Determination of a quantitative parameter to evaluate swimming technique based on the maximal tethered swimming test

The aim of this study was to propose a new force parameter, associated with swimmers’ technique and performance. Twelve swimmers performed five repetitions of 25 m sprint crawl and a tethered swimming test with maximal effort. The parameters calculated were: the mean swimming velocity for crawl sprint, the mean propulsive force of the tethered swimming test as well as an oscillation parameter calculated from force fluctuation. The oscillation parameter evaluates the force variation around the mean force during the tethered test as a measure of swimming technique. Two parameters showed significant correlations with swimming velocity: the mean force during the tethered swimming (r = 0.85) and the product of the mean force square root and the oscillation (r = 0.86). However, the intercept coefficient was significantly different from zero only for the mean force, suggesting that although the correlation coefficient of the parameters was similar, part of the mean velocity magnitude that was not associated with the mean force was associated with the product of the mean force square root and the oscillation. Thus, force fluctuation during tethered swimming can be used as a quantitative index of swimmers’ technique.     

The “Indefinite Discipline” of Competitiveness Benchmarking as a Neoliberal Technology of Government

Minerva - Working on the assumption that ideas are embedded in socio-technical arrangements which actualize them, this essay sheds light on the way the Open Method of Co-ordination (OMC) achieves...     

Training of elite cyclists: effects on mood state and selected hormonal responses

The psychobiological status of cyclists over a period of 8 months of training was assessed by measuring the sympatho-adrenal level, the central noradrenergic activity, and the cortisol-testosterone ratio status noninvasively. Alteration of these indices after a large increase in training load lasting 4 days (+ 187%) was also examined. Urinary excretion of methoxyamines (metanephrine, normetanephrine) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol sulphate (MHPG-S), and salivary concentrations of cortisol and testosterone, were measured in 12 national cyclists after a non-specific training period and 48 h before 4 days of increased training (T1), after these 4 days (T2) and at the end of 4 months of specific training (T3). Urinary and salivary samples were also collected during a rest period (T0). At each of these times, mood states and ratings of perceived muscle soreness were assessed, and a questionnaire of early clinical symptoms of the overtraining syndrome (Profile of Mood States) was administered. A significant increase in normetanephrine (P < 0.05) and a decrease in the testosterone-cortisol ratio (P < 0.05) were observed at T2, while MHPG-S excretion remained unchanged. Over the same periods, increased training loads did not induce mood disturbances. Eight months of training were associated with significant alterations in metanephrine (P < 0.05) and MHPG-S (P < 0.05). These results suggest a dissociation between the neural and endocrine catecholaminergic components systems. Opposite responses between MHPG-S and Profile of Mood States scores show that further investigations are needed to understand the relationship between central noradrenergic function, which is recognized as a regulatory factor of mood, and psychological tests measuring mood.     

Effects of regular training at the same time of day on diurnal fluctuations in muscular performance

The aim of this study was to determine whether there is an effect of time of day on the adaptation to strength training at maximal effort. Fourteen participants took part in this experiment. Their peak anaerobic power (Wingate anaerobic test) and peak knee extension torque at six angular velocities (1.05, 2.10, 3.14, 4.19, 5.24 and 6.29 rad x s(-1)) were recorded in the morning (between 07:00 and 08:00 h) and in the evening (between 17:00 and 18:00 h) just before and 2 weeks after a 6 week course of regular training. Seven of them trained only in the morning and seven only in the evening. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed a significant group x pre-/post-training x time of day interaction effect for peak torque and peak anaerobic power. Before training, in both groups, peak torque and peak anaerobic power were significantly higher in the evening than in the morning. After training, there was no significant difference in peak torque and peak anaerobic power between the morning and the evening for the morning training group. In contrast, in the evening training group, peak torque and peak anaerobic power were higher in the evening than in the morning. As a result of training, both peak torque and peak anaerobic power increased from their initial values as expected. The morning training group improved their peak anaerobic power significantly in the morning and in the evening, the absolute increase being larger in the morning than in the evening. The evening training group did not improve their peak anaerobic power in the morning, whereas it improved significantly in the evening. Although peak torque was significantly improved by training in the morning and evening in both groups, the absolute increase was greater in the morning than in the evening in the morning training group, whereas the opposite was the case for the evening training group. These results suggest that training twice a week at a specific hour increases the peak torque and the peak anaerobic power specifically at this hour and demonstrates that there is a temporal specificity to strength training.     

The application of transformational leadership theory to parenting: questionnaire development and implications for adolescent self-regulatory efficacy and life satisfaction

We draw upon transformational leadership theory to develop an instrument to measure transformational parenting for use with adolescents. First, potential items were generated that were developmentally appropriate and evidence for content validity was provided through the use of focus groups with parents and adolescents. We subsequently provide evidence for several aspects of construct validity of measures derived from the Transformational Parenting Questionnaire (TPQ). Data were collected from 857 adolescents (M(age) = 14.70 years), who rated the behaviors of their mothers and fathers. The results provided support for a second-order measurement model of transformational parenting. In addition, positive relationships between mothers' and fathers' transformational parenting behaviors, adolescents' self-regulatory efficacy for physical activity and healthy eating, and life satisfaction were found. The results of this research support the application of transformational leadership theory to parenting behaviors, as well as the construct validity of measures derived from the TPQ.     

On the return of art investment return analyses

We survey more than twenty studies estimating rates of return of investments in single art objects and whole collections and evaluate the various approaches to art price movements taken so far. The majority of the estimates find lower returns for investments in art objects than for investments in financial assets. However, most existing analyses are restricted to auction data and neglect transactions cost and taxation. They partly focus on mechanistic calculations and disregard the distinguishing institutional and behavioral characteristics of art markets. We look into the possibilities to capture and empirically estimate psychic returns from owning art.     

Academic versus industry patenting: An in-depth analysis of what determines patent value

This paper compares corporate and academic patents and tests whether they have similar value distributions and share common determinants of value. The empirical results based on an in-depth analysis of 400 biotech patents applied for by Belgian universities and firms lead to the following observations: (i) academic and corporate patent value distributions have similar levels of ‘skewness’; (ii) the identification of the institutional origin of knowledge allows for an improved understanding of the value determinants and (iii) there is a need to stimulate star scientists to codify their tacit knowledge into valuable patents.     

A study of exploratory behavior as an index of spatial knowledge in hamsters

This experiment investigated the role of exploration in the formation of maps of the environment. The effects of spatial rearrangement of four familiar objects in an open field on subsequent exploratory behavior were studied in hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). During two exploratory sessions, four groups of subjects were exposed to objects in a particular spatial relation to each other and to a distal pattern. During a testing session, the control group was exposed to the same situation as during the first two sessions, and the three experimental groups were exposed to various object rearrangements. The hamsters in the experimental groups, but not those in the control group, renewed their exploration of the objects during the testing session, as measured by the number of contacts with the objects and the time spent investigating them. Further analyses of the nature of the reinvestigated objects (i.e., displaced or nondisplaced) support the hypothesis that, through exploration, a long-lasting representation of the environment is built up on the basis of the topological relations among the objects, the overall geometric structure provided by the arrangement of the objects, and the relations between the objects and extra-apparatus landmarks.