Multimethod behavioral treatment of long-term selective mutism

This single-subject, experimental research design examined the efficacy of treating severe, long-term selective mutism in a 9-year-old male using shaping, multiple re-inforcers, natural consequences, stimulus fading, and mild aversives. Different treatment regimens were implemented in the home and school environments. A multiple baseline design across settings with changing criterion was used to evaluate the home intervention, and an A-B-A design was used for the school intervention. The home intervention resulted in an increase in the number of verbalizations in each setting and prompted generalization to additional settings. The school intervention increased the number of people spoken to, but the results were not maintained at follow-up nor did they generalize outside of the training situation. Possible explanations for the discrepancy in maintenance and generalization data between the two programs are presented.     

Virtual-reality exergaming improves performance during high-intensity interval training

Purpose: To determine if: (i) mean power output and enjoyment of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) are enhanced by virtual-reality (VR)-exergaming (track mode) compared to standard ergometry (blank mode), (ii) if mean power output of HIIT can be increased by allowing participants to race against their own performance (ghost mode) or by increasing the resistance (hard mode), without compromising exercise enjoyment.

Methods: Sixteen participants (8 males, 8 females, VO₂max: 41.2?±?10.8 ml^?1·kg^?1·min^?1) completed four VR-HIIT conditions in a partially-randomised cross-over study; (1a) blank, (1b) track, (2a) ghost, and (2b) hard. VR-HIIT sessions consisted of eight 60 s high-intensity intervals at a resistance equivalent to 70% (77% for hard) maximum power output (P_MAX), interspersed by 60 s recovery intervals at 12.5% P_MAX, at a self-selected cadence. Expired gases were collected and VO₂ measured continuously. Post-exercise questionnaires were administered to identify differences in indices related to intrinsic motivation, subjective vitality, and future exercise intentions.

Results: Enjoyment was higher for track vs. blank (difference: 0.9; 95% CI: 0.6, 1.3) with no other differences between conditions. There was no difference in mean power output for track vs. blank, however it was higher for track vs. ghost (difference: 5 Watts; CI: 3, 7), and hard vs. ghost (difference: 19 Watts; 95% CI: 15, 23).

Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that VR-exergaming is an effective intervention to increase enjoyment during a single bout of HIIT in untrained individuals. The presence of a ghost may be an effective method to increase exercise intensity of VR-HIIT.     

‘The old days of amateurism are over’: the Samaranch revolution and the return of Olympic tennis

Tennis featured in every Olympics from 1896 to 1924, after which disagreements between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) on matters pertaining to organisational control and the amateur eligibility of players led to tennis being removed from the Olympic Games as a full-medal event until the 1988 Seoul Olympics. This paper traces the steps of the sport’s reinstatement, from when efforts commenced in the 1950s, setting this development in the contexts of: broader political movements, shifting IOC leadership, burgeoning commercialisation of Olympic sport, the concomitant push for professionalisation and the declining influence of amateur ideals within both the Olympic movement and international tennis. Under the leadership of the amateur stalwart Avery Brundage, the IOC stymied attempts to facilitate tennis’s re-entry, challenging both the ILTF on failing to deal with widespread ‘sham-amateur’ practices and the avaricious promoters luring amateur players toward the professional ranks. Brundage and the IOC also strongly condemned the move to ‘open’ tennis and an acceptance of full-blown professionalism. Only a change in leadership, firstly with Lord Killanin and then the progressive reformer Juan Antonio Samaranch, did the IOC recognise the value of tennis within the Olympic movement, which by then had itself become increasingly money-oriented.     

Effects of different warm-up modalities on power output during the high pull

This study compared the effects of six warm-up modalities on peak power output (PPO) during the high-pull exercise. Nine resistance-trained males completed six trials using different warm-ups: high-pull specific (HPS), cycle, whole body vibration (WBV), cycle+HPS, WBV+HPS and a control. Intramuscular temperature (T_m) was increased by 2°C using WBV or cycling. PPO, T_m and electromyography (EMG) were recorded during each trial. Two high-pulls were performed prior to and 3 min after participants completed the warm-up. The greatest increase in PPO occurred with HPS (232.8 ± 89.7 W, P < 0.001); however, this was not different to combined warm-ups (cycle+HPS 158.6 ± 121.1 W; WBV+HPS 177.3 ± 93.3 W, P = 1.00). These modalities increased PPO to a greater extent than those that did not involve HPS (all P < 0.05). HPS took the shortest time to complete, compared to the other conditions (P < 0.05). EMG did not differ from pre to post warm-up or between modalities in any of the muscles investigated. No change in T_m occurred in warm-ups that did not include cycling or WBV. These results suggest that a movement-specific warm-up improves performance more than temperature-related warm-ups. Therefore, mechanisms other than increased muscle temperature and activation may be important for improving short-term PPO.     

Fifty Years of Super Bowl Commercials,Thirty-Two Years of Spectacular Consumption

Abstract

This article will explore the role and visibility of advertising during the Super Bowl over the years as a model for strategies of modern advertising and the resulting commercialization of US society. It uses the concepts of ‘spectacular consumption’ derived from Guy Debord and the ‘commodity audience’ from Dallas Smythe to frame the commercials’ cultural transformation and influence. The spectacular nature of Super Bowl commercials and the special commodity worth of its audience were not present in the early days of the event, but gained momentum with Super Bowl XVII and its airing of Apple’s ‘1984’ commercial that became mythologized in the advertising industry. After 1984, both the rising inflation-adjusted CPM (‘cost-per-thousand’) and the increased media coverage indicate an increased spectacularization. This also manifested in such phenomena as the influential, decades-long Doritos user-generated content contests and the Greatest Super Bowl Commercials TV specials, and was a forerunner of such post-millennial advertising strategies as branded entertainment and content marketing, all designed to integrate advertising as a legitimate form of entertainment culture and prevent the avoidance of advertising by audiences.     

美国中学与大学体育的管理机制与司法治理

体育作为中学课外活动的教育内容之一,主要由美国各州政府自行管理,各州的中学也组成了高中体育管理联合会来制定和执行校际体育活动的有关规则。美国法院遵循司法谦抑原则,通常不会干预联合会的决定,除非决定所依据的规则或所依据的程序违反了成文法,或侵犯了联邦或州宪法规定的基本权利。大学校际体育由大学自发组成的各种联合会进行管理,其中最重要的是全国大学体育联合会（NCAA）,NCAA以维持大学体育的业余性、保证体育作为高等教育的有机组成部分为宗旨,有权制定和强制实施各项规则及处罚。NCAA不是政府组织,无法对其管理大学体育的行为适用美国联邦宪法,但可以适用美国联邦反垄断法。     

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.