Energy balance of locomotion with pedal-driven watercraft

In this study, we examined the mechanics and energetics of locomotion with a paddle-wheel boat and a water bike. Power output (Wtot) was measured directly on the water bike by means of an instrumented chain-ring. The simultaneous assessment of oxygen uptake (VO2) allowed the computation of the "overall" efficiency of locomotion (etao = Wtot/VO2). Mean etao was 0.27 (s = 0.02), which was unaffected by the speed, and was assumed to be the same for the two boats as both are semi-recumbent bicycles. For the paddle-wheel boat, Wtot was then obtained from etao and measures of VO2. The power to overcome (passive) drag was calculated as Wd = D x v (where D is the force measured by means of a load cell when towing the boats at given speeds). Propelling efficiency was calculated as etap = Wd/Wtot, which was lower with the paddle-wheel boat (mean 0.35, s = 0.01) than with the water bike (mean 0.57, s = 0.01). The observed differences in etap and Wd explain why at the highest speed tested (approximately 3 m s(-1), the energy required to cover a unit distance with the water bike is similar to that required to move the paddle-wheel boat at 1.3 m s-1).     

Pedometer reliability, validity and daily activity targets among 10- to 15-year-old boys

The aims of this study were to: (1) determine whether the number of pedometer counts recorded by adolescents differs according to the adiposity of the participant or location on the body; (2) assess the accuracy and reliability of pedometers during field activity; and (3) set adolescent pedometer-based physical activity targets. Seventy-eight 11- to 15-year-old Boy Scouts completed three types of activity: walking, fast walking and running. Each type was performed twice. Participants wore three pedometers and one activity monitor during all activities. Participants were divided into groups of normal weight (BMI < 85th percentile) and at risk of being overweight (BMI > or = 85th percentile). Intra-class correlations across the three activities indicated reliability (r = 0.51 - 0.92, P < 0.001). This conclusion was supported by narrow limits of agreement that were within a pre-set range that was practically meaningful. Multivariate analysis of covariance indicated adiposity group differences, but this difference was a function of the increased stature among the larger participants (P < 0.001). Ordinary least-squares regression models and multi-level regression models showed positive associations between the number of pedometer and activity monitor counts recorded by the three groups of participants during all activities (all P < 0.001). The mean number of counts recorded for all participants during the fast walk was 127 counts per minute. In conclusion, the pedometers provided an accurate assessment of adolescent physical activity, and a conservative estimate of 8000 pedometer counts in 60 min is equivalent to 60 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity.     

Revue des revues pédagogiques de langue française

Sans résumé     

Children’s play behaviour and social communication in integrated special day-care groups

This paper considers the role of the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO), the teacher responsible for the implementation of policies relating to the teaching and learning of children with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools in England and Wales. SENCOs also have a role to play in the inclusion of children with learning difficulties/disabilities in mainstream schools. Yet research indicates that despite the revision of the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice in 2001, many SENCOs are still overwhelmed by the operational nature of the role with little support, time or funding to consider more strategic aspects of inclusion and SEN. The article draws on research by the author and offers the voices of SENCOs from two unitary authorities in the north of England which suggest that where the SENCO is supported by senior management within the school, the role can be a powerful one in relation to inclusion. It concludes by arguing that the role of the SENCO needs to be re‐conceptualized, redefined and remunerated as a senior management post within mainstream schools. If this were to be enforced by national policy, every mainstream school could have at least one powerful advocate for the inclusion of children with learning difficulties/disabilities.     

TEXTBASE ALPHA: a different approach to the management of qualitative data

This paper addresses the usefulness of angels in breaking out of the Hegelian enclosure that typifies late 20-century critical thought and practice. Grounded in efforts to create a broadly accessible book about an interview study of women living with HIV AIDS, the paper sketches interpretive and textual strategies toward a less comfortable social science. After providing background to the study and an overview of the book's format, the paper presents an overview of the angel inter texts. This is followed by probing four thematics: displacement dispersal deferral, translation as betrayal, rhizomatics, and feminist ethnography as a ruin rune. Each is prefaced with quotes from readers of the book as a sort of ''fold'' of ''response data'' in order to situate the book within a larger field of the failures of representation in order to begin to theorize the failures of the book in moving toward a different scene of representation.     

The Florida teletraining project: Military training via two‐way compressed video

Abstract

The Florida Teletraining Project tested the feasibility of using community colleges as providers of various types of military training to personnel in the Reserve Components (RC). Training was delivered via the Army's TNET system, which employs two‐way interactive video. Five courses were produced, delivered, and evaluated during the project. Results showed that effective military course reconfiguration can be accomplished by civilian institutions, that the delivery system was technically reliable, that students performed well using specially reconfigured courseware, and that students rated the video teletraining approach as effective. The project demonstrated the potential of two‐way video teletraining for a variety of military training applications for several different levels of military personnel.