Postmodern footballers and their ‘second skin’: emotional narratives ranging from solidarity to intimacy

This article underlines some key traits in the make-up of postmodern footballers. Specifically, we discuss the changes in celebrating goals as sporting events in recent years. We contribute a new perspective on the birth of the postmodern ‘me-event’ compared with the ‘goal-event’ typical of modern times. To support our contribution empirically, we use two methodological dimensions: the discourse analysis of international football legislation and photographic and video archive to illustrate the diversity of phenomena with hermeneutic sampling criteria. The differences between the modern and postmodern way of celebrating a goal, individually and/or collectively, highlight a process of social change in which the individual way of celebrating advances rapidly in a society where there is ever greater media coverage and commercialism.     

An off-the-shelf integrated microfluidic device comprising self-assembled monolayers for protein array experiments

Microfluidic-based protein arrays are promising tools for life sciences, with increased sensitivity and specificity. One of the drawbacks of this technology is the need to create fresh surface chemistry for protein immobilization at the beginning of each experiment. In this work, we attempted to include the process of surface functionalization as part of the fabrication of the device, which would substitute the time consuming step of surface functionalization at the beginning of each protein array experiment. To this end, we employed a novel surface modification using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) to immobilize biomolecules within the channels of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) integrated microfluidic device. As a model, we present a general method for depositing siloxane-anchored SAMs, with 1-undecyl-thioacetate-trichlorosilane (C₁₁TA) on the silica surfaces. The process involved developing PDMS-compatible conditions for both SAM deposition and functional group activation. We successfully demonstrated the ability to produce, within an integrated microfluidic channel, a C₁₁TA monolayer with a covalently conjugated antibody. The antibody could then bind its antigen with a high signal to background ratio. We further demonstrated that the antibody was still active after storage of the device for a week. Integration of the surface chemistry into the device as part of its fabrication process has potential to significantly simplify and shorten many experimental procedures involving microfluidic–based protein arrays. In turn, this will allow for broader dissemination of this important technology.     

Influence of different sports on bone mass in growing girls

The aim of this study was to analyse whether there are differences in bone mass in girls playing different sports. Two hundred girls (10.6 ± 1.5 years old, Tanner stages I–III) participated in the study and were divided into groups of 40 (swimmers, soccer players, basketball players, handball players and controls). Bone mineral content and bone mineral density (BMD) (whole body and hip) were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The degree of sexual development was determined using Tanner test, and physical activity habits were recorded through a questionnaire designed ad hoc for this research. Girls were divided by pubertal stage and the type of sport. In the prepubertal group, intertrochanteric BMD was significantly higher in both handball and soccer players compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, in the pubertal group, total BMD, mean arms BMD, pelvis BMD, femoral neck BMD, intertrochanteric BMD and Ward’s triangle BMD were significantly higher in soccer and handball players compared with the control group (P < 0.05), and the swimmers showed significantly higher values in the mean arms BMD compared with the control group (P < 0.01). Our data suggest that sport practice during puberty, especially in activities that support the body weight, may be an important factor in achieving a high peak bone mass and improving bone health in girls.     

Engagement of Academic Libraries and Information Science Schools in Creating Curriculum for Sustainability: An Exploratory Study

In 2010, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education released, “Sustainability curriculum in higher education: A call to action,” encouraging infusion of sustainability topics into universities' teaching and research. Since then, academic programs and research related to social, economic, and environmental sustainability have enriched university curricula. An exploratory study was conducted to determine the position and engagements of academic libraries and information science schools in their contributions to scholarly sustainability activities and curricular initiatives. This article presents the results of the study which reveals a number of engagements by library professionals in the areas of sustainability, such as increasing open access to research, building sustainability-related collections and research guides, and incorporating sustainability content into information literacy. While academic libraries and information science schools are engaged in a broad spectrum of initiatives that support their institutions' sustainability research and curricular functions, this study indicates that such activities require a more targeted approach.     

Enhanced production of thermostable laccases from a native strain of Pycnoporus sanguineus using central composite design

研究目的：优化获得血红密孔菌（P.sanguineus）的最佳培养基组成,提高耐热漆酶的产量。创新要点：获得了目前文献报道的最高水平的漆酶活力。研究方法：通过单因素试验研究了不同培养基（番茄汁、麦麸、麦芽提取物和葡萄糖细菌蛋白胨培养基）和不同组合诱导剂（大豆油、阿魏酸、没食子酸、二甲基苯胺、酸性蓝62和活性蓝19分别与硫酸铜组合诱导剂）对P.sanguineus产耐热漆酶的影响。在此基础上采用中心组合试验设计,进一步研究了番茄汁培养基结合硫酸铜和大豆油组合诱导剂对P.sanguineus产耐热漆酶的影响。利用SAS10.0和响应面分析方法对试验结果进行了统计分析和建立回归模型。重要结论：通过中心组合设计优化得出P.sanguineus产耐热漆酶的最优培养基条件：以36.8%番茄汁为培养基,以3 mmol/L硫酸铜和1%大豆油作为组合诱导剂。该条件下在10 L搅拌槽生物反应器中漆酶活力达到了143 000 IU/L（2,2＇-联氮双（3-乙基苯并噻唑啉-6-磺酸）为底物,pH值为3.0）。     

“Tjaa,I Do Have Ears,But I Do Not Hear”: New Literacy Studies and the Awakening of a Hearing Teacher

To address the low literacy achievement of minority students, the sociocultural movement of the New Literacy Studies (NLS) encourages us to expand on current understandings of literacy. Instead of thinking of literacy as a neutral set of skills transferable from one setting to another, NLS researchers encourage us to contextualize literacy within individuals’ social and cultural realms. In this view, there are multiple literacies. As a literacy teacher of students who are deaf, I have witnessed students struggling with school-based literacy learning. As I began to examine what I was doing within the classroom, I realized that my assumptions about literacy instruction were the main source of students' struggles. In this study I explore how I used the theoretical perspective of the NLS to expand my understanding of literacy. The findings suggest that, in order to base literacy instruction on students' resources, teachers need to learn to negotiate conflicting educational Discourses on reading and writing, to create a space within the classroom for students to bring in their literacy practices, and to recognize and preserve students' agency and identity in their learning. Findings also indicate the vital role of writing in deaf students' learning of Icelandic.     

School Schedules Affect Sleep Timing in Children and Contribute to Partial Sleep Deprivation

Although the environmental light/dark cycle is the main zeitgeber for the human species, the social cues seem to be important in the synchronization of circadian rhythms. In Brazil, the existence of two school schedules—one with only morning classes (MG) and other with only afternoon classes (AG)—allows the investigation of the effect of school activities on light exposure and sleep/wake patterns in children. Forty‐seven children wore wrist actimeters for a week for registration of light and sleep data. MG children presented shorter sleep duration on school days than the children from the AG. The results showed that during school days MG children were exposed to bright light earlier in the morning when compared to AG children. Nevertheless, there were no differences in light exposure after sunset. The results reflect the role of school schedules and artificial light in shaping light exposure, and its association with sleep timing in children.     

The role of pre-innovation platform activity for diffusion success: Evidence from consumer innovations on a 3D printing platform

Digital platforms are becoming increasingly important for household sector innovators that seek support for the innovation process and that want to make innovations available to large audiences. Innovation development and diffusion is especially challenging for first-time innovators as they cannot build on experiences from prior innovations. We argue that first-time innovators can increase the diffusion success of their innovations by engaging in pre-innovation platform activities. We use the context of the 3D printing platform Thingiverse to show that a consumer's pre-innovation platform activity increases innovation diffusion success and that frequency, quality and relatedness of a consumer's pre-innovation platform activity promotes this effect. We find support that innovation quality, the use of recombinant innovations, and innovation documentation are three mechanisms through which pre-innovation platform activities translate into higher diffusion success of consumers’ first innovation.