The core musculature in male prepubescent tennis players and untrained counterparts: a volumetric MRI study

The effects of exercise on the core musculature have not been investigated in prepubescents. The main purpose of the present study was to determine the volume and degree of asymmetry of rectus abdominis, obliques and transversus abdominis, quadratus lumborum, iliopsoas, gluteus and paravertebralis muscles in prepubescent tennis players and in untrained boys. The muscle volume was determined using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 7 male prepubescent tennis players and 10 untrained controls (mean age 11.0 ± 0.8 years, Tanner 1–2). After accounting for height and body weight as covariates, the tennis players had 14–34% greater volume than the controls in all the muscles analysed (P < 0.05) except in paravertebralis, dominant quadratus lumborum and non-dominant gluteus, which had similar volumes in both groups (P = NS). Compared to controls, the tennis players displayed a greater degree of asymmetry in quadratus lumborum and rectus abdominis (3% vs. 15%, P < 0.01 and 8% vs. 17%, P = 0.06, respectively). The level of asymmetry of obliques and transversus abdominis, iliopsoas, gluteus and paravertebralis muscles was similar in both groups (P = NS). In conclusion, tennis playing at prepubertal ages induces a selective hypertrophy of the core musculature and exaggerates the degree of asymmetry of quadratus lumborum and rectus abdominis compared to untrained boys.     

Performance evaluation of the high sensitive troponin I assay on the Atellica IM analyser

IntroductionThe Fourth Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction Global Taskforce recommends the use of high sensitive troponin (hs-Tn) assays in the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. We evaluated the analytical performance of the Atellica IM High-sensitivity Troponin I Assay (hs-TnI) (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc., Tarrytown, USA) and compared its performance to other hs-TnI assays (Siemens Advia Centaur, Dimension Vista, Dimension EXL, and Abbott Architect (Wiesbaden, Germany)) at one or more sites across Europe.Materials and methodsPrecision, detection limit, linearity, method comparison, and interference studies were performed according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute protocols. Values in 40 healthy individuals were compared to the manufacturer’s cut-offs. Sample turnaround time (TAT) was examined.ResultsImprecision repeatability CVs were 1.1–4.7% and within-lab imprecision were 1.8–7.6% (10.0–25,000 ng/L). The limit of blank (LoB), detection (LoD), and quantitation (LoQ) aligned with the manufacturer’s values of 0.5 ng/L, 1.6 ng/L, and 2.5 ng/L, respectively. Passing-Bablok regression demonstrated good correlations between Atellica IM analyser with other systems; some minor deviations were observed. All results in healthy volunteers fell below the 99th percentile URL, and greater than 50% of each sex demonstrated values above the LoD. No interference was observed for biotin (≤ 1500 µg/L), but a slight bias at 5.0 g/L haemoglobin and 50 ng/L Tn was observed. TAT from was fast (mean time = 10.9 minutes) and reproducible (6%CV).ConclusionsReal-world analytical and TAT performance of the hs-TnI assay on the Atellica IM analyser make this assay fit for routine use in clinical laboratories.     

Australia’s supervising teachers: motivators and challenges to inform professional learning

This paper offers an overview of what motivates and challenges Australian supervising teachers to work with preservice teachers in their classrooms. In the contemporary Australian context of new National Professional Standards for Teachers, a new national curriculum and new standards for Initial Teacher Education programs, what motivates and challenges supervising teachers becomes a focus for professional learning through analysis presented in this paper. Data are reported from a national data set that includes 314 responding supervising teachers who took the Mentoring Perspectives Inventory from 2012–2014. The MPI data are aggregated in this paper to suggest that the wider system of teacher education could benefit from attention at various levels of interest to develop the underlying knowledge base of supervising teachers and our understanding of how they are challenged and motivated in their work with preservice teachers.     

An analysis of three different approaches to student teacher mentoring and their impact on knowledge generation in practicum settings

Mentoring in Teacher Education is a key component in the professional development of student teachers. However, little research focuses on the knowledge shared and generated in mentoring conversations. In this paper, we explore the knowledge student teachers articulate in mentoring conversations under three different post-lesson approaches to mentoring: dialogue journaling, regular conferences and stimulated-recall conferences. Propositional discourse analysis identified 4534 propositions that were subsequently classified into four types of knowledge: recalls, appraisals, rules and artefacts along with the precision of arguments therein. Additionally, log-linear analyses were conducted to search for differences among the three mentoring approaches. The results indicate that dialogue journaling demonstrated more appraisals of practice, regular conferences emphasised rules and artefacts, and stimulated-recall favoured more precision in the type of the arguments stated. The three mentoring styles favour different but complementary understandings of practice and point to the impact of various approaches to mentoring on the sort of knowledge shared and generated in post-lesson mentoring conferences.     

A critical review of education support practices in Spain

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study is to analyse different models of educational support that are used in schools with public funding from the perspective of support teachers, counsellors and members of management teams. Participants were 79 professionals from the three areas mentioned above. The methodological approach was a phenomenological qualitative one using focus groups and subsequent qualitative analysis of the data. The systems of categories and subcategories underwent a progressive process of triangulation. The results show that professionals identify support practices that can be divided into two differentiated models: a traditional model linked to a medical perspective of providing personal support to the most vulnerable students and a support model consistent with inclusive education. There are also discrepancies among professionals, especially about the need for support to be provided within the reference classroom. The discussion focuses on identifying essential aspects, to more effectively support students and teachers in an ordinary school context. In addition, professionals question the regulations for their disconnection from the reality they experience in schools. All this requires a rethinking of the functions of support teachers supported by careful initial and ongoing training.     

JOB SATISFACTION AND COMMITMENT OF TWO-YEAR COLLEGE PART-TIME FACULTY

One of the more significant trends in higher education has been the recent increase in dependence on part-time faculty members. Community colleges, more than any other sector of higher education, have been affected by this trend. However, few scholars and policy makers have made systematic studies to identify whether these individuals are satisfied with their roles, responsibilities, and rewards. The purpose of this investigation was to use nationally representative data to comprehensively study the job satisfaction and commitment of two-year college part-time faculty members. In doing so, this study provided richer definitions of job satisfaction and commitment that for practical and theoretical purposes better capture the multidimensionality of the psychological constructs of job satisfaction and commitment.     

Integrating the entrepreneurial mindset into solar energy statistical analysis and performance modeling

Statistical knowledge is required for students in a range of disciplines. However, there are limited educator resources that exist for applying statistics to solve real-world problems. This investigation provides one approach to teaching statistics using entrepreneurial-minded learning (as a way to connect real-world applications and value creation with problem-solving and curiosity) in the context of solar energy. Both the ready-to-use teaching intervention and assessment of student learning details are provided for an undergraduate course on Introductory Statistics. The teaching intervention includes a series of seven lesson plans (and three extension projects) that educators can use in an introductory statistics course.     

Effects of AM3 (Inmunoferon®) on increased serum concentrations of interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor receptors I and II in cyclists

Abstract

The aims of this study were to examine the changes in plasma concentrations of inflammatory cytokines induced by training and competition in professional cyclists. We report the serum concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), tumour necrosis factor receptors I and II (TNFR-I and -II) in a prospective, randomized, double-blind trial involving the administration of AM3 (Inmunoferon®), an oral booster immunomodulator, or placebo to 16 professional cyclists (n=8 in each group) for 65 consecutive days. Serum was collected just before treatment began (baseline), at the end of pre-competition training, before the mountain stage of the competition (60 days), 4 h after finishing this stage (62 days), and 18 h after the fifth and last day of competition (65 days). To determine the normal levels of cytokines and soluble TNF receptors, individual samples from 14 moderately trained healthy controls were studied. After 60 days of training, the serum concentrations of IL-6 did not differ significantly from those at the beginning of the study for either group of cyclists (placebo and AM3). A significant rise was seen in IL-6 concentrations in both the AM3 and placebo groups at 62 days, 4 h after finishing the mountain stage. The increase was significantly greater in the placebo group than in the AM3 group. At 65 days of treatment, 18 h after the fifth and last day of competition, IL-6 concentrations were similar to those recorded at the end of the training, but were significantly higher in the placebo group than in the AM3 group. At the end of training, serum TNFR-I concentrations in both groups of cyclists were significantly lower than at baseline. The concentrations of serum TNFR-I and -II both 4 h after finishing the mountain stage and 18 h after the fifth and last day of competition were significantly higher than those recorded after training in both groups. Professional cycling competition is associated with increases in serum IL-6 and TNFR-I and -II concentrations. Inmunoferon treatment reduced significantly the concentrations of IL-6 but not those of TNFR-I and -II.