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Development and reliability of an athlete introductory movement screen for use in emerging junior athletes
No full textPurpose: A novel 4-task Athlete Introductory Movement Screen was developed and tested to provide an appropriate and reliable movement screening tool for youth sport practitioners. Methods: The overhead squat, lunge, push-up, and a prone brace with shoulder touches were selected based on previous assessments. A total of 28 mixed-sport junior athletes (18 boys and 10 girls; mean age = 15.7 [1.8] y) completed screening after viewing standardized demonstration videos. Athletes were filmed performing 8 repetitions of each task and assessed retrospectively by 2 independent raters using a 3-point scale. The primary rater reassessed the footage 3 weeks later. A subgroup (n = 11) repeated the screening 7 days later, and a further 8 athletes were reassessed 6 months later. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), typical error (TE), coefficient of variation (CV%), and weighted kappa (k) were used in reliability analysis. Results: For the Athlete Introductory Movement Screen 4-task sum score, intrarater reliability was high (ICC = .97; CV = 2.8%), whereas interrater reliability was good (intraclass correlation coefficient = .88; CV = 5.6%). There was a range of agreement from fair to almost perfect (k = .31–.89) between raters across individual movements. A 7-day and 6-month test–retest held good reliability and acceptable CVs (≤ 10%) for sum scores. Conclusion: The 4-task Athlete Introductory Movement Screen appears to be a reliable tool for profiling emerging athletes. Reliability was strongest within the same rater; it was lower, yet acceptable, between 2 raters. Scores can provide an overview of appropriate movement competencies, helping practitioners assess training interventions in the athlete development pathway
Dynamic evolutionary history and gene content of sex chromosomes across diverse songbirds
No full textSongbirds have a species number close to that of mammals and are classic models for studying speciation and sexual selection. Sex chromosomes are hotspots of both processes, yet their evolutionary history in songbirds remains unclear. We characterized genomes of 11 songbird species, with 5 genomes of bird-of-paradise species. We conclude that songbird sex chromosomes have undergone four periods of recombination suppression before species radiation, producing a gradient of pairwise sequence divergence termed ‘evolutionary strata’. The latest stratum was probably due to a songbird-specific burst of retrotransposon CR1–E1 elements at its boundary, instead of the chromosome inversion generally assumed for suppressing sex-linked recombination. The formation of evolutionary strata has reshaped the genomic architecture of both sex chromosomes. We find stepwise variations of Z-linked inversions, repeat and guanine–cytosine (GC) contents, as well as W-linked gene loss rate associated with the age of strata. A few W-linked genes have been preserved for their essential functions, indicated by higher and broader expression of lizard orthologues compared with those of other sex-linked genes. We also find a different degree of accelerated evolution of Z-linked genes versus autosomal genes among species, potentially reflecting diversified intensity of sexual selection. Our results uncover the dynamic evolutionary history of songbird sex chromosomes and provide insights into the mechanisms of recombination suppression
The role of place for transnational social workers in statutory child protection
No full textThis article explores the experience and influence of place amongst transnational social workers. The concept of ‘place’ may be perceived as quietly existing in the background of everyday social work practice. Yet, transnational social workers in this study tell a different story about what happens to the role of place when social workers become globally mobile. The social work profession is embedded in place; qualifications and applications of social work are located within local and national context. Professional migration inevitably entails being separated from the construction of social work as it was known in the country of origin, which leads to an intersection between the context of social work, the role of place and redefining a professional home in an unfamiliar practice environment. This qualitative study explored the role of place for thirteen transnational social workers who relocated from the UK and Ireland to practice in Australia’s child protection system. Participants were interviewed twice over a three-year period to allow a deep understanding of the role of place and experience of ‘self’ over time. Findings highlight place-related change as a multidimensional experience that has a profound impact on transnational social workers
Heat stress training camps for endurance sport: a descriptive case study of successful monitoring in two ironman triathletes
No full textA common practice amongst endurance athletes is to purposefully train in hot environments during a ‘heat stress camp’. However, combined exercise-heat stress poses threats to athlete wellbeing, and therefore heat stress training has the potential to induce maladaptation. This case study describes the monitoring strategies used in a successful three-week heat stress camp undertaken by two elite Ironman triathletes, namely resting heart rate variability, self-report wellbeing, and careful prescription of training based on previously collected physiological data. Despite the added heat stress, training volume very likely increased in both athletes, and training load very likely increased in one of the athletes, whilst resting HRV and self-report wellbeing were maintained. There was also some evidence of favourable metabolic changes during routine laboratory testing following the camp. We therefore recommend that practitioners working with endurance athletes embarking on a heat stress training camp consider using the simple strategies employed in the present case study to reduce the risk of maladaptation and non-functional overreaching
Paramedic transition into an academic role in universities: A qualitative survey of paramedic academics in Australia and New Zealand
No full textAbstract Healthcare professionals who transition into academic roles in universities are confronted with many challenges. Universities offering paramedicine degree programs struggle to find qualified paramedics to assume academic roles, while at the same time little is known about the issues that confront paramedics transitioning into academic roles in universities. A maximal variation sampling method was used to interview 16 paramedic academics in Australia and New Zealand and a thematic analysis was conducted that generated a thematic network that encompassed five areas: the community of practice of paramedicine, the community of practice of academia, entry into a new community of practice, professional identity, and expectations and challenges. The resulting analysis revealed that new paramedic academics transitioning to academic roles in universities are often under-qualified and under prepared for academic positions. The induction and mentoring processes are often ad hoc and ineffective leaving the new academics feeling isolated and disillusioned. They struggle with establishing or maintaining a professional identity and meeting university expectations related to teaching, research, acquiring a PhD, and publication. Both these communities of practice need to engage in the development and preparation of these new academics so that paramedics will be attracted to these new roles and their transition to academia is a positive process
The risk of neonicotinoid exposure to shrimp aquaculture
No full textWidespread agricultural use of systemic neonicotinoid insecticides has resulted in the unintended contamination of aquatic environments. Water quality surveys regularly detect neonicotinoids in rivers and waterways at concentrations that could impact aquaculture stock. The toxicity of neonicotinoids to non-target aquatic insect and crustacean species has been recognised, however, there is a paucity of information on their effect on commercial shrimp aquaculture. Here, we show that commercially produced shrimp are likely to be exposed to dietary, sediment and waterborne sources of neonicotinoids; increasing the risks of disease and accidental human consumption. This review examines indicators of sublethal neonicotinoid exposure in non-target species and analyses their potential usefulness for ecotoxicology assessment in shrimp. The identification of rapid, reliable responses to neonicotinoid exposure in shrimp will result in better decision making in aquaculture management
Factors associated with wearing inadequate outdoor footwear in populations at risk of foot ulceration: A cross-sectional study
No full textBackground: Few studies have investigated if people at risk of foot ulceration actually wear the footwear recommended by best practice guidelines to prevent foot ulceration. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of, and factors associated with, wearing inadequate outdoor footwear in those with diabetes or peripheral neuropathy in an inpatient population.Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a multi-site cross-sectional study investigating foot conditions in a large representative inpatient population admitted into hospital for any medical reason on one day. A range of explanatory variables were collected from all participants including sociodemographic, medical and foot condition factors. The outcome variable for this study was the self-reported outdoor footwear type worn most by participants outside the house in the year prior to hospitalisation. The self-reported footwear type was then categorised into adequate and inadequate according to footwear features recommended in guidelines for populations at risk of foot ulceration. Logistic regression identified factors independently associated with inadequate footwear in all inpatient participants, and diabetes and neuropathy subgroups.Results: Overall, 47% of a total of 726 inpatients wore inadequate outdoor footwear; 49% of the 171 in the diabetes subgroup and 43% of 159 in the neuropathy subgroup. Wearing inadequate outdoor footwear was independently associated (Odds Ratio (95% Confidence Interval)) with being female in the diabetes (2.7 (1.4-5.2)) and neuropathy subgroups (3.7 (1.8-7.9)) and being female (5.1 (3.7-7.1)), having critical peripheral arterial disease (2.5 (1.1-5.9)) and an amputation (0.3 (0.1-0.7)) in all inpatients (all, p\u3c0.05).Conclusions: Almost half of all inpatients at risk of foot ulceration reported wearing outdoor footwear most of the time that did not meet recommendations for prevention. We found women were much more likely to wear inadequate footwear. More work needs to be done to increase the uptake of footwear recommendations in these populations to prevent foot ulceration