Three-dimensional kinematic analysis and power output of elite flat-water kayakers

The purpose was to examine power output and three-dimensional (3D) kinematic variables in the upper limbs, lower limbs and trunk in elite flat-water kayakers during kayak ergometer paddling. An additional purpose was to analyse possible changes in kinematics with increased intensity and differences between body sides. Six male and four female international level flat-water kayakers participated. Kinematic and kinetic data were collected during three tasks; low (Int_L), high (Int_H) and maximal (Int_M) intensities. No differences were observed in any joint angles between body sides, except for shoulder abduction. Significantly greater range of motion (RoM) values were observed for Int_H compared to Int_L and for Int_M compared to Int_L in trunk and pelvis rotation, and in hip, knee and ankle flexion. The mean maximal power output was 610 ± 65 and 359 ± 33 W for the male and female athletes, respectively. The stroke frequencies were significantly different between all intensities (Int_L 59.3 ± 6.3; Int_H 108.0 ± 6.8; Int_M 141.7 ± 18.4 strokes/min). The results showed that after a certain intensity level, the power output must be increased by other factors than increasing the joint angular RoM. This information may assist coaches and athletes to understand the relationship between the movement of the kayaker and the paddling power output.     

How does innovative continuous professional development (CPD) operate in the ECEC sector? Insights from a cross-analysis of cases in Denmark,Italy and Poland

This article offers insights into what characterises innovative continuous professional development (CPD) in the field of early childhood education and care (ECEC) by analysing similarities and differences from case studies of exemplary approaches to innovative CPD in Denmark, Italy and Poland. The comparative analysis focuses on four features that are particularly relevant for innovation in CPD in the field of ECEC: the social dimension of innovation as a strengthening component; the benefit of dynamic learning processes aimed at integrating theory and practice; the role of key figures in the quality of CPD; and measurements of CPD impact, outcomes and sustainability. This analysis sheds light on the effects of dynamic factors (e.g., regular team-based reflection sessions based on documentation and observation), the importance of work conditions (e.g., contractual obligations to provide time for reflection), the critical role of pedagogical leaders (coordinators, principals and head teachers, supervisors), the importance of inter-organisational networking at a local level and the facilitating role of collaboration with research institutes.     

An authoring and learning kit for digital electronics

A multimedia component kit for digital electronics authoring and learning is presented. It is based on a sophisticated structuring mechanism and a flexible link management scheme. Components available on the Internet facilitate sharing and reuse of educational software during the authoring process, make possible the support of all phases of the learning process, and allow students to achieve their desired depth of understanding. Emphasis is put on the implementation of a great number of components based on simulation and animation that provide a high level of interactivity and allow some presentation difficulties inherent in the subject to be overcome. An analysis of the impact of using the kit for authoring and learning is currently being performed.     

“Immigrant” in Russian and French Print Media (Linguistic and Visual Composition Analyses)

This study addresses the representation of the linguistic and cultural type “immigrant” in French and Russian media discourse. Linguistic analysis of selected sources shows, on the one hand, signs of tolerance towards immigrants and, on the other hand, evidence of rejecting immigrants, which demonstrates the ambiguity of the matter and indirectly provokes conflicts. Visual composition analysis complements these results by revealing the following: the purpose of immigration – employment – is often socially rejected; immigrants’ sense of community is a specific cultural code in a host culture; and the cultural transfer of an “immigrant” into a different space creates uncertainty or ambiguity.     

Aerodynamic behaviour of single sport jersey fabrics with different roughness and cover factors

Wind tunnel testing has been carried out on nine-knitted single jersey fabrics (100% polyester) using cylinder and leg models to determine its aerodynamic behaviour over a range of speeds (20–80 km/h) representative of sports activities. Strong correlation between fabric manufacturing (cover factor) and fabric roughness and aerodynamic parameters has been established. Similar aerodynamic behaviour of fabrics was observed when tested on the cylinder model and on the leg model.     

Facet-based opinion retrieval from blogs

The paper presents methods of retrieving blog posts containing opinions about an entity expressed in the query. The methods use a lexicon of subjective words and phrases compiled from manually and automatically developed resources. One of the methods uses the Kullback–Leibler divergence to weight subjective words occurring near query terms in documents, another uses proximity between the occurrences of query terms and subjective words in documents, and the third combines both factors. Methods of structuring queries into facets, facet expansion using Wikipedia, and a facet-based retrieval are also investigated in this work. The methods were evaluated using the TREC 2007 and 2008 Blog track topics, and proved to be highly effective.     

The –ography of markets (or,the responsibilities of market studies)

How should we write about markets? What responsibilities does this writing bring upon us? This paper offers an immanent critique of ‘market studies’ scholarship, and through this a call to reflection and reformed action. Turning the intellectual framework of market studies upon itself, we come to see its texts as performative and agential. We discuss these qualities and the associated responsibilities via a reading of literature from the domain of ethnography. An auto-ethnographic sketch of market writing allows us to consider the problematic nature of expertise for market studies scholars and the agency and power of our texts. We find a dual moment of performativity from which our texts emerge more powerful than their authors. On this basis we offer a vision of critical interventions embedded in our texts, underpinned by the intellectual axioms of the market studies programme.     

The whole day matters: Understanding 24-hour movement guideline adherence and relationships with health indicators across the lifespan

BackgroundNew research suggests that the composition (mix) of movement behaviors within a 24-h period may have important implications for health across the lifespan. Consistent with this integrated movement behavior paradigm, a number of countries across the world have developed and released 24-h movement guidelines for specific age groups. The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the associations between the 24-h time-use composition of movement behaviors, or adherence to 24-h movement guidelines, and multiple health indicators across the lifespan.MethodsFive online databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, and Ovid MEDLINE) were searched for relevant peer-reviewed studies published between January 2015 and January 2020 that met the a priori inclusion criteria, with no study design limits. The methodological quality of research evidence for each individual study and for each health indicator was assessed by using a modified version of the Downs and Black checklist.ResultsA total of 51 studies from 20 different countries met the inclusion criteria. A total of 31 studies examined adherence (meeting vs. not meeting) to 24-h movement guidelines, and 20 studies used compositional analyses to explore the 24-h time-use composition of movement behaviors. Findings indicated that meeting the 24-h movement guidelines were (1) not associated with adiposity among toddlers, (2) favorably associated with health-related quality of life, social-cognitive development, and behavioral and emotional problems among preschoolers, (3) favorably associated with global cognition, health-related quality of life, and healthy dietary patterns in children, and (4) favorably associated with adiposity, fitness, and cardiometabolic, mental, social, and emotional health among children and youth. Significant associations were also found between the composition of 24-h movement behaviors and indicators of (1) adiposity and bone and skeletal health among preschoolers, (2) health-related quality of life among children, (3) adiposity, fitness, and cardiometabolic, social, and emotional health among children and youth, (4) cardiometabolic health in adults, (5) adiposity and fitness among adults and older adults, and (6) mental health and risk of mortality among older adults. The quality of the available evidence ranged from poor to good.ConclusionThe current evidence indicates that the composition of movement behaviors within a 24-h period may have important implications for health at all ages and that meeting the current 24-h movement guidelines is associated with a number of desirable health indicators in children and youth. Future studies should employ longitudinal and experimental designs, include valid and reliable measures of 24-h movement behaviors, and examine a wide array of health indicators across all age groups. Such studies would confirm the results from the primarily cross-sectional evidence drawn from studies included in our review and further advance our understanding of the relationships between 24-h movement behaviors and health.     

Oximetry: a reflective tool for the detection of physiological expression of emotions in a science education classroom

The pulse oximeter is a device that measures the oxygen concentration (or oxygen saturation—SpO₂); heart rate, and heartbeat of a person at any given time. This instrument is commonly used in medical and aerospace fields to monitor physiological outputs of a patient according to health conditions or physiological yields of a flying pilot according to changes in altitude and oxygen availability in the atmosphere. Nonetheless, the uses for pulse oximetry may expand to other fields where there is human interaction and where physiological outputs reflect fluctuations mediated by arising emotions. A classroom, for instance is filled with a plethora of emotions, but very often participants in this space are unaware of others’ or their own sentiments as these arise as a result of interactions and responses to class discussions. In this paper I describe part of a larger study-taking place at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York. The focus is on the exploration of emotions and mindfulness in the science classroom. The oximeter is used in this study as a reflexive tool to detect emotions emerging among participants of a graduate History and Philosophy of Science Education course offered in the spring of 2012. Important physiological information of class participants provided by the oximeter is used to analyze the role of emotions in the classroom as sensitive and controversial topics in science education are discussed every week.