Four-year Cycle Research Articles

PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAINING SUPPORT FOR TAEKWONDO ATHLETES IN FOUR-YEAR OLYMPIC CYCLES

Introduction. Psychological provision of taekwondo training in four-year Olympic training cycles. The article deals with the problems of psychological support for the training of qualified taekwondo athletes in the Olympic four-year cycles. Analyzed domestic and foreign experience on topical issues of planning and organization of the psychological and pedagogical process in the framework of various structural formations of the training process. Aim – based on the study of special scientific and methodological literature and a survey of experts, determine the problems of psychological provision of qualified taekwondo athletes in the four-year Olympic training cycles. Matherial and methods. Analysis of literary sources and Internet, expert survey, pedagogical observation, content analysis. Results. In the context of intensification of competitive activity in taekwondo and an increase in the level of competition in the international sports arena, the need to improve the general system of training Olympic athletes in four-year cycles by optimizing the process of psychological provision is emphasized. Various approaches and forms of psychological provision for the training of athletes in Olympic sports have been established. The features of the psychological provision of training athletes in the framework of the process of long-term improvement are considered. It is pointed out that it is necessary to plan psychological provision for the training of taekwondo athletes in four-year cycles, taking into account the content and pedagogical tasks of specific periods of training. The importance of planning a continuous long-term work of a psychologist during the training of athletes in four-year Olympic cycles is emphasized.

Designed to survive

IT's the ultimate sailing challenge. The Vendee Globe demands sailors circumnavigate the globe, single-handed. non-stop and unsupported. The main event itself doesn't set sail until November 2020. but it is the conclusion of a four-year cycle in the sport that is currently ramping up with its main warm-up event, the Transat Jacques Vabre. This is the event that, in many cases, represents a first look at the yachts that will contend for the main prize next year.

Political Scandals, Newspapers, and the Election Cycle

Election outcomes are often influenced by political scandals. While a scandal usually has negative consequences for the ones being accused of a transgression, political opponents and even media outlets may benefit. Anecdotal evidence suggests that certain scandals could be orchestrated, especially if they are reported right before an election. This study examines the timing of news coverage of political scandals relative to the national election cycle in Germany. Using data from electronic newspaper archives, we document a positive and highly significant relationship between coverage of government scandals and the election cycle. On average, one additional month closer to an election increases the amount of scandal coverage by 1.3%, which is equivalent to a 62% difference in coverage between the first and the last month of a four-year cycle. We provide suggestive evidence that this pattern can be explained by political motives of the actors involved in the production of scandal, rather than business motives by the newspapers.

What is important for the sustained implementation of evidence-based brief psychotherapy interventions in psychiatric care? A quantitative evaluation of a real-world programme

Purpose: Behavioural activation and motivational interviewing, both evidence-based treatments (EBTs), were implemented in secondary psychiatric care. This longitudinal evaluation of a real-world programme focused on the penetration of EBT adoption and its associations with therapist-related and perceived intervention-related variables. The implementation plan was also compared to sub-processes of Normalization Process Theory.Material and methods: Six participating units employed 72 therapists regularly and they comprise the target group. Due to staff turnover, a total of 84 therapists were trained stepwise. Three survey points (q1, q2, q3) were set for a four-year cycle beginning a year after the initial training and completed 4–5 months after closing patient recruitment. The implementation plan included two workshop days, one for each EBT, and subsequent case consultation groups and other more general strategies.Results: Fifty-seven (68%) of programme-trained therapists responded to one or more of three questionnaires. The self-reported penetration covers about a third of the target group a few months after the completion of the programme. Therapists' favourable perceptions of the EBTs regarding relative advantage, compatibility and complexity were associated with their sustained adoption. Therapists’ background factors (e.g. work experience) and positive adoption intention at q1 did not predict the actual adoption of the EBTs at q3. No specific sustainment strategies were included in the implementation plan.Conclusion: Brief but multi-faceted training with subsequent case consultations promoted the adoption of EBTs in a real-world setting. Adding specific sustainment strategies to the implementation plan is proposed to ensure the long-term survival of the implementation outcomes.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02520271.

Alteration of Sport Performance of High Performance Heptathlon Athlete over Olympic Cycle

In Lithuania, over the recent years a highly-skilled heptathlon athlete has been developed. She made her internationaldebut in the Sidney Olympic Games in 2000 and took the 12 th place. Every year she kept improving her skills andexcellently prepared for the XXVIII Olympic Games in Athens where she won a silver medal.Track-and-field heptathlon requires excellent physical fitness, development of all specific features, as well as goodphysical fitness for each contest. While planning the process of a heptathlon athlete’s training, it is most important toelaborate an optimum structure of an annual cycle with regard to the competition schedule and the individual potentialof human adaptation. To be able to control the process, it is necessary to monitor the dynamics of the physical andfunctional abilities of the athlete in different periods of the annual cycle of training.The aim of the study was to analyse the dynamics of sports results of the Lithuanian heptathlon athlete A. S. in a four-year Olympic cycle and the dynamics of her physical and functional abilities over this period.We analyzed the dynamics of the sports results of A. S. over the last five years. Her body composition indices weremeasured in laboratory, with determining psychomotor response time and movement frequency per 10 s. To determineher physical abilities, we measured her single muscular contraction power (SMCP), anerobic alactic muscular power(AAMP). A running-track was used to establish the intensity of energetic processes at the anaerobic threshold level,with measuring heart rate (HR), running speed (km / h) and blood lactate concentration. The functional capacity ofthe circulatory and respiratory systems was assessed by the Roufier index (RI). Anaerobic capacity was measured witha gas analyzer at the critical intensity and anaerobic metabolism limits.The sports results of A. S. kept improving every year except 2003. In the 2004 Olympic Games she gathered 6435 pointsand won the second place. In previous years, in separate heptathlon contests the sum total of her points reached 12.7—15.6%, whereas in the 2004 Olympic Games the difference among scores got in separate contests was less. Most pointswere won in the100-m hurdling (15.1%) and the least in javelin throwing (13.3%).Data of laboratory tests showed that the quality of the SMCP and AAMP indices, which are decisive in even fivecontests of heptathlon, over the four-year Olympic cycle showed a waved dynamics, but attained a high level one monthbefore the Olympic start: her SMCP was 3.22 kgm / s / kg and AAMP 1.72 kgm / s / kg. Also, greatly improved herpsychomotor response time, which reached 160 mls, and central nervous system lability (78 movements per 10 s). Herhigh muscular power was confirmed by performing ten jumps on a running-jumping track, when the difference betweenthe highest and lowest jumps was insignificant and muscular fatigue in a series of jumps was low.In the final period of the preparation for the Olympic Games under a short-lasting load the muscular power of A. S.reached a high level and allowed her to realize physical and functional abilities.Keywords: heptathlon, four-year Olympic cycle, physical abilities, functional capacity, physical and functional abilities.

Postpartum Magnesium Sulfate Overdose: A Multidisciplinary and Interprofessional Simulation Scenario.

This case is one of an eight-case multidisciplinary curriculum designed and implemented at the University of Ottawa by simulation educators with specialty training in obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) and anesthesiology. Consultation with a nurse educator maintained the quality and relevance of objectives for nursing participants.The curriculum was prepared to train OB/GYN and anesthesiology residents and labor and delivery nurses to hone crisis resource management skills and to recognize and manage rare/critical medical events in an obstetrical setting. Obstetricians, anesthesiologists, and nurses often work together in acute, high-stakes situations and this curriculum provides a safe environment to practice team-based management of such emergencies.Over an eight-year period, this curriculum has been executed in scenario couplets in a four-year cycle to allow OB/GYN and anesthesiology residents exposure to all scenarios during a five-year residency, beginning in their second year. Prospective evaluative data has been positive. For example, over 90% of participants rated these simulations to be 5 out of 5 for “Was an effective use of my educational time” and “Will influence/enhance my future practice.”In this scenario, participants must evaluate and treat a postpartum preeclamptic woman who is being treated with magnesium sulfate for the purpose of seizure prophylaxis. The patient experiences magnesium sulfate toxicity and subsequent respiratory arrest. Any mannequin that can display vital signs can be used for this scenario.This simulation case includes a case template, critical actions checklist, debriefing guide, summary of key medical content, and an evaluation form for learners to provide feedback.

Withdrawal: Plews and Laursen (2017).

We, the Editors and Publishers of the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, have withdrawn the following article in whole: Plews, DJ, Laursen, PB. Training intensity distribution over a four-year cycle in Olympic champion rowers: different roads lead to Rio [version of record published online ahead of print September 27, 2017]. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. doi: 10.1123/ijspp.2017-0343 . The Editorial Office was contacted with the request to withdraw this article informing the Editor-in-Chief that the data in this article were not permissible to use due to undisclosed contractual obligations.

Training Intensity Distribution Over a Four-Year Cycle in Olympic Champion Rowers: Different Roads Lead to Rio

The purpose of this study was to compare the training intensity distribution (TID) of the undefeated world champion male rowing New Zealand (kiwi) pair over a four-year Olympic cycle, across training phases, training years, and between individuals. Training data, including heart rate and boat speed, were recorded in the athletes rowing in the same boat between March 2013 and August 2016, ending with the Rio Olympics final. Progressive exercise tests assessed first (LT1) and second (LT2) lactate thresholds and associated heart rates, to determine the percentage of training performed below, between and above these demarcation points. Training an average of only 12-15 h/wk throughout the Olympic cycle, the mean percent distribution of time (±SD) at each training intensity was 80.4 ± 5.5% <LT1, 17.9 ± 5.3% LT1-LT2 and 1.8 ± 0.8% >LT2 for Rower A and 67.3 ± 9.0% <LT1, 30.2 ± 9.4% LT1 - LT2, and 2.4 ± 1.4% >LT2 for Rower B. Across the years 2014-2016, Rower A performed most likely more training <LT1, while Rower B performed mostly likely more training between LT1-LT2. Training appeared to become more polarised, with greater amounts of time spent <LT1, with increased training duration (R=0.38-0.43). Two of the world's best rowers, rowing together in the same boat with an undefeated record across an Olympic cycle, travelled markedly different "roads to Rio" within the context of their TID, with one rower displaying a polarised model of TID, and the other pyramidal. However, TID trended towards becoming more polarised in both rowers with increased training duration.

Umbilical Cord Prolapse in a Labouring Patient: A Multidisciplinary and Interprofessional Simulation Scenario.

This case is one of an eight-case multidisciplinary curriculum designed and implemented at the University of Ottawa by simulation educators with specialty training in obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) and anesthesiology. Consultation from a nurse educator maintained quality and relevance of objectives for nursing participants.The curriculum was prepared to train OB/GYN and anesthesiology residents and nurses to hone crisis resource management skills and to recognize and manage rare/critical medical events in an obstetrical setting. Obstetricians, anesthesiologists, and nurses often work together in acute, high-stakes situations, and this curriculum provides a safe environment to practice team-based management of such emergencies.Over an eight-year period, this curriculum has been executed in scenario couplets on a four-year cycle to allow OB/GYN and anesthesiology residents exposure to all scenarios during a five-year residency beginning in their second year. Prospective evaluative data has been positive. For example, over 90% of participants rated these simulations to be 5 out of 5 with comments, such as “Was an effective use of my educational time” and “Will influence/enhance my future practice”.In this scenario, participants must recognize and manage fetal distress resulting from umbilical cord prolapse in a labouring patient and respond with urgent operative delivery. This scenario requires adult and fetal mannequins with presenting umbilical cord for pelvic examination as well as equipment for fetal monitoring, general anesthetic, and emergency cesarean section.This simulation case includes a case template, critical actions checklist, debriefing guide, summary of key medical content, and an evaluation form for learners to provide feedback.

Autonomic Dysreflexia in the Peripartum Patient: A Multidisciplinary and Interprofessional Simulation Scenario.

This case is one of an eight-case multidisciplinary curriculum designed and implemented at the University of Ottawa by simulation educators with specialty training in obstetrics and gynecology (ob/gyn) and anesthesiology. Consultation with a nurse educator maintained quality and relevance of objectives for nursing participants.The curriculum was prepared to train ob/gyn and anesthesiology residents and nurses to hone crisis resource management skills and to recognize and manage rare/critical medical events in an obstetrical setting. Obstetricians, anesthesiologists, and nurses often work together in acute, high-stakes situations and this curriculum provides a safe environment to practice team-based management of such emergencies.Over an eight-year period, this curriculum has been executed in scenario couplets on a four-year cycle to allow ob/gyn and anesthesiology residents exposure to all scenarios during a five-year residency beginning in their second year. Prospective evaluation data has been positive. For example, over 90% of participants rated these simulations to be 5 out of 5 for “Was an effective use of my educational time” and “Will influence/enhance my future practice”.In this scenario, participants must recognize and manage a parturient with spinal cord injury in active labour who develops autonomic dysreflexia. The fetal heart tracing becomes abnormal and the team must respond with urgent delivery. This scenario requires a mannequin for a pelvic exam and a pregnant abdomen.This simulation case includes a case template, critical actions checklist, debriefing guide, summary of key medical content, and an evaluation form for learners to provide feedback.

Earthworm populations are affected from long-term crop sequences and bio-covers under no-tillage

Earthworms are crucial for improving soil biophysical properties in cropping systems. Consequently, effects of cropping rotation and bio-covers were assessed on earthworm populations under no-tillage. Main effects of six different cropping [corn (Zea mays), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), and soybean (Glycine max)] rotations ranging from monocultures to greater rotation complexity were implemented in four-year cycles for 12 years at two sites in Tennessee, USA with split-block bio-cover treatments of hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), wheat (Triticum aestivum), poultry litter, and a fallow control. Earthworms were collected to a 15cm depth, hand sorted, and identified spring of 2013 and 2015 as one of three species (i.e., Diplocardia caroliniana, Lumbricus rubellus, or Amyntha spp.). Species richness and relative abundance were significantly affected by bio-covers and cropping sequences for both years at one site, but only by bio-covers at the other location. Under continuous cotton, overall earthworm populations were reduced 55–68%, and D. caroliniana decreased as much as 88%. Conversely, sequences with soybean and corn had larger populations of D. caroliniana, which did not differ when in rotations, indicating favorable food sources in their rhizospheres. Poultry litter supported 2.2 times as many D. caroliniana and L. rubellus across locations and years, compared to cover crops and the control. Consequently, earthworm populations were greatest under nutrient rich bio-covers (poultry litter) and high residue, less pesticide-intensive rotations (soybean and corn), suggesting a more dynamic soil ecology in these systems. Negative effects of cotton might be mitigated by fewer pesticide inputs, increased crop rotations, and poultry litter amendments.

Cloudiness over the Black Sea region in 1985–2009 from satellite data

The seasonal and interannual variability ofcloud fraction over the Black Sea region for the period of1985-2009 is analyzed using the CM SAF dataset obtained from the satellite measurements of a high-resolution AVHRR instrument. The features of geographic distribution and seasonal variations in cloudiness are investigated. The causes for its spatial inhomogeneity in different months are analyzed. It is demonstrated using the long-term dataset that the dramatic decrease in the amount of cloudiness occurred over the Black Sea region from 67% in 1985 to 54% in 2008. The value of the trend is -0.4% per year. Both the trends and the features of interannual variability of cloudiness, in particular, strongly pronounced four-year cycles, are in antiphase with variations in sea surface temperature. The cloudiness reduction accompanied by the increase in the influx of short-wave radiation may be the basic reason for the warming and sea surface temperature variations in the Black Sea region.

Meadow up a tree: Feeding flocks with a native ash tree in the Moroccan mountains

The pastoral interest in Fraxinus dimorpha foliage from the High Atlas of Morocco was assessed both in terms of its role with regard to the feeding of small ruminant flocks and for its nutritive value. Observation, measurements, and interviews with 57 households revealed that ash trees are regularly pollarded, following very precise four-year cycles, during late August to November. Native ash tree stands are subject to characteristic shaping, which enables a continuous capability to provide fodder, and gives rise to characteristic sylvo-pastoral landscapes. A digestion trial was conducted in goats and sheep. Five two-year-old rams (19.5 ± 1 kg) and five two-year-old uncastrated bucks (22.2 ± 1.7 kg) were placed in individual metabolism cages over 18 days, and fed fresh ash tree leaves with a light dietary supplementation. The apparent digestibility coefficients between goats and sheep did not differ significantly for dry matter (69.5% versus 67.5%, respectively), organic matter (70.5% vs 68.3%), and Neutral Detergent Fibre (53.8% vs 52.3%), in contrast to crude protein (54.2% vs 45.3%, p < 0.001) and Acid Detergent Lignin (29.7 vs 26.4, p < 0.05). Due to a higher intake relative to metabolic weight (57.1 vs 47.7 gDM/kgBW0.75), goats valorize this type of forage better than sheep. It is concluded that ash tree foliage presents considerable nutritive interest in autumn when overall range forage is scarce and lacking in quality, and, hence, constitutes a useful forage resource for feeding the small ruminant flocks found in these low-input mountain livestock farming systems. Associated traditional management practices were revealed to be both technically and ecologically efficient, and should be better taken into account by policy-makers.

Cost-effectiveness and programmatic benefits of maternal vaccination against pertussis in England

Maternal pertussis immunisation was introduced during the pertussis resurgence in England in 2012 as a temporary measure to protect infants too young to be vaccinated. The programme was shown to be safe and highly effective. However, continuation of maternal vaccination as a routine programme requires a cost-effectiveness analysis. The estimated prevented disease burden among mothers and their infants was obtained assuming 89% (95% CI: 19%-99%) vaccine efficacy for mothers and 91% (95% CI: 84%-95%) for infants. Future incidence was projected based on the disease rates in 2010-2012, including the four-year cycle of low and high incidence years. Full probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed for different scenarios. Assuming a vaccine coverage of 60%, there were 1650 prevented hospitalisations in infants (3.5% discounting, the first 10 years), including 55-60 deaths and ∼20,500 cases among mothers, of which around 1800 would be severe. The annual costs of the programme are £7.3 million assuming a price of £10 per dose and £9.4 million assuming £15 per dose. Using discounting of 3.5%, a 200 year time horizon and a price of £10 per dose (+£7.5 administration costs) only 25% of the iterations were below £30,000 per QALY. Using a 35% higher incidence resulted in 88% of the scenarios below this threshold. Assuming that the incidence remains at the level at the height of 2012, then the programme would be highly cost effective, with an ICER of £16,865 (£12,209-£25,976; price of £10 and 3.5%/3.5% discounting). Maternal vaccination is effective in preventing severe illness and deaths in infants but the cost-effectiveness of the programme is highly dependent on future incidence which is necessarily uncertain. However, the duration and magnitude of protection against transmission afforded by the current acellular vaccines is also uncertain as are the associated effects on future herd immunity. The direct protection offered by the maternal dose provides the only certain way of protecting vulnerable infants from birth.

Biology of germination of medicinal plant seeds. Part XIXb. Diaspores of Inula helenium L. from Asteraceae family

Summary Morphological features of diaspores and seedlings of Inula helenium L. were described. A four-year cycle of monthly germination analysis was carried out. It was found that accessible light and various temperatures (30°C over 8 hours, 20°C over 16 hours) were optimal for the analysis of Inula helenium fruit germination ability. In these conditions, the percentage of germinated achenes was up to 90%. Diaspores stored in unheated room kept their viability even up to seven years after harvest.

Legal Signal Processing

It makes far more economic sense to prepare for disaster in advance than it does to stage heroic relief efforts after calamity strikes. For reasons rooted in politics and emotion, the law does exactly the opposite. Ad hoc relief, as expensive as it is spontaneous, dominates disaster law and policy.The President’s unilateral power to declare a federal disaster under the Stafford Act invites political manipulation. To test whether presidential disaster declarations track the four-year presidential electoral cycle, this paper devises a generalized polynomial and multi-sinusoidal model for detecting cyclical patterns. This model draws heavily upon Fourier analysis and digital signal processing.Presidential disaster declarations since 1953 reveal not one but two forms of periodicity. As expected, a “short wave” of four years shows how disaster declarations track the presidential election cycle. The effect is most pronounced not in election years (when declarations do spike), but in years immediately following a presidential election (when declarations dramatically plummet). Even more surprisingly, the record suggests that presidential disaster declarations also follow a “long wave,” whose frequency appears to be 44 years.

Bright Blazhko RRab Lyrae stars observed by ASAS and the SuperWASP surveys

Period study of 321 fundamental mode galactic field RR Lyrae type stars (RRab), which had appropriate data in ASAS and SuperWASP surveys, brighter than 12.5 mag in maximum light was performed. We found 100 stars to be definitely modulated. In 25 cases, previously unknown modulation was revealed and 8 new candidates for Blazhko stars were identified. In 18 previously found Blazhko stars, no modulation was detectable. Multiple modulation was revealed for eight stars that were previously proposed to show simple modulation. In total, there were twelve stars with some peculiarity in their modulation in the sample. This brings the incidence rate of multiple/irregularly-modulated stars to 12 %. The ratio of the modulation periods of five of the double-modulated stars was within the ratios of small integers. One of stars studied, IK Hya, showed a very interesting frequency spectrum, which we interpret as changing Blazhko period between 71.81 and 75.57 days and an additional 1403-day-long cycle analogous to a four-year cycle of the prototype RR Lyr. The limits of the shorter period produce a beating period that is approximately twice as big as a 1403-day period. The newly revealed Blazhko star RZ CVn seems to undergo changes in the amplitude of the modulation, as well as in the basic pulsation and Blazhko periods. We found that the incidence rate of the Blazhko RR Lyraes is at least 31 %, more likely even higher. It was also found that the majority of the Blazhko variables show triplet structures in their frequency spectra and that in 89 % of these cases, the peak with larger amplitude is on the right-hand side of the main pulsation component.

On the centenary of the German hog cycle: new findings

Perhaps the earliest systematic study that investigated the cyclical nature of hog prices was that conducted by Gerlich in 1911 using German data from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Using data from the late twentieth and early twenty-first century, we model the behaviour of the German hog-feed price ratio. A dynamic unobservable time series model which incorporates both a stochastic trend and a stochastic cycle is developed and applied to these data. We find a significant four-year cycle and provide evidence that it is becoming more volatile. , Oxford University Press.

Local or Not? The Impact of Political System Factors on Media Election Coverage

This study aims to analyze the extent to whichpolitical system factors influence media election coverage by investigating the local election press coverage in Norway and Sweden. According to Hallin and Mancini’s framework on media systems, both countries belong to the Democratic Corporatist Model. But despite these similarities there are differences between the politicaland media systems in the Nordic countries. One important distinction is when elections are held. In Sweden, elections to national, regional and local parliaments take place on the same day every fourth year. In Norway, local and regional elections are held in-between national elections in four-year cycles. The design of the study can be characterized as a most similar system design. Media system and the political system are similar, but when local/regional elections take place in relation to national elections are different. In line with theories of second-order elections, a number of hypotheses can be proposed, where national politics is supposed to be more influential in local election coverage in Norway compared with Sweden. This because research on second-order elections state that second order elections (such as local/regional elections) tend to be characterized as barometer- elections, as a poll, evaluating the national government and how the development of national economy develops. The empirical analyses are based on a content analysis executed on four local newspapers in Norway and Sweden in the local elections in 2007 (Norway) and 2006 (Sweden) during the last two weeks of the election campaigns.

Other people's knowledge [Reflections

I was visiting a high-tech company whose principal business was advanced chip design. A young engineer showed me his latest prototype. It was a circuit board dominated by a single large integrated circuit. It contained, he told me, more than 2 billion transistors. I'd never done anything remotely similar myself, and I wondered how I'd feel as a new engineer in some company being given a "Mission: Impossible" assignment like that. "How can you possibly design something so complex?" I asked. The young engineer just shrugged his shoulders. No big deal, he appeared to be saying. After a little further prodding, he confessed that, after all, there was a large collection of previously designed cells, and the computer design tools were pretty awesome. Not much to it, really. Technology has gotten exponentially more complex with the passing years, and yet engineers are turned out of universities in the same four-year cycle that they used decades ago. How is this possible?