Football practice with youth players in the “Footbonaut”

In today’s leading football training centres, state-of-the-art performance diagnostic systems such as the “Footbonaut” allow controlled and standardized assessments of physical and mental components of agility, e.g. speed of action and ball control, that are considered to be decisive for talent identification and development. However, effects of induced physical and mental strain on performing football-specific practice patterns remain to be elucidated, particularly in youth players, and, thus, characterize the purpose of this study. 33 randomly assigned competitive football players (U14 to U16) performed a standardized Footbonaut practice pattern (i.e. 20 balls randomly drawn at 50?km/h each), prior to and immediately after either mentally demanding tasks (MDT; n?=?11; continuous Vienna Test System’s Stroop task and determination test), physically demanding tasks (PDT; n?=?11; consisted of 4?×?4?min of football-specific high-intensity intervals with 3?min of active recovery in between) or a control condition (CON; n?=?11). Continuous heart rates (HR) as well as self-perceptions of fatigue were assessed. Main findings revealed performances for speed of action (p?=?0.44; f?=?0.01) and ball control (p?=?0.15; f?=?0.03) that were not modulated in the face of induced physical and mental strain as indicated by increased HR following PDT (p?<?0.001; d?>?0.8), or in the face of increased self-perceptions of fatigue following PDT and MDT (both p?<?0.001; both d?>?0.8) compared to CON. This is in line with a suggested talent factor and previous reports on motivational trade-off aspects in youth players. However, the present study’s short-timed practice patterns make it difficult to reliably compare a measuring sensitivity to complex football-specific movement behavioural and technical proficiencies with respect to mental and physical strain of longer-lasting football games and, thus, need further investigation in favour of improving talent identification and development using the Footbonaut.     

Efficacy of a Self-Monitoring Tool for Improving the Quality of the Language Environment in the Preschool Classroom

Research Findings: This study evaluated the impact of a self-monitoring intervention on preschool teachers’ use of language and on children’s language growth. Nineteen classrooms from Santiago de Chile participated (10 intervention, 9 control). Twice a week, intervention teachers filled out a checklist to monitor the language stimulation they offered children. Research personnel used the checklists to elaborate a monthly summary of the language opportunities offered to each child in that month and discussed this information with teachers. Results revealed a significant advantage for intervention teachers in frequency of book readings and word discussions but not on children’s language growth. Dosage analyses showed that children identified by the self-monitoring device as receiving more language-learning opportunities improved significantly more from beginning to end of the school year in receptive vocabulary. Practice or Policy: Contextual barriers such as large numbers of children and unawareness of the impact of some language interactions can prevent teachers from engaging in important practices. Reminding teachers of the importance of those practices and helping them monitor their frequency may be a low-cost way of improving language opportunities for children in contexts where more intensive professional development is not possible.     

Rethinking academic literacies. A conceptual development based on teaching practice

Academic Literacies, the most influential conceptual framework for writing practitioners at UK universities, is closely related to widening participation. At the same time, writing support is often justified with the argument that written communication is among the most important employability skills for graduates. While these concepts are often used simultaneously, their underlying premises are not necessarily congruent. This paper reflects on a writing intervention that highlighted the difficulties that can arise from a seeming ‘pick and mix’ use of these two frameworks, Academic Literacies and writing as an Employability Skill. Based on this analysis of the practice of teaching writing at a post-92 university, it establishes the need for an expanded, theoretical framework for writing support.     

Interaktive Visualisierung und Simulation zur Planung chirurgischer Eingriffe

Der vorliegende Artikel beschreibt aktuelle Ans?tze zur Visualisierung und weiteren Bearbeitung medizinischer Volumendaten. Die Methodik verfolgt das Ziel, die pr?operative Planung chirurgischer Eingriffe zu unterstützen, in dem Volumendaten interaktiv visualisiert und Gewebe wie auch funktionelle Einheiten simuliert werden. Eingebettet in ein Radiologiesystem kann der Benutzer mit den Visualisierungen im dreidimensionalen Raum interagieren. Ein hybrider Ansatz erlaubt die Integration von oberfl?chen- und volumenorientierten Objektmodellen. Die Client/Server Architektur erlaubt die Nutzung zentraler, leistungsf?higer Ressourcen zur Berechnung der Volumenvisualisierung und Methoden der Bildverarbeitung.     

Interaktive Visualisierung und Simulation zur Planung chirurgischer Eingriffe

Zusammenfassung. Der vorliegende Artikel beschreibt aktuelle Ans?tze zur Visualisierung und weiteren Bearbeitung medizinischer Volumendaten. Die Methodik verfolgt das Ziel, die pr?operative Planung chirurgischer Eingriffe zu unterstützen, in dem Volumendaten interaktiv visualisiert und Gewebe wie auch funktionelle Einheiten simuliert werden. Eingebettet in ein Radiologiesystem kann der Benutzer mit den Visualisierungen im dreidimensionalen Raum interagieren. Ein hybrider Ansatz erlaubt die Integration von oberfl?chen- und volumenorientierten Objektmodellen. Die Client/Server Architektur erlaubt die Nutzung zentraler, leistungsf?higer Ressourcen zur Berechnung der Volumenvisualisierung und Methoden der Bildverarbeitung. Eingegangen am 11. Juli 1998 / Angenommen am 7. Januar 1999     

Home Language and Literacy Environments and Early Literacy Trajectories of Low-Socioeconomic Status Chilean Children

This study used Latent Class Analysis to identify groups of children exposed to similar Home Language and Literacy Environments (HLLE) and explored whether belonging to a given HLLE group was related to children’s language and early literacy growth from prekindergarten to kindergarten. Participants were 1,425 Chilean mothers and their children (M_age = 52.52 months at baseline) from low-socioeconomic status households. Four HLLE groups were identified, which were associated with different trajectories of language and early literacy development. Children from groups whose mothers either read and talk about past events with them or teach them letters in addition to reading and talking about past events, showed higher relative vocabulary and letter knowledge. Implications for research and interventions are discussed.