Constructivist Approaches in a Dual-Language Classroom

Dual-language programs are becoming increasingly popular among educators and the public in general. In these programs, students aim at attaining full proficiency in English and another language while reaching an academic achievement at or above grade level. This article describes a series of pedagogical practices in the context of dual-language classrooms. We set the discussion across three defining characteristics of our constructivist perspective: learning as collaboration, teachers as facilitators, and language and culture as intertwined elements in schools. In sum, we postulate that dual-language programs bring equity to schools.     

Anthropometric dimensions of male powerlifters of varying body mass

In this study, we examined the anthropometric dimensions of powerlifters across various body mass (competitive bodyweight) categories. Fifty-four male Oceania competitive powerlifters (9 lightweight, 30 middleweight, and 15 heavyweight) were recruited from one international and two national powerlifting competitions held in New Zealand. Powerlifters were assessed for 37 anthropometric dimensions by ISAK (International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry) level II and III accredited anthropometrists. The powerlifters were highly mesomorphic and had large girths and bony breadths, both in absolute units and when expressed as Z(p)-scores compared through the Phantom (Ross & Wilson, 1974). These anthropometric characteristics were more pronounced in heavyweights, who were significantly heavier, had greater muscle and fat mass, were more endo-mesomorphic, and had larger girths and bony breadths than the lighter lifters. Although middleweight and heavyweight lifters typically had longer segment lengths than the lightweights, all three groups had similar Zp-scores for the segment lengths, indicating similar segment length proportions. While population comparisons would be required to identify any connection between specific anthropometric dimensions that confer a competitive advantage to the expression of maximal strength, anthropometric profiling may prove useful for talent identification and for the assessment of training progression in powerlifting.     

Effects of dynamic upper-body exercise on lower-limb isometric endurance

Following preliminary indications that in some individuals arm exercise enhanced rather than reduced simultaneous leg endurance, ten young men and women performed three forms of intermittent work to volitional exhaustion, under duty cycles of 45 s work, 15 s rest. The protocols were as follows: (A) knee extensions at 30% maximum voluntary contraction (MVC); (B) 30% MVC knee extensions combined with arm cranking at 130% of their own lactate threshold; (C) combined 30% MVC knee extensions and arm cranking at 20% of their own lactate threshold. Heart rate, oxygen uptake (VO(2)), and blood lactate concentration were among the variables recorded throughout. All physiological indicators of demand were substantially higher in protocol B than in protocols A or C [heart rate: (A) 154 beats . min(-1), (B) 171 beats . min(-1), (C) 150 beats . min(-1); VO(2): (A) 11.9 ml . kg(-1) . min(-1), (B) 21.7 ml . kg(-1) . min(-1), (C) 14.2 ml . kg(-1) . min(-1); blood lactate concentration: (A) 3.3 mmol . l(-1), (B) 5.1 mmol . l(-1), (C) 2.8 mmol . l(-1)], yet there were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in the endurance times between the three conditions [(A) 11.43 min, (B) 11.1 min, (C) 10.57 min] and seven participants endured longest in protocol B. Results from protocol (C) cast doubt on explanations in terms of psychological distraction. We suggest that lactic acid produced by the arms is shuttled to the legs and acts there either as a supplementary fuel source or as an antagonist to the depressing effects of increased potassium concentration.     

A fluid dynamic investigation of the Big Blade and Macon oar blade designs in rowing propulsion

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the fluid dynamic characteristics of the two most commonly used oar blades: the Big Blade and the Macon. Scaled models of each blade, as well as a flat Big Blade, were tested in a water flume using a quasi-static method similar to that used in swimming and kayaking research. Measurement of the normal and tangential blade forces enabled lift and drag forces generated by the oar blades to be calculated over the full range of sweep angles observed during a rowing stroke. Lift and drag force coefficients were then calculated and compared between blades. The results showed that the Big Blade and Macon oar blades exhibited very similar characteristics. Hydraulic blade efficiency was not therefore found to be the reason for claims that the Big Blade could elicit a 2% improvement in performance over the Macon. The Big Blade was also shown to have similar characteristics to the flat plate when the angle of attack was below 90 degrees , despite significant increases in the lift coefficient when the angle of attack increased above 90 degrees . This result suggests that the Big Blade design may not be completely optimized over the whole stroke.     

The human genome and sport, including epigenetics and athleticogenomics: a brief look at a rapidly changing field

Since Hugh Montgomery discovered the first of what are now nearly 200 "fitness genes", together with rapid advances in human gene therapy, there is now a real prospect of the use of genes, genetic elements, and/or cells that have the capacity to enhance athletic performance (to paraphrase the World Anti-Doping Agency's definition of gene doping). This overview covers the main areas of interface between genetics and sport, attempts to provide a context against which gene doping may be viewed, and suggests a futuristic legitimate use of genomic (and possibly epigenetic) information in sport.