EFFECTIVE EXECUTION OF THE FLIGHT IN QUADRUPLE JUMPS IN FIGURE SKATING

For a high final score figure skaters need quadruple jumps (QJ) with perfect execution. QJ are very difficult and have a high risk of falling. Therefore the purpose of this study was to identify reserves in the flight phase for a safe execution of jumps with more than three rotations. The complete number of turns in the flight phases is necessary to perform a safe landing. Perfect quadruple jumps in different competitions with international participation of 12 world class athletes have been selected for the study and analysed with a 3D kinematic analysis. The primary aim of the study has been to identify reserves for a perfect execution on the basis of moment of inertia. In addition the study aimed at characterizing the movement when preparing the landing movement with only a very short time available for the skater, especially in jumps with more than three turns

Social or economic goals? The professional goal orientation of students enrolled in STEM and non-STEM majors in university

Various studies try to disentangle the gender-specific competencies or decisions that lead to a career in a STEM field and try to find a way to encourage more women to pursue this kind of career. The present study examines differences in the meaning of work (i.e., their professional goal orientation) of students who are enrolled in STEM or non-STEM programs in tertiary education. Based on the background that gender stereotypes associate women and men with communal or agentic roles respectively, we expected that women in STEM subjects differ in their professional goal orientation from women in non-STEM programs. More precisely, women who are enrolled in a STEM major are expected to be less oriented to social and communal goal orientations than women in non-STEM university programs. In a sample of 5,857 second-year university students of the German National Educational Panel Study, three profiles of professional goal orientation were confirmed in a latent profile analysis. As expected, women were more oriented toward social aspects of occupations, whereas men more likely belonged to a profile with high importance for economic aspects of occupations. Moreover, students enrolled in STEM programs more likely belonged to the profile of economic goal orientation. There was, however, no interaction of gender and STEM program: Women in STEM fields did not differ in their occupational goal orientation from women enrolled in non-STEM programs. Based on these findings and on a goal congruity perspective, future interventions aiming at overcoming the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields should consider the individual meaning of work and the goals that are associated with STEM occupations

ON THE WAY FROM STRADDLED TO STRETCHED TKATCHEV ON HIGH BAR

Reversing the direction of rotation is the main issue for the flight element Tkatchev on high bar. The principles are well described. There is a lack of knowledge to apply this to motor learning. Aim of the study is to analyse an individual gymnast’s performance and support the change from straddled to stretched Tkatchev. An instrumented high bar (force measurement) was used to give the gymnast immediately feedback about the performance. The gymnast was informed about the magnitude of the force maxima during the preparatory giant swing. After 5 training sessions with 42 trails the gymnast transferred more energy (higher forces) to the bar. But this results not in a higher angular momentum during the Tkatchev flight. Possible causes for this result where discussed. The complex demands on energy transfer and precise performance are important

Social or Economic Goals? : The Professional Goal Orientation of Students Enrolled in STEM and Non-STEM Majors in University

Various studies try to disentangle the gender-specific competencies or decisions that lead to a career in a STEM field and try to find a way to encourage more women to pursue this kind of career. The present study examines differences in the meaning of work (i.e., their professional goal orientation) of students who are enrolled in STEM or non-STEM programs in tertiary education. Based on the background that gender stereotypes associate women and men with communal or agentic roles respectively, we expected that women in STEM subjects differ in their professional goal orientation from women in non-STEM programs. More precisely, women who are enrolled in a STEM major are expected to be less oriented to social and communal goal orientations than women in non-STEM university programs. In a sample of 5,857 second-year university students of the German National Educational Panel Study, three profiles of professional goal orientation were confirmed in a latent profile analysis. As expected, women were more oriented toward social aspects of occupations, whereas men more likely belonged to a profile with high importance for economic aspects of occupations. Moreover, students enrolled in STEM programs more likely belonged to the profile of economic goal orientation. There was, however, no interaction of gender and STEM program: Women in STEM fields did not differ in their occupational goal orientation from women enrolled in non-STEM programs. Based on these findings and on a goal congruity perspective, future interventions aiming at overcoming the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields should consider the individual meaning of work and the goals that are associated with STEM occupations

Development of Physical Fitness among the Top 10 Boys and Girls in Sport Schools: A 10-Year Cohort Analysis

In this study, we aimed to measure the development of physical fitness (PF) of 10 different cohorts in grade 4 and 8 different cohorts in grade 7 at 18 sport schools of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. A total of 11,451 subjects (3979 female, 7472 male) aged 8–12 from the past 10 years were assessed using the German Motor Test (DMT) in grade 4. We tested 2614 subjects (1032 girls, 1582 boys) aged 11–15 from the past eight years using the DMT in grade 7. PF talents were defined as the top 10 boys and top 10 girls of each cohort. Linear regression was calculated to assess the development of PF. The PF of all subjects remained stable in grade 4 and declined in grade 7. The PF of the top 10 boys and top 10 girls increased in both grades. The improvements were stronger in grade 7 (female: rates of change () = 0.80; male: = 0.76) than in grade 4 (female: = 0.36; male: = 0.32). Sit-ups and push-ups showed the highest change rates. The increase in PF of the top 10 boys and girls can be interpreted as a success for sport schools. Due to the increasing number of test participants, the likelihood of finding top talent increased. However, the increase in PF in the top talents was only partly explained by an increase in the number of tested individuals

Peripheral serotonin transporter DNA methylation is linked to increased salience network connectivity in females with anorexia nervosa

Background: Epigenetic variation in the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) has been shown to modulate the functioning of brain circuitry associated with the salience network and may heighten the risk for mental illness. This study is, to our knowledge, the first to test this epigenome–brain–behaviour pathway in patients with anorexia nervosa.Methods: We obtained resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) data and blood samples from 55 acutely underweight female patients with anorexia nervosa and 55 age-matched female healthy controls. We decomposed imaging data using independent component analysis. We used bisulfite pyrosequencing to analyze blood DNA methylation within the promoter region of SLC6A4. We then explored salience network rsFC patterns in the group × methylation interaction.Results: We identified a positive relationship between SLC6A4 methylation levels and rsFC between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the salience network in patients with anorexia nervosa compared to healthy controls. Increased rsFC in the salience network mediated the link between SLC6A4 methylation and eating disorder symptoms in patients with anorexia nervosa. We confirmed findings of rsFC alterations for CpG-specific methylation at a locus with evidence of methylation correspondence between brain and blood tissue.Limitations: This study was cross-sectional in nature, the sample size was modest for the method and methylation levels were measured peripherally, so findings cannot be fully generalized to brain tissue.Conclusion: This study sheds light on the neurobiological process of how epigenetic variation in the SLC6A4 gene may relate to rsFC in the salience network that is linked to psychopathology in anorexia nervosa.</p

a combined ecological momentary assessment and fMRI study

Regulation of emotions is necessary for successful attainment of short-term and long-term goals. However, over-regulation may also have its costs. In anorexia nervosa (AN), forgoing food intake despite emaciation and endocrine signals that promote eating is an example of “too much” self-control. Here we investigated whether voluntary emotion regulation in AN patients comes with associated disorder-relevant costs. Thirty-five patients with acute AN and thirty-five age-matched healthy controls (HCs) performed an established emotion regulation paradigm during functional magnetic resonance imaging after an overnight fast. The task required reducing emotions induced by positively valenced pictures via distancing. We calculated a neural regulation score from responses recorded in a reward-related brain region of interest (ventral striatum; VS) by subtracting activation measured on “positive distance” trials from that elicited under the “positive watch” (baseline) condition. Complementing the imaging data, we used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to probe disorder-related rumination and affect six times/day for 2 weeks following the scanning session. The neural regulation score indicating reduced VS activation during emotion regulation was used as a predictor in hierarchical linear models with EMA measures as outcomes. No group differences in neural activity were found for the main contrasts of the task. However, regulation of VS activity was associated with increased body-related rumination and increased negative affect in AN, but not in HC. In line with this finding, correlational analysis with longitudinal BMI measurements revealed a link between greater VS regulation and poorer treatment outcome after 60 and 90 days. Together, these results identify a neural correlate of altered emotion regulation in AN, which seems to be detrimental to psychological well-being and may interfere with recovery

Defect Perturbations in Landau-Ginzburg Models

Perturbations of B-type defects in Landau-Ginzburg models are considered. In particular, the effect of perturbations of defects on their fusion is analyzed in the framework of matrix factorizations. As an application, it is discussed how fusion with perturbed defects induces perturbations on boundary conditions. It is shown that in some classes of models all boundary perturbations can be obtained in this way. Moreover, a universal class of perturbed defects is constructed, whose fusion under certain conditions obey braid relations. The functors obtained by fusing these defects with boundary conditions are twist functors as introduced in the work of Seidel and Thomas.Comment: 46 page

Development of physical fitness under consideration of talent-specific aspects

Purpose: To measure the initial level and development of physical fitness (PF) in pupils from grade 4 to grade 7 in sport schools with respect to the discipline, training volume and training years. Methods: A total of 1590 (1074 female, 516 male) pupils from sport schools in North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) were tested in grade 4 and re-tested in grade 7 using the German Motor Test. Additionally, the discipline, training volume and training years were captured in grade 7 via questionnaire. Results: The initial level of PF of boys and girls lies above the German average and was influenced by discipline and training volume. The track and field athletes showed the best results compared to other sport disciplines. In relation to the normal population, boys showed a slight decrease in PF from grade 4 to 7 (F = 8.3; p = 0.004; η2 = 0.009) whereas the PF of girls remained stable (F = 1.1; p = 0.290; η2 = 0.003). The development of PF is influenced by sport discipline, training volume and the interaction between training volume and time. In total, the effect sizes were low. Conclusions: There is still potential to improve training and physical education at sport schools to raise the level of PF. Training years did not influence the initial level of PF or the development of PF. In further studies, more information on the type of training would be useful