IMPROVEMENT OF VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE WORK BY SPECIALTY “ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN PLANNING”

The work is devoted to the improvement of career guidance work in the specialty "Architecture and Urban Planning". Research objectives: 1. To study and generalize knowledge and experience on the organization of career guidance work. 2. Investigate the patterns of formation and development of thinking at different ages. 3. Summarize the data on career guidance work in the specialty "Architecture and Urban Planning" at the Dnieper State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture. 4. To substantiate the peculiarities of the organization of early career guidance work taking into account the laws of formation and development of different ages children thinking. The study was conducted by summarizing a number of theoretical provisions of various scientific concepts and practical experience, as an information base used official data published in the scientific literature. Conclusions. The particularity of the specialty "Architecture and Urban Planning" requires early specialization of future potential applicants for higher education, as well as the acquisition and improvement of certain skills from an early age. Early career guidance in the specialty "Architecture and Urban Planning" is the key to successful entry into the Free Economic Zone, as well as obtaining a specialty that meets the individual characteristics of the child and the maximum professional realization in future work. As a means of early career guidance, in full, should be used as a means of informing potential applicants, as well as training and selection measures for innate (features of thinking, channel perception activity) and acquired skills. Taking into account the sensitive periods of the child's development, during the organization of cognitive activity, significantly reduces the burden on the child and reorients educational activities to meet the relevant needs of certain functional systems during their formation and development. In order to save costs in the system of "learning − acquisition of knowledge" career guidance work associated with the development of certain abilities, it is desirable to conduct mainly in the relevant sensitive periods, taking into account the stages of formation and development of thinking.

Age of Early Specialization, Competitive Volume, Injury, and Sleep Habits in Youth Sport: A Preliminary Study of US Youth Basketball

Background: Concerns for youth sports in the United States often focus on early sport specialization, overemphasis on competition, injuries, and burnout. Little research has addressed relationships among the preceding and other concerns, including time away from organized sport, sleep, and perceptions of physical and psychological well-being. Hypothesis: There is an association between reported competitive gameplay volume and specialization, injury, and fatigue among elite youth basketball players. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; convenience sample. Level of Evidence: Level 4. Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of youth basketball players between 13 and 18 years of age from across the United States. Participants were queried about multiple factors, including the extent of their participation in organized basketball and other sports, time away from organized basketball, injury, sleep, and feelings of exhaustion related to basketball participation. Results: A total of 772 participants (145 girls, 627 boys) completed a survey. All participants played for a select or elite club basketball team and/or a high school basketball team. Overall, 49% played more than 50 games within the past year. A total of 73% were specialized in basketball, 58% prior to age 14 years, and 35% prior to age 11 years. In all, 70% reported less than 1 month away from organized basketball within the past year, and 28% reported no time away. A total of 54% reported sleeping less than the recommended 8 hours each night during the school year. Within the prior year, 55% reported feeling physically exhausted and 45% reported feeling mentally exhausted from basketball. Regression analysis did not find any significant relationships between early specialization prior to age 14 years and basketball-related injury or feelings of mental or physical exhaustion. Conclusion: In this select group of youth basketball players, the majority specialized in basketball prior to age 14 years and reported a large number of competitive events with little time away from organized basketball. Clinical Relevance: The results from a sample of highly competitive youth basketball players indicate issues that warrant further attention and research regarding the potential impact of specialization, frequent competitions, lack of time away from organized sport, and perceptions of well-being in young athletes.

Parkour-Based Activities in the Athletic Development of Youth Basketball Players

While ideas from long-term athlete development (LTAD) models have been adopted and integrated across different sports, issues related to early specialization, such as increased risk of injury and burnout, are still common. Although some benefits may be associated with early sport specialization, sports sampling is purported to be a more effective approach to the long-term health and wellbeing of children. Furthermore, the concept of developing what are commonly referred to as “fundamental movement skills” (FMS) is central to the rationale for delaying single sports specialization. However, in place of sports sampling, it appears that the practice of strength and conditioning (S&C) has become a driving force behind developmental models for youth athletes, highlighted by the growing body of literature regarding youth athletic development training. In this perspective piece, we explore how conventional S&C practice may insufficiently develop FMS because typically, it only emphasizes a narrow range of foundational exercises that serve a limited role toward the development of action capabilities in youth athletic populations. We further discuss how this approach may limit the transferability of physical qualities, such as muscular strength, to sports-specific tasks. Through an ecological dynamics lens, and using basketball as an example, we explore the potential for parkour-based activity within the LTAD of youth basketball players. We propose parkour as a training modality to not only encourage movement diversity and adaptability, but also as part of an advanced strength training strategy for the transfer of conventional S&C training.

To succeed as youth athlete: Is it the dead end in track and field?

It is reasonable to believe that a young athlete who succeeds in a World Youth Championship, will also be successful as a senior athlete. To determine the percentage of success of all World Youth Championship finalists who also became finalists in a subsequent senior World Championship, considering all athletes and events at World Athletics Championships. This study analyzed the eight male and eight female finalists of all the events conducted at the World Athletics World Youth Championship from 1999 to 2009, who also became finalists at the World Athletics World Championship from 2001 to 2011. Percentage of success was calculated for track and field events, for male, female, and both. For all the events, from 1759 finalists in a World Youth Championship only 83, representing 4.72%, were also finalists in a World Championship in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, or 2011. Of those 83 athletes, 45 were males and 38 were female. A low rate of success was found. These results were discussed including injuries, early specialization, biological maturation, and/or overtraining, as possible factors related to this low rate of success.

THE INVESTIGATION OF APPROACH RUN IN TERMS OF AGE, GENDER, BIO-MOTOR AND TECHNICAL COMPONENTS ON VAULTING TABLE

Vault is one of the main apparatuses for both female and male gymnasts in artistic gymnastics (AG). The optimal vaulting technique depends on many variables, such as the approaching run. Gymnastics is one of the early specialization sports as it is necessary to start training at an early age. For this reason, the aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship among age, biomotor and technical components in relation to the approach run velocity and other variables in AG. Furthermore, similarities and differences between genders were researched. Twenty female and twelve male gymnasts took part in the study. Speed, agility, explosive power, run-up velocity were measured. Additionally, Reactive Strength Index (RSI) and Peak High Velocity distances (PHV_Distance) were calculated. Kinematic parameters during the handspring vault were calculated by a two-dimensional video analysis. A statistical comparison between genders was performed by the Mann Whitney U test. The relationships between parameters were given by Spearman correlation coefficients (r). Anaerobic power, 0-20 m speed, 20 m speed velocity, and the hand contact time were significantly different between genders (p<0.05). The approach run significantly correlated with the chronological age (r=0.66; p=0.002 for female and r=0.96; p<0.001 for male gymnasts), PHV_Distance (r=0.69; p=0.001 for female and r=0.97; p<0.001 for male gymnasts) and the biological age (r=0.69; p=0.001 for female and r=0.97; p<0.001 for male gymnasts). As the approach run velocity increases, vaulting performance is affected positively. While speed tests significantly correlated with the approach run in male gymnasts, there was no correleation for females. In addition, trainers should keep in mind that the relationship between bio-motor development and biological age of gymnasts is important in training programs.

Overuse Elbow Injuries in Youth Gymnasts

Background: Gymnastics is a unique sport that places significant loads across the growing elbow, resulting in unique overuse injuries, some of which are poorly described in the current literature. Purpose: To provide a comprehensive review of the unique overuse elbow injuries seen in youth gymnasts and to provide an up-to-date synthesis of the available literature and clinical expertise guiding treatment decisions in this population. Study Design: Narrative review. Methods: A review of the PubMed database was performed to include all studies describing elbow biomechanics during gymnastics, clinical entities of the elbow in gymnasts, and outcomes of operative and/or nonoperative treatment of elbow pathology in gymnasts. Results: Participation in gymnastics among youth athletes is high, being the sixth most common sport in children. Early specialization is the norm in this sport, and gymnastics also has the highest number of participation hours of all youth sports. As a result, unique overuse elbow injuries are common, primarily on the lateral side of the elbow. Beyond common diagnoses of radiocapitellar plica and osteochondritis dissecans of the capitellum, we describe a pathology unique to gymnasts involving stress fracture of the radial head. Additionally, we synthesized our clinical experience and expertise in gymnastics to provide a sport-specific rehabilitation program that can be used by providers treating surgical and nonsurgical conditions of the elbow and wishing to provide detailed activity instructions to their athletes. Conclusion: Overuse injuries of the elbow are common in gymnastics and include osteochondritis dissecans of the capitellum, radiocapitellar plica syndrome, and newly described radial head stress fractures. A thorough understanding of the psychological, cultural, and biomechanical aspects of gymnastics are necessary to care for these athletes.

An enigmatic specialized new eutherian mammal from the Late Cretaceous of Western Europe (Northern Pyrenees)

We report the discovery of a new Late Cretaceous eutherian mammal, Azilestes ragei n. gen., n. sp. from the Mas-d’Azil northern Pyrenean site (France), which is among the largest known. It is only known from a broken lower jaw found in uppermost levels of the Grès de Labarre Formation (early Maastrichtian). Despite its poor preservation, it displays distinctive specialized features with respect to known Cretaceous eutherians. This includes a reduced premolar formula and shortened and robust jaw, an incipient hypolophid, and a cingular-like postcristid and hypoconulid. The phylogenetic analysis suggests indeed a possible stem relationship between Azilestes n. gen. and some clades of herbivorous Cenozoic placentals, but with weak support. Several molar features reminiscent of the Zhelestidae, especially Valentinella Tabuce, Vianey-Liaud & Garcia, 2004, support instead that Azilestes n. gen. is a basal eutherian showing early specialization in a herbivorous diet convergent with some crown placentals. Whatever the suprageneric position of Azilestes n. gen., which remains to be clarified with additional material, its discovery highlights a significant diversity of European Cretaceous eutherians in contrast to their very poor fossil record.

Early Sport Specialization Among Former National Collegiate Athletic Association Athletes: Trends, Scholarship Attainment, Injury, and Attrition

Background: Many youth athletes focus on 1 sport to gain a competitive advantage, but early sport specialization may increase risk of overuse injuries and burnout. College athletes have successfully achieved advanced status; therefore, the study of their specialization patterns is a method to assess how specialization affects an athletic career. Purpose: To determine trends in sport specialization by sex, sport, and decade of participation in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes and assess the effect of specialization on scholarship attainment, injury, and attrition. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: An electronic survey was distributed to NCAA athletes who participated from 1960 to 2018. Survey topics included sex, sport, decade of participation, scholarship status, ≥30-day time-loss injuries sustained in college, orthopaedic surgery in college, career length, and age of single-sport specialization. Early specialization was defined as specialization in a single sport before age 15 years. Rates of early specialization were calculated for each sport, sex, individual and team sports, and decade of participation. Rates of scholarship attainment, injury, and attrition were compared between groups. Univariate associations were queried with logistic regression analysis to determine predictors of specialization, scholarship attainment, injury, and early attrition. Results: Of 1550 athletes who participated (17% response rate), 544 (35.1%) were women. Overall, 18.1% of athletes specialized before age 15 years (n = 281). Athletes in gymnastics, tennis, swimming and diving, and soccer were significantly more likely to specialize early, whereas football and baseball athletes were more likely to specialize late ( P < .05 for all groups). Early specialization was more common among women (23.4% vs 15.2%; odds ratio, 1.72; P < .01). There was a trend toward earlier specialization for recent college graduates, with graduates from the last decade more likely to be classified as early specialization than those from previous decades ( P = .036). Scholarship attainment was overall equivalent between groups. Time-loss injuries, lower extremity injuries, and orthopaedic surgery in college were not statistically different between groups. Career lengths were similar, but burnout was more common among early specialization athletes (10.5% vs 7.0%; odds ratio, 3.76; P < .01). Conclusion: Less than one-fifth of NCAA athletes surveyed specialized before age 15 years, and neither scholarship attainment nor time-loss injury rate was affected by early specialization. Early specialization is on the rise but is associated with increased burnout.