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Linear sprinting is a key determinant of athletic performance within team sports. The aims of the review were to quantify and compare the effectiveness of popular strength and conditioning (S&C) training modes to improve sprint performance in team sport athletes, with additional focus on potential moderators and the relationships between improvements in physical factors (e.g., strength, power, and jump performance) and improvements in sprint performance. Inclusion was restricted to resistance, plyometric, sprint, and combined training interventions comprising team sport athletes. Multilevel, Bayesian's meta-analysis and meta-regression models conducted with standardized mean difference effect sizes were used to investigate training modes and potential moderators. Weighted regression models conducted on shrunken estimates from initial Bayesian's meta-analyses were used to quantify relationships between improvements in physical factors and sprint performance. Certainty of evidence was assessed using the grading of recommendations assessment development and evaluation (GRADE) approach. Similar improvements in sprint performance were obtained across training modes, with some evidence of the largest effects with resistance training (SMD... = 0.55 [95% credible interval [CrI]: 0.36-0.78; very low certainty]). A strong moderating effect of training intensity was identified across all training modes with evidence of greater improvements in sprint performance with high-intensity training (β... 5 = 0.17 [95% CrI: 0.01-0.33; very low certainty]). Strong positive relationships were identified between improvements in all physical factors and sprint performance (β... = 0.56 [95% CrI: 0.36-0.77; low certainty], β... = 0.80 [95% CrI: 0.50-1.0; low certainty], β... = 0.78 [95% CrI: 0.57-0.97; low certainty]). The findings indicate that focus on developing speed in team sport athletes should be placed on S&C training with high intensities, including the use of resisted sprint training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of various types of filtering facepiece class 3 (FFP3) mask have become commonplace since the Covid-19 outbreak. These have been evaluated in terms of efficacy regarding aerosol filtration but less emphasis has been placed on the acoustic effects of such masks and their consequences for clinical communication. A microphone 65 cm from a sound-producing Head and Torso Simulator (wearing the masks) was used to measure attenuation via a tone sweep. Predicted impact on speech reception in noise was assessed by weighting the attenuations of cochlear excitation patterns by the frequency importance function of the Speech Intelligibility Index. We evaluated acoustic attenuation properties of seven FFP3 masks and a Type IIR surgical mask (as a comparator). The Type IIR mask had the smallest impact on SNR (2.6 dB with visor). Most FFP3s with an addition of a visor (if not already face covering) impacted SNR by approximately 6 dB. The 3 M 6000 was significantly worse (15.8 dB). Mouth-and-nose covering FFP3s masks had similar effects on SNR (≈6.2 dB with visor). The Tecmen TM-H2 had several advantages over other masks evaluated. It was reusable, allowed lipreading clues and the attenuation was similar to other FFP3s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting from the observation that value chain research has informed much of agricultural development interventions in recent decades, this paper identifies five key challenges to current agricultural development policies in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): access to finance, infrastructure, land tenure, local linkages and knowledge transfer. Based on this review, it is argued that recent theoretical advances in the global production network (GPN) approach can help to achieve a more holistic view of agricultural development policies than the more linear value chain research. In particular, three key concepts from the GPN approach are highlighted: mobilisation of regional assets, strategic coupling and territorial embeddedness. These key concepts are used to propose a framework called 'insight-out strategic coupling for smallholder integration', which builds on the concept of strategic coupling in GPN research and applies it as a development tool to agricultural production. Using an in-depth case study approach, the usefulness of this framework is tested by examining the experience of Malawi Mangoes, a company established to promote smallholder exports. Malawi Mangoes was initially funded by private equity, but despite a number of challenges along the way, was soon able to attract development funding and integrate smallholders from surrounding villages throughout-grower schemes. Analysis of the case shows both the usefulness of the framework and the lost potential in implementing agricultural development policy. The authors conclude that the framework is useful for linking current debates on agricultural development interventions, but that the findings of critical GPN research need to be taken into account when developing agricultural development interventions in order to respect the 'do no harm' principle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This article reviews the experience of ICT applications as a tool for putting research derived knowledge into use for innovation in South Asia. Design/methodology/approach: The article uses the contemporary understanding of communication and innovation in reviewing the experience of ICTs in putting new knowledge into use in South Asia. Findings: The findings from this study suggest that ICTs in general have not contributed effectively to the challenge of putting new knowledge into use as they are mostly used to support traditional communication tasks--such as information dissemination and training. The article argues that this under-utilisation of the potential of ICTs could be due to: a lack of appreciation of the new communication-intermediation tasks required for innovation, underestimation of the roles of intermediaries and their capacities for innovation and lack of networks needed for communities to make use of the information provided through ICTs. Practical implications: Although the understanding of communication, innovation and extension has changed substantially in the past two decades, there is still a big gap between theory and practice. This article contends that this gap needs to be bridged if ICTs are to effectively contribute to putting new knowledge into use. Originality/value: The article manifests the necessity for ICT based initiatives to be embedded into the renewed understanding of communication and innovation and it moves ICT related debates from merely a success story to a pragmatic world of communication and innovation process. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

This article examines the structure of topic movement within face-to-face postgraduate university seminar discussion forums through a conversation analytic approach. The analysis of 12 audio recordings of seminars showed that in spite of clear differences in the management style of sessions by seminar leaders there were important consistencies in their normative structure of participation. Previous research has shown that the turn-taking procedures used as a basic organisational feature of the talk have been seen to result in a regular change of topic within seminars. Although the research here supports these findings, the data showed that topic change was only one aspect of the topic negotiation process. The analysis in this article illustrates that topic negotiation was an ever-present feature of the talk and that, in addition to frequent "successful" changes of topic, there were also innumerable "unsuccessful" topical interjections. One prominent source of such failure was the presence of overlap in the seminar talk. In addition to being of value to educationalists wishing to understand educational processes, this analysis is viewed as having significant relevance for the development of alternative distributed media for hosting interactive seminars as it shows the implications of the interactional "affordances" of learning environments for the achievement of interactive talk. This article suggests, therefore, that research and development in this field would benefit from detailed studies of the affordances of these alternative hosting media.

Studies of sustainability transitions and transformational change are common in energy and transport sectors. However, there is limited research on how these transformational change processes play out in the natural resources sector, particularly in developing economies. This paper seeks to address this gap, with a case study of the community forestry system in Nepal that has, over the last four decades, reversed Himalayan land degradation and contributed to community livelihoods. The case illustrates comprehensive changes in forest management practices and governance over four decades. Central to this was a 'thinking movement' of development agencies, activists and researchers that opened up learning spaces and engage conflicting stakeholders in action-oriented dialogues. While transformation can never be pre-engineered, this study suggests that investment in strengthening locally engaged research capability could be a key way of catalyzing sustainability transitions, both as a continuous process of evolution and transformative shifts during the crisis and political opportunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnitude of change following strength and conditioning (S&C) training can be evaluated comparing effect sizes to thresholds. This study conducted a series of meta-analyses and compiled results to identify thresholds specific to S&C, and create prior distributions for Bayesian updating. Pre- and post-training data from S&C interventions were translated into standardised mean difference (SMDpre) and percentage improvement (%Improve) effect sizes. Bayesian hierarchical meta-analysis models were conducted to compare effect sizes, develop prior distributions, and estimate 0.25-, 0.5-, and 0.75-quantiles to determine small, medium, and large thresholds, respectively. Data from 643 studies comprising 6574 effect sizes were included in the analyses. Large differences in distributions for both SMDpre and %Improve were identified across outcome domains (strength, power, jump and sprint performance), with analyses of the tails of the distributions indicating potential large overestimations of SMDpre values. Future evaluations of S&C training will be improved using Bayesian approaches featuring the information and priors developed in this study. To facilitate an uptake of Bayesian methods within S&C, an easily accessible tool employing intuitive Bayesian updating was created. It is recommended that the tool and specific thresholds be used instead of isolated effect size calculations and Cohen's generic values when evaluating S&C training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debates about biotechnology continue to be polarized despite its potential to improve the living standards of the poor in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the backdrop of this polarized scenario, this paper asked, is there a place for brokers in bringing about a productive debate that is pro-development? The paper argued that if potential intermediaries are analyzed from the perspective of understanding their role and stakeholding in the regulatory change process, this may help breakout the current polarized anti- and pro-biotechnology debates and thereby focus on how to enable productive biotechnology development. Informed by insights from innovation brokering, the functions of brokers in biotechnology regulation are analyzed through the lens of organizations involved in agricultural biotechnology debates in Kenya. The analysis found that policy brokering function attracts varying opportunities and challenges appropriate for informing relevant policy. The paper drew lessons from Kenya's experience to inform a productive policy brokering model for biotechnology regulation. KEY WORDS: agricultural biotechnology, policy broker, regulatory policy process, Kenya, Africa, agricultural policy, Introduction The purpose of this paper is to highlight specific activities of brokers in the biotechnology (1) regulatory process and to report on and critically examine their emergence in relation [...]

This paper reviews a recent donor-funded project concerning the introduction of post-harvest technology to poor hill farmers in India. Rather than conform to conventional development aid projects of either a 'research' or an 'interventionist' nature, it combines both approaches in a research-action program, which has more in common with a business development approach than a formal social science one. An important conclusion is that the work (and apparent success) of the project is consistent with an understanding of development that emphasizes the importance of innovation systems. It is also an example of the importance of continuous learning and of institutional change. In contrast to much conventional development aid, it is an interesting example of how projects can actually lead to long-term sustainable changes that survive the withdrawal of the donor, having built capacity that truly means self-sufficiency. It is therefore an approach that deserves careful consideration on the part of all participants in international development. Key words--innovation, systems, development, agriculture, post-harvest, poverty