Internet Survey of Risk Factors Associated With Training and Competition in Dogs Competing in Agility Competitions

Objective: To describe risk factors associated with training and competition in relation to frequency and severity of injuries experienced by agility dogs.Procedures: An internet-based survey collected data on competition level variables and training level variables. The primary outcome was history of any injury and a secondary outcome considered history of severe injury (injury lasting > 3 months). Logistic regression was used to estimate associations and final models were obtained via backward selection to identify the strongest associations within variables.Results: There were 4,197 dogs included in this analysis. Injury was reported for 1,737 (41.4%) dogs and severe injury was reported for 629 (15.0%). In the model with competition level factors, jumping 4” (OR: 1.50) or 2–4” (OR: 1.31) over shoulder height compared to jumping 0–2” lower and competing at national events was associated with increased injury risk, while competing 6+ times on rubber matting was associated with lower risk (OR: 0.62). Training level variables associated with injury risk were age starting jump, teeter, and weave training, with the highest risk observed for dogs starting jump training between 3 and 18 months but starting weave and teeter training after 18 months of age.Conclusion and Clinical Relevance: Many variables thought to be associated with injury risk were not significant in the final model. Starting jump training at an earlier age was associated with greater risk of injury relative to starting after 18 months. It is possible that the high impact of jump training before skeletal maturity may increase the risk of injuries or musculoskeletal conditions. The increased risk of injury in dogs that jump 2–4, or 4+ inches higher than shoulder height may be due to increased biomechanical forces during takeoff and landing. Faster dogs may be at higher risk of injury; handlers planning competition around big events or competing at the national level are likely to have faster dogs, and may be less likely to compete on rubber matting. These data provide valuable current insight into the possible effects that training and competition variables may have on injury risk in agility dogs.

Rasgos de personalidad en judokas senior y diferencias con población general

The analysis of the psychological aspects of different sports is relevant for the development of interventions aimed at reaching the maximum potential of athletes. The aim of this study was to analyze the personality traits of senior judokas according to (a) sex, (b) age, (c) graduation, (d) competition level attained, (e) years of experience, (f) weight category, and (g) to explore the differences with the personality traits of the general population. A total of 116 Argentinean judokas (86 men and 30 women) participated in the study. Personality traits were assessed through the Adjectives Check List. The results show small to moderate differences between the judokas according to sex, age, graduation, competition level, and years of sport experience. No differences were found according to weight category. Differences in personality were also detected between the judokas and the general population: female judokas reported higher levels of Openness to experience, and male judokas reported higher levels of Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Emotional stability. The results represent a contribution about the psychological profile of judokas and the personality traits of high competition athletes.

Comparisons of the Prevalence, Severity, and Risk Factors of Dysmenorrhea between Japanese Female Athletes and Non-Athletes in Universities

This study aimed to investigate the difference in the prevalence, severity, and risk factors of dysmenorrhea between Japanese female athletes and non-athletes in universities. The participants were 18 to 30 years old with no history of a previous pregnancy and/or childbirth. After application of the exclusion criteria, the cohort comprised 605 athletes and 295 non-athletes. An anonymous questionnaire, which included self-reported information on age, height, weight, age at menarche, menstrual cycle days, menstrual duration, dysmenorrhea severity, sleeping hours, dietary habits, exercise habits, training hours, and competition level was administered. Compared with athletes, non-athletes had a higher prevalence of dysmenorrhea (85.6% in athletes, 90.5% in athletes, p < 0.05); non-athletes also demonstrated increased severity (none/mild 27.8%, moderate 19.3%, and severe 52.9% in athletes; none/mild 21.2%, moderate 17.2%, and severe 61.6% in non-athletes; p < 0.05). Factors related to severe dysmenorrhea in athletes included long training hours, early menarche, and prolonged menstrual periods. In non-athletes, short menstrual cycle days and extended menstrual periods were related to severe dysmenorrhea. The prevalence and severity of dysmenorrhea were higher among non-athletes than among athletes; different factors were related to severe dysmenorrhea in these two groups. Thus, different strategies are necessary to manage dysmenorrhea for athletes and non-athletes in universities.

Bank heterogeneity in interest rate pass-through: A panel evidence of Pakistan

This article examines the role of bank-level characteristics in determining the nature of interest rate pass-through from monetary policy rates to commercial banks’ lending rates in Pakistan. Several bank-level factors, namely market size, liquidity, capitalisation, profitability, and competition level, were used in analysing the pass-through mechanism. This study utilised a dynamic heterogeneous panel technique, namely the Pooled Mean Group (PMG) estimation for the sample of 12 private commercial banks, over the time span 2003:Q2 to 2015:Q4. Banks of smaller size, large capital, and higher liquidity were significantly affecting the interest rate pass-through procedure. Thus, to improve monetary policy’s transmission mechanism, Pakistan’s central bank should limit bank capitalisation and draw out excess liquidity from the banking sector.

Applying Growth Hacking Method to Identify Customer Profile with Big Data Framework in Telecommunication Company

We can’t deny that there are two things that take the biggest cost in marketing: The first one is the cost for advertising in TVc, newspapers, radios, and the second one is the sales fee for door-to-door marketing. Enterprise is pushed to increase the amount of sales and revenue as high as it can, and decrease the marketing cost especially for advertising and sales fee. Growth Hacking could be an alternative media to raise 4 elements often called AIDA (Awareness, Interest, and Action) of a product for market target that can be classified based on customer’s desire, needs, and behaviors. This classification can be gained by big data analysis. This paper will discuss about the use of growth hacking which at first used by many startups, new enterprise with services and products rarely known. We try to implement growth hacking in a market-leader company with well-known products, but the investment and competition level are still high. How to apply it and get the insight from the implementation. This paper also discusses the role of big data in mapping customer behavior in specific locations so that the content of Growth Hacking can be received by prospective customers without rejection of campaign in growth hacking.

Collective conceptualization of parental support of dual career athletes: The EMPATIA framework

Background This study aimed to use a concept mapping methodology to develop a European framework of the needs of parents/guardians (P/G) for supporting athletes combining sport and education (dual career, DC). Methods By means of a concept mapping methodology, 337 French, Irish, Italian, Portuguese, and Slovenian parents sorted and rated 80 potential statements associated to parenting DC athletes. Results Five distinct clusters emerged: 1. P/G’ roles, needs and awareness to support athletes, including 22 statements (mean:3.7; range: 3.2–4.2 pt); 2. Requirements for effective planning of DC pathway, including 19 statements (mean:3.7; range: 3.2–4.5 pt); 3. Educational opportunity, including 13 statements (mean:3.5; range: 3.1–4.0 pt); 4. Policy and provision for DC, including 19 statements (mean:3.7; range: 3.1–4.2 pt); and 5. Athletes’ lifestyle & self-management, including 7 statements (mean:4.0; range: 3.5–4.5 pt). Estimates of effect size (Partial eta-squared) were calculated for ANOVAs to assess the degree of variability on the statement importance ranking as the dependent variable accounted for by the demographic data. The concept mapping showed good validity (stress value: 0.11) and high reliability (rSHT: 0.99, rSHM: 0.98; rRR:0.98). One-third of the statements indicated differences (p<0.05) in relation to the P/Gs’ gender and the athletes’ education level, competition level and sport typology. Conclusion In synthesizing the opinions, experience and needs of P/Gs of DC athletes the present framework provided sound theoretical underpinnings to inform the development of an online educational programme for empowering parenting DC athletes (https://edu.empatiasport.eu/eng/), as well as be a foundation for future Pan-European DC research on how these statements interact with each other, in different European contexts.

Do management practices and competition levels increase commercial bank profits? Evidence from Can Tho, Viet Nam

PurposeManagement practices and competition levels have been shown as important factors affecting the performance of enterprises that do not include banks. The paper, thus, aims to measure management practices and to study the effect of management quality and competition level on the performances of the first-level branch of commercial banks in the context of the Viet Nam banking system.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed the approach of Bloom and Van Reneen (2007) to quantify management practices of the commercial banks. The level of competition was measured by the number of competitors suggested by Nickell (1996) and the index suggested by Boone (2008). Finally, the effects of management practices and competition level on the bank performances were jointly estimated through a Cobb–Douglas production function, similar to the one used by Bloom et al. (2014).FindingsThe results show that the management practices score is, on average, above the average. While the management practices are found to positively correlate with profits, the competition level is found to significantly reduce bank profits.Research limitations/implicationsCross-sectional data limit the findings of the paper to a point of time. In the future, studies with panel data are desirable.Practical implicationsThe findings of the study help bank managers to make more informed decisions about management practices. Any policy promoting new entrants to the banking market should be carefully considered.Originality/valueThe paper is the first to measure the management practices of commercial banks and to explore the impacts of management quality and competition level on bank performances.

Analysis of injuries in Judo athletes: A systematic review (Análisis de lesiones en deportistas de judo: revisión sistemática)

This article aimed to identify general characteristics, etiology, and location of injuries in Judo athletes. A systematic literature search was carried out up to July 2020 on the databases MEDLINE (via PubMed), LILACS (via BVS), and Science Direct to find studies that focused on the type, location, and causes of injuries in Judo athletes of both sexes and older than 18 years old. The following data were extracted from the studies: author/year, study country, sample size, competition level, injury type, location, and context of the injury. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed by the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool. A total of 727 studies were retrieved from the databases and 12 were selected. The selected studies involved athletes from national and international levels. The situation of training and competition was the most cited context of injury. Considering injury etiology, the location was generalized in most of the studies and the more frequent injury types were: sprains, strains, dislocations, and fractures. In relation to severity, head and neck injuries were described in 66% of the studies. Our results suggest higher awareness related to technical learning strategies to Judo practitioners that is independent of skill level. Since injury etiology is a multifaceted process, increased efforts must be invested to lower or avoid more severe injuries that are more prone to produce negative outcomes like death or disabilities. Resumen. El objeto de este estudio consiste en identificar las características generales, etiología y ubicación de las lesiones en los deportistas de Judo. Se llevó a cabo una búsqueda bibliográfica sistemática hasta julio de 2020 en las bases de datos MEDLINE (a través de PubMed), LILACS (a través de BVS) y Science Direct para encontrar estudios que se centraran en el tipo, la ubicación y las causas de las lesiones en los atletas de Judo de ambos sexos y sexos mayores de 18 años. Se extrajeron los siguientes datos de los estudios: autor/año, país del estudio, tamaño de la muestra, nivel de competencia, tipo de lesión, ubicación y contexto de la lesión. La calidad metodológica de los estudios incluidos se evaluó mediante la herramienta Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP). Se recuperaron un total de 727 estudios de las bases de datos y se seleccionaron 12. Los estudios seleccionados involucraron a deportistas de nivel nacional e internacional. La situación de entrenamiento y competición fue el contexto de lesión más citado. Teniendo en cuenta la etiología de la lesión, la ubicación fue generalizada en la mayoría de los estudios y los tipos de lesión más frecuentes fueron: esguinces, distensiones, luxaciones y fracturas. En relación con la gravedad, las lesiones de cabeza y cuello se describieron en el 66% de los estudios. Nuestros resultados sugieren una mayor conciencia relacionada con las estrategias de aprendizaje técnico para los practicantes de Judo que es independiente del nivel de habilidad. Dado que la etiología de las lesiones es un proceso multifacético, se deben invertir mayores esfuerzos para reducir o evitar lesiones más graves que son más propensas a producir resultados negativos como muerte o discapacidades.

Coopetition in social entrepreneurship: a strategy for social value devolution

PurposeCoopetition is a well-studied phenomenon in traditional enterprises. However, it lacks deepening in the social sphere, specifically on hybrid organizations (social and commercial goals). This paper analyzes the configuration of coopetition strategies in social enterprises and how these strategies can improve social value devolution.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a multicase study with Brazilian social enterprises and a social incubator. Semistructured interviews with founders of the social enterprises and the president of the incubator were the primary sources of evidence, supported by observations and secondary data.FindingsThe authors identified four main findings: (1) the social incubator induces coopetition among social enterprises; (2) coopetition is necessary to improve market performance; (3) coopetition is a natural strategy resulting from the activity of the social enterprise; (4) the behavior and context of social enterprises generate a new framework for coopetition formation. This framework comprises three stages of value: a social cooperation level to co-creation of value; second, a social competition level to the appropriation of value; and the third coopetition-balanced level to social value devolution.Originality/valueThe authors advance knowledge on coopetition in an exciting, underexplored context, social entrepreneurship. The authors highlight that the coopetition nature and outcome in social enterprises have specificities compared to traditional businesses. The authors also improve the understanding of social value devolution based on simultaneous cooperation and competition among small social enterprises, allowing theoretical and practical implications. Thus, they advance the recurring discussion in coopetition literature beyond the generation and appropriation of value.