Physiological and metabolic responses of wheelchair athletes in different racing classes to prolonged exercise

The aims of this study were to examine and compare selected physiological and metabolic responses of wheelchair athletes in two paraplegic racing classes [T3: n = 8 (lesion levels T1-T7; paraplegics); T4: n = 9 (lesion levels below T7; paraplegics)] to prolonged exercise. In addition, we describe the responses of three tetraplegic athletes [T2: n = 3 (lesion levels C6/C7: tetraplegics)]. Twenty athletes completed 90 min of exercise at 75% VO2peak on a motorized treadmill adapted for wheelchairs. The mean (+/- s) heart rates of the T3 and T4 racing classes were 165 +/- 2 and 172 +/- 6 beats.min-1, respectively. For the T4 racing class, heart rate gradually increased during the test (P < 0.05), whereas for the T3 racing class, heart rate reached a plateau after an initial increase. The mean heart rate of the tetraplegics was 114 +/- 3 beats.min-1. The T3 and T4 classes exhibited similar respiratory exchange ratios, plasma lactate and glucose concentrations throughout the test. For both the T3 and T4 racing class, free fatty acid, glycerol, ammonia, urea and potassium concentrations had increased from resting values by the end of the test (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that endurance-trained wheelchair athletes are able to maintain velocities equivalent to the same relative exercise intensity (75% VO2peak) for prolonged periods irrespective of lesion level.     

The National Curriculum and Standards in Primary Schools: A comparative perspective

A comparison is made of the standards in primary school mathematics in England and Cyprus, drawing upon national curricula, content of textbooks and data from international comparisons of attainment. Standards are conceptualised in three ways: expected, planned and realised. It is demonstrated that high expected and high planned standards, as set in national curricula and textbooks, are not associated with high realised standards. Four possible explanations are explored and policy issues associated with national standard setting are discussed. The value of setting national curriculum standards and targets by reference to comparative international data is raised.     

‘Teamwork’ or ‘Working as a Team’? The Theory and Practice of Top Team Working in UK Higher Education

This article focuses on the theory and practice of teamwork in ‘top management teams’ in UK higher education institutions. It is informed by some of the key findings from a recent two‐year research project sponsored by the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education that investigated the different ways in which UK higher education institutions organise their ‘top management’ and ‘senior management’ structures ( Kennie and Woodfield, 2008 ). The authors discuss literature from the corporate and higher education sectors on the meaning of ‘teamwork’ in top teams (e.g. Bensimon and Neumann, 1993 ; Katzenbach, 1998 ; Wageman et al., 2008 ) and relate the findings to the challenges of top level team working in higher education settings. Particular issues discussed include: the terminology related to higher education top teams, areas of decision‐making and time‐management, team orientation and agenda setting, team behaviours and team roles, team performance and evaluation, location, logistical support and resources, and team development. The authors conclude that the challenges of top team working in higher education settings are similar to those found in the corporate sector, albeit nuanced by different organisational cultures, and suggest some key principles to help top teams in higher education institutions improve their ability to work effectively together.     

Impact of question-answering tasks on search processes and reading comprehension

This study examined the effect of (a) high- and low-level questions and (b) reading the text before the questions asked on performance, delayed text recall, and deep text comprehension, as well as on specific text-inspection patterns. Participants were 37 undergraduate students who answered either high- or low-level questions using the software Read&Answer to read and answer questions on the computer screen. Additionally, half of the sample read first a text and then answered the questions (reading-first condition), whereas the other half answered the questions without having read the text in advance (no-reading-first condition). All participants had the text available to search for the answer. Results indicated that high-level questions facilitated deep comprehension but not immediate performance or delayed recall of text, independently of the reading condition, and that high- and low-level questions differentially affected text-inspection patterns.