Book review: eat, cook, grow: mixing human-computer interactions with human-food interactions edited by Jaz Hee-jeong Choi et al.

The chapters and commentary in Jaz Hee-jeong Choi, Marcus Foth, and Greg Hearn’s edited collection make an unorthodox and engaging contribution to food studies well beyond Human-Computer Interaction, writes Siobhan Magee

Book review: sexual diversity and the Sochi 2014 Olympics: no more rainbows by Helen Jefferson Lenskyj

Helen Jefferson Lenskyj backtracked on her decision to stop writing about the Olympics after hearing Russian athlete Yelena Isinbayeva condemn a Swedish athlete’s pro-LGBT rights rainbow painted fingernails. Against which historical and legal backdrop, Lenskyj wondered, did Isinbayeva claim that ‘Russia…has no gays and lesbians’? A breathtaking example of academic responsiveness to world events, No More Rainbows’ style and subject matter deserve widespread readership writes Siobhan Magee

Improving the sensitivity of the hop index in patients with an ACL deficient knee by transforming the hop distance scores

BACKGROUND: The one leg hop for distance is one of the most commonly employed functional tests utilized in the evaluation of the ACL deficient and reconstructed patient. While the reliability of the hop test scores has been well established, validity studies have revealed low sensitivity rates in detecting functional limitations using the hop index (the ratio or percentage of limb performance). However, the impact of the inherent limitations associated with the hop index have not been investigated to date. One specific limitation relates to the impact of the differences in the underlying hop distance scores. Therefore, this pilot study set out to determine: 1) the impact that between limb differences in hop distance has on the sensitivity of the hop index in detecting functional limitations and; 2) whether a logarithmic transformation of the underlying hop distance scores improves the sensitivity of the hop index. METHODS: A cross sectional design involving the evaluation of one leg hop for distance performance in a consecutive sample of 10 ACL deficient males with an isolated ACL tear awaiting reconstructive surgery and nine gender, age-matched controls. RESULTS: In the ACL deficient, the hop index was associated with the distance hopped on the non-injured limb (r = -0.66, p = 0.04) but not on the injured limb. Transformation (logarithmic) of the hop distance scores and re-calculation of the hop index using the transformed scores increased the sensitivity of the hop index in the detection of functional limitations from 20 to 60% and 50 to 70% using the normal limb symmetry reference norms of ≥ 85% and 90% respectively. CONCLUSION: The distance hopped on the non-injured limb is a critical factor in detecting functional limitations using the hop index in patients with an ACL deficient knee. Logarithmic transformation of the hop distance scores minimizes the effect of the arithmetic differences between limbs however; the sensitivity of the hop index in detecting abnormal limb symmetry remains low