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Effects of In-Season Strength Training on Physical Fitness and Injury Prevention in North African Elite Young Female Soccer Players
No full textBackground
Strength training (ST) primarily enhances physical fitness (e.g., muscle strength, power, speed) and bone density in female soccer players. Less information is available on the injury preventive effects of ST in female athletes. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate the effects of a 12-week in-season ST on measures of physical fitness and injury occurrence in young elite female soccer players.
Methods
Thirty elite female soccer players (15.4 ± 1.9 years; maturity offset + 2.3 ± 1.1 years) participated in this study, and were randomly assigned to a strength training group (STG, n = 14) or an active control (CG, n = 16) group. ST lasted twelve weeks and included full body muscle strengthening exercises using primarily weight machines at progressive intensities ranging between 40 and 85% of the one-repetition-maximum (1-RM). The CG practiced a traditional soccer training program. Overall, training volumes of the two groups were similar with a training load (rating of perceived exertion × time) of 1158.4 ± 67.7 arbitrary unity (AU) for the STG and 1188.8 ± 44.1 AU for the CG. Pre and post training, the following physical fitness tests were applied: dynamic muscle strength (relative [to body mass] and absolute 1-RM bench/leg press, lat-pull down), jump performance (countermovement jump [CMJ], squat jump [SJ], five-jump-test [5JT]), linear-sprint speed (5-m, 10-m, 30-m), change-of-direction speed (T-test with and without ball), sport-specific performance (Yo-Yo Intermittent Level1 [YYIRTL1], and repeated shuttle sprint ability [RSSA]). The injury rate per 1000-h exposure was monitored throughout the soccer season.
Results
No significant baseline differences were observed between groups. Statistically significant group-by-time interactions were found for absolute ( p < 0.001, d = 2.59) and relative 1-RM bench press ( p < 0.001, d = 2.39), absolute 1-RM lat-pull down ( p < 0.001, d = 1.68), and relative 1-RM leg press ( p < 0.001, d = 1.72). Significant group-by-time interactions were observed for CMJ ( p = 0.005, d = 1.27), RSSA mean ( p = 0.007, d = 0.81), and RSSA total ( p < 0.001, d = 1.90). Post-hoc tests indicated that the STG group demonstrated greater improvements in all tested variables compared to CG (1.2 < d < 2.5). However, no significant interaction effects were noted for measures of linear sprint speed and YYIRTL1 performance. Additionally, non-contact injuries during the season were significantly lower ( p = 0.003, d = 1.31) in the STG (0.48/1000 h of exposure) than the CG (2.62/1000 h of exposure).
Conclusions
Twelve weeks of an in-season ST resulted in larger physical fitness improvements and fewer injuries compared with an active control in elite young female soccer players. Accordingly, ST should be systematically applied in female soccer to enhance performance and prevent injuries
Effects of a Preseason Neuromuscular Training Program vs. an Endurance-Dominated Program on Physical Fitness and Injury Prevention in Female Soccer Players
No full textBackground
The pre-season preparatory period is considered key for optimizing the physical fitness levels needed to withstand congested match periods and preventing injuries during the regular soccer season. This study contrasted the effects s of neuromuscular training (NMT) versus an endurance-dominated training (ET) program conducted during the preseason on measures of physical fitness and injury occurrence in female soccer players.
Methods
Twenty-four female soccer players aged 17.0 ± 1.3 years from a professional soccer club participated in this study. Players were randomly assigned to NMT ( n = 12) or ET ( n = 12) groups according to their playing position. The preseason intervention program lasted six weeks, with three weekly sessions with a duration of 45–60 min per session. Exercises in the NMT group included muscle strengthening exercises, plyometrics, agility and dynamic stability exercises, while the ET group practiced a traditional pre-season training program consisting of running and sprinting exercises, fartlek, and high-intensity interval training. The training volumes were similar in the two study groups. Anthropometric measurements, physical fitness tests (i.e., linear and change-of-direction speed, muscle strength and power tests) and the overall injury rate per 1000 h of exposure (training, match) were recorded throughout the season.
Results
No between group differences were found at pre (T1). Significant group-by-time interactions were observed for the 5, 10, and 30-m linear sprint speed tests ( p d > 2.77). The injury rate across the season was significantly lower in the NMT (5.1/1000 h exposure) compared to ET (11.8/1000 h exposure) ( p = 0.014).
Conclusions
The findings support that six-weeks of preseason NMT versus ET induced larger performance improvements, and significantly reduced injury occurrence in elite female soccer players
Environmental mediation of colistin resistance in the African context. A systematic scoping review
No full textObjectives
The prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among Gram-negative bacteria is a major global health concern. Resistance to last-resort antibiotics like colistin is particularly alarming. This study reviews how environmental factors have contributed to colistin resistance in the African context, where reports of colistin-resistant Gram-negative organisms are emerging.
Methods
A systematic review was conducted using multiple databases to identify articles on environmental mediation of colistin resistance in Africa. Search terms included “environment,” “colistin,” “mobile colistin resistance gene,” and related keywords. Articles from 2015 to 2021 focusing on Africa were included. Data on country, genes detected, methods used, and bacterial species were extracted.
Results
Out of 847 articles identified, 26 were included in the final review. Studies were predominantly from Tunisia, Algeria, South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, and Congo. The mobile colistin resistance (mcr-1) gene was the most common genetic variant detected. Escherichia coli (E. coli) was the predominant organism spreading mcr genes. Colistin-resistant genes were found in humans, animals, and environmental samples including manure, soil, water bodies, and wildlife.
Conclusions
This review confirms the rapid spread of plasmid-mediated colistin-resistant genes in humans, animals, and the environment across Africa. The movement of resistant genes between these reservoirs is alarming. There is a need for more research into colistin resistance mechanisms and implementation of continent-wide antibiotic stewardship programs to address this emerging threat in Africa. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
Is Bowman’s paradox an empirical artifact? Evidence from Asian emerging countries
No full textPurpose
This study aims to reconcile and address Bowman’s paradox empirical criticism from the lens of financial theory, corporate strategy and their econometric adversaries based on three issues, i.e. risk conceptualization, measurement and econometric modeling in Asian emerging countries (AEC).
Design/methodology/approach
The study is conducted on panel data sampling from 2,872 firms across four Asian Emerging Countries (AEC) and employs a two-stage least squares (2SLS) estimation technique. We proposed a theoretical framework based on triangulation that outlines four risk-return relationships based on proxies derived from capital market and firm-level data and used different econometric models to answer Bowman’s paradox ongoing criticism.
Findings
The empirical results negate the empirical artifact viewpoint in AEC. The risk-return relationship estimated on firm accounting-based ratios or its combination with market-based measures supports Bowman’s paradox and thus upholds the corporate strategy point of view. Whereas the risk-return relationship based on market-based ratios upholds the financial theory point of view. However, the results are mixed when risk is subdivided into systematic and business risk. Our results are robust across standard deviation and semi-standard deviation-based measures of risk, and there is no evidence of a non-linear relationship.
Originality/value
A compelling debate exists that Bowman’s paradox is an empirical artifact. We provide an innovative approach that aims to reconcile and address the ongoing debate by employing diverse risk-return proxies and econometric models in Asian emerging countries. Methodological issues such as endogeneity, sample biases, temporal fluctuations, downside risk variations, multiple moments of a variable and model misspecification are also addressed. This triangulation enhances the robustness of our analysis, providing a comprehensive perspective on AEC and laying the groundwork for future researchers to explore Bowman’s paradox through alternative measures and models
Deploying Value Engineering Strategies for Ameliorating Construction Project Management Performance: A Delphi-SWARA Study Approach
No full textThis study was carried out to rank and prioritize the aspects that have been shown to have an impact on the improvement of construction project management (CPM) performance based on value engineering. This analysis was carried out with the Iranian construction industry’s current situation in mind. The respondents and the Delphi panel were chosen from among Iranian managers and project management professionals with a focus on building projects. These professionals had more than 20 years of experience working on international projects, and in addition to their expertise in project management, they also understood the principles of earned value analysis and value engineering. Thus, the components extracted from the literature review were used as the basis for designing a structured interview based on 39 important effective components previously determined as identified factors. The questionnaires were distributed among the experts, and the returned questionnaires were analysed using the SWARA technique to rank the weight and importance of the factors. Using the SWARA method, the opinions of the expert panel members consisting of 20 engineers and a semi-structured questionnaire was used to gather expertise in project management and managers, with a focus on Iranian CPM. As shown by the results, stakeholder management, time value of money, and worth, allocated the first to the third rank to themselves with respective weights of 0.104, 0.103, and 0.087. The sub-criteria of cost objective, function objective, and value objective were in the 37th to 39th ranks with respective weights of 0.00050, 0.00033, and 0.00021
Revealing the Institutional Order of Birmingham as a Framework for Civic Life : An Interpretation of Paradise Circus and Associated Institutions between 1779-1980
No full textThis thesis is concerned with the interpretation of the architectural and urban topography of Birmingham through the study of literary and intellectual institutions. The study is temporally bounded by the foundation of Birmingham Library (1779) and the building of Central Library (1974) as part of Paradise Circus (1980). Presented in three parts and beginning with John Madin’s now demolished modernist complex, the thesis explores the historically constituted and continually negotiated topography of Birmingham towards an understanding of implicit and explicit institutional order as the stratified horizon for praxis (Carl, 2012: 67). Questions of continuity, progress and freedom resonate throughout the work with implications for contemporary architectural and urban theory and practice, in doing so offering a framework for civic life.
The hermeneutic position of this research offers a counter to the technological orientation and topographical amnesia of the modernist city. In contrast to conventional historical research which defers to the intention and authority of the author of the work (of art, architecture, literature) in question (Parcell, 1993: 250), and methods of scientific analysis where a work is treated as a silent, neutral object, hermeneutics calls for more subtle and comprehensive modes of historical and humanistic understanding (Palmer, 1969: 8). This is particularly valuable in the study of architecture and urban topography where history and design are both engaged in the act of interpretation. Vesely’s (2004: 52) reciprocal unity between topology, orientation, and physiognomy as a sequence of relationships and dependencies offers a way of thinking about architecture beyond abstract notions of space, style or its technological and instrumental nature. Together, these orientate the research in finding the right question to ask (Gadamer, 1975: 312), informing the tools employed in its making.
The research has been ordered by the study of historical documents and the architectural and urban topography of the city itself. Part 1 presents the historiographical context of twentieth century works and discussions around continuity and progress through the study of Cedric Price’s unbuilt project for BMI/HQ and John Madin’s now-demolished Paradise Circus. Beginning with the foundation of Birmingham Library (1779), Part 2 explores the topography of modernity from which those projects emerged, discussing the basis for an architectural and social culture that did not always conform to accepted convention or practice. Together, these parts lead the interpretive work of Part 3. Original drawings, photographs and the ‘map of institutional continuity’ accompany the presentation of extensive archival works throughout the thesis, some uncatalogued and seen here for the first time.
Drawing extensively on the fields of politics, philosophy, technology, and religion, and intensively on practices of architecture, art, landscape, and planning, the thesis contributes new insights into the architectural and urban topography of Birmingham, revealing the implicit and explicit institutional order of the city.
As the thesis presents, the implicit yet intensive order of the first library embodied dialogue (logos) at a time of much national and international dispute, with the naming of the site of Paradise establishing an ontological orientation to the fast-growing city. The long-term project for the Town Hall and subsequent Birmingham and Midland Institute and later conjoined Free Reference Library represented a more explicit yet contingent and open form of city-building, signifying ideas of democratic representation and civic participation. The parallel study of Price and Madin’s works articulates differing attitudes to continuity and progress, where the latter made ground for civic life, acknowledging the traditions as well as the expanding territory of the city embodied in the ring road.
The thesis poses important questions about the ways in which institutions accommodate change whilst providing continuity with the given, historical conditions of urbis and a concern for freedom as the ‘natural conditions common-to-all’ (physis) (Carl, 2012: 67). Such questions have been given greater urgency in the context of declining state support and intervention, changes to the ownership and governance of public space and buildings, and global movements for social, spatial, and environmental justice. The thesis also offers opportunities for the creative interpretation of the archive in an approach which seeks not to reconstruct conditions, but to situate meaning within tradition
Inclusive intervention design for vulnerable road users: Applying co-design and behaviour change model in Bangladesh
No full textIn developing countries, it is debatable whether poor design of facilities or violation of traffic rules by road users is the leading cause of pedestrian injuries and deaths. Professionals, pedestrians and drivers tend to blame each other. Shared responsibility for road safety is crucial for protecting vulnerable road users such as commuting students and workers who face higher injury risks while crossing highways. While the Safe System approach emphasises authorities’ responsibility for safe facilities, understanding user needs and promoting behaviour change remain underexplored. This study investigates the current design practices in Bangladesh. It compares the impact of conventional design with co-design on intervention quality and examines the further benefits of integrating a behaviour change model ‘COM-B’.
Local road agency professionals applied the design process and suggested interventions at four highway sites. Subsequently, four focus group sessions were conducted with students and workers, followed by four design workshops. In each workshop, participants were randomly assigned to two design groups (without and with the application of the behaviour change model), where they designed interventions facilitated by professionals. Lastly, perception ratings of stakeholders and safety assessments by four experts were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of all interventions.
The findings highlight major usability problems in conventional designs, while co-designed interventions demonstrate clear improvements. Notably, integrating a behaviour change model further enhances effectiveness. Stakeholder interviews reveal that co-design fosters shared responsibility and addresses the blame culture. The co-design approach and application of the behaviour change model can address design flaws and promote the proper use of facilities
School Art: Where Is It? (Re)exploring Visual Arts in Secondary School
No full textThis report presents the findings of research conducted in 2024, designed to mirror the work undertaken by Dick Downing and Ruth Watson in School Art: What's In It? (2004). This research was conceived to ascertain the content of the key stage 3 and 4 Art Curriculum in England and how this may have changed over the interceding 20 years
Enhancing Security: Infused Hybrid Vision Transformer for Signature Verification
No full textHandwritten signature verification is challenging because there is a huge variation between the orientation thickness and appearance of handwritten signatures. A strong signature verification system is essential to refine the accuracy of confirming user authentication. This investigation introduces an inclusive framework for training and evaluating hybrid vision transformer models on diverse signature datasets, aiming to refine the accuracy in confirming user authentication. In previous studies, transformer & MobileNet were used for computer vision classification and signature verification separately. Drawing inspiration from the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), the hybrid model is proposed as a deep-learning model (ResNet-18 & MobileNetV2) with the Vision Transformer model (proposed method 1 & proposed method 2).To bring originality to this study, we excluded the final layer of the feature extractor and smoothly integrated it with the initial layer of the vision transformer. In the scope of this research, we introduced a unique hybrid vision transformer model. Furthermore, we incorporated swish and tangent hyperbolic (tanh) activation functions into the validation model to enhance its performance. Experimental results showcase the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid model, achieving notable accuracies on various datasets, including 92.33% accuracy on Bhsig-Bengali, 99.89% accuracy on Bhsig-Hindi, 99.96% accuracy on Cedar, and 74.09% accuracy on UTsig-Persian datasets, respectively. The practical implications of this research extend to real-time signature verification for secure and efficient user authentication, particularly in mobile applications. This advancement in signature verification technology presents new possibilities for practical use in diverse scenarios beyond academia
A Programme for Women achieving Excellence in Research (PoWER): Theoretically informed intervention design, and evaluation
No full textAcademics in Higher Education are often expected to both teach and research; this is a particular challenge for women both structurally and individually. Initiatives to address structural issues include AdvanceHE. Here we focus on individual issues and report on the Programme for Women Achieving Excellence in Research, a theory-based intervention. Barriers to success were assessed and course content tailored accordingly. Evaluation demonstrated barriers reduced and confidence increased. Although barriers are both individual and contextual, our rigorous approach allows international application through intervention modification without loss of fidelity. This offers a new approach for academic developers to enable female researchers