A Comparative Analysis of the Traditional Sit-and-Reach Test and the R.S. Smith Sit-and-Reach Design

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the effect of the gastrocnemius on the posterior chain by comparing traditional Sit-and-Reach Test (TSRT) performance in the standard 90 degree of ankle dorsiflexion position with the R.S. Smith Sit-And-Reach Design (SSRT) placing the ankle at 35 degrees of ankle plantar flexion. Methods: The researchers tested a total of 169 participants. All participants completed an informed consent prior to the tests. After completing a five-minute elliptical warm-up, participants performed three trials of each SRT variation. The highest score of each test was recorded. The researchers used a paired t-test to determine statistical significance. Results: The participants achieved a mean distance of 24.98±9.28 cm in the TSRT and 27.83±10.10 cm in the SSRT. The results showed a significant difference between SRT performance in the standard 90 degrees of ankle dorsiflexion position and the modified ankle position of 35 degrees of ankle plantar flexion, with the significance level set at p\u3c0.001. Conclusion: The flexibility of the gastrocnemius has a significant effect on the posterior chain. Therefore, when analyzing TSRT performance, gastrocnemius flexibility must also be taken into account. Several studies have been published on the premise that the TSRT evaluates low back and hamstring flexibility. Future studies should indicate that the test is assessing low back, hamstring and gastrocnemius flexibility

30 years of Deadly Hate and Bias Crimes

The Bias Homicide Database (BHDB) is an open-source, relational database housed in the Terrorism Research Center (TRC), which is located in the J.W. Fulbright college of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas. Created in 2003, the TRC harnesses science and data analytics to promote safer communities, inform evidence-based policies, and train the next generation of law enforcement and intelligence professionals. The TRC also hosts the Crime and Security Data Analytics Lab. This brief was prepared by Terrorism Research Center (TRC) staff. The TRC is a non-profit, nonpartisan research organization

The BorrowBike

The BorrowBike is turning UP\u27s bike rental system from an inconvenient process to a hassle-free swipe of a card. BorrowBike\u27s smart lock and online web application streamlines the check-out process and allows bikes to be rented at any time of the day.https://pilotscholars.up.edu/egr_project/1025/thumbnail.jp

The Globalization of Science Curricula

Globalization is a powerful force with far reaching impacts on education and education policy. The growth of large scale international surveys of student achievement and the increasing role played by intergovernmental agencies in education means that the influence that globalization exerts on education is likely to increase even further in the future. This open access book provides a significant and timely investigation into the impacts that globalization has exerted on science curricula in a diverse range of countries using extensive data sets collected by the IEA between 1995 and 2015. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, this book considers the extent to which there have been changes to the intended and implemented science curricula in different countries over the last 20 years. Consideration is then given as to whether science curricula are becoming increasingly similar across countries over time. Finally the issue of whether the basis of an international core curriculum can be identified is addressed. Readers will gain a unique insight into the extent to which globalization and large scale international assessments have influenced science curricula in the last 20 years within both the primary and secondary phases

On the Evolution Equation for Magnetic Geodesics

In this paper we prove the existence of long time solutions for the parabolic equation for closed magnetic geodesics.Comment: In this paper we prove the existence of long time solutions for the parabolic equation for closed magnetic geodesic

Glycerol selective oxidation to lactic acid over AuPt nanoparticles; enhancing reaction selectivity and understanding by support modification

A high surface area mesoporous TiO2 material (110 m2/g) was synthesised using a nanocasting methodology, utilizing SBA‐15 as a hard template. This material was subsequently used as a support to prepare a series of 1 wt.% AuPt/TiO2 catalysts, synthesised by conventional impregnation and sol‐immobilisation. Catalysts were tested for the oxidation of glycerol to lactic acid and their performance was compared with corresponding catalysts supported on TiO2−P25, TiO2‐anatase and TiO2‐rutile. Higher rates of reaction and higher selectivity to lactic acid were observed over nanocast TiO2 supported catalysts. The increased performance of these catalysts was attributed to the presence of Si on the surface of the support, which likely arose from inefficient etching of the SBA‐15 template. The presence of Si in these catalysts was confirmed by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy. It was proposed that the residual Si present increases the Brønsted acidity of the TiO2 support, which can lead to the formation of Lewis acid sites under reaction conditions; both sites are known to catalyse the dehydration of a primary alcohol in glycerol. Typically, under alkaline conditions, lactic acid is formed by the nucleophilic abstraction of a hydrogen. Thus, we propose that the improved selectivity to lactic acid over the nanocast TiO2 supported catalyst is attributed to the co‐operation of heterogeneous and homogeneous dehydration reactions, as both compete directly with a direct oxidation pathway, which leads to the formation of oxidation products such as glyceric and tartronic acid

Existence and uniqueness for a crystalline mean curvature flow

An existence and uniqueness result, up to fattening, for a class of crystalline mean curvature flows with natural mobility is proved. The results are valid in any dimension and for arbitrary, possibly unbounded, initial closed sets. The comparison principle is obtained by means of a suitable weak formulation of the flow, while the existence of a global-in-time solution follows via a minimizing movements approach

Differences in early developmental rate and yolk conversion efficiency in offspring of trout with alternative life histories

Partial migration, in which some individuals of a population migrate while other individuals remain resident, is generally associated with ontogenetic shifts to better feeding areas or as a response to environmental instability, but its underlying mechanisms remain relatively unknown. Brown trout (Salmo trutta) exhibit partial migration, with some individuals remaining in fresh water (freshwater-resident) while others undertake an anadromous migration, where they spend time at sea before returning to breed in fresh water (migrant). We reared full-sibling groups of offspring from freshwater-resident and anadromous brown trout from the same catchment in the laboratory under common garden conditions to examine potential differences in their early development. Freshwater-resident parents produced eggs that were slower to hatch than those of anadromous parents, but freshwater-resident offspring were quicker to absorb their yolk and reach the stage of exogenous feeding. Their offspring also had a higher conversion efficiency from the egg stage to the start of exogenous feeding (so were larger by the start of the fry stage) than did offspring from anadromous parents despite no difference in standard metabolic rate, maximal metabolic rate, or aerobic scope. Given these differences in early development we discuss how the migration history of the parents might influence the migration probability of the offspring

The post-mortem resilience of facial creases and the possibility for use in identification of the dead

The post-mortem resilience of facial creases was studied using donated bodies in order to establish the efficacy of crease analysis for identification of the dead. Creases were studied on normal (pre-embalmed) and bloated (embalmed) cadavers at the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification (CAHID) to establish whether facial bloating would affect facial crease visibility. Embalming was chosen to simulate the effects produced by post-mortem bloating. The results suggested that creases are resilient and changes were only detected for creases located on the periphery of the face, particularly at areas where the skin is thick, such as at the cheeks. Two new creases not previously classified were identified; these creases were called the vertical superciliary arch line and the lateral nose crease. This research suggests that facial creases may be resilient enough after death to be utilised for human identification