Effects of inter-limb asymmetries on physical and sports performance: a systematic review

The prevalence of inter-limb asymmetries has been reported in numerous studies across a wide range of sports and physical qualities; however, few have analysed their effects on physical and sports performance. A systematic review of the literature was undertaken using the Medline and SPORT Discus databases, with all articles required to meet a specified criteria based on a quality review. Eighteen articles met the inclusion criteria, relating participant asymmetry scores to physical and sports performance measures. The findings of this systematic review indicate that inter-limb differences in strength may be detrimental to jumping, kicking and cycling performance. When inter-limb asymmetries are quantified during jumping based exercises, they have been primarily used to examine their association with change of direction speed with mixed findings. Inter-limb asymmetries have also been quantified in anthropometry, sprinting, dynamic balance and sport-specific actions, again with inconsistent findings. However, all results have been reported using associative analysis with physical or sport performance metrics with no randomised controlled trials included. Further research is warranted to understand the mechanisms that underpin inter-limb differences and the magnitude of performance changes that can be accounted for by these asymmetries

Generating direct manipulation program editors

Language specific editors are cognisant of the syntax and semantics of the programming language they manipulate. Despite the various potential advantages of language specific editors, they have not been widely accepted by software developers for serious software development. On the other hand direct manipulation editors, which are also cognisant of the entities they manipulate, have proven to be successful in other domains such as drawing and VLSI design tools. Thus, it is worth while investigating the incorporation of direct manipulation mechanisms into program editors. This paper presents a technique for specifying direct manipulation editing of programs which is amenable to the generation of language specific editors incorporating direct manipulation from a specification of the desired editing mechanisms

Whither the Language Lab?

Language Labs have experienced many changes over thepast several years, from changes in names to changes in direction.This edited transcription of a panel discussion at the1994 TESOL conference by six experienced language lab directorsprovides an informal and free-wheeling discussionabout the following questions: (1) What's in a name (change)?(2) What is the most appropriate role for technology with respectto language learning and teaching? (3) What is the roleof the language lab vis-a-vis faculty and adminis tration? (4)What are students' perceptions of language labs? (5) Whathas had the greatest impact on language labs over the last tento twenty years? (6) What are the fundamental characteristicsof the ideal lab director? (7) What is the greatest challengefacing the language lab today, as well as into the next decade?(8) Whither the language lab? What direction do we see ourselvesmoving in the next generation

Structure of human saposin A at lysosomal pH.

The saposins are essential cofactors for the normal lysosomal degradation of complex glycosphingolipids by acid hydrolase enzymes; defects in either saposin or hydrolase function lead to severe metabolic diseases. Saposin A (SapA) activates the enzyme β-galactocerebrosidase (GALC), which catalyzes the breakdown of β-D-galactocerebroside, the principal lipid component of myelin. SapA is known to bind lipids and detergents in a pH-dependent manner; this is accompanied by a striking transition from a `closed' to an `open' conformation. However, previous structures were determined at non-lysosomal pH. This work describes a 1.8 Å resolution X-ray crystal structure determined at the physiologically relevant lysosomal pH 4.8. In the absence of lipid or detergent at pH 4.8, SapA is observeed to adopt a conformation closely resembling the previously determined `closed' conformation, showing that pH alone is not sufficient for the transition to the `open' conformation. Structural alignments reveal small conformational changes, highlighting regions of flexibility.CHH is funded by a Wellcome Trust PhD studentship, RJR is supported by a Principal Research Fellowship funded by the Wellcome Trust (Grant No. 082961/Z/07/Z) and JED is supported by a Royal Society University Research Fellowship (UF100371). The Cambridge Institute for Medical Research is supported by a Wellcome Trust Strategic Award (100140).This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.1107/S2053230X1500858

Considerations for selecting field-based strength and power fitness tests to measure asymmetries

The prevalence of lower limb asymmetries has been reported in numerous studies; however, methodological differences exist in the way they can be detected. Strength and jumping-based tasks have been most commonly used to examine these differences across both athlete and non-athlete populations. The aim of this review was to critically analyze the utility of strength and jumping tests that are frequently used to measure asymmetry. Reliability, validity, and considerations for assessment are examined to enhance test accuracy and effectiveness in the quantification of asymmetries during strength and jumping-based tasks. Medline and SPORT Discus databases were used with specific search terms to identify relevant articles in both athlete and non-athlete populations. The findings of the current review indicate that assessing inter-limb differences during strength and jumping-based tasks may result in different levels of asymmetry; thus, inter-limb differences appear to be task-dependent. Consequently, quantification during both types of assessment is warranted and a selection of tests has been suggested to measure asymmetries in both strength and jumping-based tasks

Asymmetries of the lower limb: the calculation conundrum in strength training and conditioning

Asymmetry detection has been a topic of interest in the strength and conditioning (S&C) literature with numerous studies proposing many different equations for calculating between-limb differences. However, there does not appear to be a clear delineation as to which equation should be used when quantifying asymmetries. Consequently, the authors have uncovered nine different equations which pose confusion as to which method the S&C specialist should employ during data interpretation. This article aims to identify the different equations currently being used to calculate asymmetries and offer practitioners a guide as to which method may be most appropriate when measuring asymmetries

On the role of the AIS practitioner

Cognisant of the gulf between engineers and immunologists that currenty hinders a truly inter-disciplinary approach to the field of Artificial Immune Systems (AIS), we propose a redefinition of the term AIS practitioner, as an individual who identifies those components and interactions captured in computational immunology models that are responsible for a particular property of interest (POI), and distils from these a set of algorithms and principles that can be applied in an engineering domain. We outline the role of the cross-disciplinary practitioner and the potential benefits to the field

Effectiveness of appropriately trained nurses in preoperative assessment: randomised controlled equivalence/non-inferiority trial

Objective To determine whether preoperative assessments carried out by appropriately trained nurses are inferior in quality to those carried out by preregistration house officers. Design Randomised controlled equivalence/non-inferiority trial. Setting Four NHS hospitals in three trusts. Three of the four were teaching hospitals. Participants All patients attending for assessment before general anaesthesia for general, vascular, urological, or breast surgery between April 1998 and March 1999. Intervention Assessment by one of three appropriately trained nurses or by one of several preregistration house officers. Main outcome measures History taken, physical examination, and investigations ordered. Measures evaluated by a specialist registrar in anaesthetics and placed in four categories: correct, overassessment, underassessment not affecting management, and underassessment possibly affecting management (primary outcome). Results 1907 patients were randomised, and 1874 completed the study; 926 were assessed by house officers and 948 by nurses. Overall 121/948 (13%) assessments carried out by nurses were judged to have possibly affected management compared with 138/926 (15%) of those performed by house officers. Nurses were judged to be non-inferior to house officers in assessment, although there was variation among them in terms of the quality of history taking. The house officers ordered considerably more unnecessary tests than the nurses (218/926 (24%) v 129/948 (14%). Conclusions There is no reason to inhibit the development of nurse led preoperative assessment provided that the nurses involved receive adequate training. However, house officers will continue to require experience in preoperative assessment

On the role of the AIS practitioner

Cognisant of the gulf between engineers and immunologists that currenty hinders a truly inter-disciplinary approach to the field of Artificial Immune Systems (AIS), we propose a redefinition of the term AIS practitioner, as an individual who identifies those components and interactions captured in computational immunology models that are responsible for a particular property of interest (POI), and distils from these a set of algorithms and principles that can be applied in an engineering domain. We outline the role of the cross-disciplinary practitioner and the potential benefits to the field