Foundational bioscience content in exercise and sports science: update

Foundational bioscience content underpins both the exercise science and clinical exercise physiology standards for Exercise and Sports Science Australia, National University Course Accreditation Program accredited graduates. However, the graduate attributes within the foundational areas of Anatomy and Physiology are generalised into graduate outcomes with brief guiding principles and are open to interpretation. Therefore, it was the intension of this research project to investigate a global consensus regarding what bioscience content is viewed and prioritised as foundational to the profession of Exercise and Sports Science. Current we have 48 responses to the survey completed by 38 accredited exercise physiologists, 13 exercise scientists, 5 accredited sport scientists and 3 others. This initial analysis shows that majority of responses are new to the professional area (0-4 year - 56.25%) and are practicing predominately in general clinical exercise physiology settings (39.6%). Overwhelming respondents (95.8%) believed that exercise and sports science is an applied science and 60.4% thought the foundational science content should be taught by exercise and sport science academics. Detailed findings of what foundational science content respondents thought should be taught in exercise and sport science programs in Australia will be presented

Effects of personal and task constraints on limb coordination during walking: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background In human behaviour, emergence of movement patterns is shaped by different, interacting constraints and consequently, individuals with motor disorders usually display distinctive lower limb coordination modes. Objectives To review existing evidence on the effects of motor disorders and different task constraints on emergent coordination patterns during walking, and to examine the clinical significance of task constraints on gait coordination in people with motor disorders. Methods The search included CINHAL Plus, MEDLINE, HSNAE, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, Pubmed and AMED. We included studies that compared intra-limb and inter-limb coordination during gait between individuals with a motor disorder and able-bodied individuals, and under different task constraints. Two reviewers independently examined the quality of studies by using the Newcastle Ottawa Scale-cohort study. Findings From the search results, we identified1416 articles that studied gait patterns and further analysis resulted in 33 articles for systematic review and 18 articles for meta-analysis-1, and 10 articles for meta-analysis-2. In total, the gait patterns of 539 patients and 358 able-bodied participants were analysed in the sampled studies. Results of the meta-analysis for group comparisons revealed a low effect size for group differences (ES = −0.24), and a moderate effect size for task interventions (ES = −0.53), on limb coordination during gait. Interpretation Findings demonstrated that motor disorders can be considered as an individual constraint, significantly altering gait patterns. These findings suggest that gait should be interpreted as functional adaptation to changing personal constraints, rather than as an abnormality. Results imply that designing gait interventions, through modifying locomotion tasks, can facilitate the emergent re-organisation of inter-limb coordination patterns during rehabilitation

Analysis of movement variability in cycling : An exploratory study

The purpose of this study was to determine the test-retest repeatability of Blue Trident inertial measurement units (IMUs) and VICON Nexus kinematic modelling in analysing the Lyapunov Exponent (LyE) during a maximal effort 4000 m cycling bout in different body segments/joints. An additional aim was to determine if changes in the LyE existed across a trial. Twelve novice cyclists completed four sessions of cycling; one was a familiarisation session to determine a bike fit and become better accustomed to the time trial position and pacing of a 4000 m effort. IMUs were attached to the head, thorax, pelvis and left and right shanks to analyse segment accelerations, respectively, and reflective markers were attached to the participant to analyse neck, thorax, pelvis, hip, knee and ankle segment/joint angular kinematics, respectively. Both the IMU and VICON Nexus test-retest repeatability ranged from poor to excellent at the different sites. In each session, the head and thorax IMU acceleration LyE increased across the bout, whilst pelvic and shank acceleration remained consistent. Differences across sessions were evident in VICON Nexus segment/joint angular kinematics, but no consistent trend existed. The improved reliability and the ability to identify a consistent trend in performance, combined with their improved portability and reduced cost, advocate for the use of IMUs in analysing movement variability in cycling. However, additional research is required to determine the applicability of analysing movement variability during cycling

Are China and Russia on the Cyber Offensive in Latin America and the Caribbean? A Review of Their Cyber Capabilities and the Implications for the U.S. and its Partners in the Region

“This report explores the current military cyber structures and operations of China and Russia in order to postulate how both countries could conduct cyber operations in Latin America and the Carribean, and their motivations for doing so. We look at key actors in each state to provide an overview of current capabilities, and use the DIME (diplomacy, information, military, economics) framework to assess how they might use cyber and information capabilities in pursuit of national objectives in the region

Are China and Russia on the Cyber Offensive in Latin America and the Caribbean?

Cyberspace—the newest domain of conflict—is among the most prominent forums of conflict in the twenty-first century. Increasingly nation-states utilize cyber and information capability in pursuit of foreign policy and national security objectives. This report focuses on two nation-states that are leading the charge in this respect: China and Russia. While Russia seeks to destabilize the global system for its own advantage, China’s goal is to maintain the current system and replace the United States as the global hegemon. To that end, China and Russia are pursuing robust cyber capabilities to advance their respective geopolitical, economic, and security interests. Moreover, Chinese and Russian state-run enterprises use tools ranging from cyber espionage to weaponizing information in an effort to undermine the efficacy of democracy and, in general, western interests around the world.https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/jgi_research/1005/thumbnail.jp

Developmental trends in voice onset time: some evidence for sex differences

This study reports on an investigation into the voice onset time (VOT) patterns of the plosives /p b t d/ in a group of 30 children aged 7 (n = 10), 9 (n = 10) and 11 (n = 10) years. Equal numbers of girls and boys participated in the study. Each child named a series of letter objects to elicit /p b t d/ in a syllable onset position with a fixed vowel context. VOT data were examined for age, sex and plosive differences with the following hypotheses: Firstly, that there would be sex differences in the VOT patterns of preadolescent children. Secondly, that the sex differences in VOT patterns would be linked to age and development, and that these would eventually become marked by the age of 11 years, by which time adult-like VOT values should have been achieved. Finally, that the extent of sex and age differences would be dependent upon the plosive being investigated. Results indicated patterns of decrease with age in the VOT values of /p b/ for the boys, with some evidence of increases in the VOT values of /t/ for the girls. In addition, 'voiced' and 'voiceless' cognates showed a more marked bimodal distribution in the girls' VOT patterns. This bimodal distribution was investigated by examining the degree of difference between the VOT values of voiced and voiceless cognate pairs /p b/ and /t d/, and examining the effects of age, sex and cognate pair. These results indicated that more marked sex differences in the 'voiced'/'voiceless' contrast emerged between the data of the 9- and 11-year-olds, a pattern, which was more marked for the alveolar plosives. These preliminary results confirmed all three hypotheses. The findings are presented and discussed both within a developmental and sociophonetic framework

Lower limb biomechanical characetristics of patients with neuropathic diabetic foot ulcers: The diabetes foot ulcer study protocol

Background  Foot ulceration is the main precursor to lower limb amputation in patients with type 2 diabetes worldwide. Biomechanical factors have been implicated in the development of foot ulceration; however the association of these factors to ulcer healing remains less clear. It may be hypothesised that abnormalities in temporal spatial parameters (stride to stride measurements), kinematics (joint movements), kinetics (forces on the lower limb) and plantar pressures (pressure placed on the foot during walking) contribute to foot ulcer healing. The primary aim of this study is to establish the biomechanical characteristics (temporal spatial parameters, kinematics, kinetics and plantar pressures) of patients with plantar neuropathic foot ulcers compared to controls without a history of foot ulcers. The secondary aim is to assess the same biomechanical characteristics in patients with foot ulcers and controls over-time to assess whether these characteristics remain the same or change throughout ulcer healing.  Methods/Design  The design is a case–control study nested in a six-month longitudinal study. Cases will be participants with active plantar neuropathic foot ulcers (DFU group). Controls will consist of patients with type 2 diabetes (DMC group) and healthy participants (HC group) with no history of foot ulceration. Standardised gait and plantar pressure protocols will be used to collect biomechanical data at baseline, three and six months. Descriptive variables and primary and secondary outcome variables will be compared between the three groups at baseline and follow-up.  Discussion  It is anticipated that the findings from this longitudinal study will provide important information regarding the biomechanical characteristic of type 2 diabetes patients with neuropathic foot ulcers. We hypothesise that people with foot ulcers will demonstrate a significantly compromised gait pattern (reduced temporal spatial parameters, kinematics and kinetics) at base line and then throughout the follow-up period compared to controls. The study may provide evidence for the design of gait-retraining, neuro-muscular conditioning and other approaches to off-load the limbs of those with foot ulcers in order to reduce the mechanical loading on the foot during gait and promote ulcer healing

Influence of rest on players’ performance and physiological responses during basketball play

Pre-match warm-ups are standard in many sports but the focus has excluded the substitute players. The aim of this research was to investigate the result of inactivity on physiological and performance responses in substitute basketball players during competition. Two basketball players from the second tier of the State League of Queensland, Australia volunteered for this study and were assessed for performance (countermovement jump—CMJ) and physiological (core temperature via ingestible pill; skin temperature at the arm, chest, calf and thigh; heart rate—HR) responses prior to and following a 20-min warm-up, and during the first half of a competitive basketball match (2 × 20-min real time quarters). Warm up resulted in increases in CMJ (~7%), HR (~100 bpm) and core (~0.8 °C) and skin (~1.0 °C) temperatures. Following the warm up and during inactivity, substitute players exhibited a decrease in all responses including CMJ (~13%), HR (~100 bpm), and core (~0.5 °C) and skin (~2.0 °C) temperatures. Rest resulted in reductions in key performance and physiological responses during a competitive match that poses a risk for match strategies. Coaches should consider implementing a warm up to enhance core/skin temperature for substitute players immediately before they engage with competition to optimise player performance

Validation of plantar pressure and reaction force measured by Moticon pressure sensor insoles on a Concept2 rowing ergometer

The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability and validity of plantar pressure and reaction force measured using the Moticon and Pedar-x sensor insoles while rowing on a Concept2 ergometer. Nineteen participants performed four 500 m trials of ergometer rowing at 22–24 strokes/min; two trials wearing Moticon insoles and two wearing Pedar-x insoles in a randomised order. Moticon and Pedar-x insoles both showed moderate to strong test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.57–0.92) for mean and peak plantar pressure and reaction force. Paired t-test demonstrated a significant difference (p 1.13), and Pearson’s correlation (r < 0.37) showed poor agreement for all plantar pressure and reaction force variables. Compared to Pedar-x, the Moticon insoles demonstrated poor validity, however, the Moticon insoles had strong reliability. Due to poor validity, caution should be used when considering Moticon insoles to assess changes in pressure and force reliably over time, across multiple trials or sessions. Moticon’s wireless and user-friendly application would be beneficial for assessing and monitoring biomechanical parameters in rowing if validity between measures of interest and Moticon’s results can be established

The reproducibility of acquiring three dimensional gait and plantar pressure data using established protocols in participants with and without type 2 diabetes and foot ulcers

Background&nbsp; Several prospective studies have suggested that gait and plantar pressure abnormalities secondary to diabetic peripheral neuropathy contributes to foot ulceration. There are many different methods by which gait and plantar pressures are assessed and currently there is no agreed standardised approach. This study aimed to describe the methods and reproducibility of three-dimensional gait and plantar pressure assessments in a small subset of participants using pre-existing protocols.&nbsp; Methods&nbsp; Fourteen participants were conveniently sampled prior to a planned longitudinal study; four patients with diabetes and plantar foot ulcers, five patients with diabetes but no foot ulcers and five healthy controls. The repeatability of measuring key biomechanical data was assessed including the identification of 16 key anatomical landmarks, the measurement of seven leg dimensions, the processing of 22 three-dimensional gait parameters and the analysis of four different plantar pressures measures at 20 foot regions.&nbsp; Results&nbsp; The mean inter-observer differences were within the pre-defined acceptable level (&lt;7mm) for 100% (16 of 16) of key anatomical landmarks measured for gait analysis. The intra-observer assessment concordance correlation coefficients were &gt; 0.9 for 100% (7 of 7) of leg dimensions. The coefficients of variations (CVs) were within the pre-defined acceptable level (&lt;10%) for 100% (22 of 22) of gait parameters. The CVs were within the pre-defined acceptable level (&lt;30%) for 95% (19 of 20) of the contact area measures, 85% (17 of 20) of mean plantar pressures, 70% (14 of 20) of pressure time integrals and 55% (11 of 20) of maximum sensor plantar pressure measures.&nbsp; Conclusion&nbsp; Overall, the findings of this study suggest that important gait and plantar pressure measurements can be reliably acquired. Nearly all measures contributing to three-dimensional gait parameter assessments were within predefined acceptable limits. Most plantar pressure measurements were also within predefined acceptable limits; however, reproducibility was not as good for assessment of the maximum sensor pressure. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the reproducibility of several biomechanical methods in a heterogeneous cohort