1,720,973 research outputs found
Do non-responders to resistance training exist in professional sport?
Full text linkResistance training (RT) is the most popular form of exercise that exerts several benefits (muscle hypertrophy and strength). Furthermore, we are witnessing several athletes competing at the highest level of their respective sport have undergone an enormous physical transformation. Nonetheless, lack of RT training, especially after a long detraining period, causes loss of muscle mass, and consequently, a decreased muscle strength, power, and lower muscle activation, and consequently, performance deterioration. In light of these facts, several authors recently have arisen the existence of responders and non-responders to RT. In order to improve athletic performance, the scientific community has tried to define the right RT method to be applied with athletes. In this regard, complex training compared to traditional training methods is reported to be a useful method providing superior benefits for improving athletic performance. With this editorial we encourage the research community to investigate this very interesting and complex matter, making the picture clearer and giving the opportunity to the athletic community to adjust RT programs based on the individual needs in order to maximize the outcome
Exercise with TENS does not augment gains in balance and strength for dancers
No full textElectrical stimulation modulates sensory feedback and improves motor performance, at least for individuals with compromised sensorimotor function. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a 4-wk intervention with transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) at improving strength and balance in dancers. Nineteen dancers completed a timed, single-leg balance test, the Y-balance test, and contractions with the hip flexor and knee extensor muscles to assess maximal strength and force steadiness. They completed 4-wks of moderate-intensity bodyweight exercises (3x/wk) and were pseudo-randomized to either a Treatment or Sham group in a single-blind design. The Treatment group received constant TENS over the hamstring muscles during the exercises, whereas the Sham group was exposed to a brief TENS current. The data were pooled due to few significant between-group differences from before to after the intervention. Most outcome measures significantly improved: hip extensor muscles were stronger (P ≤ 0.01), time stood on a single-leg with eyes closed increased (P = 0.02), and the distance reached during the Y-balance test increased (P ≤ 0.001). The improvement in scores on the Y-balance test exceeded the minimal clinically significant change. Twelve sessions of moderate-intensity bodyweight exercises improved muscle strength and balance in experienced dancers. The addition of TENS, however, did not augment the gains in function
Sport intervention programs (SIPs) to improve health and social inclusion in people with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review
Full text linkInactivity is a major issue that causes physical and psychological health problems, especially in people with intellectual disability (ID). This review discusses the beneficial effects of sport intervention programs (SIPs) in people with ID, and aims to provide an overview of the scientific literature in order to identify the main factors influencing the participation of people with ID in SIPs. Twelve papers were analyzed and compared. The results show a large variety in examined SIPs, concerning participants’ age and disability, intervention characteristics and context, as well as measures and findings. The main factors essential for people with ID partaking in SIPs appeared to be suitable places for the SIP development, adequate implementation of physical activity (PA) programs in school and extra-school contexts, education, and the training of teachers and instructors. The literature review highlights the relevance of using SIPs in order to improve physical and psychological health, as well as increase social inclusion in populations with ID. SIPs should be included in multifactor intervention programs. Nevertheless, the need is recognized for stakeholders to adopt specific practice and policy in promoting social inclusion in order to organize intervention strategies which are able to provide quality experiences in sport and physical activity for people with ID
Individualized analysis of skin thermosensory thresholds and sensitivity in heat-sensitive people with multiple sclerosis
Full text linkWe investigated whether and how multiple sclerosis (MS) alters thresholds for perceiving increases and decreases in local skin temperature, as well as the sensitivity to progressively greater temperature stimuli, amongst heat-sensitive people with MS. Eleven MS patients (5 M/6 F; 51.1 ± 8.6 y, EDSS 5.7 ± 1.9) and 11 healthy controls (CTR; 7 M/4 F; 50.3 ± 9.0 y) performed warm and cold threshold tests on a hairy skin site, on both sides of the body. They also underwent a thermosensitivity test where they rated (visual analogue scale) perceived magnitude of 4 local skin stimuli (i.e. 22, 26, 34, 38°C). Individual thresholds and slopes of linear regression for thermosensitivity were z-transformed for each MS patient, and used to determine individual thermosensory abnormalities. When considering both threshold and thermosensitivity, six out of our 11 heat-sensitive patients (54.5%) exhibited skin thermosensory abnormalities. Those abnormalities varied amongst patients in terms of type (threshold vs. thermosensitivity), quality (warm vs. cold), location (left vs. right side of the body) and extent. Each of those six patients presented unique thermosensory profiles. While some patients experienced thermosensory loss in both thresholds and sensitivity and on both sides of the body, others experienced cold thermosensory loss on one side of the body only. The observed individual variability in thermosensory function among heat-sensitive MS patients highlight the need for a patient-centered approach to assessing thermosensory dysfunction and its potential implications for heat stress vulnerability in this patient group
Ageing reduces skin wetness sensitivity across the body
Full text linkNew Findings: What is the central question of this study? Ageing impairs the skin's thermal and tactile sensitivity: does ageing also induce loss of skin wetness sensitivity? What is the main finding and its importance? Older adults show an average 15% loss of skin wetness sensitivity, with this sensory deficit being mediated by a combination of reductions in skin's tactile sensing and hydration status. These findings increase knowledge of wetness sensing mechanisms across the lifespan. Abstract: Humans use sensory integration mechanisms to sense skin wetness based on thermal and mechanical cues. Ageing impairs the skin's thermal and tactile sensitivity, yet we lack evidence on whether wetness sensing also changes with ageing. We mapped local skin wetness and temperature sensitivity in response to cold-, neutral- and warm-wet stimuli applied to the forehead, neck, lower back, dorsal foot, index finger and thumb, in 10 Younger (22.4 ± 1.1 years) and 10 Older (58.2 ± 5.1 years) males. We measured local skin temperature and conductance (i.e., a marker of hydration status) at the tested sites, to establish the role of skin's thermal and mechanical parameters in ageing-induced changes in wetness sensing. Irrespective of body site, Older reported overall lower wetness perceptions than Younger across all wet-stimulus temperatures (mean difference: −14.6 mm; 95% CI: −4.3, −24.9; P = 0.008; ∼15% difference). When considering regional wetness sensitivity, the effect of ageing was more pronounced in response to the cold-wet stimulus over the lover back (mean difference Older vs. Younger: −36.8 mm; 95% CI: −68.4, −5.2; P = 0.014; ∼37% difference) and dorsal foot (mean difference: −37.1 mm; 95% CI: −68.7, −5.5; P = 0.013; ∼37% difference). We found no differences between age groups on overall thermal sensations (P = 0.744) nor local skin temperature (P = 0.372); however, we found that Older presented overall lower skin conductance than Younger (mean difference: −1.56 μS; 95% CI: −0.49, −2.62; P = 0.005), which corresponded to an ∼78% reduction in skin hydration. We conclude that skin wetness sensing decreases with ageing primarily due to age-induced changes in skin mechanics and tactile sensitivity
Cervical spinal kinematic analysis in young rowers at rowing ergometer during different frequency
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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
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