3-min all-out effort on cycle ergometer is valid to estimate the anaerobic capacity by measurement of blood lactate and excess post-exercise oxygen consumption

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of a single 3-min all-out maximal effort to estimate anaerobic capacity (AC) through the lactate and excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) response methods (AC_{[La^?]+EPOCfast}) on a cycle ergometer. Eleven physically active men (age?=?28.1?±?4.0?yrs, height?=?175.1?±?4.2?cm, body mass?=?74.8?±?11.9?kg and ?O_2max?=?40.7?±?7.3?mL?kg^?1?min^?1), participated in the study and performed: i) five submaximal efforts, ii) a supramaximal effort at 115% of intensity of ?O_2max, and iii) a 3-min all-out maximal effort. Anaerobic capacity was estimated using the supramaximal effort through conventional maximal accumulated oxygen deficit (MAOD) and also through the sum of oxygen equivalents from the glycolytic (fast component of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) and phosphagen pathways (blood lactate accumulation) (AC_{[La^?]+EPOCfast}), while during the 3-min all-out maximal effort the anaerobic capacity was estimated using the AC_{[La^?]+EPOCfast} procedure. There were no significant differences between the three methods (p?>?0.05). Additionally, the anaerobic capacity estimated during the 3-min all-out effort was significantly correlated with the MAOD (r?=?0.74; p?=?0.009) and AC_{[La^?]+EPOCfast} methods (r?=?0.65; p?=?0.029). Therefore, it is possible to conclude that the 3-min all-out effort is valid to estimate anaerobic capacity in physically active men during a single cycle ergometer effort.     

Elite football on artificial turf versus natural grass: movement patterns, technical standards, and player impressions

The aim of the present study was to examine the movement patterns, ball skills, and the impressions of Swedish elite football players during competitive games on artificial turf and natural grass. Time - motion analyses (36 observations) and technical analyses (16 team observations) were performed and 72 male and 21 female players completed a questionnaire. No differences were observed between artificial turf and natural grass in terms of total distance covered (mean 10.19 km, s = 0.19 vs. 10.33 km, s = 0.23), high-intensity running (1.86 km, s = 0.10 vs. 1.87 km, s = 0.14), number of sprints (21, s = 1 vs. 22, s = 2), standing tackles (10, s = 1 vs. 11, s = 1) or headers per game (8, s = 1 vs. 8, s = 1), whereas there were fewer sliding tackles (P < 0.05) on artificial turf than natural grass (2.1, s = 0.5 vs. 4.3, s = 0.6). There were more short passes (218, s = 14 vs. 167, s = 12) and midfield-to-midfield passes (148, s = 11 vs. 107, s = 8) (both P < 0.05) on artificial turf than natural grass. On a scale of 0-10, where 0 = "better than", 5 = "equal to", and 10 = "worse than", the male players reported a negative overall impression (8.3, s = 0.2), poorer ball control (7.3, s = 0.3), and greater physical effort (7.2, s = 0.2) on artificial turf than natural grass. In conclusion, the running activities and technical standard were similar during games on artificial turf and natural grass. However, fewer sliding tackles and more short passes were performed during games on artificial turf. The observed change in playing style could partly explain the male players' negative impression of artificial turf.     

Circadian rhythm effect on physical tennis performance in trained male players

To determine the effect of circadian rhythm on neuromuscular responses and kinematics related to physical tennis performance, after a standardised warm-up, 13 highly competitive male tennis players were tested twice for serve velocity/accuracy (SVA), countermovement vertical jump (CMJ), isometric handgrip strength (IS), agility T-test (AGIL) and a 10-m sprint (10-m RUN). In a randomised, counter-balance order, tennis players underwent the test battery twice, either in the morning (i.e., AM; 9:00 h) and in the afternoon (i.e., PM; 16:30 h). Paired t-tests were used to analyse differences due to time-of-day in performance variables. Comparison of morning versus afternoon testing revealed that SVA (168.5 ± 6.5 vs. 175.2 ± 6.1 km · h^?1; P = 0.003; effect size [ES] = 1.07), CMJ (32.2 ± 0.9 vs. 33.7 ± 1.1 cm; P = 0.018; ES = 1.46), AGIL (10.14 ± 0.1 vs. 9.91 ± 0.2 s; P = 0.007; ES = 1.23) and 10-m RUN time (1.74 ± 0.1 vs. 1.69 ± 0.1 s; P = 0.021; ES = 0.67) were significantly blunted during the morning testing. However, IS was not affected by time-of-day (P = 0.891). Thus, tennis performance may be reduced when competing in the morning in comparison to early evening. Therefore, coaches and tennis players should focus on schedule the SVA, power, speed and agility training sessions in the afternoon.     

Towards a Cultural Understanding of the Disability and Deaf Experience: A Content Analysis of Introductory Multicultural Education Textbooks

This paper reports the findings of a simple normative content analysis of 11 multicultural education textbooks to determine the extent to which disability and deaf culture are represented. In addition, this study examines multicultural education textbooks to assess the extent to which perspectives of members of the disability and deaf communities are represented in the discourse about disabled and deaf persons. Results indicate that on average less than 1% of the total pages of text reviewed addressed or mentioned disability or deaf culture. Of these, it was found that on average about 6% of the pages addressed disability or deaf culture. In addition, inaccurate information was presented and perspectives were often not informed by a substantial body of literature that has emerged in the field of disability studies. It was found that multicultural education textbooks rely heavily on information about persons with disabilities from Special Education that may not be widely accepted by disabled or deaf persons. A follow-up paper examines the implications of the exclusion of disabled and deaf persons and their perspectives from the discourse about the shared and collective disability and deaf experience in favor of a dominant perspective widely held by the nondisabled professional community. Questions are raised about whether this is consistent with the values and goals of multicultural education and teaching. A rationale and recommendations are proposed for engaging disabled and deaf persons about their shared and collective experience and for promoting cultural competence and proficiency with respect to the disability and Deaf experience in multicultural education.     

Transcultural analysis of the effectiveness of a program to promote self-regulated learning in Mozambique,Chile, Portugal,and Spain

The current investigation aims at assessing the effectiveness of an intervention program designed to enhance self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies at the university level, with students from different cultural, linguistic, and educational backgrounds. The central tool of the program is a set of letters in which a fictional first-year student describes his experiences as an SRL student. The program was implemented in four universities in different countries and continents (Portugal, Spain, Chile, and Mozambique), with an experimental group and a comparison group at each university (263 students from experimental groups and 247 from comparison groups). Findings display the effectiveness of the program in enhancing a set of motivational variables related to the study process and the use of SRL strategies. Data were consistent across the different cultural and academic contexts in which the program was implemented. The implications of these findings for university administrators and faculty are discussed.     

新升本院校数学应用专业学生数学素质的调查与分析——以黄淮学院为例

学生的数学素质在很大程度上影响着综合素质,为进行数学专业的教学改革,文章以黄淮学院为例,调查分析了新升本本科院校学生的数学素质.研究表明:学生的数学素质一般,无性别差异,但有年级差异.     

Arithmetic word problem solving. Analysis of Singaporean and Spanish textbooks

Educational Studies in Mathematics - The success or failure of education systems in promoting student problem-solving skills depends on attitudinal, political, and pedagogical variables. Among...     

Do labels matter? Analysis of teachers' self-efficacy towards the autism spectrum disorder depending on the diagnostic label used (ASD or Asperger's)

Changes in the classification of autism and Asperger's syndrome led to changes in social perception of ASD. Since last criteria, studies indicate higher levels of stigma towards ASD than towards Asperger's. These prejudices are barriers to inclusive education. Thus, it is relevant (1) to evaluate pre-service teachers' self-efficacy towards the label of ASD; (2) to evaluate pre-service teachers' self-efficacy towards the label of Asperger's and (3) to compare those results to analyse whether the use of different diagnostic labels brings about different levels of self-efficacy. One hundred and eighty-six primary education pre-service teachers participated in the current study. Two adaptations of the Autism Self-Efficacy Scale for Teachers (ASSET) were used: a version with the label of ‘ASD’ (n = 96) and another for ‘Asperger's’ (n = 90). The scores obtained by the group asked about ASD were high according to the ASSET score range, while the scores obtained by the group asked about Asperger's were medium. After comparing the results, participants asked about the label ASD showed higher levels of self-efficacy than participants asked about Asperger's. These results could be a consequence of the consolidation of the ASD diagnosis among society and the higher presence of children with ASD in schools and cultural products, among other factors.     

Promoting basic arithmetic competence in early school years–using a response to intervention model

This study investigated whether mathematics education based on a multi-tiered response to intervention (RTI) model can support students' arithmetic competence in primary schools in Sweden. The intent was to identify and support students at risk of failure. In this study, 113 students participated in the intervention, and 30 students participated in the control group. Both groups were followed from Grade 1 to the end of Grade 2 and compared. During the first semester in Grade 1, all students were taught basic addition and subtraction with explicit instructions in Tier 1. Those who did not respond to Tier 1 after one semester were provided support within Tier 2 during the second semester. The same was repeated in grade 2 and the students that did not respond to Tier 2 were supported within Tier 3. At the end of Grade 2, students in the intervention group performed significantly higher on the basic arithmetic competence in the number range 1–9 than the control group. No significant difference was found in a test measuring basic arithmetic competence in the number range 10–19. This study shows that using multi-tiered RTI might be sufficient to identify and support students at risk in early arithmetic competence.     

Critical elements for product innovation at Portuguese innovative SMEs: an intellectual capital perspective

Knowledge Management Research & Practice - The general purpose of this research is to study interaction effects between intangible assets and product innovation. More specifically, the authors...