Porosity and surface hardness as indicators of the state of conservation of Mudéjar plasterwork in the Real Alcázar in Seville

Plasterwork, a very typical element of Islamic art, comprises highly artistic decorative elements on wall, arches, and vaults. Due to their gypsum composition, such elements are easily weathered, primarily because of low mechanical strength and slight solubility in water. This work has studied the traditional Islamic plasterwork in the halls and patios of the Mudéjar Palace (13–16th centuries) in the Real Alcázar of Seville. This palace complex was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987. The analysis of its porosity and shore C surface hardness has allowed determination of the mathematical correlation between them. Consequently, future evaluations can merely measure the hardness (a non-destructive test) to estimate the plasterwork's porosity (which reveals its mechanical strength and its degree of weathering). These elements must be maintained in order to prevent the spread of pathologies. In addition to requiring an in-depth knowledge of its materials, application techniques, and properties, to do so also demands simple techniques for regular assessments and criteria to prioritize interventions if they become necessary.     

Relationship between physiological parameters and performance during a half-ironman triathlon in the heat

Abstract

Triathlon is a popular outdoor endurance sport performed under a variety of environmental conditions. The aim of this study was to assess physiological variables before and after a half-ironman triathlon in the heat and to analyse their relationship with performance. Thirty-four well-trained triathletes completed a half-ironman triathlon in a mean dry temperature of 29 ± 3ºC. Before and within 1 min after the end of the race, body mass, core temperature, maximal jump height and venous blood samples were obtained. Mean race time was 315 ± 40 min, with swimming (11 ± 1%), cycling (49 ± 2%) and running (40 ± 3%) representing different amounts of the total race time. At the end of the competition, body mass changed by ?3.8 ± 1.6% and the change in body mass correlated positively with race time (r = 0.64; P < 0.001). Core temperature increased from 37.5 ± 0.6ºC to 38.8 ± 0.7ºC (P < 0.001) and post-race core temperature correlated negatively with race time (r = ?0.47; P = 0.007). Race time correlated positively with the decrease in jump height (r = 0.38; P = 0.043), post-race serum creatine kinase (r = 0.55; P = 0.001) and myoglobin concentrations (r = 0.39; P = 0.022). In a half-ironman triathlon in the heat, greater reductions in body mass and higher post-competition core temperatures were present in faster triathletes. In contrast, slower triathletes presented higher levels of muscle damage and decreased muscle performance.     

Performance analysis of elite men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball teams

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to identify which game-related statistics discriminate winning and losing teams in men’s and women’s elite wheelchair basketball. The sample comprised all the games played during the Beijing Paralympics 2008 and the World Wheelchair Basketball Championship 2010. The game-related statistics from the official box scores were gathered and data were analysed in 2 groups: balanced games (final score differences ≤12 points) and unbalanced games (final score differences >13 points). Discriminant analysis allowed identifying the successful 2-point field-goals and free-throws, the unsuccessful 3-point field-goals and free-throws, the assists and fouls received as discriminant statistics between winning and losing teams in men’s balanced games. In women’s games, the teams were discriminated only by the successful 2-point field-goals. Linear regression analysis showed that the quality of opposition had great effects in final point differential. The field-goals percentage and free-throws rate were the most important factors in men’s games, and field-goals percentage and offensive rebounding percentage in women’s games. The identified trends allow improving game understanding and helping wheelchair basketball coaches to plan accurate practice sessions and, ultimately, deciding better in competition.     

On the acquisition of some basic word spelling mechanisms in a deep (French) and a shallow (Spanish) system

An experiment was carried out to compare the time course of the acquisition of two basic spelling mechanisms in Spanish, a shallow system, and French, a deep system. The first was lexical. It relies on the orthographic lexicon, a hypothetical structure containing the orthographic representations of words accessible for word spelling. To evaluate its contribution the participants were asked to spell words of high and low frequency containing phonemes which can take different graphemic values. The second mechanism relies on sub-lexical processes. Its contribution was evaluated asking the participants to spell words containing consistent phoneme-to-grapheme translation pairs which were identical in Spanish and French. Two contrasting predictions were considered, one derived from the Orthographic Depth Hypothesis (ODH, Frost, 2005) and the other from the Self-Teaching Hypothesis (STH, Share, 2004). According to the ODH, the orthographic lexicon should develop more rapidly in French than in Spanish because Spanish spellers can rely on phoneme-to-grapheme translation mechanisms to spell most words, meaning that they do not need to resort to the orthographic lexicon. In contrast, the STH suggests that effective identification of a word gradually generates its orthographic representation. The results revealed that both spelling mechanisms develop far faster in Spanish than in French. The fact that word frequency effects appeared earlier in Spanish than in French, indicating that the orthographic lexicon incorporates words more rapidly in a shallow than in a deep system, is clearly incompatible with the ODH and easier to handle in the context of the STH.     

Migrant worker children: Conceptions of homelessness and implications for education

In this paper the authors draw from interviews with young migrant workers to problematize the question "What is a home?" The argument is made that once we acknowledge alternative images of "home" and the values and priorities that follow, policies and services for migrant workers and their children might take different forms than are currently configured. Migrating, or becoming "homeless," is a choice these families make to maintain their family structure. For these people homed-homeless is not a dichotomy. Rather, the operative word is family. The structure of the family is analyzed as a lifeworld (Habermas, 1984, 1987), or system of values and experiences that defines choices and ways of acting. Importantly, migrant workers travel as families and often as extended families. The unit of the family is assumed. Tensions arise when an individual member of the family questions the assumption of everyone working together for the family unit. When the family decides to break the unit, for example by sending a child away so he/she can attend school, the unit suffers as well as the individual. The sense of power that many assume is located in the home - a particular physical space - is also located in the family and the relationships among persons the word family implies. Social policies and institutions often disregard this distinction. 1     

Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development and Its Relevance to Education

Isaksson, A. 1979. Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development and Its Relevance to Education. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 23, 47‐63. The main assumptions and categories of Kohlberg's theory of moral development are succinctly outlined. New empirical studies and critical reviews are discussed, and their implications for the theory assessed. It is concluded that the theory is correct in its basic assumption of viewing moral development as a sequential progression towards more complex structural wholes that can be conceptualized as levels or stages. Empirical evidence is found to lend greater support to the identity of three sequential structural levels than to six distinct stages. Kohlberg's and his associates’ approach to moral education is briefly described. The relevance of the theory to moral education is seen as self‐evident. The conditions for the efficacy of moral educational programmes are discussed. The general conclusion of the article is that Kohlberg's approach has proven its basic theoretical and heuristic value. The theoretical framework favoured by the author is cognitive‐developmental.     

Comprehensiveness and diversity in secondary compulsory education in andalusia: an unresolved challenge

This article outlines the contradictions and challenges of introducing comprehensive, compulsory education in Andalusia for students up to the age of 16. Following a documenting of the developments, it is argued that while the intention was for a significant, planned reform, it is better characterised as one that is, at best, an improvisation. The article discusses the continuing difficulties that may be attributed to a number of policies of the Conservative government of the day, which allowed the development of two systems of education that were not grounded in concepts of equity and social justice to evolve. The work of John Elliott has been acknowledged as an important influence upon the inquiry that was undertaken and the subsequent analysis of its results. Thus, not only are the results of an action-orientated study reported here, but also there is an extensive set of guiding principles that could enable the reform to be truly actualised.