Dataset Information

Swimming championship finalist positions on success in international swimming competitions.

ABSTRACT: The primary goal was to determine whether the achievement of finalist positions in the Junior Championship was associated with the achievement of success in the International Swimming Federation (FINA) World Championship (WC). Secondary goals included analyzing the effect of various factors (gender, age, country, etc) on swimmers' performances. Data were obtained from FINA information about the finalists from 2007 to 2015 WCs and finalists from 2006 to 2013 Junior-WCs (2400 entries). Final filtered database just included swimmers who participated in both junior and senior WCs (719 entries). A univariate general linear model (GLM) was used to examine the association between time; origin (swimmer who participated in Junior WC or not); maintenance years (number of years achieving finalist positions); country; and age, adjusting for year of competition. An ordinal logistic regression (OLR) model was used to identify predictors of achieving the top positions. The origin variable was not significant in either the GLM or the OLR. The only significant variables in the GLM were maintenance years (F4,706 = 7.689; p < .05) and year of competition (F4,706 = 23.239; p < .05). The OLR revealed a strong association (p < .001) between the position variable and maintenance years, getting better positions as you get more WCs (odds = 1.85). In conclusion, no evidence was obtained to conclude finalist position in Junior WC have influence in achieve success in FINA WC. Maintenance years in WCs have a positive impact to achieve better positions.

SUBMITTER: Yustres I

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5673220 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Swimming championship finalist positions on success in international swimming competitions.

Yustres I I Martín R R Fernández L L González-Ravé J M JM

PloS one 20171106 11

The primary goal was to determine whether the achievement of finalist positions in the Junior Championship was associated with the achievement of success in the International Swimming Federation (FINA) World Championship (WC). Secondary goals included analyzing the effect of various factors (gender, age, country, etc) on swimmers' performances. Data were obtained from FINA information about the finalists from 2007 to 2015 WCs and finalists from 2006 to 2013 Junior-WCs (2400 entries). Final filte ...[more]

PMID: 29108018

Similar Datasets

Project description:Plasmids are autonomously replicating genetic elements that are ubiquitous in all taxa and habitats where they constitute an integral part of microbial genomes. The stable inheritance of plasmids depends on their segregation during cell division and their long-term persistence in a host population is thought to largely depend on their impact on the host fitness. Nonetheless, many plasmids found in nature are lacking a clear trait that is advantageous to their host; the determinants of plasmid evolutionary success in the absence of plasmid benefit to the host remain understudied. Here we show that stable plasmid inheritance is an important determinant of plasmid evolutionary success. Borrowing terminology from evolutionary biology of cellular living forms, we hypothesize that Darwinian fitness is key for the plasmid evolutionary success. Performing intracellular plasmid competitions between non-mobile plasmids enables us to compare the evolutionary success of plasmid genotypes within the host, i.e., the plasmid fitness. Intracellular head-to-head competitions between stable and unstable variants of the same model plasmid revealed that the stable plasmid variant has a higher fitness in comparison to the unstable plasmid. Preemptive plasmid competitions reveal that plasmid fitness may depend on the order of plasmid arrival in the host. Competitions between plasmids characterized by similar stability of inheritance reveal plasmid fitness differences depending on the plasmid-encoded trait. Our results further reveal that competing plasmids can be maintained in coexistence following plasmid fusions that maintain unstable plasmid variants over time. Plasmids are not only useful accessory genetic elements to their host but they are also evolving and replicating entities, similarly to cellular living forms. There is a clear link between plasmid genetics and plasmid evolutionary success - hence plasmids are evolving entities whose fitness is quantifiable.

Project description:The United States government makes a substantial investment in biomedical training programs each year. However, for most trainees, these opportunities do not translate into career progression in academic research pathways. Only about one-fifth of postdoctoral fellows eventually secure a tenure-track faculty position, and even among these candidates, attrition is high. Although a number of factors govern career choices and career longevity, the transition from trainee to faculty is a challenging process and requires knowledge and skills that are not necessarily developed during a traditional university experience. Many postdoctoral fellows receive adequate training in research skills and scientific communication, but new faculty report not being sufficiently prepared for the job search process and for starting their labs. To address this critical training gap, the ITERT core (Interdisciplinary Translational Education and Research Training) and the Office of Postdoctoral Fellows at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center implemented a structured course for both postdoctoral fellows and senior PhD students to provide formalized training for successfully navigating academic positions in biomedical research. Here we report on the pilot Navigating Academic Careers course conducted in 2021-2022 for 30 PhD students and postdocs. The nine-module course was conducted over 13 weeks in 25.5 h instructional sessions. The key educational objectives included 1) navigating the job application and the interview/negotiation process, 2) hiring, leading, and mentoring lab personnel and program support staff, 3) project administration and financial stewardship, 4) managing time and work-life balance and 5) developing collaborations, branding, personalized niche, and networking. Survey-based analysis at the time of the course was used to capture the participants' assessment of the course content, organization, and delivery, with a follow-up survey conducted approximately 2 years post-course (2024) to evaluate longer-term impacts of the training. Initial in-course assessment revealed that 89.9% of respondents found the scope and instructional content appropriate, and 91.1% found the course relevant and applicable to their career needs. Longer-term post-course evaluation indicated that 80% of respondents applied the learnings of the course, that 80% reported feeling more confident in navigating an academic job search, and that 66.6% continued to report agreement with the course preparing them for their current role/ongoing job search, with 46.7% already securing jobs in academic research, including as independent faculty. The outcomes of this pilot course suggest that integrating this into the broader postdoctoral training curriculum can enhance both the transition and early-career success of talented scientists-in-training into working professionals in biomedical careers, as faculty and science-trained staff.

Dataset Information

Swimming championship finalist positions on success in international swimming competitions.

Publications

Swimming championship finalist positions on success in international swimming competitions.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets