Legitimating the world-class university concept through the discourse of elite universities’ presidents†

Although well-renowned universities attempt to differentiate themselves from other universities, little research has been undertaken on the principal themes involved in the concept of the world-class university (WCU) as presented in speeches by members of WCUs. These discourses are a key tool in universities’ attempt to shape the competitive framework of higher education through legitimacy. We study the presidents’ discourses from 100 leading universities to identify the themes and emergent discourse of these universities’ communities. Applying topic modeling methodology to the speeches’ corpus, we find seven communities (Worldwide-the four regions, American-from different states, Flagship, Education concerned, Some Chinese universities, Central European universities and Challengers) and four main themes arising from WCUs’ discourses (Research universities within international rankings, Stakeholders and leadership, Mission and values, and Education). Our preliminary findings suggest that leading universities are working to adopt the WCU label based on their salient characteristics.     

Optimal control for linear systems with time delay in control input

This paper presents the optimal regulator for a linear system with time delay in control input and a quadratic cost function. The optimal regulator equations are obtained using the duality principle, which is applied to the optimal filter for linear systems with time delay in observations, and then proved using the maximum principle. Performance of the obtained optimal regulator is verified in the illustrative example against the best linear regulator available for linear systems without delays. Simulation graphs and comparison tables demonstrating better performance of the obtained optimal regulator are included.     

Análisis evolutivo de la empatía y la ansiedad como variables mediadoras del comportamiento de ayuda

Resumen

En este trabajo se analizan los efectos de la empatía y la ansiedad sobre la conducta de ayuda. Las hipótesis intentan discriminar entre las diferentes motivaciones (altruistas o egoístas) que pueden suscitar la conducta de ayuda. Se realizaron dos estudios, uno con niños y otro con adolescentes. Los datos se analizaron con ecuaciones estructurales (Lisrel, VI). Los resultados mostraron diferencias evolutivas en cuanto a la capacidad de las condiciones experimentales para provocar empatía y ansiedad, y por lo tanto, para producir la conducta de ayuda. Como conclusión se propone la ampliación del modelo de Batson y Coke, dado el peso que ha mostrado tener la variable «empatia disposicional» para explicar la conducta de ayuda. Respecto al tipo de motivación que originó la ayuda cabe señalar que, en ambos estudios, la ayuda se explicó por la empatía (disposicional y situacional) por lo que podemos deducir que la motivación fue altruista.     

Kinematic analysis of three water polo front crawl styles

During water polo matches, players use different front crawl styles. The purpose of this study was to conduct a kinematic analysis of three water polo front crawl styles: front crawl with head under water, front crawl with head above water, and front crawl when leading the ball. Ten proficient water polo players performed 3 × 15 m sprints in each front crawl style, which were recorded three-dimensionally by two surface and four underwater cameras. The results showed no differences in performance and several kinematic characteristics among the water polo front crawl styles. However, front crawl when leading the ball showed shorter stroke length and greater stroke frequency. Front crawl with head underwater presented greater maximal finger depth and elbow angle at mid-stroke position. Front crawl with head above water and when leading the ball showed greater trunk obliquity and maximal depth of right and left foot, and shorter kick stroke frequency. The findings suggest that proficient players learn to master front crawl with head above water to achieve top velocity. Despite the common use of the front crawl with head underwater as the basis for water polo fast displacement, coaches should emphasize the use of the specific water polo styles to attain high performance.