Narcissism and coach interpersonal style: A self-determination theory perspective.

Athletes' sport experiences are often influenced by the interpersonal styles of communication used by their coaches. Research on personality antecedents of such styles is scarce. We examined the link between a well-researched personality trait, namely narcissism, and two types of coaching interpersonal style, namely autonomy-supportive and controlling styles. We also tested the mediating roles of dominance and empathic concern in explaining the relations between narcissism and the two coaching interpersonal styles. United Kingdom-based coaches (N = 211) from various sports completed a multi-section questionnaire assessing the study variables. Regression analyses revealed a positive direct relation between narcissism and controlling coach behaviors. Furthermore, empathy (but not dominance) mediated the positive and negative indirect effects of narcissism on controlling and autonomy-supported interpersonal styles, respectively. We discuss these findings in terms of their implications for coaching and the quality of athletes' sport experiences.

Profiling the careers of Thoroughbred horses racing in Hong Kong between 2000 and 2010.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Research in Thoroughbred racehorses is often specific to horses from a given racing population or region. In order to investigate trends in racehorse careers across populations accurately, population-specific benchmarks for performance outcomes must be established. OBJECTIVES: To provide summary statistics for performance outcomes for Thoroughbreds racing in Hong Kong between 2000 and 2010 and to document and provide evidence on the current differences in racing careers across sexes and regions of origin for horses racing in Hong Kong. STUDY DESIGN: Performance data on the population of Thoroughbreds racing in Hong Kong between 3 September 2000 and 12 March 2011 (n = 4950) were acquired and used to describe and compare the careers of Thoroughbred racehorses in Hong Kong. METHODS: Career length, number of career starts and number of spells from racing per year were evaluated. Kaplan-Meier survival curves, stratified by sex, age group, country of origin and region of origin were produced for career length. A Cox's proportional hazards model was fitted to assess factors influencing the risk of retirement from racing in Hong Kong. RESULTS: Log-rank tests for equality of career length survivor functions showed significant differences (P<0.001) across sexes, age groups, countries of origin and regions of origin. An increased age at first start in Hong Kong tended to increase the hazard rate for retirement from racing in Hong Kong, whereas greater earnings per race and originating from Europe tended to reduce the hazard rate for racing retirement. CONCLUSIONS AND POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: Differences in career outcomes within a racing population appear to be influenced partly by the region from which a horse originates, with specific effects on each performance outcome also varying between regions. Future research should take into account these potential differences when comparing results across populations.

Sudden death in racing Thoroughbred horses: an international multicentre study of post mortem findings.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: To improve the understanding of exercise related sudden death in Thoroughbred racehorses. OBJECTIVES: To describe the post mortem findings in cases of sudden death associated with exercise in 268 Thoroughbred racehorses. METHODS: Gross and histological post mortem findings of 268 cases of sudden death were collated and reviewed. Cases originated from 6 racing jurisdictions around the world. Sudden death was defined as acute collapse and death in a closely observed and previously apparently healthy Thoroughbred racehorse, during, or within one hour after, exercise. Cause of death as determined by the attending pathologist was categorised as definitive, presumptive or unexplained and compared between the different populations. Cardiopulmonary lesions recorded at post mortem examination were compared between different populations. RESULTS: Pathologists recorded a definitive cause of death in 53% (143/268) of cases. Major definitive causes of sudden death included cardiac failure, apparent pulmonary failure, pulmonary haemorrhage, haemorrhage associated with pelvic fractures or with idiopathic blood vessel rupture, and spinal cord injury. A presumptive cause of death was made in 25% (67/268) of cases and death remained unexplained in 22% (58/268) of cases. There were several statistically significant inter-population differences in the cause of death and in reporting of cardiopulmonary lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Sudden death can be attributed to a variety of causes. Causes of sudden death and the lesions found in cases of exercise-related sudden death are similar in different racing jurisdictions. However, the lesions are often not specific for the cause of death and determination of the cause of death is therefore affected by interpretation by the individual pathologist.

Variability in background levels of surface soil radionuclides in the vicinity of the US DOE waste isolation pilot plant.

Concentrations of radionuclides were measured in soils from a grid of locations surrounding the US Department of Energy Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in southeastern New Mexico and from a grid on a reference site approximately 20 km southeast of the WIPP site. Each of the two grids has 16 sampling locations (grid nodes) systematically distributed within an area of 16.580 ha. Sampling was conducted prior to the arrival of the first waste shipment at WIPP. Thus, the 137Cs and 23,240Pu in the soil are expected to have been deposited as global fallout, although the Gnome Site, 8.8 km southwest of the WIPP, is also a potential source of 239,240Pu and fission products. The reference grid has significantly higher concentrations of fallout and natural radionuclides than the WIPP grid. Up to 80% of the total variability in radionuclide concentrations across the two grids is attributable to differences between grid nodes. Differences between replicates within a location account for 44-50% of the variability in concentrations of the uranium isotopes, but only 11-17% of the variability in the concentrations of the other radionuclides. Samples having similar abundance of radionuclides were spatially aggregated across the terrain. The activity concentrations of the radionuclides were strongly correlated with the concentrations of Al and Pb, and with the percentages of sand, silt and clay in the soil. Normalizing radionuclide concentrations to the concentration of Al or percent fine particles can help adjust for differences in soil textures among samples and facilitate the detection of gradients or temporal changes in soil concentrations.

Lung dose estimates from 222Rn in Arizona groundwater based on liquid scintillation measurements.

Since August 1989, 222Rn groundwater samples from across the state of Arizona have been collected and analyzed using liquid scintillation. Of the 253 specimens acquired, 65% have 222Rn concentrations above 11 Bq L-1 (300 pCi L-1), while 16% have 222Rn activities over 37 Bq L-1 (1,000 pCi L-1). The geometric mean 222Rn concentration for all the wells tested is 13 Bq L-1 x divided by 4; the arithmetic mean is 37 +/- 122 Bq L-1. Using the geometric mean, it is estimated that an additional tracheobronchial lung dose equivalent of 0.19 mSv y-1 x divided by 13.9 is delivered to Arizona residents from the well water to home pathway.

Measurement of radioactivity in Arizona groundwater using improved analytical techniques for samples with high dissolved solids.

Radiochemical analyses of 667 samples collected over the 5-y period 1989 to 1993 indicate that approximately 2% of Arizona drinking water supplies from groundwater sources violate current regulatory standards. About 1% of the population is affected. The 1996 change in regulatory requirements will bring some Arizona water systems into compliance through 226Ra limit relaxation, while others will become noncompliant due to new limits on uranium levels. Maximum concentrations in Arizona of adjusted gross alpha, gross beta, and 226Ra activities are higher than levels found in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's national survey. Sampling results show a correlation between radionuclide concentration and localized geology. Improved radiochemical methods are described that result in greater accuracy and sensitivity for samples high in dissolved solids, as are typical in Arizona.

The aftermath of rape. Profiles of immediate and delayed treatment seekers.

Seventy-eight sexual assault victims who sought treatment within 1 month of their assaults were compared with 40 victims who delayed seeking treatment. Demographic, rape situation, and psychiatric history characteristics were examined as were postrape symptom profiles and responses to treatment. More of the delayed treatment seekers were raped by a "friend," and fewer used physical means to defend themselves against the assailant. With respect to symptomatology, delayed treatment seekers reported considerable rape-related distress and were more anxious and significantly more fearful than were recent rape victims. Implications for clinical practice and for the tailoring of services for victims of sexual assault are suggested.

Depressive symptoms in rape victims. A revisit.

Ninety recent victims of sexual assault were assessed within 4 weeks of the assault for evidence of depressive symptomatology and major depressive disorder. The results suggested 43% of the subjects met Research Diagnostic Criteria for major depressive disorder, with sleep disturbance and dysphoria being the most frequently endorsed symptoms. Older subjects and subjects who had been sexually victimized prior to the current assault were at significantly higher risk for developing major depressive disorder post-assault. Follow-up assessments revealed a diminution of depressive symptoms by 3 months after initial assessment and a continuing stabilization of mood at 6 and 12 months.

A comparison of nonpatient and bipolar patient-well spouse couples.

The authors compared responses of 16 couples, in which one partner had a diagnosis of remitted bipolar illness, to a lengthy self-report questionnaire (KDS-15) designed to assess many aspects of marital adjustment with those of 16 matched nonpatient couples. The bipolar patient-well spouse couples had marital adjustments closely resembling those of the nonpatient couples; three of four global ratings of satisfaction failed to discriminate between the two groups. Perceptions of the courtship, first year of marriage, and the degree to which the marriage had met expectations were also similar for both groups.