Taxonomy and diversity of New Zealand cave wētā (Orthoptera; Rhaphidophoridae)

Species are the fundamental unit for ecology and evolution. Taxonomy, the naming of species, grabbles with the problem of accurately representing these fundamental units. In this research I targeted a group of understudied and undervalued insects that are common throughout New Zealand. This work focuses on Rhaphidophoridae, a family of Orthoptera found globally, but the diversity in New Zealand is poorly understood and poorly described. I have been the first to use high specimen numbers in order to establish within and between species differences of New Zealand cave wētā. I have established the importance of multiple taxonomic methods. At no stage was the aim to fully resolve all issues, but rather to identify morphological characters that are useful in distinguishing species, and integrating mtDNA sequence data to test species hypotheses. I focused first on cave wētā specimens that came from a biodiversity studied but had not been identified to genus or species. I was able to identify characters that could distinguish between the taxa present in this sample and developed a method that could be transferred to other locations. Two key findings were that multiple cave wētā species co-exist across a range of habitats and that variation in abundance was species dependent. Of importance was my finding that juveniles cannot be distinguish and placed with their correct adult form due to changes in both subgenital plate shape and apical spines. From three regions in North Island New Zealand I was able to distinguish and identify fourteen putative cave wētā species. mtDNA sequence data were use to test putative species clusters identified by morphology and allowed me to confidently pair male and female specimens. Combinations of apical leg spines and subgenital plate shape could consistently diagnose most taxa. Many of the species are new to science. Therefore I described three new species in the genus Neonetus. I reviewed our current knowledge of the endemic genera Pleioplectron, Weta and Miotopus and based on evidence from mtDNA sequences and large samples I was able to clarify current species and describe one new Miotopus species. As with many insect species, male terminalia are the key to distinguishing among species, and species within the same genus have similar female subgenital plates

The ethical beliefs and behaviours of Victorian fitness professionals

A survey based on those employed by Petitpas, Brewer, Rivera, and Van Raalte (1994), Pope, Tabachnick, and Keith-Spiegel (1987), Tabachnick, Keith-Spiegel, and Pope (1991), and Pope and Vetter (1992) was used to investigate the ethical beliefs and behaviours of Victorian fitness professionals. Although there is evidence that Victorian fitness professionals are knowledgeable about some general ethical principles, the results of this study suggest that there is some lack of consensus among Victorian fitness professionals about the ethical appropriateness of a number of complex issues relating to business practices, confidentiality, dual relationships, and personal and professional boundaries. The findings suggest there is a need to improve the professional and ethical education of fitness professionals and to develop comprehensive ethical principles and a code of conduct that is relevant to the individuals working in the Australian fitness profession

Feasibility of Using a Commercial Fitness Tracker as an Adjunct to Family-Based Weight Management Treatment: Pilot Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: Fitness trackers can engage users through automated self-monitoring of physical activity. Studies evaluating the utility of fitness trackers are limited among adolescents, who are often difficult to engage in weight management treatment and are heavy technology users. OBJECTIVE: We conducted a pilot randomized trial to describe the impact of providing adolescents and caregivers with fitness trackers as an adjunct to treatment in a tertiary care weight management clinic on adolescent fitness tracker satisfaction, fitness tracker utilization patterns, and physical activity levels. METHODS: Adolescents were randomized to 1 of 2 groups (adolescent or dyad) at their initial weight management clinic visit. Adolescents received a fitness tracker and counseling around activity data in addition to standard treatment. A caregiver of adolescents in the dyad group also received a fitness tracker. Satisfaction with the fitness tracker, fitness tracker utilization patterns, and physical activity patterns were evaluated over 3 months. RESULTS: A total of 88 adolescents were enrolled, with 69% (61/88) being female, 36% (32/88) black, 23% (20/88) Hispanic, and 63% (55/88) with severe obesity. Most adolescents reported that the fitness tracker was helping them meet their healthy lifestyle goals (69%) and be more motivated to achieve a healthy weight (66%). Despite this, 68% discontinued use of the fitness tracker by the end of the study. There were no significant differences between the adolescent and the dyad group in outcomes, but adolescents in the dyad group were 12.2 times more likely to discontinue using their fitness tracker if their caregiver also discontinued use of their fitness tracker (95% CI 2.4-61.6). Compared with adolescents who discontinued use of the fitness tracker during the study, adolescents who continued to use the fitness tracker recorded a higher number of daily steps in months 2 and 3 of the study (mean 5760 vs 4148 in month 2, P=.005, and mean 5942 vs 3487 in month 3, P=.002). CONCLUSIONS: Despite high levels of satisfaction with the fitness trackers, fitness tracker discontinuation rates were high, especially among adolescents whose caregivers also discontinued use of their fitness tracker. More studies are needed to determine how to sustain the use of fitness trackers among adolescents with obesity and engage caregivers in adolescent weight management interventions

Physical Fitness of Physical Therapy Students

Physical fitness norms do not exist for physical therapists or physical therapy students. This lack, in part, reflects the complexity of physical fitness and the scarcity of data reported on physical fitness norms of other populations. This report describes the methods used and the results obtained for 16 physical fitness factors of 98 female and 13 male physical therapy upperclassmen and discusses the implications of physical fitness in the practice of physical therapy. Means, standard deviations, ranges, and percentile rankings are given by sex for each of the 16 fitness factors. The purpose of this study was to begin to establish physical fitness norms. As physical fitness norms are established, it will be possible to determine how norms of physical therapists and physical therapy students compare with established values

The relationship between physical activity, motor competence and health-related fitness in 14-year-old adolescents

Physical activity, physical fitness, and motor competence are important health-related constructs. However, the relationship between them, particularly among children and adolescents, is still unclear. In this study, motor competence (measured by the McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development), pedometer-determined physical activity and physical fitness (aerobic fitness, muscle strength, muscle endurance, flexibility and body composition) were examined in a cohort of 1585 adolescents (771 girls, 814 boys) of mean age 14.1 yrs. Significant gender differences were observed for all measures except motor competence. Apart from hip and shoulder flexibility, males outperformed females. For both males and females, motor competence was associated with all fitness measures, physical activity was associated only with aerobic fitness and aerobic fitness was associated with physical activity, motor competence, BMI and chest pass. Among males, aerobic fitness was also associated with all other fitness tests. The correlations were, in general, moderate to weak. The results challenge the current focus on physical activity rather than physical fitness as the preferred intervention