Wrestling

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a significant difference in the co‐efficient of friction (Fc) between old versus new wrestling shoes and mats and to investigate the effect of perspiration. Fc was measured by dragging a weighted shoe over a wrestling mat surface and measuring the vertical and horizontal forces produced. Three different shoe conditions were assessed over two mat types for both wet and dry conditions for a total of 12 conditions. To simulate the wet condition, saline solution was smeared over the surface of the mat. There was a significant effect of shoe, mat, and wet/dry conditions. In addition, significant interactions of shoe by mat, shoe by dry/wet, and mat by dry/wet were observed. Overall, Fc was 36% higher for the new wrestling mat compared to the old wrestling mat. Application of the saline solution reduced Fc by 14% compared to the dry condition. Comparison of the mean Fc for all three shoe types revealed the Fc for the older design shoe was 23% to 28% lower than the brand new shoe and the worn newer design, respectively. A high Fc, such as in the new mat/new shoe combination, has the potential to increase the risk of knee and ankle injuries by fixing the foot more securely to the ground.     

Errata

Abstract

One hundred and eighteen national collegiate fencers engaged in the first round competition in the 28th annual NCAA Fencing Championships held at the University of Illinois, Chicago Circle Campus. After the first day of competition, the field size was reduced to 72 fencers or 24 fencers per weapon. Through the use of a unique scoring device, response times and accuracy measurements were recorded for each fencer. The fencers then engaged in their respective round robin tournament according to class of weapon; epee, sabre, or foil. Two criterion measures of fencing success were then correlated with response times and accuracies. Correlation coefficients for sabre fencemen were slightly better than 0. Criterion measures for epee fencers showed a low relationship with response time and accuracies while those of foil showed a slight to fair relationship.     

Brief Walks in Outdoor and Laboratory Environments

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of brief walks completed in outdoor and laboratory environments on affective responses, enjoyment, and intention to walk for exercise. Thirty-five active young women (M age = 22.14 years, SD = 1.73) walked for 10 min at a self-selected intensity in outdoor and laboratory environments. Affective responses were assessed before, during, and following each brief walk. Enjoyment and intention also were assessed following each walk. Results revealed that although both walks resulted in improvements in affective responses, participants reported greater pleasant affective states, enjoyment, and intention for future participation with outdoor walking. Results of correlation analyses also revealed that affective responses were only consistently related to enjoyment in the outdoor environment. These findings suggest that the environment influences the affective responses to brief walks and show that affective states experienced during walking are related to theoretical determinants of physical activity.     

The Influence of Physical Education on Physical Activity Levels of Urban Elementary Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of physical education in shaping physical activity patterns. Seventy-one Hispanic and African American elementary students participated in the study. Students attended one 30- and one 60-min physical education class weekly. Pedometer steps were used to estimate physical activity. Data suggest that students did not engage in enough physical activity on a daily basis to incur health benefits. There were significant step differences in 0-, 30-, and 60-min physical education days, with the most steps occurring on 60-min days. Results from the study suggest physical education may be an important source of physical activity for Hispanic and African American students, especially girls, and may influence participation in physical activity outside of class.     

Reluctant mediator: Hong Kong,the two Koreas and the Tokyo Olympics

This essay examines the complex, and ultimately unsuccessful, negotiations between North and South Korea, undertaken with the encouragement of the International Olympic Committee during 1962–63 to form a united Korean team to participate in the Tokyo Olympics of 1964. In particular, it focuses on the role of Hong Kong, chosen as a ‘neutral’ site for the two Korean delegations to meet. It shows how the IOC's optimism for a ‘sporting’ solution was to founder on continued mutual suspicion and recriminations between the two Koreas and how the Hong Kong government's reluctance to get involved, the US political intervention, and North Korean participation in the GANEFO Games were all to complicate the process.     

The St Francis mission Indians and the National Interscholastic Catholic basketball tournament, 1924–1941

Organizers of the National Interscholastic Catholic Basketball Tournament in Chicago consistently extended bids to a tribal team from St Francis Mission during the 1920s and 1930s. The authors argue that they did so because putting a ‘real’ Indian team on the court drew crowds that helped the tournament compete with a rival ‘anti-Catholic’ public school tourney at the University of Chicago. Jesuit educators at St Francis and the tribal athletes agreed to take part for other reasons, the Jesuits hoping to advance their mission goals and the players finding an opportunity to excel at a game they loved. The team's triumphs on the court thus involved them in political, interuniversity and cultural battles being waged by others off the court.     

From F = ma to Flying Squirrels: Curricular Change in an Introductory Physics Course

We present outcomes from curricular changes made to an introductory calculus-based physics course whose audience is primarily life sciences majors, the majority of whom plan to pursue postbaccalaureate studies in medical and scientific fields. During the 2011–2012 academic year, we implemented a Physics of the Life Sciences curriculum centered on a draft textbook that takes a novel approach to teaching physics to life sciences majors. In addition, substantial revisions were made to the homework and hands-on components of the course to emphasize the relationship between physics and the life sciences and to help the students learn to apply physical intuition to life sciences–oriented problems. Student learning and attitudinal outcomes were assessed both quantitatively, using standard physics education research instruments, and qualitatively, using student surveys and a series of postsemester interviews. Students experienced high conceptual learning gains, comparable to other active learning–based physics courses. Qualitatively, a substantial fraction of interviewed students reported an increased interest in physics relative to the beginning of the semester. Furthermore, more than half of students self-reported that they could now relate physics topics to their majors and future careers, with interviewed subjects demonstrating a high level of ability to come up with examples of how physics affects living organisms and how it helped them to better understand content presented in courses in their major.     

The Public Knowledge Project and the Simon Fraser University Library: A Partnership in Open Source and Open Access

The Public Knowledge Project is an ongoing collaboration between academics, librarians, publishers, editors, and software developers, working together to build alternatives in scholarly publishing. The project has developed a suite of open source software that significantly reduces the time and expense required for producing academic journals and conferences, and facilitates making research results freely available through open access. This article examines the history of the project, provides an overview of its open source software, discusses the growing community participating in the project, and considers its future directions.