International Master Class Research Articles

The influence of EEG-biofeedback training and Beta waves in normoxia and normobaric hypoxia on the bench press in judo athletes

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of EEG -Biofeedback training in normoxic and normobaric hypoxic conditions on bench press improving in elite judo athletes. The study included 20 male elite judo athletes. Each athlete was a member of the Polish National Team and held either an International Master Class (MM) or National Master Class (M) – purposive selection. The research was carried out over two cycles that differed in the external conditions of EEG biofeedback trainings for both the control and experimental groups. The experimental group underwent training under simulated hypoxic conditions The training sessions for the experimental group were conducted at a simulated altitude of 3000m above sea level. Each cycle of the study comprised of 15 training sessions. The control group's study followed the same frequency, and duration of EEG biofeedback training sessions, and demonstrated an identical pattern to that of the experimental group, but in normoxia conditions. In the discussed cycle conducted in hypoxia, a clear upward dynamics of Beta wave values with a growing trend from session 14 was observed. In normoxia, the variability in the EG group had a significantly less dynamic course. In hypoxia, a clear upward dynamics of the achieved PP values with a growing trend from measurement 14 was observed. In normoxia, the discussed measurement cycle conducted in the CG group showed a lesser upward dynamics of achieved PP values with a growing trend from measurement 10. The overall conclusion from these analyses suggests that EEG biofeedback training in hypoxic conditions may have a beneficial impact on brain activity and improvement in muscle strength and power. These results may be of significant importance for sports training and rehabilitation, especially for individuals engaged in sports disciplines requiring physical exertion in low oxygen environments.

Raising impact of particle physics outreach through gamification

The International Masterclass - Hands on Particle Physics is an outreach event proposed by the International Particle Physics Outreach Group since 2004. Its traditional format had a worldwide success during the last years, reaching thousands of high school students and introducing them to the world of particle physics. During the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemics forced all the groups proposing the activity to find an online alternative to preserve the spirit of the initiative. The local committee of University of Trento proposed an online event, divided into several short events carried out over two weeks. The introduction of an analysis challenge among the students has made it possible to obtain a very good response and to achieve, with less than 20 students, enough statistics to discuss physical results of the analysis. The contribution describes the details of the organization, results, and feedback from the students, with some proposals to improve the experience for the next years.

Particle therapy masterclass

The aim of the new Particle Therapy MasterClass (PTMC) was to develop an educational and training environment in which anyone can learn about fundamental and applied research in particle therapy. The PTMC was recently integrated into the International MasterClass 2021 online programme that attracted 1500 students from 37 institutes in 20 countries, worldwide. The PTMC focuses on the topic of cancer treatment, a particularly sensitive and socially relevant topic. The main idea is to (a) provide a basic understanding of cancer radiation therapy, (b) demonstrate that fundamental properties of particle interactions with matter, which are used for detection in physics experiments, are also the basis for treating cancer tumours; and (c) show that the same accelerator technologies are used in both, research laboratories and therapy centres. For the hands-on session, the open-source professional treatment planning software matRad is used, developed for research and training by the German Cancer Research Center – DKFZ. Ultimately, students are shown “what physics has to do with medicine” and what are the various possibilities that physics and STEM studies may open up for job opportunities in fields that are lacking expert personnel.

Fourth Pharmacoeconomics International Masterclass: Vital Initiative

The annual Pharmacoeconomics International Masterclass has been organized by Global Healthcare Activities Academy (GHAA) every year since 2017, to enrich the knowledge of healthcare professionals and provide them with the necessary tools to maximize the quality of the healthcare services provided around the world. ​ The topics discussed in the Masterclass were choosen to cover as many aspects as possible from different stakeholders whether they were healthcare practitioners, academics, pharmaceutical companies or policy makers. The masterclass is divided into four main session topics, each including more specific sub-topics. The main session topics are the novel values in health economics, the alternative access models for innovative treatment, the pharmaceutical pricing techniques and lastly, the role of academia in PE development. As the principles of pharmacoeconomics gain more appreciation and acceptance around the world, the Arabic world is starting to take steps towards the implementation of these principles, with countries starting to establish official HTA organization and publishing official guidelines. Taken these changes into account, defining “value” in an accurate, inclusive manner is vital to assure maximum benefit and cost-containment. More concepts regarding quality adjusted life years, novel values, gene replacement therapy values, managing entry agreements, reference and value based pricing were discussed. The Pharmacoeconomics International Masterclass is a vital and important element for the introduction and development of pharmacoeconomics principles in the Middle East. The benefit of the masterclass comes from the fact that year after year, more in-depth issues are discussed, and bigger challenges are tackled. From the introduction to pharmacoeconomics principles in the 1st masterclass to the discussion of novel values and optimizing the healthcare services provided, each year the topic is more relevant and more crucial for the application of health economics principles in the area. With two paper already published based on discussions and recommendations in the previous masterclasses, the 4th Pharmacoeconomics International Masterclass is expected to produce many fruitful insights and helpful recommendations.

Significant Predictors of Sports Performance in Elite Men Judo Athletes Based on Multidimensional Regression Models.

Background: This research aimed to identify the most significant predictors of sports level using regression modeling. Methods: This study examined 16 judokas (aged 23 (±2.5)) from four weight categories, with four athletes in each category (66 kg, 73 kg, 81 kg and 90 kg). Each athlete was a member of the Polish National Team, an international master class (IM) or national master class (M). The tests were carried out twice (every two weeks) during the pre-competitive season in the morning, after a 10-min warm-up. The tests were performed according to the following protocol: Explosive Strength Lower Limbs (ExSLL) [W], Strength Endurance Lower Limbs (SELL) [%], Explosive Strength Upper Limbs (ExSUL) [W], Strength Endurance Upper Limbs (SEUL) [%]. The relationships between the dependent variable (ranking score) and the other analyzed variables (predictors) were estimated using the one-factor ridge regression analysis. Results: There were significant intergroup and intragroup differences in the results of explosive strength and strength endurance of the lower and upper limbs. The best predictors were identified using regression modeling: ExSLL, SELL, and SEUL. Conclusions: Increasing the value of these predictors by a unit should significantly affect the scores in the ranking table. Correlation analysis showed that all variables that are strongly correlated with the Polish Judo Association (PJA) ranking table scores may have an effect on the sports performance.

P 034 - the effect of treadmill geometry on muscle fatigue

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of curve radius of the indoor (200 m) and outdoor (400 m) treadmill on bioelectrical muscle activity. Four professional male athletes that have an international master class in men's 400 m took part in that research. EMG measurements were recorded during the run on tartan athletic track in the indoor (200 m) and outdoor (400 m) treadmill. The athlete had to run 400 m distances with maximal speed. The mean power frequency (MPF) was calculated. Muscle fatigue was evaluated by the slope of regression line. The rate of fatigue was different and was related to the side of the body (3–24%) and the type (5–43%) of the muscle. Results indicate that muscle fatigue was greater for the right leg and during running on indoor truck.

Editorial: „Special Focus on Holm Tetens’s ‚Thinking God‘ (‚Gott denken‘)“

SummaryIn Germany, Holm Tetens is an influential analytic philosopher of science, mind, and logic. For many years he had been arguing within the widely accepted framework of naturalism and atheism. It came, to put it mildly, as a surprise to the entire philosophical community in Germany when he published a book defending theism in 2015. In this book “Thinking God” he claims that physicalism is an incomplete account of reality, because the mental and ideal realm cannot be reduced to the physical realm. As an alternative, he develops a version of theistic idealism which stands in the tradition of “panentheism”. Human subjectivity is fully embedded into the all-encompassing divine subjectivity. In dealing with the problem of theodicy, he then argues that the hope for eternal life and salvation by a supremely good being makes life more meaningful, esp. because it offers a prospect for justice to the countless victims of history. To Tetens, the worldview of naturalism and the worldview of theistic idealism are on the one hand both equally rational and defensible. On the other hand, both cannot be defeated by knock-down arguments. In closing, he urges his peers in philosophy to take the question of God seriously again. Shortly after the publication of the book, the Catholic Academy of Bavaria and the Munich School of Philosophy jointly organized an international master class on Tetens’s views which was taught by himself. The papers published in this issue grew out of this master class. For each paper by a young scholar there is also a reply by Tetens. The following editorial addresses specifically the German-speaking audience. It was thus not translated into English. All original papers discussing Tetens’s views and his replies to these, however, were written in English for the sake of reaching a larger worldwide readership.

How the Kenyan runner’s body structure affects sports results

PurposeThe aim of this study was to determine the dependency between somatic parameters of selected Kenyan marathon runners and results achieved in long-distance runs (marathon, half-marathon, 10,000 meters).MethodsThe research study was conducted on a sample of 9 top-level long-distance Kenyan runners whose results in Poland correspond to International Masterclass. All runners’ (mean ± SD) age: 23.67 ± 4.41 years, weight: 55.98 ± 4.84 kg, height: 169.18 cm ± 4.15cm. All participants had their anthropometric measurements taken: length, width, size and sum of three skin-folds. Having taken those anthropometric measurements, Body Mass Index (BMI), Arm Muscle Circumference (AMC), Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR), body mass and body fat (FM) (%), fat free mass (FFM) were calculated using the Durnin-Womersley method.Results and conclusionsSignificant relations (significant correlation, important dependency) were observed in dependency between 10,000 meters results and the foot breadth (<i>r</i> = 0.765) and torso length (<i>r</i> = 0.755). Similar relationships occurred between marathon results and the arm length (<i>r</i> = 0.73), forearm length (<i>r</i> = 0.75) and hip width (<i>r</i> = 0.77).

Why transradial instead of transfemoral approach for the percutaneous coronary intervention

Despite the fact that transradial approach (TRA) requires a longer learning curve than transfemoral approach (TFA), the transradial challenges are usually overcome with experience. Nowadays, in view of its benefits, there is no longer any justification for ignoring the transradial approach [1]. Multiple randomized clinical trials and reports consistently demonstrate benefits to the patient and improved outcomes from TRA [2]. TRA is particularly appealing in patients with coagulopathy, elevated international normalized ratio due to warfarin, or morbid obesity [3]. A recent metaanalysys of nine studies involving 2,977 patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) demonstrated an impressive nearly 50% reduction in mortality for the TR approach [4]. TR percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) can be performed by low-tointermediate volume operators with standard equipment with a low failure rate [5]. Age over 75 years, prior coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and short stature are independent predictors of TR-PCI failure [6]. Appropriate patient selection and careful risk assessment are needed to maximize benefits offered by TR-PCI. In the Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Centre, Zagreb, Croatia, seven interventional cardiologists perform almost 900 coronary percutaneous coronary interventions a year (40% pPCI). Our Cath Lab is one of the largest highvolume interventional cardiology centers in Croatia. In the last few years, our center has become dedicated to the radial approach with nearly 90% of PCI performed with either left or right radial access route. In time radial approach has become the first choice even in patients with STEMI. At the 2nd Advanced International Masterclass, September 2013 in New York we have had the opportunity to present our results dedicated to TR approach. In patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI in our, radial dedicated center, there is no difference in effectiveness, safety, and blood loss between radial and femoral approach. Also there is no significant difference in either left or right radial access type [7]. There are situations when radial arterial approach is not possible (e.g. congenital anomalies, tortuous configurations, radioulnar loop, weak or absent radial pulse secondary to previous puncture or catheterization). In such situations, a common second-line approach is used (femoral or ulnar). Many clinicians considered transbrachial (TB) angiography as a high-risk and obsolete procedure. However, our overall success rate was 95.5% (21/22). There were no major complications and we noticed only two minor complications (9%), both hematomas.

The contradictions of participatory architecture and Empire

There is nothing, no ‘naked life’, no external standpoint, that can be posed outside this field permeated by money, nothing escapes money.In 2009, an international masterclass at the Berlage Institute studied a street market in a deprived Rotterdam neighbourhood, the Afrikaanderplein. Headed by Teddy Cruz and supported by Jeanne van Heeswijk and Miguel Robles-Duran – three socially and politically committed architects and artists – the group produced a critique of the tight control and regulation of the market by authorities. The group's proposals were, basically, to liberalise and deregulate the market.Whether the Afrikaanderplein market is a case which merits deregulation depends, of course, on the specific conditions the group detected in the area. More important here, however, is that the proposals appear, at least superficially, to contrast the anti-neoliberal and radical positions of the three individuals directing the group.

Selected Coordination Motor Abilities in Elite Wrestlers and Taekwon-Do Competitors

Abstract Introduction. The aim of the study was to compare CMAs in elite wrestlers and taekwon-do competitors. Material and methods. Forty-nine Greco-Roman wrestlers and ITF taekwon-do competitors were included in the study. The wrestlers were 21.9±2.74 years old, while the taekwon-do competitors were 22.7±5.78 years old. The former group had between 7 and 14 years' training experience and the latter group had from 6 to 16 years' experience. All subjects were elite sportspeople (between first class and international master class levels). Five CMAs were assessed using 14 indices. Computer tests from the Vienna Test System were employed in the study. Results. It was shown that there were no significant differences in CMA levels between wrestlers and taekwon-do competitors. Wrestlers from higher sports classes outperformed competitors who possessed lower sports classes in the majority of CMA indices. Statistically significant differences were observed for simple reaction, movement coupling and high frequency of movements. Taekwon-do competitors at the international master sports class (IM) level scored better than athletes who were at national master class (NM) and first class (I) levels in spatial orientation, reaction time, movement coupling and high frequency of movements. Regardless of the type of combat sport, competitors demonstrated high individual differences in CMAs, which may indicate that a focus on coordination improvement could increase training effectiveness. Conclusions. Further research on identifying predominant CMAs in sportspeople at different levels of competition, particularly in those achieving significant sports successes may be conducted. Tests to thoroughly diagnose coordination should be employed in such investigations.

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M/C Event: Directions for Cyberculture in the New Economy

An M/C Event held in the Conference Room of the University of Queensland Library on 12 May 2000 The early, mythological phase of digital culture is now rapidly running out of its utopian energies. Law and order are taking command over the last pockets of digital wilderness. The taming of the cyberculture by "click 'n mortar" businesses and their willing government executors took only a few years. The time of institutionalization, mega mergers and security paranoia has arrived. These new conditions, driven by the current hyper-growth, have an as yet invisible effect on the cultural new media sector (arts, design, education), which had perceived itself for so long as "ahead of the wave". To prevent Internet from turning into a nightmare (from which it then has to awake), neither the utopian vision has to be eliminated, nor do we need to withdraw to the apocalyptic pole, which states that the world and its network will collapse anyhow -- with or without our interference. The conflict between utopia and negativism needs to be played out. The deeper we are drawn into the Virtual, the more there is a need to stage its inherent paradoxes and contradictions. But how ? The recordings from this event are available in RealAudio and Windows Media streaming audio formats. "Directions for Cyberculture in the New Economy" Geert Lovink, Media Scholar and Activist Responses by Greg Hearn and David Marshall M/C Event University of Queensland 12 May 2000 Introduction and Acknowledgements Axel Bruns 28k 56k 28k 56k "Directions for Cyberculture in the New Economy" Geert Lovink 28k 56k 28k 56k First Response Greg Hearn 28k 56k 28k 56k Second Response David Marshall 28k 56k 28k 56k Reply to Respondents Geert Lovink 28k 56k 28k 56k Audience Questions & Answers - Part 1 Geert Lovink Greg Hearn David Marshall 28k 56k 28k 56k Audience Questions & Answers - Part 2 Geert Lovink Greg Hearn David Marshall 28k 56k 28k 56k Acknowledgements Geert Lovink visited Brisbane as a participant in Alchemy, an International Masterclass for New Media Artists and Curators, which was organised by the Australian Network for Art and Technology in association with the Brisbane Powerhouse - Centre for the Live Arts from 8 May to 9 June 2000. M/C and the Media and Cultural Studies Centre are highly grateful to ANAT and Geert Lovink as well as the Australian Key Centre for Cultural and Media Policy for making this event possible. Citation reference for this article MLA style: Geert Lovink, with Greg Hearn and David Marshall. "Directions for Cyberculture in the New Economy." M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 3.3 (2000). [your date of access] <http://www.api-network.com/mc/0006/cyberculture.php>. Chicago style: Geert Lovink, with Greg Hearn and David Marshall, "Directions for Cyberculture in the New Economy," M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 3, no. 3 (2000), <http://www.api-network.com/mc/0006/cyberculture.php> ([your date of access]). APA style: Geert Lovink, with Greg Hearn and David Marshall. (2000) Directions for cyberculture in the new economy. M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 3(3). <http://www.api-network.com/mc/0006/cyberculture.php> ([your date of access]).