Elite athletes: Why does the 'fire' burn so brightly?

Background and Purpose: What drives some athletes to achieve at the highest level whilst other athletes fail to achieve their physical potential? Why does the ‘fire’ burn so brightly for some elite athletes and not for others? A good understanding of an athlete’s motivation is critical to a coach designing an appropriate motivational climate to realize an athlete’s physical talent. This paper examines the motivational processes of elite athletes within the framework of three major social-cognitive theories of motivation. Method: Participants were five male and five female elite track and field athletes from Australia who had finished in the top ten at either the Olympic Games and/or the World Championships in the last six years. Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews. Results and Discussion: Inductive analyses revealed several major themes associated with the motivational processes of elite athletes: (a) they were highly driven by personal goals and achievement, (b) they had strong self-belief, and (c) track and field was central to their lives. The findings are discussed in light of recent social-cognitive theories of motivation, namely, self-determination theory, the hierarchical model of motivation, and achievement goal theory. Self-determined forms of motivation characterised the elite athletes in this study and, consistent with social-cognitive theories of motivation, it is suggested that goal accomplishment enhances perceptions of competence and consequently promotes self-determined forms of motivation.

Appropriate surveying methods in the Philippines: Can modern GPS units help?

An investigation was undertaken to test the effectiveness of two procedures for recording boundaries and plot positions for scientific studies on farms on Leyte Island, the Philippines. The accuracy of a Garmin 76 Global Positioning System (GPS) unit and a compass and chain was checked under the same conditions. Tree canopies interfered with the ability of the satellite signal to reach the GPS and therefore the GPS survey was less accurate than the compass and chain survey. Where a high degree of accuracy is required, a compass and chain survey remains the most effective method of surveying land underneath tree canopies, providing operator error is minimised. For a large number of surveys and thus large amounts of data, a GPS is more appropriate than a compass and chain survey because data are easily up-loaded into a Geographic Information System (GIS). However, under dense canopies where satellite signals cannot reach the GPS, it may be necessary to revert to a compass survey or a combination of both methods.

The functional outcome of children after a burn injury: A pilot study

Assessment of functional outcome can be used as a measure of the effectiveness of intervention during recovery from a burn injury. This pilot study identifies the factors that are likely to be most important for determining standardized functional outcome measures for children after a burn injury; it highlights the contribution of these factors to variations in children's postburn outcomes. A focus group of 8 parents and a self-report questionnaire administered to 12 children and 13 parents were the means of obtaining information for this exploratory study. Itching was found to be one of the primary impairments that contributed to reduced functional outcome during skin healing after a burn injury. The activities of children who had been burned that were most frequently affected by the injury (as reported by parents) were schoolwork and sports; these were closely followed by sleeping, playing with other children, and unliked activities. Least affected activities were enjoying the family, eating, seeing friends, watching television, and bathing or showering. Eighty-five percent of parents reported at least some level of interference with the listed daily activities. Burn injuries are likely to cause interference with several aspects of a patient's daily life. As a result, families require ongoing support and monitoring. Further research should longitudinally compare the performance of children who have been burned with other children and adolescents.

Plant growth limitation and nutrient loss following piled burning in slash and burn agriculture

In the forest zone of Cameroon, small-scale family farmers practicing traditional slash and burn practices achieve a clear field by piled burning of the branches and trunks of cleared vegetation. Plant growth inhibition on ash patches, and the risk of nutrient loss from these areas, was evaluated on field plots on which 0.5 t m(-2) or 1.0 t m(-2) of wood was piled and burnt, and in laboratory studies. The ash produced by burning was strongly alkaline, and laboratory bio-assessment studies showed that the saline, high pH conditions produced in ash patches prevented germination and plant growth for up to two wet seasons, as is observed in the field. Field and laboratory studies demonstrated rapid release (1 wet season) of K and S from the ash and the loss of a substantial portion of these nutrients from the soil profile by leaching. In contrast, leaching carries Mg from the ash gradually (3 to 4 wet seasons), while Ca, Cu, Zn and P are leached slowly. The nutrients contained in ash patches are considered at risk of loss both through leaching (K and S) and by erosion of ash (Ca, Mg, Cu, Zn and P). Farmers should be encouraged to spread ash patches prior to cultivation in order to exploit the nutrient content of ash and to lessen the risk of nutrient loss.

Recruitment of single human low-threshold motor units with increasing loads at different muscle lengths

We investigated the recruitment behaviour of low threshold motor units in flexor digitorum superficialis by altering two biomechanical constraints: the load against which the muscle worked and the initial muscle length. The load was increased using isotonic (low load), loaded dynamic (intermediate load) and isometric (high load) contractions in two studies. The initial muscle position reflected resting muscle length in series A, and a longer length with digit III fully extended in series B. Intramuscular EMG was recorded from 48 single motor units in 10 experiments on five healthy subjects, 21 units in series A and,27 in series B, while subjects performed ramp up, hold and ramp down contractions. Increasing the load on the muscle decreased the force, displacement and firing rate of single motor units at recruitment at shorter muscle lengths (P < 0.001, dependent t-test). At longer muscle lengths this recruitment pattern was observed between loaded dynamic and isotonic contractions, but not between isometric and loaded dynamic contractions. Thus, the recruitment properties of single motor units in human flexor digitorum superficialis are sensitive to changes in both imposed external loads and the initial length of the muscle. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The relationship of a clonal outbreak of Enterococcus faecium vanA to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus incidence in an Australian hospital

Australian isolates of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have been widely scattered geographically, predominantly polyclonal and of the VanB phenotype. Forty-nine VRE were isolated from 47 patients in our hospital from October 1996 to December 1999. Forty-four of these VRE were Enterococcus faecium with a vanA glycopeptide resistance genotype. Four isolates were pathogenic. Thirty-five VRE were from an outbreak in the Renal and Infectious Diseases Units over a four-month period. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) demonstrated that 41 of the 49 VRE were indistinguishable or closely related. Enhanced environmental cleaning, strict contact isolation of colonized patients and reducing inpatient admissions terminated the epidemic. Cohorting of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-positive patients was restricted because VPE patients occupied the isolation facilities. This resulted in a statistically significant increase in MRSA infections across the hospital. VRE epidemics have the ability to influence the epidemiology of other nosocomial pathogens when infection control resources are exhausted. (C) 2001 The Hospital Infection Society.

Determinants of death following burn injury

Background: Burn care has changed considerably. Early surgery, nutritional support, improved resuscitation and novel skin replacement techniques are now well established. The aim of the study was to establish whether changes in management have improved survival following burn injury and to determine the contributory factors leading to non-survival. Methods: This was a retrospective outcome analysis of data collected from a consecutive series of 4094 patients with burns admitted to a tertiary referral, metropolitan teaching hospital between 1972 and 1996, Results: The overall mortality rate was 3.6 per cent. This decreased from 5.3 per cent (1972-1980) to 3.4 per cent (1993-1996) (P = 0.076). The risk of death was increased with increasing burn size (relative risk (RR) 95.90 (95 per cent confidence interval 12.60-729.47) if more than 35 per cent of the total body surface area was burned; P < 0.001) increasing age (RR 7.32 (3.08-17.42) if aged more than 48 years; P < 0.001), inhalation injury (RR 3.61 (2.39-5.47); P < 0.001) and female sex (RR 1.82 (1.23-2.69); P = 0.003). Operative intervention (RR 0.11 (0.06-0.21); P < 0.001) and the presence of an upper limb burn (RR 0.53 (0.35-0.79); P = 0.002) decreased the risk. Conclusion: Modern burn care has decreased the mortality rate. Increasing burn size, increasing age, inhalation injury and female sex increased, while operative intervention and an upper limb burn decreased, the risk of death.

Chryseobacterium in burn wounds

Chryseobacteria are gram negative organisms, formerly known as Flavobacteria, which rarely cause infections of burn wounds. This article documents three casts of Chryseobacterium infection in burn wounds and adds to the other two cases that have been reported in English literature. Two patients died, with one of the deaths linked to a Chryseobacteria bacteraemia. In two patients, there was an associated history of first aid treatment with untreated water. Patients whose burn wounds are suspected to be infected with Chryseobacterium require wound excision and coverage in combination with antibiotic therapy such as ciprofloxacin, vancomycin and rifampicin. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

The reduction of itch during burn wound healing

The purpose of this study was to find a method to reduce the itch experienced by patients who have sustained burn injuries, by using and comparing the effectiveness of 2 shower and bath oils. One product contained liquid paraffin with 5% colloidal oatmeal and the other contained liquid paraffin. The study was carried out in the Adult Burns Unit, Royal Brisbane Hospital (RBH), Brisbane. It was conducted during a 10-month period from July 1998 until April 1999. Thirty-five acute burns patients participated in an assessor-blind clinical trial. Patients were asked twice daily to rate their discomfort from itch and pain. The amount of antihistamine requested by each patient was totalled daily. Analysis of data supplied by patients showed that the group using the product with colloidal oatmeal reported significantly less itch and requested significantly less antihistamine than those using the oil containing liquid paraffin.