College baseball players’ perception of their team climate and mental health

The purpose of this study, grounded in the Achievement Goal Perspective Theory (AGPT) and a Caring framework, was to examine the extent that collegiate baseball players’ perceptions of their team climate (i.e., caring, task-, and ego-involving climate) predict their mental well-being. Baseball players (N = 127) completed measures assessing perceptions of team climate (Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire, Caring Climate Scale) and mental well-being (World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index). Spearman correlation analysis revealed a positive relationship between the caring and task-involving climate scales, and mental well-being, respectively. In a full entry model linear regression, caring climate emerged as a positive predictor of mental well-being, explaining 25% of the variance of athletes’ mental well-being scores. The findings suggest that encouraging coaches to foster a caring and task-involving climate might assist in enhancing collegiate athletes’ mental well-being. Athletes perceiving a high caring and task-involving environment are more likely to experience improved mental well-being.Our research was supported in part by the Wu Tsai Foundation

QED in strong, finite-flux magnetic fields

Lower bounds are placed on the fermionic determinants of Euclidean quantum electrodynamics in two and four dimensions in the presence of a smooth, finite-flux, static, unidirectional magnetic field $B(r) =(0,0,B(r))$, where $B(r) \geq 0$ or $B(r) \leq 0$, and $r$ is a point in the xy-plane.Comment: 10 pages, postscript (in uuencoded compressed tar file

Near-IR photodissociation of peroxy acetyl nitrate

Measurements of the C-H overtone transition strengths combined with estimates of the photodissociation cross sections for these transitions suggest that near-IR photodissociation of peroxy acetyl nitrate (PAN) is less significant (Jnear−IR ~3×10^−8 s^−1 at noon) in the lower atmosphere than competing sinks resulting from unimolecular decomposition and ultraviolet photolysis. This is in contrast to the photochemical behavior of a related peroxy nitrate, pernitric acid (PNA), that undergoes rapid near-IR photolysis in the atmosphere with Jnear−IR ~10^−5 s^−1 at noon (Roehl et al., 2002). This difference is attributed to the larger binding energy and larger number of vibrational degrees of 10 freedom in PAN, which make 4[Greek nu]CH the lowest overtone excitation with a high photodissociation yield (as opposed to 2[Greek nu]OH in PNA)

Corporate Fitness Members' Perceptions of the Environment and Their Intrinsic Motivation

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of employees' perceptions of the motivational climate in their corporate fitness center to their intrinsic motivation toward exercise, and their perceptions of their employer's concern for their health behaviors. Members of corporate fitness centers (N = 143) in the Midsouthern region of the US were invited to complete a survey with the following measures: 1) the Perceived Motivational Climate in Exercise Questionnaire (i.e., task- and ego-involving scales), 2) Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (four subscales), and 3) Valued by Employer Scale. Regression analysis revealed that perceptions of a task-involving climate were positively related to employees' interest/enjoyment, perceived competence, effort/importance with regard to exercise, and their sense of feeling valued by their employer. The PMCEQ can be a valuable tool in the exercise psychology literature to measure employees' perceptions of their fitness center environment

An inquiry-based learning approach to teaching information retrieval

The study of information retrieval (IR) has increased in interest and importance with the explosive growth of online information in recent years. Learning about IR within formal courses of study enables users of search engines to use them more knowledgeably and effectively, while providing the starting point for the explorations of new researchers into novel search technologies. Although IR can be taught in a traditional manner of formal classroom instruction with students being led through the details of the subject and expected to reproduce this in assessment, the nature of IR as a topic makes it an ideal subject for inquiry-based learning approaches to teaching. In an inquiry-based learning approach students are introduced to the principles of a subject and then encouraged to develop their understanding by solving structured or open problems. Working through solutions in subsequent class discussions enables students to appreciate the availability of alternative solutions as proposed by their classmates. Following this approach students not only learn the details of IR techniques, but significantly, naturally learn to apply them in solution of problems. In doing this they not only gain an appreciation of alternative solutions to a problem, but also how to assess their relative strengths and weaknesses. Developing confidence and skills in problem solving enables student assessment to be structured around solution of problems. Thus students can be assessed on the basis of their understanding and ability to apply techniques, rather simply their skill at reciting facts. This has the additional benefit of encouraging general problem solving skills which can be of benefit in other subjects. This approach to teaching IR was successfully implemented in an undergraduate module where students were assessed in a written examination exploring their knowledge and understanding of the principles of IR and their ability to apply them to solving problems, and a written assignment based on developing an individual research proposal

Advanced study of coastal zone oceanographic requirements for ERTS E and F

Earth Resources Technology Satellites E and F orbits and remote sensor instruments for coastal oceanographic data collectio

A Motivational Climate Intervention and Exercise-Related Outcomes: A Longitudinal Perspective

While researchers have suggested that the social context in exercise settings is linked to individuals’ physical activity motivation and potential exercise-related outcomes, few research designs have examined the nuance of those relationships. Moreover, interventions targeting the social context of exercise settings are sparse, so the potential impact of staff training on members’ motivation to exercise are not well known. Drawing from two major motivation theories, achievement goal perspective theory and self-determination theory, this study considered an intervention with fitness center staff from the members’ perspectives. Members completed a survey before and after an intervention designed to help staff create a high caring, task-involving, and low ego-involving motivational climate. Using a half-longitudinal structural equation model, participants’ perceptions of the motivational climate, basic psychological needs, exercise motivation, and exercise experiences (including commitment to exercise, life satisfaction, body image) were modeled pre-post intervention. The model revealed significant latent mean differences for post-intervention constructs, with participants experiencing a more positive motivational climate, higher competence and relatedness, intrinsic motivation, commitment, life satisfaction, and body image. The final mediation model demonstrated tenable fit, with perceptions of climate having significant, direct and indirect effects on commitment, life satisfaction, and body image. Our study supports that the motivational climate contributes to an optimal social context for exercise where basic psychological needs are nurtured, intrinsic motivation is fostered, and individuals experience well-being benefits, including increased life satisfaction. Further, short and targeted training meetings with fitness center staff can result in members’ perceiving a significant change in the motivational climate

Psychometric Properties of the Abbreviated Perceived Motivational Climate in Exercise Questionnaire

The purpose of this study was to develop an abbreviated version of the Perceived Motivational Climate in Exercise Questionnaire (PMCEQ-A) to provide a more practical instrument for use in applied exercise settings. In the calibration step, 2 shortened versions’ measurement and latent model values were compared to each other and the original PMCEQ using a 3-group CFA invariance testing approach with previously collected exercise setting data (N = 5,427). Based on the model fit and reliability values, the 12-item version performed better than the 17-item version. The resultant 12-item PMCEQ-A’s CFA model estimates were then compared to the PMCEQ’s model values for 2 different, previously conducted studies of exercise settings (N = 414 and 770). The more parsimonious 12-item PMCEQ-A can be used by exercise psychology researchers to gain insight into members’ perspectives on the motivational climate and may lead to developing effective strategies to enhance members’ experiences and commitment

The abundance of high-redshift objects as a probe of non-Gaussian initial conditions

The observed abundance of high-redshift galaxies and clusters contains precious information about the properties of the initial perturbations. We present a method to compute analytically the number density of objects as a function of mass and redshift for a range of physically motivated non-Gaussian models. In these models the non-Gaussianity can be dialed from zero and is assumed to be small. We compute the probability density function for the smoothed dark matter density field and we extend the Press and Schechter approach to mildly non-Gaussian density fields. The abundance of high-redshift objects can be directly related to the non-Gaussianity parameter and thus to the physical processes that generated deviations from the Gaussian behaviour. Even a skewness parameter of order 0.1 implies a dramatic change in the predicted abundance of z\gap 1 objects. Observations from NGST and X-ray satellites (XMM) can be used to accurately measure the amount of non-Gaussianity in the primordial density field.Comment: Minor changes to match the accepted ApJ version (ApJ, 539

Effect of sprint approach velocity and distance on deceleration performance in NCAA Division I female softball athletes

Team sports require athletes to rapidly reduce whole body momentum and velocity, to efficiently change direction, or to avoid defenders. Decelerations often occur following varying approach distances and velocities. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different sprinting approach distances, and therefore velocities and momenta on measures of horizontal deceleration performance within female NCAA Division I softball players. Athletes performed an acceleration:deceleration assessment (ADA) over 20 yards (18.29 m) (ADA20) and 10 yards (9.14 m) (ADA10), respectively. The sample was divided into high and low performance groups for approach velocity and approach momentum, and between-group differences were studied for each test. Correlations between measures of deceleration were analysed between the ADA10 and ADA20. Results suggested that during the ADA20 trials, athletes initiated the deceleration phase at greater approach velocities (p < .001, ES = 2.71) and momenta (p < .001, ES = 2.65), generating greater reductions in velocity (p < .001, ES = 1.60) and momentum (p < .001, ES = 1.50). Within the ADA10, athletes within the high velocity group saw significantly greater reductions in velocity (p = .009, ES = 1.24). This was not observed within the ADA20. A significant negative association was found between average deceleration within the ADA10 and ADA20 (r = -0.443, p = .039). Findings suggest that horizontal decelerations are influenced by the approach distance, velocity, and momentum, which athletes are exposed to before initiating the deceleration phase. This should be accounted for when implementing training to enhance such qualities