Realising the Benefits of Sports and Physical Activity : The Human Capital Model

Despite the fact that physical activity is universally acknowledged to be an important part of healthy functioning and well being, the full scope of its value is rarely appreciated. This paper introduces a novel framework for understanding the relationships between physical activity (and specific forms of activity like sports) and different aspects of human development. It proposes that the outcomes of physical activity can be framed as differential �capitals� that represent investments in domain-specific assets � Emotional, Financial, Individual, Intellectual, Physical, and Social. These investments, especially when made early in the life course, can yield significant rewards, both at that time and for years to come. The paper also outlines some of the conditions necessary for the realization of Human Capital growth through sports and physical activity, focusing on the social factors that influence participation for children and young people.A pesar de que la actividad física es reconocida universalmente como una parte importante del funcionamiento saludable y el bienestar, el alcance total de su valor es raramente apreciado. Este artículo presenta un novedoso marco para la comprensión de las relaciones entre la actividad física (y formas específicas de actividad como los deportes) y diferentes aspectos del desarrollo humano. Propone que los resultados de la actividad física pueden enmarcarse como �capitales� diferenciales que representan inversiones en activos relacionados con ámbitos específicos - emocional, financiero, individual, intelectual, físico y social. Estas inversiones, especialmente cuando se realizan pronto en el curso de la vida, pueden dar ventajas significativas, tanto en ese momento como en los años venideros. En el documento también se describen algunas de las condiciones necesarias para la realización de un crecimiento del capital humano a través del deporte y la actividad física, centrándose en los factores sociales que influyen en la participación de los niños y los jóvene

Pair distribution functions calculated from interatomic potential models using the General Utility Lattice Program.

A new module has been developed for the widely used General Utility Lattice\ud Program (GULP). The phonon-based theory developed by Chung & Thorpe\ud [Phys. Rev. B (1999), 59, 4807–4812] to calculate pair distribution function\ud (PDF) peak widths has been utilized to give a selection of commonly used\ud correlation functions. A numerical library of neutron scattering information is\ud now available within GULP, and is used to produce results that can be\ud compared with neutron scattering experimental data. The influence of different\ud phonon modes on the PDF can be assessed by excluding modes above or below\ud a cut-off frequency. Results are presented for sample crystallographic systems,\ud MgO, SrTiO3 and -cristobalite, as well as CaxSr1xTiO3 at x = 0.5, which makes\ud use of the capability to handle partial occupancies to compare different Ca/Sr\ud ordering arrangements with a disordered model in which every Ca/Sr site has\ud 50% occupancy of both species

Effects of radiation on charge-coupled devices

The effects of 1 MeV electron irradiation upon the performance of two phase, polysilicon aluminum gate CCDs are reported. Both n- and p-surface channel and n-buried channel devices are investigated using 64- and 128-stage line arrays. Characteristics measured as a function of radiation dose include: Transfer inefficiency, threshold voltage, field effect mobility, interface state density, full well signal level and dark current. Surface channel devices are found to degrade considerably at less than 10 to the 5th power rads (Si) due to the large increase in fast interface state density caused by radiation. Buried channel devices maintain efficient operation to the highest dose levels used

What a Surprise: Challenges of Alternate Delivery Modes in Graduate Education

In this self-study of teacher educator practices (S-STEP) I follow my journey with the alternate delivery mode during four semesters of graduate education in Educational Studies. I encountered many surprises, that came in the form of tensions around engaging students in online delivery. The surprises were grounded in my teacher identity, I had been teaching online for 13 years and I identify as a strong online pedagogue. However, I encountered many challenges in the sudden pivot to alternate delivery mode required due to the COVID19 Pandemic. This study applies a reflective process through a collection and thematic analysis of data from four lenses: the lens of students, the lens of colleagues, the lens of self and the lens of the literature (Brookfield, 2010). The purpose of this study is to listen to self and to others to find ways to improve student engagement in the alternate delivery mode of learning. The implications of this study are for both personal and professional practice as well as for other educators who may be experiencing similar challenges

Management Strategies Of Non-Profit Community Sport Facilities In An Era Of Austerity

Research Question: This qualitative research explores the impact of austerity on community sport facilities across England (United Kingdom), drawing upon resource dependence theory (RDT) embedded within network theory. Research Methods: In-depth semi-structured interview data were collected from 24 stakeholders related to community sport facilities (n=12 facility managers, n=6 regional grant managers, n=6 national funders both third sector and corporate). The qualitative data were thematically analysed to understand the impact of austerity on how community sport facilities managed their organisations and operations. Results and Findings: The findings from this research offer insight into the challenges that community sport facilities are encountering which have resulted from austerity, and a shrinking of the funding from central Government to local public services. Furthermore, different community sport facilities have navigated these challenges to maintain sustainability, essentially through adapting network structure and through income dynamism. In addition, using a network theory approach alongside RDT within a sporting context, has allowed us to address issues on how network flow and structure impact sustainability and operations within and between organisations. Implications: The article offers managerial recommendations for community sport facility managers, practitioners and policy makers who operate in times of fiscal constraint. It recommends that future sport research utilises and applies both RDT and network theory to examine these changes and the subsequent management strategies adopted to overcome the associated challenges of fiscal constraint

S-STEP 2.0 Finding our Way: Teaching in Alternate Modes of Delivery

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to critically re-evaluate teaching strategies. This self-study of teacher education practices (S-STEP) builds on previous research to compare effective traditional lessons with alternate modes of delivery. In this interactive session, we share several lessons. Participants will be actively engaged. In S-STEP 2.0, we compare and contrast lessons such as ice-breakers, jigsaws, discussions and group activities, utilizing Moodle, Big Blue Button, Padlet, Slido, Google Docs, and other online tools. We critically analyze the teaching of graduate students through S-STEP with the help of a critical friend. In addition, we explore Comparative Ethnographic Narrative (CEN) as another way of knowing within the S-STEP space (Howe, 2010). “A critical friend acts as a sounding board, asks challenging questions, supports reframing of events, and joins in the professional learning experience” (Schuck & Russell, 2005, p. 107). CEN is well-aligned with LaBoskey’s (2004) criteria of self-study: “it is self-initiated and focused; it is improvement-aimed; it is interactive; it includes multiple, mainly qualitative methods; and it defines validity as a validation process based on trustworthiness” (p. 817). Data includes detailed weekly reflections and feedback from students. Students provide written feedback at the end of each class and at the end of term through a survey and course evaluation. E-journal reflections are shared with a critical friend via email and in person over MS Teams. Then, together we make meaning from them. The research text evolves from teacher-to-teacher conversations (Howe, 2010; Howe & Cope-Watson, 2020; Yonemura, 1982)

The \u3ci\u3ePesticides and Farmworker Health Toolkit\u3c/i\u3e: An Innovative Model for Developing an Evidence-Informed Program for a Low-Literacy, Latino Immigrant Audience

Migrant and seasonal farmworkers are typically Spanish-speaking, Latino immigrants with limited formal education and low literacy skills and, as such, are a vulnerable population. We describe the development of the Pesticides and Farmworker Health Toolkit, a pesticide safety and health curriculum designed to communicate to farmworkers pesticide hazards found in their working environments. Using evidence-informed principles, the Toolkit curriculum for low-literacy, Latino farmworkers and its developmental process described herein serve as an innovative and useful model for Extension programming with non-traditional audiences

An analytical and experimental assessment of flexible road ironwork support structures

This paper describes work undertaken to investigate the mechanical performance of road ironwork installations in highways, concentrating on the chamber construction. The principal aim was to provide the background research which would allow improved designs to be developed to reduce the incidence of failures through improvements to the structural continuity between the installation and the surrounding pavement. In doing this, recycled polymeric construction materials (Jig Brix) were studied with a view to including them in future designs and specifications. This paper concentrates on the Finite Element (FE) analysis of traditional (masonry) and flexible road ironwork structures incorporating Jig Brix. The global and local buckling capacity of the Jig Brix elements was investigated and results compared well with laboratory measurements. FE models have also been developed for full-scale traditional (masonry) and flexible installations in a surrounding flexible (asphalt) pavement structure. Predictions of response to wheel loading were compared with full-scale laboratory measurements. Good agreement was achieved with the traditional (masonry) construction but poorer agreement for the flexible construction. Predictions from the FE model indicated that the use of flexible elements significantly reduces the tensile horizontal strain on the surface of the surrounding asphaltic material which is likely to reduce the incidence of surface cracking

Football, sport and the development of young people’s life skills

© 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. The development of life skills has been associated with participation in sport, football and other physical activities. A factor in enabling this ambition to be realized is the actions and behaviours of sports coaches. Drawing on the concept of positive youth development through sport, the first part of this paper considers the types of environments coaches need to create in order for players to develop life skills. The second part of this paper discusses formal coach education and its role in developing coaches’ knowledge of life skills development. The third and final section of this paper offers an alternative explanation of how people’s exposure to certain social contexts results in the development of life skills. A review of literature in these areas reveals that the role sport and football has played in players’ development of life skills is unclear and in need of future research attention