The ‘Leeds Lake District’: Water Supply,Rural Environment,and the Cultural Landscape in Victorian and Edwardian Britain

ABSTRACT

This article highlights the benefits of cultural readings of the environment by showing how the reservoirs of the Washburn Valley, built by the Leeds Corporation between 1869 and 1879 and vital sources of potable water for the urban population, altered the area’s cultural landscape. An examination of Leeds-based newspapers and locally published guidebooks will show how the reservoirs positively affected Romantic depictions of the area, whilst the use of the phrase ‘the Leeds Lake District’ fabricated a sense of civic pride between the town and its hinterland, an area positively affected by the implementation of urban engineering.     

The influence of heterogeneous exposure and pre-deliberation queries on pretrial publicity effects

Prior research on pretrial publicity has produced mixed results and a roughly equal number of studies show an effect, show no effect, or show mixed results. We explored the effects of (a) homogenous vs. heterogeneous exposure (whether deliberating jurors were all exposed to the same publicity or not) and (b) pre-deliberation queries as potential contributors to mixed results. We found an effect for positive but not negative publicity on conviction rates but not evidence ratings. Exposure heterogeneity appears to explain these differences and pre-deliberation queries did appear to play some role in the obtained outcomes. Overall these findings do not replicate a robust publicity effect and future research should consider how homogeneous exposure and pre-deliberation opinion queries influence results.     

Comics and the Modern Library Catalog: New Rules for Breaking the Rules

Scholarly and curricular uses of comics extend to many disciplines in higher education, resulting in increased demand for institutional access to such materials. Despite nearly twenty years of justification in the literature for inclusion of such materials in libraries, there are not widely adopted conventions or models for engaging in the business of a comics collection. At San Diego State University, this presented an opportunity to pioneer new modes of access, from cataloging and organization to storage and retrieval. This article explores the process of making a collection of floppy comics accessible alongside a theoretical discussion of cataloging shortcomings and opportunities.     

Mediating effects of resistance training skill competency on health-related fitness and physical activity: the ATLAS cluster randomised controlled trial

The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of resistance training skill competency on percentage of body fat, muscular fitness and physical activity among a sample of adolescent boys participating in a school-based obesity prevention intervention. Participants were 361 adolescent boys taking part in the Active Teen Leaders Avoiding Screen-time (ATLAS) cluster randomised controlled trial: a school-based program targeting the health behaviours of economically disadvantaged adolescent males considered “at-risk” of obesity. Body fat percentage (bioelectrical impedance), muscular fitness (hand grip dynamometry and push-ups), physical activity (accelerometry) and resistance training skill competency were assessed at baseline and post-intervention (i.e., 8 months). Three separate multi-level mediation models were analysed to investigate the potential mediating effects of resistance training skill competency on each of the study outcomes using a product-of-coefficients test. Analyses followed the intention-to-treat principle. The intervention had a significant impact on the resistance training skill competency of the boys, and improvements in skill competency significantly mediated the effect of the intervention on percentage of body fat and the combined muscular fitness score. No significant mediated effects were found for physical activity. Improving resistance training skill competency may be an effective strategy for achieving improvements in body composition and muscular fitness in adolescent boys.     

Dribbling determinants in sub-elite youth soccer players

Dribbling speed in soccer is considered critical to the outcome of the game and can assist in the talent identification process. However, little is known about the biomechanics of this skill. By means of a motion capture system, we aimed to quantitatively investigate the determinants of effective dribbling skill in a group of 10 Under-13 sub-elite players, divided by the median-split technique according to their dribbling test time (faster and slower groups). Foot-ball contacts cadence, centre of mass (CoM), ranges of motion (RoM), velocity and acceleration, as well as stride length, cadence and variability were computed. Hip and knee joint RoMs were also considered. Faster players, as compared to slower players, showed a 30% higher foot-ball cadence (3.0 ± 0.1 vs. 2.3 ± 0.2 contacts · s^?1, P < 0.01); reduced CoM mediolateral (0.91 ± 0.05 vs. 1.14 ± 0.16 m, P < 0.05) and vertical (0.19 ± 0.01 vs. 0.25 ± 0.03 m, P < 0.05) RoMs; higher right stride cadence (+20%, P < 0.05) with lower variability (P < 0.05); reduced hip and knee flexion RoMs (P < 0.05). In conclusion, faster players are able to run with the ball through a shorter path in a more economical way. To effectively develop dribbling skill, coaches are encouraged to design specific practices where high stride frequency and narrow run trajectories are required.     

Elite coaching and the technocratic engineer: thanking the boys at Microsoft!

The primary purpose of this article is to provide an in-depth understanding of the manner in which surveillance technologies have become readily appropriated and utilised by elite Rugby Union coaches. It is conceded that positions adopted by populist writings commonly categorise the act of coaching as an educational activity that harnesses holistic intentions. Through reflecting upon semi-structured interviews with players located at an Aviva Premiership Rugby Union Club, we provide insight into an elite sporting institution that more accurately depicts coaching as a technocratic activity. The resultant analysis is critical in its review of surveillance mechanisms embedded in institutional practice, extending to the sports coaching setting, which explicate sinister rather than pastoral motives to enforce a disciplinary power that enhances the quantification of athletic performance. The article concludes by emphasising the impact of such practices upon establishing a sense of trust and the construction of self autonomous to the sporting domain. We argue that the emerging and steadfast acceptance of technology in the elite coaching environment is threatening to circumvent the learning potential of players by merely viewing them as functionaries. In adopting this position, we tentatively suggest that future research seeking to inform the practice of coaching and coach education should continue to pursue this critical dialogue to question whether, and to what extent, an overreliance on technology is becoming perceived as the ‘gold standard’ of professional practice amongst the coaching fraternity.     

Helping patrons find locally held electronic resources: An interlibrary loan perspective

The University of North Texas Libraries provide extensive online access to academic journals through major vendor databases. As illustrated by interlibrary loan borrowing requests for items held in our databases, patrons often have difficulty navigating the available resources. In this study, the Interlibrary Loan staff used data gathered from the ILLiad interlibrary loan management system to investigate why patrons request locally available materials. This study resulted in recommendations for the Libraries' linking strategies in EBSCOhost databases. Several user education needs were identified and communicated to the Libraries' Subject Liaisons.