Age-Related Differences in Muscular Strength and Muscular Endurance among Female Masters Swimmers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine age-related differences in muscular strength and muscular endurance among 73 female masters swimmers aged 24 to 71 years. Each subject was assessed on measures of body size, grip strength, peak isokinetic torque of shoulder and knee flexion and extension, and endurance of shoulder and knee movements. Although swim training appears to have resulted in higher strength values for these swimmers than for less active women, an age-related decline in muscular strength values was nevertheless apparent. The results fail to reveal a similar age-related trend for muscular endurance, suggesting that swim training influences muscular endurance more than muscular strength among adult women.     

Age Differences in use of Strategy for Recall of Movement in a Large Scale Environment

Abstract

In order to investigate how children remember distance (route) and location (landmark) information, two experiments were conducted in a large scale environment using jogging as the means of locomotion. In Experiment 1, thirty 4-year-old and thirty 9-year-old children were randomly assigned within age to three groups which were cued prior to the jog to remember the event, location of the event or distance to the event. Results indicated that older children reproduced the location and distance better than younger children. Cueing children to remember the location resulted in more accurate estimates than the other conditions. In Experiment 2, 5-year-old, 9-year-old, and 12-year-old children (24 children of each age) were randomly divided into step counting strategy and control groups, and asked to reproduce a criterion distance jogged. Results indicated that the three strategy groups and the 12-year-old controls estimated distance with similar accuracy, but the 9- and 5-year-old controls were different, as their error was inversely related to age.     

Introduction

Abstract

Information systems design can progress toward meeting the needs of the population of decision‐makers, managers, policy‐makers, and interdisciplinary workers by attention to specifications obtained from the user's situation. The user situation is represented by problems and their component dimensions, of which subject is only one dimension. The other problem dimensions, which relate to information traits, are discussed for the purpose of proposing a new orientation for the design of information systems.     

Why users keep answering questions in online question answering communities: A theoretical and empirical investigation

This study theorized and validated a model of knowledge sharing continuance in a special type of online community, the online question answering (Q&A) community, in which knowledge exchange is reflected mainly by asking and answering specific questions. We created a model that integrated knowledge sharing factors and knowledge self-efficacy into the expectation confirmation theory. The hypotheses derived from this model were empirically validated using an online survey conducted among users of a famous online Q&A community in China, “Yahoo! Answers China”. The results suggested that users’ intention to continue sharing knowledge (i.e., answering questions) was directly influenced by users’ ex-post feelings as consisting of two dimensions: satisfaction, and knowledge self-efficacy. Based on the obtained results, we also found that knowledge self-efficacy and confirmation mediated the relationship between benefits and satisfaction.     

Improved approaches to stability criteria for neural networks with time-varying delays

In this paper, the problem of stability analysis for neural networks with time-varying delays is considered. By the use of a newly augmented Lyapunov functional and some novel techniques, sufficient conditions to guarantee the asymptotic stability of the concerned networks are established in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Three numerical examples are given to show the improved stability region of the proposed works.     

Carl Rogers,learning and educational practice: critical considerations and applications in sports coaching

Discussions about ‘athlete-centered’ coaching and ‘coach-centered’ coach education have started to gain increasing popularity in the field of coaching science. While it has been suggested that these ‘learner-centered’ approaches arguably align with the theoretical ideals of humanistic psychology, an in-depth examination of the implications of this learning orientation to sports coaching remains elusive. Rather, discussions have tended to be detached from theory, focusing instead on practices and methods. In light of this development, the present paper provides a detailed and critical overview of one of the leading humanistic thinkers' work, namely Carl Rogers, in order to consider what implications his theorising about ‘person-centered’ learning could have for the development of athletes and coaches. In doing so, we hope that this article will serve to advance understanding and theoretically underpin what have tended to be largely a-theoretical and superficial discussions about ‘athlete-centered’ coaching and ‘coach-centered’ coach education.     

Aerodynamic effects on the accuracy of an end-over-end kick of an American football

The effects of initial conditions on the flight of an American football kicked in an end-over-end manner were investigated using a dynamic simulation employing the quaternion method. The effects of initial tilt and spin about the longitudinal axis of the ball were considered. For the most accurate kick, our simulations show that the ball should be vertical leaving the kicker’s foot, and have no angular velocity about the longitudinal axis of the ball. A case study was performed for which experimental data were available, showing the trends of the flight of the ball captured in our simulations in actual game situations.     

Massive preexposure and preexposure in multiple contexts attenuate the context specificity of latent inhibition

Latent inhibition, which refers to attenuated responding to a conditioned stimulus (CS) after CS-unconditioned stimulus (CS-US) pairings as a result of CS-alone presentations prior to the pairings, is often attenuated if preexposure and conditioning occur in different contexts (i.e., it is context specific). Here we report two conditioned lick suppression experiments, using rat subjects, that examined whether manipulations known to attenuate the context specificity of extinction could also eliminate the context specificity of latent inhibition. Context specificity of latent inhibition was eliminated when the CS was preexposed in multiple contexts (Experiment 1) and when the CS was massively pre-exposed in the training context alone (Experiment 2). These results and their practical implications are discussed in the framework of contemporary theories of latent inhibition.     

The Decentralisation Debate: Thinking about Power

Comparing the dynamics of centralisation/decentralisation in Belgium and South Africa has the advantage of revealing discrepancies between the public or official rationale for the (re)distribution of power and the probable or eventual effect of this (re)distribution on educational processes and learning outcomes. It can be seen that local empowerment which has been sometimes credited to decentralisation has tended to be rather spurious, for decentralisation instead appears actually to reinforce existing inequities. Using Foucault’s notion of power as complexly relational by nature, the present study explores some of the assumptions underpinning the dynamics of centralisation/decentralisation and the way they are conceived in certain discursive practices. It does so by looking not only at the juridical and administrative distribution of power between the centre and the periphery in education systems, but also at matters of force and governmentality.     

Computer usage and cognitive capability of older adults: Analysis of data from the Health and Retirement Study

As America’s older population continues to grow, more individuals are experiencing cognitive decline in the United States. At the same time, we live in an age where technology has increasingly become an integral part of our daily lives. Although numerous studies have examined cognitive functions of older adults from a diverse range of perspectives, research on the relationship between the technology adoption and adult cognitive capacity has been limited. Using nationally representative data (n = 5,259) from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this study analyzed the effect of computer usage on the cognitive capabilities of individuals aged 50 and older in the United States. Findings show that computer use in older adults declines with age but rises for those with higher levels of education. Results also indicate that an increased use of computers is significantly associated with improved cognitive capability, when controlling for age, gender, and years of education. Further research is needed to better understand the patterns of technology adoption among older adults and assess its effects on their cognitive abilities.