The effects of prior incremental cycle exercise on the physiological responses during incremental running to exhaustion: relevance for sprint triathlon performance

It is common for the physiological working capacity of a triathlete when cycling and running to be assessed on two separate days. The aim of this study was to establish whether an incremental running test to exhaustion has a negative effect after a 5 h recovery from an incremental cycling test. Eight moderately trained triathletes (age, 26.2 +/- 3.4 years; body mass, 67.3 +/- 9.1 kg; VO2max when cycling, 59 +/- 13 ml x kg x min(-1); mean +/- s) completed an incremental running test 5 h after an incremental cycling test (fatigue) as well as an incremental running test without previous activity (control). Maximum running speed, maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and the lactate threshold were determined for each incremental running test and correlated with the average speed during a 5 km run, which was performed immediately after a 20 km cycling time-trial, as in a sprint triathlon. There were no significant differences in maximum running speed, VO2max or the lactate threshold in either incremental running test (control or fatigue). Furthermore, good agreement was found for each physiological variable in both the control and fatigue tests. For the fatigue test, there were significant correlations between the average speed during a 5 km run and both VO2max expressed in absolute terms (r = 0.83) and the lactate threshold (r = 0.88). However, maximum running speed correlated most strongly with the average speed during a 5 km run (r = 0.96). The results of this study indicate that, under controlled conditions, an incremental running test can be performed successfully 5 h after an incremental cycling test to exhaustion. Also, the maximum running speed achieved during an incremental running test is the variable that correlates most strongly with the average running speed during a 5 km run after a 20 km cycling time-trial in well-trained triathletes.     

Education,Dialogue and Intervention: revisiting the Freirean project

In the past two decades Paulo Freire's philosophy of education has been the subject of much discussion by academics, school teachers and adult educators in a variety of formal and informal settings. While Freire initially gained recognition for his work with adult illiterates in Brazil and Chile, since the early 1970s his ideas have found increasing application in Britain, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. This article reconsiders the literacy methods through which Freire initially attracted international attention. Freire's approach to literacy education in Brazil is outlined and brief reference is made to the other major adult education programmes with which Freire has been involved since 1964. A number of serious criticisms of Freirean pedagogy are identified, all of which deal in some way with what might be termed the problem of ‘imposition’ in Freire's work. Critiques from Berger, Bowers and Walker suggest that the Freirean project entails the imposition of a particular world‐view and mode of social practice on adult illiterates. According to these critics, Freire assumes that he knows better than the oppressed the nature of, and the best solution to, their oppression. The author argues that the Freirean system is indeed non‐dialogical and impositional in certain respects, but concludes that Freire's literacy efforts were ultimately worthwhile.     

The role of number and spacing of CS-US pairings in conditioned suppression

In four studies, with rats as Ss. acquisition and. where appropriate, extinction trials were presented against a baseline of ongoing licking. At shock intensities of 0.1. 0.5. 1.0, or 2.0 mA, acquisition performance was a function of number of CS-US pairings: spacing of trials (one or two per day) did not affect acquisition performance. Resistance to extinction could be predicted from terminal acquisition performance and reached a maximum after three CS-US pairings.     

The relationship between motivational climate, perceived ability and sources of distress among elite athletes

Situational factors as well as individual differences are assumed to play an important role in perceptions of stress. One factor that may affect an elite athlete's perception of stress may be his or her perceived motivational climate. To examine the relative importance of dispositional and situational factors on the perceptions of distress (i.e. negative stress), we assessed goal orientations, perception of motivational climate and sources of distress among Norwegian participants at the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer. Perception of a performance climate was associated with cognitive sources of distress, the coach, and team aspects as a source of distress. Furthermore, a performance climate was a significant predictor of high total distress. The athletes with lower perceptions of ability perceived the coach to be more a source of distress than athletes with a high perception of ability. A perception of a mastery climate was negatively associated with the coach as a source of distress. These findings indicate that, to reduce the perception of distress, the coach should focus on creating a mastery climate for elite athletes.     

Vision and Vulnerability: Thoughts on Leadership and Conservation

ABSTRACT

Testimony from colleagues in the cultural sector suggests that there is a common perception of leaders as authoritarian, infallible and invulnerable. However, developing leaders soon come to understand that good leaders often have an authenticity of their own. Being able to embrace authentic leadership in this way requires confidence. It involves accepting vulnerabilities, learning to be comfortable making decisions without all the information, and daring to risk potential failure as the best way to encourage creativity, innovation and learning. Given this dichotomy, is there a potential for the development of leadership in conservation? This paper explores the unique challenges we face as conservators in a changing sector. In it, I reconnect with professional experiences of my own and those I gained as the first conservation fellow on the Clore Leadership Programme as well as examining testimony from others in the profession and the wider cultural sector. The ideas generated are supported by literature from a variety of sources inside and outside the conservation field. Starting from what draws people to conservation in the very beginning and working through to the leadership of the profession, the paper identifies four main areas of challenge for conservation in a twenty-first-century creative economy. These are around a lack of diversity, a lack of confidence, the strength of voice and perception and issues around support, for our decision-making and for the profession as a whole. The paper concludes that a new vision for the future of conservation could not only help rebalance the diverging preventive and remedial specialisms but also be instrumental in the perception, interpretation and preservation of cultural heritage. If we expand our horizons, the bigger picture of heritage and what it can achieve for the society could be crucial to us not only changing but thriving in the modern world.