The interplay between spontaneous writing and underlying linguistic representations

European Journal of Psychology of Education - The paper discusses the importance of incorporating naturalistic data from spontaneous written texts in language acquisition research in general, and...     

Active relatives and health-related physical fitness in European adolescents: The HELENA Study

Abstract High physical fitness in childhood and adolescence is positively associated with favourable health-related outcomes. Our aim was to examine the relationship between relatives' (father, mother, brother, sister, and best friend) physical activity engagement and encouragement on adolescents' physical fitness. Adolescents were part of the HELENA study, a multi-centre study conducted in 10 cities from nine European countries in 2006-2008. Participants were 3288 adolescents (48% boys, 52% girls) aged 12.5-17.5 years with valid data on at least one of the three fitness variables studied: muscular strength (standing long jump), speed/agility (4×10 m shuttle run), and cardiorespiratory fitness (20 m shuttle run). The adolescents reported their relatives' physical activity engagement and encouragement. Analysis of covariance showed that relatives' physical activity engagement (father, mother, brother, and best friend) was positively related to cardiorespiratory fitness (P?相似文献   

Research and development, cash flow, agency and governance: UK large companies

This paper investigates the determinants of R&D expenditure using a sample of UK listed companies with the highest spend from 2000 to 2005. We investigate the effect of corporate governance and ownership on R&D, using panel data. The results provide some evidence that more governance tends to depress R&D activity, a finding that is robust to whether a composite or disaggregated index of governance is used. One innovation of the paper is that we treat agency and finance effects interactively. The ownership stake of the CEO appears to be supportive for R&D.     

Does sensorimotor training improve the static balance of young volleyball players?

The aim of this investigation is to assess the effectiveness of a 6-week balance training (BT) protocol, integrated in regular training sessions, on postural sway of young female volleyball players (n = 26, age 13.0 +/- 0.2 years) divided into two groups (intervention and control; 13 per group). Trials were performed for bipedal and unipedal stance conditions before and after the BT protocol, using a pressure platform to collect center-of-pressure (COP) time series that were processed to calculate sway area, COP path length, and maximum displacement range in anteroposterior and mediolateral directions. The intervention group exhibited smaller sway areas in eyes closed conditions (intervention = 42.76 mm2, control = 67.60 mm2; p < 0.05) and Romberg quotients (intervention = 1.11 mm, control = 1.82 mm) in bipedal stance, while all the other parameters were unaffected. BT also reduced sway area (intervention = 122.70 mm2, control = 187.18 mm2) and anteroposterior COP displacements (intervention = 20.18 mm, control = 22.38 mm) of the non-dominant limb for single-leg stance. No significant change was found for the dominant limb. Although it is possible to hypothesize a beneficial effect of BT on young athletes, further investigations are required to clarify its actual effect on balance performance with respect to normal volleyball training.     

The Congress for Cultural Freedom, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Minerva</Emphasis>, and the Quest for Instituting “Science Studies” in the Age of Cold War

The Congress for Cultural Freedom is remembered as a paramount example of the “cultural cold wars.” In this paper, I discuss the ways in which this powerful transnational organization sought to promote “science studies” as a distinct – and politically relevant – area of expertise, and part of the CCF broader agenda to offer a renewed framework for liberalism. By means of its Study Groups, international conferences and its periodicals, such as Minerva, the Congress developed into an influential forum for examining the ways Big Science impacted the relations between science, society, and politics, thus constituting a semi-institutional niche for Science Studies before its professionalization within academia during the 1970s. I argue that the Congress contributed to the construction of public space in which the relations between science, society and politics were debated, and science was reconceptualized as a social activity. The vision of “science studies” the CCF-associated intellectuals promulgated was different from the science studies we know today. Yet, this alternative vision, in which the issues of science politics appeared inseparable from those of science policy, science organization, and science governance, constituted the “pre-history” of science studies today.     

An analytical investigation of the painting technique of Italian Renaissance master Lorenzo Lotto

This paper presents the first extensive investigation of the composition of both the organic and inorganic media used by Lorenzo Lotto, one of the outstanding artists of the Italian Renaissance in the early 16th century. By investigating four paintings from The State Hermitage Museum collection (Saint-Petersburg, Russia), new insights into the artist's painting techniques were obtained, which contribute to our understanding of the transition from egg tempera to oil painting techniques that took place in Italian paintings between the 15th to the mid 16th century. Inorganic materials were determined using SEM-EDX and PLM, revealing information on the artist's palette. Of particular note was the powdered colourless glass found in the priming layer of the Madonna delle Grazie, which was most likely used as dryer. Organic materials were analysed in individual paint layers using GC-MS, and revealed a mature use of drying oils as paint binders, skilfully mixed with other organic materials and inorganic driers, to obtain the desired aesthetical and technical qualities of the paint. The study revealed that Lotto used the tempera grassa technique through most of his creative life.     

EditorialKeeping information centre stage amid changing scenery

With conference season upon us, consideration is given to the importance of subject‐specific and library association conferences. The biennial Health Libraries Group (HLG) conference meets both these criteria and takes place in Greater Manchester in July. The conference provides an opportunity for peer‐to‐peer learning, identifying new trends and professional rejuvenation. An open invitation is given to attend the Health Information and Libraries Journal‘Writing for Publication’ workshop at the HLG conference. An overview of three bursaries available from the Health Libraries Group and Library and Information Research, both groups of the UK Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) is provided. The bursaries offer opportunities to cover the costs of registration and travel expenses to national and international conference.     

Teacher change: ideas emerging from a project for the teaching of university mathematics

This paper reports the changes that occurred in the didactic approaches of three professors who participated in a project intended to develop new ways of teaching mathematics to second year university students. An enactivist perspective is used to address the process of change that emerged as a result from interactions during project meetings. We describe changes in the participants' actions by looking at data obtained from the meetings and the classrooms. Teachers were able to ‘see more’ and modify their teaching practices incorporating a more open and flexible approach in accordance to their structural state which depended on their previous history. Therefore, the results varied. It was possible to observe, however, similar changes in all members of the group which included the use of vocabulary from learning theories and the inclusion of in-depth reflections on teaching and learning.     

Developing as a teacher in the fields of science and technology

In universities, development as a teacher may be contradicted with developing as a researcher. Most previous studies have investigated pedagogical development merely as a result of pedagogical training and ignored the dual teacher-researcher identity. This study examines what kind of meaningful experiences are perceived to have triggered and influenced the process of developing as a teacher in the fields of science and technology. The data were gathered by interviewing 10 academics who had participated in a pedagogical training offered by a Finnish technical university between 1999 and 2009. Based on a narrative analysis utilizing dimensions of transformative learning, the results highlight the influence of the working environment and experiences, and imply that teacher development process in the fields of science and technology can be better understood in terms of becoming a teacher, rather than as a continual, conscious development process. The resulting teacher-researcher identity provides a basis for pedagogical development.