Temperament, Harsh and Indulgent Parenting, and Chinese Children's Proactive and Reactive Aggression

This study examined the additive and interactive effects of temperament and harsh and indulgent parenting on Chinese children's proactive and reactive aggression. Participants were 401 children ( M age = 9.29 years, 203 girls) and their parents who were recruited from 2 elementary schools in Shanghai, People's Republic of China. The results showed that children's sensation seeking was associated with proactive aggression, whereas anger/frustration was associated with reactive aggression. Both subtypes of aggression were negatively related to children's effortful control but positively related to harsh parenting. Significant Temperament × Temperament and Parenting × Temperament interactions were also found. The findings point to similarities and differences between proactive and reactive aggression in relation to children's temperament and harsh and indulgent parenting in the Chinese context.     

Comparison of two methodological approaches for the mechanical analysis of single-joint isoinertial movement using a customised isokinetic dynamometer*

Compared to isokinetic and isometric tests, isoinertial movements have been poorly used to assess single-joint performance. Two calculation procedures were developed to estimate mechanical performance during single-joint isoinertial movements performed on a customised isokinetic dynamometer. The results were also compared to appreciate the effects of measurement systems and calculation procedures. Five participants performed maximal knee extensions at four levels of resistance (30, 50, 70 and 90% of the one-repetition maximum, 1-RM). Joint angular velocity and torque were assessed from customised isokinetic dynamometer measures (method A) and from weight stack kinematic (method B). Bland–Altman plots and mean percent differences (M_diff) were used to assess the level of agreement for mean and peak angular velocity and torque. A Passing–Bablok regression was performed to compare the angular velocity-angle and torque-angle relationships computed from the two analysis methods. The results showed a high level of agreement for all mechanical parameters (M_diff < 6% for all parameters). No statistically significant differences were observed between methods A and B in terms of angular velocity-angle and torque-angle relationships except at 30% of 1-RM for the torque-angle relationship. Both methodologies provide comparable values of angular velocity and torque, offering alternative approaches to assess neuromuscular function from single-joint isoinertial movements.     

Effects of a Brief Mindfulness Based Group Intervention On College Students

Increases in the number of college students seeking mental health services require counseling centers to explore innovative strategies to provide effective and efficient treatments. Group interventions offer an alternative to traditional individual counseling, allowing centers to serve more students with fewer clinical staff (Burlingame et al., 2016). Of current group modalities, mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been growing in popularity as an effective approach for addressing college students’ increasingly complex needs. This study describes the evaluation of a three-session mindfulness-based intervention on students’ mindfulness, symptoms, and stress. Compared to a comparison group of 109 students not seeking counseling center services, 78 students who received the intervention reported increased mindfulness, and decreased symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress at the end of the group. Furthermore, improvements in mindfulness mediated intervention effects on symptoms of depression and anxiety. These gains were generally maintained 3 weeks later. These findings support the benefits of brief group interventions for college students. Suggestions for modifications to the intervention and for future research are discussed.     

Acute kinematics changes in marathon runners using different footwear

The effects of running with or without shoes on injury prevention have been extensively studied, and several investigations have assessed biomechanical differences between them. However, findings are not consensual and further insights on biomechanical load associated with differently shod or barefoot conditions may be needed. This study aimed to observe if habitually shod marathon runners show acute alterations when running barefoot or with minimalist shoes, and to determine whether the running kinematical adaptations of wearing minimalist shoes were similar to barefoot running. Twelve male marathon runners ran on the treadmill at their average marathon pace in different footwear conditions: habitual running shoes, minimalist shoes, and barefoot. High-resolution infrared cameras and visual 3D software were used to assess kinematic data. The following parameters were studied: foot strike angle, cycle time, stance time, normalized stride length, hip, knee, and ankle angular position at initial contact, and their respective range-of-motion (ROM) during stance phase. Contrary to the expectations, it was found that highly trained habitually shod elite marathon runners changed their lower limb kinematic pattern both when running barefoot or wearing minimalist shoes. Minimalist shoes showed a trend towards intermediate biomechanical effects between running with and without shoes.     

“You have to do something beyond containing”: developing inclusive systems in a partnership of primary schools

Reducing fixed term exclusions (FTE) in primary schools is a difficult proposition. This research discusses how a partnership of primary schools developed more inclusive systems to support students previously given FTEs for disciplinary purposes. Longitudinal data from interviews and documentary sources trace the development of an approach amongst primary schools with previously high levels of FTE. The process of developing a model of transferred inclusion (TI) within the partnership led to schools changing practices around behaviour management, thus developing more inclusive systems. The paper elaborates on partnership work around the TI project that opened up discussion and questioning of practice around behaviour, leading to schools thinking about their systemic practice. The benefits of TI, therefore, were a prompt for development, rather than just an intervention to reduce exclusions. Changes in practice supported through the TI process lead to claims that substantive change would not have happened without the TI project.     

Examining social studies teachers’ resistances towards teaching Aboriginal perspectives: the case of Alberta

From 2005–2010 the province of Alberta introduced a social studies program of study mandating that all K–12 teachers use the lens of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit perspectives to help students understand the past as well as key concepts and contemporary issues. This paper offers a systematic examination of a range of data sources, including government reports, surveys, and peer-reviewed journal articles, which have documented teachers’ responses to this curricular mandate. Our analysis revealed a typology of resistances towards this curricular directive that have remained constant over a nearly twenty-year period. Guided by insights from sociocultural theory and the work of Indigenous scholars (e.g.; Marker, 2011), we trace the origins and limitations of these resistances.     

Information-governing dynamics of attacker–defender interactions in youth rugby union

Abstract

Previous work on dynamics of interpersonal interactions in 1 vs. 1 sub-phases of basketball has identified changes in interpersonal distance between an attacker and defender as a potential control parameter for influencing organizational states of attacker–defender dyads. Other studies have reported the constraining effect of relative velocity between an attacker and defender in 1 vs. 1 dyads. To evaluate the relationship between these candidate control parameters, we compared the impact of both interpersonal distance and relative velocity on the pattern-forming dynamics of attacker–defender dyads in the sport of rugby union. Results revealed that when interpersonal distance achieved a critical value of less than 4 m, and relative velocity values increased or were maintained above 1 m · s^?1, a successful outcome (i.e. clean attempt) for an attacker was predicted. Alternatively, when values of relative velocity suddenly decreased below this threshold, at the same critical value of interpersonal distance, a successful outcome for the defender was predicted. Data demonstrated how the coupling of these two potential, nested control parameters moved the dyadic system to phase transitions, characterized as a try or a tackle. Observations suggested that relative velocity increased its influence on the organization of attacker–defender dyads in rugby union over time as spatial proximity to the try line increased.     

Improvement of cellular health indicators and muscle quality in older women with different resistance training volumes

ABSTRACT

The main purpose of this study was to compare the effects of resistance training (RT) performed with different training volumes on phase angle (PhA), body water components, and muscle quality (MQ) in untrained older adult women. A second purpose was to assess the relationship between PhA and MQ. Sixty-two older adult women (68.6 ± 5.0 years, 65.2 ± 13.3 kg, 156.1 ± 6.2 cm) were randomly assigned into one of the three groups: two training groups performed either 1 set (G1S) or 3 sets (G3S), or a control group (CG). Body water components and PhA were estimated by bioelectrical impedance (BIA). MQ was determined by dividing skeletal muscle mass estimated by dual-energy absorptiometry (DXA) by total muscle strength from three exercises. After the intervention period, both training groups demonstrated improvements (P < 0.05) when compared with CON for intracellular water, total body water, PhA, and MQ. These results suggest that RT can improve PhA, body water components, and MQ after 12 weeks of RT in untrained older women, regardless of training volume. Furthermore, changes in MQ were positively correlated with changes in PhA (r = 0.60, P < 0.01).