but a defensive strategy that occurs most often among children who are particularly unsuccessful in the social domains. In contrast, underrating among kindergarteners does not seem to be associated with low social acceptance.     

Standards-to-Standards Linkage Under Title III: Exploring Common Language Demands in ELD and Science Standards

A great deal of measurement research is currently being utilized to improve instruction at the elementary and secondary levels, but many opportunities for improving utilization are still untapped. The author proposes specific approaches to increased collaboration between researchers and practitioners to meet the burgeoning research needs of the nations' schools and to assist in data-based decision-making efforts. Society's increasing demands for accurate, usable data have contributed to the urgent current need for viable, appropriate research. This need can be met only by reseachers and practitioners working together to provide answers to critical educational questions.     

HUMAN SERVICES FOR THE ELDERLY AND THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITY–COMMUNITY COLLABORATION: PERCEPTIONS OF HUMAN SERVICE AGENCY WORKERS

According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, in 1998 the 65-74 years age group (18.4 million) was eight times larger than in 1900, the 75-84 years age group (12 million) was 16 times larger, and the 85 and older years age group (4 million) was 33 times larger. It is anticipated that if this trend continues, by 2030, there will be about 70 million older American persons, more than twice their number in 1998. To meet the needs of the older population, governments, foundations, nonprofit organizations, and other groups will have to continue to work on how to increase availability, accessibility, and adequacy of community-based services. One approach will be to encourage community collaboration and partnerships. Funding agencies have encouraged university-community collaboration in recent years. However, none of the studies reviewed for this paper addressed the need for the type of university-community collaboration that our study deals with (i.e., university-community agency collaboration). In particular, our study investigates human service agency workers' perceptions of the availability, accessibility, and adequacy of services to the elderly in Northwest Ohio, and how collaboration with a university can improve service delivery to consumers. The findings of the study provide a general indication of trends, experiences, and problems common to these agencies. The findings also suggest that agency workers do not necessarily have a negative perception of university-community agency collaboration, rather many do not understand how such collaborations will improve services to consumers. Recommendations regarding how to enhance university-community collaborations are made.     

Kinematics of cycling in relation to anterior knee pain and patellar tendinitis

The coronal and sagittal plane leg movements of 24 experienced male cyclists were assessed using video analysis while cycling on a Kingcycle windload simulator. The cyclists were grouped into those with a history of injury and an asymptomatic group on the basis of self-reported injury status. The ages, cycling experience, competition distances and competition speeds of the two groups were compared using Student's t-test. No significant differences (P < 0.05) were found for any of these variables. The maximum and minimum shank adduction, shank adduction velocities, knee flexion and ankle dorsiflexion values were also compared using Student's t-test. Significant differences were found at the point of maximum adduction (1.9 degrees; P = 0.019) and minimum dorsiflexion (4.9 degrees; P = 0.014). These differences indicated more dorsiflexion and greater abduction on the part of the symptomatic cyclists, supporting previous research that found that cyclists with a history of injury differ from those without a history of injury in the coronal plane leg movement patterns they adopt. Also, the most extreme medial position of the knee relative to the ankle occurred during knee extension. This supports the potential injury mechanism proposed by Francis (1986), which had previously only been examined using coronal plane kinematics.     

Effects of “Meaningful” Entertainment on Altruistic Behavior: Investigating Potential Mediators

Recent research has shown that exposure to entertainment media depicting moral beauty may not only influence viewers' affective responses, but also lead to altruistic behavior. Although the process has been tied to a set of feelings commonly referred to as elevation, the mechanisms by which the effects take place have not been examined. This experiment (N = 107) showed that participants who watched a clip portraying moral beauty were more likely to help with an unrelated volunteer task after viewing than those who watched a non-meaningful clip. The effect of the clip was mediated by the degree to which the clip produced mixed affective response in participants. Although the clip portraying moral beauty led to increased empathy with the character and increased feelings of elevation, neither of these predicted helping behavior after controlling for clip content. Helping behavior also increased when the help recipient was less similar to the participants (age, race, and university affiliation).