Variations in Motor Fitness Resulting from Calisthenic Exercises

Motor fitness development of high school students by the use of various physical activities has been of major interest to physical educators for many years and has received national interest in recent years. Ray Weiss reported 13 Unites States army officers present at the Third Annual Physical Fitness Institute expressed grave concern regarding our schools’ responsibilities in fitness. Carl A. Troeater Jr. had this to say about the present day felt need for fitness: “Few educators need to be convinced of the importance of fitness in our youth. For the past ten years, a deluge of newspaper and magazine articles have been decrying the lack of fitness in our youth. Television and radio programs have been devoted to various aspects of fitness. Every generation complains of the lack of fitness of the youth of its day. However, the present emphasis on fitness in peacetime is unusual.” The different areas of fitness have generally been divided into emotional, mental, social, and physical fitness. “The effectiveness of an individual’s adjustment to physical activities is facilitated to a large extent by his fitness in motor abilities.” However, the comparative motor fitness developmental value of calisthenics has seriously been questioned by physical educators as well as by educators in general. It was because of this fact that this study was undertaken. There seemed to be a definite need for this type of a study, for although there have been studies of the motor fitness developmental value of calisthenics and various other activities, none could be found which compared that part of the physical education class period devoted to calisthenics and the loss of time from the activity being taught. It was felt that the knowledge of the motor fitness developmental value of calisthenics under these circumstances would be of benefit to physical education instructors in making the decision of including calisthenics, and the amount of calisthenics, in their physical education service programs. It was also felt that this knowledge would better enable physical educators to aid their students in achieving motor fitness development. It was the purpose of this study to determine the motor fitness developmental value of a senior high school physical education program containing 10 minutes of calisthenics per period as compared to a similar program which did not contain the calisthenics. Steps in solving the problem: (1) The administration of the standing broad jump, pull up, sit up, shuttle run and burpee tests to two male physical education service classes at Clear Lake High School at the beginning and completion of 10 class periods for a total of four intervals. (2) The development of a composite score for each individual. (3) The development of a standard score for the tests used. (4) The application of statistical methods to the data

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome and Neuropsychological Dysfunction: Understanding the Impact of Obesity

Obesity is the largest risk factor for the development of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), which is a common sleep-related breathing disorder that is associated with cognitive dysfunction. A growing body of literature suggests that obesity is related to negative neuropsychological outcomes independent of other health problems known to impact cognitive functioning (e.g., type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease). The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of obesity on the cognitive functioning of individuals with OSAS. Specifically, this study aimed to examine whether or not differences existed between obese and non-obese persons with OSAS on a battery of cognitive tests that assessed memory, attention, and executive functions both at baseline and over six months of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment. This study utilized data from Project Breathe, which was a study conducted at National Jewish Health. It was hypothesized that obese participants with OSAS would demonstrate poorer baseline performance on tests of memory, attention, and executive functioning, and they would show lesser improvement in these cognitive domains over six months of CPAP treatment compared to non-obese participants. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and repeated measures analysis of covariance (RM-ANCOVA) tests were used to analyze the data. Results indicate that obese and non-obese participants did not demonstrate differences in neurocognitive functioning at baseline or following six months of CPAP treatment after adjusting for age and hypertension. Several limitations, including how obesity was measured, analyses used, and low statistical power may have contributed to the lack of significant findings in the predicted direction. Future research should focus on the following: larger sample sizes; using measures of obesity other than or in addition to body mass index (BMI); and examining the moderating impact of sex on neurocognitive functioning in this population

An adolescent girl with signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis and negative immunologic workup: a case report.

BackgroundThe increasing incidence of allergies and allergic reactions among children and adults has become a major public health concern. The etiology of allergic reactions can often be confirmed based on a detailed history and supportive testing. However, there are cases where the underlying factors are more complex and difficult to identify.Case presentationHere we present the case report of a 14-year-old Caucasian  girl with weight loss and a 3-year history of reported angioedema culminating in five intensive care unit admissions over the course of 2.5 months. Her initial clinical presentation included hypotension, dyspnea, and reported facial edema, but allergy and immunological workup were negative. A psychiatric workup identified an eating disorder with food restriction, comorbid major depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. A close collaboration between Adolescent Medicine, Allergy and Immunology, and Psychiatry helped disentangle medical from psychiatric problems, including fluoxetine medication effects, as well as develop a treatment plan that was acceptable to the family. The angioedema was ultimately diagnosed as factitious disorder.ConclusionsThis patient's treatment highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary team approach, a multifactorial etiology that needed to be addressed by multiple specialists, and the importance of long-term treatment and support

The Structure of Complex Physical Performance

This paper discusses the use of the statistical technique of factor analysis as a research tool in assessing complex performance, and its potential application to simulation research programs. A preliminary factor analytic investigation of complex perceptual-motor performance is presented. In the investigation, 12 complex physical proficiency tests were administered in a battery of tests which included 24 simple perceptual-motor measures of speed, flexibility, balance, and strength. The results indicated that factor analytic techniques are valuable in identifying the differential components or abilities underlying performance in complex motor skills performance

Third-Party Rating Curve Development and Debris Testing for Thirsty Duck® : TD Series Buoyant Flow Control Device

The University of Minnesota, St. Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL) was contracted by Thirsty Duck, Ltd to conduct a testing program on a series of buoyant flow devices (BFDs). The focus of the study was to develop rating curves and analyze performance under extreme debris loading conditions for the TD series line of BFDs. The models tested include the TD248-48, TD246-48, and TD244-48. Performance under debris load was evaluated using a mixture of leaves, grass (hay), and aluminum cans. The discharge rate was monitored during the debris performance tests to determine if the debris impaired the function of the device. Figure 1 contains a concept diagram of the TD system. Major device components include an orifice to control discharge, a float to suspend the orifice at a fixed distance below the water surface, a skimmer to prevent fouling, and an expanding conduit ("bellows") to convey water from the orifice to the outlet pipe. The device is designed to connect to the outlet pipe with a standard 150# ANSI flange connection. The three devices tested differ in their orifice and bellows diameters; however, the bellows length for each was the same. Device specifications are provided in Table 1.Thirsty Duck, Ltd

An Interprofessional Clinical Integrations Pilot Program: Integrating Third-Year PharmD Students into Family Medicine Clinics

Purpose: Pilot an interprofessional student placement model by entrusting Doctor of Pharmacy students to deliver value-added patient engagement within interprofessional clinical environments. Background: Beginning in January 2016, pharmacy education standards mandate students actively engage in early patient care experiences with interprofessional teams, thus necessitating new models by which students collaborate with providers in the provision of patient care. Intervention: Between May and August 2016, two family medicine clinics are incorporating 65 third-year pharmacy students into shared medical patient care visits during an interprofessional-provider introductory pharmacy practice experience (IP Provider IPPE) pilot program. Students engage with patients and clinicians by providing value-added interventions such as answering drug information questions, conducting medication history reviews, identifying medication-related problems, and providing medication counseling. Students attend clinic for two consecutive 8-hour shifts after completing a 2-hour pre-clinic orientation. Students return to clinic for two additional hours to orient and hand-off to the next oncoming student. Students’ interprofessional professionalism will be evaluated by the provider using a standardized rubric. Preliminary Results: Students’ experience and performance during the IP Provider IPPE pilot will be described during the presentation. Preliminary feedback from both providers and students indicate this model is mutually beneficial and satisfying for both students and providers. Students are describing frequent opportunities to engage in shared direct-patient care with assigned interprofessional preceptors. Relevance: This pilot demonstrates an effective strategy of expanding interprofessional student training by creating partnerships between practitioners and interprofessional students which are valued-added. We intend to use this strategy to expand clinical interprofessional training to all professions within our interprofessional education program. Future investigation: We will be investigating the reliability of our interprofessional professionalism rubric used to assess students during interprofessional clinical experiences. The value of the interprofessional student’s role within the practitioner team when engaging with patients will also be investigated. Learning objectives: 1) Describe a model for maximizing and sustaining student engagement within an interprofessional clinical practice site 2) Identify opportunities to align roles and responsibilities of interprofessional students which may contribute value to patient care provided by other health profession

Matrix (Partially Grouted) Riprap Lab Flume Study

The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) in conjunction with the Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL) has conducted a research study on the use of matrix riprap, or partially grouted riprap, as a spill-through abutment countermeasure. Spill-through abutments at river bridges require a countermeasure to protect the abutment from erosion and scour and often riprap is used. However obtaining large enough stone to protect the abutment can significantly increase construction costs. Matrix riprap, or partially grouted riprap, is an option that will allow for smaller stone, that when partially grouted, will provide equivalent protection to larger sized riprap. This study focused on matrix riprap applied to bridge abutments and included a review of published literature; site visits and observation of matrix riprap installation; laboratory experiments to evaluate matrix riprap application/installation (e.g., non-hydraulic experiments looking at rock and grout placement); experiments to test matrix riprap on a prototype abutment within a flume (hydraulic flume experiments), and finally hydraulic experiments focused on quantifying matrix riprap strength (steep flume experiments). Study results showed that the shear strength of matrix riprap was determined to be more than three times greater than conventional riprap in a laboratory setting. Additional investigation should be completed to better understand the application and performance of the matrix riprap, however this study can be used to support the use of matrix riprap in place of larger stone or other bridge countermeasures

Tourists' visual perceptions of forests and forest management in Vancouver Island and Tasmania

In the past, forested areas have been used primarily for timber production. However, the recent growth of nature-based tourism has given monetary value to the recreation and scenic characteristics associated the forests in many places. This can lead to conflicts between forestry and tourism raising questions relating to the management of these two industries. What impact does forestry have on the perception of tourists in region’s that promote natural landscapes? Are certain tourist segments affected differently by the impacts of forestry in regions that market natural landscapes? How can forests be managed to ensure that tourism values are not compromised by other forest interests? To gain a better perspective of tourism and forestry related conflicts this investigation utilized a comparative case study method. The case study locations selected include Vancouver Island, Canada and Tasmania, Australia. At each destination visitors were surveyed at three types of attractions to understand differences in forestry perceptions between user groups. Forestry and tourism professionals from both regions were also interviewed. Vancouver Island and Tasmania were chosen because of the important role that both forestry and nature-based tourism play in shaping the economies of both places. Despite these similarities, differences exist in the way these two industries are managed. These differences were important for providing insight into management strategies that could be used to address these conflicts. Results suggest that forestry impacts have the potential to negatively impact upon visitor perceptions. However, this seems partly dependent upon the type of impact observed, as differences were noted between harvested areas, tree plantations, logging trucks and saw/pulp mills. Results from the different sample groups were compared to learn whether or not differences exist in the way that tourist user groups are affected by exposure to forestry impacts. Findings provided a limited amount of evidence to support this. Through the analysis of the semi-structured interviews a set of recommendations were developed to help assist forestry and tourism managers who may be dealing with similar land use conflicts. These recommendations would be useful for land managers in other jurisdictions where similar conflicts between forestry and tourism exist.Forestry, Faculty ofGraduat

The Structure of Complex Physical Performance

This Article will be published in Vol. I No other information or file available for this session