The purpose of the present study was to explore whether BNFK, which trains self-awareness and self-regulation of physiological and mental-emotional states, can enhance an athlete's psychological skills, specifically their ability to focus, relax and regulate their arousal and anxiety levels, and ultimately, enhance their sport performance. This research utilized a multiple-case study design. Six elite athletes, with a minimum of five years experience at the international or Olympic level, each received 30 hours of a BNFK training intervention. The effect of BNFK training was explored in three ways: (a) three phases of interviews were conducted with each athlete, prior to the BNFK training, between 20-30 hours of BNFK training, and at the end of the 2007-2008 competitive season; (b) physiological and neurological quantitative data was collected which measured improvements specific to the BNFK training; and (c) performance results were noted at the completion of the 2007-2008 competitive season and compared to previous results. The findings indicate that within the lab setting, the athletes developed (i) greater self-awareness of how they hold tension and anxiety in the body and (ii) self-regulation techniques to decrease that tension. As well, the athletes became more aware of their mental state, and through regulation of their level of anxiety and tension in the body, they enhanced their ability to focus. Although much improvement was seen, none of the athletes developed optimal self-regulation of all aspects measured. With respect to competition results, no definite improvement in performance was seen. The results of the study are further discussed in the context of the BNFK and sport psychology literature. Implications and future directions are also offered.

The present qualitative study aimed to explore the integration of holistic athlete development into sport psychology service delivery. Using the framework of professional philosophy from Poczwardowski, Sherman, and Ravizza (2004), five holistic sport psychology consultants were interviewed about their service delivery. Five athletes were also interviewed about their experiences working with these consultants. Deductive and inductive content analyses (Patton, 2002) were used to examine the data collected. Results offer three perspectives as to the meaning of holistic sport psychology: (a) Managing environmental effects from non-sport domains to the athlete's performance; (b) developing the individual beyond the athlete; and (c) recognizing the dynamic relationship between an athlete's mental, emotional, physiological states, and their behaviour. Themes from the consultants' beliefs, values, theoretical paradigms to behaviour change, models of practice, roles, operating standards, intervention goals, and intervention techniques and methods are also presented and discussed within the context of various service delivery topics.

Dowrick (1999) proposed the method of feedforward self-modeling in which a video is edited to show a higher level of performance than the learner's current ability. In this experiment, the feedforward self-modeling video showed a gymnast performing a combination of two floor skills which they were able to do separately but not yet in combination. Eight gymnasts (7 females, 1 male; M age = 9.9) participated in a pretest, nine intervention sessions and a post test. During the intervention sessions, the gymnasts received a feedforward self-modeling video for one skill combination and no intervention for a control skill combination. I investigated the possible influences of viewing the feedforward self-modeling video on the gymnasts' self-regulatory processes within the context of Zimmerman's (2000) model of self-regulation. There was a specific focus on the self-reflection phase. Thus, the use of self-evaluation criteria, the dimensions of causal attributions for both good and poor performances, self-satisfaction, and use of inferences were measured. Separate ANOVAs showed that feedforward self-modeling and control conditions did not differ for any of the dependent variables. A significant main effect was found for dimension for the Revised Causal Dimension Scale (McAuley, Duncan & Russell, 1992) for both good (F(3,21) = 14.249, p<.001, partial eta2 = .671) and poor performances (F(3,21) = 9.994, p<.001, partial eta2 = .588). Participants made attributions which were internal, unstable and controllable in both cases. Further research is encouraged with feedforward self-modeling interventions in order to determine their impact on self-regulated learning.

This study examined the effect of an intensive virtual reality (VR) intervention on balance and functional mobility in four adolescent males (mean age 16 years, range 13 years 9 months to 18 years 9 months) with cerebral palsy (CP) in a Gross Motor Classification System (GMFCS) level I. A single-subject multiple baseline experimental design (ABA) was used. Outcome measures were the Community Balance and Mobility Scale (CB&M), the Six-minute Walk Test (6MWT), the Timed Up and Down Stairs Test (TUDS) and the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM)-Dimension E. The participants were evaluated between three and six times in the baseline phase, five times in the intervention phase, and four times in the follow-up phase. The intervention consisted of an intensive 90-minute virtual reality-based balance training program for five consecutive days. Analysis consisted of visual and statistical analyses of graphed data as well as analyses of clinical significance. All adolescents demonstrated statistically significant improvements on the CB&M and the 6MWT during the intervention phase and these improvements were maintained the week following the intervention as well as at one month follow-up. Statistically significant improvements on TUDS scores were present in one adolescent at intervention and follow-up. One adolescent showed statistically significant improvements on the GMFM-dimension E and reached a ceiling effect on the GMFM-Dimension E at intervention and follow-up. For the CB&M, reliable changes in mean scores were recorded in three out of four adolescents in the intervention phase and in all adolescents in the follow-up phase. For the 6MWT, one adolescent reached the minimal detectable change (MDC) value in the intervention phase that demonstrates significance for the mean distance walked. Three adolescents reached the MDC value in the follow-phase. This study supports two major findings in adolescents with CP in GMFCS Level I. First, our data suggest that functional balance and mobility of these 13 to 18 year old adolescents with CP can improve with an intense, short duration VR intervention. Second, our data indicate that changes are maintained for at least one month following the VR training. For all participants, a causal relationship was established between the VR intervention and the significant improvements on the CB&M and the 6MWT. This relationship was maintained in the follow-up phase. The study provides evidence that balance and functional mobility are modifiable in ambulatory adolescents with CP in GMFCS Level I and that these adolescents have the potential to enhance their repertoire of complex movement strategies.

Over the last fifty years, researchers have taken an interest in the breathing of different musicians. Little is known on the breathing patterns of pianists, however. Two main studies on the subject determined that a variation in meter affects breathing rhythms and that breathing rate might be linked to tempo and musical gestures, but we do not know whether a relationship exists between pianists' respiratory cycles and the movements they make when playing, or between breathing and specific musical elements such as rhythm, meter, tempo or phrasing. Eight pianists played the C major scale, the C major arpeggio, a Hanon five-finger exercise, the Minuet in G major by Petzold, and Fur Elise by Beethoven on a Yamaha Disklavier. During their performances, respiration was monitored by an inductive plethysmography system (RIPmate Respiratory Effort System). Although the results were not consistent across participants, it was clear that for some pianists breathing and performing were related.

The beneficial effect of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCn-3PUFA) on adiponectin levels has been observed in several animal and human studies after dietary treatment. The purpose of this study was to observe the effect of LCn-3PUFA on the secretion of adiponectin in differentiated human preadipocytes and determine if this effect is under the influence of PPARgamma nuclear receptors. Human adipocytes were exposed to 125muM of DHA or EPA for 24 h. Levels of adiponectin following DHA treatment increased from 0.19+/-0.02 to 0.22+/-0.01 ng/mug, or 13.6% (P<0.05) and from 0.19+/-0.02 to 0.24+/-0.06 ng/mug or 26.2% (P=0.09) after EPA treatments. After the addition of a PPARgamma inhibitor, adiponectin levels dropped of 5.8% and 12.2% for DHA and EPA, respectively. These results confirm the positive effect of LCn-3PUFA on adiponectin levels. These effects seem to be partially mediated by PPARgamma.

Background: Elevated mortality rates and impaired local heat loss mechanisms have been found in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) during heat stress. However, little is known about the effects of T2DM on whole body heat loss. Objective: To compare body heat content (H b) between T2DM and a matched control group (CON) during and after exercise in the heat. Methods: Fourteen participants (7 T2DM; 7 CON) cycled in a calorimeter for 1 hour, and recovered for 1 hour on two separate occasions (24 and 30°C). Results: The T2DM group had similar sweating responses (p>0.09) but reduced maximum skin blood flow (SkBF) vs. CON, (p=0.045, 24°C; p=0.049, 30°C). The change in Hb was not different between groups during exercise or recovery (p>0.09). Conclusion: These results suggest that impaired sweating and SkBF in T2DM may be limited to certain areas of the body and do not interfere with whole body heat loss.

Students must engage in communities supportive of academia to achieve success at university. Academic engagement is crucial for success, given that low levels of engagement have been shown to develop risks for a variety of adverse consequences, including absenteeism and dropping out of school. Students with a supportive environment have been shown to have higher levels of academic engagement. The purpose of this research was to use a phenomenological approach to explore how participation in a Serious Leisure (Stebbins, 1992) Community of Practice (Wenger, 1999) affects academic engagement. This research may be practical for coaches, educators, student athletes and researchers aiming to promote student athletes' academic engagement. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve first year student athletes in the University of Ottawa's Gee Gees varsity football program. Results showed that football participation is so demanding that it may inhibit academic engagement. Conversely, football participation has helped individuals enter university, create a new home, integrate into a brotherhood/pseudo-family, develop an identity, time manage wisely, and become academically motivated. Although athletic pressure may be detrimental, the social support from the football program has proven helpful towards academic engagement.

Head injuries are sensitive to impact direction and are relative to the magnitude of linear (g) and rotational (rad/s2) accelerations (Holbourn, 1943; Kleiven, 2003). This study documented the influence of the Hybrid III headform's geometry and neckform's physical characteristics on the dynamic impact response of the Hybrid III headform at different impact locations. A Hybrid III head- and neckform was impacted by a linear impactor at 4.2m/s to the front, side and rear locations through the center of gravity. To isolate physical characteristic of the neck on the headform's dynamic impact response, the neck's orientation was positioned about the z (vertical) axis. Impact location was found to be significantly different across all neck orientations for peak resultant linear (F(2,107)=65.295, p<0.001) and rotational (F(2,107)=202.822, p<0.001) acceleration. Neck orientation was found to not be significant for peak resultant linear (F(3,107)=0.560, p=0.642) and rotational (F(3,107)=0.169, p=0.917) accelerations. Understanding the interaction of impact location and neckform characteristics is important for interpreting direct head impact reconstructions using the Hybrid III head- and neckform.

The electromyographical (EMG) of the superficial and deep abdominal muscle activity during voluntary and automatic tasks has been well researched, particularly in the normal population as well as individuals with low back pain and more recently in individuals with stress urinary incontinence. Two common normalization procedures used to reference the test data are the percent of maximum contraction (%MVC) and the double straight-leg-raise (dSLR). No EMG study to date has included participants with a pulmonary disease such as cystic fibrosis, who also have a high prevalence of low back pain and stress urinary incontinence. Therefore the purpose of this study was to investigate the recruitment patterns of the superficial and deep abdominal muscles in individuals with stable cystic fibrosis. The two primary objectives of this study were: i) to compare the electromyographic (EMG) activity of four abdominal muscles (the upper and middle fibers of rectus abdominus (RA-UP and RA-MID respectively) the obliquus externus (EO), and the obliquus internus/tranversus abdominus (IO/TrA) group during the abdominal hollowing exercise (AH)) and the unilateral leg 10ad"(ULL)) between a group of participants with stable cystic fibrosis and a gender-matched control group and ii) to compare the EMG muscle activity of the superficial and the deep abdominal muscles across and within the AH and the ULL tasks. A secondary objective was to compare the study's results when using two different normalization techniques: the %max-referenced contractions and %dSLR-referenced contractions. METHODS: Twenty-eight adults (14 with stable CF and 14 controls) performed (i) the AH exercise to three motor target pressures (42mmHg, 50mmHg, and 55mmHg) using a pressure biofeedback unit (PBU) and (ii) a right-leg ULL. Bipolar surface electrodes were used to record the EMG data. Two types of reference contractions (percent of maximum voluntary contraction (%max) and the double straight-leg-raise (dSLR)) were used to normalize the data. RESULTS: A 3--way ANOVA indicated no difference between the groups, but a significant muscle*task interaction was found. Post-hoc Bonferonni tests on pooled data revealed significant differences between the mean EMG amplitudes of the superficial and the deep abdominal muscles during all of the abdominal hollowing exercises as well as an increase in superficial abdominal muscle activity as the abdominal hollowing task became more difficult. No group differences were found in the ULL activity but significant differences were found between the superficial and deep muscles. The conclusions were the same regardless of the normalization procedure. DISCUSSION: The results from this study demonstrate that individuals with stable CF do not present with over-activity of the superficial abdominal muscles or inhibition of the deep abdominal muscles as compared to a control group. The EMG patterns and intensities found here support those of previous studies and could serve as normative data for future studies involving both CF and control group participants who are symptomatic of low back pain or stress urinary incontinence.