Lunge performance and its determinants

For activities such as squash, badminton and fencing, the ability to quickly complete a lunge and return to the start or move off in another direction is critical for success. Determining which strength qualities are important predictors of lunge performance was the focus of this study. Thirty-one male athletes performed: (1) a unilateral maximal squat (one-repetition maximum, 1-RM) and unilateral jump squat (50% 1-RM) on an instrumented supine squat machine, and (2) a forward lunge while attached to a linear transducer. We performed stepwise multiple regression analysis with lunge performance as the dependent variable and various strength, flexibility and anthropometric measures as the independent variables. From the many strength and power measures calculated, time to peak force was the best single predictor of lunge performance, which accounted for 55% of the explained variance. The best three-variable model for predicting lunge performance accounted for 76-85% of the explained variance. The models differed, however, according to whether lunge performance was expressed relative to body mass (time to peak force, mean power and relative strength = 76%) or taken as an absolute value (time to peak force, leg length and flexibility = 85%). We conclude that one to two trials were reliable for strength diagnosis and that one strength measure cannot accurately explain functional performance because other factors, such as body mass, flexibility and leg length, have diverse effects on the statistical models.     

Validation of a stages of exercise change questionnaire

The purpose of this study was to examine evidence for the validity of a stages of change measure of the Transtheoretical Model for exercise behavior. Participants were 152 university students (53.3% women, 71.6% Caucasian, M age = 19.18 years) who completed processes of change, self-efficacy, decisional balance, stages of change, and exercise behavior questionnaires as well as a maximal treadmill test. Participants in the action and maintenance stages had the highest strenuous (PC/C/P < A/M) and moderate (PC/C < A/M) self-reported exercise behavior. Those in the maintenance stage had the highest estimated aerobic fitness (PC/P < MA). The differences between the early stages (PC, C, and P) and the later stages (A and M) as described by the first function were primarily due to the behavioral process of change. The differences between the extreme stages (PC and M) and the middle stages (C, P, and A) were due to the experiential processes of change and the pros of decisional balance. The hypothesized patterns of stage differences were partially supported. Failure to obtain full support may have been due to methodological issues or inherent difficulties in detecting evidence for the validity of stages of change measures.     

Making sense of autoimmune and rheumatic disorders at the reference desk

This paper discusses concepts and terminology of some aspects of the autoimmune and rheumatic disorders as related to medical reference work. Details of anatomic, biochemical, and pathologic processes are not discussed. Knowledge of the specific terminology involved in this area may help to ensure a good approach to developing prudent strategies for database searching of the medical literature and, therefore, is reviewed. MeSH thesaurus terms are shown and textword synonyms are presented that provide tools for thorough searching techniques. Commonly used medical jargon as well as older terminology for this area is also explained. Examples of specific search strategies are illustrated.     

Statistical analyses in the physiology of exercise and kinanthropometry

Research into the physiology of exercise and kinanthropometry is intended to improve our understanding of how the body responds and adapts to exercise. If such studies are to be meaningful, they have to be well designed and analysed. Advances in personal computing have made available statistical analyses that were previously the preserve of elaborate mainframe systems and have increased opportunities for investigation. However, the ease with which analyses can be performed can mask underlying philosophical and epistemological shortcomings. The aim of this review is to examine the use of four techniques that are especially relevant to physiological studies: (1) bivariate correlation and linear and non-linear regression, (2) multiple regression, (3) repeated-measures analysis of variance and (4) multi-level modelling. The importance of adhering to underlying statistical assumptions is emphasized and ways to accommodate violations of these assumptions are identified.     

Tribulations and achievements: the early history of Olympism in Argentina

By the end of the nineteenth century, modern sport had enchanted the people of Argentina. At that time the nation enjoyed a remarkable degree of economic prosperity and embarked on increasing political democratization. These circumstances, along with the fact that the nation was represented from the beginning, in 1894, on the International Olympic Committee seemed to favour Argentina as the spearhead of the diffusion of Olympism throughout South America. However, the country only enjoyed its first official Olympic participation in the Paris Games of 1924 - a few months after the establishment of the Argentine Olympic Committee. This essay explores the reception and diffusion of Olympism in Argentina. It reveals a process of gradual adoption including conflicting views on the relationship between the state and sport, several attempts at institutionalization, international misunderstandings and the role of politics and class.     

Domain specificity and variability in cognitive development

There are core-specific and noncore-specific domains of knowledge, but only the core-specific domains benefit from innate skeletal structures. Core skeletal domains are universally shared, even though their particular foci may vary; individuals vary extensively in terms of the noncore domains they acquire.