Evaluation of a static stretching intervention on vascular endothelial function and arterial stiffness

Purpose: Maintenance and enhancement of vascular endothelial function contribute to the prevention of cardiovascular disease and prolong a healthy life expectancy. Given the reversible nature of vascular endothelial function, interventions to improve this function might prevent arteriosclerosis. Accordingly, we studied the effects of a 6-month static stretching intervention on vascular endothelial function (reactive hyperaemia peripheral arterial tonometry index: RH-PAT index) and arterial stiffness (brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity: baPWV) and investigated the reversibility of these effects after a 6-month detraining period following intervention completion. Methods: The study evaluated 22 healthy, non-smoking, premenopausal women aged ≥40 years. Subjects were randomly assigned to the full-intervention (n?=?11; mean age: 48.6?±?2.8 years) or a half-intervention that included a control period (n?=?11; mean age: 46.9?±?3.6 years). Results: Body flexibility and vascular endothelial function improved significantly after 3 months of static stretching. In addition to these improvements, arterial stiffness improved significantly after a 6-month intervention. However, after a 6-month detraining period, vascular endothelial function, flexibility, and arterial stiffness all returned to preintervention conditions, demonstrating the reversibility of the obtained effects. Conclusion: A 3-month static stretching intervention was found to improve vascular endothelial function, and an additional 3-month intervention also improved arterial stiffness. However, these effects were reversed by detraining.     

Inferring Longitudinal Relationships Between Variables: Model Selection Between the Latent Change Score and Autoregressive Cross-Lagged Factor Models

This research focuses on the problem of model selection between the latent change score (LCS) model and the autoregressive cross-lagged (ARCL) model when the goal is to infer the longitudinal relationship between variables. We conducted a large-scale simulation study to (a) investigate the conditions under which these models return statistically (and substantively) different results concerning the presence of bivariate longitudinal relationships, and (b) ascertain the relative performance of an array of model selection procedures when such different results arise. The simulation results show that the primary sources of differences in parameter estimates across models are model parameters related to the slope factor scores in the LCS model (specifically, the correlation between the intercept factor and the slope factor scores) as well as the size of the data (specifically, the number of time points and sample size). Among several model selection procedures, correct selection rates were higher when using model fit indexes (i.e., comparative fit index, root mean square error of approximation) than when using a likelihood ratio test or any of several information criteria (i.e., Akaike’s information criterion, Bayesian information criterion, consistent AIC, and sample-size-adjusted BIC).     

Crossing Paths: Intercultural Collaborations

There are unusual elements in this essay. It is a coconstructed intercultural narrative about spaces, places, people, and ideas, about their influence on us and our academic journeys, separately and together. Each narrative considers the intercultural footpaths and bridges that have connected us to one another and to others in the Central States Communication Association (CSCA) and the Intercultural Communication (IC) interest group.     

A new approach to determining net impulse and identification of its characteristics in countermovement jumping: reliability and validity

Examining a countermovement jump (CMJ) force-time curve related to net impulse might be useful in monitoring athletes' performance. This study aimed to investigate the reliability of alternative net impulse calculation and net impulse characteristics (height, width, rate of force development, shape factor, and proportion) and validate against the traditional calculation in the CMJ. Twelve participants performed the CMJ in two sessions (48 hours apart) for test–retest reliability. Twenty participants were involved for the validity assessment. Results indicated intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) of ≥ 0.89 and coefficient of variation (CV) of ≤ 5.1% for all of the variables except for rate of force development (ICC = 0.78 and CV = 22.3%). The relationship between the criterion and alternative calculations was r = 1.00. While the difference between them was statistically significant (245.96 ± 63.83 vs. 247.14 ± 64.08 N s, p < 0.0001), the effect size was trivial and deemed practically minimal (d = 0.02). In conclusion, variability of rate of force development will pose a greater challenge in detecting performance changes. Also, the alternative calculation can be used practically in place of the traditional calculation to identify net impulse characteristics and monitor and study athletes' performance in greater depth.     

Argumentativeness: Japanese and American tendencies to approach and avoid conflict

The Japanese allegedly are disinclined to argue. This study supports that allegation. Japanese university students were compared to American students using the Infante/ Rancer Argumentativeness Scale. The scale measures tendencies to approach arguments and to avoid them. Additionally it indicates the general argumentativeness trait of respondents. The Japanese were significantly less inclined to approach argument situations and had a significantly weaker argumentativeness trait than the Americans. No significant difference appeared for avoiding arguments.     

Peers’ perceptions of Japanese returnees

Many studies have examined the reentry process of Japanese children raised abroad. Results suggest that “feeling different” is a key factor in describing their experiences. These studies, however, were based only on self-reports of returnees. The current study examined returnees’ peers’ perceptions and the factors that affected them. Results indicated that the returnees’ peers’ perceptions could be summarized by two factors: “advantage” and “difference/disadvantage.” Those who had studied abroad and who had known many returnees had a balanced perspective of the returnee experience. Women were more likely to perceive advantages while those who were older were more likely to perceive differences/disadvantages.     

Educational reform in Japan towards inclusion: are we training teachers for success?

Within a tradition of a dual regular and special education system in Japan, the Government is promoting education reform that encourages an inclusive approach to education. This research investigates whether teachers are being trained for successful inclusion in Japan by reviewing the perceptions of all pre-service teachers in one university regarding their readiness for becoming inclusive practitioners. A move towards an inclusive approach to education in Japan is being promoted through collaboration and support between teachers trained in regular and special education. Thus, different perceptions of pre-service teachers preparing to work either in elementary schools or in special schools are a particular focus of this research. Discussion considers the need for better teacher preparation due to the very low understandings of inclusion and Japanese pre-service teachers’ perceived lack of skills, knowledge, experience, or training for an inclusive approach.     

Tokyo - Bidding for the Olympics and the Discrepancies of Nationalism

Since the first Modern Olympics in 1896 only a few cities have hosted or will host the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games more than once: London, Paris, Los Angeles, Athens and Tokyo. There is no doubt that the improvements in infrastructures and structural changes that were carried out for Tokyo in preparation for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics demonstrated that ‘Japan was experiencing remarkable economic growth’. The ‘development’ of Tokyo, 97% of the Olympic budget being earmarked for improvements to infrastructures, resulted in excessively centralised politics and economics. Looking at the bidding process to host the 2016 and 2020 Olympics, it can be seen that various expectations of sports are political in nature: from the political problem of remembering legacies as mere representations to the current situation of a nation basing its presence on involvement in the Olympics. The Sports Promotion Act enacted in 1961 was revised 50 years later, and policies on sport came to be regarded as national strategies. The new act became the basis for establishing the Sports Agency and specified governmental support for hosting the international sporting events it promotes. The time has come to seriously consider the necessity of critically arguing about nationalism, as well as how to determine the relationship between a nation and sport in terms of sport governance.     

A design of fine motion assist equipment for disabled hand in robotic rehabilitation system

This paper reports a newly designed system intended to aid in hand rehabilitation. The motion assistance equipment consists of three parts: mechanisms for the fingers and thumb, a base of these mechanisms, and a motion assistance mechanism for the wrist. The structure of each mechanism is designed to achieve independent, fine motion assistance, especially, for the individual fingers. First, the features of each mechanism in the equipment are explained. Next, the control systems are introduced, which are constructed to realize a self-motion control strategy (i.e., the motion is controlled by its user). Using this control system, the transient response and steady state characteristics of the motion assistance mechanisms for the thumb are evaluated. Consequently, the possibility of practical application is found in regard to some improved points.     

Cross-cultural impressions of leaders’ faces: Consensus and predictive validity

Across cultures, people tend to show high agreement in their impressions of others. But do these impressions predict external outcomes? Here we tested the predictive validity of trait judgments of the faces of Japanese and American targets, as rated by Japanese and American perceivers. Participants rated the faces of Japanese and American Chief Executive Officers of major companies. These judgments showed high agreement within and across cultures. In addition, judgments of power-related traits predicted the company profits of American CEOs, whereas judgments of warmth-related traits did not. However, neither power nor warmth predicted the company profits of Japanese CEOs, implicating longstanding cultural differences in company organization and business practices in the US versus Japan. Together, these data show both cross-cultural agreement between perceivers and targets but also cross-cultural differences in the relevance or application of particular trait information based on facial judgments.