What drives quality physical education? : a systematic review and meta-analysis of learning and development effects from physical education-based interventions

Objective: To determine the effects of learning interventions aimed at optimizing the quality of physical education (PE) on psychomotor, cognitive, affective and social learning outcomes in children and adolescents. Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Data Sources: After searching PsycInfo, ERIC, and SportDiscus electronic databases, we identified 135 eligible studies published between January 1, 1995 to May 1, 2021. Eligibility Criteria for Selecting Studies: We included randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, and controlled trials that assessed the effect of a PE-based intervention against one of the four identified learning domains in youth at school (aged 5-18 years). Results: One hundred and thirty five (135) studies with over 42,500 participants and 193 calculated effect sizes were included in the study. The mean effect across all the learning and development outcomes was small to medium (Cohen's d = 0.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] (0.27-0.37). When adjusted for publication bias using the Duval and Tweedie Trim and Fill Method, this mean effect size increased to d = 0.40 (CI = 0.34-0.46). Effect sizes varied significantly based on learning and development outcomes. Interventions that consistently report above or below the mean d = 0.40 effect are identified based on learning outcome. The greatest effects across interventions were witnessed in psychomotor learning outcomes (d = 0.52) followed by affective (d = 0.47), social (d = 0.32), and cognitive (d = 0.17) learning outcomes. A minority (< 10%) of PE interventions captured by this systematic review and meta-analysis reported having a negative effect on student learning and development. Conclusion: The interventions with the greatest effects on student learning and development were dependant on the learning domains. Some PE interventions with a pedagogical focus such as games-based approaches, TARGET/Mastery Teaching, and Sport Education were found to be strong investments across multiple domains. The evidence is limited however by consistency in intervention dosage, study design, and data collection instruments. The study received no internal or external funding and was not prospectively registered

Art Meets Sport::What Can Actor Training Bring to Physical Literacy Programs?

The aim of this communication is to highlight synergies and opportunities between the fields of education, sport and health and the performing arts for the promotion of physical literacy. First, physical literacy is introduced and then defined according to the definition used in this communication. Secondly, we highlight the gap in physical literacy interventions, in that they do not address learning based on a holistic comprehensive definition of physical literacy. Then we provide examples of interventions that do borrow from the arts, such as circus arts, and show how these approaches explicitly link to the discipline of arts. This is followed by program examples, which approach motor and language development from discipline-specific perspectives. Then we introduce actor training (within the discipline of arts) in terms of how this approach may be useful to our understanding of physical literacy and how to expand the conception of physical literacy to include affective meaning making, and tolerance for ambiguity and discomfort in not-knowing. Finally, we conclude with the next step for the bridging of disciplines in order to further our journey to understand and improve physical literacy

Does physical activity mediate the associations between blue space and mental health? : a cross-sectional study in Australia

Background Research has begun to examine whether blue space is beneficial to mental health. While results are promising, it is difficult to know which aspects of mental health or mental ill-health may benefit most. Physical activity has been proposed as one potential mechanism via which blue space may be associated with better mental health. However, very few studies have examined mechanisms. We examined associations between blue space proximity and a range of mental health outcomes and examined which of these associations were mediated by physical activity. Methods 350 participants (M=38.74, SD=14.92, 70% female) self-reported their weekly physical activity and completed measures of depression, anxiety, and psychological wellbeing. We then used GIS software to calculate blue space proximity (i.e., coastal and inland), and structural equation modelling with mediation paths to determine the role of physical activity in the associations between bluespace and mental health. Results Physical activity partially mediated the associations between coastal proximity and depression (β=0.02, 95% CI=0.001, 0.05), anxiety (β=0.03, 95% CI=0.01, 0.06), and wellbeing (β = −0.03, 95% CI=−0.08, −0.01), and fully mediated the associations between inland water proximity and depression (β=0.02, 95% CI=0.003, 0.05), anxiety (β=0.03, 95% CI=0.01, 0.07), and wellbeing (β = −0.03, 95% CI=−0.07, −0.01). Conclusion While physical activity appears to explain associations between inland blue space and mental health outcomes, it only partially explains the association between coastal blue space and mental health, suggesting other mechanisms may play a role and even inactive exposure may be beneficial

CloudAligner: A fast and full-featured MapReduce based tool for sequence mapping

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Research in genetics has developed rapidly recently due to the aid of next generation sequencing (NGS). However, massively-parallel NGS produces enormous amounts of data, which leads to storage, compatibility, scalability, and performance issues. The Cloud Computing and MapReduce framework, which utilizes hundreds or thousands of shared computers to map sequencing reads quickly and efficiently to reference genome sequences, appears to be a very promising solution for these issues. Consequently, it has been adopted by many organizations recently, and the initial results are very promising. However, since these are only initial steps toward this trend, the developed software does not provide adequate primary functions like bisulfite, pair-end mapping, etc., in on-site software such as RMAP or BS Seeker. In addition, existing MapReduce-based applications were not designed to process the long reads produced by the most recent second-generation and third-generation NGS instruments and, therefore, are inefficient. Last, it is difficult for a majority of biologists untrained in programming skills to use these tools because most were developed on Linux with a command line interface.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>To urge the trend of using Cloud technologies in genomics and prepare for advances in second- and third-generation DNA sequencing, we have built a Hadoop MapReduce-based application, CloudAligner, which achieves higher performance, covers most primary features, is more accurate, and has a user-friendly interface. It was also designed to be able to deal with long sequences. The performance gain of CloudAligner over Cloud-based counterparts (35 to 80%) mainly comes from the omission of the reduce phase. In comparison to local-based approaches, the performance gain of CloudAligner is from the partition and parallel processing of the huge reference genome as well as the reads. The source code of CloudAligner is available at <url>http://cloudaligner.sourceforge.net/</url> and its web version is at <url>http://mine.cs.wayne.edu:8080/CloudAligner/.</url></p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results show that CloudAligner is faster than CloudBurst, provides more accurate results than RMAP, and supports various input as well as output formats. In addition, with the web-based interface, it is easier to use than its counterparts.</p

Hidden low-temperature magnetic order revealed through magnetotransport in monolayer CrSBr

Magnetic semiconductors are a powerful platform for understanding, utilizing and tuning the interplay between magnetic order and electronic transport. Compared to bulk crystals, two-dimensional magnetic semiconductors have greater tunability, as illustrated by the gate modulation of magnetism in exfoliated CrI$_3$ and Cr$_2$Ge$_2$Te$_6$, but their electrically insulating properties limit their utility in devices. Here we report the simultaneous electrostatic and magnetic control of electronic transport in atomically-thin CrSBr, an A-type antiferromagnetic semiconductor. Through magnetotransport measurements, we find that spin-flip scattering from the interlayer antiferromagnetic configuration of multilayer flakes results in giant negative magnetoresistance. Conversely, magnetoresistance of the ferromagnetic monolayer CrSBr vanishes below the Curie temperature. A second transition ascribed to the ferromagnetic ordering of magnetic defects manifests in a large positive magnetoresistance in the monolayer and a sudden increase of the bulk magnetic susceptibility. We demonstrate this magnetoresistance is tunable with an electrostatic gate, revealing that the ferromagnetic coupling of defects is carrier mediated

Development of a Global Physical Literacy (GloPL) Action Framework: Study protocol for a consensus process

peer reviewedBACKGROUND: The holistic concept of physical literacy (PL) has gained growing attention in recent research, policy, and practice. Many important policy documents of the physical activity and educational fields (e.g., Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018-2030 by the World Health Organization, UNESCO's Quality Physical Education guidelines for policymakers) have specified PL. However, a clear framework for action is needed, as most initiatives across the world are fragmented, lack a prospective orientation, can benefit from conceptual clarification, and are not linked to effective translation into practice. Therefore, we aim to consensually develop a Global Physical Literacy (GloPL) Action Framework to define goals and principles (asking what is needed) as well as actions and ways (asking how these can be achieved) to move PL forward. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We apply a three-stage group Delphi technique involving three representation groups: (a) geographical representatives to achieve global coverage of perspectives; (b) representatives of special thematic interest reflecting prominent gaps of current PL activities; and (c) representatives of societies from the broad field of physical activity and health to facilitate dissemination. The process will begin with an individual pre-Delphi exercise, in which experts generate initial ideas for the framework, followed by a four-eye document analysis to derive themes for the discussion. Subsequently, the experts will meet face-to-face in three online rounds to discuss and prioritize the themes. Interspersed formal voting with pre-defined agreement thresholds (via descriptive statistics) will inform the inclusion of themes within the final framework. CONCLUSIONS: A global consensus on goals, principles, actions, and ways for the development of PL has the potential to provide a largely accepted roadmap for future activities in research, policy, and practice. The co-production approach will help disseminate the GloPL Action Framework and benefit work in relevant application fields of physical activity and health worldwide.3. Good health and well-being4. Quality educatio

Implicit Review Instrument to Evaluate Quality of Care Delivered by Physicians to Children in Emergency Departments

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/144238/1/hesr12800_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/144238/2/hesr12800.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/144238/3/hesr12800-sup-0001-AppendixSA1.pd

Neoliberalism as a Political Rationality: Australian Public Policy Since the 1980s

Since the 1980s, a remarkable transformation has occurred in the rationale that informs public policy in Australia. This transformation reflects a fundamental change in the way national economies and populations are conceived by policy makers and has led to the emergence of new strategies of governance as a consequence. We argue that this change of direction in Australian public policy may be best thought of as a specific neoliberal political rationality. The first section of the paper outlines changes to conceptions of the economy and subjectivity which are associated with neoliberalism as a political rationality. The second part of the paper examines the articulation and implementation of neoliberalism in Australia over the last couple of decades

Patientâ level Factors and the Quality of Care Delivered in Pediatric Emergency Departments

ObjectiveQuality of care delivered to adult patients in the emergency department (ED) is often associated with demographic and clinical factors such as a patient’s race/ethnicity and insurance status. We sought to determine whether the quality of care delivered to children in the ED was associated with a variety of patientâ level factors.MethodsThis was a retrospective, observational cohort study. Pediatric patients (<18 years) who received care between January 2011 and December 2011 at one of 12 EDs participating in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) were included. We analyzed demographic factors (including age, sex, and payment source) and clinical factors (including triage, chief complaint, and severity of illness). We measured quality of care using a previously validated implicit review instrument using chart review with a summary score that ranged from 5 to 35. We examined associations between demographic and clinical factors and quality of care using a hierarchical multivariable linear regression model with hospital site as a random effect.ResultsIn the multivariable model, among the 620 ED encounters reviewed, we did not find any association between patient age, sex, race/ethnicity, and payment source and the quality of care delivered. However, we did find that some chief complaint categories were significantly associated with lower than average quality of care, including fever (â 0.65 points in quality, 95% confidence interval [CI] = â 1.24 to â 0.06) and upper respiratory symptoms (â 0.68 points in quality, 95% CI = â 1.30 to â 0.07).ConclusionWe found that quality of ED care delivered to children among a cohort of 12 EDs participating in the PECARN was high and did not differ by patient age, sex, race/ethnicity, and payment source, but did vary by the presenting chief complaint.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142981/1/acem13347_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142981/2/acem13347-sup-0001-DataSupplementS1.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142981/3/acem13347.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142981/4/acem13347-sup-0002-DataSupplementS2.pd