Muscle cross-sectional areas and performance power of limbs and trunk in the rowing motion

Although it is clear that rowers have a large muscle mass, their distribution of muscle mass and which of the main motions in rowing mediates muscle hypertrophy in each body part are unclear. We examine the relationships between partial motion power in rowing and muscle cross-sectional area of the thigh, lower back, and upper arms. Sixty young rowers (39 males and 21 females) participated in the study. Joint positions and forces were measured by video cameras and rowing ergometer software, respectively. One-dimensional motion analysis was performed to calculate the power of leg drive, trunk swing, and arm pull motions. Muscle cross-sectional areas were measured using magnetic resonance imaging. Multiple regression analyses were carried out to determine the association of different muscle cross-sectional areas with partial motion power. The anterior thigh best explained the power demonstrated by leg drive (r2 = 0.508), the posterior thigh and lower back combined best explained the power demonstrated by the trunk swing (r2 = 0.493), and the elbow extensors best explained the power demonstrated by the arm pull (r2 = 0.195). Other correlations, such as arm muscles with leg drive power (r2 = 0.424) and anterior thigh with trunk swing power (r2 = 0.33 5), were also significant. All muscle cross-sectional areas were associated with rowing performance either through the production of power or by transmitting work. The results imply that rowing motion requires a well-balanced distribution of muscle mass throughout the body.     

面向个性化推荐的快速关联规则挖掘算法

关联规则挖掘是解决电子商务推荐问题的重要方法之一.针对传统关联规则挖掘算法在解决移动电子商务环境个性化推荐问题时反复扫描数据库,频繁项挖掘效率低,关联规则挖掘准确率低以及规则大量冗余等不足,提出一个基于事务矩阵和用户兴趣度的关联规则挖掘算法(Matrix-and-Interestingness-based Association Rules Mining,MIbARM).该算法仅需扫描一次数据库,并在挖掘过程中不断缩小算法搜索空间以避免生成冗余候选项,同时避免了冗余规则挖掘,从而提高了挖掘效率.最后,在四组人工数据和160种参数组合的数值实验环境下,引入Apriori、CBAR 及BitTableFI算法对MIbARM进行对比验证.结果表明,在不减少有趣规则的前提下,MIbARM不但可有效避免冗余候选项集的产生,而且大幅减少了冗余规则数量,极大提高了算法的搜索效率,同时提升了个性化推荐的质量,更适用于移动电子商务环境下的个性化推荐问题.     

Bilateral leg extension power and fat-free mass in young oarsmen

We evaluated the impact of bilateral leg extension power and fat-free mass on 2000 m rowing ergometer performance in 332 young oarsmen (age 21+/-2 years, height 1.76+/-0.05 m, body mass 62+/-6 kg; mean+/-s). The 2000 m rowing performance time was correlated with height (1.62-1.93 m; R2=0.23, P<0.001), body mass (53-95 kg; R2=0.53, P<0.001), fat-free mass (47-82 kg; R2=0.58, P<0.001) and bilateral leg extension power (1202-3302 W; R2=0.38, P<0.001). Multiple regression analysis selected fat-free mass and bilateral leg extension power as regressor variables. Fat-free mass explained 58% of the variability in rowing performance and the inclusion of bilateral leg extension power improved the power of prediction by 5%. The results suggest that rowing involves almost every muscle in the body and that bilateral leg extension power is very important during this activity.     

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.     

Migrant workers enchanted with consumer society: transnationalism and global consumer culture in Bangladesh

This article reconsiders the relationship between transnationalism from above and from below, focusing on the consumer behavior of migrant workers. Although transnationalism from below may be regarded as positive resistance to dependence on nation-states and global capital, it also facilitates incorporation into global consumer cultures. This article reports how Bangladeshi return migrants have been enchanted by consumer practices in industrialized countries and have transmitted them into Bangladesh. Return migrants bring consumption habits as well as savings and remittances from industrialized countries. Returnees consequently spread consumer culture to their homelands efficiently, promoting the penetration of global capital and further migration.     

Global Activist Network involving Asia: global continuation and evolution in Japan

Since Seattle 1999, plenty of summit protests around WTO, G8/20, IMF, WB, COP, and so on happened in each of the different summit sites in the last decade. Such incidents were amazingly accepted because of their mass actions and widespread networks of activists sustaining a series of mass actions. As some researchers argue, those of generating networks are based on horizontality and autonomy, and they have already prefigured a powerful model for (re)organizing society. However, on the other hand, some researchers also argue the major shortcomings. In theory, the ‘Global Activist Network’ has been constructed since Seattle, although in practice there has still been a serious spatial gap between the Western part of the world and the other side of the world. Actually, the global activist network has excluded Asia. However, in 2008, the G8 summit was held in Japan. This paper, thus, aims to show that the global activist network since Seattle, which was limited to Europe and North America, has expanded to involve Asia through the 2008 G8 summit in Japan. The 2000 G8 in Japan was right after the Seattle in 1999, yet, due to its single-issue and national character of the movements, globally expanding networks didn't reach Japan. However, movements around the 2003 anti-Iraq war brought in the autonomous character of the alter-globalization movement and referred to the legacy of autonomous activisms. During the 2008 G8, some autonomous activists in Japan took over the diversity of tactics and networks of activists inherited since PGA, DAN and ‘Dissent!’.     

Habitual rowing exercise is associated with high physical fitness without affecting arterial stiffness in older men

The present study elucidated the effects of habitual rowing exercise on arterial stiffness and plasma levels of the vasoconstrictor endothelin-1 and the vasodilator nitric oxide (NO) in older men. Eleven rowers (68.0 ± 1.6 years) and 11 sedentary control older men (64.9 ± 1.1 years) were studied. Peak oxygen uptake (36.0 ± 1.7 vs. 27.7 ±1.9 ml · kg(-1) · min(-1)), leg press power (1346 ± 99 vs. 1077 ± 68 W), and HDL-cholesterol (75 ± 5 vs. 58 ±3 mg · ml(-1)) were higher and triglyceride (78 ± 9 vs. 120 ± 14 mg · ml(-1)) was lower in rowers than in control participants (all P < 0.05). Arterial stiffness indices (carotid β-stiffness and cardio-ankle vascular index) and plasma endothelin-1 and NOx (nitrite + nitrate) levels did not differ between the two groups. These results suggest that habitual rowing exercise in older men is associated with high muscle power and aerobic capacity, and favourable blood lipid profile without affecting arterial stiffness or plasma levels of endotheline-1 and NO.     

Students’ perceptions of a marine education program at a junior high school in Japan with a specific focus on Satoumi

In many coastal areas of Japan, local fishermen manage fish and other marine resources in a sustainable manner. Such areas are referred to as Satoumi. In this study, we focused on Hinase Junior High School in Okayama Prefecture, Japan, which is implementing a proactive marine education program in collaboration with local fishermen to maintain Satoumi. We conducted semi-structured interviews with the students (n = 108; thirty-six students in each grade [seventh-, eighth-, and ninth-graders]) at Hinase Junior High School. Using the grounded theory, we identified students’ perceptions of this program as well as of the sea. The results revealed that the program appears to have changed students’ perceptions, such as recognizing the importance of the sea and eelgrass as well as their behavior such that they no longer throw waste into the sea. The higher the grade level was, the more that students felt close to and were willing to care for the sea. Our study suggests that the program has helped to develop individuals who are knowledgeable about the fishing community of Hinase, fishermen’s roles, and activities that would contribute to biodiversity conservation and who are motivated to conserve Satoumi in the future.     

Analysis and treatment of child abuse: A set of behavioral propositions

Five propositions are presented to suggest the potential of a behavioral approach to the understanding and treatment of child abuse. Each proposition deals with an important source of child abuse: (a) ineffective child management techniques; (b) deliberately punitive child rearing practices; (c) impulsive acts by the parent triggered by the child; (d) high levels of stress; and (e) negative attitude toward the child. For each proposition we discuss supportive findings from both child abuse and general psychological research as well as the additional information that would be needed in order to obtain a better functional analysis of clinical cases. Based on this discussion, behavioral therapy strategies are proposed with special attention being given to the various measures needed to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment programs.