Measurement of intrinsic foot stiffness in minimally and traditionally shod runners using ultrasound elastography: A pilot study

ABSTRACT

Running is an activity with a consistently high injury rate. Running footwear design that mimics barefoot running has been proposed to reduce injury rate by increasing the strength of foot structures. However, there is little evidence to support this. The purpose of the current study is to use shear wave ultrasound elastography to examine material properties (shear modulus) of intrinsic foot structures in experienced minimally and traditionally shod runners. It is hypothesized that minimalist runners will exhibit increased stiffness compared to controls demonstrating the strengthening of these structures. Eighteen healthy runners (8 minimalist and 10 traditionalist), running a minimum of 10 mi · wk^?1, participated. Elastography scans were performed on the left foot of each participant. There is no apparent stiffening of foot structures associated with wearing minimalist shoes. Only the FHB tendon is different between shoe types and, contrary to the hypothesis, was stiffer in traditionalist compared to minimalist runners (257.26 ± 51.64 kPa vs 160.88 ± 27.79 kPa, respectively). A moderate positive (r = 0.7) relationship between training load and tendon stiffness suggests strengthening of tendon when running in traditional shoes. If running in minimalist shoes increases loading on these structures without resulting in stronger tissues, it is possible that minimalist footwear may increase injury risk.     

From Professional Development to Implementation: A District's Experience Implementing Mathematics Tiered Systems of Support

This article is about a school‐district‐initiated partnership with university faculty and their effort to implement a mathematics multi‐tiered system of support (MTSS). In addition to reporting research about MTSS implementation, we describe how this district translated research into practice. We also share the perceptions of key stakeholders about implementing mathematics MTSS in their district. We found that stakeholders identified time and human capacity as barriers to implementation, while the primary facilitator to implementation was identified as the acquisition of concrete strategies and tools supporting instruction. These stakeholder perceptions have implications for other districts with limited resources attempting to implement mathematics MTSS in their buildings through professional development and coaching.     

The Risky Business of Doctoral Management

Universities are under no less pressure to adopt risk management strategies than other public and private organisations. The risk management of doctoral education is a particularly important issue given that a doctorate is the highest academic qualification a university offers and stakes are high in terms of assuring its quality. However, intense risk management can interfere with the intellectual and pedagogical work which are essentially part of doctoral education. This paper seeks to understand how the culture of risk meets the culture of doctoral education and with what effect. The authors draw on sociological understandings of risk in the work of Anthony Giddens (2002 Giddens, A. 2002. Runaway world: How globalisation is reshaping our lives, London: Profile Books.  [Google Scholar]) and Ulrich Beck (1992 Beck, U. 1992. Risk society: Towards a new modernity, London: Sage. [Crossref] [Google Scholar]), the anthropological focus on liminality in the work of Mary Douglas (1990 Douglas, M. 1990. Risk and blame, London: Routledge.  [Google Scholar]), and the psychological theorising of human error in the work of James Reason (1990 Reason, J. 1990. Human error, New York: Cambridge University Press. [Crossref] [Google Scholar]). The paper concludes that risk consciousness brings its own risks—in particular, the potential transformation of a culture based on intellect into a culture based on compliance.     

Physical fitness of primary school children in relation to overweight prevalence and physical activity habits

A cross-sectional study was carried out to analyse, through a limited number of fitness tests, the main conditioning and coordinative abilities in children aged 8-9 years, and their relationship with gender, anthropometric variables and physical activity habits. The height and weight of 256 boys and 241 girls were measured and information about physical activity habits was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Physical performance was assessed by means of a few standardised tests: 'sit & reach', medicine-ball forward throw, standing long jump, 20 m running speed, and forward roll test. In both boys and girls, body weight and body mass index (BMI) were positively correlated with the medicine-ball throw performances and negatively correlated for the standing long jump and speed tests, while no association was found with tests measuring back flexibility and total body coordination. Daily physical activity and participation in sport were not significantly correlated with body weight and BMI, but were positively associated with children's motor performance. The standardised fitness tests selected in the current study have been found to be suitable to identify fitness levels of primary school children. Thanks to their limited number and ease of measurement, they can be used in any school context to classify children and for monitoring the effects of targeted interventions promoting physical activity.     

Capping them off! Exploring and explaining the patterns in undergraduate capstone subjects in Australian business schools

Universities are increasingly offering capstone subjects as part of curricula to prepare final-year undergraduates for employment through consolidating and integrating their knowledge and skills while bridging the gap between academic learning and professional work. This study investigates capstone subjects offered by Australian business schools, drawing on national survey data collected in 2010 and 2011, complemented by interviews with associate deans teaching and learning instrumental in curricula design. Findings indicate the sector-wide use of capstone subjects in business disciplines, diversity in the patterns of offerings, and instances where subjects labelled as capstones do not meet the definition of capstones. We argue that these features are explained by a range of historic and strategic factors, such as the ad hoc development of subjects and a lack of understanding of the features of capstones. The findings of this paper inform the debate on the design, development, value and the use of capstone subjects identifying the implications for staff development and knowledge management in higher education.     

Preparing teacher candidates for family–school partnerships

Previous research indicates that, while parent involvement promotes student achievement, how teacher candidates are prepared to establish family–school partnerships (FSP) is not well documented and the roles of teacher educators are often neglected. Explorative studies including curriculum analysis and focus groups of primary and secondary teacher candidates and teacher educators were conducted in three universities, one each in the Netherlands, Belgium and the USA. Data collection was designed to identify opinions towards FSP and perceived preparation for FSP. The programmes showed limited attention to aspects other than communication and FSP was not assessed. The findings indicate training is largely dependent upon the proclivities of individual teacher educators. Although all respondents acknowledged the importance of FSP, respondents of primary education held a more positive attitude towards parents than others. Hardly any differences were found between the views of candidates and educators, regardless of the programme they followed or taught.     

Developing Counseling Students' Multicultural Competence Through the Multicultural Action Project

The Multicultural Action Project (MAP) is a cultural immersion project that requires counseling students to engage with diverse cultural communities on 3 levels: observation, information seeking, and action. To ascertain if participating in MAP improved the multicultural competence of graduate counseling students, the authors conducted an evaluation in which narrative analysis was used to examine the experiences of 3 graduate counseling students who participated in MAP. Through their narratives, the participants reported increased knowledge, awareness, and skills. The importance of sustained contact and interpersonal relationships in improving student learning outcomes is discussed and recommendations are provided.     

Abusive head trauma: A perpetrator confesses

Objectives

To present a detailed confession from a perpetrator of Shaken Baby syndrome.

Methods

Case study.

Results

We present a confession of Shaken Baby syndrome describing how the perpetrator severely injured a 3 year old with repeated bursts of acceleration-deceleration (shaking). The child sustained retinal and intracranial hemorrhage. Details of the confession and circumstances by which it was obtained lead us to believe its accuracy.

Conclusions

Accurate perpetrator confessions offer useful windows into realities and pathophysiology of abusive head trauma.