Cross-sectional geometry of weight-bearing tibia in female athletes subjected to different exercise loadings

Summary The association of long-termsport-specific exercise loading with cross-sectional geometry of the weight-bearing tibia was evaluated among 204 female athletes representing five different exercise loadings and 50 referents. All exercises involving ground impacts (e.g., endurance running, ball games, jumping) were associated with thicker cortex at the distal and diaphyseal sites of the tibia and also with large diaphyseal cross-section, whereas the high-magnitude (powerlifting) and non-impact (swimming) exercises were not. Introduction Bones adapt to the specific loading to which they are habitually subjected. In this cross-sectional study, the association of long-term sport-specific exercise loading with the geometry of the weight-bearing tibia was evaluated among premenopausal female athletes representing 11 different sports.

Methods A total of 204 athletes were divided into five exercise loading groups, and the respective peripheral quantitative computed tomographic data were compared to data obtained from 50 physically active, non-athletic referents. Analysis of covariance was used to estimate the between-group differences.

Results At the distal tibia, the high-impact, odd-impact, and repetitive low-impact exercise loading groups had ~30% to 50% (p<0.05) greater cortical area (CoA) than the referents. At the tibial shaft, these three impact groups had ~15% to 20% (p<0.05) greater total area (ToA) and ~15% to 30% (p<0.05) greater CoA. By contrast, both the high-magnitude and repetitive non-impact groups had similar ToA and CoA values to the reference group at both tibial sites.

Conclusions High-impact, odd-impact, and repetitive lowimpact exercise loadings were associated with thicker cortex at the distal tibia. At the tibial shaft, impact loading was not only associated with thicker cortex, but also a larger cross-sectional area. High-magnitude exercise loading did not show such associations at either site but was comparable to repetitive non-impact loading and reference data. Collectively, the relevance of high strain rate together with moderate-to-high strain magnitude as major determinants of osteogenic loading of the weight-bearing tibia is implicated.

Does playing a sports active video game improve young children's ball skill competence?

OBJECTIVES: Actual and perceived object control (commonly ball) skill proficiency is associated with higher physical activity in children and adolescents. Active video games (AVGs) encourage whole body movement to control/play the electronic gaming system and therefore provide an opportunity for screen time to become more active. The purpose of this study was to determine whether playing sports AVGs has a positive influence on young children's actual and perceived object control skills. DESIGN: Two group pre/post experimental design study. METHODS: Thirty-six children aged 6-10 years old from one school were randomly allocated to a control or intervention condition. The Test of Gross Motor Development-3 assessed object control skill. The Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence for Young Children assessed perceived object control skill. The intervention consisted of 6×50min lunchtime AVG sessions on the Xbox Kinect. Two to three sport games were chosen for participants to play each session. General linear models with either perceived object control or actual object control skill as the outcome variables were conducted. Each base model adjusted for intervention status and pre-score of the respective outcome variable. Additional models adjusted for potential confounding variables (sex of child and game at home). RESULTS: No significant differences between the control and intervention groups were observed for both outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that playing the Xbox Kinect does not significantly influence children's perceived or actual object control skills, suggesting that the utility of the Xbox Kinect for developing perceived and actual object control skill competence is questionable.

Playing Active Video Games may not develop movement skills: an intervention trial

Background: To investigate the impact of playing sports Active Video Games on children's actual and perceived object control skills. Methods: Intervention children played Active Video Games for 6. weeks (1. h/week) in 2012. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2 assessed object control skill. The Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence assessed perceived object control skill. Repeated measurements of object control and perceived object control were analysed for the whole sample, using linear mixed models, which included fixed effects for group (intervention or control) and time (pre and post) and their interaction. The first model adjusted for sex only and the second model also adjusted for age, and prior ball sports experience (yes/no). Seven mixed-gender focus discussions were conducted with intervention children after programme completion. Results: Ninety-five Australian children (55% girls; 43% intervention group) aged 4 to 8. years (M 6.2, SD 0.95) participated. Object control skill improved over time (p=0.006) but there was no significant difference (p=0.913) between groups in improvement (predicted means: control 31.80 to 33.53, SED=0.748; intervention 30.33 to 31.83, SED=0.835). A similar result held for the second model. Similarly the intervention did not change perceived object control in Model 1 (predicted means: control: 19.08 to 18.68, SED=0.362; intervention 18.67 to 18.88, SED=0.406) or Model 2. Children found the intervention enjoyable, but most did not perceive direct equivalence between Active Video Games and 'real life' activities. Conclusions: Whilst Active Video Game play may help introduce children to sport, this amount of time playing is unlikely to build skill.

Explanations for the United States of America's dominance in basketball at the Beijing Olympic Games (2008)

Anecdotally, the fast pace at which the USA men's basketball team played at the 2008 Olympics was the main reason for their dominance, although there is no way of quantifying what a fast pace is or how it contributed to point differentials. The aim of this study was to examine the game-related statistics that discriminate between fast- and slow-paced games, as well as to identify key performance factors relating to point differentials. We analysed game-related statistics for each quarter of the eight games played by the USA using a k-means cluster analysis to classify game pace using ball possessions per game quarter. We then tested for differences in game statistics between slow- and fast-paced game quarters using analysis of variance and discriminant analysis. How differences in game-related statistics affected point differentials was examined using linear regression. The largest structure coefficient between game paces for the USA was for recovered balls (0.33, < 0.001). The biggest contributors to the point differences in games were recovered balls (16.9, P < 0.001) and field goals (22.2, P < 0.001). We conclude that when the USA play a fast-paced game, they are able to recover more balls from opponents that they then turn into effective field-goal shooting.

Mathematical games with the alphabet

John Gough once again makes the ordinary fascinating as he piques our curiosity about the origins of the alphabet and turns the various mathematical properties of letters into bases for games.

An exploration of massively multiplayer online role playing games : their application to public relations education and possible future public relations practice

Social communication technologies present exciting and challenging opportunities for public relations professionals. Although not new the latest online attraction grabbing the attention of educators and companies around the globe are the virtual worlds known as Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs). This paper will examine MMORPGs - in particular Second Life - and consider their potential as an educational medium and relevance to the practice of public relations. The paper argues that MMORPGs slwuld be taken seriously by educators and public relations professionals alike and not simply be treated as online entertainment.

Mega-events and the "Showcase" effect: investigating the moderating influence of exposure to the 2004 Olympic games telecast and interest in the Olympic movement- an Australian perspective

Survey-based research explored the moderating effects of "exposure" to the Australian free-to-air telecast of Athens 2004 and "interest" in Olympic Games in developing behavioral intentions to visit Greece in the future. Differences were found between groups with low and high levels of exposure to the telecast, and also between groups with high levels of interest in the Olympic Games, but these were only marginal. When the combinatorial influences of these two variables were considered simultaneously, their effects were generally synergistic. The article calls for further research on this area of mega-events, as the results, while of significance, provide food to continue the broader debate on the role of mega-events in developing tourism to their host destinations after their staging.

Games within games: gambling and trickery in professional running

Professional running is an overtly gambling sport in which a clear objective is to maximise winnings from the bookmakers, which is achieved through a careful concealment of a runner’s ability. Professional runners seldom win more than one significant race. Races are deliberately lost until runners acquire a sufficiently lenient handicap to significantly improve their chances of winning a race of their choosing. Successes, kudos and identities in this sport are evaluated from the cleverness of the win, largely measured by the trainer’s effectiveness in executing a gambling coup. The money prizes given to runners may be significantly bettered from gambling winnings and making the most of these is the major emphasis for most successful runners and trainers. Drawing from an ethnographic study of this sport in Australia, the paper argues that the gambling strategies of runners and trainers can be understood as zero-sum games.

Pretty good for a girl: gender, identity and computer games

Young people’s participation in online digital culture is one of the most efficient means by which they become proficient in the management of Information and Communications Technologies and the new literacies emerging there. This paper reports on a small project investigating the
gendered dimensions of teenagers’ engagement in and out of school with stand-alone and multiplayer computer games. The study explored the game playing practices of a group of students in an English curriculum unit and the social and game playing practices of a group of young women of South East Asian backgrounds in a LAN café who had formed their own Counterstrike clan. It found that expertise is not just a matter of specific skills, strategies and familiarity, but is more broadly located within the complex dynamics of in- and out-of-school discourses and contexts that need to be factored in to the construction of gender-equitable pedagogy and curriculum.

Students` impressions of the value of games for the learning of mathematics

The use of mathematical games in primary classrooms is commonplace in Australia. This paper reports on key findings from a larger investigation exploring the impact of games on mathematical learning, student attitudes, and behaviours. 222 Grade 5 and 6 children were taught multiplication and division of decimal numbers using calculator games. This paper raises questions about the students’ attitudes towards games as a vehicle for learning mathematics. One aspect reported in this paper is an apparent difference between students’ attitudes to games usage when data were
collected quantitatively compared with qualitatively.

Leveraging the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne for community engagement: an examination of Equal First and the Adopt-a-Second-Team program

Event leverage provides information about what outcomes occur as a result of an event. Unlike event impact studies, event leverage analysis identifies why particular outcomes occurred, and the processes that can be used to optimise desired event outcomes. While research has been directed towards understanding how events can be leveraged to provide optimal economic outcomes for host communities, there is little research that examines social leverage within the context of events. The research presented in this paper is part of a larger study that investigated social leverage within the context of the 2006 Commonwealth Games, held in Melbourne, Australia. This paper presents preliminary results relating to two Victorian regions with regard to one the over-arching social policy, Equal First, and a subsidiary program called, Adopt-a-Second-Team. Participant observations and stakeholder interviews were employed to explore the development, operationalisation, implementation and outcomes of Equal First and Adopt-a-Second-Team. The results suggest that although each region achieved outcomes that were consistent with the directions of Equal First, each implemented the Adopt-a-Second-Team differently. The two case studies presented in this paper highlight that the model of implementation developed by the City of Port Phillip may provide a benchmark in social leverage of events. Implications for leveraging social impacts and managing social legacies of events through an approach that includes consideration of policy development and operationalisation from the event organising body and program implementation from the perspective of local community event organisers are discussed.

Video games research: gender inequities

In this paper we explore current research on violence in video games, with a focus on gender inequalities and imbalance, and introduce a project being undertaken as part of an honours programme in Information Technology. The research focuses on the portrayal of violence in games as perceived by future game developers and the parallel issue of lack of female participation as players and developers. Although the project is in its infancy it has already highlighted a major shortcoming in video games research which will have a major impact on the results. Lack of gender representation in the population being surveyed limits the generality of any results obtained, which has a domino effect on the ability of the games industry to address gender issues.