Research productivity in communication: An analysis, 1996‐2001

The study provides an analysis of those scholars who produced a substantial number of articles in 24 communication journals during the period, 1996‐2001. The purpose of the study was to update the information provided in previous studies. Using data similar to that previously found in the Index to Journals in Communication Studies, the authors found that during the period a number of new names has appeared. As a result, the authors develop a list of the top one percent (50) of those researchers, as well as providing data on the institutions which these scholars represent. The minimum number of articles necessary during the period to be included was nine.     

Jimmy Carter and the rhetoric of charisma

Jimmy Carter's unusual success in the Presidential Primaries of 1976 has been the subject of much discussion. One rhetorical explanation posits that Carter's message may be described in terms of Weber's concept of charisma, and Bormann's theory of rhetorical vision. The charismatic message was caught up in a unique rhetorical situation, the social fantasies attending the Bicentennial Celebration. Carter's rhetoric and the people's fantasies transcended along similar lines. This confluence helped to carry Carter to the White House.     

Teaching Evidence-Based Practice in the Hospital and the Library: Two Different Groups,One Course

Key roles in teaching evidence-based practice (EBP) are of interest to many hospital and academic librarians. This article describes how three academic librarians, in collaboration with the academic medical center's EBP Nursing Council, developed a seminar consisting of three credit hours of instruction in the basics of evidence-based practice. The seminar consists of three core elements: basic principles of EBP and finding literature, clinical experience and integration of knowledge into the hospital setting, and patient education and participation. Emphasis is placed upon analysis of the literature, institutional models of practice change, and the importance of patient roles in guideline development.     

Community College Student Success Inventory (CCSSI) for Men of Color in Community Colleges: Content Validation Summary

This study reports on the content validation of the Community College Student Success Inventory (CCSSI) for Men of Color. The CCSSI was designed to be used by community colleges to assess their effectiveness in addressing success outcomes for men who have been historically underrepresented and underserved in education, particularly men of color. A panel of subject matter experts (SMEs) rated the instrument and provided qualitative feedback on additional areas for consideration. Content validity index (CVI) and scale level index scores (S-CVI) are reported. The instrument illustrated strong CVI and S-CVI scores. SMEs suggested several additional areas for consideration that were added to the CCSSI. The instrument is recommended for use by community colleges interested in enhancing outcomes for men of color.     

‘Nature's most beautiful models’: George Catlin's choctaw ball-play paintings and the politics of Indian removal

This essay analyses and contextualizes a group of paintings by George Catlin (1796–1872) that depict Choctaw tribe members involved in the sport of ball-play or lacrosse. Whereas previous scholars have used these works to emphasize the ethnographic nature of the artist's work, it contends that the series speaks to contemporary issues that the Choctaws were confronting at the time. Completed in 1834–35, Catlin's series of ball-play scenes represents a powerful statement regarding the removal of the Choctaws from their homelands in Mississippi to the newly-designated Indian Territory. His paintings create the impression that Native American habits and play had not been adversely impacted by the increasing presence of Euro-American settlers in the West. Thus, they had the ultimate effect of forestalling potential moral outrage against those responsible for degradations against Native American culture. Situated in this historical context, images of Native American ball-play should be seen less as romanticized records of tribal life and more as highly polemical statements about contemporary interactions between native peoples and the dominant culture. Not only did ball-play provide Catlin with an ideal subject to engage with the public's simultaneous fascination and repulsion with ‘primitive’ tribal cultures, but it also acted as a perfect metaphor for cultural conflict.     

Transfer of momentum from different arm segments to a light movable target during a straight punch thrown by expert boxers

Abstract

Three modern views about the factors limiting oxygen uptake in healthy humans are set against the original (early 1920s) concept of A. V. Hill and colleagues. The majority view for most of the intervening time has been that cardiac output is the essential limiting function. Among recent research in support of this contention is that, in quadrupeds, pericardiectomy, which allows greater diastolic filling, elevates maximum oxygen uptake; however, the relevance to bipedal exercise can be questioned. In any case, algebraic analyses of model systems indicate that all identifiable stages on the oxygen transport pathway, from pulmonary diffusion to oxidative phosphorylation in skeletal muscle mitochondria, materially influence maximum uptake. Thus, if a high cardiac output is to be of benefit, all the other steps must function better too. Nevertheless, these two viewpoints concur that the limit to maximum oxygen uptake is somatic. In contrast, there are strong indications that at altitudes where oxygen availability is about half that at sea level, cerebral oxygenation is a limiting factor, and some recent experiments raise the possibility that it might be a substantial influence at sea level also. Clearly, consensus cannot yet be reached on the question posed in the title.     

Assessing Sitting Across Contexts: Development of the Multicontext Sitting Time Questionnaire

Purpose: To describe the development and preliminary evaluation of the Multicontext Sitting Time Questionnaire (MSTQ). Method: During development of the MSTQ, contexts and domains of sitting behavior were utilized as recall cues to improve the accuracy of sitting assessment. The terms “workday” and “nonworkday” were used to disambiguate occupational and discretionary sitting. An expert panel evaluated content validity. Among 25 participants, test–retest reliability of the MSTQ items was assessed with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Convergent validity was assessed versus relative and absolute accelerometer-estimated sedentary time and activity log using Pearson (r) or Spearman (ρ) correlation coefficients where appropriate. Results: Pilot testing revealed Web-based MSTQ administration was rapid, scalable, and inexpensive. Most items in the MSTQ demonstrated acceptable reliability (ICCs>.70). Compared with accelerometer-estimated sedentary time relative to total wear time, the MSTQ exhibited a low correlation on workdays (r = .34) and a moderately high correlation on nonworkdays (r = .61). Conclusions: The systematic development of the MSTQ resulted in several improvements over previous tools and may serve as a model for purpose-driven questionnaire design. Additional validation is needed to conclusively determine the utility of the MSTQ.     

Spike jump biomechanics in male versus female elite volleyball players

ABSTRACT

There are well-known biological differences between women and men, especially in technical-coordinative variations that contribute to sex differences in performance of complex movements like the most important offensive action in volleyball, the spike jump. The aim of this study was to investigate sex-dependent performance and biomechanical characteristics in the volleyball spike jump. Thirty female and male sub-elite volleyball players were analysed while striking a stationary ball with maximal spike jump height. Twelve MX13 Vicon cameras with a cluster marker set, two AMTI force plates, surface EMG, and a Full-Body 3D model in Visual3D were used. Main findings include sex differences (P< .05) in jump height (pη² = .73), approach [speed (pη² = .61), step length], transition strategy [plant angle, neuromuscular activation (pη² = .91), horizontal force maxima and impulses], acceleration distances [centre of mass displacement (pη² = .21), minimal knee and hip angles], use of torso and arms [incline, angular velocity (pη² = .23)]. Correlations support that the results cannot be explained fully by strength and power differences between sexes but represent the product of technical-coordinative variations. Their relevance is acknowledged for both sexes and numerous performance determinants displayed sex differences. The integration of such attributes into sex-specific training seems promising but its effect requires further investigation.     

Detecting Bouts of Physical Activity in a Field Setting

Abstract

The purposes of this study were to assess the TRITRAC® and CSA® for: (a) interaccelerometer agreement; (b) agreement in detecting patterns of moderate-intensity physical activity; and (c) agreement in detecting walking patterns recorded in a diary. Thirty-one women wore both the TRITRAC® and CSA® accelerometers for three consecutive days. Interaccelerometer agreement (measured with generalizability coefficients) ranged from .88 to .99. In total, 71.3% of the accelerometers' patterns agreed in length, with CSA® patterns being on average significantly longer. Interaccelerometer agreement in detecting patterns of brisk walking, as recorded in a diary, was comparable (69.4%). Interaccelerometer discrepancies may be related in part to the threshold employed by each instrument for classifying moderate intensity patterns.