VO2 prediction and cardiorespiratory responses during underwater treadmill exercise

We compared cardiorespiratory responses to exercise on an underwater treadmill (UTM) and land treadmill (LTM) and derived an equation to estimate oxygen consumption (VO2) during UTM exercise. Fifty-five men and women completed one LTM and five UTM exercise sessions on separate days. The UTM sessions consisted of chest-deep immersion, with 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% water-jet resistance. All session treadmill velocities increased every 3 min from 53.6 to 187.8 m x min(-1). Cardiorespiratory responses were similar between LTM and UTM when jet resistance for UTM was 50%. Using multiple regression analysis, weight-relative VO2 could be estimated as: VO2 (mLO2 c kg(-1) x min(-1)) = 0.19248 x height (cm) + 0.17422 x jet resistance (% max) + 0.14092 x velocity (m x min(-1)) -0.12794 x weight (kg)-27.82849, R2 = .82. Our data indicate that similar LTM and UTM cardiorespiratory responses are achievable, and we provide a reasonable estimate of UTM VO2.     

Healthy Birth Practice #3: Bring a Loved One,Friend, or Doula for Continuous Support

All women should be allowed and encouraged to bring a loved one, friend, or doula to their birth without financial or cultural barriers. Continuous labor support offers benefits to mothers and their babies with no known harm. This article is an updated evidence-based review of the “Lamaze International Care Practices that Promote Normal Birth, Care Practice #3: Continuous Labor Support,” published in The Journal of Perinatal Education, 16(3), 2007.     

Vocational education and race in the Chicago public schools: Three historical case studies and implications for current reform

Three vocational high schools provide illustrative and contrasting histories in terms of African-American education and economic opportunity. Washburne Trade School reinforced trade union exclusion of African-Americans, and since integration in the 1960s has been abandoned by most of the powerful unions. Dunbar Vocational High School directed African-Americans into the lower-paying trades, but has lost the economic base that the ghetto once provided. Chicago Vocational School prepared the white working class for industrial jobs, but integration and re-segregation has coincidentally seen the erosion of Chicago's manufacturing base. These schools are compared in the economic, political, and cultural contexts of past and present. It is proposed that an integrated strategy for the reform of vocational education is necessary for these schools to adapt to economic change in the present and future.     

Comparability of Scores From Performance Assessments

Why is comparability of forms important for performance assessments? Can traditional methods of form equating be used? What problems are likely to arise in equating? Can standards generalize across forms?