Analysis of doping control test results in individual and team sports from 2003 to 2015

Background:Determining the prevalence of doping in sport might be useful for anti-doping authorities to gauge the effectiveness of anti-doping policies implemented to prevent positive attitudes toward doping.Using questionnaires and personal interviews,previous investigations have found that the prevalence of doping might be different among different sports disciplines;however,there is no sport-specific information about the proportion of adverse and atypical findings(AAF) in samples used for doping control.The aim of the present investigation was to assess the differences in the frequency of adverse analytical and atypical findings among sports using the data made available by the World Anti-Doping Agency.Methods:The data included in this investigation were gathered from the Testing Figures Reports made available annually from 2003 to 2015 by the World Anti-Doping Agency.These Testing Figures Reports include information about the number of samples analyzed,the number of AAFs reported,and the most commonly found drugs in the urine and blood samples analyzed.A total of 1,347,213 samples were analyzed from the individual sports selected for this investigation,and 698,371 samples were analyzed for disciplines catalogued as team sports.Results:In individual sports,the highest proportions of AAF were 3.3%±1.0% in cycling,3.0%±0.6% in weightlifting,and 2.9%±0.6% in boxing.In team sports,the highest proportions of AAF were 2.2%±0.5% in ice hockey,2.0%±0.5% in rugby,and 2.0%±0.5% in basketball.Gymnastics and skating had the lowest proportions at(≤1.0%) for individual sports,and field hockey,volleyball and football had the lowest proportions for team sports(≤1.4%).Conclusion:As suggested by the analysis,the incidence of AAF was not uniform across all sports disciplines,with the different proportions pointing to an uneven use of banned substances depending on the sport.This information might be useful for increasing the strength and efficacy of anti-doping policies in those sports with the highest prevalence in the use of banned substances.     

The combined use of IRT and LDV for the investigation of historical thin vaults

Correct interventions on cultural heritage should have as their starting point an accurate diagnosis of its health, in order to design a compatible care. NDTs seem to offer a promising way in this sense. This paper deals with the combined use of IRT and LDV for the investigation of historical thin vaults made by timber arches, reeds, and plaster and it demonstrates that they can effectively support a deeper knowledge of these vaults as it concerns the presence of detached areas among the different mortar layers of the plaster and of detached areas among the mat of reeds and the nailed connection with the wooden bearing elements. This is a very important goal because these ND methodologies can be employed only on the lower surface of these vaults and sufficiently far from it, and they do not have any mechanical interaction with the historical, eventually frescoed or stuccoed, plaster, thus saving money and time.     

Air pollution and stone decay: the case of Venice

The discolouration and decay of stonework in smokey atmospheres is a worldwide problem and enormous sums are spent on cleaning and restoration. It is surprising, therefore, that little research has been done on the nature of the process of decay, it being widely assumed that this is simply the result of the progressive coatings of sulphur dioxide on wet stone. However, investigation in northern Italy and particularly in Venice — where the rate of decay is unusually high — indicates that carbon particles derived from oil fuels have a powerful catalytic effect on the decay of marble.     

“Palabras de la ciencia”: Pedro Castera and Scientific Writing in Mexico’s Fin de Siècle

This essay explores the career of the understudied writer Pedro Castera (1846–1906), who is regarded as one of the first practitioners of science fiction in Mexico. A man of many talents, Castera is one of the most eccentric and eclectic figures in the intellectual life of fin-de-siècle Mexico City. His career took many turns: While during specific periods he devoted himself to writing and participating within the liberal, cosmopolitan culture of Mexico City, he often disappeared from the public eye to devote himself to the development of inventions in the mining industry. The essay discusses the different meanings of ‘invention’ within Castera’s oeuvre, namely poetic and scientific innovation. Setting these two concepts within the domains of literature and scientific writing in the global and local fin de siècle, the essay investigates how Castera’s journalism and fiction (specifically his 1890 novel Querens) are representative of the wider question of scientific development in Mexico and Latin America as a whole during the nineteenth century. Furthermore, it explores the intersections of aesthetics and science during a critical period of modern intellectual history, in which these two areas of knowledge were gradually defining themselves as two distinctive cultures.     

Forgiveness,Gratitude and Subjective Well-Being Among Filipino Adolescents

This study examines the influence of forgiveness and gratitude on life satisfaction and subjective well-being among Filipino adolescents. Two hundred and ten (210) Filipino college students were recruited as respondents for the empirical inquiry. Results indicated that gratitude served as the most robust determinant of well-being after controlling demographic characteristics and forgiveness dimensions. Most importantly, gratitude and forgiveness of self, which is a dimension of forgiveness, predicted subjective well-being beyond the influence of the Big Five personality factors. These findings strengthened the empirical evidence that moral traits would have unique contributions on subjective well-being, even after controlling the impact of Big Five personality factors. Implications of the results are discussed in the context of counseling.     

“Spanish as a foreign language” teachers’ profiles: inclusive beliefs, teachers’ perceptions of student outcomes in the TCLA program, burnout, and experience

The present study focuses on the Temporary Classroom of Linguistic Adaptation program (TCLA program) in which specialist teachers (Spanish as a foreign language teachers—SFL teachers) teach Spanish to immigrants who are not proficient in the language. We suggest that support for immigrant students in Spanish schools should adopt a new inclusive educational approach. The present investigation is a preliminary attempt at characterizing the profiles of SFL teachers by assessing, simultaneously, five relevant variables (through cluster analysis): inclusive beliefs, teachers’ perceptions of student outcomes in TCLA program, general burnout, diversity-related teacher burnout, and years of teaching experience. Eighty-one SFL teachers from 132 schools in Spain (EU) were asked to complete a self-report questionnaire. Cluster analysis found two clearly differentiated groups: the larger one, Innovative SFL Teachers and the smaller, Traditional SFL Teachers. The Traditional SFL Teachers are characterized by more years of experience, lower inclusive beliefs scores, lower teachers’ perception of student outcomes in the TCLA program scores, and higher burnout scores as compared with the Innovative SFL Teachers. Moreover, Traditional SFL Teachers conceptualize their teaching role as a "teacher of Spanish" whereas Innovative SFL Teachers see themselves much more as playing a supportive role.     

A useful framework for teacher professional development for online and blended learning to use as guidance in times of crisis

Educational technology research and development -