Blaming Bill Gates AGAIN! Misuse, overuse and misunderstanding of performance data in sport

Recently in Sport, Education and Society, Williams and Manley (2014) argued against the heavy reliance on technology in professional Rugby Union and elite sport in general. In summary, technology is presented as an elitist, ‘gold standard’ villain that management and coaches use to exert control and by which players lose autonomy, identity, motivation, social interactions and expertise. In this article we suggest that the sociological interpretations and implications offered by Williams and Manley may be somewhat limited when viewed in isolation. In doing so, we identify some core methodological issues in Williams and Manley’s study and critically consider important arguments for utilising technology; notably, to inform coach decision making and generate player empowerment. Secondly, we present a different, yet perhaps equally concerning, practice-oriented interpretation of the same results but from alternative coaching and expertise literature. Accordingly, we suggest that Williams and Manley have perhaps raised their alarm prematurely, inappropriately and on somewhat shaky foundations. We also hope to stimulate others to consider contrary positions, or at least to think about this topic in greater detail. More specifically, we encourage coaches and academics to think carefully about what technology is employed, how and why, and then the means by which these decisions are discussed with and, preferably, sold to players. Certainly, technology can significantly enhance coach decision making and practice, while also helping players to optimise their focus, empowerment and independence in knowing how to achieve their personal and collective goals

High sensitivity C-reactive protein increases the risk of carotid plaque instability in male dyslipidemic patients

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate how the high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) values influence the risk of carotid plaque instability in association with other cardiovascular risk factors. Methods: One hundred and fifty-six carotid plaques from both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients requiring surgical carotid endarterectomy were retrospectively collected. According to the modified American Heart Association, atherosclerosis plaques have been histologically distinguished into unstable and stable. The following anamnestic and hematochemical data were also considered: age, gender, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking habit, therapy, low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-C, kidney failure and hs-CRP. Results: The results of our study clearly show that high levels of hs-CRP significantly increase the carotid plaque instability in dyslipidemic patients. Specifically, a 67% increase of the risk of carotid plaque instability was observed in patients with high LDL-C. Therefore, the highest risk was observed in male dyslipidemic patients 2333 (95% CI 0.73-7.48) and in aged female patients 2713 (95% CI 0.14-53.27). Discussion: These data strongly suggest a biological relationship between the hs-CRP values and the alteration of lipidic metabolism mostly in male patients affected by carotid atherosclerosis. The measurement of hs-CRP might be useful as a potential screening tool in the prevention of atheroscletotic disease

L’inconsistenza della diagnosi di cancro duttale in situ

Background: Classifying ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) remains problematical for interpretation of specified histological features and field selection where morphology is heterogeneous. Emphasis is placed on the role of intraductal proliferative lesions as risk factors of variable magnitude in subsequent development of invasive breast carcinoma. The present study is designed to investigate the relative contribution of diagnostic and treatment paradigms on the lack of consistency in the analysis of these lesions. Materials and methods: A cohort of in situ lesions of the breast was reviewed according to ductal intraepithelial neoplasia (DIN) classification adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO). In this retrospective study 458 patients with DIN diagnosed by core needle biopsy had undergone conservative or radical surgical treatment and SLNB in cases of DIN1C-DIN3. Results: Breast conservative surgery was the definitive treatment in 80% of cases. All the SLNs sampled showed 1.2 % (4/336) positivity of metastatic or micrometastatic nodal involvement by H&E stain while the IHC assessment for cytokeratin showed 4.5% (15/336) positivity. Conclusions: The widely recognised variation in the growth pattern of DCIS makes difficult to identify uniform indications for clinical procedure. Although the incidence of metastases in patient with initial diagnosis of DIN is considered to be low, SLNB remains an attractive option to guarantee oncological safety. In patients at high risk occult invasion does occur and without lymphatic analysis, undertreatment is possible

Research and Practice in Talent Identification and Development - Some Thoughts on the State of Play

Although there has been considerable growth in talent identification and development research, the mixed quality and lack of applied focus means little has changed in the field. We propose the Performance-Outcome-Process continuum, a structure which examines ideas based on what and how they contribute to the talent development process. Reflecting a pracademic focus we highlight the importance of understanding the processes and mechanisms of development-focused constructs to best bridge the research-practice divide. We suggest a pragmatic approach that prioritises the quality of research and the importance of applied impact; at least in research which claims to be for sport. Lay Summary: To bridge the research-practice divide in Talent Identification and Development, it is important that translational and pragmatic research becomes the norm, with progression from the retrospective studies which have been typical in this domain. Focusing on the processes and mechanisms that generate comprehensive development would seem a logical step especially for investigations that want to make a difference in applied settings

Eating disorders in sport : current status and future directions in the study of the psychological factors

Este trabalho procura atingir dois objetivos. Em primeiro lugar, apresenta-se a situação atual da investigação sobre desordens alimentares no desporto. Neste caso, salientam-se as linhas de investigação dedicadas ao estudo da prevalência destes problemas no desporto e analisam-se as diferenças entre atletas e modalidades desportivas. Dadas as dificuldades destas linhas de investigação na compreensão dos comportamentos alimentares de risco nos atletas, são avançadas outras possibilidades de desenvolvimento da investigação. Assim, e enquanto segundo objetivo deste artigo, salientamos a necessidade dos estudos se dirigirem para a compreensão dos fatores psicológicos associados aos comportamentos alimentares de risco e implicados no desenvolvimento das desordens alimentares. Esta abordagem tem como vantagem adicional ajudar a prevenir estes problemas através da promoção das competências mentais dos atletas no sentido de resistirem melhor aos possíveis efeitos nocivos da prática desportiva, onde se inserem os problemas com a alimentação.This paper focuses on two main goals. In first place, we present the current status on the research about eating disorders in sport contexts. In this case, we point out studies dedicated to the analysis of the incidence of eating disorders in sport and studies that observe the differences between athletes and different sports in the tendency for these problems. Second, we proposed new research directions on this subject, namely the need of analysing the psychological factors that are related with the development of eating disorders on athletes. This research approach has the advantage of helping the prevention of eating disorders on athletes through the promotion of psychological skills that protect athletes from the negative effects of sport practicing, where are included maladaptive eating behaviors.(undefined

A pragmatic approach to resolving technological unfairness: The case of Nike’s Vaporfly & Alphafly running footwear

Background Technology is often introduced into sport to facilitate it or to improve human performance within it. On occasion, some forms of novel technology require regulation or prevention entirely to ensure that a sport remains fair and accessible. Recently, the Nike Vaporfly and Alphafly shoes have received some concerns over their appropriateness for use in competitive distance running. Methods This paper evaluates the use of these shoes against an existing framework for sports technology discourse and adopts a pragmatic approach to attempt to resolve them. Results It is proposed that the three concerns regarding cost, access and coercion cannot be ruled out but likely remain short term issues. As a result, it is proposed that these running shoes are acceptable forms of technology but that ongoing vigilance will be required as such technologies develop further in the future. Conclusions The Nike Vaporfly/Alphafly shoes do push the perceived acceptability of running shoes to the limits of the current sports regulations. However, the alleged gains have not manifested themselves to a level that could be considered excessive when reviewing historical performances or when evaluated against a set of well-cited criteria. The sport will need to adopt a stance of ongoing vigilance as such technologies continue to develop or be optimised in the future

Psychological resilience in sport performers: a review of stressors and protective factors

Psychological resilience is important in sport because athletes must utilize and optimize a range of mental qualities to withstand the pressures that they experience. In this paper, we discuss psychological resilience in sport performers via a review of the stressors athletes encounter and the protective factors that help them withstand these demands. It is hoped that synthesizing what is known in these areas will help researchers gain a deeper profundity of resilience in sport, and also provide a rigorous and robust foundation for the development of a sport-specific measure of resilience. With these points in mind, we divided the narrative into two main sections. In the first section, we review the different types of stressors encountered by sport performers under three main categories: competitive, organizational, and personal. Based on our recent research examining psychological resilience in Olympics champions (Fletcher & Sarkar, 2012), in the second section we discuss the five main families of psychological factors (viz. positive personality, motivation, confidence, focus, perceived social support) that protect the best athletes from the potential negative effect of stressors. It is anticipated that this review will help sport psychology researchers examine the interplay between stressors and protective factors which will, in turn, focus the analytical lens on the processes underlying psychological resilience in athletes

Best practice for motor imagery: a systematic literature review on motor imagery training elements in five different disciplines

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The literature suggests a beneficial effect of motor imagery (MI) if combined with physical practice, but detailed descriptions of MI training session (MITS) elements and temporal parameters are lacking. The aim of this review was to identify the characteristics of a successful MITS and compare these for different disciplines, MI session types, task focus, age, gender and MI modification during intervention.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An extended systematic literature search using 24 databases was performed for five disciplines: Education, Medicine, Music, Psychology and Sports. References that described an MI intervention that focused on motor skills, performance or strength improvement were included. Information describing 17 MITS elements was extracted based on the PETTLEP (physical, environment, timing, task, learning, emotion, perspective) approach. Seven elements describing the MITS temporal parameters were calculated: study duration, intervention duration, MITS duration, total MITS count, MITS per week, MI trials per MITS and total MI training time.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Both independent reviewers found 96% congruity, which was tested on a random sample of 20% of all references. After selection, 133 studies reporting 141 MI interventions were included. The locations of the MITS and position of the participants during MI were task-specific. Participants received acoustic detailed MI instructions, which were mostly standardised and live. During MI practice, participants kept their eyes closed. MI training was performed from an internal perspective with a kinaesthetic mode. Changes in MI content, duration and dosage were reported in 31 MI interventions. Familiarisation sessions before the start of the MI intervention were mentioned in 17 reports. MI interventions focused with decreasing relevance on motor-, cognitive- and strength-focused tasks. Average study intervention lasted 34 days, with participants practicing MI on average three times per week for 17 minutes, with 34 MI trials. Average total MI time was 178 minutes including 13 MITS. Reporting rate varied between 25.5% and 95.5%.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>MITS elements of successful interventions were individual, supervised and non-directed sessions, added after physical practice. Successful design characteristics were dominant in the Psychology literature, in interventions focusing on motor and strength-related tasks, in interventions with participants aged 20 to 29 years old, and in MI interventions including participants of both genders. Systematic searching of the MI literature was constrained by the lack of a defined MeSH term.</p

A smart pipe energy harvester excited by fluid flow and base excitation

This paper presents an electromechanical dynamic modelling of the partially smart pipe structure subject to the vibration responses from fluid flow and input base excitation for generating the electrical energy. We believe that this work shows the first attempt to formulate a unified analytical approach of flow-induced vibrational smart pipe energy harvester in application to the smart sensor-based structural health monitoring systems including those to detect flutter instability. The arbitrary topology of the thin electrode segments located at the surface of the circumference region of the smart pipe has been used so that the electric charge cancellation can be avoided. The analytical techniques of the smart pipe conveying fluid with discontinuous piezoelectric segments and proof mass offset, connected with the standard AC–DC circuit interface, have been developed using the extended charge-type Hamiltonian mechanics. The coupled field equations reduced from the Ritz method-based weak form analytical approach have been further developed to formulate the orthonormalised dynamic equations. The reduced equations show combinations of the mechanical system of the elastic pipe and fluid flow, electromechanical system of the piezoelectric component, and electrical system of the circuit interface. The electromechanical multi-mode frequency and time signal waveform response equations have also been formulated to demonstrate the power harvesting behaviours. Initially, the optimal power output due to optimal load resistance without the fluid effect is discussed to compare with previous studies. For potential application, further parametric analytical studies of varying partially piezoelectric pipe segments have been explored to analyse the dynamic stability/instability of the smart pipe energy harvester due to the effect of fluid and input base excitation. Further proof between case studies also includes the effect of variable flow velocity for optimal power output, 3-D frequency response, the dynamic evolution of the smart pipe system based on the absolute velocity-time waveform signals, and DC power output-time waveform signals