Sagittal plane motion of the lumbar spine during ergometer and single scull rowing

Lumbar spine injury in rowers is common and ergometer rowing has been cited as a risk factor for this injury. The purpose of this study is to compare lumbar kinematics between ergometer and single scull rowing and to examine the effect of fatigue on kinematics. The sagittal lumbar spine motion of 19 elite male rowers (lumbar spine injury free in the previous six months) was measured with an electrogoniometer during a ‘step test’ on an ergometer and in a single sculling boat. Maximum range of lumbar flexion was recorded in standing for reference. Power output and heart rate were recorded during the ergometer tests. Heart rate was used as a surrogate for power output in the sculling test. Maximum lumbar flexion increased during the step test and was significantly greater on the ergometer (4.4° ± 0.9°change), compared with the boat (+1.3° ± 1.1°change), (3.1°difference, p = 0.035). Compared to the voluntary range of motion, there is an increase of 11.3% (ergometer) and 4.1% (boat). Lumbar spine flexion increases significantly during the course of an ergometer trial while changes in a sculling boat were minimal. Such differences may contribute to the recent findings linking ergometer use to lower-back injury.     

Movement variability and skills monitoring in sports

The aim of this paper was to present a review on the role that movement variability (MV) plays in the analysis of sports movement and in the monitoring of the athlete's skills. MV has been traditionally considered an unwanted noise to be reduced, but recent studies have re-evaluated its role and have tried to understand whether it may contain important information about the neuro-musculo-skeletal organisation. Issues concerning both views of MV, different approaches for analysing it and future perspectives are discussed. Information regarding the nature of the MV is vital in the analysis of sports movements/motor skills, and the way in which these movements are analysed and the MV subsequently quantified is dependent on the movement in question and the issues the researcher is trying to address. In dealing with a number of issues regarding MV, this paper has also raised a number of questions which are still to be addressed.     

Increasing Access for Economically Disadvantaged Students: The NSF/CSEM & S-STEM Programs at Louisiana State University

Increasing college degree attainment for students from disadvantaged backgrounds is a prominent component of numerous state and federal legislation focused on higher education. In 1999, the National Science Foundation (NSF) instituted the ??Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Scholarships?? (CSEMS) program; this initiative was designed to provide greater access and support to academically talented students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Originally intended to provide financial support to lower income students, this NSF program also advocated that additional professional development and advising would be strategies to increase undergraduate persistence to graduation. This innovative program for economically disadvantaged students was extended in 2004 to include students from other disciplines including the physical and life sciences as well as the technology fields, and the new name of the program was Scholarships for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (S-STEM). The implementation of these two programs in Louisiana State University (LSU) has shown significant and measurable success since 2000, making LSU a Model University in providing support to economically disadvantaged students within the STEM disciplines. The achievement of these programs is evidenced by the graduation rates of its participants. This report provides details on the educational model employed through the CSEMS/S-STEM projects at LSU and provides a path to success for increasing student retention rates in STEM disciplines. While the LSU??s experience is presented as a case study, the potential relevance of this innovative mentoring program in conjunction with the financial support system is discussed in detail.     

An IRT modeling of change over time for repeated measures item response data using a random weights linear logistic test model approach

In this study, repeated measures item response data from an English language proficiency (ELP) test administered over 2?years were analyzed by item response theory-based approaches to model change over time. First, change over time was modeled by an item side change approach where change was parameterized at the item level. Second, more importantly, this study introduced and demonstrated an application of an interaction model for change, which overcomes a limitation of the item side change approach by allowing interaction effects between persons and item side change parameters. The results showed that student changes in the ELP data used in this study should be modeled for the three sub-content areas and that modeling interaction for change was necessary.     

“Peace, order and good government”: archives in society

The phrase “peace, order and good government,” common to the definition of federal powers in both the Australian and the Canadian constitutions, has defined the relationship of the Crown and the citizen for more than five centuries. The archival record is fundamental to that relationship, providing its authoritative legal basis, documenting its evolution and continuing as a reminder of both our proudest achievements and our most dismal failures as a society. This paper reflects on the role of archives in recent Canadian human rights issues, highlighting both the strengths and the weaknesses of the record, the perception of archives as an agency of the state and the role of archives in helping society address highly contentious issues.     

Creating an alternate reality: Critical,creative, and empathic thinking generated in the Global Village Playground capstone experience

The Global Village Playground (GVP) was a capstone learning experience designed to address institutional assessment needs while providing an integrated and authentic learning experience for students aimed at fostering critical and creative thinking. In the GVP, students work on simulated and real-world problems as a design team tasked with developing an alternate reality game that makes an impact on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Researchers employed a qualitative case study approach to evaluate participant reactions to the course, their perceptions of the instructional design methodology, what they learned in the course, and the challenges they experienced during the pilot implementation of this capstone design. This article documents what students reported to have learned in the course as a result of their experience creating an alternate reality game.     

Fifty years of LIS education in Australia: Academization of LIS educators in higher education institutions

Extensive data document the distribution of library and information science (LIS) educators in Australia from 1959 to 2008: from a slow beginning in the 1960s, to rapid growth in the 1970s, relative stability in the 1980s, and a persistent decline from the 1990s. Other characteristics of Australian LIS educators over the 50-year period are presented, including: previous positions held before entering academia, what and where academic qualifications were obtained, academic positions/ranks by gender, mobility within Australian higher education institutions, and years spent as Australian LIS educators. Although there has been a steady decline in the number of Australian LIS educators since the 1990s, the level of academic qualifications and percentage with doctorates have risen, thus conforming to a major requirement of academia; however, the relative decline in junior academic positions is a worrying trend. The analysis of changed characteristics over time helps define who Australian LIS academics are, and additionally provides data that contributes to LIS academic workforce planning.