Screening Tools as a Predictor of Injury in Dance: Systematic Literature Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract Background Dance involves movements of complexity and physical intensity which result in stress on the body. As a consequence, dancers are at risk of injury which can impact on their well-being. Screening tools are used for injury prevention to identify those dancers at risk of injury. The aim of this study was to investigate which screening tools can predict injury in dancers, encompassing all dance genres, levels and ages. Methods An electronic search of seven databases from their inception to December 2017 was conducted. The databases were the Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED), CINAHL, eBOOK Collection (EBSCOhost), MEDLINE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, SPORTDiscus and PEDro: the Physiotherapy Evidence Base. The following search terms were used: (i) Dance AND injury AND Screening, (ii) Screening AND dance and (iii) Musculoskeletal AND Screening AND Dance. Studies were assessed using a 20-point scoring tool, and eligible studies were included in a meta-analysis. Results The mean methodological quality score was 12.2 points. Injured dancers had a significantly higher compensated turnout range of motion than non-injured dancers: pooled mean difference of compensated turnout (23.29°; 95% CI 14.85–31.73; P < 0.00001; I 2 = 0%). Injured dancers had significantly greater functional turnout range of motion when compared to non-injured dancers: pooled mean difference of functional turnout (14.08°; 95% CI 7.09–21.07; P < 0.0001; I 2 = 0%). There also some evidence for use of hip range of motion as a predictor of dance injury. Conclusions Some evidence exists for the potential use of dance-specific positions as a predictor of injury. A number of studies were limited by a lack of prospective injury design, injury definition and self-reporting of injury

International governmental organisations and global youth unemployment: the normative and ideational foundations of policy discourses

This article compares policy discourses concerning youth unemployment of seven international governmental organisations (IGOs). We classify the discourses according to broadly neo-liberal and social democratic positions across labour market and social welfare domains, regarding causes of and responses to youth unemployment. We relate evidence of hybrids and shifts in IGOs' discourses to wider institutional contexts of global social policy and to debates about IGO responses to the global financial crisis. Our analysis addresses a neglected sphere of global social policy and youth policy research and opens a window on the contested politics of the determination of a new policy field

A Generalized Options-based Approach to Mitigate Perturbations in a Maritime Security System-of-Systems

Due to the complex and highly dynamic contexts in which systems operate nowadays, it has become crucial that, early in the architecting phase, System Architects take into account options to be utilized throughout the system's lifecycle to improve performance and lifecycle properties, such as flexibility. This paper introduces a preliminary approach that allows for the identification of relevant options, which are capable of mitigating perturbations negatively impacting a system of interest. The approach consists of the generation, evaluation and selection of relevant generalized options (enabling both changeability and robustness), and is demonstrated by application to a Maritime Security SoS case study. The inputs to the process are a list of desired design principles to implement in the system, and a list of perturbations that may affect the delivery of value to stakeholders (options are meant to mitigate perturbations). Four different metrics for option evaluation are proposed, together with techniques that can help during the process of selection of options.Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Systems Engineering Advancement Research Initiativ

Mentoring undergraduate civil engineering students

On enrolment at university, undergraduate civil engineering students begin their journey towards a professional career. Associating with graduate engineers throughout their studies provides students with potential role models and assists them to accustom progressively to the industry. Whilst the procurement of guest practitioners to deliver workshops and lectures remains buoyant, opportunities for students to secure summer placements within the civil engineering sector, has been problematic since the 2008 financial crisis. Graduate mentoring of student mentees can help to bridge the shortage of vocational placements. This paper discusses the results from a graduate mentoring initiative involving third year (n=345) civil & environmental engineering (CEE) student mentees, 83 graduate mentors and 31 employers. The results show that the student mentees overwhelmingly support and validate the opportunities that this initiative has provided. On completion of their mentoring meetings, and on return to their fourth year of their studies, the majority of the students commit to making behavioural and attitudinal changes regarding their own continued professional development (CPD)

Single shot, temporally and spatially resolved measurements of fast electron dynamics using a chirped optical probe

A new approach to rear surface optical probing is presented that permits multiple, time-resolved 2D measurements to be made during a single, ultra-intense ( > 1018 W cm−2) laser-plasma interaction. The diagnostic is capable of resolving rapid changes in target reflectivity which can be used to infer valuable information on fast electron transport and plasma formation at the target rear surface. Initial results from the Astra-Gemini laser are presented, with rapid radial sheath expansion together with detailed filamentary features being observed to evolve during single shots

Ocean stratification under oscillatory surface buoyancy forcing

Laboratory experiments with overturning circulation driven by oscillatory heat fluxes at one boundary are used to explore implications, for the ocean stratification, of a cyclic fluctuation in sea-surface buoyancy forcing. Fluctuations having a range of periods spanning the timescale for global recycling of the ocean volume through the thermocline are considered, with emphasis on inter-hemispheric \u27see-saw\u27 oscillations. Episodic sinking of dense water in the oceans is represented by convection in a channel with a base that is cooled over a central region and subjected to oscillatory heating near both ends, while providing a constant total heat input. For this simplified system the time-average interior temperature is found to be insensitive to the forcing period, but does vary with oscillation amplitude, whereas the interior fluctuations increase with forcing period. The circulation and density field are significantly different from those given by a steady forcing equal to the time-average of the actual oscillatory forcing, even for high-frequency oscillations. The results indicate that the overall stratification lies between that expected from the strongest phase of deep sinking and that given by symmetric sinking in both hemispheres. Glacial cycles are predicted to involve significant temperature fluctuations in the abyssal ocean. However, they are too short for the ocean to remain in quasi-equilibrium with the changing boundary conditions

Effects of digging by a native and introduced ecosystem engineer on soil physical and chemical properties in temperate grassy woodland

Temperate grasslands and woodlands are the focus of extensive restoration efforts worldwide. Reintroduction of locally extinct soil-foraging and burrowing animals has been suggested as a means to restore soil function in these ecosystems. Yet little is known about the physical and chemical effects of digging on soil over time and how these effects differ between species of digging animal, vegetation types or ecosystems. We compared foraging pits of a native reintroduced marsupial, the eastern bettong (Bettongia gaimardi) and that of the exotic European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). We simulated pits of these animals and measured pit dimensions and soil chemical properties over a period of 2 years. We showed that bettong and rabbit pits differed in their morphology and longevity, and that pits had a strong moderating effect on soil surface temperatures. Over 75% of the simulated pits were still visible after 2 years, and bettong pits infilled faster than rabbit pits. Bettong pits reduced diurnal temperature range by up to 25 ° C compared to the soil surface. We did not find any effects of digging on soil chemistry that were consistent across vegetation types, between bettong and rabbit pits, and with time since digging, which is contrary to studies conducted in arid biomes. Our findings show that animal foraging pits in temperate ecosystems cause physical alteration of the soil surface and microclimatic conditions rather than nutrient changes often observed in arid areas. © 2019 Ross et al. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Philip Barton” is provided in this record*

Black teachers in London

This report, commissioned by the Mayor of London, follows on from a major piece of research also commissioned by the Mayor through the London Development Agency to examine the educational experiences of black boys in London, 2000-03 (2004). That report considered in great detail the reasons for the continuing underachievement of black boys in schools when compared to their peers. This report seeks to build on that research by seeking the views of black teachers about their contribution in raising achievement for black children, and also to consider what steps are necessary to address the problems of recruiting and retaining a representative teaching workforce for London. This study was commissioned with three main aims. These were to examine: • the factors with the greatest impact on the recruitment, development, progression and retention of black teachers in London • the views of black teachers and parents as to the factors affecting the educational achievement of black pupils • the views of black teachers and parents as to the effect that the presence of black teachers in the classroom has on raising black pupil performance. The intention was also to consider more broadly: • whether black teachers consider themselves as role models, and if so, for whom • if there is anything distinctive about being a black teacher and what this means in practice • black teachers’ relationships with parents • the educational needs of black children and the concerns/priorities of black parents with regard to the education of their children • black parental involvement in the education of their children. In addition to the above, the report provides an update on the numbers and distribution of black teachers in London, with comparative data on the distribution of pupils and the general population. The report also includes a review of relevant literature and policy issues involved in the recruitment, retention and promotion of (black) teachers

Communication difficulties reported by patients diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and their carers : a European focus group study

This paper explores commonalities in the experience and unmet needs of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients and carers in Europe throughout the care pathway, focusing specifically on the unmet communication needs of patients and carers. Four patient organisations/groups in Europe held focus groups (Italy (seven patients and four carers); Belgium (six patients); Ireland (23 patients and 10 carers); and England, UK (five patients and three carers)). A focus group schedule was provided and translated into the language of each focus group by the European Lung Foundation (ELF). Content analysis was conducted by the ELF and verified by the authors of the paper. Three main themes emerged: professional-patient, professional-professional and patient-patient communication. Within these themes, eight priority areas were highlighted by two or more of the focus groups. In addition, 17 suggested action points were identified. Patients and carers in Europe have unmet communication needs, which could be met by specialist physicians and specialist centres providing more effective information and signposting to support services, including support groups and patient organisations