Athletic identity and aggressive behavior: A cross-cultural analysis in contact and collision sports.

Research independently examining athletic identity and aggressive sport behavior is quite extensive; however, the relationship between these variables has yet to be explored. Findings from the sport fandom literature regarding team identification and aggressive fan behavior provides a foundation on which to hypothesize about the potential role athletic identity may have in the expression of athlete aggression. Therefore, the purposes of the study were to: (a) further explore the utility and psychometric properties of the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) and the Competitive Aggressiveness and Anger Scale (CAAS), (b) examine the relationships between athletic identity, anger, and aggression in competitive athletes, (c) assess cross-cultural differences, and (d) test hypothesized pathways between variables predicted to contribute to sport aggression. A total of 569 male athletes participating in contact and collision sports in the United States (n = 362) and Hong Kong (n = 207) completed the AIMS, CAAS, and a modified version of the Context Modified Webb Scale. Results of the study showed support for future use of the AIMS and CAAS as sound measures of athletic identity, anger, and aggressiveness in both American and English-speaking Hong Kong Chinese athlete populations. Results also indicated small to moderate positive relationships between athletic identity, anger, and aggressiveness with differences in those variables found with respect to sport type (contact versus collision) and culture. Interestingly, group comparisons yielded significant differences between highly identified and lowly identified athletes in both anger and aggressiveness. Path analyses examined the influence of years of sport participation, perceived athletic ability, athletic identity, professionalization, and anger in aggressive sport behavior. Lastly, results indicated a good fit between the data and the proposed theoretical model accounting for 43.1% of the total variance in aggressiveness in American athletes and 56.5% of the variance in Hong Kong athletes

Comparison of Constant and Temperature Dependent Blood Perfusion in Temperature Prediction for Superficial Hyperthermia

The purpose of this study was to determine whether prediction of the 3D temperature profile for superficial hyperthermia using constant blood perfusion model could be matched to one with a temperature dependent blood perfusion. We compared three different constant blood perfusion scenarios with one temperature dependent blood perfusion using a layered model of biological tissue consisting of skin (2 mm), fat (10 mm) and muscle (108 mm). For all four scenarios the maximum temperature of 43 °C was found in the muscle tissue in the close proximity (1 – 3 mm) of fat layer. Cumulative histograms of temperature versus volume were identical for the region of 100x100x40 mm3 under the applicator aperture for the three constant blood perfusion models. For temperature dependent blood perfusion model, 85 % of the studied region was covered with the temperature equal or higher than 40 °C in comparison with 43 % for the constant blood perfusion models. Hence this study demonstrates that constant blood perfusion scenarios cannot be matched to one with a temperature dependent blood perfusion

Characteristics of optimum falls prevention exercise programmes for community-dwelling older adults using the FITT principle

peer-reviewedThis review aims to identify the optimal exercise intervention characteristics for falls prevention among community-dwelling adults aged 60 years and over. Articles for inclusion were sourced by searching the Academic Search Premier, AMED, Biomedical Reference Collection: Expanded, CINAHL Plus, MEDLINE and SPORTDiscus databases with the key words ‘falls’, ‘prevention’, ‘exercise’ and ‘community’ and via reference lists of relevant articles. Only articles of level 1 or level 2 evidence (Howick et al. 2011) were included. Other inclusion criteria included recording falls incidence as an outcome measure, examining a community-dwelling population aged 60 years or over and implementing exercise as a single intervention in at least one group. Exercise programme characteristics from 31 articles were examined according to their frequency, intensity, time and type and their effects on falls incidence were reviewed. Exercising for a minimum of 1 h/week for at least 40 h over the course of an intervention is required to successfully reduce falls incidence. The optimal exercise frequency is three times per week, but the optimal duration per bout remains unclear. Specific balance training of sufficiently challenging intensity is a vital programme component, and strength training is most effective when combined with balance training. Flexibility and endurance training may also be included as part of a comprehensive programme. A combination of group and individual home exercise may be most effective for preventing falls and promoting exercise adherence

The case for strategic international alliances to harness nutritional genomics for public and personal health

Nutrigenomics is the study of how constituents of the diet interact with genes, and their products, to alter phenotype and, conversely, how genes and their products metabolise these constituents into nutrients, antinutrients, and bioactive compounds. Results from molecular and genetic epidemiological studies indicate that dietary unbalance can alter gene-nutrient interactions in ways that increase the risk of developing chronic disease. The interplay of human genetic variation and environmental factors will make identifying causative genes and nutrients a formidable, but not intractable, challenge. We provide specific recommendations for how to best meet this challenge and discuss the need for new methodologies and the use of comprehensive analyses of nutrient-genotype interactions involving large and diverse populations. The objective of the present paper is to stimulate discourse and collaboration among nutrigenomic researchers and stakeholders, a process that will lead to an increase in global health and wellness by reducing health disparities in developed and developing countrie