A note on the susceptibility of six red raspberry cultivars and Tayberry to fruit infection by late yellow rust

Nous avons inoculé in vivo des grappes de fruits de six cultivars de framboisier rouge (Rubus idaeus) et de framboisier-ronce de Tay avec des éciospores et des urediniospores du Pucciniastrum americanum. Les résultats des deux inoculations étaient semblables. Deux cultivars, soit Nova et Royalty, et le framboisier-ronce de Tay étaient résistants à l'infection des fruits par la rouille jaune tardive tandis que les autres cultivars montraient différents degrés de sensibilité à l'infection par la rouille jaune tardive. Le cultivar Boyne montrait une résistance partielle.Fruit clusters of six red raspberry (Rubus idaeus) cultivars and Tayberry were inoculated in vivo using aeciospores and urediniospores of Pucciniastrum americanum. The response was similar for both inocula. Two raspberry cultivars, Nova and Royalty, and Tayberry were apparently resistant to late yellow rust infection on fruits while the other raspberry cultivars exhibited differing degrees of susceptibility to late yellow rust. The cultivar Boyne exhibited some partial resistance

Skill Acquisition Methods Fostering Physical Literacy in Early-Physical Education (SAMPLE-PE): Rationale and Study Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial in 5–6-Year-Old Children From Deprived Areas of North West England

Background: There is a need for interdisciplinary research to better understand how pedagogical approaches in primary physical education (PE) can support the linked development of physical, cognitive and affective aspects of physical literacy and physical activity behaviors in young children living in deprived areas. The Skill Acquisition Methods fostering Physical Literacy in Early-Physical Education (SAMPLE-PE) study aims to examine the efficacy of two different pedagogies for PE, underpinned by theories of motor learning, to foster physical literacy. Methods: SAMPLE-PE will be evaluated through a cluster-randomized controlled trial targeting 5–6 year old children from schools located in areas of high deprivation in Merseyside, North-West England. Schools will be randomly allocated to one of three conditions: Linear Pedagogy, Non-linear Pedagogy, or Control. Non-linear and Linear Pedagogy intervention primary schools will receive a PE curriculum delivered by trained coaches over 15 weeks, while control schools will follow their usual practice. Data will be collected at baseline (T0), immediately post-intervention (T1), and 6 months after the intervention has finished (T2). Children’s movement competence is the primary outcome in this trial. Secondary outcomes include physical activity, perceived competence, motivation, executive functions, and self-regulation. An extensive process evaluation will also examine implementation factors such as intervention context, reach, dose, fidelity and acceptability. Discussion: The SAMPLE-PE project will enable better understanding surrounding how to operationalise physical literacy through enrichment of PE practices in early PE. The study will provide robust scientific evidence regarding the efficacy of underpinning PE pedagogy with theories of motor learning to promote the development of physical literacy. Trial Registration: Retrospectively registered on 5th September 2018 at ClinicalTrials.gov, a resource provided by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (Identifier: NCT03551366)

Validity and reliability of field-based measures for assessing movement skill competency in lifelong physical activities: a systematic review

Background: It has been suggested that young people should develop competence in a variety of ‘lifelong physical activities’ to ensure that they can be active across the lifespan. Objective: The primary aim of this systematic review is to report the methodological properties, validity, reliability, and test duration of field-based measures that assess movement skill competency in lifelong physical activities. A secondary aim was to clearly define those characteristics unique to lifelong physical activities. Data Sources: A search of four electronic databases (Scopus, SPORTDiscus, ProQuest, and PubMed) was conducted between June 2014 and April 2015 with no date restrictions. Study Selection: Studies addressing the validity and/or reliability of lifelong physical activity tests were reviewed. Included articles were required to assess lifelong physical activities using process-oriented measures, as well as report either one type of validity or reliability. Study Appraisal and Synthesis Methods: Assessment criteria for methodological quality were adapted from a checklist used in a previous review of sport skill outcome assessments. Results: Movement skill assessments for eight different lifelong physical activities (badminton, cycling, dance, golf, racquetball, resistance training, swimming, and tennis) in 17 studies were identified for inclusion. Methodological quality, validity, reliability, and test duration (time to assess a single participant), for each article were assessed. Moderate to excellent reliability results were found in 16 of 17 studies, with 71 % reporting inter-rater reliability and 41 % reporting intra-rater reliability. Only four studies in this review reported test–retest reliability. Ten studies reported validity results; content validity was cited in 41 % of these studies. Construct validity was reported in 24 % of studies, while criterion validity was only reported in 12 % of studies. Limitations: Numerous assessments for lifelong physical activities may exist, yet only assessments for eight lifelong physical activities were included in this review. Generalizability of results may be more applicable if more heterogeneous samples are used in future research. Conclusion: Moderate to excellent levels of inter- and intra-rater reliability were reported in the majority of studies. However, future work should look to establish test–retest reliability. Validity was less commonly reported than reliability, and further types of validity other than content validity need to be established in future research. Specifically, predictive validity of ‘lifelong physical activity’ movement skill competency is needed to support the assertion that such activities provide the foundation for a lifetime of activity

What is the ‘significance’ of choking in sport? A commentary on Mesagno and Hill

Choking, as Mesagno and Hill (2013) acknowledge, is a colloquial term that describes events that sometimes occur in real life when performers are highly motivated to succeed. The term is emotive and evokes strong imagery, so it is popularly used in the media. Use of the term by researchers, however, often raises confusion. Mesagno and Hill point out that current definitions are inadequate and they highlight the need for a clear definition of ‘choking’ in order to help guide researchers in the quest to better understand it as a phenomenon. Psychologists have typically defined choking as under performance in a highly pressured environment when striving for optimal success (e.g., Baumeister, 1984). Such a definition leaves it necessary to determine whether the level of underperformance that occurred was significant enough to warrant use of the term ‘choke’. In sport, the term is typically used when a performer (or a team) fails to win when seemingly in an insurmountable position. The failure needs to result from uncharacteristic mistakes, rather than an opponent’s good skill, but even this can result in confusion. Not only is it often difficult to determine whether the player(s) got worse or the opponent( s) got better, but the two are confounded, for as one gets worse, the other may get better

Examining movement specific reinvestment and working memory capacity in adults and children

Two studies were conducted to explore the relationship between verbal and visual working memory capacity, the propensity for conscious monitoring and control of movement, and performance of a novel tennis hitting task. In children (Study 1), verbal working memory capacity was positively associated with the score on a validated psychometric measure of the propensity for conscious monitoring and control of motor performance (the Movement Specific Reinvestment Scale). A similar relationship was evident in Study 2 for adults. Additionally, Study 2 showed that performance of a novel tennis hitting task improved during a pressured condition following an unpressured condition. Verbal working memory capacity predicted the amount of improvement in performance, with lower capacity performers displaying greater improvements than higher capacity participants. The findings are discussed in the context of cognitive demands of problem solving and hypothesis testing during early skill acquisition and implicit motor learning theory