Are youth sport talent identification and development systems necessary and healthy?

Talent identification and development systems (TIDS) are commonly used in professional sport to convert youth athletes into sporting stars of the future. Acknowledging that only a few athletes can "make it," the necessity and healthiness of TIDS have recently been questioned based on their increased professionalism, high training, and competition volumes, but limited effectiveness. In this short communication, we suggest that the key issues associated with TIDS are not due to their overall concept, but with how they are designed and implemented. It is recommended that researchers and practitioners determine the worth and value of TIDS by also evaluating the positive health of the athlete rather than solely focusing on performance outcomes. To achieve this, TIDS staff should shape and develop their values, expectations, and day-to-day routines to achieve positive health outcomes focusing on personal development and an athlete-centered culture. In business, this has been termed the concept of "Deliberately Developmental Organisation." TIDS can deploy the factors (e.g., high-quality staff, expert support services, quality facilities, and learning routines) characteristic of such organizations, to concurrently ensure positive impacts and minimize predictable negative outcomes without losing focus on a drive for sporting performance

The relaxation dynamics of a simple glass former confined in a pore

We use molecular dynamics computer simulations to investigate the relaxation dynamics of a binary Lennard-Jones liquid confined in a narrow pore. We find that the average dynamics is strongly influenced by the confinement in that time correlation functions are much more stretched than in the bulk. By investigating the dynamics of the particles as a function of their distance from the wall, we can show that this stretching is due to a strong dependence of the relaxation time on this distance, i.e. that the dynamics is spatially very heterogeneous. In particular we find that the typical relaxation time of the particles close to the wall is orders of magnitude larger than the one of particles in the center of the pore.Comment: 9 pages of Latex, 4 figure

Preeclampsia is associated with compromized maternal synthesis of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids leading to offspring deficiency

Obesity and excessive lipolysis are implicated in preeclampsia (PE). Intrauterine growth restriction is associated with low maternal body mass index and decreased lipolysis. Our aim was to assess how maternal and offspring fatty acid metabolism is altered in mothers in the third trimester of pregnancy with PE (n=62) or intrauterine growth restriction (n=23) compared with healthy pregnancies (n=164). Markers of lipid metabolism and erythrocyte fatty acid concentrations were measured. Maternal adipose tissue fatty acid composition and mRNA expression of adipose tissue fatty acid–metabolizing enzymes and placental fatty acid transporters were compared. Mothers with PE had higher plasma triglyceride (21%, P<0.001) and nonesterified fatty acid (50%, P<0.001) concentrations than controls. Concentrations of major n−6 and n−3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in erythrocytes were 23% to 60% lower (all P<0.005) in PE and intrauterine growth restriction mothers and offspring compared with controls. Subcutaneous adipose tissue Δ−5 and Δ−6 desaturase and very long-chain fatty acid elongase mRNA expression was lower in PE than controls (respectively, mean [SD] control 3.38 [2.96] versus PE 1.83 [1.91], P=0.030; 3.33 [2.25] versus 1.03 [0.96], P<0.001; 0.40 [0.81] versus 0.00 [0.00], P=0.038 expression relative to control gene [square root]). Low maternal and fetal long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations in PE may be the result of decreased maternal synthesis

Quantum Chessboards in the Deuterium Molecular Ion

We present a new algorithm for vibrational control in deuterium molecules that is feasible with current experimental technology. A pump mechanism is used to create a coherent superposition of the D2+ vibrations. A short, intense infrared control pulse is applied after a chosen delay time to create selective interferences. A `chessboard' pattern of states can be realized in which a set of even- or odd-numbered vibrational states can be selectively annihilated or enhanced. A technique is proposed for experimental realization and observation of this effect using 5 fs pulses of 790 nm radiation, with intermediate intensity (5e13 W/cm2)Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure

Cooperative motion and growing length scales in supercooled confined liquids

Using molecular dynamics simulations we investigate the relaxation dynamics of a supercooled liquid close to a rough as well as close to a smooth wall. For the former situation the relaxation times increase strongly with decreasing distance from the wall whereas in the second case they strongly decrease. We use this dependence to extract various dynamical length scales and show that they grow with decreasing temperature. By calculating the frequency dependent average susceptibility of such confined systems we show that the experimental interpretation of such data is very difficult.Comment: 7 pages of Latex, 3 figure

Survey study on energy use in UK homes during Covid-19

To contain the spread of Covid-19, governments across the world imposed partial or complete lockdowns. National energy demand decreased in periods of lockdowns; however, as people spent more time at home, residential energy use likely increased. This paper reports the results of a UK survey study (N = 1016 participants) about their energy-use practices during the first lockdown in March 2020. The results indicated that self-reported heating behaviours did not substantially change during lockdown. Regarding appliance use, in particular the duration of usage for televisions and computing equipment has increased and has spread more over the day. Being less able to manage financially was correlated with a greater usage of the smart meter in-home display and a greater attempt to save energy was positively correlated with greater usage of the in-home display, though correlations were small. In summary, the results indicate that home energy-use behaviours, in particular around heating, did not change as much as might have been expected, which might at least partly be explained by the comparatively warm weather during the first lockdown. Corroborating the survey findings with actual energy data is the next essential step to understand findings in more detail

Do youth soccer academies provide developmental experiences that prepare players for life beyond soccer? A retrospective account in the United Kingdom.

The professionalisation of soccer academies has intensified, with youth players exposed to demanding performance focused environments in pursuit of a career in the professional game. Yet, academies are also under increasing pressure to show that they develop players who can function in life beyond soccer. Therefore, this study explored the retrospective views of 13 ex-elite UK youth academy soccer players on whether their time within the academy provided developmental experiences that prepared them for life beyond soccer. We interviewed seven players who successfully progressed into professional contracts and six who did not. Players were recruited from two different academies to explore the developmental outcomes they associated with academy involvement and to unpick how those outcomes were achieved. Our findings showed that, promisingly, time in the academy provided both contracted and non-contracted players with transferable life skills as well as open educational and vocational doors – resulting in the majority of players leaving the environment being ‘(more) ready’ for life. However, these outcomes are not ‘automatic’ and were highly dependent on the interaction between three developmental contextual themes; i) what was demanded by the academy context, ii) what was encouraged within the academy context, and iii) the quality of interpersonal relationships. Beyond this, players’ attitudes, histories and wider socio-contextual influences were important in shaping (future) outcomes. With an eye on providing worthwhile experiences for all youth athletes involved, these findings provide insight into how academy contexts can simultaneously promote performance alongside positive developmental outcomes. Keywords: elite youth soccer, , Positive Youth Development, life skills, dual career, Talent identification and development system outcome

Fixed-Price Subcontracting for Decontamination and Decommissioning of Small Facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Abandoned facilities were decontaminated and decommissioned in preparation for final remediation of Solid Waste Storage Area (SWSA) 4 at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The facilities varied in age from approximately 5 years to more than 40 years, with radiological conditions ranging from clean to highly contaminated with fission products. A fixed-price subcontract (FPSC) was awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Environmental Management (EM) Management and Integration (M&I) contractor for decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) of these facilities. Included in the FPSC scope were the following: preparation of pre-D&D regulatory documentation; demolition of surface structures to slab; stabilization of below-grade structures; waste management and disposal; and preparation of post-D&D regulatory documentation. Using stand-off techniques to the extent possible, building structures and ancillary equipment were prepared for demolition and demolished. A fixative coating system was used in conjunction with continuous water misting to control airborne contamination. Demolition waste consisted of two major streams: clean construction and demolition waste and low-level (radioactive) waste. The debris was size-reduced and packaged, again via remote means. At all times during the D&D, personnel safety, environmental compliance, and as low as reasonably achievable exposure considerations were paramount. Upon completion of D&D activities, each site was inspected and accepted by the M&I contractor. This project is a success story for fixed-price subcontracting of D&D work under DOE's M&I arrangement