Laboratory versus field testing in cricket bowling: a review of current and past practice in modelling techniques

In cricket bowling, the reconstruction of elbow angle data is of utmost importance to the bowling versus throwing argument. This paper reviews system and modelling errors inherent in three-dimensional reconstruction processes with respect to the elbow extension tolerance set by the International Cricket Council. An understanding of these factors will enable more informed decisions about the choice of in-field versus laboratory testing in the calculation of elbow extension during bowling in cricket. Although there is a paucity of objective data related to in-field and laboratory testing, biomechanists must be guided by the greater accuracy of opto-reflective than video-based systems and so testing, at least for the present, should be conducted in a laboratory setting.     

Item analyses of the concept assessment kit-conservation for educable mentally retarded children

A series of item analyses of the CAK-C was conducted for a sample of 155 educable mentally retarded children. The probability of a correct response was found to differ from task to task, and there was evidence that the order of difficulty of the tasks for this sample resembled that for nonretarded children. The probabilities of the two incorrect responses were generally not equal, and the choice of one or the other incorrect response showed some relation to CA, MA, and IQ, particularly the last two variables.     

Correlates of the concept assessment kit-conservation for educable mentally retarded children

The relations of the CAK-C to the Stanford-Binet and the WRAT were explored for a sample of 155 educable mentally retarded children. Correlational analyses indicated that: (a) The CAK-C is more closely related to MA than to either CA or IQ. (b) Both Reading and Arithmetic are more closely related to MA than to the CAK-C. The results support the position that Piagetian intelligence is somewhat distinct from psychometric intelligence, but suggest that the latter is the better predictor of academic achievement.     

The relationship between shoulder alignment and elbow joint angle in cricket fast-medium bowlers

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between shoulder alignment and elbow angle during the delivery action of fast-medium bowlers. The elbow and upper trunk alignment were recorded for 13 high-performance bowlers (mean age 20 years) using a 12-camera Vicon motion analysis system operating at 250 Hz. The three highest velocity trials for "good" and "short" length deliveries were analysed. Results showed that bowlers with a more front-on shoulder alignment at back-foot impact and when the upper arm was horizontal to the ground experienced a significantly greater elbow flexion--extension range when compared with those who had a more side-on orientation at the same point in the delivery action. Bowlers with greater shoulder counter-rotation also recorded higher elbow flexion and subsequently extension during the period from upper arm horizontal to ball release. Shoulder alignment and elbow angles were similar for "short" and "good" length deliveries. It was concluded that bowlers with a more front-on shoulder orientation at back-foot impact demonstrated a higher elbow extension from upper arm horizontal to ball release and are therefore more likely to infringe International Cricket Council elbow tolerance levels, compared with those who adopt a more side-on shoulder orientation at back-foot impact.     

Walter White(ness) lashes out: Breaking Bad and male victimage

This essay situates the television show Breaking Bad (BB) and its critical reception in the context of American politics following the economic and political events of 2008. Reading the show as an allegory, I demonstrate that it offered a pathway for viewers to maintain investments and commitments to a toxic, white masculinity threatened by 2008’s economic and political dislocations. Taking the show up for its capacity to allegorize the human experience, Breaking Bad’s critically acclaimed status among viewers from widely divergent political positions suggests that the investment in raced and gendered ideas of individual freedom crosses partisan lines, indicating that American national identity and white masculinity share a mutually sustaining incoherence. Understanding the cultural roots of American victimage evident in post-2008 America helps explain how BB distinguished itself from similar masculine “anti-hero” dramas.     

How much effort is needed to keep up with the literature relevant for primary care?

OBJECTIVES: Medicine must keep current with the research literature, and keeping current requires continuously updating the clinical knowledge base (i.e., references that provide answers to clinical questions). The authors estimated the volume of medical literature potentially relevant to primary care published in a month and the time required for physicians trained in medical epidemiology to evaluate it for updating a clinical knowledge base. METHODS: We included journals listed in five primary care journal review services (ACP Journal Club, DynaMed, Evidence-Based Practice, Journal Watch, and QuickScan Reviews). Finding little overlap, we added the 2001 "Brandon/Hill Selected List of Print Books and Journals for the Small Medical Library." We counted articles (including letters, editorials, and other commentaries) published in March 2002, using bibliographic software where possible and hand counting when necessary. For journals not published in March 2002, we reviewed the nearest issue. Five primary care physicians independently evaluated fifty randomly selected articles and timed the process. RESULTS: The combined list contained 341 currently active journals with 8,265 articles. Adjusting for publication frequency, we estimate 7,287 articles are published monthly in this set of journals. Physicians trained in epidemiology would take an estimated 627.5 hours per month to evaluate these articles. CONCLUSIONS: To provide practicing clinicians with the best current evidence, more comprehensive and systematic literature surveillance efforts are needed.