Top 10 Research Questions Related to Preventing Sudden Death in Sport and Physical Activity

Participation in organized sport and recreational activities presents an innate risk for serious morbidity and mortality. Although death during sport or physical activity has many causes, advancements in sports medicine and evidence-based standards of care have allowed clinicians to prevent, recognize, and treat potentially fatal injuries more effectively. With the continual progress of research and technology, current standards of care are evolving to enhance patient outcomes. In this article, we provided 10 key questions related to the leading causes and treatment of sudden death in sport and physical activity, where future research will support safer participation for athletes and recreational enthusiasts. The current evidence indicates that most deaths can be avoided when proper strategies are in place to prevent occurrence or provide optimal care.     

Changes in jump performance and muscle activity following soccer-specific exercise

The jump performance of ten youth soccer players (mean age 15.8 years, s= 0.4) was assessed before and after 42 min of soccer-specific exercise performed on a non-motorized treadmill. A squat, countermovement, and drop jump were performed on a force platform and simultaneously surface EMG activity of four lower limb muscles was collected. Jump height deteriorated across all conditions with mean reductions of - 1.4 cm (s = 1.6; P < 0.05), - 3.0 cm (s = 2.9; P < 0.05), and -2.3 cm (s = 1.7; P < 0.01) in the squat, countermovement, and drop jump respectively. The impact force in the drop jump was the only force variable to show a significant change with fatigue (P < 0.05). Following the prolonged exercise, reductions in total muscle activity were non-significant for the squat jump, approached significance for the counter-ovement jump (P = 0.07), and achieved significance for the drop jump (P < 0.05). The results showed that completing soccer-specific exercise reduced performance in all jump tasks. Reductions in muscle activity were greatest for the drop jump, suggesting an influence of muscle stretch and loading on reduced muscle activity when fatigued.     

Electronic scholarly monographs: issues and challenges for the UK

The literature on electronic publishing reveals that scant attention has been paid to the area of scholarly monographs. This paper reports on a recent and rare investigation into the nature and provision of electronic scholarly monographs and textbooks in the UK. Publishing structures are delineated; the physical characteristics of electronic scholarly monographs are reviewed; and issues associated with their nature and content are discussed. Problems of bibliographical control and of quality are also explored.     

Exploring the Ties between Career Satisfaction and Education: Trait versus Situational Approaches

This study examines the effects of education on the career paths of Texas law enforcement officers holding advanced or specialized positions. It addresses the distribution of officers by rank and by assignment pattern, and the variance in career paths explained by respondents' education. Findings show that higher education reduces time required for movement in rank and assignment to specialized positions and was positively correlated to promotion into supervisory and administrative posts. Implications are that higher education will enhance an officer's probability of rising to the top regardless of whether the agency requires a college degree as a precondition of employment.     

THE ASSOCIATION AMONG STUDENT SUCCESS IN COURSES,PLACEMENT TEST SCORES,STUDENT BACKGROUND DATA,AND INSTRUCTOR GRADING PRACTICES

Growth in the use of testing to determine student eligibility for community college courses has prompted debate and litigation regarding over the equity, access, and legal implications of these practices. In California, this has resulted in state regulations requiring that community colleges provide predictive validity evidence of test-score?based inferences and course prerequisites. In addition, companion measures that supplement placement test scores must be used for placement purposes. However, for both theoretical and technical reasons the predictive validity coefficients between placement test scores and final grades or retention in a course generally demonstrate a weak relationship. The study discussed in this article examined the predictive validity of placement test scores with course grade and retention in English and mathematics courses. The investigation produced a model to explain variance in course outcomes using test scores, student background data, and instructor differences in grading practices. The model produced suggests that student dispositional characteristics explain the high proportion of variance in the dependent variables. Including instructor grading practices in the model adds significantly to the explanatory power and suggests that grading variations make accurate placement more problematic. This investigation underscores the importance of academic standards as something imposed on students by an institution and not something determined by the entering abilities of students.     

A Preliminary Study of Grade Forecasting by Students

This experiment enabled undergraduate business students to better assess their progress in a course by quantitatively forecasting their own end‐of‐course grades. This innovation provided them with predictive feedback in addition to the outcome feedback they were already receiving. A total of 144 students forecast their grades using an instructor‐prepared spreadsheet, and then responded to a brief survey. Of these participants, 29% said the forecast grades were lower than expected, while 6% said they were higher. Subsequent to the forecast, 47% of the respondents said they were studying more than planned, while 3% said they were studying less. The relative difference between the students’ forecast grades and their prior expectations showed no direct influence on subsequent motivation or studying effort. Instead, increased studying was reported by students who had experienced increased anxiety, increased motivation, or positive impressions subsequent to the forecasting experience, as well as by students who had received low absolute grade forecasts.     

School-to-school support within a competitive education system: views from the inside

ABSTRACT

This paper draws on evidence from a study carried out in England to explore how schools can support one another’s improvement within a policy context that emphasises competition. The findings offer some reasons to be optimistic, and are suggestive of the capacity and potential of the school system in England to “self-improve” through collaborative means. However, light is also thrown on a number of barriers that need to be overcome to make such an approach work. The paper argues that developing a greater understanding of the social complexities involved in school-to-school support requires research that takes account of the views of those involved. With this in mind, the paper reflects on the experiences of a group of school leaders in England, leading to lessons that are likely to be relevant to those in other national contexts where competition is seen as a driver for school improvement.     

Longitudinal changes in submaximal oxygen uptake in 11- to 13-year-olds

The aim of this study was to monitor longitudinal changes in young people's submaximal oxygen uptake (VO 2 ) responses during horizontal treadmill running at 8 km h -1 . The 236 participants (118 boys, 118 girls) were aged 11.2 +/- 0.4 years (mean +/- s) at the onset of the study. Submaximal VO 2 , peak VO 2 and anthropometry were recorded annually for three consecutive years. The data were analysed using multi-level regression modelling within a multiplicative, allometric framework. The initial model examined sex, age and maturity-related changes in submaximal VO 2 relative to body mass as the sole anthropometric covariate. Our results demonstrate that the conventional ratio standard ml kg -1 min -1 does not adequately describe the true relationship between body mass and submaximal VO 2 during this period of growth. The effects of maturity and age were non-significant, but girls consumed significantly less VO 2 than boys running at 8 km h -1 . In subsequent models, stature was shown to be a significant explanatory variable, but this effect became non-significant when the sum of two skinfolds was added. Thus, within this population, submaximal VO 2 responses were explained predominantly by changes in body mass and skinfold thicknesses, with no additional maturity-related increments. When differences in body mass and skinfolds were controlled for, there was still a difference between the sexes in submaximal VO 2 , with girls becoming increasingly more economical with age.     

CHILD‐CENTERED PLAY THERAPY IN THE SCHOOLS: REVIEW AND META‐ANALYSIS

The authors conducted a meta‐analysis and systematic review that examined 23 studies evaluating the effectiveness of child centered play therapy (CCPT) conducted in elementary schools. Meta‐analysis results were explored using a random effects model for mean difference and mean gain effect size estimates. Results revealed statistically significant effects for outcome constructs, including externalizing problems (d = 0.34), internalizing problems (d = 0.21), total problems (d = 0.34), self‐efficacy (d = 0.29), academic (d = 0.36), and other behaviors (d = 0.38). Further, a systematic review was conducted on all studies compared with Outcome Research Coding Protocol criteria. Results indicated that CCPT studies provided quantitative support and qualitatively promising to strong evidence in support of its use in the schools.