Early visual cues associated with a directional place kick in soccer

The purpose of this paper was to establish postural cues in kicking that may be of use to goalkeepers. Eight male soccer players (age 20.5 +/- 1.1 yrs; height 1.78 +/- 0.053 m; mass 75.18 +/- 9.66 kg) performed three types of kick: a low side-foot kick to the left hand corner of the goal, a low side-foot kick straight ahead, and a low instep kick straight ahead. Kicks were recorded by an optoelectronic motion analysis system at 240 Hz. At kicking foot take-off (about 200 ms before ball contact) the variables which were significantly different and could act as cues were support foot progression angle, pelvis rotation, and kicking hip and ankle flexion. The support foot progression angle was considered to be the most valuable of these variables as its angle coincided with the direction of ball projection. The other variables were less clear in their interpretation and so less valuable for a goalkeeper to use for decision making. Cues appearing after support foot contact were thought unlikely to be of value to a goalkeeper in their decision making. These include kicking leg knee flexion angle, and support leg shank and thigh angles.     

Selling to the BRIC: China — understanding and improving your footprint

This article starts with a consideration of the demographic and economic background to China's development. It then goes on to clarify and explain unique factors of the Chinese academic journals market which publishers need to know about and consider. It looks at this from a sales market perspective and also from that of authorship and content creation. It helps give a roadmap and outline to publishers who want to understand and improve their local footprint.     

The Strange Meshing of Impersonal and Personal Forces in Technological Action

Abstract

Many critical approaches ascribe a deficit of meaning to technology. The theory of technological action developed in the paper treats technology as an important, eventful terrain for collective life. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s idea of problematisation, it places contemporary technological actions in settings suffused by power relations. It finds in the work of Gilbert Simondon ways of explaining how technological action overflows social norms, forms, identities and structures. Based on analysis of processes of abstraction and concretisation in a spectrum of symptomatic examples, it contends that cultural theory should develop understandings of the potentials that give rise to technological acts as a way of being with others. The paper suggests how cultural theory can engage with the specificities of these actions.     

Axiomatizing the Hirsch index: Quantity and quality disjoined

Scientific impact indexes like h are responsive to two parameters: the researcher's productivity given by the number of her published papers (an aspect of quantity) and citations (an aspect of quality). In this paper I prove that the two parameters can be treated separately: the index h can be axiomatized by appealing (1) only to axioms that allow for productivity changes, but do not require taking into account distinct situations in which a researcher's papers received different numbers of citations or (2) only to axioms that allow for changes in the number of citations received by the researcher's papers, but do not require changes in scientific productivity. The axioms used are weak. Specifically, monotonicity is avoided.     

The persuasive effect of the AIDS NAMES quilt on behavioral intentions

The present study attempted to test the persuasive impact of the AIDS NAMES Quilt on behavioral intentions. Specifically, the Quilt, and knowing or not knowing a homosexual or Person Living with AIDS (PLWA), was predicted to be influential in determining one's intentions to behave supportively towards PLWA.

Results indicated that far individuals who know a homosexual or PLWA, viewing the quilt had no effect. For individuals who did not know a homosexual or PLWA, the quilt had a significant effect on their behavioral intentions e.g., they were more willing to engage in supportive behaviors. Additionally, females were more willing to engage in supportive behaviors than males. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

Personality, assessment methods and academic performance

This study examines the relationship between personality and two different academic performance (AP) assessment methods, namely exams and coursework. It aimed to examine whether the relationship between traits and AP was consistent across self-reported versus documented exam results, two different assessment techniques and across different faculties. There were 1,013 (622 female) university students from four British Universities in four faculties namely arts/humanities, social sciences, life/biological sciences and mathematical sciences. Participants completed a brief version of the Big Five inventory and a self-report measure of AP. Conscientiousness and Agreeableness were the strongest personality predictors of AP. Structural equation model showed that sex and personality effects on AP were invariant across different areas of study or degree types (humanities, social sciences, life sciences and hard sciences). Personality variables are stable, robust and predictable correlates and determinants of AP. Conscientiousness, Openness and Agreeableness were positive predictors as measured by good grades whilst Neuroticism and Extraversion were correlates of weaker performance. Implications of these results refer how teachers choose to examine their pupils and to what extent students choose courses because of their known examination procedures.     

Cultural diversity in the curriculum: perceptions and attitudes of Irish hospitality and tourism academics

Academics are facing significant challenges in preparing indigenous students for employment in the multicultural working environment of hospitality and tourism organisations. In dealing with the impact of the new skills and flexibilities demanded by increasing globalisation, the indigenous workforce needs to possess a multicultural perspective and the adaptive skills and mindsets to integrate more inclusively in diverse work settings. This article explores the nature of cultural diversity within the Irish hospitality and tourism workforce (in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland). An attempt is made to identify the challenges that hospitality and tourism educators face in implementing education for cultural diversity within the curriculum in order to prepare indigenous students (and indeed local industry staff) for employment within a multicultural workforce. The main themes analysed include: training requirements; educators’ requirements; programme content and learning outcomes; assessment methods; and methods of programme delivery.     

The effect of a supported exercise programme in patients with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes: A pilot study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of either a standard care programme (n?=?9) or a 12-week supported exercise programme (n?=?10) on glycaemic control, β-cell responsiveness, insulin resistance, and lipid profiles in newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes patients. The standard care programme consisted of advice to exercise at moderate to high intensity for 30?min five times a week; the supported exercise programme consisted of three 60-min supported plus two unsupported exercise sessions per week. Between-group analyses demonstrated a difference for changes in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol only (standard care programme 0.01 mmol?·?L^?1, supported exercise programme –0.6 mmol?·?L^?1; P?=?0.04). Following the standard care programme, within-group analyses demonstrated a significant reduction in waist circumference, whereas following the supported exercise programme there were reductions in glycosylated haemoglobin (6.4 vs. 6.0%; P?=?0.007), waist circumference (101.4 vs. 97.2?cm; P?=?0.021), body mass (91.7 vs. 87.9?kg; P?=?0.007), body mass index (30.0 vs. 28.7?kg?·?m^?2; P?=?0.006), total cholesterol (5.3 vs. 4.6 mmol?·?L^?1; P?=?0.046), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (3.2 vs. 2.6 mmol?·?L^?1; P?=?0.028), fasting β-cell responsiveness (11.5?×?10^?9 vs. 7.0?×?10^?9 pmol?·?kg^?1?·?min^?1; P?=?0.009), and insulin resistance (3.0 vs. 2.1; P?=?0.049). The supported exercise programme improved glycaemic control through enhanced β-cell function associated with decreased insulin resistance and improved lipid profile. This research highlights the need for research into unsupported and supported exercise programmes to establish more comprehensive lifestyle advice for Type 2 diabetes patients.