1,720,967 research outputs found
Track Running Shoes: A Case Report of the Transition from Classical Spikes to “Super Spikes” in Track Running
No full textResearch on high-tech running shoes is increasing but few studies are available about the
use of high-tech track spike shoes (super spikes), despite their growing popularity among running
athletes. The aim of this case study was to investigate kinematics, kinetics, and plantar pressures
of an Olympic running athlete using two different types of shoes, to provide an easy and replicable
method to assess their influence on running biomechanics. The tested athlete performed six running
trials, at the same speed, wearing a pair of normal spikes shoes (NSS) and a super spikes shoe (SSS),
in random order. SSS increased contact time, vertical impact, and swing force (Effect Size 3.70, 7.86,
and 1.31, respectively), while it reduced foot-strike type and vertical ground reaction force rate
(Effect Size 3.62 and 7.21, respectively). Moreover, a significant change was observed in medial and
lateral load, with SSS inducing a more symmetrical load distribution between the left and right feet
compared to the NSS (SSS left medial load 57.1  2.1%, left lateral load 42.9  1.4%, right medial
load 55.1  2.6%, right lateral load 44.9  2.6%; NSS left medial load 58.4  2.6%, left lateral load
41.6  2.1%, right medial load 49.2 3.7%, right lateral load 50.8  3.7%). The results of this case
study suggest the importance of using individual evaluation methods to assess shoe adaptations
in running athletes, which can induce biomechanical modifications and should be considered by
coaches to ensure optimal running performance
External Responsiveness of the SuperOpTM Device to Assess Recovery After Exercise: A Pilot Study
No full textPost-exercise recovery is a complex process involving a return of performance and a
physiological or perceptual feeling close to pre-exercise status. The hypothesis of this
study is that the device investigated here is effective in evaluating the recovery state
of professional cyclists in order to plan effective training. Ten professional male cyclists
belonging to the same team were enrolled in this study. Participants performed a 7-day
exercise program [D1, D4, and D7: low-intensity training; D2 and D5: passive recovery;
D3: maximum oxygen consumption (VO2Max) test (for maximum mechanical power
assessment only); and D6: constant load test]. During the week of monitoring, each
morning before getting up, the device assessed each participant’s so-called Organic
Readiness {OR [arbitrary unit (a.u.)]}, based on blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR),
features of past exercise session, and following self-perceived condition. Based on its
readings and algorithm, the device graphically displayed four different colors/values,
indicating general exercise recommendations: green/3 = “you can train hard,” yellow/2
= “you can train averagely,” orange/1 = “you can train lightly,” or red/0 = “you should
recover passively.” During the week of research, morning OR values and Bonferroni
post-hoc comparisons showed significant differences between days and, namely, values
(1) D2 (after low intensity training) was higher than D4 (after VO2Max test; P = 0.033
and d = 1.296) and (2) D3 and D6 (after passive recovery) were higher than D4 (after
VO2Max test; P = 0.006 and d = 2.519) and D5 (after low intensity training; P = 0.033
and d = 1.341). The receiver operating characteristic analysis area under curve (AUC)
recorded a result of 0.727 and could differentiate between D3 and D4 with a sensitivity
and a specificity of 80%. Preliminarily, the device investigated is a sufficiently effective
and sensitive/specific device to assess the recovery state of athletes in order to plan
effective training
Letter to the Editor concerning "Calculation of corrected body height in idiopathic scoliosis: comparison of four methods" by M. Tyrakowski et al. (Eur Spine J, doi:10.1007/s00586-014-3275-1).
No full text[no abstract available
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Validity and Reliability of Isometric-Bench for Knee Isometric Assessment
No full textThere is a strong need for a new, probably cheaper, smaller, and more portable isometric
dynamometer. With this aim, we investigated the concurrent validity and reliability of a low-cost
portable dynamometer to measure the isometric strength of the lower limb. Seventeen young
participants (age 16.47  0.51 years) were randomly assessed on three dierent days for knee flexion
and extension isometric forces with two dierent devices: a commonly used isokinetic dynamometer
(ISOC) and a portable isometric dynamometer prototype (ISOM). No significant dierences were
observed between the ISOC and the ISOM (all comparisons p > 0.05). Test–retest comparison showed
the ISOM to have high reliability (ICC 0.879–0.990). This study showed that measurements with the
ISOM could be performed without systematic bias and with high reliability. The ISOM is a device
that is able to assess knee isometric strength with excellent concurrent validity and reliability
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
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