‘Here,we are all equal!’: soccer viewing centres and the transformation of age social relations among fans in South-Western Nigeria

The spread of soccer viewing centres (SVCs) in Nigeria is one of the unfolding legacies of global sporting media in Africa. While, providing access to live broadcast of European soccer competitions, SVCs have developed into supplementary social spaces where culturally defined rules of social relations are contested. Using Goffman's notion of performance and Agbalagba in Yoruba normative system, in conjunction with sociological perspective on space, the study explores the context and processes in the transformation of age social relations in Ibadan, South-Western Nigeria. Data were obtained through participant observation, and 23 in-depth interviews with viewing centre owners and soccer fans. Findings depict the SVC as a constructed space, with conflicting meanings, attitudes and practices, which inadvertently fracture and render fluid, the expectations of norms of age social relations. In conclusion, European soccer drives the spread of supplementary social spaces which impact local social structures in critical ways.     

Effect of ski boot rear stiffness (SBRS) on maximal ACL force during injury prone landing movements in alpine ski racing: A study with a musculoskeletal simulation model

A common anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury situation in alpine ski racing is landing back-weighted after a jump. Simulated back-weighted landing situations showed higher ACL-injury risk for increasing ski boot rear stiffness (SBRS) without considering muscles. It is well known that muscle forces affect ACL tensile forces during landing. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of different SBRS on the maximal ACL tensile forces during injury prone landings considering muscle forces by a two-dimensional musculoskeletal simulation model. Injury prone situations for ACL-injuries were generated by the musculoskeletal simulation model using measured kinematics of a non-injury situation and the method of Monte Carlo simulation. Subsequently, the SBRS was varied for injury prone landings. The maximal ACL tensile forces and contributing factors to the ACL forces were compared for the different SBRS. In the injury prone landings the maximal ACL tensile forces increased with increasing SBRS. It was found that the higher maximal ACL force was caused by higher forces acting on the tibia by the boot and by higher quadriceps muscle forces both due to the higher SBRS. Practical experience suggested that the reduction of SBRS is not accepted by ski racers due to performance reasons. Thus, preventive measures may concentrate on the reduction of the quadriceps muscle force during impact.     

Scientific creativity: A short overview

This article gives a condensed overview of important findings, methods, and theories related to scientific creativity. The topics discussed are grouped into the fourfold classification of the creative product, the creative person, the creative process, and the creative situation. Methods for evaluating the impact and creativeness of the creative product are citation analysis and rating inventories. The section in the creative person presents findings on the presonality of creative scientists and research productivity across the life span. The section on the creative process revies a stage theory of the creative act. Remarks on the creative situation include of summary of factors conducive to creative achievement and a discussion of the problem of multiple discoveries. In one of two additional sections, a comprehensive theory of scientific creativity-simonton's chance configuration theory—is reviewd. The second additional section presents recommendations for further research on scientific creativity.     

The child’s emotional management in school competition: under-seven football / La gestión emocional del niño en la competición escolar: el fútbol prebenjamín

Abstract

Football is one of the most common extracurricular activities among schoolchildren. Illusions and expectations are poured into a competitive sport that complements their formal education at school. The controversy over competition in schoolchildren aged six and seven opens up a debate on the lessons that are constructed. This study explores the emotional management that children develop in order to participate in sports activities in relation to the lessons promoted by the school. This article presents an ethnographic study grounded upon participant observation, with 101 schoolchildren in the first and second years of primary school during one academic year in 207 sessions, and semi-structured interviews with 21 teachers. After analysing the narratives, the results reveal previous expectations and stresses, a level of activation adequate for the competitive demands of the environment, the development of the ability to be competent in a stressful situation, the emotional capitalization of knowing how to win and lose, the impact of social recognition on adaptative construction of self-esteem, and the management of episodes of stress.     

Effect of physiological harvest stages on the composition of bioactive compounds in Cavendish bananas

The combined influence of maturation, ripening, and climate on the profile of bioactive compounds was studied in banana (Musa acuminata, AAA, Cavendish, cv. Grande Naine). Their bioactive compounds were determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu assay and high-performance thin layer chromatographic (HPTLC) method. The polyphenol content of bananas harvested after 400 degree days remained unchanged during ripening, while bananas harvested after 600 and 900 degree days exhibited a significant polyphenol increase. Although dopamine was the polyphenol with the highest concentration in banana peels during the green developmental stage and ripening, its kinetics differed from the total polyphenol profile. Our results showed that this matrix of choice (maturation, ripening, and climate) may allow selection of the banana (M. acuminata, AAA, Cavendish, cv. Grande Naine) status that will produce optimal concentrations of identified compounds with human health relevance.     

Trust as an antecedent to knowledge sharing in virtual communities of practice

This study focusses on the role of trust in knowledge sharing within the context of virtual communities of practice. Trust is widely accepted as an important enabler of knowledge management (KM) processes. We conceptualise trust across three dimensions, namely: competence, integrity and benevolence; we test hypotheses as to the effect of these facets of trust on knowledge sharing by surveying an intra-organisational global virtual community of practitioners. The results indicate that all three dimensions of trust are positively related to knowledge-sharing behaviour. Trust based on the perceived integrity of the community was found to be the strongest predictor of knowledge-sharing behaviour. Our findings suggest that the dimensions of trust buttress each other; although they are theoretically distinct, they appear to be empirically inseparable. We propose that in order for knowledge sharing to be enabled, trust must concurrently exist in all three dimensions. Implication to organisations in their recruitment policy is to include competence, integrity and benevolence in their sought-for attributes of new employees. KM practitioners also have to encourage these attributes in existing employees, who are potential members of on-line communities of practice. Knowledge sharing itself was conceptualised with three components – quantity (frequency), quality (usefulness or value) and focus (the degree to which an individual feels that they engage in knowledge sharing). Of the three components, focus exhibits the most significant relationship with trust factors. This finding makes knowledge sharing less tangible than perhaps would be expected. It suggests that establishing whether knowledge has been shared is more than counting the frequency or trying to evaluate the usefulness of the shared knowledge. These aspects are important especially to management, but to the individual who shares knowledge, her feelings of having shared knowledge appear to be more important. With the current understanding that knowledge sharing is more of a human activity than technology, it is important that any information system should be assistive in boosting users’ confidence that they are indeed sharing knowledge. If the systems do not re-enforce the users’ knowledge-sharing orientation, knowledge sharing may be discouraged. Notwithstanding the point made about knowledge-sharing focus, it is necessary to take into consideration all the components of knowledge sharing to fully capture the concept. This was well indicated when the combined variable of all (rather than individual) knowledge-sharing items had the strongest correlation with trust factors.

     

Helping students understand their learning styles: Effects on study self‐efficacy,preference for group work,and group climate

Small tutorial groups in higher education are often composed without regard to students’ gender or broad knowledge background, for example, yet research indicates that composing groups on the basis of gender and prior qualifications may have significant effects on assessment outcomes. Previous studies have also investigated the effects of composing groups on the basis of learning style preference and found no effects. The effect of combining group composition with training in learning styles is unclear, however. In this study we report on the effects of workshop training in learning styles on balanced group members’ study self‐efficacy, preference for group work, group climate, and assessment performance. Although we found no effects, students reported greater self‐awareness of their own learning and acceptance of others’ styles. We conclude that in collaborative learning environments, training may need to go beyond facilitating growth in students’ self‐awareness to include a focus on how to apply this understanding to improving group function and helping others to learn.