Acute effects of walking on inflammatory and cardiovascular risk in sedentary post-menopausal women

Biochemical markers of inflammation are emerging as new predictors of risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and may alter acutely with exercise. Few studies have been conducted on the effects of walking on these markers or whether different walking intensities elicit varied effects. As there is growing interest in modifiable lifestyle factors such as walking to reduce CVD risk, these inflammatory responses warrant investigation. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of walking at 50% versus 70% of predicted maximal heart rate on C-reactive protein (CRP), plasma fibrinogen, and triglycerides in sedentary post-menopausal women. Twelve post-menopausal women (mean age 58 years, s +/-6; stature 1.62 m, s+/-0.06; body mass 66.8 kg, s +/-6.2) completed two 30-min treadmill walks in a randomized cross-over design. Fasted blood samples were taken (for the determination of plasma fibrinogen, CRP, and lipids) before, immediately after, and 1 and 24 h after exercise. Triglyceride concentrations decreased from pre-exercise to 24 h post exercise at both walking intensities (time x group interaction, P < 0.05). No significant effects were observed for plasma fibrinogen, CRP, total cholesterol, low-density or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (time x group interaction, P > 0.05). The results of this study suggest that fasting plasma triglycerides are decreased on the morning after 30 min of brisk walking at either 50% or 70% of maximal heart rate (moderate and vigorous intensity).     

Task switching in overweight children: effects of acute exercise and age

The short-term after effects of a bout of moderate aerobic exercise were hypothesized to facilitate children's executive functioning as measured by a visual task-switching test. Sixty-nine children (mean age=9.2 years) who were overweight and inactive performed a category-decision task before and immediately following a 23-min bout of treadmill walking and, on another session, before and following a nonexercise period. The acute bout of physical activity did not influence the children's global switch cost scores or error rates. Age-related differences in global switch cost scores, but not error scores, were obtained. These results, in concert with several studies conducted with adults, fail to confirm that single bouts of moderately intense physical activity influence mental processes involved in task switching.     

Mid-flight lateral trunk bending increased ipsilateral leg loading during landing: a center of mass analysis

Increased lateral trunk bending to the injured side has been observed when ACL injuries occur. The purpose was to quantify the effect of mid-flight lateral trunk bending on center of mass (COM) positions and subsequent landing mechanics during a jump-landing task. Forty-one recreational athletes performed a jump-landing task with or without mid-flight lateral trunk bending. When the left and right trunk bending conditions were compared with the no trunk bending condition, participants moved the COM of the upper body to the bending direction, while the COM of the pelvis, ipsilateral leg, and contralateral leg moved away from the bending direction relative to the whole body COM. Participants demonstrated increased peak vertical ground reaction forces (VGRF) and knee valgus and internal rotation angles at peak VGRF for the ipsilateral leg, but decreased peak VGRF and knee internal rotation angles at peak VGRF and increased knee varus angles at peak VGRF for the contralateral leg. Mid-flight lateral trunk resulted in an asymmetric landing pattern associated with increased ACL loading for the ipsilateral leg. The findings may help to understand altered trunk motion during ACL injury events and the discrepancy in ACL injuries related to limb dominance in badminton and volleyball.     

A comparison of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children and the Stanford-Binet IV for the assessment of gifted children

The K-ABC and the Stanford-Binet IV (abbreviated test battery) were administered in a counterbalanced order to 32 gifted third- and fourth-grade students. It was found that the Stanford-Binet IV produced scores that were an average of eight points higher than those on the K-ABC. The concurrent validity coefficient of .70 indicated a high degree of association between test performance on these two tests. When the diagnostic heuristic of +2 SDs is used to identify gifted children, 68.6% concordance was found between these tests. Eighty percent of the discordance involved cases in which the Binet IQ was above +2 SDs and the K-ABC was below +2 SDs. Implication for the assessment of gifted children is discussed.     

Addressing violence against teachers: A social-ecological analysis of teachers' perspectives

Much research has been dedicated to supporting school communities in combating the problem of school violence. However, violence directed toward teachers is under-investigated, and knowledge of how to support teachers is limited. This qualitative study used conventional content analysis to assess teachers' recommendations for preventing and improving the response to teacher-directed violence. The sample included 245 prekindergarten through 12th grade teachers, all of whom experienced school violence and participated in a larger national survey study on violence against teachers. Using a social-ecological framework and conventional content analysis, teacher recommendations for addressing teacher victimization were identified and organized at the individual, school, community, and society levels. Themes around conflict resolution strategies; improving policies, resources, and relationships with administrators; increasing parental involvement; and changing culture and laws were highlighted. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.