Stimulus conditions influencing the development of tolerance to repeated cold exposure in rats

Tolerance to an environmental cold challenge in rats is eliminated when cold exposure occurs in a context different from the adaptation context, indicating that learning mechanisms play a role in thermoregulation (Riccio, MacArdy, & Kissinger, 1991). This finding, analogous to outcomes obtained with drug tolerance, was investigated in the present study. Experiment 1 demonstrated that a change in both proximal and distal contextual cues disrupts an established cold adaptation, an outcome consistent with the view that associative processes contribute to the tolerance. In Experiment 2, although cold tolerance persisted over a 7-day retention interval, the disruption of tolerance by a shift in context was attenuated with the delay of testing. This finding suggests that the precise stimulus attributes of the context were forgotten over the interval. Experiment 3 demonstrated that cold-tolerance disruption is due to the actual change in context and not to novelty of the test context. Experiment 4 showed that changing the context associated with each cold exposure impaired the development of tolerance. The results of these experiments provide additional evidence that cold tolerance is regulated at least partially by associative learning processes.     

Calculated democracy—Explorations in gerrymandering

This paper describes a lesson centered around a metric for measuring partisan gerrymandering: the efficiency gap. We situate the efficiency gap in the current US political climate, describe the activity itself, and then provide recommendations for readers interested in adapting the lesson for their own classrooms.     

Randomised controlled trial of incentives to improve attendance at adult literacy classes

Background: Incentives have been proposed as a method to improve attendance in adult literacy classes. In the UK, several areas have piloted the use of incentives to promote attendance at adult literacy classes. To date no rigorous evaluation of this policy has been undertaken. This paper describes (as far as we are aware) the only UK‐based randomised controlled trial to evaluate the use of financial incentives in order to promote attendance in classes for adult learners.

Methods: We used a cluster‐randomised design. Twenty‐nine adult literacy classes were randomised in two groups using minimisation. Intervention group learners received £5 (US$10) for each class attended. The main outcome was class attendance; the secondary outcome was literacy scores.

Results: After allocation, one class was found to be ineligible for the study. In the 28 remaining classes there was a statistically significant reduction of about 1.5 sessions (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.28, 2.79; p = 0.019) attended by the intervention group compared with control, after adjusting for cluster size and baseline scores. The difference in reading scores between the intervention and control group, conditioned on baseline scores, was ?2.38 (with controls scoring higher than the intervention group), but this difference was not statistically significant (95% CI ?7.40 to 2.57, p = 0.33).

Conclusion: Payments to attend adult literacy classes had an adverse effect on attendance. This trial needs urgent replication, ideally with a larger incentive, before this approach is widely used by policy makers.     

Leadership in governance: Exploring collective board leadership in sport governance systems

The purpose of this paper is to introduce and explore a working conceptualisation of collective board leadership in a federal sport network. In this paper, the authors examine the relationship between collective leadership and governance systems specifically within the non-profit sport organisation context, bringing together notions of collective board leadership and collaborative governance. Neither concept has yet been presented in tandem for the benefit of developing sport governance knowledge and practice. As an outcome of the conceptualising, the authors make explicit the multiple levels of the sport governance system and pose two broad research directions that will help advance theory and drive a better understanding of collective board leadership within these types of governance systems. A central premise of this paper is that the sport management field is lacking literature that brings together leadership and governance, and that collective leadership is a topic where the intersection of leadership and governance renders advancement for both bodies of work. The authors offer implications for future work in collective leadership for sport governance.     

Using Skill Tests to Identify Successful and Unsuccessful Basketball Performers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of 21 selected basketball skill tests to successful basketball performance. The 21 skill test items were administered to 70 boys ranging in age from 12 to 17 attending the 1977 University of Minnesota-Duluth basketball camp for boys. Based on the ratings of three high school and three college coaches, camp participants were designated as successful (n = 32) and unsuccessful (n = 38) performers. The stepwise discriminant analysis procedure was used. Six skill tests were identified as significantly contributing to discriminating between group membership. These tests, in order of the magnitude of their standardized discriminant function coefficients, were (1) speed pass, (2) zig-zag run, (3) free jump, (4) side step, (5) front shot, and (6) zig-zag dribble. It was concluded that a basketball skill test battery comprised of these six test items would objectively measure basketball playing ability and discriminate between successful and unsuccessful performers.     

A model for teaching criminal justice ethics

Questionnaire data from 137 panel chairs at the 2003 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences meeting in Boston reveal respondent perceptions of the conference site, overall impressions of the conference, as well as panelist attendance, and the quality of information presented by panelists. The findings reveal high marks for the conference space, hotel rooms, and the city of Boston itself, resulting in an overall positive conference experience, but responses also highlight several areas of concern, including panelist attendance problems and presentation etiquette. Recommendations are provided, which may foster positive, incremental change at future ACJS annual meetings.     

Knee extensor and flexor torque development with concentric and eccentric isokinetic training

This study assessed muscular torque and rate of torque development following concentric (CON) or eccentric (ECC) isokinetic training. Thirty-eight women were randomly assigned to either CON or ECC training groups. Training consisted of knee extension and flexion of the nondominant leg three times per week for 20 weeks (SD = 1). Eccentric training increased ECC knee extension and flexion peak torque more than CON training. The ECC group improved acceleration time and time to peak torque with ECC movements versus the CON group. Slow-velocity ECC isokinetic training yielded greater ECC and similar CON torque development gains versus CON training over the course of 20 weeks in young women.