College Counseling for Self‐Injurious Behavior: A Case Study

This case study describes the counseling experience of a college woman undergoing treatment to address self‐injurious behavior. The article presents and illustrates a counseling approach that is conceptually based on attachment and object relations theory. The approach emphasizes the client‐counselor relationship and the need to establish a supportive interpersonal environment as the main factors contributing to positive change in the client's self‐injuring behavior.     

Electronic customs innovation: An improvement of governmental infrastructures

This article examines the diffusion of an e-government innovation, a common e-customs standardized solution, which is currently subject of research in the European Union. One of the goals of the European Union is to achieve trade facilitation as well as to secure import and export. In order to achieve this goal, the European Government aims to have a common e-customs standardized solution. For this reason, the European Government provided an e-government model. However, while the e-government model regulates the boundaries of the e-government elements and provides high-level functional and technical specifications, the adoption part is in the hands of the individual EU member states. Procurement of information technology and implementation of e-customs solutions are not specified. The main goal of this study is, therefore, to identify facilitators and barriers that can influence the adoption of standardized e-customs solutions. The research is based on Rogers' theory of innovation considering the technological, organizational, and environmental context. Within the framework of a European funded project, we conducted our study collecting data from interviews and workshops involving an inhomogeneous group of participants, i.e. stakeholders coming from academy, industry, and governmental institutions. By demonstrating the existence of four generic facilitators (benefits potential of the public sector; procedural improvements and streamlined business processes; avoidance of misinterpretations of standardized regulations; and standardization of processes, messages and data models) and three barriers (slowdown in regulation execution due to missing procedural templates, increased complexity in the standardization process itself, electronification of operations) related to customs management, the article contributes towards the research in diffusion and adoption of e-government standards and in particular of standardized e-customs solutions as well as political and societal impact of e-customs policies.     

Microfluidic-driven viral infection on cell cultures: Theoretical and experimental study

Advanced cell culture systems creating a controlled and predictable microenvironment together with computational modeling may be useful tools to optimize the efficiency of cell infections. In this paper, we will present a phenomenological study of a virus-host infection system, and the development of a multilayered microfluidic platform used to accurately tune the virus delivery from a diffusive-limited regime to a convective-dominated regime. Mathematical models predicted the convective-diffusive regimes developed within the system itself and determined the dominating mass transport phenomena. Adenoviral vectors carrying the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) transgene were used at different multiplicities of infection (MOI) to infect multiple cell types, both in standard static and in perfused conditions. Our results validate the mathematical models and demonstrate how the infection processes through perfusion via microfluidic platform led to an enhancement of adenoviral infection efficiency even at low MOIs. This was particularly evident at the longer time points, since the establishment of steady-state condition guaranteed a constant viral concentration close to cells, thus strengthening the efficiency of infection. Finally, we introduced the concept of effective MOI, a more appropriate variable for microfluidic infections that considers the number of adenoviruses in solution per cell at a certain time.     

Effect of gender and stroke rate on joint power characteristics of the upper extremity during simulated rowing

Males typically have greater upper body strength than do females, which is likely to impact on the rowing techniques adopted by each sex. The aim of this study was to quantify energy contributions and compare the joint power production of upper extremity joints between the sexes. Seven males and eight females performed 60 s trials at five different stroke rates. External forces were measured at the handle and stretcher, while kinematics were recorded by motion analysis. Joint moments were derived by inverse dynamic calculations, followed by the calculation of joint powers and gross mechanical energy expenditure. Male rowers expended more total external energy per stroke and made a larger percentage contribution of angular shoulder energy to their total external energy expenditure. As stroke rate increased, the contribution from elbow and angular shoulder energy contributions decreased for both males and females. Female rowers decreased their angular shoulder contribution at a slower rate than did males as stroke rate increased. The overall percentage of work done on the stretcher was higher for male rowers, and this difference further increased at higher stroke rates. The results of this study suggest that specific upper body conditioning may be particularly important for female rowers.     

Reading Science Texts—Epistemology, Inquiry, Authenticity—A Rejoinder to Jonathan Osborne

We shall structure this rejoinder around two main sections. In the first, we address three underlying assumptions of our work that Osborne has identified. We indicate points of agreement, disagreement, and clarification. In the second section, we discuss briefly and add our clarifications to three understandings of his that Osborne introduces into the discussion. It should be noted that Osborne’s response is grounded in the same basic assumption as our set of papers, namely, the central role played by reading and writing, and communicative activities in general, both in science and in learning science.     

Competition,cooperation, and an adversarial model of sport

In this paper, I defend a general theory of competition and contrast it with a corresponding general theory of cooperation. I then use this analysis to critique mutualism. Building on the work of Arthur Applbaum and Joseph Heath I develop an alternative adversarial model of competitive sport, one that helps explain and is partly justified by shallow interpretivism, and argue that this model helps shows that the claim that mutualism provides us with the most defensible ethical ideal of sport is false. By replacing that view with an understanding of sporting adversarial ethics we can appreciate that the ethics of sport are more complex than has been commonly recognized.     

Striving for contribution: the five Cs and positive effects of cross-age peer mentoring

This article explores the relationship between cross-age peer mentoring and positive life outcomes as defined by the Five Cs: competence, character, confidence, connection, and compassion. Qualified high school juniors and seniors were randomly assigned groups of 4–5 freshmen to mentor through the challenges of transitioning to secondary school. Through a qualitative interview process, 12 former mentors discuss the benefits they have experienced in their lives as college students or productive members of the workforce, ranging from 1–4 years removed from the experience. All mentors found some value to the program as outlined by the Five Cs.     

Segmentation of Cinema Audiences: An Exploratory Study Applied to Young Consumers

The cinema exhibition sector in Spain, as well as in the rest of Europe, is a dynamic sector characterised by the present growth of multiplexes and consumer demand after a long period of decline. These changes make it relevant to analyse the cinema attendees' profile from a marketing perspective. To this end, we have developed an exploratory study on segmentation applied to the young cinema attendees. Doing so, we have found three different groups according to benefits sought in their going to the cinema and other demographic and behavioural variables. On the basis of information as such, specific marketing objectives could be set and more efficient strategies designed and implemented.     

Making connections: reflections on over three decades of EU initiatives in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC)

Recent anniversaries remind us of the lengthy history of the European Union’s involvement in ECEC, from the early work of the European Commission’s Childcare Network, from 1986–1996, to the European Commission’s publication in 2015 of an indicative Roadmap outlining potential new initiatives. European-funded research and policy reviews are numerous, frequently highlighting the significance of integrated ECEC systems in developing services and other areas of provision. This article looks back on three decades of EU policy initiatives and suggests that whilst key EC reviews have advocated integrated systems for member states, the Commission’s own fragmented approach has impeded the development of an effective framework at an EU level. It is argued that a tougher approach to improving ECEC, as suggested by recent developments, requires an integrated policy framework, unified targets and a strong single lead able to initiate and not just support actions at an EU level.