The effects of MaxSight contact lenses on objective and subjective measures of golf putting performance

Background Nike MAX SIGHT^^ Grey-Green contact lenses claim to enhance visual performance in golf by reducing brightness and glare. The grey-green tint is designed to enhance the details of the environment, such as green grass. A critical aspect of golf performance is putting. This study compares golf putting performance with MAXSIGHT and clear contact lenses. Methods Study participants consisted of a cohort of 3 1 high level golfers with single digit handicaps. Each subject completed a four hole putting course using Bausch & Lomb Optima 38 clear contact lenses and Nike MAX SIGHT^^ contact lenses. Subjects completed two putts from four positions at each hole; the four putts were setup within a 30-degree arc at each hole. At each hole, the putt directions were oriented at different directions relative to the sun, e.g., north, south, east, and west. The sequence was randomized and the subject\u27s performance was recorded. During and after the study, subjective questionnaires were given to each participant to evaluate the contact lens modalities and their respective performance. Results Chi-square analysis of the putting results was performed to compare contact lens performance. Subjective responses were also analyzed to assess perceived differences between contact lens modalities. Results indicated that there was no statistically significant difference in putting performance between contact lens modalities. Statistically significant differences were observed in the subjective responses revealing that Nike MAX SIGHT^^ contact lenses were preferred for visual comfort and performance. Conclusion Although actual putting perfomancc showed no statistidly significant difference between the two modalities, Nike MAXSTGF Grey-Green lenses were perceived to improve the golfer ability to read the green, Nike MAXSTOP Grey-Green lenses provided better visual comfort and may impact overaII performance by reducing visual fatigue during play

Critical Discourse Analysis: Definition, Approaches, Relation to Pragmatics, Critique, and Trends

This chapter introduces the transdisciplinary research movement of critical discourse analysis (CDA) beginning with its definition and recent examples of CDA work. In addition, approaches to CDA such as the dialectical relational (Fairclough), sociocognitive (van Dijk), discourse historical (Wodak), social actors (van Leeuwen), and the Foucauldian dispositive analysis (Jager and Maier) are outlined, as well as the complex relation of CDA to pragmatics. Next, the chapter provides a brief mention of the extensive critique of CDA, the creation of critical discourse studies (CDS), and new trends in CDA, including positive discourse analysis (PDA), CDA with multimodality, CDA and cognitive linguistics, critical applied linguistics, and other areas (rhetoric, education, anthropology/ethnography, sociolinguistics, culture, feminism/gender, and corpus studies). It ends with new directions aiming towards social action for social justice

Talking to score: Impression management in L2 oral assessment and the co-construction of a test discourse genre

In recent years, the emphasis in second language (L2) oral proficiency assessment has shifted from linguistic accuracy to discourse strategies such as the ability to initiate, respond, and negotiate meaning. This has resulted in a growing interest in the discourse analysis of students' performance in different oral proficiency assessment formats. The study reported in this article represents an attempt to investigate students' discourse performance in L2 oral proficiency assessments conducted in the form of peer group interactions in Hong Kong. Forty-three female Hong Kong secondary students were involved. Findings from a qualitative discourse analysis of the students' interaction data supplemented with data from interviews and a questionnaire reveal the emergence of a test-task specific genre featuring recurrent frames of talk for task management, content delivery, and response giving. These frames were characterized by discourse features that seem to be ritualized, contrived, and colluded. Such interaction practices suggest a strong desire on the part of the students to maintain the impression of being effective interlocutors for scoring purposes rather than for authentic communication. Implications for test construct validity and the impact on the students' L2 oral proficiency development are discussed.link_to_subscribed_fulltex