“ʿAlā fūr Tuṭīla”: Jews and Muslims in the Administrative Culture of Post-Conquest Tudela,c.1118–1220

The early history of the Jewish and Muslim communities living under Christian rule in the Ebro Valleys tends to be overlooked in favour of the source-rich thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. However, the nature and organisation of these groups should not be taken as a constant, as they underwent a significant transformation over the course of the twelfth century. Through the case study of Tudela, this article proposes to re-examine the dynamics of administration and judicial practice that developed in the immediate aftermath of the Navarro-Aragonese conquest. This town has a rich corpus of charters that allows us to contrast the administrative layout enshrined in the franchise charters known as fueros with the legal practice reflected in some particular bilingual interlineated purchase-sale contracts. A comparison of both sets of documents emphasises the use of the fuero in inter-communal negotiation, both in framing encounters and in guaranteeing each group's autonomy, during a key period in the gestation of Jewish and Muslim administrative and judicial practices under Christian rule.

Abbreviations: DAr = Mercedes García-Arenal, “Documentos árabes de Tudela Y Tarazona”, Al-Qan?ara: Revista de Estudios Árabes 3 (1982): 27–72; FdN = Luis Javier Fortún Pérez de Ciriza, “Colección de ‘fueros menores’ de Navarra y otros privilegios locales (I)”, Príncipe de Viana 165 (1982): 273–348     

Effects of distinct practice conditions on the learning of the o soto gari throwing technique of judo

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different types of practice on learning the o soto gari, focusing on the kuzushi (unbalancing the opponent). A total of 64 children (mean age 9.19 ± 1.41 years) were assigned to one of four groups: (1) static traditional practice, i.e., uchikomi – repetition of the moving pattern that characterises the technique up to the point of throwing; (2) in motion traditional practice – uchikomi with the tori (player executing the technique) moving/walking; (3) whole practice with pre-kuzushi – full technique with a preparatory component for kuzushi; (4) progressive parts practice with pre-kuzushi – progressively introducing kuzushi, tsukuri (set-up to execute the technique) and kake (final part of the technique; projection) with pre-kuzushi. Pre-test, acquisition, post-test and retention test were carried out. Movements were video recorded and analysed regarding three aspects: global technique of the tori, occurrence of a movement pattern performed by the tori to unbalance the uke (player receiving the “attack”), and occurrence of actual unbalance (kuzushi). Results showed no significant differences between-groups. However, different within-groups improvements suggest that using a uchikomi with pre-kuzushi can help learners deal with the motor actions of pulling and pushing in order to unbalance the opponent.     

Effectiveness of pedalling retraining in reducing bilateral pedal force asymmetries

ABSTRACT

Previous studies have been limited to describe asymmetries during pedalling and suggest possible repercussion on performance and/or injury risks. However, few studies have presented strategies to mitigate asymmetries. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a pedalling retraining intervention to reduce bilateral pedal force asymmetries. Twenty cyclists were assessed and 10 enrolled in a pedalling retraining method receiving visual and verbal feedback of pedal forces. The asymmetry index was computed for comparison of bilateral peak pedal forces and used during retraining (12 trials at 70% of peak power). Significantly larger asymmetry was observed for asymmetrical cyclists at the first three trials (P < 0.01 and ES = 1.39), which was reduced when post-retraining was compared to measures from symmetrical cyclists (P = 0.69 and ES = 0.18). Cyclists with larger asymmetry (>20%) in bilateral pedal forces reduce their asymmetries using sessions of pedalling retraining and achieve asymmetry indices similar to symmetrical cyclists.     

Effects of antagonist pre-load on knee extensor isokinetic muscle performance

The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare acute effects of a reciprocal action protocol and a super-set protocol on knee extensor performance during concentric isokinetic exercise. Fourteen men aged 29.4 ± 6.1 years were tested on three different protocols, with 1 min of rest between sets: control (3 sets of 10 isokinetic knee extension repetitions), reciprocal action protocol (3 sets of 10 repetitions of reciprocal isokinetic concentric knee flexion and knee extension repetitions), and super-set protocol (3 sets of a combination of 10 repetitions of knee flexion immediately followed by 10 repetitions of knee extension repetitions). Tests were performed at 60° · s(-1) and 180° · s(-1), randomized across 3 days and separated by at least 72 h. There were no significant differences between protocols for peak torque at 60° · s(-1) or 180° · s(-1). Total work was significantly higher during the reciprocal action protocol compared with the super-set protocol at 60° · s(-1). There was a significant decline in peak torque (from 240.6 to 212.9 N · m) and total work (from 2294 to 1899 J) for the control condition at 60° · s(-1). Also, total work declined significantly across sets for the super-set protocol at 60° · s(-1) (from 2157 to 1707 J). Results indicate that a reciprocal action protocol provides torque maintenance during multiple sets of isokinetic training, both at slow and high velocities.     

Parental beliefs about child development and parental inferences about actions during child-rearing episodes

The way parents’ beliefs on child development support the elaboration of practical inferences during everyday child-rearing episodes was examined. We contrasted two models based respectively on the classical and the connectionist view of schema approaches. According to the classical view, parents activate preformed packages of beliefs in order to produce inferences whereas under the connectionist view, they activate the network of interconnected episodic traces that better fits the information provided by the situation. In the former case, the quality of the inferences depends on the activation of the proper schema whereas in the latter case it depends on the structure of the information given. Two experiments were designed in which parents holding a particular global belief about child development (either constructivism or environmentalism), were presented with a target couple with similar or different views with respect to them. In Experiment 1, constructivist parents bearing in mind the couple’s belief had to judge a set of words describing the couple’s image as parents, their educational goals as well as a number of sentences describing the couple’s child-rearing practices during hypothetical episodes. In Experiment 2, environmentalist parents had to judge the couple’s practices and the amount of information presented about the couple’s ideas as well as its plausibility were manipulated. The results indicate that the accuracy and speed in the production of inferences depends on the information presented in the task. When the information is embedded in episodes and a full, plausible and distinctive account of the couple’s belief are provided, then the production of inferences is performed faster and with more accuracy. The results are discussed in terms of the classical and connectionist views of schema approaches.     

Achievement versus aptitude in college admissions: A cautionary note based on evidence from Chile

In recent years there has been a debate over the alleged superiority of achievement tests over aptitude tests on the grounds that the first would be fairer for college admissions and less influenced by family background. The switch from aptitude tests to achievement tests in Chile presented a unique opportunity to examine this claim. Regression analysis was used to assess the impact of the change in test performance using data from seven cohorts of test-takers. The evidence does not support the superiority of achievement tests, particularly when these assess extensive contents.     

String formatting considered harmful for novice programmers

In Java, System.out.printf and String.format consume a specialised kind of string commonly known as a format string. In our study of first-year students at the Ateneo de Manila University, we discovered that format strings present a substantial challenge for novice programmers. Focusing on their first laboratory we found that 8% of all the compilation errors and 100% of the exceptional, run-time behaviour they encountered were due to the improper construction of format strings. Format strings are a language unto themselves embedded within Java, and they are difficult for novice programmers to master when learning to program. In this article, we present exemplars of students' problematic interactions with the Java compiler and run-time environment when dealing with format strings, discuss these interactions, and recommend possible instructional interventions based on our observations.     

Multi-level Discourse Analysis in a Physics Teaching Methods Course from the Psychological Perspective of Activity Theory

In this paper, we present and apply a multi-level method for discourse analysis in science classrooms. This method is based on the structure of human activity (activity, actions, and operations) and it was applied to study a pre-service physics teacher methods course. We argue that such an approach, based on a cultural psychological perspective, affords opportunities for analysts to perform a theoretically based detailed analysis of discourse events. Along with the presentation of analysis, we show and discuss how the articulation of different levels offers interpretative criteria for analyzing instructional conversations. We synthesize the results into a model for a teacher's practice and discuss the implications and possibilities of this approach for the field of discourse analysis in science classrooms. Finally, we reflect on how the development of teachers' understanding of their activity structures can contribute to forms of progressive discourse of science education.     

The Relationship between Self- and Other-Perceptions of Communication Competence and Friendship Quality

This study explored dyadic effects of communication competence, assessed through self-perceptions and other-perceptions, on relationship quality in same-sex platonic friendships. Undergraduate students recruited a same-sex platonic friend to participate in this study along with them. Participants (N = 310; dyads = 155) completed an online questionnaire assessing their own and their partner's communication competence as well as their own relationship satisfaction and commitment. Results from actor-partner interdependence model analyses revealed both actor and partner effects for self-perceptions and other-perceptions of communication competence on relationship satisfaction and commitment. Additionally, partners’ other-perceptions of communication competence moderated the relationship between actors’ other-perceptions of communication competence and relationship commitment.