Factors contributing to Australian adolescents’ self-report of their motor skill competence

An adolescents motor skill competence can affect areas such as sports participation, social activities and future academic or employment decisions. The Adolescent Motor Competence Questionnaire (AMCQ) is a 26-item questionnaire that uses a four point Likert response (never, sometimes, frequently, always) to assess motor-related activities during adolescence. This study aims to provide evidence of the construct validity using Principle Component Analysis (PCA) and to identify factors that contributed to Australian adolescent self-reported motor competence. A final aim was to determine whether individual item responses differed between males and females. The AMCQ was completed by 160 adolescents (Mage = 14.45 SD = .75, 12 to 16). The PCA using varimax rotation extracted four factors (Eiqenvalue of 1.21 or above) explaining 52% of variance and representing Participation in Physical Activity and Sports, Activities of Daily Living, Public Performance, and Peer Comparison. Overall males reported higher AMCQ scores compared to females. Females responded negatively (sometimes/never) to all items particularly those on Physical Activity and Sports and Public Performance. Males who responded negatively had lower AMCQ scores than the females. These findings indicate male and female adolescents may judge their motor competence on different factors, which should be considered when planning physical activity interventions

Development of an ISO 50001 Energy Management System: Barriers, Drivers, and Enablers in a Local Government of Western Australia

Background: ISO 50001 is the international standard for Energy Management Systems (EnMS), following the same Plan-Do-Check-Act framework as other highly successful ISO standards such as ISO 14001 Environmental Management and ISO 9001 Quality. The opportunity for efficient integration with these standards along with the well understood and academically agreed benefits for emissions reduction and cost savings have facilitated a growth in ISO 50001 implementation. Previous literature has identified that this implementation has predominantly occurred in the energy intensive industry sectors such as manufacturing. An ‘efficiency gap’ or ‘energy paradox’ has been identified to be hindering the implementation of compliant EnMSs, particularly in the service and commercial sectors. Purpose: The aim of this study is to identify the influencing factors; barriers, motivators, opportunities, and enablers which may influence the implementation of ISO 50001 in the service sector, such as that of a Western Australian (WA) Local Government (LG). Methods: The researcher was embedded within the City of Melville (CoM) LG in which a literature synthesis, document review and case study observations were collected. The literature synthesis was conducted to provide a theoretical underpinning of the potential influencing factors of ISO 50001 implementation within a LG. The literature included ISO 50001 case studies from several energy intensive disciplines and other sustainable energy initiatives more commonly implemented beyond the industry sector. In parallel the CoM document analysis and case study observations were conducted weekly over the duration of the work experience. Results: The literature synthesis identified the key theoretical barriers as Resources, System Structure, Information and Behaviour of stakeholders. Several key positive influencing factors were also identified to potentially alleviate the effects or overcome these barriers. The overarching positive influencing factors included the WA institutional values and context, Top Management Support and Additional Grant Funding. When these were considered individually as drivers or enablers the additional positive influencing aspects are Emission Reduction and Public Interest (Drivers) and existing ISO Certifications, Staff Support and External Relationships (Enablers). Based on these results the two key barriers that are specific for a LG were System/Structure and Time Resources. However, the key influencing factor that could override these barriers is the established External Relationships that provide the technical capacity not typically available within LGs. In the CoM context the Addition of Funding was observed to have significant benefits to enabling ISO 50001 implementation. Conclusions: The results discussed were unique to the LG context with the influencing factors of Time Resources and External Relationships for capacity building as findings unique within the case study. This is a foundational study which is recommended to be built upon to increase the understanding of both the qualitative and quantitative results of an ISO 50001 compliant EnMS in the LG context. With increased awareness in these outcomes, it is concluded that the benefits of the ISO 50001 standard can reach beyond the industrial sector and into the LG context

The Who.I.Am study : Identity formation and motor competence in adolescents

Our sense of identity is an emergent concept that develops over the lifespan in response to many factors, however the adolescent phase is the most critical. During adolescence, some factors that influence identity are level of parent and peer support, environmental stresses and the ability to form personal interests and goals. These factors influence the health of one’s identity in both positive and negative ways, which may differ between males and females. Therefore, identity health refers to an individual’s capacity to develop a positive sense of self and to integrate their self within a number of valuable social settings. One factor that has not previously been examined in relation to the health of identity is the influence of an individual’s motor competence. During adolescence, the associated social-emotional challenges of low motor competence (LMC) such as reduced peer support, social immaturity, or limited peer interaction may be more harmful than the initial difficulties associated with LMC experienced during childhood. The purpose of this thesis, therefore, was to examine whether levels of motor competence, parent’s awareness of motor competence and selfperceptions influenced the health of an adolescent’s identity. LMC during adolescence is often under recognised as a cause for concern as many parents, teachers and clinicians are unaware of the significance of this condition. Furthermore, few assessments of motor competence have been specifically developed for this age range. To address this need, the first paper of this thesis describes the development and evaluation of the Adolescent Motor Competence Questionnaire (AMCQ) with a small sample of 38 adolescents. Evidence of reliability and concurrent validity with the McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development (MAND; McCarron, 1997) was established. In the second paper, a Principle Component Analysis (PCA) of the AMCQ data for 160 adolescents (64.4% males, Mage = 14.44 years, SD = 0.75) was undertaken. Four factors representing Physical Activities and Sports, Activities of Daily Living, Public Performance and Peer Comparison were identified. A second order analysis yielded just one factor with contributions from all first order factors which provided evidence of construct validity of the AMCQ (Chapter 3). To examine the complex construct of identity health, a cultural adaptation of the Assessment of Identity Development in Adolescents (AIDA, Goth et al., 2012) questionnaire, developed simultaneously in Germany and Switzerland, was completed and reported in the third paper (Chapter 4). The main test results with a sample of 126 (67.5% boys, M = 14.6 years, SD = 0.9) indicated that the 58-item version was suitable for use among Australian adolescents. Motor competence (AMCQ scores) and its relationship to the health of an adolescent’s identity (AIDA scores) was examined in the fourth paper using a sequential mixed method design (Chapter 5). The quantitative (N = 160) results revealed males had higher motor competence scores, while females had less healthy identity scores compared to males. The LMC adolescents had less healthy identity scores compared to the high motor competence (HMC) adolescents. Interviews with 17 adolescents were used to interpret these quantitative results. Five main themes emerged; Peer Support , School Experiences, Personal Changes, Future Planning and Communication. Overall, the HMC males had the healthiest identities, LMC males and HMC females experienced similar identity challenges, while the LMC females experienced the greatest difficulties regarding the health of their identity. The LMC females felt greater pressure to reach their future goals and experienced more fragmented friendships. A parent’s awareness of their child’s motor competence may also influence other areas of their adolescent’s life. Therefore, the level of agreement between a parent report questionnaire [Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire, 2007 (DCDQ-07; Wilson et al., 2009)] and the adolescent self-report questionnaire (AMCQ) was examined in the fifth paper (Chapter 6). The results from 133 parent and adolescent dyads (66.2 % males, Mage = 14.49 years, SD = 0.79) revealed a high proportion of agreement, primarily due to the number of HMC case-agreements. Parents identified more males (11) than females (9) with LMC, whereas more female adolescents (22) self-reported LMC compared to males (18). These findings suggest self-report assessments during adolescence may be a more sensitive measure of motor competence, especially for females compared to a parent report measure. In the sixth and final paper, adolescent self-perceptions (N = 160) across a range of domains (Self-Perception Profile for Adolescence [SPPA], Harter 2012b) were examined to determine if they mediated the relationship between motor competence and adolescent identity health (Chapter 7). For the total sample regardless of motor competence or gender, self-perceptions of social competence, physical appearance, close friendships and global self-worth mediated this relationship. For the HMC group (n = 108), self-perceptions of physical appearance and global self-worth played a mediating role, and although not significant, social competence, and behavioural conduct positively influenced this relationship. When the sample was separated by motor competence (high and low) and gender (male and female) no significant relationships among any of the self-perception domains were seen. However perceptions of close friendships were important for the LMC group (n = 52) and for males (n = 103). In addition, for the males, perceptions of global selfworth were important for their identity health. No self-perceptions mediated this relationship for the females (n = 57). Overall, the results from these six papers indicate that the health of an adolescent’s identity differs depending on their level of motor competence and gender. To conclude, a multi-dimensional framework of four factors was designed to examine the relationships between an adolescent’s level of motor competence, identity health, individual self-perceptions, and parental support. This framework was used to consider the relationship between any two variables (such as motor competence and parent support) to see if one component changed as a result of another. It was found that all variables were higher for those with HMC (males and females). A male’s identity health was stronger with an increasing level of motor competence, however this relationship was not evident among females. Greater perceived close friendships improved identity health among adolescents with LMC, both males and females. Finally, level of motor competence influenced identity health among the LMC males but not the LMC females. Overall the LMC group experienced greater setbacks towards their identity health such as finding appropriate social support which was due to their level of motor competence and ability to participate in age appropriate activities such as sports. Together these results highlight that the health of identity during adolescence is influenced by gender, motor competence and parental support. The negative impact of LMC on identity health during adolescence suggests that greater support and understanding from parents, teachers and peers is needed for this group, especially for the LMC females

Learning and Expertise of Equestrians: a Qualitative Assessment of Combining Humans and Equines in a Sport

This thesis focuses on the learning and expertise of equestrians. In this work, I use two theories, the first Jean Lave’s concept of apprenticeship or learning by doing. Apprenticeship allows people to gain the knowledge and skill they desire while also being able to become a part of a community. This knowledge and skill are seen as the newcomer becoming the oldcomer. The second theory uses Summerson Carr’s ideas of expertise. She describes expertise through four processes, socialization, evaluation, institutionalization, and naturalization. Overall, she explains expertise as something people do rather than something they possess through performance. Performance allows individuals to not only physically demonstrate, but also talk about the subject at hand. Due to my fourteen years of riding experience, my research for this work took place over a six-month period at a horse farm in Wisconsin. It includes participant observation and ten interviews ranging from beginner to more advanced student riders, and the teaching staff. My overall ethnographic work questions if apprenticeship leads to expertise among equestrians. It is through this question and case study that I focus on the importance of embodied communication and partnership through the human-equine interspecies relationship

Clinical Characteristics, Treatment, and Short-Term Outcome in Patients with Heart Failure and Cancer.

(1) Our study aimed to look at the clinical characteristics, treatment and short-term outcomes of patients hospitalized due to heart failure with coexisting cancer. (2) Methods: Seventy one cancer (Ca) patients and a randomly selected 70 patients without Ca, hospitalized due to heart failure exacerbation in the same time period constituted the study group (Ca patient group) and controls (non-Ca group), respectively. Data on clinical characteristics were collected retrospectively for both groups. (3) Results: Cancer patients presented with a less advanced NYHA class, had more frequent HFpEF, a higher peak troponin T level, and smaller left atrium size, as compared with controls. The in-hospital deaths of Ca patients were associated with: a higher New York Heart Association (NYHA) class, lower HgB level, worse renal function, higher K and AST levels, presence of diabetes mellitus, and HFpEF. By multivariate logistic regression analysis, impaired renal function was the only independent predictor of in-hospital death in Ca patients (OR-1.15; CI 1.05; 1.27); p = 0.017). The following covariates entered the regression: NYHA class, HgB, GFR, K+, AST, diabetes mellitus t.2, and HFpEF. (4) Conclusions: The clinical picture and the course of heart failure in patients with and without cancer are different

A comparison of the effectiveness of intubation using a McGrath Series 5 videolaryngoscope with either a Truflex articulating stylet or a standard intubation stylet in a group of medical students

Background. Intubation is the optimal method for opening the airway and effective ventilation of the patient. However, there are occasional problems with intubation, especially in patients with injuries under pre-hospital conditions. Therefore, it is important to identify devices, e.g., videolaryngoscopes or guides, which may facilitate and shorten the procedure. This study addresses the use of a Truflex articulated guide with a videolaryngoscope. Objectives. The main objective of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of intubation using a Truflex articulating stylet with a McGrath videolaryngoscope, and to determine whether the average time of intubation using a Truflex articulating stylet is shorter than that using a standard intubation stylet. Materials and methods. The study involved 43 full-time 5th year medical students. All tests were performed on training manikins with a difficult airway in January 2013. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis with a significance level of p < 0.01. Calculations were performed using the Statistica package. Results. Intubation using a McGrath videolaryngoscope with a Truflex articulating stylet was more effective than that using a standard intubation stylet with the same laryngoscope: 71% as compared to 40%. The mean time of successful intubation using a Truflex articulating stylet was shorter than that using a standard intubation stylet guide (31.1 ± 12.8 s and 39.8 ± 12.4 s, respectively). Conclusions. The mean time of tracheal intubation using a Truflex articulating stylet is shorter than that using a standard intubation stylet. Intubation is also more effective when a Truflex articulating stylet is used together with a McGrath videolaryngoscope

A comparison of the effectiveness of intubation using a McGrath Series 5 videolaryngoscope with either a Truflex articulating stylet or a standard intubation stylet in a group of medical students

Background. Intubation is the optimal method for opening the airway and effective ventilation of the patient. However, there are occasional problems with intubation, especially in patients with injuries under pre-hospital conditions. Therefore, it is important to identify devices, e.g., videolaryngoscopes or guides, which may facilitate and shorten the procedure. This study addresses the use of a Truflex articulated guide with a videolaryngoscope. Objectives. The main objective of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of intubation using a Truflex articulating stylet with a McGrath videolaryngoscope, and to determine whether the average time of intubation using a Truflex articulating stylet is shorter than that using a standard intubation stylet. Materials and methods. The study involved 43 full-time 5th year medical students. All tests were performed on training manikins with a difficult airway in January 2013. Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis with a significance level of p < 0.01. Calculations were performed using the Statistica package. Results. Intubation using a McGrath videolaryngoscope with a Truflex articulating stylet was more effective than that using a standard intubation stylet with the same laryngoscope: 71% as compared to 40%. The mean time of successful intubation using a Truflex articulating stylet was shorter than that using a standard intubation stylet guide (31.1 ± 12.8 s and 39.8 ± 12.4 s, respectively). Conclusions. The mean time of tracheal intubation using a Truflex articulating stylet is shorter than that using a standard intubation stylet. Intubation is also more effective when a Truflex articulating stylet is used together with a McGrath videolaryngoscope

Atrial fibrillation in the practice of medical rescue teams : the analysis of the selected epidemiological features

Wstęp. Migotanie przedsionków jest schorzeniem o niejednolitej etiologii oraz zróżnicowanym obrazie klinicznym. Stanowi jedno z wyzwań współczesnego Systemu Ratownictwa Medycznego. Celem pracy była analiza wybranych danych epidemiologicznych pacjentów z migotaniem przedsionków, u których interweniowały zespoły ratownictwa medycznego. Materiał i metodyka. Badaniami objęto 147 chorych (88 kobiet i 59 mężczyzn) w wieku od 22 do 97 lat (średnia 72,49 lat) z migotaniem przedsionków. Wyniki. Migotanie przedsionków częściej występowało u kobiet niż u mężczyzn (61% vs 39%). Średnia wieku kobiet była wyższa od średniej wieku mężczyzn (74,3 lat vs 69,72 lat). Najwięcej interwencji medycznych dotyczyło pacjentów w grupie wiekowej 70-79 lat. Wnioski. Migotanie przedsionków wykazuje sezonowość występowania, najwięcej przypadków dotyczy okresu zimowego oraz godzin porannych. Częstość występowania migotania przedsionków wzrasta wraz z wiekiem i najczęściej dotyczy kobiet.Introduction. Atrial fibrillation is a condition of heterogeneous aetiology and diversified clinical presentation. It is one of the challenges the medical rescue system has to face. The purpose of the paper was to analyse selected epidemiological data of patients suffering from atrial fibrillation who required the intervention of a medical rescue team. The material and methods. The research was conducted on 147 patients (88 women and 59 men) aged from 22 to 97 (the average age being 72,49 years of age) suffering from atrial fibrillation. The results. Atrial fibrillation is more common is the case of women (61% vs. 39%). The average age of women was higher than that of men (74,3 vs. 69,72). The greatest number of medical interventions was observed in the age group of 70 to 79 years of age. Conclusions. The occurrence of atrial fibrillation was observed to be time-specific, with the majority of the cases occurring during winter and in the morning. The frequency of atrial fibrillation occurrence increases with age and is more common is the case of women